Creating an Affordable Home Office

Mesh Desk Organiser £14 // Cheston Table Lamp £45 // Kvicksund Memo Board £15

Rose Velvet Chair £85 // Rankin Desk £70 // Copper Handle Wire Bin £8

Vittsjo Shelving Unit £45 // Large Black Metal Shelf £8 // Helmer Drawer Unit £29

Grey Boucle Wool Rug £45

After the success of my previous interior design post where I shared how to build an affordable dressing room (it's one of my most popular posts ever) I thought about creating another post but this time aimed at building an affordable home office, as a lot of people began working from home and started new businesses during the last 12 months. 

I really like modern, sleek and functional pieces of furniture, and everything featured in this post is under £100, so there's no excuse not to upgrade your home office as a nice workspace can help inspire you and increase productivity. 

Which piece is your favourite?

xo

Winter Essentials at Holapick

 *This is a sponsored post. 

Even though we are still staying at home for most of the time there's no reason to dress up even if it is just for yourself, plus making a bit of an effort on your appearance and looking cute will lift your spirits and in turn make you feel better and more positively about yourself and help you feel ready for the day. So with winter just a month away I want to share a couple of cute items from Holapick, featuring two of my favourite wardrobe pieces ever: coats and knitwear.

          

If you are looking for a new coat, Holapick has a ladies coat sale, where you can find really stylish and beautiful pieces like the ones pictured above. On the left we have the "Motorcycle deerskin cashmere lamb wool coat" in black, which has a really cool and casual vibe to it with all the buckle, belt and zip details in silver hardware contrasting against the black background. It features a diagonal zip closure and two zipped pockets on the front, as well as an adjustable belt on the bottom hem and it is fully lined in super warm sheepskin. On the right is the "Women Long Outerwear Warm Fashion Coat", which is a more dressed up option compared to the sheepskin jacket. This warm grey longline coat has 2 slit pockets to keep your hands warm, as well as a button closure and long lapels for a classic look. 

   

At Holapick they also have dozens of trendy cardigans to choose from, with two of my favourites the ones shown above. On the left is the "Fashion Solid Color Loose Coat Jacket" which is a longline cardigan so long it could be mistaken for a duster coat, however this cardigan is super soft and the beige colour will go with absolutely everything. It has no button closure or pockets to keep the silhouette clean and has very wide lapels for extra cosiness and warmth around the chest area. On the right is the "Elegant Stylish Loose Leopard Print Long Sleeve Coat Cardigan" which features a very cool leopard print in the classic black and yellow colours, is knee length and oversized with extra wide sleeves, perfect for adding a very rock n' roll touch to your winter outfit.

Which one is your favourite?

xo

10 Animal Crossing Inspired Home Accessories Under £50

Reversible Fruit Duvet Set £32 // Green Leaves Rug £35

Picnic Hamper For 2 £40

Head Planter £25 // Banana Decoration £9

Leaf Serving Plate £5 // Toadstool Decoration £8 // White Shell Vase £10

Monstera Bath Mat £29 // Cabbage Serving Bowl £12.50

If you haven't been playing Animal Crossing New Horizons this quarantine, what have you been doing? No, but seriously, some of the home accessories and furniture available to decorate your home and island in Animal Crossing is so cute, I took on the challenge to find some similarly adorable items you can use to furnish your real life space and bring a little cuteness into your home. Enjoy!

xo

5 Activities To Pass The Time During Self Quarantine

As the days go by we might get overwhelmed as our routine has completely changed, but that doesn't mean we can't create a new routine with activities we enjoy or have been meaning to do for a while but never found the time. So here are my 5 suggestions of things to try during self quarantine.

1. Tend Plants: even if you don't have a garden, you can still have a couple of tiny plants on your window sill. Succulents are particularly easy to keep as they only need minimal care. I also am really into kalanchoe, which are the ones with the miniature flowers pictured above. Dot helped me transplant and add more soil to my succulents, which was a nice activity to do together. 

2. Play Video Games: since receiving a Nintendo Switch Lite for Christmas last year I haven't stopped playing Pokemon Shield and more recently, Animal Crossing New Horizons. Whether you like adventure, puzzle, or even multi player games, there will be a game you'll like to help you pass the time. 

