PERSONAL POSTS: MY PLANTS

I have an Aloe named Kevin; he was my first plant, given to me by my best friend Rebecca on my birthday (for my 30^thI believe). He has almost died twice but changing pots and a spell outside brought him back to life (and made him grow seed pods.) 

My next plant is a small Swiss cheese plant called Cornelius (ironically a name I really struggle to spell.) My boyfriend bought him for me for my birthday after I moved into my house. Cornelius almost died when the hot weather surprised us this year, I repotted him the day before and accidentally left him in the conservatory (otherwise known as the hottest place in the world.) He burnt to a crisp – his leaves were like tissue paper. But as the base of his stem was still green, I didn’t give up. I worked hard to bring him back to life and now he’s around the same size as before the accident. 

Colin is my latest plant. I bought him for myself at Ikea, I’d been looking for one just like him for a while now – a big leaved Swiss cheese plant.  I’ve only had him a short time and luckily (fingers crossed) he’s been healthy, with new leaves appearing all the time. 

Am I the only one who names my plants? How about you, have you named any of your plants?

PERSONAL POST: MY RINGS

I have three rings that I wear everyday. Even during the time I was decorating my house every week and couldn’t wear the rings on my fingers, I would put them on a chain around my neck. I wear them this way so I have them with me always.

My first ring is not worn for sentimental reasons, its just a ring id been looking for for a long time and by chance happened upon it at Brick Lane market. I love Brick Lane and don’t go as often as I once did. It’s a wonderful place and the markets (as there’s more than one) are filled with some beautiful things, crafts, art, vintage items and new original fashion. 

The next ring is one of the most romantic gifts ive ever been given. My boyfriend bought this for me for Christmas one year. Its an item that can be a good conversation starter. Engraved onto the outside and inside of this ring are the lyrics to ‘our song’. Having a song I think is a bit of a dying tradition. I know a few people who have been planning a wedding and I always ask ‘what’s the song for the first dance?’ and ‘do you have a song?’ A lot of people’s wedding songs become their song but not many people have one to begin with. I think Nick and I are in a unique position where we know the very song that was playing when we went from being friends to realizing we were in love with each other. Nothing happened for a long time after that because we were really good friends and it’s a scary step to make but after eight years we’re still together. And the words in the ring? ‘All I ever wanted’ on the outside and ‘All I ever needed’ on the inside from Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence. Wow I still remember that night and that feeling!

The third ring is a ring that I’d wanted for a while. The problem was that it was only available from America. It was from one of my favourite jewellery shops Catbird. I’d put it in my shopping basket so many times and was so close to ordering it but when looking at the postage being almost as much as the ring itself and the chance of it going missing stopped me every time. So when my sister and her fiancé (now husband) said they were going to New York, I asked if they had time if they’d go get it for me. They said yes! When they came back not only did they have the ring but also the story about how they’d got there. They got to the street I’d given for the address not realizing that this was a very very long road and they walked for around three hours to get there. They said it was one of the most interesting walks they’d ever taken, seeing how New York is divided into sections and seeing all the different cultures and people along the way. In a way it was a present to both of us. When they found out my Dad was taking me to New York for my 30^ththey gave me a voucher for Catbird. And although we didn’t have the time to do the walk, we got to see a lot of the things they’d seen on the taxi ride over. This time I got some earrings and a cat ring tray. It was such a thoughtful present and such a lovely day!

Do you have jewellery that you wear every day?

PERSONAL POST: CANDLES

I think candles are very important. Scents are very important, I believe that a great scent can lift your mood and relax someone more than any other sense. Just the thought of the smell of baking bread can put a smile on your face. And my favourite smell in the whole world is seasonal here in England – it’s petrichor – the smell of rain on warm ground. In my eyes there’s nothing better. And every now and then I get a feeling I can smell the aroma of my Nan’s house – it’s a hard fragrance to describe but it’s a mix of powder, dried flowers and furniture polish, smells can take you back to a memory in an instant. I wish you could have candles made with these specific scents but also they’re so hard to pin down. If there’s a petrichor candle I’d love to find it!

Here are my favourite candles at the moment:

True Grace: Library Candle – I bought this candle a long time ago – unfortunately I don’t think they make it anymore. I treated myself to this expensive candle while I was saving up for my house and it went into a box of things to use in my new house. It was like a present to myself so when I finally saved up enough to have my own space, this is what I wanted my new space to smell like. I love books so a candle that smelt like a library seemed perfect. Every time I’d put something new in the box I’d smell this candle, even when not burning it had an amazing scent and soon everything in the box had this smell. The day I moved in I gave the candle a home and burnt it for the first time to relax after the move. I believe a candle with a great scent is one of the best presents you can buy for yourself. It’s almost finished now so I use it sparingly.

Tom Dixon: Eclectic London – this was another expensive candle I gifted myself. Not only is it the same deep and musky scent as the library candle, but it comes in more beautiful packaging, copper vessel with a marble lid that can be used when the candle is finished. This really relaxes me after a stressful day and almost feels like it helps me to breathe deeper. The excellent thing about this and the library candle is that because they are such strong scents you still get a waft of the scent when you walk past days after burning them.

& Other Stories: Kungsholmstorg - & Other Stories have so many differently scented candles on offer. I spent almost 45 minutes choosing my favourite because it was so hard to chose. Most of them are very fresh and fruity or flowery scents, which I’m not as much of a fan of but this one has a depth of scent. As you can tell I’m not the best at describing fragrances but I try! This candle is cheaper than the other two but comes in very modern, stylish packaging with a box, which is great if you’re going to give it as a present. & Other Stories also have a great selection of perfumes; beauty products and I use their great smelling body lotions. 

Do you have a favourite candle? What kind of scents do you like?