A Few of My Favourite Things

I'd like to start my first post by sharing a few of my favourite things.

Peonies

These flowers are so beautiful, they instantly make me think of Summer and remind me of my wedding day. The flowers we used included gorgeous David Ausin 'Juliet' roses, peonies, lavender, honeysuckle and Rosemary. Despite the rain it was a wonderful day!

Hydrangeas

These wonderful flowers make an instant statement in a room and you only need a few stems as the flower heads are so large. In blue, green, white, pink they can go with so many styles of home but my favourites are the blue and greens and the lovely coastal feel they have, which leads on to my next favourite thing...

Being By The Sea

Sadly for me I live in Hertfordshire, a land locked county. But, happily, the coast is never too far away in England and we have access to the coast at Essex, Kent, Suffolk and Norfolk not too far away. My husband and I were at University in Canterbury and while I was a postgraduate I worked part time in a School on the coast. My hour long bus ride to and from work each day rewarded me with a brief view of the sea and I never got tired of seeing it. We are also lucky to be able to spend some of our holiday time on the Atlantic coast of Florida where I love to just watch the sea and the dramatic weather and hunt for shells.

Books

My love of books is genetic I think. I grew up in a house which was crammed full of books (as is my own home now) that belonged to my mother. My Grandmother had a story she would tell about how my Great Grandmother always said she'd never want to go to my grandmother's house as it would be so untidy since my grandmother always had her head in a book. My grandmother's response was, 'So long as you can get in the door Mum...' My daughter is only 6 months old, but she already has the beginnings of a very good library, let's see if it's a love I can pass down another generation.

Coffee

The day does not begin without coffee. Coffee got me through my A levels, my degree, early motherhood and everything in between! I'm hoping Santa will bring me a Nespresso machine for Christmas as my Latte habit is getting expensive while I'm at home with my daughter!

Finally, my most favourite things have to be my husband and baby daughter. I am reminded each day how lucky I am to have them, they bring me so much joy and happiness and only a little bit of frustration every now and then! They remind me to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the small things, and that everything doesn't have to be perfect all the time. They are the reason I want to create a beautiful home but ultimately, they are my home. I could live in a hovel (thankfully I don't) and that would be OK - so long as they were with me and I knew they were healthy and happy.

So now you know a few of my favourite things, I hope I can share  many more with you in the future, especially my love for painted furniture, interior design on a budget and making the everyday beautiful.

 Coco Blue