The Interior DIYer
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Crow-globe

My favourite time of year is here – autumn. There’s a lot about this time of year that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside – weather getting colder, crunchy leaves, scarves, cuddles and hot drinks. Aside from all the above, the next thing I love about autumn is the impending Halloween tinted decorations. 

I gave myself 10 minutes in TK Maxx over the weekend [yes, I actually have to give myself a time limit], and when I got to the top of the escalator, there sat their Halloween section. A plethora of Halloween themed snow-globes obstructed my line of vision. Some were a bit naff [ugly skeletons, bad-weird pumpkins], but then there was this crow snow-globe. Or as I like to [yell while I’m shaking up all the black glitter], CROW-GLOBE. I mean, seriously. Black. Glitter. And this is a legitly solid piece, no flimsy seasonal decoration. And I’ve always wanted a crow as a pet. Is that weird? I just think I’d look so mysterious. 

Crow-globe is a welcome addition to our living room and I should state, he will be present all year round, not just the autumn months. Pro creepy.

Also featured – Bill Murray print
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#IMAGEblogawards nomination!

Sorry for the no-show this past week. I woke up on Monday morning with a head cold that reduced me to living in a nest on my couch up until this morning. There’s nothing quite like a gargantuan dose of mucus to make you appreciate not being sick the other 360 days of the year. 
ANYWAYS, as I’ve gingerly shared online a couple of times over the last few weeks, Hydrangea Girl has been nominated for an Image Blog Award [WOAH], and as much as much as I hate asking people to vote, if you wouldn’t mind shooting a click my way this Friday afternoon, I’d be forever grateful and I will craft a stylish centre-piece using my own hair and send it to you if you vote for me. If that temptation is right up your alley, you can … 

>>>>>> V O T E   H E R E <<<<<<

… and I’ve had just above the legal limit of throat lozenges to ask you to vote using all of your email addresses if you have more than one. Yep. Please. I’m desperate and currently sound like a 78-year-old smoker. 

I / Hydrangea Girl can be found at the verrry bottom of the list. One could say they saved the best ’til last? Nope. That’s more of my excessive use of throat lozenges talking. Apologies again. Happy Friday! 

xx A

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Baltic Cruise – sweltering St. Petersburg

The next destination on our Baltic Cruise was St. Petersburg, Russia. We had been there before on our honeymoon, close to 2 years ago. Our honeymoon was in late October it was a lot colder than we had anticipated. We adored St. Petersburg. Wandering the streets, heads constantly gazing up, drinking chili infused hot chocolate, and adjusting to the unusual social hours [before I start reminiscing too much, you can read and see more about our honeymoon here]. 

We were really looking forward to going back to St. Petersburg, but in the summer. Little did we know it ended up being the hottest day of the year. A great day to be dressed head to toe in black, yeah? We also didn’t know it was a national holiday, so thanks to everyone flocking towards the city centre, it ended up taking us almost 2 hours to get into St. Petersburg, leaving us only and hour an a half to reminisce. We covered as much ground as we could in the 35 degree heat. 

Since we had such limited time in St. Petersburg, we made sure to visit the Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood, wander down Nevsky Prospekt, and [attempted] to escape the heat by going back to one of our favourite cafes, Cafe Singer. Unfortunately, Cafe Singer, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, acted like a massive greenhouse and was hotter inside than outside. We still reminisced with carrot cake and this time, behemoth milkshakes. 

We begrudgingly walked back to the bus and back to the cruise ship. We felt a little robbed of what we were hoping would be our second honeymoon, but maybe it’s the perfect excuse for us to go back again. Third time’s a charm? We ate dinner and like the anti social introverts we are, we retreated to our usual evening spot – the lounge chairs in the adult pool that face massive windows so we can watch the scenery go by. After dinner, this area was always deserted. We spent every evening on these chairs, with wine, talking complete rubbish and reading books. 

We were treated to once again, a pretty awesome Baltic sunset. And to top it off? We passed a Russian submarine. No big deal. 

Stockholm – Helsinki – St. Petersburg – Tallinn – Riga