I’m probably 98% happy, maybe 2% jealous.

Yesterday I had some wonderful news. One of my dearest friends is getting married!! Her fiancé, Jeremy, is currently serving in the British Army and has just come back from months away in Afghanistan. I’m so happy that the two of them will be able to spend more time together when they’re husband and wife as she’s utterly miserable when he’s away.

He wants to wear his No 1. Dress so their wedding will no doubt have a military feel and I have been asked to send any inspiration that I find her way. I can see some wedding crafts coming on very soon and I’m very excited about it.

And it will also mean a visit to Cornwall later in the year! I met Beth at University and she lives far far away. 8-hours-on-the-train far away and it’s been almost 2 years since I last saw her because of the distance and travel costs. So I will have to get saving to a) be able to get there for the big day and b) get them a mega gift.

I am really, really looking forward to this.

And did any of you get the ‘Friends’ reference in the title? No? Okay, well she did - and that's why we're good friends. And because when we're together - we end up taking pictures like this:

Craft Inspiration Online

There are a few websites I read on a daily basis. Young House Love is one of them. Cherry Menlove is another. Cherry Menlove was one of the first blogs I started to read back in 2007 when I was searching the web for ideas on how to decorate my giant notice board. I absolutely adored it. I've seen it grow from a little blog into a beautiful website and for the past year it's been the first thing I look at as soon as I get on my lunch break.

I found Young House Love whilst reading another blog. There was a link to a corkboard vase tutorial and as soon as I clicked it I knew it was going to be a blog I'd read very frequently. I love it even more now that they've moved house again, and before their latest move I found myself going right back to the beginning of the blog to see their first home transform.

That's the thing I love about blogs like that. The way the reader becomes hooked on the writers. They become people you feel as though you've known your whole life, and you trust what they tell you. I love that.

But even though I have my must-read blogs, I have other blogs that I have on my Google Reader that I flick to every now and again. Remodelaholic is definitely one of my favourites. From seeing crafts and renovations that seem so impressive that I wouldn't even attempt, to projects that impress me so much they make me want to have a go myself.

And that is exactly what prompted this blog today. I have just seen a desk that absolutely took my breath away... I need to have one in my life.

It's beautiful. It's imaginative. It's personal. It transforms a hideous piece of furniture into something gorgeous and it just the type of thing that people need to be doing. Down with the terrible cheap flat-pack pieces of furniture that appear in almost every single home. All it costs is time and effort to have something original and guaranteed to impress.

Unfortuantely I do not have the room to add something like this into my flat.. but I very well might do it on a smaller scale... (Sorry Matt).

A Spa Deal Treat For Me and My Bessie

I was searching lastminute.com wishing myself away to another country for a while and whilst I was there - I saw an amazing offer. A 75 minute massage session for £25! In London - so not too far away, and in the middle of where me and my bessie live (she lives in Ascot) so I thought it would be a nice treat for us both to book in, have a good ol' little pamper sesh and go for a few drinks in London Town.

I hadn't gone in search of this. I just happened upon it. Which is why I think it was the best bargain ever. Sure, I wouldn't have spent that money had I not gone - but in a way there is something nice about getting a deal for a whopping 80%(!!!) off that made me feel quite pleased with myself.

Plus, I get to treat my very deserving best friend to a nice day (on Friday she worked a 19 hour shift at a hotel - my idea of torture) for £200 less than what it would of cost to go without this deal. I don't care if it's not amazing - in fact, if it's awful we'll have a good giggle about it - but it means I get to spend a full day with my bestest ever friend and have a really girlie time.

Another deal is currently on this week so all you UK ladies need to head on over there and grab yourself a treat!

(But don't tell your bessie just how much of a steal it was - just tell her you love her and think she deserves it)

...Or Anything Else That Is Pleasant To Drink (Out Of)

Does anyone have any weird… quirks? You know, like not being able to get out of bed unless the alarm shows a time of an even number? Or only eating one colour of M&Ms at a time?

I have a few quirks. I have to take a bite out of my food before I sit down to properly eat it. And my personnel files at work are colour co-ordinated with a colour I think suits the person.

