Happy New Year...

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and we hope that 2013 has plenty of fun and happiness in store for everyone! Thank you to all our clients, friends and admirers for making 2012 great and with special thanks to Louise of the beautiful b.loved blog and the brilliant b.team we are so proud to be part of. Thank you for fab projects last year and here's to some special creations & gatherings for the new year!

With love & best wishes from Catharine & James x

Inspirations: Christmas with a hint of mint

It's Boxing Day and we hope that all our clients, readers, friends & the b.loved b.team have had a magical Christmas day and are relaxing for the rest of the holidays! We had a fantastic Christmas day dinner followed by drinks with family & a truly beautiful Tiramisu made by our lovely sister-in-law Caroline, delicious!

Now we are looking forward to an upcoming New Years dinner party and have put together an inspiration board based on the very pretty outfit featured and it's mint colour tones...

Inspirations: Christmas With a Hint of Silver...

With Christmas day just around the corner we have had a few spare minutes to put together a couple of our own last minute mood boards for our own Christmas time inspirations. Today we are sharing a calming cream based colour palette of neutrals with dashes of silver and as always for itty bitty & bijou it just had to have some sparkle in there too!

Wishing all our itty bitty & bijou friends, clients and readers of our blog a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year filled with fun & happiness...

 

Inspirations: A Christmas Hot Chocolate Party...

Christmas is soon upon us and there a plenty of magical and super stylish inspirations around at the moment as well as great gift ideas. Something we have always wanted to do at Christmas time is to arrange a Hot Chocolate Party or gathering for our nearest and dearest!

What is a hot chocolate party? Well our idea is that friends and family gather at our home - decked out in all its Christmas glory. We create a hot chocolate bar which has all the necessary ingredients for each guest to create their own perfect hot chocolate! Jars and bowls are filled with complimentary additions, for example, marshmallows, nutmeg, vanilla sugar cubes, and so on. Accompany this with some scrumptious homemade cookies and gingerbread biscuits and pop on some delightfully festive music and you have yourself a hot chocolate party!

Here's our inspiration for hot chocolate party with a hint of pink...

Exciting Times...

You may have noticed a few little changes around here - we've at long last updated elements of our blog design and are looking forward to completing other tweaks in the near future too! We are also busy working on the much anticipated and long awaited launch of our Etsy shop which will be stocked with new designs as well as elements which are new to the Itty Bitty & Bijou brand! We are hoping and working towards getting this launched for the New Year.

Another utterly exciting opportunity we have at the moment is working & collaborating with the beautiful b.loved blog on wonderful wedding stationery & free printables! Louise of b.loved invited us to become part of a fantastic and innovating element of her popular wedding blog - the b.team! Louise launched the b.team this week, a team of industry experts from each field, armed with inspiration, products and services to make the perfect wedding day! We are thrilled about this venture and shall keep you updated with our b.loved b.team work and the rest of the team too! Do head over there and have a read!

It's all very exciting and we have more in store for next year too! We hope that readers enjoy the little inspirations and behind the scenes our blog brings and we look forward to sharing more of our work and future ventures and friends with you soon!

Pale Pink Wedding Inspiration Featuring Twigs & Honey...

We always love creations by Twigs & Honey and the beautiful pink headpiece featured in out wedding mood board today was the initial inspiration! This wedding has a fresh pale pink palette and a whimsical edge - featuring big beautiful blooms, pretty paper cranes, sugary pink heels by Badgley Mischka and complimentary lilac bridesmaids...

Products & Sources

1. Twigs & Honey headpiece & image by Elizabeth Messina

2. Image by Watson-Studios

3. Image by Maria Mack Photography

4. Centrepiece image by Simply Bloom Photography

5. Image by Jose Villa

6. Shoes by Badgley Mischka & image by Swoon by Kate

7. Image by Christine Chang Photography

Many thanks to SJP Photography for finding the source of image 7 for us x 

Colour Inspiration Navy City Chic

Autumn / Fall is now upon us and with it brings fantastic colour palettes that you don't see at any other time of year. Burnt oranges, yellow ochre and berry reds galore! Fashion turns to new colours too - especially as the party season approaches! We picked todays colour inspiration based around this with an image via Girl in Louboutins. We love the sumptuous & luxurious navy tones of silk offset by the slightest hint of coral and and chic cityscape of neutrals....

