July 29, 2013

My Top Arm-Decor Picks Under £50 From The Jewel Hut. Shiny, Shiny!

July 29, 2013/ Claire Spence

The Jewel Hut is a long-standing business that's successfully made the move from their 21 UK-wide stores, to a complimentary clean & bright online store front.

Stocking popular brands Pandora, Thomas Sabo & Links of London, it's a secure and safe place to buy gifts or pieces for yourself, with free delivery & gift wrapping available.

They let me pick a piece, this freshwater pearl bracelet that's very unusual, on a yellow watch strap.

You can find The Jewel Hut on Twitter too- @TheJewelHut

July 26, 2013

Basically Bonkers Bedrooms

July 26, 2013/ Claire Spence

Visit MoneySupermarket to compare home insurance to keep your own beautiful home safe.

July 25, 2013

Local Lady Sera & Her New Cosmopolitan Pink Hair. Let's Help Her Win a Blog Award.

July 25, 2013/ Claire Spence

This year The World of Kitsch didn't make it into the Cosmo Blog Award finals, BUT my good friend Sera's blog The Agoraphobic Fashionista did, so my mission is to repay all the times she has supported me in blog awards, and ask all of you, my readers, to join me in voting for her to win her category.

Sera is a fashion & beauty blogger but the interesting spin on her personal blog is the fact she speaks openly about mental health and her struggle to cope with her illness. Sadly that is the very reason she is unable to attend the actual Cosmo Awards event, which is always great fun, but she has given them a little nod with her brand new, hot Cosmo-pink hair-do. I love it!

To help Sera win the Lifestyle Category, vote here for The Agoraphobic Fashionista.

July 25, 2013

Can't Decide What Colour to Paint the Kitchen? Paint It EVERY Colour; oh & Bring the Bucket of Lego

July 25, 2013/ Claire Spence

July 25, 2013

Cable & Cotton, Grown Up Fairy Lights You Can Design Yourself

July 25, 2013/ Claire Spence

When I was 13 I had the great want to be an interior Designer. Most of my scribbled, felt tip masterpieces included an important accessory- fairy lights. My favourite idea was to cover a ceiling in fake ivy, with twinkling fairy lights poking between the leaves. Absolutely lovely for the Rainforest Cafe, but not really okay with my parents in a suburban home. I did however cello tape some pieces of plastic ivy up the wall beside my bed, and wound some plain white fairy lights through that. As you can imagine, this looked INCREDIBLE. Ahem.

Anyway, the fairy lights thing still hadn't abated even though I'm now 32. A few years ago I bought bird shaped fairy lights in Ikea, and I've a string of lampshaded, twee lights inside one of my cabinets. But most people's houses are more stylish than mine, and that's where I introduce you to Cable and Cotton.

These beautiful linenesque globed lights are gentle mood lighting suitable for any home. The globes come in dozens of colours, and you can handpick the colour scheme you desire on the website, and choose the number of lights too.

I picked one of the preselected colour schemes, mojito, as I knew the colours would be right with our vintage print duvet. The lights are on a clear string, so no ugly green wires when it's day time.

And how gorgeous does this wedding look with a ceiling of Cable and Cotton lighting? I also think small shops could be very funky by decorating their window or shop with lights in their exact logo colours. Very eye catching. Prices start at around £24.

If you are living near Brighton, you can visit the first Cable and Cotton store. It looks like my dream shop.

July 24, 2013

Ikea. I Don't Mean to be Rude but, Shut Up and Take My Money!!!

July 24, 2013/ Claire Spence

Sweet baby Jesus. Ikea have brought back their first ever piece of flat pack furniture. The table that started it all. The one, the only Lovbacken side table. First released in 1956 she's a work of mid-century perfection.

Ive looked high and low for tables like this, and picked up a few in my time. The slanty legs, the Formica type wooden top, it's just beautiful. I want one. And it's only £40. The tables I've seen before are vintage, but usually badly marked and more expensive than that. I hate the go-to comparison of Mad Men era, but this is about as Mad Men as you can get. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you were fighting Don Draper in the pick up aisle for the last flat pack.

Ikea Belfast have them in stock already, alternatively check out Ikea Online.

July 24, 2013

Kopparberg Pear Cider & Nachos = Summer, & There's a Non-alcoholic Option!

July 24, 2013/ Claire Spence

Picnic perfect Kopparberg.

Kopparberg is the original and best pear cider on the UK market. I used to love a bottle or four on a summer evening in my single days. These days I don't drink at all, so I had forgotten all about Kopparberg as an option.

When they contacted me to try out their new flavours Elderflower & Lime and Cloudberry I had to let them know I'd have to use my husband as taste tester due to my teetotalness. Their lovely PR made my day when she offered to send me lots of alcohol-free pear and mixed berry versions to join in with the taste test.

Rejoice! Now non-drinkers, expecting mums & those with early alarm calls tomorrow can enjoy an icy cold Kopparberg too. It tastes just like the regular version from what I remember, and it goes wonderfully with nachos.

You can check out the full range of flavours and say hi to the team at the Kopparberg UK Facebook page, or Twitter.

July 23, 2013

Hand Drawn Creative's First Ever Gallery Show

July 23, 2013/ Claire Spence

Neal McCullough is the Eames' lounge chair owning, typography loving, artistically talented man behind my World of Kitsch banner design. He's having his first gallery show next month, here in our home town, Bangor Northern Ireland.

"After almost five years in business, it's finally time for Hand Drawn Creative to have a nice little summer gallery exhibition. It's being hosted by my good chums at Syncspace in Bangor's Dufferin Avenue (one minute's walk from Bangor Train Station). I'll have new work and old gracing their walls from Wednesday 7 August. The Open House Festival will be in full swing all through August, and this event will be running alongside some great music-themed events in Bangor, so if you're in town, do swing by Syncspace.

If you know me, or want to know more about what Hand Drawn Creative does, I would LOVE to see you on 7 Augustfrom 6.30pm"