August

Running out of ideas of what to get up to this summer? Well I have pulled together a few suggestions of what you can do with or without the kids!

Brockwell Lido

Swim…

Forget forest-bathing, feed your soul (and your social life) at Brockwell Lido’s newly announced Lido Lates events this summer. Open-air moonlit swimming, Floats, Boats and Fountains.

If you don’t fancy a swim, you can stick to glamorously lounging on striped sun-beds, sipping cocktails or snacking on the eclectic street food menu devised by acclaimed in-house chef, Lily Ferguson-Mahan, accompanied by a carefully curated soundtrack. Those feeling the chill will find a cosy nook to warm up and chill out in the wood-fired aromatherapy sauna, surrounded by custom made blends of fragrances designed to enhance and stimulate the senses.

Yolkin

Eat…

Beat the heat this summer and instead of a bar crawl - Go on an Ice Cream Crawl – sample some of the kooky, crazy ice creams out there. From ice cream sandwiches using Bao buns to Macaroons and some of the quirkiest flavour including rhubarb/ fig and black sesame. There is sure to be something for everyone!

Keep the kids entertained…

Why do the Summer holidays seem sooo long?! We’ve been getting out and about with the kids exploring parks, going on bike rides, checking out food markets.

There are also some awesome creative workshops for the kids to get involved in. And if your kids are totally obessed with The Greatest Showman then why not let them have a go on a trapeze themselves.

Fistral Beach

Festivals…

We love music, arts , tasty food and delicious drinks. Plus with this amazing weather we're having there is nothing better than being outside. So last but not least here are, our top picks for Summer Festivals in the coming weeks.

8-12th August – Boardmasters

17-18th August – Rize Festival

6th,7th,8th & 9th September - Festival No.6 

Now that the clocks have gone back and it’s a wee bit chilly it’s a great time to think about making your home snug and cosy. Being an antipodean I dread the colder months but I do enjoy hibernating. For me it’s about slowing down, turning the fire on, reading or playing board games, fluffy socks and red wine. Just talking about it makes me want to snuggle up under a blanket.

To make a room feel cosy I like to use soft tactile pieces like velvet sofas or cushions, sheepskin rugs and a great big wooly blanket. Candles are a great way to set the ambience and they create a beautiful warm glow, the more candles the better. Warm accents of shiny brass beautifully reflect flickering candles. Lighting is also key. Turn the main lights off and use lots of different light sources at varying heights; think floor lamps and table lamps of different shapes and sizes. Baskets are also a great way to soften a room and look good with blankets spilling out of them. Get the board games out, place books on tables and turn the TV off. Who else is ready for a cosy night in?

Get the cosy look

Smoked Glass Brass Lamp £175

Tibetan Sheepskin Dip Dyed Rug

Natural White Baskets

Theo Brass Vase

Smoke and Musk EOEL

The White Company

How To Hygge

Designers Guild Sofa

Velvet Cushion, Nude

Make your own magic

Creating the life that you love to live can feel like an elusive dream. It's so easy to get bogged down in the messiness of the daily grind but we all have a choice on how we wish to live.  It can be so easy to blame unhappiness on outside forces; on our parents or our upbringing, on our jobs or life experiences, on losses we've suffered or partners we've had. But here's the thing: You are the only person who can create that magical life you so desire. It starts within you and it's the small daily choices that we make day after day that contributes to the way you feel and live your life. Here are my six steps for creating your own magic in the every day.

1. Make happiness a priority

Do more of what makes you happy and think about how you can bring more joy into your daily life. You're more likely to reach your potential in all areas of your life if you think positively. A simple way to help with this is to write down a list of all the things that make you happy, big or small. I like to break it down by daily, weekly and yearly joys and refer back each week to make sure that I'm doing more of what makes me happy. So on a daily basis it may be taking time out to have a long lunch or taking a bath and reading your fave mag or listening to a positive podcast. A monthly thing may be going to a spa or heading out to the country and living slowly for the weekend. A big holiday each year is always a great way to bring adventure and inspiration to your life and to help recharge those batteries. This may sound counterintuitive but it can also be helpful to write down the things that make you unhappy. By understanding what makes you upset, angry or anxious you're in a better position to avoid situations or fix problems, making positive changes. Recognition is half the battle. The Happiness journal by Kikki.K is a great way to help you prioritise your happiness. We love this journal so much that we've decided to give away a copy to each person who comes to our Shine Bright wellness day. Tickets can be bought here  

