Sunday Favourites #346

These are some of my favourites from the last seven days...

Club Crafted show you a quick and easy way to decorate cakes this Autumn with their pretty fall cake stencil templates. I especially love the leaf design.

I love these art prints by Alja Horvat, which are all available to buy from her Etsy shop.

You can bring Autumn in to the kitchen with A Subtle Revelry's fun iron-on DIY dish towels. Who says tea towels have to be boring?

I'd love to try baking some of Little White Socks' vegan mini cherry ombre birthday cakes. They look so pretty!

How cute are Club Crafted's hot dog eclairs?! 

The Crafted Life can show you how to make this colourful DIY rainbow mouse pad in two easy steps.

I want to make some of these amazing DIY colourful felt pinecones from Club Crafted. I've been thinking about making some felt pinecones for the felt Christmas wreaths I'm working on for ages now, so I think this tutorial will come in handy!

These unicorn pumpkin candy holders from Eighteen 25 are a cute alternative to the traditional Jack o' lantern designs you see everywhere this time of year.

This handwoven wall hanging from Mandi Smethells is so beautiful.

I love Urk Art's amazing DIY terrarium pins. I didn't think it was even possible to make something like this at home without some kind of expensive technical equipment. I want to have a go!

I'd also love to make some of A Kailo Chic Life's awesome DIY large pom pom pumpkins.

A Beautiful Mess' faux woven pillow DIY looks like the perfect project for those cosy dark autumn evenings at home.

 Handmade Charlotte's Kawaii autumn bread wrappers are so darn cute.

Want to learn how to finger-knit a floor pouf? Well, Club Crafted can teach you all you need to know.

And these made-to-order handwoven tapestries from Juju Just are absolutely beautiful.

Lovely Links

♥ Katie from Stumbling Mind talked about the difference between being 'a bit sad' and having depression.

♥ Gemma the Pink Haired Princess has an amazing Irregular Choice shoe collection, and I've been swooning over her top twelve pairs of 2017, which she shared on her blog earlier this week.

♥ Becky from Milk Bubble Tea wrote an amusing list of basic blogger problems I think most bloggers will be able to relate to.

♥ Megan of Lazy Thoughts wrote an insightful post about how your blog can help you land a job.

♥ Rebecca penned a worriers guide to living in the moment on her blog From Roses, which you may find helpful if you spend a lot of time worrying about the future or concentrating on pointless moments from your past.

♥ Kaylah from The Dainty Squid took the most beautiful photos of Cannon Beach in Oregon, USA, and now I really want to visit it.

♥ Six body positive plus size women talk about why they're proud of their fat bodies

♥ Women perfectly explained consent in one hilarious analogy so that all men can finally understand it. If only all men (and women) would understand it.

♥ This thread of the weirdest things people get emotionally attached to.

♥ A face-painting clown shames a Mother who wouldn't let her son get a butterfly painted on his face, and instead insisted on a skull and crossbones. 

♥ Somehow five wild baby squirrels got tangled together by their tails, and needed some human assistance to get freed. 

♥ A dolphin has been left all alone in her tank at a closed-down zoo, and stories like this make me hate humans so much.

♥ This video of a tiny armadillo who is obsessed with baths is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

♥ Also, this video of a mother rat fighting of a snake stealing her baby is incredible.

If you'd like to see more like this, check out my Pinterest and Tumblr. You can also find all previous Sunday Favourites posts here.

Any favourites this week?

Wednesday Wish List

Here are a few things on my wish list this week...

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I Love Crafty have collaborated with Pony People for their Halloween collection this year, and the result is the most adorable collection of perspex Halloween jewellery I think I've ever seen. My favourite piece has got to be the ghost cat necklace- it's so cute!

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Cath Kidston have released their highly anticipated Disney Snow White collection, and I'm lusting after so many of the bags, purses, and cases. It's surprising, as while I'm a huge Cath Kidston fan, Snow White has never been one of my favourite Disney movies, and I wasn't expecting to be interested in the collection at all. It turns out that I love most of the collection, particularly the apple,  Singing Birds, Little Scattered Blossom, and Snow White Scene designs. I can't afford to buy any of it this time, but my little sister bought a few of the grey Scattered Blossom and Singing Birds pieces and they're all gorgeous. Snap them up while you can! 

