Travel : Hoopoe Yurt Hotel, Spain

Yurts seem to be rather in vogue at the moment so I couldnt resist the opportunity for a little break at a Yurt Hotel in Andalucia to see what all the fuss was about!...

Do: Relax! and enjoy the beautiful & tranquil gardens of the hotel. If you do find yourself getting itchy feet head north & wander around the white town of Ronda perched atop a deep gorge, on your way back stop at the Cuevo de la Pileta & discover cave paintings dating back as far as 25,000 years deep inside the natural caverns of the Andalucian hills.

Sleep: The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel is an idyllic hotel with 5 individually decorated yurts set amongst olive groves & wildflower meadows near the town of Cortes de la Frontera in Andalucia. We stayed in the 'Mongolian Yurt' decorated with traditional burnt orange motifs, deep sheepskin rugs, antique furniture & plush, squishy bed! The 2 pool areas provided a sublime space to relax, top up the tan & read against a backdrop of mountains & lavender. For more info visit the website - Hoopoe Yurt Hotel

Eat: Fresh, home cooked, home grown & locally sourced 3-course dinners are offered 4 nights a week, a variety of tapas the other three. Dinner is served at a long communal outdoor dining table where you are encouraged to mingle with the other guests, make friends & enjoy the unlimited wine. The food & service was outstanding and was a definite highlight of the stay.

Tip: The hotel is located at the foot of a track leading off of an unmarked road so do not rely on a sat-nav alone! It is also advisable to hire a fairly powerful car with enough oomph to pull you up the steep, winding mountain roads en route to your luxurious little hideaway in the warmth of the Spanish sun.

Shopping - Broadway Market, E8

Broadway Market is located between London Fields & Regents Canal in East London. It is a fantastic place to go for a leisurely saturday stroll, grabbing a bite to eat from one of the many delicious food stalls then taking your lunch to the park for a picnic.

There are also a number of great shops to visit including Broadway bookshop & Artwords, 2 lovely independent book shops stocking a wealthy collection of titles to tempt anyone with an interest in art, style, design, travel & literature.

Web: www.broadwaymarket.co.uk

Travel - Selva Gardena, Italy

So I have been a bit rubbish with this blog lately - I have been on holiday & am in the process of moving house so life is a tad hectic at the moment!...

My latest travels took me to the beautiful Dolomiti mountain region of Italy...

Do: Skiing! (or snowboarding) and lots of it!! Selva is one of 3 towns that make up the Val Gardena valley with access to the Dolomiti superski area consisting of more than 500km of connected pistes, a total of 1200km of individual slopes and the famous 40km long 'Sella Ronda'.

Sleep: We stayed at a cute & cosy family run B&B a gentle 5 minute amble along the river from the town centre called Garni La Grambla.

Eat: There are plenty of reasonably priced pizzerias & restaurants in the resort but one of my favourites happened to be just across the road from our B&B. Pra Valentini is an intimate wood clad restaurant with an enviable position at the bottom of a piste to catch apres-skiers on their way home. It offers a slightly pricier menu than other restaurants that we visited but is well worth a visit for the Apple Fritters alone!!

Tip: Confused about the language spoken in the region? - we certainly were!... Ladin is a curious mix of Latin & German spoken only in this 7km2 area of the Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol region.

Inspiration - Nail Art

So, I have been feeling a bit naked recently - I haven't worn nail varnish for about a month now & I'm really starting to miss it. I'm not sure why or how it has got to this stage but my nails have been bare for far too long so here are a few ideas that I could try & re-create - I'm swaying towards the Hello Kitty ones! ;)

Inspiration - La Petite Magazine

I have recently discovered online magazines & they have revolutionised my research process when starting new ranges. I find the format a lot more intimate than some of the more mass produced paperback versions available & find the photography & content often a lot more interesting & inspirational!

One of my favourite discoveries so far is La Petite Magazine, a fascinating mix of quirky illustrations, beautiful photography, home inspiration, DIY Projects & Fashion.

Website : www.lapetitemag.com

Shopping - Womens Skis

Skiing is a big passion of mine but I always find it really hard to find cool ski gear, it seems as though all the cool gear is reserved strictly for snowboarders! I haven't yet invested in a pair of skis but have scoured the net looking for a nice pair for when finances allow!

My favourite pair are the Line skis, I have a bit of a thing for hand painted prints at the moment so the gorgeous painted explosion of birds, flowers & rainbows is just my cup of tea!

From left to right -

1. Line Shadow : lineskis
2. Atomic Century : atomicsnow
3. K2 MissDemeanor : k2skis
4. Volkl Kiku : voekl

Shopping - Columbia Road Flower Market, E2

If you are in East London on a Sunday morning then head over to Columbia Road Flower Market for beautiful flowers, antiques, art & food. It is open from 8am-2pm, but I would recommend making an early start & heading down there early as it gets incredibly busy!

