We were very lucky in our last house to have a kitchen that we could eat in and a dining room that we used as a playroom for the boys. A playroom is like a dream space! Somewhere to hide a multitude of plastic sins, a space the children can call their own and a room to be less precious with.

That's how I see it anyway! It's a room to play in.

When we started searching for this house, a playroom was high on my wish list. The boys are close in age and play with the same toys so a shared space for their growing collection of toys and games was a top priority. They have Spring and Summer birthdays and we like parties (Did you see last years?!) which means they always have sack fulls of presents from friends and family as well as the Christmas haul! 

We "viewed" the house online a number of times before we actually drove by and tried to use the floor plan to see which rooms could have dual purpose, which rooms would work for a home office space and whether the house would work for now and have potential for the future.

Then when we came to view it in the flesh after a chance drive by (Sounds like a shooting!) we realised the conservatory would make a perfect play space. We have grand plans one day in the distant future, of knocking through the kitchen and conservatory, and making one larger family kitchen which would benefit from the gorgeous views across the garden. The conservatory feels like an add on, which of course it is, but set against the 300 year old beautiful stone and crooked window frames, it feels out of place. 

It is however the most perfectly light room, even on a wet day and with a little tlc we are hoping to transform it. 

We have never been huge fans of conservatories they always seem freezing in the Winter and stifling in the Summer, but they are brilliant additional space. They make the house feel bigger and with a few handy hints can be put to best use.

I recommend:

1. Keeping your toys in baskets or boxes. A conservatory roof allows the lovely sunshine to shine through, which over time will discolour and fade all your furniture, toys and pictures. I have my eye on this rather lovely fun unit from Homebase, which would help keep the toys hidden from those sun rays!
2. Putting down carpet or use big rugs. Hard floors seem more practical but they make a conservatory feel so chilly on a Winter morning (Unless yours is heated obviously.)
3. Using as much wall space as possible to leave room for playing! Bolt shelving systems or bookcases to the external wall, especially if your house is made up of stone work. Our external walls which make up the internal walls in the conservatory are very bumpy, so furniture doesn't sit flush to the walls well. Tall bookcases could easily topple over and that's the last thing you want with little ones.
4. Making digital scan copies of any pictures or children's artwork you may frame or hang up. They will fade quickly.
5. Giving it a good airing. Open a window on a daily basis to let some fresh air flow. It's tempting in the colder months to keep them airtight to keep heat in but you can end up with that slightly musky smell, due to the room heating up and down each day.

I love the boys using a pair of vintage school desks as their writing and drawing table but as they face a wall they are not so sociable for snack teas. You can find them on eBay if you are after a similar set or if you fancy a modern design take this Saplings desk set is lovely.

I'd really like to get them a table and chairs set that they could eat on, for days when we don't sit together as a family at the dining table. The boys love a picnic tea so I am on the hunt for a smaller table and chairs, that perhaps I could paint?

I am addicted to the Annie Sloan chalk paint and desperately want to paint the internal woodwork in the conservatory to lose the dark brown and freshen it up. Old Ochre is my current favourite. Have you used it? Isn't it amazing?!

So check back in and see our progress. I'm currently slap happy with the chalk paint in the kitchen! You can see my other inspiration for the playroom over on my Pinterest board so have a peek...

Follow Capture by Lucy's board Spaces and products for children on Pinterest.

In collaboration with Homebase and their great range of children's furniture

I will never ever tire of being given flowers. Every week I treat myself to a few bunches of fresh flowers which I dot around the house, bringing a living element to our interior decor and prettying up our window ledges and sideboard with colour.

There's something wildly romantic about sending flowers to the one your love. I will always remember the one Valentine's Day when I worked at Redrow Homes as an Assistant Land Manager and the receptionist staggered up the stairs to the Land Department carrying an enormous bunch of long stem red roses. I can remember I blushed as red as their beautiful velvety petals, but secretly was completely and utterly overjoyed that Rich had sent me such beautiful flowers, complete with a soppy message. (Don't you think it's extra romantic to know they had to say the message to the florist, who must have a little wry smile and giggle on a daily basis?!)

And whilst he may not buy me flowers on a very regular basis, I am always greeted with a beautiful bouquet on Mother's Day. I can hear the rustle of the cellophane against the tissue wrap and 2 small boys wave it in my face, like a kite that they are trying to launch on a windy day!