But my biggest quirk of all (I think) is my feeling about glasses and mugs.

I cannot, absolutely cannot, drink wine from anything other than a wine glass. Look at me – my friend once made me try it a few years ago and the look on my face really shows the discomfort.

I also cannot drink from pint glasses. They are far too masculine for my liking and I shan’t be seen with one. Cosmopolitans must be served in a martini glass (or a champagne coupe if there is no other alternative) and I feel quite uncomfortable whenever I see water, juice, or any cold beverage being drunk from a mug. Eugh – get it away from me now! (I’m shuddering just thinking about it).

This must be why I have a bit of a ‘thing’ about the type of mugs I have in my kitchen. Plain white. Nothing fancy – but nothing too hideous. If anything, you should have plain white mugs in the kitchen. They’re a staple. A nice cheap staple that won’t necessarily have you flooding with compliments, but won’t give the impression that it came with last year’s Easter Egg.

If you can indulge, however – then do. I’m just starting to embark on my mug collection (and by ‘starting’ I mean that I have one). My mother gave me a beautiful mug for Christmas. Cream and etched with gold lettering; “Thursday’s child has far to go”. My sister loved pointing out that “Monday’s child is fair of face” means that she’s prettier than me, but I let that slide.

It’s so beautiful that it makes me look down on my other mugs. My boring old white mugs. I need mugs that look pretty! Ones that can be admired by the drinker and look happy in my tea cupboard. Mugs that make me want to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea on a Saturday morning as I bask in the early sunlight that enters my livingroom.

I think I know what I’ll be searching the internet for in the near future…

Fortnum & Mason Champagne & Chocolate Box

If I could recommend anything in the world, I would recommend working for a small company.

Before, during and after University, I worked for Starbucks. It was a okay job - good if the people I worked with were nice, and I had the chance to transfer to the Hove store when I moved to Brighton - a major bonus when it came to proving to my landlords that I would have a job when I arrived. But after a while, it got tiring. My manager had it in for me and made me feel useless. I was 23 and I had a degree yet I was told I wasn't even good enough to be a supervisor for a coffee chain because I was a 'perfectionist'. So needless to say my self confidence hit an all time low.

A few months later, however, I got another job. This time with a small firm in the heart of Brighton. I had already done this kind of work before and it all came naturally to me. I was praised for my quick learning and my ability to organise and for the first time in a long time, I felt better about myself again.

I realised quickly that the main problem with large companies was the 'middle management' - the managers who had no real input into the company and were constantly having to deal with complaints from their managers about the performance of those at the very bottom - even though these managers in 'higher places' knew nothing about being on the floor and made all their decisions based on 'reports'.

Now I work directly with the owners of the company, and they make all the decisions. They can recognise my personal achievements and determine the level of responsibility I have. Since before Christmas, I have been planning a team building day and Thursday was that day. I put my life, soul, and a lot of hours into this and it finally paid off. The day was a massive success and I was so knackered proud of myself by the end of it.

But despite organising almost everything for the day - I did not expect to be given a little present at the end of it! My very first year of working with this company has been amazing and I've enjoyed every minute of it - which really is enough of a gift in itself, but I was given this wonderfully beautiful thing!

Look at it! Gorgeous!

The bosses did very well in picking out this. Fortnum & Mason is just up my street - for someone who has no money, I do pride myself on my incredibly expensive taste (even if I don't have the ability to buy it for myself!)

Not only does it contain some delicious champagne and champagne chocolates, but the box is utterly divine. Once I have merrily consumed the contents that box shall be transformed into some form of craft box. It's too beautiful to be thrown away, but equally too beautiful to be hidden away in a cupboard for fear of keeping it in less-than-perfect condition. It's longing to be kept out on display to remind me of my achievements and, of course, to be admired by anyone and everyone who sees it.

The champagne must be drank on some occasion. Possibly Valentines Day. And no doubt I'll enjoy the chocolates at the same time.

So I would like to thank the bosses. The best bosses in the world. I promise I will not leave you.