we heart this totally AMAZING cake.. x

I just had to share this YouTube clip which I came across on my latest blog crush sterlingstyle

it's my 30th later this year- I want this cake (in a bratty stamp-my-feet kinda way...) so let's hope James reads this! x x

Congratulations William & Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge! x

congratulations William & Catherine!

the moment the whole world sighed with happiness!

kiss photo from abreakingnews.com

what a completely glorious day for London! as expected I watched the service from Hyde Park amongst 200,000 revellers and it really was an amazing atmosphere!

of course the dress was the main focus of the day and Kate didn't disappoint us did she?!

if you haven't already heard, Kate flew the flag for British fashion by wearing Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. she looked totally regal and composed, completely be-fitting of a new princess.

photo from mirror.co.uk
Pippa, as head bridesmaid, almost (very nearly..) outdid the bride herself in a cowl neck long white gown also by Burton for McQueen. I have a feeling that this gown (copies of) will be making many an appearance at weddings across the globe. it really was just gorgeous.
the younger bridesmaids aren't really my thing, but they were cute...
photo from mirror.co.uk
William looked dashing in his scarlet uniform which, as honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards, was a fitting tribute to his title. He also incorporated his Royal Air Force wings and Golden Jubilee medal.

photo by chris williams

no doubt you will have seen an enormous amount of coverage over the past 24 hours so I won't bore you with the who-was-theres and what-they-were-wearings

so I'll just share my favourite guest outfit of the day- the Beckhams!
how on earth did she keep that pillbox hat on her head?!! maybe it was glued in place?

photo by getty images
I did hear that David made a slight faux pas- he wore his OBE on the wrong side..
fyi for anyone who happens to have one- wear it on the left! x

Just to top the day off, Kate re-emerged from Clarence House this evening ready to party at the palace in yet another Sarah Burton dress...
photo from news.sky.com
and yet again, Pippa almost upstages her sister and gets my 'best dressed' award for her party gown in emerald green. I love this colour (clearly, considering my own wedding dress was in this shade!), and I like that she's letting her hair down a bit with the plunging neck line ready to dance the night away!
photo from mirror.co.uk

my own photos from the crowds at hyde park and the big screens:

inspired.. royal wedding route. x

1 day to go!!!

where will you be on the big day- are you celebrating?

I'm hoping to make my way to Hyde Park where the event will be screened live!

if you're brave enough to head for the capital, make sure you know where you're heading so you don't miss out on spotting the couple!

this gorgeous illustration shows the route the procession will take from Westminster back to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony

watercolour by The House That Lars built, on Etsy

I can't imagine that any part of this route won't be completely mobbed- I'm still debating whether I'm crazy attempting to get even that close!

Happy wedding day everyone! x

inspired.. souvenirs. x

2 days to go before the big day!

I'm sure you will have had your fair share of (junk) emails over the past few weeks offering up the best... err souvenirs (?) on offer to celebrate the royal nuptials. so to hop on board, here are some of my favourites!

you could kit your kitchen out.

should you so wish...

snap them up before friday
(or perhaps get 50% off after...)

emma bridgewater

mug £34.95, plate £29.95, teapot £39.95

available at emmabridgewater.co.uk

canvas tote bag, £85, Simeon Farrar at Libertys

in true m&s fashion, the british brand has some yummy treats.

I quite like m&s biscuit boxes- practical for keepsakes!

Rob Ryan's beautiful paper cutting artworks have spawned a thousand copycat immitations, and of course a wedding is just the perfect occasion for this sort of graphic- see the above m&s turquoise tin above for example..

... and the others below:

commemorative mug, £10.50, Liberty

paper cutting print by glynwestdesign, £25 on etsy

to wear (wave in the air) on Friday, Boden has this souvenir scarf up for grabs:

flag scarf £39, Boden

and there's a whole of host of rather.. ermmm.. 'unusual' products out there too.
taste might be slightly questional, but it's all in the name of patriotic fun! royal character teabags, £4.95, Liberty

cafetiere coffee cosy by cosyupuk £10 on etsy

but I think that these are my favourite:

knit-your-own-royals

knitted royal characters by jacks knits, $30 on etsy

happy easter sunday! we heart an extra long weekend! x

what has everyone been up to this weekend?

today Mr A and I went for a stroll in the forest of dean and found all the gorgeous bluebells in full bloom. I love this shade of blue...

I thought I'd share some of my photos:

happy easter everyone! x

inspired... high street suggestion- bridesmaids. x

I do love my peachy vintage nude colours so when I found this gorgeous maxi gown at Mango, I had to suggest it as a bridesmaid high street suggestion.

surprisingly it's silk (!) and at £229 it's not exactly cheap but it's definitely a dress that your girls could 'wear again'

(we've heard that one before- how many of us have actually worn a bridesmaids dress again??)

on my travels I also stumbled (... um right..!) into Kurt Geiger

and found these lovely things:

Kurt Geiger £180

they're not my usual taste, but I really loved them!

please excuse the awful iphone pic- they're looking very orange but are actually more coral in reality..

available online here.

