There's something about a hotel room isn't there?

The trend for hotels still seems to be dark and moody. And done well it's a very good look for a hotel. Recently we stayed in the Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge and they do the dark and moody look well. Much better than the hotel I stayed in once that did dark so well that I needed to use the torch on my iPhone to check that I'd not left anything in the wardrobe. 

I knew we were in for a treat when I looked up and spotted this sculptural light. 

And when I say there's something about a hotel room, I mean luxury. And comfort. And often a whopping great big bed. 

And this room was no different. The fresh linen. The big bed. So big that I managed to lose my phone in the middle of it and neither MOH or I slept on it all night. Bliss. 

And there's always a desk isn't there?

And often a standard lamp. This one was great and had the look of giant bubble wrap according to MOH. He doesn't get out much, but I can kind of see what he means.

And the bathroom. That excelled at dark and moody, but also sparkling too. A nice large sink, a huge mirror, toiletries that made me smile. 

And a stunning shower. This I would happily have at home.

It's the excitement isn't it. Of hotel rooms. To see what you've been allocated. To see its decor. To see if that matches up to the style of the public areas. And this one did, and more. 

* With thanks to STIHL, whose guests we were at the Brooklands Hotel in Surrey.

Post Comment Love and Blogger Showcase - 18-20 November 2016

Hello there and welcome to another Friday edition of Post Comment Love. If you were here last week, it was great to see you. If you're new here, welcome, it's great to have you along. I was at Blogfest on Saturday and met up with many bloggers, some I knew, some new to me and i had a great time. It was good to catch up with Morgan again and to see many of our lovely linkers too. If we missed each other, then there'll be another time and there's plenty more blogging conferences to meet up.

Although I am minded that sometimes the blogging conference bit can get in the way of a good old chinwag. Perhaps we should all pool the blogging conference ticket price, book a corner in a pub or restaurant and just get on with the chat! Just as long as it's somewhere not too loud, and they don't run out of prosecco or whatever I'm drinking.  

My snap this week is from Greenwich Park on a beautifully sunny morning. It was a glorious walk to work and I *might have* lingered longer than I should have getting some arty-farty shots. It didn't last though, by the evening it was torrential rain and I looked (and felt) like a drowned duck when I got home. Ah well, that's autumn for you!

This week I'm pleased to be showcasing a relatively new blogger. Remember if you'd like to get involved and have some of those all important backlinks to your site then get in touch with Morgan or I, either use my contact form or drop either of us a tweet.

Blogger Showcase: Lianne from Mrs Mummy Harris86

1. Who are you?

Hi guys! I am Lianne Harris and I blog at Mrs Mummy Harris86. I'm about to hit the big 3-0 and live in Essex, UK.  I have been married for 18 months, and have two cats and a five month old son Benjamin.  I work in London as a Legal Costs Negotiator for a large international Law Firm but deep down has always wanted to be a backing dancer for cheesy pop bands!

2. How did you discover blogs and blogging?

One of my friends Kayleigh announced on Facebook that she had set up a blog and having read a few posts it opened my eyes to a whole new part of the internet that I didn't know existed!

3. Why did you start blogging?

I have always loved writing, i used to think I was quite good at it however failed to show anyone my work.  Having suffered with depression and anxiety most of my life and now suffering from Post-Natal Depression; I thought writing could be an outlet and having initially put the feelers out on Instagram, I found there are several people out there in my situation and mostly what I am going through is normal for a parent.

4. What do you find most challenging?

The actual aspect of blogging for me is easy. Its the ability of spreading time between being a mother, wife and successful blogger that I find tough. Trying to find this new identity of mine now I am a mother is tough enough, let alone linkies, writing posts and taking photos!

5. What is your favourite topic to write about?

My family of course! That is what my whole blog is about. I really enjoyed writing my posts regarding me and hubby. Now I have received so much praise for our Alphabet dating and the fact that people are intrigued by the next date of Bingo madness I am very happy to continue this series.

6. Are you blogging for fun or do you have goals?

Oh I definitely have goals. My goal is pretty simple; be successful.  Success is all in the eye of the beholder therefore at the moment, for me I would love for brands to approach me for reviews and to have a four figure following. I think if you set an achievable, realistic goal; then you wouldn't be disappointed and maybe set goals in stages??

I've actually been approached by a well known brand already which was amazing to have, but this could be a one off so to have it on a regular basis would be super. I am already on a four figure following and considering I started little over two months ago, I say give it to 2017 and fingers crossed my second goal would have been achieved!

7. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

I love the community. When I started a different blog last year - pregnancy made it hard to keep up as I was very new to it- I thought blogging was all about competition, but I was wrong, through research and experience I have learnt that it is all about support.  If you support each other and encourage and praise it sends a message out to others. Positivity goes a long way!

8. Have you ever attended a blogging conference and if so, what did you think?

No I haven't! I'm very much hoping that I'll be big enough next year or at least know enough fellow bloggers to attend Blogfest. For now I feel too small and it will probably knock my confidence as it will make me feel like a fish out of water.

9. What are your three best posts?

Having been advised by several bloggers to ignore stats and figures I will go based on the general comments and response received, so here goes:

1. Families I aspire to 

2. Alphabet dates #1

3. PND battle

The latter is one of my earlier posts. I'd only been blogging for two weeks, however I was constantly being told how brave I was to share such a raw and honest story. For that, I still think of it to be one of my major successes.

10. Describe yourself in three words?

Organised, loving and marmite.

11. Are you a tea and biscuits or coffee and cake person?

I'm both! I love a coffee in the morning and I'm up for anything sweet. I loved tea before Ben was born but I drank so much of it when pregnant that I over did it a bit, but usually I do love a cuppa.

