Love to shop: Anthropologie

This is a little post as I miss writing for my blog but I can't quite decide the direction I want it to go in. I want to more lifestyle and travel but include some fashion etc without it becoming too much of a mish-mash but until I work out what I'm doing, I can tell you about my new love! Anthropologie!

Now most of you would have heard of it and even been shopping there before but I never have! I know, shame on me, but I have found this little treasure now and all I can say is that my bank balance is never going to be healthy again. I need everything in here, including the hanging chair they have in the Chelsea store.

Like, who wouldn't want a carved book of their initials? It would be pretty cool to have a whole word made out of these. Like the modern versions you see but more rustic which would look awesome in a modern setting with white walls and some simple candles.

Here are what Anthropologie are famous for in the blogging world and I can see why. They are gorgeous! I love all the different shapes and sizes you can choose from and in the trendy copper colour that everyone seems to love right now. Adding plants to a home is a great way to make it feel homely and can warm up a room which may feel quite cold in terms of decor.

I also found these amazing shoes while I was having a browse around. They reminded me of the ones from 'The Little Princess' film when she gives some shoes to the girl in the attic to cheer her up. If you haven't seen that film, you must! Its one of my all time favourites, full of great life lessons and tear jerking story lines, but with a beautiful happy ending. Its the perfect princess story in my opinion.

This is what you see when you enter the store in Chelsea along Kings Road, London. Its a tropical paradise without all the hassle of real life insects, which is right up my street. I stood here for a good five minutes just staring at it all, as it made me feel calm and took me to another, more perfect world.

Anthropologie are what a great job looks like in terms of store decor. It sucks you in and you really get a feel for their world and what they are about. I wish more stores concentrated on user experience as it really does make a difference and even if you don't buy anything, you are sure going to come back to see what new stock they have.

Definitely have a look at a store near you when you are next out shopping as I'm sure you will fall in love with it just like I have. I love just going for walks in London with no intensions and just finding new favourite places. Its a great way of exploring and seeing the world through your own eyes which is really important in this day and age as we are so blinded buy information we are fed each day that most people don't form their own views on stuff as much anymore, its all about the hype. When actually if you have a look for yourself you will realise there is a lot of good in the world that we just don't see because we are never really looking.

So next time your out and about, put your phone away and really take in whats around you. I bet you will see things that you have never seen or noticed before, it can be a real eye opener.
I hope you enjoyed this little post and if you have any recommendations of shops you have found I would love to know in the comments below.

Enjoy your week
Love Khrissie x

DIY: Candle Making

I love a good bit of DIY, especially searching for it on blogs and pinning my favourite things on Pinterest. I constantly dream of a home I can own where I spend my free time making things for it, blogging about it and just living the life near a beach somewhere, without a care in the world. This for the foreseeable future is just a dream but I can start improving my DIY skills on the way so when the time comes, I am ready.

I found a Groupon voucher for a candle making class a few months ago and jumped at the chance. Candles are one of my favourite things, I buy them quite a lot and they never last too long but thats because I buy the cheaper ones. I wish I had the budget to invest in a more expensive candle but I can't right now so making them is the next best thing.

The company 'Midas touch crafts' is one which is run by a mother and daughter, all non profit as the proceeds which aren't used for the materials and hiring of the venue are put straight back into a charity. For this class we made one cupcake size candle (a slightly bigger size than a tea light) as it needed to set in 3 hours plus some different techniques for decorating candles. This was a great beginners class as you learnt all of the history of candles and the basics of putting one together. Me and my housemate had a wonderful time learning these skills and came away with a lot of knowledge about candles and the process in which to make them. Naz herself was a great teacher and had a lovely personality which made everyone feel at ease. If you want to attend one of her classes (as she has lots of different ones too um hmm..how to make bath bombs, yes!) so check her website out.

So to make a basic cupcake candle you will need (links attached):
Glass containers
Container Wax (soy is better as it uses less chemicals but use paraffin for practising as its cheaper)
Pre-waxed wicks with tabs
Thermometer
Glue dots or Glue gun 
Pyrex pouring jug (glass)
Fragrance Oil

If you want to decorate the inside of your glass you will need:
Sprinkles or confetti
Mod Podge
Paint Brush

To make the candle you first of all need to stick your wick down in the centre of the container. You can either use a glue dot or a glue gun if you have one. You then need to take your mod podge and glue all around the inside of the container without glueing the bottom, as this can make your wick move. Then take your sprinkles or confetti and place them onto the glue, however you like and allow to set.

While this is setting, pour some of your container wax into your jug and put it into the microwave for 30 seconds. Take out and stir and put it back in for another 30 seconds. This is when you should test the temperature of your wax and make sure its at 65 degrees (make sure its no higher before you pour it into the container because if it reaches near to 100 degrees it then becomes dangerous and you will have to throw it away).

This is then when you can add in your essential oils. Remember you only need a few drops as it is highly concentrated. The reason you should use essential oils is because thats the best way to get the longevity of fragrance each time you burn your candle. Have you ever noticed your candle only smells for the first time you burn it? Thats because a fragrance block has been used, which you can find in a lot of the cheaper candles.

You can then leave it to set, either in a cool room or the fridge (make sure it cools a bit before you put it in the fridge so there's no risk of the glass shattering) as this will cut down some time. It is as simple as that and pretty fun too!

These are the basics you need for candle making. You can mix up fragrance oils for different smells and get as experimental as you like. You can also colour your wax with candle dyes if you want a certain look for your candles or to match the colour to the smell (red/berry) etc. Crayola crayons are also brilliant for this as they are already coloured so a lot of the hard work is done for you.

You can also decorate your candles in numerous ways if you make them in votive moulds. These are moulds that you can take the candle out of afterwards so they are free standing. As an example we had a go at adding glitter to ours in whatever way we decided. I opted for an over the top christmas look and covered the whole thing! Use some mod podge as a base and layer the glitter over the top.

I hope you have enjoyed this little candle DIY tutorial. If you dont want to buy all the items separately and give this a go you can either sign up to a candle making class to see if you like it first or buy a starters kit which will give you most of the tools you need except the thermometer and jug.

If you have any questions just leave them down below and I will get right back to you!
Happy making!
Love Khrissie x