Roberts Radio Competition

Have I got a treat for you today!

Roberts Radio are offering 3 lucky snappers the chance to win a Mini Revival, the latest edition to the Roberts family! 

There is something about a Roberts Radio that just feels special, right from the box it arrives in, to the sleek and classic design and the powerful technology inside. 

With accents of gold around our home the black and gold version fits into every room and it's currently tuned to a Christmas songs station! Oh yes, tis the season to sing along!

All you have to do, to win one of these lovely radios is:

  • Follow @RobertsRadio on Instagram
  • Post an image of the space in your home where you think the Revival Mini would look fabulous and which of the 5 colours you would choose.
  • Tag @RobertsRadio and use the hashtag #PerfectSpaceForMyRoberts

It's so easy!

There are 5 colours to choose from, Red, Orange, Black, Duck Egg or Pastel Cream, so a colour for everyone. 

I loved the black and have been listening to All I Want For Christmas on loop!

roberts radio
roberts radio
roberts radio
Roberts Radio
Roberts Radio

The competition closes at Midnight on 5th January 2015.

So show us where your perfect space is for your Roberts, which corners of your home would it be perfect for?

I am one of the 3 judges so I can't wait to see all your lovely spaces. The three lucky winners will be announced on our Instagram Accounts on the 6th January.

Good luck!

For full terms and conditions click here.

Pink and Grey Living Room Inspiration

Is it just me or does grey seem to be the new cream? I have completely fallen in love with having grey sofas in our new grown up living room and completely fallen out of love with our old, tired, beige sofas, that have recently become so unloved, they are extravagant dog beds. They have served us well for many years, but now that the days of baby sick are behind us, it would be nice to have some nice things!

The trouble is, the room is freezing! I took down the curtains when we moved in and lifted the carpets to reveal an original herringbone oak floor and after the recent AGA fire, (Down to the chimneys needing to be swept.) we have decided to fit a stove in this room. The stove is an investment but one that will make a huge difference, not only to the room, but to the whole house!

So here are a few before snaps I took the other afternoon, before the sun went down. No filters or fancy editing, just as it is! Nothing is plugged in, odd bits of furniture with the dogs sleeping on the top of the sofa cushions. A room that doesn't get much use on account of our lovely family/dining room. A work in progress!

living room before
living room before
living room before

We have the option to put vents in the floor to our bedroom above, to benefit from the heat the stove generates and it will be so much more efficient than the open fire, which fills the room with smoke!

So the room has become a bit of a dumping ground/my office space. When the decorator moves in here next week, I need to sort out my office in the barn above the garage, which is currently full of props! The new door to the family room/dining room is waiting to be stained and fitted, the walls need decorating and the floor needs sanding and polishing. We are still debating the curtain fabric but have definitely decided to have wooden shutters on the front windows, which our lovely decorator is going to make for us. 

It's an almost square room, with traditional proportions. So we actually have lots more room than at our last house! I love the idea of having a central ottoman with piles of books and trays for drinks and nibbles, and then 3 sets of seats surrounding the fireplace. It's a room to sit and read, entertain friends, play games on Christmas Day in, and a space for Rich and I in the evening to really relax in, away from laptops!

I love this colour scheme and the work by Jessica Zoob and it's inspired me to collate all sorts of bits and cuttings to help bring our vision to life.

living room inspiration
Jessica Zoob

I adore the mix of soft and bright tones. A neutral backdrop with pops of colour and beautiful prints. I may have not been able to resist this cushion. It comes in a box and is our prized possession. I literally adore it. 

So here is my current mood board of inspiration. Pinks and greys and brass fittings for a hint of gold. 

Pink and Grey Inspiration

I love the sofas with a fixed back, to help the woofers keep off the tops, combined with new rules when the room is complete! We ordered the Angel range from Sofas and Stuff just in time for a Christmas delivery and I am currently lusting over these chairs from Alison at Home to complete the seating around the ottoman. Also on my lust list is the prints by bluebellgray. There is nothing I don't love.

rochelle chairs
Bluebellgrey

Of course I haven't found the perfect coffee table or fabric ottoman yet, it's driving me mad! So if you know anyone who makes large square ones let me know!

Living room inspiration

Someone asked me on Instagram the other day, how do I have all these vases and bits all around the house with small boys. But the honest truth is, whilst they are definitely boisterous, they are not destructive. I have little vases on the coffee table and they never touch them. Planes whizz by, feet jump around, but all my lovely things stay just where they are. In fact both the boys often say "Mama, that looks lovely." Good boys!

Living room inspiration

I love the idea of big lamps on the sideboard behind the sofas, but Rich quite fancies an old piano! And when you look on eBay they go for about £50! So that's on the New Year wish list. 

This is a room that will take a while to come together. We can't have everything on our wish list all at once but all the evenings spent working will be worth it. When we have a beautiful room.

Now the funny thing is the estate agent called it the drawing room, but with our modern family living it seems to formal to call it the drawing room. So I guess it will be our sitting room, to sit and relax. Read and relax. Now hurry up lovely decorator and make it look wonderful for Christmas! 

What are your top sites for interiors inspiration? Let me know, I love searching through lovely sites!

Bloggers Guide to Christmas

There are times when you just know you are a blogger. Times when my husband rolls his eyes, more times in a day than I care to remember and times when there are just too many photo opportunities.

That time is now!

Happy December, happy festive season. Bring it on.

So how do you know you are a blogger at Christmas? Have a read...

  1. You've taken a selfie (In fact you actually took 10 and chose the best to filter on your favourite app) in a novelty Christmas jumper/Christmas print pjs. 
  2. You want to wrap your gifts in an extravagant-but-I-haven't-really-tried kind of way. Think brown paper, ink stamps, a few sprigs of holly or a random piece of fir tree.
  3. You've suddenly got masses of Christmas craft ideas to blog. Think of the Pinterest traffic. 
  4. You suddenly have masses of brussels sprout recipe ideas. Food blogging here you come!
  5. You want to decorate your house with tissue paper pom poms.
  6. You've made your children sit in front of a DIY photo backdrop of Christmas lights for much longer than they wanted to, but just think of that perfect bokeh shot!
  7. You "sign off" for a Christmas break, to spend lots of quality time with your family but secretly take your phone to the toilet to catch up on what you've missed!
  8. You send your partner and loved ones your Pinterest wish list board for present suggestions.
  9. There are festive "vignettes" all over your house and your partner now knows what the word vignette means. 
  10. The first thing you do on Christmas morning is reach for your phone and tweet/Instagram/Facebook a Happy Christmas Day message. You may not have time once the festivities start!
  11. You've rewrapped "review" toys for your children's Christmas presents. They probably won't remember, after all, they barely played with it, you just bribed them for a photo with said toy for the review post!
  12. You eat a cold Christmas dinner because you took your Christmas dinner into the garden to get a perfect naturally light shot of your magnificent feast. You can't not share a photo, even though we are all eating exactly the same thing. 
  13. You make everyone wait to eat so you can take an overhead shot of the Christmas table.
  14. You can't wait to see what your favourite blogger was given for Christmas.
  15. The most thoughtful gift could be a photo book of your Instagram gallery.
  16. You are praying for snow for that all important #fromwhereIstand, foot photo. I mean come one, in the snow - that's just magical!
  17. You schedule a post for Christmas Day. A blogger never really has a day off ;)

It can't just be me surely?!!!