IT'S A GIRL !!

After much deliberating I have decided to re-ignite my blog fire and kick off this new chapter with a very exciting new post! If you hadn't already guessed, no I have not been overindulging on the cream cakes over the new year (well, technically I have, but I have a good reason!), I am PREGNANT!

I thought I would give you a quick glimpse into what has been going on over the past few months without boring you all to death with too many details (maybe another blog post on that later?!) The above photos were taken when I was 17 weeks pregnant and had just found out that we're having a baby girl! Honestly, I was so convinced we was having a boy that it has taken a very long time for this news to sink in, but we are both absolutely over the moon and cannot be more excited after celebrating with all our close family and friends.

Some weeks have ticked by, and very fast might I add, which is why I am sitting here tonight looking back at these photos taken nearly 10 weeks ago!! and I cannot quite believe how it has flown. I will be slowly adding content to my blog as the weeks progress and I enter the third trimester, knowing that I will soon be preoccupied with a little bundle of joy has given me a big push to start documenting this special time and I hope that you all enjoy the journey with me.

I'm in looove with the french styled, rustic shabby chic look these days, and I can't wait to reflect that in our new home. Over the past few weeks we have been to so many places, including reclaim centres and antiques fayres in order to capture some inspiration for our ideal home. The trouble is, there is such a great deal of different styles out there right now that range from 'Country' to 'Modern' to 'Classic' that it all gets kind of confusing when you love it all!
So is it really achievable to put a hint of 'Modern' with a clash of 'Country'? I guess we will find out!

Some of our favourite purchases so far include a reclaimed country style farmhouse dining table, which has been hand painted and is a whopping 7ft long! I can't wait to dress this with some french style wingback dining chairs for ultimate comfort.

We also sourced a huge bargain via ebay (secret weapon to affordable furnishings), with a grey cast iron multifuel log burner, which was a steal at £179!

I love finding cheap cheats for decorating spaces, as I feel like a lot of companies can con you into buying the exact replica of things for thousands of pounds, but by doing a bit of simple online research we always manage to bag ourselves a deal. I guess all this home refurb practise finally has some perks :)

All I need now are some delicious recipes to some home cooked favourite meals, and a whole bunch of guests to fill up our table space! If you have any recipes that you would like to share, drop me a comment below :) I love to try out new dishes, and will definitely be upgrading my cookbooks very soon.

-XO

As our house refurbishment slowly progresses, I have come to the conclusion that the kitchen will be the hub of the building for me. I have always been a keen cook and I have craved a place where I can cook and entertain in our own home. Fortunately for me, we managed to create this big open plan space which will compromise of kitchen/dining/living area at the back of the property and I have a few ideas on how a kitchen should work.

Firstly, our old kitchen only had about 4 cupboards as it was a tiny space which we managed with (just), so the most important thing for me was to create as much storage space as possible, allowing a minimal look with everything put away neatly (yeah right, try telling the hubby that!).

Secondly, I wanted a kitchen island. Yes, I know, this is very cliche and everyone is doing it these days, but I made damn sure that I was getting an island in there somewhere, even if it was a teeny tiny one! I think I'm looking forward to this part the most, especially as we get to store a wine chiller in the centre of it which makes me feel a bit more like a fully fledged adult :)

Thirdly, White. White, white and more white. The whole idea that a white kitchen can look really clinical and hospital-esque will be ignored by adding touches of grey throughout the whole area. I love the shaker style kitchens but I think it's great to mix up old and new styles, so I have tried to make it look more modern by adding in ceiling pendants and mod-cons such as a Range cooker and american style fridge freezer. All these little extras will hopefully make the space look warmer, without just having a harsh line of everything typically white and dull looking.

I will post progress photo's of the kitchen once we have the fitting scheduled so that my imagination can be unleashed on you all, and hopefully you can see what I mean. I adore all the photo's above of various kitchens and hope to replicate a similar style with ours. Let's just hope I can keep it clean and sparkly (Cleaner may be required!).

-XO

girl meets blog

hi everyone :)

I would like to start this blog off with a little about me and the reason for this piece of creativeness. Firstly, I have wanted to do a blog for a long time now but have never really set my heart to commit as I have so much going on in my life at all times, and I tend to get a little lazy in the mist of things, so to see this start to come together is a really big deal for me!

The purpose of this blog is to start documenting my crazy little life, and hopefully provide some form of entertainment. I believe that the internet is a great way in sharing advice and stories, and if I can be of help to just one person then I'm happy with that.

So the basics in a nutshell; I'm Leanne Marling, twenty-five years old, born and bred in Essex, married to the absolute dream that is my husband, John. Proud mummy to my pet poodle Dolly (yes, she is my baby!), and you can expect to see plenty of new posts coming shortly. Stay tuned!

-XO