Colours Inspired by Paisley Paper...

We haven't posted for a while as we have been so darn busy with lots of work and wedding shows and a little something else which we'll save for another day and a more detailed post!

Today we bring you a splash of colour inspired this photograph by La Sepea and particularly the pretty paisley wallpaper. It creates a calming collection of colours ideal for ideas for your home, wedding or baby shower colours!

Reading Room Inspired by Pip Studio Wallpaper...

We are big fans of Pip Studio here at Itty Bitty & Bijou - from their new collection of wallpaper designs to their cute cup and saucer sets! We could certainly fill the Itty Bitty & Bijou studio with Pip Studio!

Inspired by Pip Studio's new wallpaper designs and the nights drawing in, we created and inspiration board for a reading room complete with Penguin Classics, a comfortable reading chair to curl up on and a fantastic table lamp called the 'Tea Party Lamp' - stacked tea cups, saucers and a tea pot!

Wedding Colour Inspiration - Purple and Yellow...

We have some beautiful colour inspiration for spring & summer weddings today with these fantastic yellow pom pom flowers photographed by Rochelle Mort Photography. These unusual and fun flowers make a fantastic alternative to a Bridesmaid bouquet & the contrasting colours of purple with yellow are fresh! From soft crocus with mellow yellows to deeper shades of purple with mustard there are lots of options for this colour scheme whilst using a neutral such as grey or white to add a sophisticated balance...

Wedding Dogs - What To Wear...

Pet dogs taking part in their owners wedding has become more popular and it's lovely to see a special part of the family taking part! There are some fantastic wedding photos out there of pet dogs taking part in their owners wedding day, and we are sure that there will be some funny stories to accompany those photographs too!

We were also having a little look at what your dog could wear to the wedding. We are not too keen on dressing pets up as people but we found some creative and cute ways that you could add a bit of something without making your pet uncomfortable. So here are some fab wedding photos to inspire you if you are having your pet dog take part...

Wearing a simple tie & shirt collar around the dogs own collar . Photography by Braedon Photography

Love how the dogs have the seats! Photography by Lauren Ross Photography

A very dapper little dog with a black bow tie .  Photography by Kate Noelle Photography

Matching the wedding theme with a white & blue stripe bow tie . Photography by Elisa B Photography

This little Pug's bow tie is red to match the Bride's shoes . Image unknown via Pinterest

Wearing a wreath of Ivy . Photography by 1313 Photography

Colours Inspired by This Cute Wedding Pug...

We bring you some cuteness today as well as some colour inspiration with this beautiful photo of a couple's lovely little pet Pug complete with a pink bow tie for their wedding day! We love photos of dogs taking part in the wedding day - after all they are a part of the family!

Colour Inspiration: Pug Wearing Pink . Photography by Patterson maker

A Pink Sky Inspired Garden Party...

Yesterday evening we saw such beautiful skies in wonderful pink colours whilst sitting outside in the garden eating al fresco. Many of our Twitter friends across the UK also commented on how beautiful and pink the sky was too! Inspired by this we created a moodboard of inspirations & ideas for a garden party to be held under the pretty pink sky at night. Of course you can't predict it happening but it would have been a lovely relaxed backdrop for a summer garden gathering...

A scattering of seats such as these from Ikea for plenty guests, surround a fire pit 

creating a warm glow and ideal for toasting marshmallows too! These homemade 

frozen yoghurt popsicles would also make a nice treat!  

Shower Ideas with a Honey Bee Theme...

Today on the itty bitty & bijou blog we have a new mood board for baby showers or even bridal showers! It has a honey bee - sweet as honey theme and fresh creamy colours with dashes of warm honey tones and even lovely lemon!

Key ideas for this honey bee & sweet as honey theme include the following:
* Serve honeycomb at the desert table with ice cream
* Use honey stirrers as drink/cocktail stirrers
* Use burlap and twine to keep this natural colour palette - for table runners etc.
* Little jars of honey make great favours and you can easily make your own fabric covers to personalize or
  co-ordinate them. The honeycomb printed fabric would look lovely.
* These bee and honey comb pots would make great elements or even centerpieces!
* Keep floral pieces simple & fresh. Using glass jars wrapped with twine are effective.

