Come and Meet Lisa Jewell

Despite being attracted to the vibrant and vigorous marketing campaign for Lisa Jewell's debut novel, Ralph's Party back in 1999, I did not get round to reading her books till a good few years later. Thirtysomething was my first taste of Lisa Jewell(ism) and it certainly left a fantastic taste in my mouth. The story was about Dig and Nadine, two best mates who were doomed for each other except things kept getting in the way. Like Dig's first love, Nadine's career etc. I read the book in a flash and really fell in love with the characters as well as Lisa Jewell's style of writing. I tucked into One-Hit Wonder and A Friend of the Family and enjoyed every bit of them - you see there is something very endearing about the way Lisa writes and you really do fall in love with her characters. So when I received an invite from Random House inviting me to a Blogger event to meet Lisa Jewell herself and other like minded bloggers, I was pretty estatic.

The event took place at Random House headquarters last Wednesday and bloggers such as Efe from Efe Fabulous, Emma from The Adventures of an English Mum, Tamsin from Tamsin's Blog, Hannah from Why Miss Jones, Lisa from The Wright Stuff, Cate from Bitchbuzz and Yasmin Selena. The idea was to celebrate the sequel to Ralph's Party, After the Party which takes place 12 years after the first book. After some nibbles, a glass of wine and some chit chat we all settled down and Lisa Jewell took part in a Q&A where she talked about her life as an author and how her books always have to have a happy ending. How she got started, what her inspirations were, the idea behind the sequel of Ralph's Party. Lisa was a real gem, so down to earth and very inspiring. The staff at Random House were very welcoming and it is so great to see a huge brand like Random really taking the social media thing to another level. It was also really empowering to be in the company of very creative and independent thinking women. The evening ended with pleasantries and we were each given a huge goodie bag with lots of chick lits in. Now I read a lot of blogs especially fashion and beauty ones and I am always jealous of the goodies they receive so this experience was a real coup for me. As well as a copy of After the Party inside the goodie bag were books like Confetti Confidential by Holly McQueen, Lost Innocence by Susan Lewis, Midnight Girls by Lulu Taylor, Truth to Tell by Mavis Cheek, Every Last One by Anna Quindlen, a fancy notebook and of course a large bar of Galaxy chocolate. Needless to say I was very chuffed and it looks like I have a few more titles to add to my 'to be read' pile.

After the Party is available to buy from amazon.

Check out the website for After the Party and you can join the Lisa Jewell Facebook fan page.

You can follow Lisa Jewell on Twitter here.

Goodbye to Home Sweet Home

Well that was the week that was and the Home Sweet Home series is over. I had a very interesting time checking out lots of interior blogs and contacting bloggers who write about homes and crafts. I interviewed Jeska from Lobster and Swan in the Blogger of the Month series and also Huma from Her Little Place in the My Space section. I also interviewed several homes bloggers and asked them what their favourite interior magazine was. Basically I had a ball. Thanks for all the support you have given me and Home Sweet Home will be back next year.

Picture taken from Design Sponge.

Home Sweet Home: TGI Friday

Yes it has been a while, in fact it has been an age but here is an exciting installment of TGI Friday but from an interiors perspective. This is where I pick out all the blogs that rocked my world this week.

Concrete and Honey

Ok I cheated a bit as this post was written in April but I love it and just had to share it. For those of you who always have a problem with storage (like I do) this blog post lists some great ways of storing your wares.

Brunch at Saks
Annemarie shows us her inspirations over choosing colours for her home and shares with us lots of yummy pictures from Apartment Therapy.

Lobster and Swan
I love a good cup of tea and Jeska from Lobster and Swan shows off some gorgeous tea that she sighted at Les Carnets de MissClara.

A Bloomsbury Life
Lisa gives us the lowdown of the preview for the Acme gallery. I love the way the magazines are artfully displayed on the floor under the chair.

Design Sponge
Grace salivates over designer, Caitlin Mociun's cool and fabulous open loft home.

Picture taken from Concrete and Honey.

Home Sweet Home: The World of Interior Magazines

Location. Location. Location. Relocation. Relocation. Relocation. Property Ladder. Houae Doctor, To Buy or Not to Buy, Homes Under the Hammer. Just a taste of all the property programme that were all the rage just a few years ago. Back in 2004 when I bought my first home I could not get enough of these shows and watched them over and over again. Now I can barely stand the sight of them. I also went through the same thing with magazines; Good Homes, Living etc, Elle Deco all became my best friends and I used to spend many an hour pouring over them till I got to the point where even the masthead would make me recoil. Now after an absence of a year or two and a house that needs a revamp, I have rekindled my passion for interior mags. Then they do say that absence makes the heart go fonder. With interior bloggers coming to the forefront it made me wonder what interior magazines they read to get their inspirations so I set out to ask a few of my fav bloggers who write about homes and style what their best publication is.

My favourite interiors magazine is Elle Décor because it has always showcased beautiful and inspiring interiors.  Over the past year, the magazine has made a wonderful transition including more modern homes and highlighting spaces that appeal to everyone whether an interior designer or just a design lover.  The trend spotting is also on point.  The latest feature on the ikat trend was my favourite thus far.  Every month I can't wait for more!

Jeanine Hays
AphroChic

I subscribe to a few different décor publications, but until I discover Domino’s rightful replacement, I’ll continue to resurrect old issues.  It’s my design Bible and is necessary for renewal of the décor mind.  It gives 200 pages of mind-inspiring, creative freshness, while touching the hems of the design elite.  Each section is like a different book of the Bible.  First, there’s the “Old Testament” which consists of decor traditions and wisdom.   Second, is the “New Testament” featuring the four gospels: trends, amazing finds, stylish spaces and today’s designers.  Its book of Revelations isn’t in the magazine itself, but in the inspiration it gives to create a beautiful lifestyle.

Adrienne S.
Mustard Seed Collective

My favourite interiors magazine is Ideal Home. It's mainstream and it's popular but it's always inspiring. I know that the products they feature are going to be things I can actually buy too and the rooms are rooms I can actually see myself living in. As nice as it is to see pics of a château, it's hard to see how that will work in a 1 bedroom flat and Ideal Home doesn't fall into that trap. The magazine really shows you how to use the high street to create an individual look but for the really unique and vintage inspired home ideas I still look to blogs to inspire me rather than magazines.

Jenny Haydon
The Style PA at Home