Springtime in Windsor

Other potential titles include: 'Wisteria Tour of Windsor', or the delightfully more fun, 'Windsor Wisteria Hysteria'. Try saying it out loud. Ah, so satisfying.

Ok, so I don't know all that much about cults, but I'm beginning to think that the most notorious cult in Windsor requires its members to pledge their allegiance in the form of wisteria creeping up the front of their house and draping over their doorway. I mean, what other explanation could there be for all the wisteria? Aside from the fact it looks HELLA CUTE AND ADORABLE OMG. Not to mention the scent, am I right?

Also, please appreciate these photos because I think I may've got myself on the Windsor's Most Wanted list for lurking outside all these beautiful properties and taking photos of them. Sometimes I just wanna grab all those passersby and residents by the collar and say "I'm not planning a burglary, I swear, this house is just too pretty not to put all over the internet, do you get what I'm saying??????". But then I realise that doing so would probably make the situation even weirder so I put my head down and hurry off. Looking even more guilty.

~ Eleanor xo

The Scents of Spring

Being a purveyor of an extortionate (and downright ridiculous) number of scented candles, I'm all for swapping and changing the candles I burn based on my mood, the weather, the season, what day of the week it is. You know, casual stuff.

I'm a huge fan of fresh scents all year round because frankly, why on earth would you want your house to smell like artificial (and oh my lord so sickly) vanilla cupcakes? Yankee Candle, I'm looking at you.

Excusing the accidental alliteration here: fresh, fruity and floral tones are my absolute favourite because they're usually the lightest scents when they're burning, making them perfect for small spaces (ie my bedroom) or for keeping a subtle scent for a longer length of time.

Below are three of my ultimate loves...

1. CHAMOMILE & VIOLET BY WAX LYRICAL

I never realised quite what a mix of layers this candle contains. According to the creators this fragrance includes: "chamomile and violet layered with delicate citrus notes of lemon blossom on a base of musks and precious woods. A blend of armoise, elemi, lavandin & orange essential oils". No corners cut here, thank you very much!

I keep this candle tucked safely away in its original boxed packaging whenever I'm not burning it regularly and as soon as I re-open it, the scent hits me as profoundly as it did the first time. If it was possible to make your soul smile, this candle would do it for me. This scent is perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons and leaves lasting floral notes well into evening time.

I bought this for £20 as a small treat to myself last Easter and if the fifty-five hour burn time is anything to go by, I've still got a whole lot of fragrance left to enjoy.

2. SEASHORE BY TRUE GRACE

Described as "a scent balanced with geranium, neroli, cedarwood and moss", I coveted this candle for well over a year before it finally joined my collection. In glass form it can be purchased for £25, but it is also available in a tin for £16. 

So often candle companies give their scents the fanciest of names and just assume that that's how this works. Not so, my friend. If you want to name your candle 'Christmas', then you need it to really smell like Christmas. But I digress, the point here is that this candle smells exactly as it's titled. Like a brazen, blustery (British) walk along a seashore. It's one of the most comforting candles I've ever burnt and for that reason, I know for a fact that I'll always have a glass, tin or diffuser with me, wherever I end up.

 It's also made of natural wax (always a pro) and can burn for up to forty hours.

3. APPLE AND ELDERFLOWER BY THE EVAL CANDLE COMPANY

This absolutely perfect combination of succulent crunchy green apples and the sweetness of elderflower berries is, in my opinion, what makes this candle so light, uplifting and joyful to be surrounded by. To me, it's the perfect morning scent; where your curtains are pulled back, the windows are wide open and the sunlight and fresh air can wash over everything.

Don't be fooled by the size of the tin, for £9 this scent is mighty enough to fill any space, and is said to burn for up to forty-five hours.



What are your signature spring scents?
~ Eleanor xo

Ten Favourite Spring-stagrammers

You cannot begin to fathom how pleased I am with that title. I should stay up late on Saturday nights more often if this is the sort of amazing inspiration I get!

Seeing as I love me some seasonal content (if you're not up to speed, Spring is my second favourite season of the year), I thought it'd be fun to do an Instagram round up of sorts, seeing as they're all the rage. I guess it's because there's suddenly actual light during several hours of the day, but Spring is so super pretty and it's near impossible not to take cute pictures of absolutely everything. Am I right or am I right?