1950's Inspired Wedding Makeup...

Today we have a guest feature by Makeup Artist Jo Leversuch of Makeup by Jo and she offers some excellent tips and advice on how to achieve the 1950's look which is so popular for weddings right now and a look we love! Over to Jo...

1950's makeup oozed sex appeal and today we associate words like glamour, style, class, fashion, beauty, romance, alluring, charm, and also movie stars from Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, & Elizabeth Taylor all with their unique styles of makeup.

Iconic 1950's looks - Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn & Elizabeth Taylor

If you are planning a vintage inspired wedding make sure you research into the look you would like to achieve with makeup. The dramatic looks of Elizabeth Taylor & Marilyn Monroe with the black extended flick eyeliner & red lips or perhaps the soft focus of natural makeup worn by Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn with a hint of eyeshadow and rose bud cheeks.

. Jo Leversuch's Top Tips for 1950's Inspired Makeup .

Skin - should be matte and contoured with a light application of rose blusher high on the cheekbone area with highlighter above the cheeks and hairline area.

Eyes - The eyes to be kept clean with a defined shimmer shadow, generally of a white hue & a neutral tone to the socket area to add shape to the eye area. Eyeliner in either black or brown applied finely from the inner corner and heavier to the outer corner with an extended flick at the edge.

Eyebrows - Eyebrows are drawn on softer with a curve on the arch directly above the pupil of the eye. To highlight the eyebrow further apply shimmer directly under the arch to lift the eyebrow.

Lips - Lips are drawn dramatically with a shape from the cupids bow. Apply a first layer of lipstick and blot with a tissue and apply a second coat with a lip brush to enable a precise finish.

With many thanks to Jo Leversuch for her expert advice. If you would like to get in touch with Jo for more information or to book your wedding makeup with her do pop on over to her website www.makeupbyjo.co.uk

Home Decor Inspired by Designers Guild Wallpaper...

Today on the itty bitty & bijou blog we bring you some pretty home decor inspirations and ideas inspired by the Cecily Wallpaper by Designer's Guild. We chose this paper in Crocus and based the rest of the colour palette around this for a lounge or sitting room but the colours and concept could easily work for a dining room too...

This lovely pillow cushion from Diane Von Furstenberg with a slight leopard print to it in colour tones works really well with the darker shades of the crocus Cecily wallpaper. Add some pastel pink into the mix with these fantastic teaspoons by Lee Chi Wing - perhaps picking out a quirky teacup and teapot to go with these would be great for having guests around! These teaspoons also tie in great with the dipped furniture which is everywhere at the moment. 

(See our inspirations for dipped furniture here).

A final splash of sugary pink was added with this large glass candle jar from the Voluspa Japonica range in a subtle sweet scent called Belle Sucre - just sweet and sugary enough for this pretty room! We picked out the citrus green which is hinted in the wallpaper for this fantastic lighting from Heals called the Natasha to make a striking contrast to the softer pastel shades.  

We love to mix in some odd eclectic details and this matt white decorative stags head from Dwell is fab - you could even hang a couple of gold Christmas decorations from the antlers when the season arrives. Our final piece is this lovely white tray with multiple candle holders again from Dwell. This would look great placed on a coffee table or ottoman with long tapered candles lit for a relaxing evening in. You could even take this idea and create your own DIY version with a tray and mismatched and different sized candle sticks which you can paint all one colour to bring them together. 

. Products .

1. Cecily wallaper in crocus by Designers Guild at Heals

2. Stags head wall decor from Dwell

3. Pillow by Diane Von Furstenberg at Amara

4. Teaspoons set by Lee Chi Wing at Heals

5. Natasha light in citrus from Heals

6. Multiple candle holders from Dwell

7. Voluspa Japonica large glass candle in Bell Sucre from Amara

Olivia Palermo for Tatler Russia...