2. Give fear the heave ho

Hands up if you ever let fear get in the way of your dreams? For so long I let fear get in the way of my dream of leaving my comfy job and starting my own business. The fear was big, you know the usual what happens if I fail? I will look ridiculous and how will I make it work and juggle being a mum and so on. It all seemed too hard because I was letting the fears manifest in my mind and they became bigger than they actually were in reality. There was a point in my life where I turned fear upside down and worked it in my favour. Very simply the fear of not achieving my dreams was far greater than those other fears of looking like a fool or failing. Sometimes we just have to look at fear in a different way and remind ourselves that the fear of not going after that dream can be greater than the original fear itself. Don't know about you but I don't want to be 60 years old and regretting what I didn't do. I want to look back and think; wow I've lived my life.

Source: Zeutcher

3. Visualise your dreams and aspirations

I'm very much a visual person so for me I like to bring my dreams and aspirations alive through images. If I can see it and be reminded everyday of my dreams I am more likely to make small changes to get to my finally destination. Pinterest is a great way to bring your dreams to life or go the old fashion route and cut out images, photos, quotes and anything that makes your heart sing and stick it on a board. Look at it daily for inspiration and remind yourself what it is you need to do in order to achieve your hearts desires.  

4. Surround yourself with positivity

Surrounding yourself with people who are positive is obvious but sometime this may mean going outside your comfort zone to meet new, like minded people. When I was on my journey to starting my business I found new energy and positiveness by going to networking events or inspirational evenings. I was overwhelmed with the support and positive vibes from complete strangers. I've made some fantastic new friendships with people on similar journeys and I know they will support and lift me up when I'm having a wobble. For me it's not just the people we surround ourselves with. It applies to all aspects of our life- the trashy magazines, gossip columns and mind numbing TV.  It all can be so toxic and negative so instead try reading interesting blogs or listening to positive podcasts or reading good books. To be honest I'm getting nothing from reading about the feud between Kanye and Taylor or pics of celebrities looking less than perfect. Tip out the crap and fill your cup with the good stuff. Here are a few of my favourite alternatives:

Podcast: Ted radio hour : Stuff you should know : Happiness 5 a day

Blog: Decor8 : Abigail Ahern : Danielle Laporte : Local Milk : The Dailys

Magazines: Psychologies : Open House  : Cereal : Kinfolk

5. Look forward - let go of the past

We have all made mistakes in the past and we'll probably make more in the future but thats ok we're human and that's how we grow as a person. It's easy to obsess about the things that didn't work out or the missed opportunities or the mistakes we made. But how about we accept that we can't change the past and instead use that energy to focus on the lessons learnt and how we are going to make tomorrow even better. Today is a new day for opportunities and adventures, yesterday is just old news. 

Source: Zeutcher

6. Disrupt habits

Do you ever feel like each day blends into the other and before you know it another mediocre week has gone by. You yearn for some excitement or something wonderful to happen but it doesn't. Well, it can if you really want it to but the chances are only you can make it happen. Think about what you do each day. What you do when you wake up, how do you get to work, where you eat your lunch, what your evening routine is etc. Without even realising it, your habits make up your day.  If you want positive changes and new energy you need to disrupt your daily habits and make a conscious effort each day to change something. It could be as simple as walking the scenic route to work. You never know who you might bump into! Or doing something completely random like aerial acrobatics or just putting yourself out there to meet new people. Ever travelled on your own? It can be pretty intense but an amazing adventure. I did this in Thailand and met some amazing people and had some incredible experiences that I will cherish for ever. I also had some hairy moments but that's all part of the adventure. I've had life changing things happen to me just by overcoming fear and getting the courage to talk to someone about a potential collaboration. It's often the little things you do that often come back to you ten fold. This year has been such a magical year for me and it's all down to daily habits or changes I have consciously made. I really do believe we make our own magic, so what are you waiting for? Go out and create some magic of your own. 

Comment below and tell me how you make your own magic. Enjoy the rest of your sunday and have a great week x

P.S Don't forget to check out my shop for up coming events as new dates will be added and I'm sure there will be something there to give you a little joy x