How to make An instagram worthy wall

Making my garden pretty was a struggle. From taking photos nearly every day as part of my job, I obviously want my home to be a hub of pretty places where my photos could take place. When I bought my house there was this horrible brick wall, the people before me had kids and I always thought the brick wall was so dangerous there were loose bricks just placed around. I believe there used to be a shed and obviously the old owners thought they were super smart by just knocking it down themselves and then just LEAVING IT…WHO DOES THAT?! 

Anyway, rant over, long story short we have been in our house over 6 months and it’s still a job that needs doing, we have planted pretty plants all over the garden and even have a little herb and vegetable patch. Our patio has this lovely large corner sofa from Wayfair and we brought a barbecue for the bargain price of £30 in the sale from Homebase which Adam was pretty chuffed about but the brick wall was still annoying me. 

So why complain about it when I can do something about it. I first picked out some exterior paint from Sandtex part of their Fine Textured Masonry Paint range in Pure Brilliant White, you get a pretty decent size tin (10Litres) for £24.99 and the paint would have been able to do the back of my house, I literally only used a tiny bit for the wall, it went on very easily using only a little paint and the wall only needed two coats for a really thick coating. 

As the masonry paint is dirt resident and waterproof I shouldn’t need to worry about re-painting for a while, which is a relief seeing as it took me so long to get around to it in the first place. I decided to use the fine textured masonry paint range due to it being able to cover fine cracks – it’s not a perfect wall and unless I want to spend a few hundred on getting it rendered it will have to do, but I actually like that it’s not smooth and you can see the brick outline. 

Now I could have just covered the wall in flowers to try and make it pretty, but the pop of white paint from Sandtex has really turned my boring wall into an Instagrammable background for I am sure many OOTD’s to come. Although ‘Pure Brilliant White’ is not the most interesting colour, as my garden is already filled with colour from the green grass and flowers it actually makes it stand out. It feels like I have just injected a pop of colour into my garden without an actual colour. The other colours I was debating about was Plymouth Grey (grey/purple hue), or Terracotta which are all great to revive surfaces, sheds or upcycle furniture.

Next up will be my boring shed which I am thinking of using Bay Tree from Sandtex. After all, everyone needs a sage green shed, right?! 

Anyway when the paint was dry, I popped over to Squires, garden centre, a shop that has taken many pounds from me – I never realised I would be sucked into a gardening shop! I brought a climber to go up one side of the wall called Silly Cow (no joke) or Passion Flower, on the other side of the wall is a wisteria but when I brought it I didn’t realise it would take like 10 years to actually grow!!!

 It is incredible that a pop of paint has really transformed my garden into a stylish spot.

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Luxury Gift Guide: Mother's Day

I am never usually with my Mum on Mother's Day, as you may know she lives in the USA but I still like to make her feel like a Queen even when I am miles away. So below are some luxury gift I would buy my Mummy!  

    Lindor Strawberries & Cream truffles, Lindt,£4.99

These little pink balls are just pure indulgence!

Aldi,No. 1 Lime, Basil and Mandarin Luxury fragranced candle, £3.99

Aldi, the little cheeky monkeys have created a pretty identical candle to Jo Malone, the main difference is its 90% cheaper - be afraid, Jo Malone be very afraid. It’s a pretty large size of 290g and has a burn time of 48 hours. So far I am very impressed!

Bubble Club Subscription, three monthmembership, £99

This is the perfect gift for my Mum as she loves a glass of fizz and with a Bubble Club subscription you get two new fizz’s to try from around the globe each month with some snacks to go with them. ‘Because life is better with Bubbles’.

Moët & Chandon, Imperial Brut NVChampagne So Bubbly Mini Bottle, 200ml £14.99

As luxurious treats go a mini bottle of Moët would go perfect with breakfast in bed with some organise juice for a mimosa.

   Giles& Posner Bella Pizza Maker, £99

My mum is a whizz in the kitchen and now becoming a health bunny, this pizza oven would mean she could make something a little bit naughty but on the healthy side. Who could say no to a handmade pizza is just 5 minutes?

   Roja Parfums 'A Goodnight Kiss', £1250

For the ultimate luxury gift if you have the Money why not buy a Roja Parfum. This one is ‘A Goodnight Kiss’. The sent is a blend of Aldehydes, Bergamot, Carnation, Rose, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Orange Blossom, May Flower and Violet for a spicy yet floral scent and it looks divine on any vanity table.

