A mountain hideaway…

January meets it’s demise today. In celebration I want to take a little imaginary trip to the glorious breathtaking beauty of the Caucasus. I figured why not stay in the 5 star Rooms Hotel in Stepantsminda, Georgia? I think it’s fairly obvious what I like about the hotel – abundant natural light, all that natural timber, a warm and neutral colour palette and more books that your average library - but it’s the area that I found truly fascinating. Ever thought of planning a trip to Georgia? No? Me neither! Stepantsminda, known formerly as Kazbegi, was named after the famous local noble pastoral poet, Alexander Kazbegi, who lived here as a shepherd and wrote famous poems celebrating the beauty and richness of the mountains. The area also well loved by mountain climbers and is world renowned for its vast variety of wild flowers.

Sound good? I think Georgia has firmly made it’s way on to my travelling radar!

check out that view!

All images © Irakli Bluishvili

Biding my time…

January has dragged and dragged and dragged. I hate to wish away time but January can seriously kiss my ass. Between the weather, the lack of funds and the perpetual darkness it’s been brutal. I have taken to checking my bank account periodically throughout the day - no doubt my subconscious is hoping it will magically fill itself with the good zeros. I’ve got big plans for February, the first of which will be some retail therapy. I’ve already done some browsing (duh) and Not on the High Street was my first virtual stop. I can always find something(s) I like there. Here are my top choices.

1. pastel measuring cups; 2. personalised house sketch; 3. lamb wool blanket; 4. zinc tray;  5. old-fashioned scissors 6. lighthouse candle; 7. alphabet candles; 8. ceramic egg cups

My Fair London – The V&A

If you have been to London before and have not visited the V&A Museum, then I suggest you get your behind back here pronto and rectify that. I’ll be the first to admit that museums aren’t at the top of my list when visiting new cities but I think the V&A could quite possibly be the exception to this. It’s absolutely massive so you never feel jostled or cramped, the variety of exhibits is astounding and the building is so beautiful that it is worth the visit alone (another bonus is that it is perfect for a rainy day out). The V&A tends to favour the more creative side, with textiles, ceramics, art and my personal favourite, fashion. You will never see it all so be strategic about your visit. There are also plenty of nooks and crannies to sit down and enjoy a bite eat or rest your weary feet.  We brought our own packed lunch but were kicking ourselves for not enjoying the food at the beautiful cafe.

All images via Wishful Thinking

Monday snoop – organised chaos

This weekend saw the skies clear up and the sun come out. Like every other Londoner, we found ourselves being lured outside by this big blazing ball of flame. Dazed and confused we wandered the streets, blinking into the brightness, tilting our faces to the sky and basking like lizards. Of course, it was short lived and we are back to rain for the foreseeable future. On the plus side, the perpetual rain means I might start my spring cleaning early this weekend. I have a whole lot of eclectic clutter that I keep out to resemble “organised chaos” (much like this home I am posting today) but I can no longer call anything in my house organised. I’m taking inspiration for the house below, particularly the kitchen, to get some military precision organisation back into my home.

How about you? Have you started your “spring” cleaning yet?

Images via

Colour me red

My experience with lipstick is pretty much limited to childhood memories of smearing my mom’s lipstick all over my face and the elderly dog, appropriately named Scratch. As an adult, I have tried different colours and different types but no matter how carefully I apply it, I still ended up looking… a little bit deranged (like a crazed stranger is staring at me in the mirror). Much to my disappointment, it just doesn’t suit me. That’s why I can’t help but admire women who look like they were born to wear red lipstick (and look perfectly sane whilst doing it).

What about you? Can you pull off red lips?

The snow that came and went…

It seems I missed quite a bit while being incapacitated by the dreaded lurgy. It snowed and London was turned into a winter wonderland, Kim Kardashian is pregnant (ok, this isn’t news but I only found out recently) and foxes now have a taste for Ugg boots. No jokes.

Thanks for all the well wishes, I am feeling much better and am slowly catching up with the madness that is living in London. On Saturday, from my sick bed of course, I sent Jordan out with strict instructions to take some ‘bloggy’ pictures of the snow. “You do know what I mean by bloggy right?” I asked him, his response was to roll his eyes dramatically and tut at me. So without further ado, here are his bloggy snow pictures.

All images via [Jordan] Wishful Thinking