How I kicked my Bad Habit!

Everyone has bad habits - there's the obvious ones like smoking, and eating too much, especially junk food, and then there's mine, which was more mundane, but perhaps just as bad for my health.

I found myself slumped in front of the TV from 6 till bedtime every evening, watching whatever happened to be on (let's face it, with all those TV channels, there's always something to watch, albeit often completely trashy!).  Perhaps the worst was my Soaps addiction - I was glued to Emmerdale and Corrie every evening, even though the former really had nothing to recommend it!!  

So, after a TV-filled Christmas last year, I took stock and decided to make a New Year's resolution that I would only watch those programmes that I really wanted to see.  January 1 came around and I ditched Emmerdale (Corrie has remained, at least if I am around the living room as I do enjoy the humour) and all the other silly reality shows that abound these days.  I mark the programmes I want to watch in the TV listings paper at the weekend and then stick to watching just those programmes that have piqued my interest.

I started reading books again, and, shock horror, talking to my hubby! In the summer, I have been dashing down with the dogs in the evening to take a swim in the sea and have dusted my camera off to start taking photos again.

All it took was a bit of will power, and my life and health have been transformed.  You can do it too!

My Living Room dream design

Living Room 

Cast iron floor lamp, $2,240 / Seletti wall lighting, $62 / Amara zebra rug, $985 / Red wall art, $495 / LSA International floral home decor, $33 / H M metal candlestick, $13 / Eichholtz hollywood chair, $1,410 / Andrew Martin industrial furniture, $1,320 / Portfolio micro fiber sofa

When Heart Home wrote about their Dream Room Blogger competition, I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to spend the morning designing my perfect living room.  We are in the process of getting planning permission to knock down our (very old, very damp and draughty) house and replace it with a wonderful modern light-filled home.  I simply can't wait for the building to commence and whilst deciding on what rooms we need right now is of utmost importance, a girl need to daydream!

We'll be having polished concrete floors and floor to ceiling windows with white walls, so the living room will be a blank canvas.  I've always dreamed of having a zebra print rug (my maiden name is Stripe so I have a great affinity!) so that was my starting point.  I love the neon art work of Chris Bracey, but probably couldn't afford any of his work, but want something neon on the walls.  Red will bring warmth to the room.  I don't like 3 piece suites or the new trend for extra large sofas with jutting out bits, preferring to have a cosy sofa to curl up on and a variety of other comfy chairs dotted around the room.  I love the curves and finish of this coffee table and want BIG bold modern wall art.

Now, we just have to wait for the JCB to arrive........

Romantic Scotland

Scotland simply oozes romance.  What could be better than walking with your loved one for miles without seeing another soul and then curling up together on the sofa whilst enjoying a local dram?  Whenever we want to get away from it all and just spend some quality time together, we head for Scotland.  And let's face it, it MUST be great because we have a minimum 10 hour drive from Cornwall just to the Borders!  

There are so many wonderful places to stay, whatever your mood.  Our favourite is always to hire a remote cottage with no mobile phone signal, always with a woodburner to keep us toasty warm after long walks and Munro bagging with the dogs.  We curl up in front of the fire after enjoying some hearty Scottish fare for supper (haggis is our favourite - we always buy from the local butchers as they are the best), and spend the evenings just enjoying eachother's company far away from the hubbub of everyday life.

Beautiful remote Croft house

Scotland is so varied - it's not all "Highlands and Islands", the Border country has beautiful rolling hills and the Solway Firth is teeming with wild birds.  The beaches are some of the most stunning in the world and often completely deserted, perfect for long romantic walks.

Enjoying Banff beach

The light in Scotland is very soft which encourages those romantic feelings.  We enjoy sundowners with a difference in Scotland - wrapped up warm under a blanket with a wee dram of malt whisky whilst watching the stunning colours develop in the sky.

Ben Rinnes at sunset

Hunters moon near Dufftown

There are special festivals held throughout the year, and those in the winter months are particularly romantic with lantern promenades through the streets.

Does your romantic dream involve castles?  You won't be disappointed in Scotland - you can stay in one, just visit those still inhabited, or (our favourite), explore the ruins of a former stronghold, where we dream that we are the Lairds.

So what are you waiting for?  It's time to go and explore romantic Scotland!

Enjoy the beautiful, often deserted, roads

All the photographs in this blog post are my own from previous visits to Scotland.

My love of lighting

As a keen photographer, lighting is always at the forefront of my mind - after all, the word photography literally means "drawing with light" from ancient Greek.  A great photograph relies heavily on getting the lighting just right as without that, the subject will be flat and uninteresting, just as a beautifully designed and decorated room would be almost ruined without having fabulous lighting to set it off.

I thought I would try to explain some of the different ways of using light in photography by linking the ideas to lighting that you use in the home.

So, for example, task lighting.  At home, you might use a spotlight to illuminate a particular area where you want to work in the kitchen say.  Similarly, by capturing a shaft of light on a stormy day, you can transform a fairly ordinary photo into one that really stands out.

Wall Spot Light

Enhancing the mood by capturing a shaft of light

Ambient lighting creates the mood, both for the room and the photograph.  Ideally, this should be warm and inviting and is often produced by using a number of lamps around the room creating pockets of diffused light, rather than using one overhead light which tends to produce a rather flat, dull result.  Think of this type of lighting as that which you see at dawn and dusk, when the sun is very low in the sky producing warm diffused light.

