Lazy Links

This was a rough week - frantic, tiring, and full of black clouds of gnats. Quite literally. So let's take a leisurely stroll 'round some lovely little things, and unwind for a quiet weekend. Don't forget to stop in at the comments and say hello! Tell us which literary hotel is your favorite. Do you take a good picture? Are you liberal or stingy with the SPF? More importantly, do you think if I bring a little appreciation card and a princess cake around to Florence Welch's house, she'll let me live there? Let's discuss below...

• An extremely useful and frighteningly detailed guide on how to apply mascara correctly.Unfortunately, it doesn't cover the old poke-yourself-in-eye-with-wand step which I can't seem to skip.

• Have a look around Florence Welch's gorgeous house. She is just the coolest, and so are her bookshelves.

• The lovely Garance Dore shares seven ways you can look better in photos. None of them work for me, but maybe you'll have more luck.

• Look at this fabulous list of literary hotels! I think I'll plan a little weekend at Thornfield Hall one of these days. Obviously doing a quick attic check first.

• Diptyque has come out with a jonquille candle, and I must have it. I go crazy for jonquil. Jonquil are kind of like narcissus, right? Narcissi? Oh never mind.

• This Swedish princess cake looks divine. I want it, and I want it now.

• This poor woman's body lotion set off airport security. If that's not an incentive to start buying greener, I don't know what is.

• The ever fabulous Beautymouth takes us through some idiot-proof SPF rules - timely, because the only time I ever burn is in the springtime. Thin air + strong sunlight = lobster shoulders and freckle moustaches.

• Aren't these random notes of appreciation adorable? Let's all stock up, and hand them out with gusto.

Lazy Links

Enjoying the Olympics sweetie darlings? Have you made a pledge to start on a new fitness routine and bought new snazzy workout clothe,s which will be worn twice and then consigned to the back of a drawer until Rio 2016? Yup, us too. Take a break from planning your podium face and gold medal wave with a little wander 'round our favorite stories this week....

Beautymouth's brilliant guide to idiot-proof skincare. Basically, stop obsessing over your pores and for god's sakes don't scrub your face with walnuts. 

While we do not share Western Europe's obsession with cycling - (except when they crash, which perversely adore,) we will take one of these fabulous posters.

Let's see what New Yorkers are reading on the subway....

BBC has an online test to see what kind of Olympian you would be according to your body type. It's not very accurate, because we got marathon runner. Ahahhahha. No.

Harvey Nic's and Penhaligon's have teamed up to create the Peoneve Terrace, a magical little secret garden full of pink peonies and sweet treats . If you're in London this summer, stop in for a gooseberry fool and peony punch served in a perfume bottle. Our kind of place.

Will and Kate seem to be having an adorably grand time at the games. We think they enjoy spending time around people their own age.

Some genius has invented a Facebook app that replaces pictures of other people's babies with cute animals. 

The most fantastic story of the week - apparently Kate Moss got in a spat with Gwyneth Paltrow as a result of throwing cheese puffs at her as she jogged by. And we didn't think we could love her anymore than we already did....

We would give our left arms right now for a slice of this Rose Pistachio Cake. This is what happens when you try to eat healthy and skip desert. You end up cruising the internet looking at cake porn.

Photo via Pinterest

Lazy Links

Today is a bit too hot to sunbathe, so here we are - sprawled out under over-worked ceiling fans, eating popsicle after popsicle, and generally making a sticky, grape-colored mess of the keyboard. If your Monday is looking as lazy as ours, how about a little wander around some of the things that caught our eye this week?


Cleanse your palate after this week's Venetian excess with some light-filled, clean interiors From Scandinavia with Love. Makes us want to buy a cheerily painted summer house and eat lots of herring.


A list of the best secret British beaches. Chilly, pebbly heaven.


An ode to the style icon that is Clair Huxtable. Say what you like - the woman could wear the hell out of a chunky sweater.


We have finally discovered the cure for dry, peeling lips. It involves tupelo honey and corn grits, and it's very difficult not to just eat the stuff straight out of the tub.


Some genius has built a library in a vineyard. They're our kind of crazy.


This sweater isn't just criminally fabulous, it's also coronation-appropriate. Now we just need the weather to cool off a bit so we can wear it.


Are we the only ones to think this whole Coachella cruise thing sounds like a really terrible idea? Like scores of drunk girls overboard bad? Though the thought of fruity drinks at the ship's bar with Jarvis Cocker almost saves it. We feel he'd be a pina colada man.


The house of Yves Saint Laurent is changing the brand's title to Saint Laurent Paris. This is too idiotic for us to care to comment on. 


Those sneaky minxes over at Domestic Sluttery have started a pudding club. It's chocolate month apparently. We would like to join a club where other people make us lovely puddings and then drop them off at our door without wanting to come in and chat. 


Did you know there's a Jane Austen festival held in Kentucky every year? Everyone dresses up, has tea, and we can only assume does some serious matchmaking and/or verbal sparring. Oh and there's gentlemen's DUELS. We're in.


Have you entered our absolutely fabulous giveaway yet? Why on earth not?


We have absolute swathes of scent, skincare and makeup reviews on the way again - let us know if there's anything you'd particularly love to see, or if you have any burning beauty questions you're dying to ask. Leave a comment, or write us at theblossomshed@gmail.com - we adore getting mail....

image via Pinterest

Lazy Links

Spring has sprung! Suddenly and rather violently - it's in the 70's, and that means flip flops, and showing toes that have been hidden for six months. Quite scary really. But we're not complaining - it's warm, sunny, and the world is about to be sprinkled profusely with daffodils - basically anti-depressants in flower form. We LOVE them. So take a wander through these lovely links, and then for goodness sake's go outside and enjoy the weather. And the daffodils.

If you're nosy like us, you'll love the fabulous What's In My Handbag.

They have raven wallpaper over at Domestic Sluttery. Perfect for our future baroque downstairs powder room. The fantasy manor house is really starting to come together lately.

We're going to need to line up a butler soon...

A lovely video that's like a little work of art - Emily from the impeccable Into the Gloss does

her five minute makeup.

Still coveting these sunglasses. Especially since our favorite pair got sat on yesterday.

Did you see the NY pizza goat? Who are these people, and why on earth are we not friends?

Speaking of goats, if you're in London on April 7th, we must insist you attend the Oxford v Cambridge Goat Race. That's not a typo.

Did you know there's a Travelling Gin Co? For those times when you're just dying for a perfectly mixed g&t delivered by antique bike.

This is technically a romper, and therefore should be an abomination. But it's not, it's adorable and perfect and we may wear nothing else this summer.

The fabulous Beauty Mouth is now answering all of your deepest, darkest skincare questions in her Thursday Clinic - it's like your own personal, slightly cranky skin guru on speed dial.

Oh this this dress! Gorgeous and fluttery and slightly 20's - the perfect combination.

If you've never had bourbon-spiked banana bread, you need to remedy that immediately. Your house will smell like heaven for hours.

It's getting on towards skirt season, so we're over at She Said Beauty this week, showing you how to get your pins in tip top Spring shape without any horrid exercise and dieting type milarky.

And lastly, we're thrilled to be gearing up for The Blossom Shed's first giveaway in April - it's going to be fragrant and luxurious and frankly brilliant, and that's we're saying for now.....

Source: urbangardensweb.com via The Blossom Shed on Pinterest