Well just like that, we’re at the end of January! Does Christmas seem like it was a million years ago to you too? Well, it was my birthday yesterday (well in a couple days as I’m writing this so it feels weird talking about it in past tense!) and we’re off to London for a few days. Aside from a gorgeous award, when I won the Blogger’s Choice at the Amaras (still surreal), I also won a night’s stay at the fabulous Ham Yard Hotel in Soho which was one of the amazing sponsors of the event and where it was held.

I received not just a night’s stay at the gloriously designed Kit Kemp hotel but also a 3-course dinner along with a bottle of wine as well as breakfast the following morning! I’m going to be so spoiled -eek! So Wayne and I are heading down on the train to London for my birthday and the hotel on Thursday and then on Friday, we’re going to have a little look around the city, head to the Lego Store (him) and Diptyque and Anthropologie (me) and hit up a few galleries as well (us). It should be a really fun day out exploring. Then, that evening, we’re off to meet up with some friends for dinner and drinks before heading back on Saturday morning. I’m so looking forward to our little break!

I know January is always a little bit grim but as it’s my birthday month, I always have at least something to look forward to! Plus, February seems to be the time when the fog of winter (literally and figuratively) begins to lift – the days start getting longer and the sun shows itself just a bit more. It’s enough to keep me going until Spring. Taking photos over the last couple of months has been so so difficult (it seems to be a running theme with the bloggers I know as well) because of the low light levels so the brightening of the skies means I can share more of my home and projects with you too which you know I love to do.

So some exciting news! My bathroom was featured in the last issue of Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom along with a few other bloggers as well. I wasn’t able to pick up a copy on time (it was around Christmas and things were so crazy that I totally forgot until a couple days after the new issue came out #totalfail) but Emily graciously sent me a PDF copy of the article so I had it for my records. I still find it crazy to see my home in a print magazine, even after all these years.

I was also thrilled to see my kitchen featured over on The Kitchn which is by the same people who bring us Apartment Therapy. It’s a nice little write up about hanging your cups! And I promise, ours are NEVER dusty as we use them constantly!

I did also want to say thank you to the following sites who featured me in some way this month!

• Over on Monica Wants It, there’s an incredible round up of blogger homes under 1600 square feet so for those of you living in smaller homes, this is a goldmine of inspiration! For those wondering, ours comes in at a measley 1000sq feet proving that size isn’t everything! ;)
• On Rustoleum’s Make It Yours, a bunch of bloggers shared their tips on styling your instagram photos like a pro (including me!). Lots of great varied tips in there if you want to improve your instagram game!
• I was pleased as punch to have been featured over on a Polish blog (!!) called Kurcham Urzadzanie (please don’t ask me how to pronounce that) where she shared my ‘eclectic boho glam’ style. Thank goodness for Google Translate, that’s all I can say! It’s a lovely post!
• I was also named one of Amino’s favourite interior design bloggers – aww! Cheers guys.
• Over on Mad About the House, Kate interviewed a whole bunch of bloggers and designers to get their take on what the hottest new trends were going to be for 2017. Do check that out if you’re curious as to what we said!
• Interior Blog Awards did a whopping great big post on 35 Actionable Blog Growth Tactics with loads of great information and I was delighted that I was used as an example in a few of their recommendations!
• And finally, over on Jest Cafe, I was so excited that Mila decided to follow my advice on finding your style using Pinterest and discovered her three buzz words! Hurrah! Go check that out and see how she did on her journey of discovery!

As per usual, I’ve been chatting about interiors for various websites over the past month and so I’m rounding them up to make it easy for you to have a look when you get some time this weekend and fancy a bit of light reading! Of course, I wouldn’t expect anyone to read ALL of these but if something catches your eye, then I’d love for you to have a little look. Each link opens in a new window so you can just click the ones you like the look of and go back to it later!

Organise

How to Style a Home Office (My Two Designers)

How to Organise Your Bathroom (Tile Mountain)

6 Tips for a More Organised Home Office (Avant Homes)

How to Clean Your Kitchen in 30 Minutes or Less (Tile Mountain)

How to Declutter Your Home Office (AO Life)

Refresh

How to Refresh Your Home in the New Year (Oak Furnitureland)

How to Beat the January Blues (Oak Furnitureland)

How to Breathe New Life into Your Home (Tile Mountain)

2017 Trends

The 2017 Trends You’ll Want for Your Home (UK Edition – Oak Furnitureland)

The 2017 Trend You Need for Your Home Now (US edition – Oak Furnitureland)

Tile Trends You’ll Love in 2017 (Tile Mountain)

Advice

How to Get the Eclectic Boho Glam Look (guest post on Woodpecker Flooring)

How to Buy A Bed (Oak Furnitureland)

So that’s my round up of the month! Clearly I’ve been a busy bee for the last few weeks since the break over Christmas and I’m looking forward to a busy few weeks ahead too! I’m going to try my best to squeeze in a post on Monday but as it’s my birthday, please don’t be mad at me if I fail miserably ;)

What do you have planned for your weekend? Do tell!

Image sources: My own except Refresh image via  Adore Magazine / Coco Republic / Trends image via Classicon