Today our colour palette inspiration came from the August 2012 issue of Tatler Russia featuring Olivia Palermo. This striking image of rich reds against cool greys is a dramatic combo and will be great for Fall - Winter weddings. Shades of red have been popular in both the wedding and fashion industry, with Vera Wang's collection of red wedding dresses being a fantastic example of this use of colour!

Colour Inspiration by Itty Bitty & Bijou . Photo via Tatler Russia .  Model Olivia Palermo

Colours Inspired by Elizabeth Messina and Twigs and Honey...

Elizabeth Messina is one of our favorite wedding photographers and her latest work teamed with DIY pieces from Twigs and Honey is as beautiful as ever! Today we bring you some colour inspiration from one of Elizabeth's beautiful photographs which include these lovely DIY shoe clips by Twigs and Honey. It's a delicate palette of neutrals which have slight hints of lilac.

This would be great colour inspiration for wedding decor, Bridesmaid's dresses and even the Groom and his Groomsmen attire! We can definitely see dresses and suits in these colours with some touches of silver sparkle accessories and shoes added too!

Colour Inspiration Board by Itty Bitty & Bijou 

. Photography by Elizabeth Messina . DIY Shoe Clips by Twigs & Honey .

A Splash of Gold Wedding Inspiration...

Here we have an itty bitty & bijou inspiration / mood board for spring and summer time weddings. With splashes of gold throughout the concept from the decor, reception, tablescapes and even right through to the Bride's shoes! We love these beautiful sparkly gold Jimmy Choo heels as Bridal shoes and thought that the Bride would just have to have some equally fab gold jewelry to compliment them!

Add some sparkly touches such as these fantastic gold glitter apples as seating / name cards and even the odd gold sequin table cover to carry the style or theme throughout the wedding. We also loved the idea of the Bride and Bridesmaids blowing gold glitter for a photograph too! There is plenty of fun to be had with this wedding concept!

Colour Inspiration: Blueberry Lavender...

We were really inspired by the colours of this beautiful photograph by Jonny Lindh. The little blueberry lavender desserts look like a perfect little treat for any event and the colours we gathered from the photograph make a soft 

calm palette which is just the perfect match for something we are working on...

Geometric Prints and Nursery Inspiration...

Geometric prints are popping up everywhere at the moment and we have some beautifully designed geometric initial prints available! Using our geometric initial print we built a board for a girl's nursery concept with pastel colours and some quirky finds! From geometric print nesting dolls and a faceted wall clock to a pretty illustrated plate by Donna Wilson with some graphical elements nodding towards the geometric trend...

Sources for the Geometric Girl Nursery Concept:

1. Geometric Initial Print by Itty Bitty & Bijou

2. Cushion from BHDecor

3. Diego Lamp from Perch Cermamics 

4. Donna Wilson Owl Plate from Kidostore

5. Moroccan Leather Pouffe from Oliver Bonas

6. Faceted Wall Clock from Raw Dezign

7. Nesting Doll Matroyshka from Sketchinc

8. Oeuf Cot from Kids Love Design

9. Vintage Dresser from Mint Home

10. Tub Chair from Oliver Bonas

White Rabbit Nursery Concept...

Inspired by the beautiful lamps by White Rabbit England we put together a nursery inspiration board of neutral grey, white and silver which you can add your own choice pop of colour as well if you like.

We also fell in love with this wallpaper by Anthropologie and decided it would make the perfect feature wall for this nursery decor. A beautiful silk cushion from Anthropologie and these zinc letters make nice little touches. You could use these for the baby's initials, first name or as illustrated in our inspiration board - the first letters of the alphabet!

Sources for our White Rabbit Nursery Concept:

1. Wallpaper from Anthropologie

2. Image unknown via Pinterest

3. Crib unknown via Pinterest

4. Rosenberg Cot Quilt Set in Big Drop Greg

5. Zinc Letters from Anthropologie

6. Rabbit knob from Anthropologie 

7. Poised to Pounce Silk Cushion from Anthropologie

8. Vintage Chair from Lovintage Finds

9. White Rabbit Lamp by White Rabbit England

In Love With Lavender and Lilac for Weddings...