Soft ambient light produces warm inviting pictures

Table lamp

Finally, there is accent lighting, which gives texture and focus, adding depth and shade, with shadows in some corners and pools of light in others. An example of this in the home might be plinth lighting in the kitchen, particularly where it captures the rough hewn surface of a beautiful natural stone floor.  Similarly, the sun creates shadows and depth of field, ensuring that your image is not flat and uninteresting to the eye.

Plinth lighting

Add depth with accent lighting

Now, go grab your camera and see if you too can capture the light!

Thanks to LightingMajestic.co.uk for the examples of home lighting that I have used in this blog post.  :)

My Favourite Holiday Memory

When Villa Pia asked for a photo that encapsulates my favourite holiday memory, I spent a very pleasant couple of hours reminiscing about holidays from my own childhood through to adventures in my teens and twenties, to family holidays now.  But what to choose?  Should it be the pic of me playing cricket on the beach with my Dad in the 1960s (he was blessed with 3 girls, but that didn't stop him instilling his love of cricket into us!)? Or how about one from the crazy couple of months I spent backpacking around Europe with my bestie from school in the early 1980s?   Maybe one from our safari honeymoon, enjoying sundowners whilst viewing the extraordinary game?

No, I plumped for this photo as, for me, it encapsulates all that is great about holidays - getting away from real life, having fun and making memories with the kids!  :)

Outfit of the Day - Perfect Summer

Outfit of the Day

Warehouse 1980s dress, / John Lewis three quarter sleeve top, / Converse canvas flat shoes, / Fiorelli handbag,  / Goldmajor sterling silver amber jewelry, / Orla kiely umbrella, / Breo Ladies Zen Watch-Blue Watch B-TI-ZEN4 | the Watch Hut,

When The Mads wrote about a wonderful competition they are running in conjunction with The Watch Hut to design an Outfit of the Day, I was brimming full of ideas in my mind as I had just returned from a wonderful day at the Ladies' Singles Finals at Wimbledon and thought it would be great to put together an outfit for that occasion, but that would be smart yet casual enough too for lots of other events, from lunch with the girls, a walk to the pub on a summer evening, or even to taking the kids to school.

All my selections for clothing come from John Lewis as the prize is JL vouchers so I'll be ahead of the game if I am lucky enough to win!  :)


Who doesn't love a multi coloured dress?  So easy to wear, no mixing and matching of tops and bottoms to worry about, no waistbands digging in, and yet with all those colours, easy to match with lots of other items already in your wardrobe too. This 80s inspired dress is from Warehouse is a bargain at only £42 and it will look great all day long, with any marks I manage to make on it with food or drink spillages masked by the lovely pattern.  I've teamed it with practical and sporty cream coloured converse as there is always loads of walking to be done at Wimbledon, and of course, a pretty umbrella because you can never trust an English summer!  A pretty pastel blue shrug cardigan will keep the chill off as the sun loses its heat later in the day, and I'll be able to stuff all my tickets/programmes and other paraphenalia in this gorgeous tote bag from Fiorella.  The finishing touches are this sporty blue watch from Breo at the The Watch Hut and a cute pair of amber earrings. 


This is my entry for the Watch Hut competition

Istanbul - the Jewel in the Mediterranean Crown

There is one place in the Mediterranean that stands out above all others for me and that is Istanbul.  I first visited there in my teens (rather too many years ago than I care to remember!) and was entranced by it's exotic vibe - where East meets West.  The mighty Bosphorus divides the city where trade and tourist boats jostle for space and impressive mosques have their minarets jutting up into the sky, including the impressive Blue Mosque, the only one in the world with six minarets.

I heard from Love Chic Living that Cunard are running a special competition focusing on their Mediterranean destinations and knew instantly that I would be writing about Istanbul and the fabulous memories that it evoked.

I put together this Pinterest board that brings together the highlights of visiting Istanbul and some interior design features that could easily be incorporated into your house and garden.

Follow Rose T's board Istanbul - Magic from the Mediterranean on Pinterest.

It was important for me to include the incredibly beautiful mosques on my board - they are one of the enduring memories of my trip and whilst many other Mediterranean destinations have faded from my mind, I still remember these (and their stunning interiors) vividly.

Another memory that I wanted to include on my board is the large use of blue in Turkish interior design, from the beautiful intricately detailed tiles to the amulets used to keep the evil eye at bay and gorgeous glass lanterns (the latter being perfect for lighting an outdoor eating area).

I remember visiting the bustling Grand Bazaar and getting lost amongst its many lanes and rows, marvelling at the brightly coloured bowls, fabrics, lanterns and ephemera on offer.  I was only there for a short time and in my teens wasn't particularly interested in finding chic pieces to bring home to furnish my living spaces, but NOW, gosh, that would be a different matter!  I think I could spend days in there just browsing and enjoying the sweet tea offered by the vendors whilst haggling for bargains.  Just look at the brightly coloured slippers, rugs, bowls etc that could be slipped into your suitcase and enjoyed back at home.

I love the food in Istanbul - meze (small plates of delicious morsels) is my favourite way of eating and the flavours from the herbs and spices used are incredible.

Finally, I had to include a pin of a Turkish Bath.  The whole experience of being washed and pummeled by a slightly overweight Turkish man is one that will stay with me forever but my goodness, I felt good afterwards! Those I have tried outside of Istanbul have been mere pretenders - go and experience the real thing.

One thing is for sure, now I have written this blog post and created my Pinterest board, I REALLY want to go back to Istanbul again so I'm off to check out whether I can cruise with Cunard from Istanbul, now that WOULD be perfect!