Valentines Day : Some Thoughts & Inspiration

How is it February already? This year seems to be flying by, the mornings are growing lighter and we've actually seen blue skies overhead here. 

As we all know, February is the month of love and Valentine's Day is fast approaching. So many people dread this month and just don't buy into the commercialism of it, but treating someone you love will always be ok to me. If not a partner then a friend or a relative; I believe we should always treat the ones we love.

Whether you choose to celebrate Valentine's over a home cooked meal, go out to a restaurant or just meet up with a friend for coffee and a catch-up, time spent with a loved one is never wasted. Throw in the fact that the money spent helps support businesses and jobs and I just don't think you can fault it!

I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite gift ideas...

Handmade Valentine :

I saw the cute idea for '52 Reasons Why I Love You' pop up over Instagram a couple of years ago, and thought I'd give it a go.  It's actually easier than it sounds to write the list, my hubby loved them and it was such a lovely gift to give.  I wrote each reason onto individual cards and then tied them together with some ribbon, but there's loads of other ways you could choose to present them too. If Valentine's Day is about making your partner feel special then this certainly does that!

Keepsake Valentine:  

If you wanted to truly spoil a loved one then beautifully crafted jewellery is always worth investing in. I have a few key pieces that I wear every day and this Daniel Wellington watch had been on my wish list for some time. It's such a classic design, I just love wearing mine. (You can even get 15% off with my discount code '1501michellelouise' until the end of February!)

Calendar by the talented Feling Poh, free to download from her website

Of course, it goes without saying that a fresh bunch of flowers will always be appreciated in my household :) 

Have a wonderful week ahead x

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Chaos & Quiet

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year! Ours was wonderfully chaotic as usual;  I just loved seeing all the family, exchanging presents and catching up, then curling up once everyone had gone to enjoy some quiet time.


This got me thinking about life in general, about how finding a balance between chaos and quiet is so important.  My husband and I own a business, which is also where we live and, as you can imagine, it can be pretty hard to switch off!  A lot of our meals are eaten quickly or on the go, which is why it's so important to make healthy choices and why I love drinking green smoothies so much.

My view on healthy living has become the same philosophy I try to apply to everyday life; that everything should be in balance.  Home, family and work are all key aspects in my life which all need and deserve attention.  Allowing myself a few moments of relaxation a day is important as well.  In the same way, healthy living for me isn't about deprivation, it's about finding the foods that are both exciting and nourishing, as well as allowing myself a treat every now and then.  That way it never feels like a diet, just healthy living, with a 'treat' being exactly that.

More and more I'm reminded to take joy in the little things in life; whether that's escaping to the country, enjoying a nutritional meal, successes at work, spending time with my boys or just a quiet cup of tea without any interruptions.  I need all of these things to keep me balanced and able to appreciate both the chaos and the quiet.

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Thoughts on Creativity

"The mandala serves a conservative purpose, namely to restore a previously existing order.  But it also serves the creative purpose of giving expression and form to something that does not yet exist; something new and unique... The process is that of the ascending spiral, which grows upward while simultaneously returning again and again to the same point."

Marie Louise Von Franz, C. G Jung

Man and His Symbols

Creating a mandala is something I've been thinking of doing for a while now, and it seemed a fitting start to my new blog.

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