Here we have a beautiful palette for spring and summer weddings with some really pretty inspirations to add some creative touches too! We have been in love with soft lavender and lilac colour tones this week and were really inspired by another stunning photograph by Elizabeth Messina of Kiss the Groom (See picture 1 on our inspiration board). This beautiful bridal portrait was the basis for our whole inspiration board with this colour scheme in mind...

The headdress by Twigs and Honey worn by the Bride would be matched by pretty little crowns of dried long grass and lavender for the Bridesmaids and Flower Girls too. This soft, romantic, country garden feel led to fresh lavender seeds in cones as confetti. You can even make these cones yourself using doilies, music sheets or vintage papers!

We found the seating cards with a single stem of lavender attached and would use little mis-matched bottles along the tables with further sprigs of Lavender. Big full bloom hyacinths would make lovely simple centrepieces and all of these would smell great too!

The favourite thing we found for our Lavender and Lilac board was the wedding breakfast menus - (see image 4) made using a book with part of the pages cut out and replaced with the menu design and it even has a little pocket on the inside of the book cover entitled 'menu' and holding fresh lavender inside. This is just the sort of unique find we adore and would look great with so many different wedding concepts and style too!

Look out for our future post on how to make your own confetti cones 

with some of our fab finds to make them with too!

It's All About the Dipped Furniture...

We just purchased a great retro look, vintage table which is just the perfect coffee table we have been searching high and low for. Now however, is the time to decide how to spruce it up, up-cycle it and make it look as fab as all the coffee table books which shall adorn it!

We have noticed the trend of dipped paint for the home - whether it's dipping mason jars for vases, tin cans for desk organisers or wooden kitchen utensils to match your colour scheme! There are also plenty of ways to apply this to furniture too! You can use the dipped effect to leave some of the original wood showing or perhaps use two colour opposites such as white with neon.

Here are some of our favourite inspirations for the dipped furniture look and we will continue to ponder our
many ideas for our coffee table makeover...

Our Dipped Furniture Finds:

1. Styles-files.com

2. Apartment Therapy

3. Design Sponge

4. Charlotte Lovey

5. Miss Moss

6. Design Love Fest

7. SF Girl By Bay

8. Apartment Therapy

Little Star Nursery Inspiration...

Using the nursery rhyme, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, we worked up a concept for a neutral coloured nursery
and even a matching Itty Bitty & Bijou print!

A big beautiful white wooden crib, an antique dresser & the stunning french look arm chair make perfect pieces
for the nursery room. We added some gold with the lovely star lantern, antique frames and the fab star mirror too.

You could easily work other colours into this concept if you wanted, for example baby blue, pale pastel green,
a touch of lemon or go crazy with some coral!

Sources for the Little Star nursery concept:

1. Print by Itty Bitty & Bijou

2. Mirror by Zinc Door

3. Crib bumper by Serena & Lily

4. Light via Shannon Darby Design

5. Crib via Jelanie Shop

6. Star cushions by Colette Bream

7. Chevron Throw by Dwell

8. Armchair & Stool by Oly Studio

9. Dresser via Pinterest

Woodland Friends Nursery Concept...

We had such a great response after posting our cute cloud nursery concept in May and we have plenty more nursery inspirations and decor ideas to bring to you! We've even been asked to create a hot air balloon theme nursery concept inspired by our cute cloud concept!

Today we have our Woodland Friends Nursery Concept board...

With beautiful white owl figurines and matching swallow bird wall plaques, a modern wooden squirrel wall clock 

and some super cute prints by Loxly Hollow featuring beautiful little bunny rabbits - we have the walls covered, 

almost literally! 

We then found a danish style retro dresser-sideboard from Shabby Maggie, which has been upcycled and re-styled to include a chevron paint effect. This and the grey & white colours matched our scheme perfectly and it looks great as a stylish changing table with good storage! We added a bit more colour with some comfortable chevron printed pillows and also wonderful woodland friends such as the lovely felt fox by Manomine. We are currently obsessed with Manomine so expect to see more of them in some of our future nursery concepts and fab finds!