    Clairns – any product really!  

Clarins is a favourite of Mummy Kay so any products would do but I have gone for Supra Volume Mascara, 4-Colour Eye Palette in Rosewood and BB Skin perfecting cream as my top favourites right now.

    Murad, Retinol Youth Renewal Serum, £65

Dr Murad has done it again with a powerful serum using the exclusive Tri-Retinol Technology to fight against lines and wrinkles. My mum is beautiful inside and out but sometimes even the best of us need a helping hand.

    S+ ResMed, £99

Sleep is one of the most important thing is my life and the S+ is the world’s first (talk about luxury) non-contact, sleep tracking system to analyse and improve sleep without the need of a clunky wristband. The S+ is available from Amazon.

    Bean Body Coffee Bean Scrub – Cocoberry, £14.95

I am gifting one of my favourite coffee scrubs which you can also see featured in 7Natural Beauty Products. Coffee scrubs have so many benefits for the skin to renew, hydrate and exfoliate all over leaving you feeling like a bit of luxury.

    Salter,Copper Effect 3 Piece Saucepan set, £90

Cooper is the trend that keeps on giving so you can’t go wrong with this Salter set and who can have enough pots, really?

And then it can be wrapped up in some personalised wrapping paper straight from my social media account from Wrap.me

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10 Life Hacks You Need

Today I wanted to impart some wisdom to my lovely readers in the form of my ‘top life hacks’ featuring a bit of home, beauty, food and general life hacks that will change your world if you’re not currently using them! (Maybe not change your world…but they will make life easier!)

1. Sharing is caring: I find it très annoying when people shove there grubby mitts into my tiny crisp packet, don’t you? But do not threat I have a solution. After you open up any bag of crisps all you need to do is roll up from the bottom and voila you have a packet of crisps for sharing.

If you are really savvy you will just purchase the new Walkers Tear 'n' Share packets of crisps that turn into a bowl, ideal for sharing. Life changer is an understatement; I was chatting to a friend who said at work you just open it up and see how quickly the packer disappears. Come to me big packet of crisps…no hacks necessary!

2. Golden rule of baking: A hack handed down from Mummy Kay, always use the size and shape dish/tin that the recipe asks for. You may not see it as a hack but think about it, do you actually check that your tin/dish match up to your recipe? Do you always wish you cake, flan or whatever it may be is looking a little sparse or overflowing? DING DING DING it is probably a dish issue.

3.Stuck for a Champagne stopper? You don't need to finish the whole bottle because you are scared of wasting precious fizz. A small teaspoon will do wonders; I am not sure what magical powers it holds but put it upside down in your fizz and it will be fizzy for days

4. Don't have ice for smoothies?! Either you have nowhere to store a big bag of ice or you simply do not have any in the house. I always freeze some of my fruit as it makes a great chilled smoothie without the need for ice. Even if you just put it in the freezer for an hour it will make a big difference. Also it won't go off if you don't manage to eat it #WinWin.

5. Gold furniture spray paint should be in reaching distance at all times: When it comes to home decor or interior decorating I am a true believer that gold can solve most furniture / decor disasters. When I say 'gold' I don't mean bright Gold, you need to go for the rusty colour, I purchase mine from Homebase here. I see it as an essential, pops of gold can really spruce up anything and great for IKEA hacks. Check out my IKEA VITTSJO table, it was so BLAH to look at and I transformed it into a beautiful bar cart!

6. Pinterest your life: If you are an organisation freak, like me and you don't have Pinterest get on it quick, it is a game changer. I find it so easy to organise my life when I have a plan on Pinterest - decorating, recipes, Christmas presents etc. You can also make your boards secret if you don't want people to see you are crazy such as future baby room or wedding (not even married yet!).

7. Pass me the vinegar: Mirrors always get so grubby, usually with makeup OOPSY. If you use normal mirror cleaner it seems to just leave massive streaks that make the mirror look worse. My tried and tested hack is to get out the Vinegar...leaving your mirrors oh so clean with no mucky streaks. Vinegar is actually a god send in the cleaning world there are loads of uses for it, just give it a Google.

