Argh! The last few months have been full on as I've been busy with various work projects. The latest issue of 91 Magazine published in October and we released the second free e-zine in November. Plus I've been working on a picture research project as well as doing some training for a new company I'm going to be working with in the new year (can't wait to tell you more about that!) So my Month of Lovely post is actually an update on the past two months this time!
Copenhagen trip - We had our first child-free trip away at the start of October with three nights in Copenhagen. It was SUCH a great trip, just two parents (adults!) getting to do whatever we wanted! There was a lot of shopping, eating, drinking and sleeping which I wrote all about in this guide. I brought a few bits and bobs back with me, but with baggage allowances on the flight it was restricted to small items, like this Normann Copenhagen ruler and some black bulldog clips!
91 Magazine latest issue - As I mentioned, at the start of October, we released the brand new issue of the magazine. I think it's my favourite yet, although I'm not sure if I'll always feel like that when the new one comes out! Lots of other people have said this though, and it is the fastest-selling one so far! I'm already down to less than 200 in stock. The new e-zine came out in November too which only goes to our newsletter subscribers (sign up here!), and is a lovely quick read for lunchtime or over a cuppa. We are already hard at work on the SS18 issue now!
We won an award! - You may have heard via social media, but excitingly we scooped the award for Best Interior Magazine Blog at the Amara Blog Awards in October! I was honestly so shocked as we were up against some other really well known magazines, so I really was thrilled to be recognised for the work we put into the 91 Magazine blog. This lovely marbled award is now pride of place in my office!
Renovation progress - We'd had a bit of a lull in house progress since doing a couple of the bedrooms, but we've since found motivation again and are currently in progress or planning of a few different projects. We began stripping the hideous textured wallpaper that was covering about 50% of the house through the hall, landings and stairs. It's going to be a slow job as there is SO much wall to cover, but it's gradually being painted along with trying to decide on a paint colour for the front door! We've also ordered the tiles in this pic for our little side entrance porch. It's where my hubby often puts his bike and sometimes the buggy is in there, so the walls can get quite dirty, so I think tiling them will be easier to keep clean. Finally, we are trying to plan the kitchen overhaul, but it's proving more pricey than we'd hoped, so I'm currently trying to work out how to get the costs down while still getting close to the dream kitchen! Some of my ideas for it are here, oh and if you missed my post about what we've done to the house in our first year here, you can catch up on that here too.
Supporting indies - I'm always keen to shop with indies where I can - recently I've been to my fave shop in Surrey - &Hobbs - where this little plant came from, and bought a gorgeous handmade necklace to wear to the blog awards from Nook of the North. I've also been checking out a brand new indie magazine by crafting extraordinaire Lisa Comfort. It is a quarterly mini-mag (25 pages) featuring sewing and craft projects as well as Lisa's tips on places to visit and people to discover. Initially I thought it was quite expensive at £14.99 for the printed version, but I understand this is due to the fact it comes with a Sew Over It (Lisa's shop) sewing pattern which are usually around £15. Wth Christmas around the corner, I've been trying to buy my gifts from indies where possible and have ordered things from Julia Staite, The Gray Store, The Hambledon, Maison Philou and Little Citizens Boutique.
That's all my news for now, but don't forget to join in with A Month of Lovely by tagging your lovely moments with #amonthoflovely on Instagram! I will share some faves on here soon!