Woodland Friends Nursery Inspiration Board by Itty Bitty & Bijou

(click on the image for a larger view)

Sources for our Woodland Friends Nursery Concept are:

Prints (x3) all by Loxly Hollow

Chevron Pillows from The Lacey Placey

Felt Fox by Manomine

Mid Century Grey Dresser from Shabby Maggie Design Studio

White Swallow Wall Plaques from Pirdy

White Owl Figurine Family from Pirdy

Felt Sleepy Owl by For My Darling

Wooden Squirrel Clock from Decoy Lab

Follow Itty Bitty & Bijou on Bloglovin...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

You can now keep up to date with our Itty Bitty & Bijou blog of inspiration by simply following us on bloglovin.
This means you will be updated when we post. There are other places you can find us too - we are on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

We do share a lot of fab finds, updates and inspirations on our Facebook page, especially beautiful work by international Photographers as well as interesting features and posts we come across on our favourite blogs too.
To follow us on Facebook just pop along here and 'like' our page!

Our Sequin and Sparkle Shower Concept...

We have been working on a couple of concepts for Bridal Showers and our first to share with you is our Sequin & Sparkle Shower! First we have our inspirations for the decor and details, working with gold and pink colours and plenty of sequins and sparkle! Then we looked at creating a dress code for guests and ideas of what to wear and a further element of this which would be to have someone at the shower to paint guests nails to match the theme!
Finally we have some cute designs for the invitations...

The theme is set with some seriously sparkly decor such as...

Gold leaf and pink macaroons, gold sequin star drink stirrers, paper garlands made from 

gold and pink circles to emulate sequins and of course a very glitzy sparkly gold tablecloth!

By setting sequins and sparkle as a dress code it will be a very girly and glittery gathering and would really 

compliment the decor and theme of the shower. Our 'what to wear' inspiration board shows the fun 

guests could have with this on trend look without particularly dressing from head to toe in it! 

Even just some sparkly accessories would look great!

We thought another little thing for the shower guests to enjoy would be someone there to do 

manicures so that each person at the shower gets involved and it's your official pass into the party!

Finally, don't forget to include the theme in your shower invitations. Here are our own 

designs which include the theme of the Sequin & Sparkle shower as well as the dress code! 

Sequin and Sparkle Bridal Shower concept and invitation designs by Itty Bitty & Bijou.

Pale Pink with Green Wedding Inspiration...

With a pretty English country garden wedding in mind and some Spring/Summer sunshine, we came up with
some lovely ideas and inspirations with a colour scheme of pastel pink and pale green...

Antique books and potted herbs create interesting centerpieces and this is followed on with old sheets of music paper or alternatively pages from old books which make confetti cones filled with pastel pink petals.

We loved this Jane Eyre book we came across which fit perfectly with both the colours and the English country garden elements. It would be great fun to create silhouettes of the Bride, Groom and wedding party just like the book cover. We actually make these and they can be used within invitations, menu designs and so on too.

Finally hear are some fab favour packaging finds to match this theme - using pretty muslin bags which can contain any number of favour ideas from biscuits or sweets to soaps or seeds! Stamp each bag with ink matching your wedding colours and pop a co-ordinating frame next to your favours with a Thank You message to your guests. 

We found beautiful personalised calligraphy stamps by Paper Sushi!

Where to find our finds...

Muslin bags £19.93 for 25 from Hobble Creek Designs

Personalised Calligraphy Stamp £24.58 from Paper Sushi

Pink Wooden Frame £13 from John Lewis

Prices are correct at the time of publishing as some are converted into Sterling

   

A Touch of Turquoise Inspiration...

Following on from our posts in recent weeks we have looked at the use of turquoise for weddings, working it in with pastel peach and now we have a totally turquoise board with summer weddings in mind!

Firstly inspired by the photography of Elizabeth Messina we built up a concept around her images...
Vintage urns with tall stem flowers, handmade candles as favours with fabric and labels which match the decor, antique frames repainted to match the colour scheme can be used as signs, menus and so on...

Peach and Turquoise Pastels...

Our posts have been few and far between recently as we have been very busy bees behind the scenes! We are back on track now though and have some fantastic inspirations to bring you over the next few weeks! We hope you enjoy!