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Erstwilder have surprised us with a second Halloween collection for 2018, this time featuring skeleton animals including a cat, dog, rabbit, bird, and a unicorn. Aren't they amazing? They remind me of Funny Bones! I particularly love Doggo Darkness and Bunny Bones brooches. The Bone Brigade has proved to be extremely popular and has sold out completely on Erstwilder's website and through many of the UK stockists since its release on Monday. The cat is sold out everywhere online, but  Daisy Park still have the dog, bunny, and bird available, Lottie and Lu has the bunny, and Thunder Egg still has the bird and bunny. Apparently Glitterally will be restocking everything but the cat at the end of the week. If you're outside the UK, you can find all other Erstwilder stockists around the world here.

Kat Von D 10th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette

I definitely do not need any more eyeshadow palettes in my life, but this 10th Anniversary eyeshadow palette from Kat Von D is seriously dreamy.

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It wouldn't be a wish list without a generous dose of Lindy Bop dresses. These are just some of the new releases I'm lusting over this week. My favourites are easily the Claudine Pumpkin Patch (#2) and Bunny Hop (#8) shirt dresses. I just love the prints, contrasting colours, and style of the dresses.

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Kimchi and Coconut's new collection of Autumnal acrylic jewellery is available to preorder, and the designs will be perfect for accessorising all of those Autumn outfits. I need those pumpkin brooches in my life!

The Bronte Deluxe Book Collection

And I'm also lusting after this beautiful Bronte sisters book collection from Arcturus books. I have a real weakness for pretty books, especially clothbound ones, and these are some of the prettiest book covers I've ever seen. I've just bought the set for my Mum for Christmas, as Wuthering Heights is one of her favourite books, but I think I'm going to be needing a set for myself. It's only £15.99 for the whole collection from Lowplex at the moment (it usually retails around the £50 mark), which is amazing value for a set of six pretty clothbounds, so it would be stupid not to treat myself, wouldn't it? I know what I'll be spending my next survey earnings on! If you like the look of these, I think you'll also appreciate the Anne of Green Gables and Jane Austen collections. I recently treated myself to both, and they're stunning. I'll be blogging photos and reviews of them really soon so you can see for yourselves.

If you'd like to see more of the things on my wish list this week, check out my wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

Any favourites this week?

Sunday Favourites #345

Here are some of my favourites from the last seven days...

Beautiful illustrations from Studio Grand-Pére.

I love this cheerful foraged fall sunflower arrangement from The House That Lars Built.  Sunflowers have always been one of my favourite flowers. Keep your red roses; yellow flowers are the best flowers.

Club Crafted's chill pill eclairs look amazing.

Studio DIY revealed their funky new rainbow clutch, and Kelly colour-coordinated with an amazing rainbow jumpsuit.



Design Sponge's DIY cat planters are adorable.

Maritza Lisa made this DIY round trinket box at home with a 3D printer! How cool is that?!



A Kailo Chic Life shared her colourful photos from The FOMO Factory, and now I want rainbow stairs in my house.

I don't have kids to recreate these things for, but oh my God, Studio DIY's Monster's Inc. movie night decor looks adorable.

These temporary tattoo pumpkins from Club Crafted are so pretty. I'm tempted to make some to decorate my home with this Autumn.

These embroidery patterns from Lark Rising Embroidery are so beautiful.

These dip dyed ring holders from The Plaid Palette are so simple but so eye-catching.

I love the look of this Wool Couture pastel pom pom garland craft kit.

Salty Canary's matcha mochi milkshake recipe looks delicious.

I'd love to make this gorgeous Autumnal DIY fall phrase garland from A Beautiful Mess.

And Sprinkle Bakes' classic cola sheet cake looks ridiculously tasty

Lovely Links

♥ If you're in need some content inspiration for Autumn, Aycan from Little White Socks has compiled a list of over 60 inspiring blog post ideas to share during the Autumn months.

♥ Katie May talked about why she stopped drinking caffeine, the benefits of going decaf, and how to do it.

♥ Random Acts of Pastel's grilled peach strawberry ice cream sundaes with powdered doughnut crumbs sound amazing.

♥ I wish I could fall in to Salt and Sea Stories' photos of Cornwall taken during the long hot summer. I miss Cornwall so much!

♥ Clothing brand Oasis, who currently have a plus size collection with Simply Be, are expanding their plus size collection to their own online shop! It will cater up to a size 26, which isn't as inclusive as it could be, but it's a start. Hopefully, if it sells well, they'll think of expanding their sizes further.

♥ If you're an introvert, you'll likely relate to these hilarious Tumblr posts about introverts. I sure do!

♥ Gruesome photos from the 1900s showing the struggles of working children before child labour was abolished. This is so sad.

