Shellac update

I booked in for another Shellac manicure over the weekend. I love the long lasting shine and durability of it. Plus, my nails needed shaped. They're at an ok length {even if I would like them a smidge longer} but I always feel better when they're properly shaped and my cuticles are tidied up. This time, I opted for Asphalt, a gorgeous dark grey with just a hint of blue to it in certain lights. It's lovely - right up my street. 

I'm still tempted to upgrade my current gel manicure set with Shellac products - they have such a wide range of colours and I think they'd be easier to apply seeing as they're a nail varnish brush. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Love B x

Sunday

So it's Sunday, and I'm trying not to think of the working week that is looming far too large. It was the most beautiful Spring morning here so we decided to wander into town rather than waste a gorgeous day sitting inside. Lucky we did, as the view seems to have gotten decidedly more grey as I sit curled up with a cup of tea.

It's been one lovely thing after another here. Sandy bought me these earrings in the prettiest shade of turquoise. I love the colour!

We wandered through the Grassmarket which was so quiet and calm {probably a million miles away from how it had been the night before} and took in some of the views. Edinburgh is such a beautiful city and Sandy was laughing at how much we must have looked like tourists but it is far too easy to take it all for granted. Whenever I do actually look up, I'm always stunned by what I see.

Victoria Street in particular is so pretty. I love the various hues that colour the street. It's so unexpected and sweet. The whole street is filled with little independant retailers and it's here we finally picked up our lunch. 

Oink. I've wanted to go here since I passed the building once. They have a giant hog roast in the window everyday and basically serve hot pork sandwiches all day until the pig literally runs out. It's local produce from a farm in the borders and they set up shop having originally ran a ridiculously popular hog roast stand at the Farmer's Market that happens every Saturday {visiting that is next on my to do list, especially if the weather is picking up!}. You pick a sandwich size based on a piglet, oink of grunter sizing chart {our eyes were bigger than our bellies so we picked an oink and a grunter respectively}. You can pick from a variety of toppings too - haggis, sage and onion stuffing, crackling, apple sauce...the list goes on! We both opted for haggis and apple sauce and even though they offer {a limited amount} seating, we opted to take ours to go and headed back home.

It's safe to say we weren't disappointed. The sandwich was absolutely delicious! Tender and full of flavour. I just wished we'd opted for crackling to give it a bit more texture. At least it gives us an excuse to go back....

Needless to say, we may have supplemented our pork sandwiches with dessert. Told you I'd be working of the banoffee pie for days {weeks at this rate}.

Perfect. I hope you too have had a lovely weekend.

Love B x

Weekend Recap

Well, it has simply been the loveliest weekend around here. Exactly what we needed after the longest week {I was ready for it to be over by approximately Tuesday morning? And that's a generous estimate}. 

Friday night was spent in the company of Netflix {new to us and possibly our new favourite thing!} and we knocked up a variation on Gambas pil pil.  Usually consisting of King prawns in hot oil with lashings of chilli and garlic, and served with a generous portion of fresh from the oven baguettes, we made it our own by adding plenty of chopped chorizo. Delicious. It's probably one of my favourite, and easiest meals.

Alongside that, Sandy was determined to make up one of his favourite desserts - banoffee pie. Absolutely lethal decision - I'll be trying to work it off for days - but absolutely worth it. It was delicious. And huge.

We made sure to enjoy all of this cuddled up infront of "the fire". The fairy lights made their home amongst the logs at Christmas and I couldn't bring myself to put them away. I love the cozy glow and it puts a smile on my face when we talking about 'putting the fire on'. It adds such a warm touch to the fire place, and looks so pretty with the candles too.

Saturday was quiet. Domestic. Enjoying little things like the flowers dotted around our home this week. I've been a lucky lady.

Saturday night was spent in the company of plenty of friends, watching this handsome chap play on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. Maybe I'm biased but I can't help but sing his praises {see what I did there!? So witty...}

This is turning into a rather looooooong post, so I think I'll let Sunday bask in the limelight and have its very own post...

Love B x

Ring finger manicure

Lovely lazy weekend mornings spent doing my nails {when really I should be doing housework. Whoops!}. I used OPI's skull and glossbones and then Revlon's grey matter on my ring finger. I love it!

I've finished it off with a topcoat of Nail envy. I must write a post on it - I've been using it a couple of weeks and my nails are stronger than they have literally ever been. I bought it after I removed my Shellac and they have yet to snap or bend. Brilliant! Absolute wonder product.

We're off to Newcastle tonight for a friend's band's single launch - very excited. They played on the introducing stage at Glastonbury last summer and I'm looking forward to seeing them life. First time in a while! Check them out here.

Happy happy Saturday!

LoveBx

DIY Studded leather coffee table

Our canny little IKEA coffee table has been with us since we moved into our flat over 18 months ago {in fact it was the first piece of furniture we bought for our new home. It was highly necessary to replace 'the tea stool' - a literal stool upon which you would place a mug of tea - that my boyfriend considered to be appropriate furniture}. It has seen its fair share of dinners on the sofa, meals with friends and has held up well to the barrage of socialising that we inflict upon it. But things came to a head a little while ago when it started to look like this:

Yup. Embarrassing. Especially in extra large like that...It stayed that way for far longer than I'd care to admit {I was reluctant to buy a whole new table but wasn't quite sure how to fix this one, despite plenty of pinterest inspiration!}. My Mum recently took up and upholstery class though and the other week she sent me through a couple of metres of a good quality fake leather and some strips of studs. One episode of one born every minute, some quality time with my staple gun and a sore thumb later and it now looks like this:

I love it! I can't believe what a difference it has made and by taking the leather down the sides of the table top, it looks like it was meant to be this way all along. I'm amazed at how simple and easy a task it was. Now to build up to things like this chair, the latest addition to our flat courtesy of that very talented mother of mine! Please ignore the rubbishy iPhone photo...

Love Bx

A stitch in time...

Like I mentioned the other day, I popped into town to get some sewing bits and pieces {for the craft club I help run at school} and I decided to buy myself a little tin to corral all my bits and pieces together. Bits and pieces which, until now, have been scattered all round what we have affectionately termed "the rumpus room". Anyhoo, I picked up this sweet little tin for £5 from John Lewis and whilst it fits the essentials in, it really isn't big enough. Now this beauty would be perfect. Pretty pretty pretty.

{here}

Or this one, though it might be a little small again...

{here}

What do you think?

LoveBx

Graham and Green

Right. So I reckon this gorgeous mink velvet sofa would be much more at home here, with us, than it is in the Graham and Green warehouse. I won't bore you with the 900,000 other bits and pieces I would also like to purchase. It's safe to say, I could most definitely kit our entire house out in Graham and Green if funds allowed.

Love B x