I kind of think that these would be amazing for bridemaids with a plain dress!

and there are similar for the bride too:

Kurt Geiger £160

what I do like about them is that the floral trim on both styles is removable and on elastic so the flowers could be positioned in multiple ways including using them as a wrist corsage? I really do love these...

Kurt Geiger available across the UK and online here.

inspired London... the capital's gearing up for the big day! x

so apparently there's a wedding happening?!!...

the capital is certainly gearing up to celebrate- the flags are out and everyone has made an effort to wish William and Kate the best of luck!

the countdown is on and it's actually super cute how buzzy it's making the city!

I'm really excited for next friday to come along- I think I may try watching it in hyde park on one of the large screens (dependant on weather of course..)

what are everyone else's plans?

is anyone actually having a street party?

admiralty arch

regent street

above yummy cupcakes @ peyton & burne

and of course the grande dame of London stores, Liberty, has the best window display of the lot!

isn't it gorgeous?

typically British and Liberty-quirky (as you'd expect)

I'd love to see William and Kate zoom off across the mall towards their honeymoon in this retro little mini, tin cans clattering along behind..!!! - can you just imagine?! no, me neither...!

and some other store windows I spotted around:

I can't believe I'm saying this but... wow, TK Maxx!?!

ok, i'm fairly shocked at myself here but....

has anyone been into TK Maxx lately?....

their new adverts are definitely a big improvement on where they've been before

(I like the one with Sophia their buyer- above- very stylish lady!)

but they're actually putting their money where their mouths are!

I can't quite believe the quality of labels that are currently being stocked under

the 'Gold Label' section!

on recent visits I've actually found labels such as Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, DVF, Costme National, Marni, Giambattista Valli, Chloe, and O.M.G. LANVIN!!! no joke...

BUT I did check on their website, and the Gold Label designers are not stocked in every store- only a selection.. click here to check if your closest store is one of these.

In a funny way, as amazing as this does seem (and the affordable access to these gorgeous gowns IS amazing), I kind of feel awful for these clothes. They're just so beautiful, and in being treated in such a dismissive way(half hanging off the racks, dragging across the dirty floors), the clothes loose a bit of appeal for me. I don't know if anyone else feels like this? Some sort of separate sectioned-off area within the stores for the Gold Labels clothing would help...

my local store is Kew, and my latest finds include this Alberta Ferretti gown:

Alberta Ferretti, £399 (was £1930)!!!

..this Alberta Ferretti number I was considering as an alternative to my own wedding dress!! I'm gutted that this wasn't in TK Maxx a year ago- I could have had three dresses!

Alberta Ferretti, £499 (was £2670)

...and these Costume National dresses are all perfect for any summer weddings you've got coming up!

Costume National, £269, £229, £229 (all previously over £600)

But, as I said before, I'm not sure how I feel about such gorgeous labels being stocked there. Obviously you'll still have to put up with the changing rooms which are still as grim as ever, the racks which are still far too full to see anything properly and the staff who are beyond useless. I'm not kidding- I asked to try on a dress and was told I couldn't even though it was 45 minutes before the store was due to close just because they didn't want to staff the changing rooms! needless to say, I did not buy said dress...

If I did have any weddings or summer parties coming up, I do think TK Maxx would be high on my shopping list and I never thought I'd hear myself say that! x x x

we heart a good book suggestion! x

a few weeks ago the lovely Helena of

A Diary of Lovely

blogged about her latest book purchase

DECORATE by Holly Becker & Joanna Copestick

and I couldn't wait to get it!

it's a great book so I thought I'd share a few of my own favourite images:

tolix chairs- my favourite!

I love the blue hydrangeas against the minimal elegance of this room- so chic and achievable.

I actually have this palm leaf Cole & Son wallpaper in the black and gold version in my cloakroom!

Jonathan Adler's home is one of the spaces featured in the book and although his crazy bright home isn't really my taste (I definitely couldn't live in it!) I do like his pottery very much. It's always interesting to see how other creatives live in their home space. I've been eyeing up Adler's character mugs and vases of a while now- they'd go very well in my sitting room.. hint hint James,... x

and I really liked the above quote inside the book cover!

I found Decorate in Anthropologie and Libertys but it's available on Amazon here. (slightly cheaper)

but... I was a bit naughty and ordered a second book:

if it's even possible, I think I love Creative Walls even more than Decorate!

Just absolutely beautiful photographs...

order from Amazon here.

what I liked about both of these books is that actually the styles in there aren't pretentious or overly contrived, just real homes but incredibly stylish from incredibly stylish people!

please order! x