Saima Says Style

It’s been a while since I talked about cupcakes but then I saw the new Next Christmas gift collection and my love for all things cupcake came flooding back. Throw in pastel colours and Russian dolls and I’m totally on board.

How beautiful has this Bank Holiday been?! I’m not sure about the rest of the country but the weather in London was perfect for a barbeque with friends and family and that’s exactly what we had. Our theme was Hawaiian so we had grass table skirts, fruit centrepieces and flower garlands for all of our guests. The kids also loved the giant Connect 4, dominoes and Jenga we had hired for the day. The barbeque was very tasty, especially as it was the first time my husband and I had ever hosted one.

The highlight of the food however was the sundae bar we set up. We had ice cream (of course), dessert sauces, wafers, mini Oreo cookies, chopped nuts, strawberries, mini muffins, chocolate chips, sprinkles and cream. We let our guests build their own sundaes and everyone seemed to really enjoy the whole experience. The sundae glasses are actually MJÖD beer glasses from IKEA, the long handled spoons and plastic ice cream cups were from eBay. Hope your long weekend was fab too!

I apologise for the break in transmission; I haven’t been well lately. We did however manage to get away for the May Bank Holiday. We went to the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire, visited several of the lovely picturesque villages there. Burford and Bourton-on-the-Water were the best ones for kitsch homeware shopping and afternoon teas. Here are some pictures from our weekend away.

This was my first trip to Columbia Road flower market in London and it turned out to be quite a treat. So many different plants and flowers; tropical flowers and orange trees. The wonderful weather just added to the whole experience.

There are also a lot of vintage and gift boutiques around, including Open House. They have two rooms with gift items, vintage furniture and homewares. They also have a garden featuring plants and other gift items. The owners very kindly let me take some photos. I will definitely be going back to Columbia Road the next time I have a free weekend.