Month: November 2016

Gratitude

It has been a tough few days (actually a tough year but let’s focus on the last few days). We lost a chicken on Monday and that upset me more than I expected it would and yesterday, Steve and I went to a funeral as our friend Alexia lost her dad. 12 months after losing mine, feeling her intense pain and re-living the sense of loss and sadness we all felt, was extremely draining and painful. We, as a group of friends, have spent far too many times at the Crematorium these past few months…4 times in total, that’s one loved one gone every 3 months. Yet today, with tears in my eyes and my whole body aching, I want to feel grateful for all we have.

The top 10 evergreen Christmas wreaths that will last longer

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

What is your favorite part when it comes to Christmas decorating? Is it decorating the Christmas tree? Making your own wreath? Putting together a beautiful table setting? Making great food for the whole family? While it is always tempting to get a gorgeous wreath from The White Company or John Lewis, if I have the time, I will make my own. Making your own wreath is a welcoming break in the frenzy that leads to Christmas. Whether you need to go to your local garden center, Sunday market or in the forest, time outside focusing on creating something pretty, will be time well-spent. And like these simple, minimalist wreaths, they don’t have to be big to be beautiful.Now that we live 10 minutes away from a beautiful national forest, I take pleasure in going for a walk, pick up branches and make our own wreath. So armed with my Orla Kiely secateurs and a pair of gumboots, I went for a walk in the forest over the weekend to cut some branches to make my first wreath of the …

How to make a healthy winter soup for the whole week

How to make a healthy winter soup for the week?

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

I have meant to share this recipe with you for ages because it’s super easy, quick and inexpensive but I wanted to use one of my photos rather than one from my food styling board on Pinterest. The ones I have pinned are a lot nicer but since food styling & photography is something I want to improve, I have to start somewhere… I have to admit that, while this soup only takes 5 min prep, getting my shot ready took waaayy much longer time. Anyway, here are a few shots I’m finally ‘happy’ with…I brought back the white ceramic bowls and the wooden spoon (on the right-hand side) from my trip to Marrakech and I’m so pleased with them. I had Ikea white bowls from the 365+ series for the past ten years and I’m slowly changing everything for something a bit more organic with a handmade feel. These have a few flaws and were really inexpensive but they give me a great deal of pleasure just by using them on a daily basis.Enough talking, let’s make this healthy soup for the winter! …

10 jolies, naturelles couronnes de Noël à faire

10 beautiful, inspiring Christmas wreaths to make

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

I’ve always loved Christmas wreaths and today is just about inspiring you to make your own Christmas wreaths. I know it may be a bit early for some, to start thinking about Christmas. However, as per my post from yesterday, I want to re-focus on things that provide us with a great deal of happiness and peace. I’m talking about doing things that are good for our body and for our soul. For some of you, me-time will be a warm bath and lounge around in your gorgeous Hush pyjamas. Personally, when I find the time, I find it very calming to make things while listening to the radio or baking a gluten-free banana cake for Mila or doing some DIY. Whatever I chose to do, usually provides me with a great sense of achievement. So, there are two things I really would like to make before the end of the year: 1) a beautiful wreath inspired by nature, 2) some scented candles… I love scented candles. Making some to give to the people I love, has been on my to-do list for a …

All the women in me are tired…

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

The positive-thinking me, the resilient me, the resourceful me, the mother in me, the one who thinks that the world can be a better place, the one who doesn’t believe in racism, violence and sexism, the one who still hopes, the one who believes in friendship and humanity, we are all tired… I wanted this year to be different. I wanted to end it on a positive note and I can feel that I’m heading into the same wall as these past few years…exhausted, depleted but with extra baggage: the burden of having lost a father, a beloved aunt and a close friend. And I’m not the only one to feel the pain…there was Brexit, Paris, Nice, the US elections, the earthquake in New-Zealand. It’s probably not over so here is what I’m going to do and not do these next couple of months… 1/ I’m not going to do any Christmas shopping guide on the blog. Granted, it will be a loss of income in affiliates links* but one of the reasons, I wanted to stop running the concept store I …

5 things I want right now!

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

It has been a pretty gloomy week on various levels so let’s lighten up things with a bit of fashion and it’s fridYEAH after all… I really love this all black look I posted on Instagram, and it’s pretty much my go-to outfit at the moment. It’s fashionable, comfy, easy to pull together with a hint of fashion. I usually pair it with an oversized coat and if the weather gets warmer, swap my black jumper for a white tee-shirt. Voilà, job done!

An industrial flat in Barcelona with an amazing kitchen

A white apartment with an amazing kitchen

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

Another white interior…however, this white apartment in Barcelona is very different from this beautifully styled 20 sqm2 flat in Sweden. Or this other white apartment with natural accents I showed you a few weeks ago. Nonetheless, it has a lot of inspiration to offer… Let’s start with the kitchen which was the room that first caught my eye. The kitchen, filled with natural light, manages to combine several styles I like at once: Scandinavian, industrial, contemporary and vintage. Yet everything is beautifully done with a great aesthetic and strong personality. The black Jieldé black lamp and Tolix chairs bring a stylish, industrial touch to the room. Similar white crockery and chopping boards can be found at The White Company. In fact, these heart-shaped oven dish and heart-shaped ramekins are great to serve pudding. However, my favourite collection remains the handmade artisan stoneware plates which have a timeless appeal so you can use them all year long. Do you have a kitchen with two sinks? Providing you have space, having two sinks in the kitchen is hugely practical when both partners love cooking, which is hardly the case in our home ;-) …

Book review: House of plants by Caro Langton & Rose Ray

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

I came home from two weeks in Marrakech to find three of my plants: an Areca, an Aloe Vera and a Pachira (if you don’t know it, is a gorgeous looking plant) looking very green and beautiful + a copy of the House of Plants by Caro Langton and Rose Ray which is an inspiring, beautifully written and photographed book. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who was not being able to look after plants simply because until recently, I had a track record of killing plants and the only ones that survived, were the ones I collected on Pinterest in my urban jungle folder. However, last Sunday, my beautiful green friends were waving at me, saying: “YES YOU CAN, LOOK AT US!!” I can’t tell you how happy it made me feel to have such green beauties still alive in my home. One thing I really enjoyed in Marrakech was walking through the Majorelle Jardin, previously owned by Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé, which is filled with the most gorgeous cacti and the Secret Garden museum in the Medina. So I decided …