8. More volume please: Everyone can do with a little bit more volume and a hack I swear by is to dry your hair upside down for a bit more VaVaVoom.

9. Soft kissable lips: I use a little toothbrush to get super soft lips before a night out. Just use it in a small circular motion with a bit of lip salve, I am currently using Carmax.  If this is not working for you I swear by the Lush lip scrub.

10. Want faster drying nails? It is simple just dip them into icy water.

Hope you enjoyed my 10 life hacks; it would be great to hear yours

XxX

This post is in collaboration with Walkers but my love of Crisps and hacks is all my own

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Christmas Gift Guide: Home

Since moving into my home, nearly two years ago now! My shoe obsession has moved onto items for my home, particularly anything rose gold. There are so many amazing things at rock bottom prices which would be perfect for your friends and family to make their home a little bit for prettier. I will have some more home gift guides but this one is mainly focusing on gifts for the kitchen or living room.

This ‘Good Things Happen’ print it ultra-Chic and could even be perfect for the man in your life and this brushed gold frame – LOVE LOVE LOVE. For the vintage lover these floral suitcases look fab anywhere in the home, I kind of feel like filling the top one with flowers…

For the chef in your life why not Dinner with Mr Darcy with recipes inspired by Jane Austin or for something a little bit sweeter ‘Life Is Sweet’ by the Hummingbird Bakery would go down a treat, as who in their right mind doesn’t lust over Hummingbird bakery and it’s on SALE for£5.99. If you want something for the kitchen that is a little bit more Christmassy this Reindeer Nutcracker from Eddintons is the one.

To add some decoration to the home with a purpose why not purchase this pineapple money box or a glass terrarium which is fun to create and makes a cute display and who doesn’t want a house filled with cacti. If your friend or mum is more into decorating gifts why not purchase these pretty gift tags with a vintage feel and you can keep them in this little ‘Enjoy the Little Things’ trinket tin.

That’s it for now but there are plenty more gift guides coming your way! 

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Restaurant Review: Aladino's, Alexandrian Cuisine

In the heart of Kensington there is hidden gem serving up Alexandrian (Egyptian) cuisine with an incredible array of flavours and it goes by the name: Aladino's. You don't often hear about Alexandrian cuisine in London but with Aladino's you don't need any more. Head chef Aladino's Barakat has you sorted with 18 years’ experience under his belt from Egypt bringing you traditional dishes with a modern twist.

When you walk in to Aladino’s the décor is beautiful adorned with cream and gold, very stylish, so I had high hopes for delicious and beautiful food to coincide and I was not disappointed. You can my menu choices below but I will go into detail on some highlights. One is the Moorish traditional breads and dips, why do I not have breads and sauces every single day! The big treat about an Indian is that you get poppadoms and mango chutney so what don’t I do this with bread. I feel a new year resolution coming on.

Moving on to the Beef Fillet, I have not had steak in a while as every time I order it as it never lives up to my expectations, maybe they are too high or maybe the restaurant needs to step up their game as one marinated in Whiskey was truly impressive and so flavourful, Whiskey is a new fave. Ordinarily I don’t really mention service in my reviews but at Aladino’s does need a special mention as they seem to be friends with all their customers and I can see why, we were looked after by two waiters and introduced to the owner and the head chef, even had a cheeky cocktail with them.

So there is not much more to be said except for you must try this restaurant out!

Starters

·         Selection of traditional breads and sauces.

·         King Prawns Fried in a light crispy coating with compressed fennel and radish.

·         Seasonal vegetables in a light crispy coating – you can tell we like things fried and this comes with a side of hummus

Main Dish

·         Beef Fillet marinated in Whiskey with an Egyptian spiced cream sauce, tenderstem broccoli, asparagus, chantenay carrot, potato crisp and caramelized onion puree – truly scrumptious

·         Pan-fried wild sea bass in a red pepper and saffron sauce, ratatouille and spinach.

·         Side: Fatta which is a rice and bread dish which is fried and marinated in a light vinegar and garlic dressing. – The more bread the better I say.

Dessert

·         Ice cream and sorbet selection to cleanse the pallet.

·         Then the traditional Om Ali which is a filo pastry baked in a rich cream with a hint of vanilla topped with almond flakes.

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