Spot the difference!

Quick quiz!

There are 5 main differences in these two pictures (apart from the fact that some of the books are in slightly different places) - can you spot them?

Did you find them? Answers below:

1. I have managed to put one of the shelves back on the wall. I got our newish powerful drill out at the weekend, and managed to put the shelf up securely. I may have actually let the words "Girl Power!" slip from my lips with the excitement that comes as a result of a job well done. Embarrassing! Luckily David was playing with Torin upstairs, so no one was around to hear! I'll post another picture when the top shelf is back up, but this is going to be a more difficult job as most of the wall plugs were ripped out of the wall when the shelf came down (as I describe here).
2. There is a pretty greetings card on the second shelf. I gave this to David for his birthday back in October. It's still on the shelf because I plan to frame it (I'll give you a close up when this has been done). In the meantime, you can view it here.
3. There's a candlestick infront of the blue books. I bought this in an antiques shop in York just before we were due to go to a wedding. It wasn't expensive, but it really caught my eye. I believe it dates back to the 1870s.
4. There's a large red vase next to the vases. This was from The Pier (now closed down), and was one of the first pieces of "red" that David and I had in the flat we rented together when we first moved to Cardiff. At the moment it's acting as a bookend, but it may stay there as I quite like the contrast between the red and the white; it depends on how many white books are left on this level when I've put the top shelf back up.

Lastly . . . number 5

David surprised me at the weekend and gave me the little wooden bird that I was coveting here. It's so cute, and I'm very lucky!

Here it is in close-up:

I think when the top shelf is up and the books are back on the shelf, the bird should end up in front of the white books, which will help it stand out more. In the meantime, I'll enjoy looking at it in its nest by the brown books every time I walk through our dining room. 

My home: an introduction.

In this mini-series, I'm going to share a selection of my favourite things from each room in our house. Hopefully these posts will provide you with a little insight into my style, and give you a peek into what our house is like.

Bedroom

Among my many favourite items in our bedroom, there are two that really stand out for me. These are:

My Orla Kiely duvet cover

I think I may have actually squealed when I found this duvet cover set in TK Maxx several months ago. It came with 4 pillow cases, and was being sold for almost a quarter of its RRP! I snapped it up!

The tiny stem is my favourite Orla Kiely motif, and I think it looks stunning placed in brown thread onto the matt grey background of this cover.

A few weeks after I got this set, David surprised me with another. This time, it was a brown cover with the tiny stem motif in mustard yellow - yum! I love both sets - they go really well with our Mellow Mocha walls (you can see part of our wall here), and the colours help to make our bedroom feel smartly calm.

My jewellery box

This beautiful box was my 21st birthday present from my parents. It was made in the 1820s and is made from walnut with an inset and lock in mother of pearl. Apart from the way it looks, my favourite thing about it is that when you open it fully, you can press down on a metal button and a concealed tray emerges from the bottom of the box. This tray obviously once held a heavy gentleman's watch, as there is a circular indentation in the silk lining; I now use it to hold my earrings.

I love to imagine the previous owners of a piece like this - was it passed down in a line of gentlemen with important jobs and heavy watches? Or was it once the 21st birthday present of a Regency debutant? 

Can't stop looking at . . .

Each week, I'll be sharing with you something that has caught my eye. It may be a picture, blog, product or website.

Beds from The Sleep Room have caught my eye in pictures from magazines for the last few months, and when I looked at their website the other day, I was pleased to see that they have just launched a new range of bedside tables. My favourite is Campaign, made from solid oak with vintage bronze finish metal legs.

I currently use a cabinet that my grandmother picked up at auction (they came as a pair and she only needed one), which I plan to re-vamp, but I'd be quite happy if someone presented me with this as an alternative! 

If this is anything to go by, I'm looking forward to seeing their new tables when they are released in April.

Happy World Book Day everyone!

Today is World Book Day in the UK and Ireland!

Did you know that World Book Day is celebrated in more than 100 countries around the world? A celebration of books and reading, it is a day where publishers, booksellers and other interested parties work together to promote books and reading for personal enjoyment, as well as personal enrichment.

In order to share my love of books with you, I though I'd take a look at some of my favourite book-related products available for the home.

A whole book on a poster? It's possible with this great print from Spineless Classics via Her Little Place.

Image from here.

These great Penguin Classics tea towels available from here. Use them to dry your dishes in style, or stretch it onto canvas as Heather Young has done here:

Image from here.

This literary candle from The Literary Gift Company, features an excerpt from "Wuthering Heights", and is scented with wild heather and a hint of violet :

And finally, the now discontinued Wakefield Chandelier from Pottery Barn, featured here.

Image from here.

I'm currently reading "Such a Long Journey" by Rohinton Mistry (promise you'll get it back eventually Catherine!). It takes place in Mumbai in 1971, and tells the story of Gustad Noble, a father of 3, who is set a difficult task by his friend that means he has to delve into a dangerous world of politics, secrets and large amounts of money. I'm learning such a lot about how India was at this time - I really love it when a book teaches me something. What are you reading at the moment?

Happy reading everyone!

In need of a new mousemat.

Yesterday, David and I re-arranged our living room and dining room (pictures to come soon), and my desk is now in a much more prominent position in the dining room - it was in the dining room in the alcove under our stairs and it's now infront of the chimney breast. We much prefer it in its new home, and it'll hopefully make sure that it doesn't accumulate piles of paperwork and general junk anymore. With such a clear desk however, it has become clear that we need a new mousemat.

This is our very tatty mousemat:

I know it's not awful, but one a little more in-keeping with the room (and in-keeping with how I want the room to eventually look in my imagination) would be so much better.

Here are a few of some of the best mousemats I've found so far:

"Grey martini" from tinyshoppe.

"Owl" by Eleanor Grosch at mirrorgirl.

"Unikko" mouse mat at Marimekko.

I really like the subtle colour of "Grey martini", but I think the Marimekko one has the edge for me - funky! Which is your favourite?