Refresh Your Room with Laura Ashley

Now Spring and it's beautiful weather has finally arrived I've been able to put away last season's bed throws and blankets and lighten the bedroom up.  It's usually this time of year when you realise what home improvements still need doing, and I definitely know that the bedroom isn't anywhere near the boudoir I'm aiming it to be.  It's not helped that we weren't planning on living in this house for long and yet two years on, here we still are!  Two years on and I still have the style imperfections niggling me.

The Refresh Your Home competition run by blogger Tales of Annie Bean in conjunction with timeless lifestyle and interiors brand, Laura Ashley, has come at an appropriate time.  The task of picking elements of a room in need of a spring jujj up is a no brainer to me, simply because I'm aware of it everyday!  To win the £1000 gift card prize would most certainly help me acquire the country chic look that I'm trying to inject into our bedroom.

As you can see from this photo of our bedroom, there is much work to be done.  My biggest bane of the room is my desk cum dressing table as it's no longer functional.  In fact, it's going to the tip soon and I'll have nothing to replace it with.  It's decrepit and beyond repair, and even more crucially is a hideous eye sore!  The curtains and curtain pole also needs replacing as does the terribly uninspiring light pendant and lamps.  So, without further ado, this is my mood board, my inspiration and if you will, wish list, of gorgeous girly pieces I'm just itching to put into place in my boudoir.

This is a selection of some of my favourite Laura Ashley pieces that would perfect my ideal bedroom style.  The ditsy floral backdrop is a Laura Ashley print called Abbeville Pink that I'd firstly get made into curtains!

1. Dahlia Dressing Table Set
2. Pink Gingham Lamp & Shade
3. Large White Resin Poppy
4. Primrose Chandelier
5. Set of 3 White Lit Birds
6. Couture Rose Cotton Bedlinen

The Dahlia Dressing Table is simple and sleek with a touch of feminine curve.  My desk is really not worthy of being called a dressing table and this update alone would be a marked improvement in the room.

The Couture Rose Bedlinen is beautiful and vibrant without being brash, and makes a stunning colourful focal point amongst the white furniture.

The absolutely stunning Primrose Chandelier with it's abundance of flowers would look so pretty hanging above the bed.  My current incredibly mundane paper shade would be blown out of the water.  I don't think I've seen anything quite as opulent and girly.

I think we can all probably agree that these beautiful pieces would instantly transform my bedroom into the feminine boudoir it longs to be.

Fancy entering this amazing competition yourself?  Then head right over to the blog of Tales of Annie Bean.

Becky x

Read More

Lingerie & Stockings Shoot

Occasionally photographers ask if I can shoot from home.  It's a fairly common practice for stock photography shoots or portfolio work.  It also saves on costs for studio rental and some times a real home can look more 3D compared to a fake set.  I quite like modelling in my own home too because I have everything I need where I know where it is and it's much easier in that respect.

I recently worked with a photographer called Kevin who wanted some images of a boudoir setting incorporating feminine dresses and stockings.  I'm quite a fan of stockings and hold ups and always relish the chance to 'do boudoir' so it was a brilliant chance to work on some more unique poses and angles.

So the order of the day involved a gorgeous frilly pink Lipsy dress (which I only wore once before for a wedding) and added a dazzling purple Gossard bra and knicker set paired with a suspender belt and cream lace top stockings.  Usually I'm either in fashion/bridal clothing or lingerie so it was quite a cheeky bit of fun working the saucy boudoir woman look.

Would you believe the sun was actually shining that day.  (To say I'm fed up with this dismal and wet weather is an understatement).  It was such a laugh too since there were tractors to-ing and fro-ing between nearby fields and a big country Hall that's just yards from our house.  I was more aware of farmhands getting a look and risking crashing the tractor so I had to be quick between shots!

For another look I changed into another full Gossard set, this time in vibrant red, and I wore a pair of natural stockings and a cute little floral dress.  I wanted to be slightly pin up but not overly so, so a little hip, tip toes and sneaky look, I went for a more sultry provocative pose.

A bit of a girly shabby chic look for this with one of my favourite bedspreads, with me wearing the purple set I had underneath the pink dress.

I do like these pictures but I think personally I prefer me smiling in photos!  A cheeky look is also fun to do, and something I've mastered since I was a naughty little girl, the one who pulled Little Miss Sunshine off my slippers, a piece of my boisterous history my Mum likes to remind me of :-D

Talking of me as a little 'un, I think this must have been a sign of what was to come, or rather, my first foray into bearing my flesh.  LOL!

Becky x

Read More

My DIY Boudoir Chair Project

I love the shabby chic vintage look with its soft whites and pastel colours, it can look very cosy and welcoming when partnered with pretty accessories and floral patterns.  I'm updating our bedroom to eventually be the theme I'm aspiring to which in turn will provide the perfect feminine boudoir for any home based shoots that I do.

Earlier this week I won an auction on ebay for a rickety old wooden chair which I ended up winning for a bargain 99p!  Some people may have overlooked the chair because of it's sad and abused state but I saw the potential in that it's a fabulous solid wood piece of furniture and I was keen to set about refurbishing it.  I've never done anything like this before (I'm more of a cross stitcher or card maker) so I was also keen to prove to myself I can be DIY handy too!

The chair in its original state

The chair's initial condition was heavily used and dated with it's varnished appearance.  To get the chair back down to a blank canvas, safety specs in position, I sanded down every inch to remove the varnish and give a good surface to paint.  It took a little effort doing this but was imperative to do the job effectively.

The first coat of paint

I decided I wanted to paint the chair white and opted for a satin finish which would have a glossy sheen to a degree without being too shiny.  The paint was a one coat gloss but I found I needed to paint the chair fully with three separate coats, allowing to dry in between each coat.  I made a point of painting in the afternoon so I could fully open the window for circulation of fresh air.  Whilst I was painting I had Wimbledon on the tv.  My other half pointed out that Katherine Jenkins was watching the tennis match and me being a fan of hers, quickly moved on my floor protection of newspapers and sent my mug of coffee flying all over the carpet.  I never was much of a multi tasker.  :-P

Today my chair is finally finished!  For a finishing touch I added a floral button padded cushion which I secured to the back section of the chair.  I love the end result and it sits with pride of place in the bedroom.

My finished chair

Have you taken on any home projects of your own?  Or have you been inspired having seen something on tv or in magazines?  If I can do it, I bet you can too!

Becky x

Read More

Boudoir Buys

I'm a true boudoir girl.  Not only do I love modelling the boudoir genre and have a passion for gorgeous lingerie, I adore all things beautiful to prettify the bedroom.  The current trend for vintage inspired looks combined with shabby chic French and country themes makes acquiring the boudoir look really easy.  

I enjoy shopping for quirky and feminine things, with so many goodies on my wish list!

Here's some of my current lust lovelies:

'I am Fabulous' Glass Door Hanging Sign
£6, Boux Avenue

Enchanted Bird Coathanger
£10.95, Dotcomgiftshop.com

Large Round Mirrored Jewellery Box
£38, Laura Ashley

Rose Water Skin Freshener
£6.95, Rose and Co

Lace Wedding Purse
£22.99, Through The Cottage Door

So many gorgeously beautiful pieces that will add a touch of femininity to any boudoir!

Becky x

Read More