Friday Home: Zara Home Finds

Last week we took a little trip to Westfield to get our new iphone 5's  and have pancakes (This was the real reason I went!!) As usual I couldn't resist a quick look in Zara Home which has to be one of my favourite interiors shops. I picked up a couple of items so I thought I would share them with you!

A Chi Chi Affair

The glasses in the kitchen were getting seriously tired and had gone a little cloudy so we picked up six of these pretty glass tumblers with raised dots.



Zara Home

We also chose these cute knobs with a silver geometric print which will update our chest of drawers in the bedroom. I love the pattern and I think the shimmery pattern will look chic with the grey walls.

 

Zara Home

Lastly I love the Zara bath and body line and I always grab some air freshener sticks in the signature White Jasmin scent.  It always lasts a really long time so I only need around two per year and they make the house smell lovely.

Zara Home

We also really liked these occasional stools with a wooden flower motif but unfortunately we just don't have anywhere to put them at the moment so left them this time. I loved the textures though.

Zara Home

Hope you enjoyed my finds!
Happy Weekend!

Rachie xo
 

Autumn Tablescapes

Do you change the decor in your house for Autumn?  I do! I tend to switch out cushions, add blankets and change the mantelpiece in the kitchen just to all make it seem a bit more cosy.  

One of the quickest and easiest way to do this is to have a table centrepiece that reflects the season.  Don't the leaves and branches in this vase look so beautiful and I love pumpkins on the table as well.  Or how about these sunflowers in a vase? They make such a bold statement! 

I also love using fruits in decor - apples looking so autumnal - look how they are used here to fill the vase before you insert the flowers on top - its such a clever idea.   Do also think about using different kinds of flowers like these ornamental cabbages which look so pretty against the silver goblet.

I am doing my seasonal decorating this weekend and I'll be sharing next week! Do tune in!
Rachie xo

NB: All Pictures from Pinterest

Free Printables! Lets Do Coffee Cards!

I found these really cute "lets do coffee" cards over on one of my fave Australian blogs Eat Drink Chic. The idea is that you keep these in your purse and distribute to your friends to make coffee dates- like cute business cards! Its such a lovely concept and best of all these are available to download free!  Just click over to Eat drink chic here!!  Look out for the other printables like lets do ice cream available to download here.

http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/



http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/

Happy Wednesday !
Rachie xo

Tuesday Tales from the Week!

Autumn is well and truly here at A Chi Chi Affair - Did you see the rain today? It was awful! I need to start planning my holidays!!

Here's what I got up to this week!

We took a trip to Ikea to look at the new season's collections - we didn't really buy much apart from a cute herb pot holder - Pic coming soon! However I was very impressed with their stationery collections -  I love the black and white and brown paper wrapping and number tags and these cute pink notebooks. And how lovely are those honeycomb decorations which would be super cute for any party - don't you think?

A Chi Chi Affair

This week was also a week for seeing my sister - look at her big baby bump - only 9 weeks to go and she is looking fab! (We didn't match the stripes intentionally!!)   And it was a big week for shopping! All the posting on London fashion week inspired me to think about what i needed wanted for this season. I bought some cute winter boots -coming soon on the blog and I upgraded to the long awaited iphone 5! I am loving it so far....!

A Chi Chi Affair

Have a lovely week!
Rachie xo

Rustic Backyard Camping Party

I think its tough to find good party inspiration for kids over five so I completely adore this rustic backyard camping party that I found on the fab Hostess Blog - because what kid doesn't love camping in the back garden?  This party for Landon's 7th Birthday looks so much fun for both boys and girls!

All the natural textures in this party really caught my eye, from the use of the burlap fabric as bunting and wrapped around jars, to the pine cones and the wooden tree stumps.  The different textures really give this party an outdoors feel. I also love the use of the Autumn colour's such as browns, greens oranges and reds.

There are also some really cute activity ideas like the sparklers and the toasting of smores. The children also decorated their wooden tents and the evening culminated with an outdoor movie on a big screen! How gorgeous would that be? A scavenger hunt could also be a fun game to play!

Do hop over to Hostess Blog for more pictures and to see the full write up!

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

http://www.monmelldesigns.com/ via Hostess Blog

Happy Monday!

Rachie xo

Friday Home: Date, apricot and pecan tea bread.

There is something about Autumn that makes me want to get in our kitchen and start cooking. Gone are the salads and BBQ's of summer and in its place, some rustic and wholesome recipes like this lovely date, apricot and pecan tea bread that I found on The Telegraph Online. Its packed with dried fruits and nuts and seeds and would be lovely for a morning breakfast perhaps with some parma ham or spread with butter for an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

Click over for the recipe. I think I shall be making this on the weekend! Yum!

Yuki Sugira via The Telegraph Online

What will you be making? Happy Weekend!

Rachie xo

Party DIY: Monogrammed Party Bags

I have a very cute and easy idea for you today - monogrammed party bags! They would be gorgeous for a kids birthday party or as favour bags at a wedding and best of all they are so  simple to make yet they look so lovely!

Read the full how to over on One Charming Party here:

If you are struggling to buy the striped bags you can get them in all different colours from Pipii here and Glitter card from Handy Hippo Crafts here.

One Charming Party

Happy Thursday!