12. What's your idea of a perfect night out?

It has to be a lovely London restaurant followed by a West End musical. I love some singing and dancing.

13. Your perfect night in?

A bubble bath, a glass or two of plonk followed by a takeaway in front of the telly with trash TV on or a movie snuggled on the sofa with the hubby.

14. What would your best friend/OH/mum or kids say is your best quality?

My husband says my humour. It's very dry and I have no issue with taking the mickey out of myself or others, even when it's inappropriate to do so. He also says my caring side is beautiful, but it can be a detriment at times.

Thanks Lianne, it's lovely to know more about you.  And don't forget you can connect with Lianne here:

Facebook  -  Twitter  -  Instagram  -  Pinterest

An InLinkz Link-up

Making my own neon sign

Last Thursday after work I headed into Greenwich Market to the Makers & Friends pop up shop for a craft class, co-hosted with London Craft Club. And a craft class with a difference, as I was going to make my own neon-style sign. Yes, I know. How cool is that. I'll tell you, it's very cool and I really had no idea what to expect.

In front of me where the materials I'd need to start my sign. I'd already thought about potential designs and while I knew there'd be some templates available to choose from on the night, I hankered after some neon lettering. Ever since we started to think about redecorating, yes  all the way back to 2013, I'd wanted an "eat" sign next to the table.  I also wanted letters to spell "cook" in the kitchen and I decoupaged my own, but the eat was - or has been - sadly lacking.

And while Becci, the instructor and soon-to-be-kit-releaser from EllBie Co, said lettering was more complicated and unlikely to be completed in an evening, she did say it was entirely possible. I was umming and ahhing but decided nothing ventured nothing gained and decided to stick with my eat.

And while Becci, the instructor and soon-to-be-kit-releaser, said lettering was more complicated and unlikely to be completed in an evening, she did say it was entirely possible. I was umming and ahhing but decided nothing ventured nothing gained and decided to stick with my eat.

Then came my first challenge. To draw my design. In front of me was an A3 piece of paper, and the heart on the back was for it I changed my mind and chickened out and decided to go for something simpler. It was hard to draw the lettering so large, and that's without tackling the trickiest part of the t. But with some perseverance it was starting to look how I'd hoped.

For the cross of the t, I needed to do it in one fluid movement, hence the trickiness. I decided to approach it more in a flower shaped design and to squeeze it into shape as I went. With my design mostly there, I took the aluminum wire and bent that into shape, sticking it to the paper and mostly to the design using masking tape.

As you can see the t was starting to look less petal shaped and more t-like, thanks to the pliers.  I was rather pleased with myself and ready to move to the next phase.

And next was the neon bit. Well actually electroluminescent wire. As you've probably already worked out I chose blue, but there's also a pink version. And I know some of you will be shocked by that, but I think blue will go better with our decor, so it's a small sacrifice. I'd rather we used this, because I was already convinced this was going to be a fun addition to our decor. 

The magic in this step is invisible thread. I was pleased though that I had a navy skirt on is it meant that there was no hiding place for it on my lap. Well, once I round the end of the new reel anyway. That proved problematic for more than just me, so I didn't feel quite so bad. The electroluminescent wire is tied to the aluminium wire using the thread in a series of knots. And for mine, they're almost every two centimetres, so that's a lot of knotting, and that's why I didn't get to finish my design on the night.

It was a lot of knotting and to start with I was all fingers and thumbs. But my fingers (and thumbs) soon got the hang of the movement and it wasn't long before it was almost second nature. And actually quite calming and therapeutic as often crafts can be, especially when they're going well. I could quite easily see how Becci says she manages to do this while sitting in front of the TV. I'm not quite at that level of comfortableness with it, but it's not unattainable.

While I didn't get the whole design knotted, I did get through my trickiest letter and skipped ahead to the next step, and that's securing the knots. And for that we used the craft staple of PVA glue. I was keen to secure my knots so all of my good work didn't, quite literally, come undone on the way home. 

And for that it was covering the knots and both wires in glue. I think I might have been a little too liberal with mine, but as PVA glue dries clear once I'd smoothed it out a bit, it was going to be fine. The glue will also bind both wires together and give the form a little, well more rigidity. And while it looks messy in the photo above I've since trimmed the ends of my knots and it's hard to see where they are. 

But what I, and everyone else in the class, was keen to see was how our designs would look in the dark. So with the battery packs attached, out when the lights and on cue we turned on our neon artwork. 

Pretty impressive, huh?

A look down the table and you can see I wasn't the only one impressed with my evening's work. Next to me there was a sign of "joy" - wasn't it right that we were seated together? - and there were many more off-piste and off-template designs that evening.

So I left with my eat sign safely tucked away in a pizza box - I loved the idea of this - and clutching the instructions and invisible thread so I can make progress at home. Of course, I haven't yet, but I will. We're off to Norfolk in a week or two and I know that my eat is coming with me then.

And when it's done I'll work out the next bit, on how to get it where I want it to be. You can make your sign so it hangs on the wall or so it's part of a frame and neither really appeal to me as I'd much prefer to have it freestanding. I know that won't be possible because it is just the thickness of a wire, but I'm trying to invent some kind of stand in my head to make it work. I've a plan - and hopefully a cunning one - and if that works, I'll reveal all when I show you my completed sign.

But in the meantime I've got some knotting to do...

* Thanks to the London Craft Club and Makers and Friends for inviting me along to try my hand at a new craft, and to Becci from EllBie Co for being a patient instructor. I had a great evening and think you would love it too.