Category Archives: brands I love

Home of Juniper wish list and discount

09th June 2017
My homewares radar was triggered again recently with the discovery of yet another online emporium to browse- Home of Juniper. Focusing on “conscientious consumerism” Home of Juniper sells a wide range of products including kitchenware, stationery, home decor, jewellery and gifts. They are proud to support both British producers and ethical craftsmanship from further afield bringing us a beautifully curated site full of unusual and quirky treasures.
Being the way I am, I couldn’t not put together a wish list to share with you- I also (being the giving person that I am) have a discount code to share which will give you 10% off and free shipping on any purchase until the end of June- details at the end of this post.
As you can see, I’ve fallen hard for the kitchenware. I love the rustic look of the tea set and espresso cups whilst the coaster (so true) and shakespeare quote banner were just lovely finishing touches I couldn’t help but include.
As promised, you can get 10% off and free shipping on your order until the end of June by using the code daisychain at the checkout. Do report back with what takes your fancy and let me know what you’re treating yourself to.

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Posted in brands I love, interiors, lifestyle, wish list

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Summer Nights

02nd June 2017
I actually featured the dress in this post last month in a post where I really wasn’t happy with how things turned out. Thankfully, with the recent bout of glorious weather I had a second chance to grab some photos and I’m much happier with the result.
It’s one of those dresses I bought with a dual purpose in mind, easy to dress down as I attempted to show in my April blog post, and also one that can lend itself to being a bit more formal…and that’s what I’ve tried to capture today.

Dress: Monki | Ankle Boots: New Look

It might be summer (in name at least) but I’m still not ready to let those ankle boots go. I’m still on the search for the perfect, semi-dressy and comfortable sandals- I own plenty of pairs that match one of the criteria but am yet to find the holy grail that meets all three. Please enlighten me on where I might find the perfect pair!
And whilst I’m looking back on my April post, how is that inner critic silencing going? Well, it’s certainly been tested lately as things haven’t 100% gone to plan- not that life ever does, it would be boring if that were the case but I am noticing that I am much better equipped to deal with these hiccups right now. Less likely to internalise and take it out on myself, more likely to let off steam in a healthy manner with a good, old fashioned rant.

It’s not always the case, of course. Sometimes those critical gremlins win out, but given that most areas of my life are vastly improved these days it’s getting easier to rise up again when I get knocked down.

Back to the outfit and this is definitely one I have marked for date nights over the summer. I’ve become quite the fan of slip dresses lately and Monki has a huge selection putting temptation in my path (this one and this one especially). Thinking about it, I’m yet to try Monki for shoes and they have some really awesome looking pairs online- can anyone vouch for the comfort and quality? I feel I’m going to have to try a few pairs on when I’m next in store, hopefully in the next couple of weeks…a shopping trip is long overdue and I’ve been saving hard. Who’s counting pairs of sandals owned anyway?

Incidentally this the first set of outfit photos I took on my new camera- remember how I was asking for advice? I went for the Canon EOS M10 compact system camera in the end and so far I’m impressed!

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Posted in brands I love, dresses, fashion, life stuff, outfits, personal style, shoes, shopping, wish list

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Cool Cards with Choosey

31st May 2017
I have a love/hate relationship with shopping for greetings cards. I love to send them and spend a lot of time trying to pick out something quirky and perfectly suited to the intended recipient. That’s where the hate part comes in, as time passes it becomes harder and harder to find cards that reach my criteria as I start to feel like I’ve seen everything the shops have to offer and start to crave something new.

Enter Choosey who are bringing something new to the market by offering greeting cards with video.

How exactly does that work? I hear you ask, well, you still get to pick out a physical greetings card from their selection online (which is vast and pretty cool as it is). Once you’ve chosen your card you can use the App or your webcam to upload a personal video message which is then included in the card via the medium of QR code- your recipient simply has to scan the code to reveal your secret message!

Of course it’s impossible to talk about such a novel concept without actually trying it out so as well as introducing themselves to me Choosey allowed me to create a couple of cards so I could see for myself how it all works.

