Another day another dollar! or more like another day another set of Miss Darcy Teacups!!

No two days are the same running a business and from my limited experience (only been in business 7 months) as a rule there is no consistency with regards product sales, apart from one!  Yes my Miss Darcy Teacups from Bombay Duck just fly off the shelves.  When I first started back in November I stocked just the Miss Darcy Powder Blue Teacups but as demand grew I expanded the range and now stock all four colours; powder blue, rose pink, mint and lavender.  I have also taken on the Blush Pink Teapot, Sugar Bowl and Milk Jug which also prove very popular, but without a doubt the teacups are the winners and as I have put 4 of them together as a set (one of each colour) with of course a reduced price then these sets tend to be a winner.  So as it is a daily occurrence to be posting Miss Darcy Teacups all over the UK I thought it was worthy of a mention and part of my title strap line today.

It is only fair in love and war to thus do a shameless plug and promotion for all things Miss Darcy and the pictures at the bottom of the blogs will contain the links to your shopping heaven.

On with the lighter side (or not so light) side of my blog!  I have commented about running for a beach bod, and my inevitable concerns as an early 40 something as to how to dress these days.  Well, I met another lovely friend yesterday (Thursday) for coffee (yes I can hear you say it another Coffee House) this time in Starbucks in Market Harborough.  After the 2 mint blend teas (me) and I believe there was an Americano followed by a flat white (hope I have got that right) for my friend, and about an hour and a half of chat we took to the shops of Market Harborough for some potential sale shopping.  I for one really need a pair of shorts, I have a great really comfortable pair which I purchased from Monsoon years ago which I think look and feel good but they are worn through in places so really can no longer be classed as a 'smart' pair of shorts.

We headed into a couple of shops but I found myself in Phase 8, not trying on shorts but trying on a lovely chocolate coloured flowy dress which looked fab on the hanger but when I tried it on I looked like a cube, my waist had disappeared.  My waist is probably one of my more positive body attributes so not one which I need to hide as a rule.  We then ambled over to Fat Face where I had previously seen some good looking shorts and a great crochet effect top.  Feeling that this was the look I was after I opted to try the combo on, I played it safe and took two sizes into the changing rooms.  Being bold I tried on the smaller pair of shorts first, big mistake, far from flattering, bulges in places bulges should never exist.  I opted for the larger pair, a size which even on a bad day I get away with and I was still horrified.  Was this my wake-up call, have I had my head in the sand (I wish on a great beach), no this was reality hitting home.  I could no longer kid myself that it was safe to enter the children's chocolate and crisp basket.  I now had to totally ban myself if I was to ever purchase a new pair of shorts.

My lovely friend also felt similarly concerned (although I feel her plight is no where near as bad as mine) and we both vowed there and then that measures were needed and an incentive too.  We have promised that during the last week of the school term which is in only 3 weeks that we will have made in roads in tackling this short fobia issue and will go shopping to MK to buy those holiday shorts.

So to the diet - (my head is saying - I LOVE FOOD, I LOVE FOOD, I REALLY LOVE FOOD and I cannot stand feeling hungry or feeling as if I have to deny myself something) BUT whilst I am fortunate enough to not have suffered any real addictions I do believe I have a chocolate addiction and this I need to tackle.  The problem comes with eating low cocoa solid chocolate bars the sort that you put in your kids lunchbox, they are truly addictive.  I can never just have one, why have single Twix fingers when you know you will want a second, makes no sense.  Well I have been good now for a total of 48 hours (Wow I hear you say), I am having a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a bowl of cereal for lunch and then a good meal in the evening and fruit if I need it.  If I was going to a CA meeting (Chocolholics Anonymous) then I would be able to stand up and declare that I have been 'clean' 'dry' or 'sugar free' for 48 hours and feel proud.

Well the truth will be in the pudding (probably not the best analogy) but in 3 weeks time I will shop for shorts and hopefully that great pair will be waiting for me.

I know this is rather a long ranting blog today but I have received a text from a friend telling me that on ITV This Morning Show today there has been a poll saying women over 39 should retire their bikinis!!  This takes me back to a blog of my last week.  I need to obviously look into this but if you have seen the programme this morning and would like to comment then please do so on this blog.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Oh and here are the Miss Darcy Teacups et al!

Miss Darcy Teacups Individually £13.95 or set of 4  £49.95 from Sanibel Home Interiors (Free Delivery)

Miss Darcy Blush Teapot £27.95 from Sanibel Home Interiors (Free Delivery)

Miss Darcy Blush Milk Jug £11.95 (Free Delivery) from Sanibel Home Interiors

Miss Darcy Sugar Bowl £11.95 (Free Delivery) from Sanibel Home Interiors

Head in the Fog but the show goes on!

