Gardening, Sandals and Wild Acre Jewellery

The last time I wrote, I moaned about the weather.  Not today!  This weekend has been chilly, admittedly, but beautifully sunny too.  The dog has enjoyed plenty of leisurely walks (she tends to get marched round when it's raining and is dragged roughly away from anything she tries to sniff) and I managed to get out in the garden.

I've potted on some seeds and planted up a little herb box.  We have basil, mint, chives, thyme and parsley.  It felt great nipping out the back door yesterday evening to collect some basil leaves for my tomato and mozzarella salad!  Rocket, mizuna, lettuce and mustard are all growing from seed in my mini greenhouse and I hope to be able to pick my own salad come high summer.  I am not holding my breath; said seedlings are currently puny, pale and a bit floppy.  I can't hold it against them though - don't we all feel a bit pale and floppy right now?  This sunshine has been a long time coming.

I have been collecting these vintage crates for a while and have quite a stash.  I am thrilled to finally have a sensible use for them.  I did intend to keep them in my new dining room sideboards but then got wibbly about potential woodworm so don't really want to use them indoors.

The sweet peas in my handmade (oh yes! *high fives*) teepee are doing well.  I have to keep weaving them around the willow to train them properly but they seem quite happy.

I did get garden envy today.  We went to my MIL's for lunch and her garden is always beautiful.  She grows the majority of her plants from seed and whilst they are almost ready to plant out, the stars of the garden at the moment are the bluebells.

Aren't they beautiful?  They looked so pretty in the sunshine today.  We do have a few in our own garden, which MIL gave to us, but they look astonishingly pretty in their masses.

I tried to sit out in the garden for a while after lunch, with J (stepson).  We spent about ten minutes chatting about his forthcoming RE exam whilst I crocheted but then had to admit defeat - there was a rather robust wind and it was cold!  The nip in the air did not stop me wearing my new Sam Edelman sandals, however.  I am prepared to risk hypothermia for a shoe debut.

I wore them with my Current/Elliott boyfriend jeans and a cream cotton fisherman's jumper from Jack Wills.  If you're interested, I'm wearing Chanel Blue Rebel polish on my toes.  Not sure how much I like it - I'm not usually one for odd-coloured polish. I prefer nudes and reds.  I have bought some pastel nail colours to wear this year but I know I won't wear them.  Cuckoo was talking on her blog recently about aspirational clothes shopping and it really resonated with me.  Like my huge box full of garish nail polish, my wardrobe is full of ridiculously high-heeled shoes that I can hardly walk in.  (Don't tell my husband I admitted to that though, please.)

I love fashion jewellery and I'm building a collection of bracelets at the moment; I like to see an armful of bracelets and I especially like friendship bracelets in the summer months.  I am trying to make my own with a cool kit from Paperchase and some substituted neon cord but have since found a more grown-up (and, frankly, gorgeous) option.

Wild Acre jewellery makes my heart race.  Belinda creates contemporary jewellery that is inspired by nature with a specific focus on shape and texture.  It's the kind of jewellery that makes you want to reach out and touch it.  I bought a couple of friendship bracelets from Belinda over Christmas for friends (which they LOVED!) and, knowing they were a seasonal item, asked if there happened to be any left over.  Of course there weren't, but Belinda has made a few for the summer with different coloured cords.  The beads are real silver and sooo sparkly.  (I'm sure B will have a fit over the quality of my photo but it is difficult to photograph spangles properly!).

The turquoise and hot pink bracelets were the first friendship bracelet purchase from Belinda before my addiction really took hold.   I'm pleased to have a found a 'posh' friendship bracelet - I think they looka bit more grown-up than the cheaper versions and they complement my silver jewellery nicely.

This key pendant is also a Wild Acre creation and I get loads of comments every time I wear it.  It's a Victorian key that Belinda found at Spitalfields market and had cast in silver.  I adore it.  It's on a long, brushed silver chain and goes with everything.

If you would like to treat yourself or a friend to one of these lovely bracelets for summer the Wild Acre shop is here.  The bracelets are £15 each - bargain. I think you'll need to contact Belinda directly to let her know what you're after, like I did.  Whilst you're there, take a look at Belinda's blog.  She is one of those people who is uplifting to be around and her blog about her summer flower business and her jewellery is a good read.

So, an epic post I'm afraid but I had a spontaneous blog break and had loads to tell you.  Hope you had a cuppa to hand!  There is still more to come - I won a giveaway on Nina's blog this week and I'm skippy with excitement to show you how I've organised our bathroom and kitchen recently.  Add to that a bit of waffle about some killer new beauty products, a couple of new craft projects and a super-easy cake recipe and there is plenty more for me to bore you with in the coming weeks!

Thanks for sticking with me, I promise to be more concise next time. Have a good week.

Nicki 

x

PS - Hi to my new followers!  Please do leave a comment so that I (and my other followers) can find you.  We all love a bit of new blood!  :-)