Here we have a beautiful wedding inspiration board of peach & turquoise colours. Inspired by the to-die-for Vera Wang dress in the prettiest shade of delicate peach, we added complimentary turquoise pieces and a little hint of gold too - perfect for a summer wedding.

Single flower blooms displayed under a cloche, lanterns used as table numbers which can be lit in the evening, pink champagne and gold glittering wedding shoes...

Cute Cloud Nursery Concept...

We post a lot about the weddings and events side of things but haven't yet posted anything about our baby side - so today here's a little bit of something different for you to feast your eyes on!

We create custom and bespoke prints for babies and nurseries and here's a cute cloud themed concept we came up with for a boys nursery. From soft hanging clouds in happy colours and patterns to 3d paper mobiles and hot air balloons!

You can go straight to the products with the links below:

1/ Rain Cloud Mobile £29.79 - Baby Jives Co

2/ Rain Cloud Mobile £34.23 - Lullaby Mobiles

3/ 3D Cloud Mobile £27.26 - Gosh and Golly

4/ Hand Sewn Goodnight Cushion £18.00 - The Fox in the Attic

5/ Hanging Clouds £28.53 - Tulles the Photo

6/ Blue & White Stripe Cloud Pillow £31.66 - Little Nest Box

7/ Hot Air Balloon Mobile £38.03 - Mietjie

Please note that all prices are correct at the time of posting as some are priced in dollars and converted.

C is for Cloud print and other custom alphabet prints to fit with your nursery theme are available from our Etsy shop.

A Touch of Turquoise...

Today we have a fabulous follow up guest post by professional Make-up Artist Jo Leversuch of Make-up by Jo. 
Last time Jo gave us her expert advice about wedding day make-up for summer or abroad weddings.
Jo now expands on this with how to wear turquoise eyeshadow...

May is upon us and the start of spring blossom, blue skies, blooming flowers of various shades, white fluffy clouds, green fields... this can convert into what we wear in make-up for the Spring and leading to the Summer months.

Candy pinks, blue, poppy orange, yellow, mint green, purple, reds, aqua, white, pearls, silver - just some of the shades around at the moment.

I wanted to share with you some images of bridal make-up wearing a stronger eye colour of turquoise. The application of the face is a fresh, dewy, flawless finish. Using foundation, concealer & illuminator concealer to achieve this look.

The turquoise eyes were applied using eye shadow with a wet brush and turquoise eyeliner with lashings of mascara. Lips and cheeks were kept nude but with some warmth to give you the spring/summer hint of glow.

Images by GASP Photography

Make-up by Jo used:

Ariane Poole Mineral Tint Foundation

Ariane Poole Conceal & Contour Concealer and Illuminating Pen

Ariane Poole Trio Eyeshadow called 'Miami'

Lancome Le Crayon Knol Waterproof on 'Curacao Turquoise'

Lancome Hypnose Drama Waterproof Mascara

Ariane Poole Pink Gemstone Blusher

Jemma Kidd Hi Shine Glosstick in 'Turtle Bay'

For more information contact Make-up by Jo

You can also follow Jo on Twitter @JoLeversuch and Facebook

Rustic Brown & Creams...

Here's an earthy, rustic, country feel inspiration board for fans of barn weddings and the outdoors. We love them. Using browns, creams and white, plenty of wood, burlap and terracotta and details such as mini cloche seating name cards, a retro typewriter for the guest book, vintage wooden pieces of furniture for displays and dessert tables and some warm candlelight too. Keeping the colour scheme simple compliments all of the little details involved. This keeps it balanced so that colours and quirky details aren't fighting for attention.

Vera Wang Spring 2013...

Last year we saw Vera Wang launch a Bridal collection of witchcraft inspired gowns from nude & cream tones to smokey grey and black. This time around Vera has produced another daring collection of reds from juicy orange tones and vivid crimson to deeper darker burgundy. See our inspiration board of how this could be developed into a theme and colour palette for a Summer wedding...

Our favourites from Vera Wang's Spring 2013 Bridal Collection...

See more designs at verawang.com . Images by Dan Lecca

Make-up by Jo

This week we introduce you to professional Make-up Artist Jo Leversuch of Make-up by Jo for expert advice on wedding day make-up. Seen as it's getting to that time of year we've looked at make-up for both summer and abroad. Here is a wonderful write up by Jo with plenty of essential tips and also her products recommendations...