Rachie xo
 

Wedding Wednesday - The last one!

Well after over a year of writing Wedding Wednesday, all the planning, ups and downs, decisions, dramas and amazing times its finally time to say goodbye to my wedding era and a big hello to married life. I have loved writing this section of my blog - I guess wedding inspiration is really what got me started in blogging so its quite sad to close this chapter.   I really hope you have enjoyed sharing these posts with me. Thank you so much for all your help and support along the way. I'm leaving you with my favourite wedding pictures courtesy of the amazing Segerius Bruce (Possibly the best decision we made with regard to the wedding planning!)

http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/

http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/



http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/

http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/

http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/

http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/

http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/

http://www.segeriusbruceblog.com/

 I have to say though I wont be completely neglecting weddings in terms of style and design as there is so much inspiration out there still so do keep reading if you are planning your wedding!

Love Rachie xo

Tuesday Tales from the week!

I had a lovely week which culminated in my darling friends wedding which was definitely the highlight. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny without a breath of wind. It was such a gorgeous day and I so enjoyed seeing my friend get married and dancing the night away with the hubs. (our first wedding as a married couple!) I hope you enjoy the pictures!

First up, this is me wearing my new Ted Baker dress I bought for the occasion. I loved the colours and the graphic print. I couldnt resist a quick picture of my Anya Hindmarch clutch which was a wedding present! I love it.  Doesn't my friend look absolutely amazing in her Jenny Packham gown - like a vintage goddess. So stunning!

The colour palate for the wedding was dusky pinks and natural greens and the flowers were absolutely beautiful. I adore those large roses with the hydrangea and eucalyptus, it was so elegant and chic.

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

I snapped a couple of other pictures this week too like me wearing my new Ebay purchase -a DVF scarf! It really brightens up those stripes for Autumn. After a quick coffee snap we went for a walk and I snapped these roses still out in September. I love the beautiful light coral colour. While out for dinner I very much liked the green of this menu. The thistle table decoration looked very seasonal against the wooden furniture.

A Chi Chi Affair

Have a lovely week!

Rachie xo

Vintage Children's Farmers Market Birthday!

I love it when you stumble across new themes for birthdays and parties and I love this Vintage Farmers Market Party that I found on Hostess Blog. I reckon it would work for foodie adults (like me!) too. There are some super cute details like the plant a seed party favours (such a great idea!) and I love the gingham stationery which you can actually buy here. There are also some lovely ideas for food such as those watermelon jellies in the jam jars and the fun iced biscuits. I  adore how the games played at the party fit the theme such as a sack race and apple bobbing! It just looks so much fun!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopLuLus

http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopLuLus

http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopLuLus

http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopLuLus

http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopLuLus



http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopLuLus

Click over to Hostess Blog to see more pictures and the full write up!

Happy Monday!

Rachie xo

Friday Home: Autumn Delight Cake

Are you looking for a "wow" cake to make for Autumn? Something that although it takes a while to make is definitely something to savour and tastes amazing! Perhaps for a special birthday or celebration! If you are, then I definitely have the cake for you that I found on one of my favourite cake blogs Sweetapolita. Seriously its such a great blog so do click over and take a look as this cake is a total showstopper!

This is a sweet potato and ginger layered cake with toasted marshmallow filling, candied pecans and cinnamon buttercream. Sounds amazing right?

Click over here for the recipe and do let me know if you make it!



http://sweetapolita.com/

Happy Weekend!

Rachie xo

DIY Tipi Table Treats

I have such a great DIY for you today from the ever brilliant The Pretty Blog which just always has the best lifestyle and party planning inspiration. This tipi style favour box is such a sweet idea for your table and would be lovely for a wedding or stylish dinner party. You can decorate with ribbons and name tags to make a pretty table setting!

I love this and might use it for Christmas this year I think!!

You can download the template and see the full how to and more pictures on The Pretty Blog here.



The Pretty Blog

Happy Thursday!

Rachie xo

Wedding Wednesday! Honeymoon Part three - Seminyak, Bali

Welcome back to part three of our honeymoon. I hope you are enjoying seeing all the pictures. After Singapore and Ubud in Bali we moved on to the final most relaxing part of our honeymoon and we spent seven nights in Seminyak which is a beach resort in Bali. We had been a little unlucky with the weather in Ubud but when we got to Seminyak the sun was shining and it was really rather hot! Bliss!!  We couldn't wait to start sunbathing!

We were staying in a  hotel called The Samaya which is all private villas and we had our own private pool plus the biggest bathroom I had ever seen with double shower heads and a Jacuzzi bath. It was gorgeous! I particularly loved the outdoor area with a little pagoda to have breakfast outside and some beautiful frangipani trees. Why don't we get frangipanis in the UK?  They are so pretty!!

We didn't do too much in Seminyak apart from chilling out, eating out at some lovely restaurants and shopping, however we did manage to drag ourselves away from the loungers long enough to hire a driver and take a trip around some more secluded beaches on the island. Balangan beach was our favourite with tons of services and sellers serving banana pancakes! Yum!! One night we also went to Jimbaran Bay to watch the sunset and eat some of the freshly cooked seafood.

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

A Chi Chi Affair

Hope you liked my honeymoon tales! Next week is the final Wedding Wednesday!!

Rachie xo