Bring on the blooms.

The beautiful 'Theodora' floral crown by Dora Bauer Accessories

Is it just me or has this particular English winter been dragging on for what feels like about 100 years? Seriously, i think i've forgotten what it feels like to be warm enough to not have to wear three layers at all times (note: we have drafty sash windows, wearing three layers is a necessity from October to April in our flat) and my legs are almost blue from not seeing the light of day for so long. (actually if i'm telling the truth, they still usually have at least a small hint of blue to them 365 days of the year, however occasionally they go freckly or a subtle shade of dusky pink when being exposed to sun light  for more than ten seconds at a time.)

In all honestly i do love winter, i love the change from summer into autumn, when the leaves start to fall from the trees and the air starts to feel cold and crisp in the morning, then the lead up to Christmas is always a fun and busy (drunken) time. Then comes January. Cold, wet, snowy, icey, grey and bleek. (I'm sorry for sounding so depressing, i am going somewhere with this) Usually by mid February i'm positively dying to be anywhere but hibernating under the grey shroud of the UK, but there is hope. The morning birds have started singing in their trees again, which in my mind is proof that the sun will back and we will no longer wake in darkness for much longer, woo hoo! Snow drops and daffodils are starting to slowly creep out of the frozen ground, as well as onto my newly green fingered windowsills (i am pretty smug with the slowly growing array of actual living plant life currently adorning most rooms in our flat) and slowly but surely the temperature is starting to rise and quite frankly when it reached 8 degrees outside today it felt positively tropical compared to the minus temperatures of January. So much so that i treated my hands to a day of no gloves, the poor buggers didn't know what had hit them!

Flower Cluster Necklace by Lovertron

I feel that in these times of seasonal change, i am fighting the urge to repaint my entire house, burn my jumpers and buy an entire wardrobe based only around floaty 1970s floral kaftans. I imagine wearing said kaftans whilst wafting around meadows of wild flowers with little birds tweeting and baby dears frolicking around me whilst i sing Julie Andrews songs and am looking both demure and positively smug at the same time. Well, perhaps that may be taking it a bit far, but i do appear to be obsessed with florals and all things neon bright of late. I've always been one for a bright vintage print, whether in the house or on my handbag, generally i love to be surrounded by colour and pattern whenever possible. This obsession is definitely apparent in the jewellery i've been making these past couple of weeks, lots of bright floral clusters and statement floral rings really do seem to lifting me out of my winter lull at the moment.

A great & more flattering alternative to a kaftan, without skimping on the florals: Kimono Sleeves Dress by Prototype Design.

I've also had a little bit of an obsession just lately with growing my own food, i've bought a couple of great books: 'The Balcony Gardener' by Isabelle Palmer and 'The Girls Guide to Growing your Own' by Alex Mitchell. I highly recommend both of these if, like me, you have no bloody clue what you're doing and need someone to tell you exactly step by step what needs to be planted when and how to care for different vegetables if you only have a small urban space in which to grow. Reading both of these books has got me itching to grow some vegis and plant some flowers. I've since bought a variety of seeds and have so far birthed 6 chili plant babies! Yeah! I created life and (touch wood!) they appear to be healthy. Honestly, i fuss over them as if they were my own children, in fact i think i could quite happily live my life child free and raise a family of seedlings and kittens instead. The beetroots, peppers and mixed lettuce leaves are on the way, i shall keep you posted with my new adventures in turning my concrete terrace/balcony into a veritable jungle of organic produce. 

Loving the cute little peeping owl eyes on this woodland print by Finnish company Polkka Jam

What with my new gardening fantasies, knitting, sewing and baking, i must seem as though i am 27 going on 77, but quite frankly i couldn't care less. I love the thought of being self sufficient and recycling and up-cycling and making and thrifting and cooking with food that not only do i know where it came from, but i grew it myself! On that note, i hope you've enjoyed the handmade treasures and Lovertron inspirations that i've discovered on my quest for all things floral and anti-winter this week. I would love to hear all about your own adventures in growing your own food and plants, please let me know how you got on, and any advice for a novice like me is always welcome! 

I love this unique wall decal by Cherry Walls

For you reading pleasure.

I have to admit that if i'm having a morning of not doing very much of anything or just killing time (or generally chugging along on a one way train to procrastination station) I always like to curl up and have a a little catch up on some of my favourite blogs.

Ever since I was a teenager i've been partial to a magazine or two and have fond memories mostly of (giggling at) the problem pages of J17 and Sugar. As i've grown up I've moved onto fashion magazines and gossip columns, but recently i've come to despise the endless advertising and meaningless so-called-news about whatever celebrity has stepped out of a car with no knickers on this time. And that, my friends, is why I love a good blog, you can skip through the crap, connect with like minded people, block the adverts and you really can find hundreds of glorious pages dedicated to your few chosen passions with no page wastage or contrived celebrity nudity to be seen. (unless of course that's your thing and in that case, i'm sure there's a whole world of blogs dedicated solely to celebrities 'accidental' exposure for your endless perusal)

So, I thought i'd share with you a few links to just a few of my favourite blogs that I regularly catch up on and some of the ones that I find most inspirational.  They're mostly craft, baking, fashion and D.I.Y  related (or a mixture of all of these things), but have a little flick through the link below and see what you think.

Design Sponge:

Design Sponge was one of the first blogs i started reading on a regular basis. It has everything my heart desires: before and after home and furniture make overs, craft tutorials (check out these awesome D.I.Y lamp above), recipes and travel. I always find it really inspiring if i'm stuck for ideas and it's a great place to start looking for up-cycling inspiration and cool projects for your home. (Warning: I am not responsible for the hundreds of lost hours of deep Design Sponge joy that may ensue upon exploring this blog)


Quiltish:

Quiltish is a super cute blog by Allisa Jacobs. She makes gorgeous make-up bags (like the ones pictured above), wedding favours and clutches out of brightly printed textiles and she also posts loads of clever craft tutorials as well. She regularly creates great posts on running a small business and is the writer of an awesome little e-book called 'Rise and shine: Making your Mark on the Creative World'. I've got it on my Kindle and it's a great read if you're thinking of or you're already running your own handmade business.


Decor8:

'Fresh finds, inspiring interiors and ideas for creative living.' is how Decor8 describes itself and it's not wrong. Hollie Becker shares creative ideas covering every subject from decorating to food to art to nature. My favorite things about this blog are the lovely, personal way that Holly writes and the totally dreamy styling. She has also collaborated on a book, 'Decorate: 1000 Design Ideas for Every Room in your Home' which is currently taking pride of place on my Amazon wish list. In a nutshell, it's the kind of blog that makes you feel so inspired that you just want to tear your flat apart and start from scratch every time you visit. (well, maybe that's just me!)

Cursive Design:

This amazing statement jewellery (love the unique colour combination used on  the necklace above) is designed and handmade in Chicago by 'Cursive Design', otherwise known as Sarah Fox. As well as designing mouthwateringly fun over sized jewellery with original colours and textures to die for, she also keeps her fans updated via the Cursive blog. She mainly shows readers her work in progress, new jewellery lines and documents fashion outfits and ideas. It's a very clean, modern looking blog and it really showcases Sarah's awesome eye for colour and style.