I do not know about everyone else but for me the last week has been bad with regards Hay fever.  I knew the children were suffering but I feel my own head, nose and throat have taken on a life of their own.  I know it sounds disgusting but my brain has seriously melted and this is affecting my concentration and desire to want to work especially when my job involves being attached to a keyboard and staring in to a screen most of the day!

The pills you can take for Hay fever are also not working particularly effectively, apart from making my head feel even more foggy I still cannot stop sneezing.  It has crossed my mind (the squishy part) that what I have may in fact be a head cold but I am in denial on that front and believe that I will awake clear and fog free any day!

When I last blogged at the end of last week I made comment about an America site I had come across namely Fabulous After 40 www.fabulousafter40.com.  Well I have now subscribed to their updates and explored the site a little further to see if it can provide me with valuable tips on what to wear and what not to wear.  So far I have determined that I need to buy a new pair of jeans, probably more mid rise than low rise to counter the inevitable overflow!  Also wedges are good, I do have a couple of pairs but a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes.  The websites top 5 fashion mistakes are; 1.  Wearing big, baggy clothes, 2.  Not wearing your wow colours, 3. Dressing like a trendy teenager (this is one I definitely want to avoid, been there done that!) 4.  Dressing too sexy (I have to agree there is a time and a place for sexy dressing and on the school run is not it!) 5.  Having outdated hair and makeup (well I am probably guilty of this one, have not changed my hairstyle in years, like to keep it long so I can always pop it up when I do not have time to style it and of course my make up bag has not been renewed in a decade just the same old bronzer and mascara that gets used every day!).

So with my top 5 things to avoid I am now going to try and tackle them one by one.  May be you will get an update here on how I am getting on or may be if you know me you will notice something different coming soon.

Business for Sanibel Home Interiors has been good, my Miss Darcy Tea Cups from Bombay Duck continue to be a best seller as have my Emma Bridgewater Union Jack Cake Tins and Caddys.  I have just a few left so if you want to get your hands on some patriotic tinware before they all go then check them out now.

On the last business note of the day I am running a small competition on line, if you subscribe to Sanibel Home Interiors Newsletter before 31st August 2012 you are in with a chance of winning a Booth Design Union Jack Chalkboard.  One winner will be drawn after midnight at random.  Sign Up Now!

I will be back!

Emma Bridgewater Union Jack Set of 3 Cake Tins available from Sanibel Home Interiors for  £28.95 (Free Delivery)

Emma Bridgewater Union Jack Caddy - Best Seller from Sanibel Home Interiors  £8.95 (Free Delivery)

Booth Design Union Jack Chalkboard  £24.95 from Sanibel Home Interiors (Free Delivery)  Sign Up to our Newsletter and 1 lucky winner will win one of these.  Competition Ends midnight 31st August 2012 - 1 winner drawn at random.
Enter Competition Now!

Running in the rain to get a great beach body!

Lets not talk business today, that is my motto for this very dreary wet Thursday.

Wet Wet Wet (and I do not mean the band although they are celebrating 25 years together and have a concert in Glasgow next month!) wet was how my run was first thing this morning.  I woke as I am sure most of the UK did to rain.  As part of my 10 week pre holiday plan I knew I needed to get a run in and as I was meeting a friend later in the morning (yes at another Coffee Shop) I thought I would seize the opportunity first thing before the school run.  I donned my trainers and set off for what was in fact whilst wet a rather pleasant jog (do not really go fast enough to legitimately call it a run).  I ran 3 miles and took in part of Overstone Park which is lovely in the rain apart from the rather large muddy puddles and boggy areas.  I sort of knew in my mind that I would a) get wet b) get wet and c) get a little dirty, but, the actual outcome of my morning jaunt was worse.  Some of the muddy/boggy areas through the park were too wide to run around and as I usually make mistakes navigating my way through I did not want to unnecessarily deviate too far off course! The results can be seen below...

  I think some of the cleaner puddles I went through actually did me a bit of a favour and really the pictures do not illustrate the true state that I was in at 7am this morning but the positive thing is that my halo is shining, I can eat today and feel one or may be two steps closer to my ideal beach bod!