Here are the top ten insta feeds I love going to for some springtime inspiration:

1. JULIA - @humphreyandgrace

"pictures here | words there | England"

2. JAMIE JAMISON - @alajamie

"•photo stylist • visual storyteller • social media content creator • mixed media artist"

3. BRITTNI MEHLHOFF - @brittnimehlhoff

"Craft stylist and founder of Paper & Stitch. Atlanta, GA"

4. KATE ARENDS - @witanddelight_

"Snapchat: @witinreallife"

5. CATCOOEE - @catcooee

"designer @cooee |ig ambassador for royal copenhagen|get a glimpse of cooee world, my inspiration"

6. SARAH KYLE CLOSE - @kyle.and.co

"Stylist + event & tablescape designer formerly "ladygolightly" Pacific Northwest ↟↟↟" 

7. MARINA - @lightpoem

"wife • mama • life enthusiast • Germany based"

8. MY PROVENCE STORY - @myprovencestory

"Provence behind the scenes. Wedding and event planner in Provence."

9. ABBIE MELLE - @abbie_melle

"photographer // believer // australian"

10. Benedicte - @Kardemomme1
"All the little things"

Happy springing!

~ Eleanor xo

Things To Do Now it's Spring

AKA, things I'm excited for because we're now into my second favourite season of the year. I agree, not such a catchy title, but we digress. Sunday officially marked the first day of Spring *throws petals in the air and dances*. I'm feeling rather smug that I was already aware of this before Facebook shoved one of its obnoxious announcements in my face and asked if I'd like to share it with all my Facebook friends. Errr no thanks, Mark.

While this overcast seven degree weather doesn't exactly inspire bright positive thinking, I always see Spring as the perfect time for something new. Whether it's a crazy makeover, or clearing out all the clutter you've hoarded during the winter, now is the time for change. Possibly. If you want...

1. Order iced beverages
Last week (on the one of the only sunny days we've had so far this month), I tried out the new vanilla bean iced macchiato from Starbucks and it was all kinds of tasty. My cravings for iced coffee began way back in mid-February so knowing that it'll soon be socially acceptable to order them on the daily makes me super happy.

2. Easter egg hunts
Because you can never be too old to enjoy wandering around your grandma's mahoosive garden in your favourite floral jim-jams hunting for tiny chocolate eggs and wondering how you missed a bright purple box standing out like a sore-thumb in a flowerbed.

3. Make smoothies
Fresh fruit is all the rage during springtime, especially when raspberries and strawberries come into season, so making fresh, clean smoothies is a no brainer. I like to mix mine with almond or coconut milk so it's healthy and filling.

4. Have that clean out
I cannot express how much I need to do this. Even more so because it was one of my New Years resolutions and I've done so well keeping them thus far. I have no idea where anything is and it's all getting a bit much. Not to mention I could be accused of being a bit of a hoarder if I don't get a grip sometime soon...

5. Pack away your boots
And all the rest of your overly wintery clothes. As much as I love it, I'm secretly looking forward to not having my enormous duffle coat as part of my outfit everyday.

6. Burn your favourite spring scents
Goodbye sickly cinnamon, hello chamomile & violet!

7. Instagram all the flowers
Tulips, daffodils, crocuses, anything that looks remotely flowery and will suit a VSCO filter over it.

8. Visit somewhere you love
Like the great outdoors! After months of cowering inside away from the cold, marathoning films and American detective shows, now's the best time to ease yourself back into life outside four walls.

9. Make the most of the light evenings
I am loving seeing the evenings grow lighter each day; it's a lot easier to power through working late when you aren't hurrying back to your car in the pitch black. The days suddenly seem so much longer and I actually have a desire to use them.

10. Plant something
I shall be planting sunflower seeds because they're some of my faves and I'm secretly looking forward to how tall they'll grow. Because yes, I am five.

11. Get your hair done
I'm not entirely sure why this is a Spring to-do because you can get your hair did all year round but I suppose there's something uplifting about chopping off all those split ends and ridding yourself of a wintery haystack.

12. Pastel nail colours
We all know I don't like to stick to seasonally appropriate nail polish colours, but that's not to say I won't be wearing pastelly pinks, blues and whites just like everyone else. I'm not a crazy person.

13. Try something new
Because why the hell not?

~ Eleanor xo