3. Learn a Language: if you keep telling yourself you'd love learn to speak another language, now is the time to start. With all this free time you are sure to pick up at least the basics or a couple of helpful words and phrases which are always helpful if you get the opportunity to visit a new place in the future. I've been using Duolingo whenever I remember and completing a few of lessons always makes me feel like I've accomplishing something. 

4. Try Something Creative: I do enjoy creative activities, such as drawing, watercolour painting and digital photography. But if you don't have access to the tools needed for those things right now, you could also try journaling. Start writing about your day on your journal: how you feel, what you did, what you learned, what you are grateful for or even what you ate that day. Keep it simple in plain text or decorate it with doodles, stickers, coloured pens, washi tape and sticky notes. 

5. Connect With Friends & Family: although you might not able to see your friends and family in person for now, you can always organise a multiple video call with all your friends at once or a one to one with a close family member to keep up to date with each other. We had a Zoom 'meeting' with my nieces on Sunday as it was the birthday of one of them and it was nice to get to see them as they haven't been able to visit us.

xo

The Tiny Bag Edit

M&S Leather Cross Body £40 // Topshop Micro Tote Bag £18

Fjallraven Kanken Sling Bag $65 // ASOS Satin Green Bag £16 // Mango Micro Cross Body £18 UO Pollianna Cross Body $34 // Topshop Pearl Handle Bag £18

You might know that I am a big fan of bags and also happen to love tiny things because of the added cute factor. Luckily for me, tiny bags are in, and they're an adorable accessory that you do not want to be without (even when you won't be able to fit a lot in them). Above are my high street picks of tiny bags. Enjoy!

xo

Passionflower In Full Bloom

I took this picture a couple of months ago (in September to be exact) of a hypnotising passionflower from the garden out the back of the house. If you are equally mesmerised by flowers as am I, take a look at the products available with this picture in my RedBubble shop (just scroll down to see the full item list).

xo

Summer Nails

Nature's Jewellery

All Things Pink & Sparkly

Growing up I wasn't the girliest and I definitely did not ever wear pink until few years ago, when my inner girly girl came out and now I love all things pink and sparkly for some reason but I'm not complaining. 

So here is a compilation of cute, pink and sparkly things in a flat lay inspired by a pink ruby chocolate Kit Kat which unfortunately I can't eat as it contains milk. Also pictured: the sparkly Lierac lip balm and a Chococat pad.

xo

Get The Look: Dua Lipa

I saw this Dua Lipa editorial shot by Oskar Gyllensward for Instyle magazine about 3 years ago (!) and really liked it, so decided it was time to share it here for everyone to enjoy and even recreate her look if you are so inclined: 

Dua Lipa is known for her signature bold eyebrows. If yours are not as thick you can achieve extra fullness with an eyebrow gel such as Benefit Gimme Brow, which volumizes the hairs thanks to the use of fibres. 

She is wearing purple mascara for this look, which contrasts nicely with her brown eyes and makes them pop. Try YSL Mascara Vinyl Couture in 02 for a touch of purple on your lashes. 

Dua usually goes for a nude lip and here it is no exception, keep your lips soft and hydrated with a non-tinted lip balm such as Burt's Bees Chai Tea lip balm as it will look very natural because of its slightly matte finish.

Will you be trying out this look?

xo

Orla Kiely Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London

White

"Hasta las narices" installation by Ivan Puig, 2004.

Building an Affordable Dressing Room

Ikea Clothes Rack £8 // Argos Bamboo Clothes Rail £55 (Long Version £70) // Wilko Shelf Kit £12 // Dunelm Sheepskin Rug £39 

Ikea Chest of Drawers £70 // Ikea 2 Drawer Insert £20 //  B&Q Shelving Unit £65

Homebase 3 Cube Storage £25 // Argos Full Length Mirror £26 // Wayfair 2-Way Storage £45 

Pictures: Modern Legacy, Stylizimo and Ikea.

Inspired by some pictures I've seen on Pinterest, I decided to look for similar items (even found some exact matches) to achieve a minimalist and clean dressing room/area or walk in closet using affordable pieces. Follow me on Pinterest for more dressing room inspiration. 

What does your ideal wardrobe look like?

xo

PS. Take a look here if you are looking for ideas on how to create an affordable Home Office.

Updated: 23 June 22, 18 March 21, 2020

Oh, Lola!

What do you think about the new Marc Jacobs fragrance campaign?

xo

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