Website : www.columbiaroad.info

Travel - Plum'Arbres, France

I love to travel & try out new experiences when travelling so was delighted to stumble upon this new take on camping called Plum'Arbres where you sleep in a tent suspended from a tree up to 12m off the ground!

Plum'Arbres was designed by a company in France called A-un-Fil and is a new phenomenon spreading its way through campsites across France. The floor of the tent is made of catamaran netting with a custom made mattress, apparently providing a very comfortable nights sleep! I think this new concept in camping looks so much fun & will definitely have to try it.

There are 6 sites across France & 1 in Belgium offering this unique experience, starting at 25 euros pppn I think its an absolute bargain for such an unforgettable experience!

Website : www.a-un-fil.com

Yum - Belle Epoque Patisserie, N16

Today is a rather drizzly, miserable day so my boyfriend & I decided it would be a good day to stay close to home & sample a couple of local establishments that we haven't yet visited, so at lunch time we headed down to Newington Green.

Belle Epoque Patisserie is an exceptional french run patisserie on the north side of Newington Green in North London serving mouth-watering french fare, specialities include an incredible variety of pastries, beautiful cakes, tarts, freshly baked baguettes & chocolates as well as stocking a wide range of french groceries.

I couldn't resist the 'Rabbot JoJo', a rabbit shaped cake with chocolate brownie base, a layer of chocolate mouse then covered in a patent effect glace icing with popping candy sprinkles & white chocolate ears!

Well worth a visit if you long for an authentic Parisian cafe experience without having to leave North London!

Website : www.belleepoque.co.uk

Shopping - My favourite boutiques in Paris

Antoine et Lili is a french independent retailer with three specialist areas - Ladieswear, Kidswear & Home decor. I visited the three Canal Saint-Martin stores & was absolutely blown away by the gorgeous & unique products they had on offer - It is definitely worth a visit if you love colourful, ethnic & retro inspired clothes & home decor.

Website : www.antoineetlili.com

Merci is located on Boulevard Beaumarchais and is a hip, warehouse space style concept store with a vast array of quality products ranging from stationary to clothing & furniture. I love the fact that this store encompasses the current trend of shopping with a conscience as all profits are donated to a childrens charity in Madagascar - finally someone has invented guilt free shopping!
 
Website : www.merci-merci.com

Travel - Les Toits de Paris, Paris

Last summer I was treated to a fantastic weekend away by my boyfriend & he found us the most wonderful little B&B to stay in.

Les Toits de Paris is an intimate B&B with one lovely room located a short walk from the Eiffel tower in the XVth arrondisement of the city. It is owned by an extremely friendly french couple who decided to split their apartment in to two - living in one half & using the other half as a B&B room. The room is beautifully decorated to a very high standard & stocked full of local guide books, the bathroom has a gorgeous roll top bath & power shower as well as exquisite patchwork tiled flooring just outside that I am definitely going to try & replicate at home!

One of the best features of the B&B has to be Mattheu & his wife Sophie who provide you with an incredibly personal & welcoming stay in their home. Breakfast is served in their kitchen where Mattheu cooks you a fresh french breakfast as well as sitting down with you & a map creating personalised itineraries for the day.

Website : www.chambrehotesparis.fr
Email : lestoitsdeparis@chambrehotesparis.fr
Phone :  +33 (0)6 60 57 92 05

Shopping - Northcote Road, SW11

I LOVE Northcote Road! I am very fortunate to work just off this lovely, bustling road 'in between the commons' in South West London. It is full to bursting with a delightful mix of independent & high street retailers, cafes, restaurants, delis and even has a daily market which really springs to life on a Saturday.

I have only been working here for a couple of weeks so still have lots to explore but I am certainly going to dedicate a good amount of posts to my SW11 discoveries to celebrate this thriving area.

 Breadstall is my favourite culinary discovery so far - It's no secret that my 3 favourite foods are bread, cupcakes & sausage rolls so it is of no surprise then that I was very excited to stumble upon this daily market stall on Northcote road!
The cupcakes are labelled as 'award winning' and they certainly live up to that description, in particular the frosting on the chocolate variety was possibly the best I have ever tasted!
Hot, freshly baked sausage rolls - need I say anymore?! Again these surpassed all my expectations & have now become my regular friday treat...

Living Vintage is located just off Northcote road towards the southern end & is bursting with gorgeous Children's & Ladies clothing as well as a huge selection of patchwork quilts, vintage inspired cushions, jewellery, antique furniture & gifts.

Northcote Road Antiques Market is a true treasure trove of antique & collectible items spread over two floors & spilling on to the street outside. Anglepoise lights, rustic coat racks & retro tea sets particularly took my fancy!

More to follow over the next few months!...

Inspiration : Olaf Hajek

 Berlin- based Olaf Hajek is my favourite illustrator of the moment, I absolutely adore his beautiful designs which are a delicate & fanciful mix of striking colour palettes, world culture & intricate botanics.

For more fabulous creations by Olaf Hajek visit www.olafhajek.com

There's a first for everything!

Welcome to my 1st blog - I am completly new to the blogging world so wish me luck!