With Father’s Day coming up fast (18th June) I thought I’d take the opportunity to create a really cool card for my Dad this year. Choosey has a great selection of Father’s Day cards on their site, there will be something to suit everyone I’m sure! I also chose to make a congratulations type card for my best friend who just aced her recent Judo grading.

Creating the videos is dead easy, and quick which is a real bonus. There are step by step instructions to follow and really it couldn’t be simpler to do. I used the App for one card and my webcam for the other and both are equally efficient. I’m not going to break the habit of a lifetime and post a video of myself on the blog but I did snap a picture of the inside of one of the cards so you can see what the final product looks like.

Price wise the cards are reasonable at £2.99 (plus 99p delivery for up to three cards) for an A5 card. At the moment you can also save 25% on all Father’s Day cards. I’ll definitely be using Choosey for future card purchases- if you’ve ever had a card from me in the past, be prepared as they next one might be a live action version!
What do you think of the idea of adding this extra personal touch to your greetings cards?

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Complimentary cards provided for the purpose of this post.

Posted in brands I love, gifts, lifestyle, review

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Father’s Day Inspiration with Red Candy

22nd May 2017
You may recall it was only a few weeks ago that I featured Red Candy on the blog, raving about my long term love for the online retailer. It’s with great pleasure that I have collaborated with them once again, this time on a Father’s Day themed post…looking for the perfect quirky gift? Allow me to direct you to the Red Candy Gifts for Him department.

I was once again very kindly allowed to pick out some products from the huge selection that Red Candy has to offer so I thought I’d make this post a place where I talk about these great pieces as well as sharing some other favourites that would be perfect for Father’s Day.

So, firstly I picked out this fixie pizza cutter which I just thought was brilliant to be honest. Great for both the kitchen gadget geek or the lover of the great outdoors, it also looks fantastic on display.

I’m a sucker for novelty lighting and I think it makes a great gift so I was immediately drawn to this Triceratops mini LED lamp. You can either run this via USB or batteries so it’s a good all round novelty gift that looks cool rather than gimmicky. To be honest this one is being kept entirely to myself- I’ve amassed a small collection of random lighting and it’s a collection I’m keen to grow.

Finally I picked out this rather sleek looking alarm clock. How gorgeous is this? I know most people rely on their phones as alarms these days but my Dad doesn’t and I am sure there are others out there who are the same- and even if it never gets used for it’s intended purpose it’s still a pretty snazzy looking addition to any bedroom!

On to my other favourites from Red Candy…let me know if this post has helped you out with your Father’s Day shopping, or what the best present you’ve ever bought someone is.

Light | Clock | Globe | Picture | Planters

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Posted in brands I love, family, gifts, inspiration, shopping

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Non-Girly Gingham

10th May 2017
As well as the embroidery trend there is one other that has really got my attention this season and that’s gingham. I’ve always had a soft spot for the print- as soon as I see it I instantly envisage summer days and picnics in the park. And that’s the trouble with gingham, if you’re not careful you can end up looking like a walking picnic blanket…and I’m yet to find anyone who can pull that particular look off.

Dress: Monki at ASOS | Shoes: TK Maxx

With picnic blanket potential at the forefront of my mind I set about a mission to find a couple of gingham pieces to save to my wish list for future purchasing. Naturally one of the first pieces I found was by Monki, and as luck would have it I was able to make my purchase within five minutes of setting eyes on it.

This dress ticks all of my boxes. Subtle print, pockets, decent length, smart/casual/layering potential…you name it, this dress has it. As with most Monki pieces it also comes nicely over-sized so it’s perfect for days when body confidence is crawling around somewhere on the floor.

The shoes were very much a random TK Maxx find, I don’t go very often and never seem to be very lucky at finding bargains but these brogue/loafer/creeper hybrids were a mere £6 and I really like how they make what could potentially be a very girly outfit take on a bit more edge.

How are you wearing gingham this season?

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Posted in brands I love, outfits, personal style, shoes, shopping

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