Mama Loves... A little bit of change - interiors

Growing up we often moved house, and my sisters and I loved to move the furniture around to make it feel like it was "our" space.  It wasn't long before we looked forward to the next adventure though.

These days, having been in our house for a good few years, the furniture seems to be in the right spots, and when I long for change, I can't just pick up and leave and start afresh like when we were children.  It may sound trite, but making some small changes, like moving around artwork on the walls, or just changing cushions, does brighten things up, and also makes me feel like my life isn't static.  Perhaps it's just the nomad in me that needs to uproot a tiny bit, but not too much.  

Here are a few beautiful cushions to bring some new season looks into your home.  There are so many out there, and I've looked at Furnish.co.uk, Etsy, Made, notonthehighstreet.com to name just a few.

Sediment cushion - the pattern makes me think more of bamboo trees in a batik print style

Someone once told me that peacock feathers are bad luck, but there is something so glamorous and beguiling about them, isn't there Mrs.Peacock?  

Kitsch budgies whispering to each other

I love this zebra print, and the giraffes below

I would love to place this near a window, for daydreaming of sunny beach days

I love the dramatic skylines of cities, they don't even need to say their names

Grown-up and stylish, with more than a hint of Stella Mc Cartney methinks

I love this neon yellow flamingo, I'd put him next to his more staid, traditional sibling here below

And strictly not for the kids' room, how fabulous are these sexy burlesque themed cushions, perfect for a boudoir, thrown across a chaise long, or even on a spare bed! 

Last browsings of the year

With work and life getting in the way, as well as my other main blog which is a working mum's mummy blog, I'm afraid that Mama Likes Pretty Things has been sorely neglected, but that's not to say I don't think about it often....

So, in order to prove that my new resolution to try to post once a week, or at the very least, every other week on each blog, is not a new year's resolution - I don't believe in them, I prefer to do them on my birthday when my year starts - I am going to get a head start today!

Now, chez us needs a bit of a refresh, and short of ripping the back off the whole thing to do major work involving lots of zeroes, which we are just getting our heads around before taking the plunge, I've decided to start small.....

First off, some new cushions - I'm slightly obsessed with Clarissa Hulse fabrics, so picked up a couple of these lovely ones in the House of Fraser sale today for the study:

Then, these beauties for some fun in the living room (to go with, umm, my other Clarissa Hulse cushions from last year! Obsessed? er, moi?):

Right, perhaps we could do with a bit of sprucing ourselves, so before I lose myself in the heady world of homewares, checked out La Petite Madame and drooled over the gorgeous kimonos - vintage finds from Japan, each one a one-off, and sourced by the lovely Emily who has impeccable and unique taste for little ones (would love one of these in my size!):

I also do have to confess to going slightly nuts in John Lewis children's department just before Christmas too, so am trying to be a little more restrained now!

A quick look at Oscar Milo for Mr.G - to be honest, given the name of this blog, there is no point showing pictures of anything, as you actually have to visit the store and feel the products, which are of fantastic quality, and Mr.G will shop nowhere else EVER.  Tony who works there, and Justin who owns the place (the name of the shop comes from his kids), are incredibly nice, patient and stylish guys, however the website does their shop and service no justice at all, and I guess is mainly for people who are used to shopping there so know what quality and design details to expect.

And before I succumb to wasting time flicking through The Outnet's occasion dressing tab (I'm not adding the link, because actually it quite annoys me - nothing ever really fits properly, and this is the word even from inside the hallowed white offices of mother-site, net-a-porter, whose sale is worth a gawp, but keep credit cards well away.  Ideally in another house.), and ASOS's white and black collections, a quick visit to The Kooples is in order - a French brand embodying that edgy, Parisian style - and of course, almost everything is black!  I did fall for these cool gloves though -

Happy new year xx

PS - comments on the site re more pretty things always welcome and oh so motivating!