Building the Foundations...

When you wake-up on the morning of your wedding, wash & cleanse your face with your chosen routine & use your favourite moisturiser for face and eyes. Don't apply any face masks or introduce any new skin care products on your wedding morning.

If you can, find a large & light area to apply your make-up. Make sure your hair is styled first before the application of make-up - you want to be able to see all the aspects of your face that will be seen by everyone else. But don't forget to wear a loose buttoned front top to make sure you can get un-dressed and into your wedding dress without smudging your make-up.

Make-up primers are used underneath the foundation and are especially esential in the heat; primers help the make-up to stay on with a flawless finish. One primer that I tend to use on a lot of my brides is Ariane Poole's Ultimate Anti-Shine Primer - you don't need to use much, just apply around the nose, forehead and chin area.

If you are using a foundation in hot weather, then it's best to keep a light & natural coverage. Estee Lauder Double Wear Light is fabulous foundation as you can layer up in the areas you need extra coverage, but it will still give you a light natural finish. Or if you think that a foundation will be too heavy, why not consider an oil free tinted moisturiser by Laura Mercier.

Apply the foundation or tinted moisturiser with a foundation brush starting from the nose & sweeping outwards/downwards towards the cheek area. Getting used to using a foundation brush can be a little tricky, so make sure you have plenty of practise before you go. If you have a full fringe, do not apply and foundation on this area of your forehead as the fringe will become greasy throughout the day.

If you feel you need to use a concealer to cover blemishes or dark circles apply a small amount with your fingertips or a concealer brush. Ariane Poole has a wonderful range of products, so why not try her Conceal and Colour Palette - consisting of 3 shades of concealer which can be blended to your individual skin tone, you can be sure you'll be able to cover the signs of jetlag.

Next Step... Eyes...

Don't be tempted to use concealer on the eyelids though. Instead you might want to apply an eyelid primer such as Elizabeth Arden's Advanced Eye Fix Prime. A primer for your eyelids will make sure that the eyeshadow stays in place all day - and can also give a much needed lift.

Start by defining your eyebrows with an eyebrow powder - try Jemma Kidd Eyebrow Kit. Or you can use an eyebrow pencil. Always apply in short strokes rather than one continuous line as this will allow the colour to blend better with your natural brow. When choosing an eye colour for your wedding, stick to something neutral that will enhance your eye colour and look beautiful on your wedding day. Ariane Poole Eye Shine Crystal Taupe is an excellent choice for a single colour which can be applied with a sponge.

Apply a khol eyeliner along the top of the eyelashes or use a liquid eyeliner such as Long Wear Gel Eyeliner by Bobbi Brown for a slightly more dramatic look. Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Cream Shadows come in a range of stunning colours, and can be applied with a brush or finger tips - ideal for the perfect beach wedding.

Mascara must be waterproof (everyone cries at weddings) or alternatively if you have a favourite non-waterproof mascara you can coat over the top with Clarins Double FIx Mascara. This is a waterproof seal for lashes.

And Finally, You May Now Kiss the 'Blushing' Bride...

Often forgotten, it's important to protect your lips from the sun, to make sure that they have not become chapped. For a beach scene look keep them fresh and use subtle colours ranging from pinky hues to bronzed colours. There is a wide range of lipsticks on the high street from lipglosses, lipstains, to matt lipsticks and tinted lip balms.

Depending on your preference, you can add a touch of colour to your cheeks with The Multiple from Nars Cosmetics, an excellent choice of colours and easy to apply for a glowing complexion. Alternatively use a bronzer high on the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose and the arch of the brows for that ultimate sun kissed beach look.

Finally, powder the T-Zone (forehead, nose and chin area) with Ariane Poole's Universal Powder. Use a large powder brush and always brush powder downwards. Tatcha Blotting Paper Sheets are excellent to carry with you to blot away any shine without disturbing the make-up.

Many thanks to Jo for her wonderful advice! For further details on Make-up by Jo please visit her lovely website here. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter @JoLeversuch