Well this year, I have been spoilt with an early present from the nice people at Debenhams Flowers. Perfectly packaged and protected, they arrived within 24 hours and the lilies are still waiting to bloom! They are sent with the stems submerged in a plastic box filled with a moist oasis. (So no water spillages!) I snipped the ends straight away, added the flower food and placed them straight in a vase. 

Doesn't your heart just race a little when the doorbell goes to deliver you flowers by post?! The other week I had the disappointment of having to sign for a neighbours beautiful flowers, having initially thought they were for me! But not this time, I was so impressed with the quality of the roses, eustoma and astrantia. Look out for them flooding my Instagram feed this week ;)

A flower delivery is the most wonderful way to start the day! So I decided I wanted to share these beautiful blooms with all of you and create a set of floral wallpapers for your smart phones. Now you can start every day when you glance at your phone with these beautiful flowers too.

Now click on anyone or all of the images below to download your free wallpapers. I have all three on my phone and am going to change them over every few weeks!

And Debenhams Flowers would like to offer you a rather lovely 25% off your Mother's Day Flowers. So why not treat your Mummy to a beautiful bouquet, type in a soppy note of love and appreciation. Make her day when she opens the door to the prettiest delivery. Be sure you use the code DFBLOG25 at the checkout (The only bouquets exempt from the discount is the 'Flowers by Post' range.) to get your nice discount.

Thank you to Debenhams Flowers for my beautiful bouquet. 

Yesterday I shared my newest selection of inspiring magazines which included Darling Magazine. This magazine champions the art of being a woman and the positive energy we can all give each other. Celebrating the art of being a woman.

So when Atterley Road contacted me to be involved in their #ARWOMAN campaign I jumped at the chance. I am hugely inspired by women. Strong, capable women who are able to balance home and work life, brave and determined women who don't take no for an answer. Bloggers I look up to like Kat, Emily and Gabrielle, women in media who have the power to influence the world like Arianna, Anna and Moira.

Atterley Road is encouraging us all to share the woman that inspires us, someone in your family, a friend, someone in the public eye and tag it on Instagram #ARWOMAN. There are some incredible stories and interviews on their blog The Road so check them out and be inspired. 

I am constantly in awe of the women who push boundaries, challenge stereotypes and feel a sense of duty to empower their fellow women. I have talked about my Granny frequently on this blog. The matriarch of our family, the role model for the marriage we all aspire to. A warm and tender person with fierce determination and independence. And today I want to share my feelings for the another matriarch, whose commitment to duty and to serve her country, our monarch, Queen Elizabeth. 

It is no secret my family are huge fans of the Royals. Every year if my life I had stood and sang the national anthem on Christmas Day and the presents under the tree are left untouched until after the Queen's speech at 3pm. We were like giddy fools on the day of the Royal wedding, with party bunting and a fever pitch level of excitement when Catherine stepped out of the car. Mum, Natalie and I all shed a few tears as she walked down the aisle, as if we were watching a best friend get married!

And the Queen herself just leaves me speechless. A woman who has held her position for a lifetime. Who stands for hours upon hours a day, makes every single person she meets feel special and has lived almost every second of her life in the public eye. Her birthdays require an official portrait, she travels thousands of miles every month and never ever, has there been a story with a complaint. I listen to her speech from her 21st birthday and feel shivers. 

"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

I feel so proud of our Royal family, of the Queen's unquestionable dedication to her nation. A role model for women everywhere. She has endured humiliation, heartbreak and yet still serves her country with formidable fortitude. 

I'd love to know what must go through her mind. Can you even imagine what life must be like? The pom and ceremony being part of normal life, the expectation of everyone around you. Out living Prime Minsters, Presidents, adapting and shaping a modern Royal household. Impartial, influential, essential.

Charming, patriotic, devoted, informed and admired. An inspiration.

Which women inspire you? Which celebrity do you adore?! Join in over on Instagram.

In collaboration with Atterley Road. Check out their super stylish and affordable range here. I'd rather like this hat, this bag on sale and these boots. They'd go very nicely with this floral blazer!

Images credit 1 / credit 2 / credit 3