Well beach bodies became the topic of conversation between a good friend of mine that I met for coffee this morning at Beckworths Emporium.  We both acknowledged the need to lose a few pounds in readiness for the summer holidays but agreed that we were becoming more and more at a loss with what clothes were appropriate for 40 somethings to wear these days.  Whilst I would like to think I have a six pack (stomach muscles not cans in the fridge!) they are dormant and hidden under a layer of doughy as my daughter would call it!  Should it be a bikini on the beach or a swimming costume?  I would like to know your thoughts?  But it isn't just beach wear that confuses us these days, I feel that being in my early 40's I am at a loss as to what is appropriate to wear.  I do not want to dress frumpish and neither do I want to look as if I am desperate to be 20 again.  Even when I visit some of the really nice Yummy Mummy high street shops I am puzzled as to whether I am in the right place as I find women my mother's age in them looking at clothes and this is really off putting.  So where should I shop? What should I wear?  I know I am not on my own with this dilemma so feed back and thoughts from others who have similar issues would be well received.

I googled 'What should a 40 year old woman wear' and came up with an interesting site (American) giving advice on styles and appearance called Fabulous After 40.  I am going to have a browse and tell you what I think later.

Well I said today was a no business day but in reality working for yourself makes everyday a business day.  Here are a couple of lovely products to make your smile....

Canvas Art - Great British Holidays £29.50 (Free Delivery)

Personalised Canvas Print - Great For Christening or New Baby Gift  £15.95 (Free Delivery)

Yes do buy those shoes, life is too short! £14.95 (Free Delivery)

This about sums up my home at the moment! Great Sign £14.95 (Free Delivery)

Time to get on, enjoy the rest of your day X

Beans Coffee Shop & Craft and Folk Trend for Interiors

The day started promising but has slowly deteriorated and where I am the sun has gone I believe for the rest of the day.  I on the other hand feel quite bright having visited a lovely Coffee House in Higham Ferrers called Beans.  This coffee house is one of 7 belonging to Beans Coffee Shop Limited and is located in a lovely old building on College Street, Higham Ferrers.  I had my usual Mint Tea (not a big coffee drinker) but they do a great range of coffees, soft drinks and also I can confess to trying one of their Iced Slushy Drinks, very sweet but very nice!  The great thing about Beans is that you can get Free Wifi which for me is a must if I am out and about, I like to keep an eye on the business and emails and make sure I can respond to product queries quickly.

Now I am back in the office aka my study! the proper work starts.  I have been exploring some of the key Home Interior Accessory Trends for 2012 and came across an article on the Channel 4 Website detailing 8 Interior Design Trends for 2012.  The one which caught my eye was the Craft and Folk Trend where good quality, traditional, handmade crafts have made a giant comeback, and thus anything handmade (even if it is shop bought) will give your home the edge.  They were recommending you look out for crocheted items, patchwork and embroidered products.  Welll...  I have a couple of lovely cushions which I believe are right on trend and will give your home and more importantly your sofa that all important handmade / handcrafted look.

The Cushions are from Sass and Belle but are available at Sanibel Home Interiors at great prices with free delivery!

Sass & Belle Owl Cushion Brown Owl  £16.95

Sass & Belle Crocheted Cushion £15.95

Sass & Belle Owl Cushion Priscilla Owl £16.95

New Day New Dawn, or in reality as I write this blog it is nearly a New Sunset.  This is hopefully the first of many blogs from Sanibel Home Interiors and I hope to be able to bring you some up to minute news relating to trends relating to Home Interiors, Product Offers and may be some quirky anecdotes from my day or week!


Last week was not so productive due to a small date I had with The Queen at Burghley House last Wednesday the 13th June.  Well that may be over stating the invitation but my better half was invited to the Picnic at Burghley House and of course who better to accompany him than I.  I had the usual 11th Hour discussion along the lines of "What am I going to wear" "I have nothing suitable in my wardrobe" only to be told that I had and that I needed to stop the drama!  A good friend of mine had suggested that a shopping trip was required but unfortunately in these times of recession that suggestion fell on deaf ears!  Anyway an outfit was created and for at least 3 hours that day the sun semi-shone over Lincolnshire and a good time was had by all. My attempt at photographing The Queen with my phone failed, I managed to take a nice photo of the rear of her Range Rover and the helicopter she arrived in is a mere pin prick on the lens!  It is fair to say that I will not be changing careers to become a photographer any time soon!

My attempt at photographing The Queen!!

A fine day was had by all at Burghley House

This week whilst we are only just on Tuesday has been soooo busy.  I have been uploading some fabulous new products all Handmade in the UK from a fine gent called Andy Driscoll who is based in Warwickshire.  Andy creates beautiful Solid English Oak Wall Clocks, Driftwood Art and Chalkboards.  My website has changed quite a lot over the past couple of weeks with new categories and products being added and hopefully all you peeps will find it easier to navigate around and find what you are looking for.

Driftwood Mirror £70

Chalkboard £42.50

                                               

Oak Heart Clock £45.00