♥ Someone put your 'chances of dying' in an infographic and you might want to alter your life choices. I think I'll give base-jumping a miss.

♥ After working every single day for 30 years, this couple get screwed over by the American health care system. This is heart breaking. It makes me so thankful for the NHS. The last thing you need to worry about when you're sick is how you're going to afford the health care you need.

If you'd like to see more stuff like this, check out my Pinterest and Tumblr. You can also find all previous Sunday Favourites posts here.

Any favourites this week?

Kimchi and Coconut Australian Animal Brooches

A few months ago, I finally added two new brooches to my ever-growing brooch collection that had both been on my wish list for well over a year. No, I didn't snap up more brooches from Erstwilder (alright, I did, but I'm not referring to them today), I treated myself to brooches from another fantastic jewellery brand called Kimchi and Coconut.

Kimchi and Coconut is a young British brand, based in Birmingham, who make beautiful laser-cut acrylic jewellery heavily inspired by nature and art. They most recently launched a collection influenced by Van Gogh's most famous works of art, and also offer a wide range of quirky animal designs, including plenty of pieces inspired by sea life and Australian animals.

Naturally, the animal designs are my favourites, and since I discovered the brand about a year and a half ago, I'd been particularly drawn to the Australian animal brooches. What can I say? I've always been fascinated by Australia's weird and wonderful wildlife, and seeing some of my favourite Aussie animals in brooch form proved too irresistible for this animal-loving brooch addict. In June, I finally ordered two of the brooches I'd been admiring for many moons- a platypus and a tiger quoll.

Many of you may be wondering what the hell a tiger quoll is. A tiger quoll is basically a brown-spotted, long-tailed, carnivorous marsupial- the largest in mainland Australia- that looks like a cross between a Tasmanian devil and a possum, I've never actually seen one in person, but I've always thought they were adorable, and when I saw Kimchi and Coconut had made a quoll brooch, I instantly fell in love with it. As it turns out, it's even cuter in person.



The little freckled marsupial is curled up asleep in the foetal position with his long tail curled around him, and his little paws tucked under his chin. He has a taupe-brown coat with a shiny finish, and has been finished with textured cream spots, and simple black etching to add detail. He is so damn cute! He sort of looks like a sleepy freckled squirrel, which I think most people outside Australia will likely think he is since the quoll is not exactly a widely known animal. My family guessed a squirrel or a mouse. I doubt anyone will ever guess right!

Unfortunately, the quoll brooch is currently sold out, but he may get restocked, so it could be worth keeping an eye on the website or messaging the brand if you want to get your hands on one. He retails for a purse-friendly £15, and was worth every penny. It's easily one of the most adorable brooches in my collection.

The platypus needs no introduction; it's one of the most recognisable of all Australian animals, and without a doubt one of the world's most unusual animals. In fact, this duck-billed, beaver-tailed critter is so odd, that the first scientists who examined one thought they were victims of a hoax! Personally, I like to think this little guy and his friends escaped from the magical world and have been hanging out down under ever since. Seriously, don't they look like they belong in Fantastic Beasts?

Kimchi and Coconut have crafted their charming platypus brooch out of the most beautiful mahogany wood-effect layered acrylic. His body is a gorgeous red-brown, streaked with dark brown for that wood-effect, and cut to give his body and tail a fluffy appearance. He's been finished off with a dark grey bill. eye, and feet, and little etched details which only add to his character. This brooch is about the length of my index finger from bill to tail, so he's a good statement piece, neither too big or too small. It's a stunning brooch, and just as adorable as the real living, breathing, duck-billed monotremes that grace Australasia. Obviously, I couldn't resist him, and I'm so glad I decided to buy him.because he's become one of the cutest and most unusual brooches in my collection- always a great combination in my eyes! The platypus brooch is currently still available to buy, and like the quoll, also retails for just £15. Snap him up before he's gone!

Both brooches came presented in their own small rectangular plain cardboard boxes, nestled in colourful tissue paper on a bed of felt, which was a lovely touch, and ideal for storing them safely, or for gifting them to a friend or loved one. 

I'm really impressed with both of the brooches I bought; they're beautiful, well made, and fantastic quality. I'm so pleased with them I know that I'll be going back for other designs in the future.

If you want to see more of what Kimchi and Coconut have to offer, you can view the whole selection of acrylic jewellery available on their website here. I couldn't recommend their brooches more.

Do you own any Kimchi and Coconut jewellery?

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