I love celebrating Valentines Day so to all the hopeless romantics out there here is my guide to setting hearts on fire this Valentines. Forget about tacky pink hearts and red flowers and over priced meals with thousands of other punters. No that’s not our style at all. We would much prefer to hide away from the world, cook a meal because let’s face it, you can't beat home cooking from the heart. It doesn’t have to be fancy pants either, simple fresh ingredients, mood lighting and music are all winners. The company and setting will set the tone and your lover will be so bowled over with all the effort you've gone to that the food will taste extra delicious.

Start the day right. Who doesn’t love getting brekkie in bed?? What a way to start the day with breakfast in bed, sweet note and flowers. Just think of your partners fav breakfast or use my go to recipe below. If you have kids its also a great way to get them involved. 

Egg in a nest with a side of bacon, avo.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil or butter

2 large slices of bread (I like to use sourdough)

2 eggs ( I used duck eggs)

2 large pinches of smoked paprika 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional - side of bacon, avo and baked cherry tomatoes. For the cherry tomatoes I toss in olive oil with balsamic vinegar, thyme and bake until soft and a little gooey. Another alternative is to sprinkle truffle oil over the bread and egg at the end. 

Instructions

Cut out holes in the the bread with a cookie cutter or you can use the top of a glass. You want to make the hole big enough to hold an egg. Place olive oil or butter in a hot frying pan and place one side of the bread down in the pan for a minute or until the bread has turned a lovely golden colour. Crack the egg and place the yolk in the centre of the hole. Try and get some of the egg white over the bread. Let the egg fry a little and then flip over and season with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until golden for 2min depending on how runny you like your egg. Remove and place on the plate. Add bacon, baked tomatoes or any little extras that  your lover might like.

Add a fresh smoothie or juice. My fav smoothie is frozen banana, fresh pineapple juice, lime, greek yogurt and a little honey with sprinkling of bee pollen. Or for a juice try beetroot, apple, celery and cucumber. It's delicious, trust me.

If dinner is more your thing then check out some of my favourite places to get inspiration. I like my food spicy and will no doubt have seafood and meat on the menu. For the vegetarians Anna Barnett always has some good alternatives.

Donna Hay

Anna Barnett Cooks

Half Baked Harvest

Gift ideas

Gifts are a great way to make someone feel special and let's be honest with our workloads and busy social life sometimes we forget to let that someone special know how much we care about them. As soppy as Valentines may be it's a great way to spend a litte more time on the ones we love and make them feel special for a day. For me I love to buy a gift that will be cherished forever or something my hubby can use daily that reminds him of me. I've put together a gift guide from House Curious to help give you some inspiration. One little tip - don't leave it to the last minute get in early. Today is a good day to start planning and getting those pressies ordered.

Our limited addition art prints from Blacklist Studio from Sydney are a lovely keepsake that will be cherished forever. Add some romantic drama to your lovers wall.

Eternal Love Art Print

Nice View Art Print

Love Typographic Art Print

I'll Carry Your Heart Art Print

These cards are so different from your typical Valentines cards. If you're sentimental like me a handwritten card means the world. 

Card £3.95

Card £3.95

Card £3.95

Card £3.95

Our selection of stationery makes the perfect gift this valentines. Pop a little note inside that your loveer can cherish forever. 

Wildest Dreams Notebook £10.95

Dream Big A5 Notebook set £18.95

Magic Love A5 Notebook £18.95

Dreams & Schemes A6 Notebook £12.95

We all know how it feels when it's minus 3 outside and the sky is a slab of dark marbled greys. But we say don’t be beaten by the January blues! We reckon it's time to embrace the dark side and indulge yourself. Here are our tips on how to survive the colder months. And to make it even more bearable how about a cosy 10% off from House Curious. Use code *warmup* at the checkout.
 
1.  Switch off the TV and snuggle up with a warm blanket, good book and a glass of vino or for those having a dry January a lovely hot chocolate.

2. Open your favourite cookery book and make a heart-warming meal. One of my fav cookery books at the moment is Indian Made Easy by Amandip Uppal
 
3. Now is the perfect time to write down your intentions & goals for the year ahead. Starting with positive thoughts and looking ahead is the best way to shift your focus to the good stuff and leave those winter blues behind.
 
4. Book a summer holiday. Sounds a bit paradoxical after ‘embrace the winter blues’ but by booking a holiday it means you have something to look forward to. I’ve just booked our Ibiza holiday and it was an instant mood boost. Now I’m dreaming for those beach days and long lunches.
 
5. Take some time to wind down. Most of us run full throttle into the new year, I’m certainly spinning a few plates but remember to take a step back and allow yourself some down time, whether its soaking in a bath and lighting your fav candle or giving meditation a go.  Take some time for you and slow down for a moment and it will do you the world of good, trust me.
 

Click on the images below to shop - Embrace The Winter Blues

Luxurious Lambswool Throw

Lyla Hot Water Bottle Cover

EOEL Candles

Wildest Dreams Notebook

Tibetan Sheepskin Dip Dyed Rug

Smoked Glass Brass Lamp

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a blast celebrating the New Year in. Mine was very low key this year due to a growing bump that seems to be sucking the life out of me. I love this time of the year though because it feels like we have a fresh start and a new surge of energy. I have a lot of exciting plans that I'm working on for 2017, which I will be sharing with you soon. I want to shift gears and put my all into House Curious this year, although I'm already finding it a little challenging. I had plans to go on a big buying trip towards the end of Jan to Paris but my husband has convinced me it may not be the best idea given how heavily pregnant I am. I just keep on pushing and pushing myself but I'm realising that I'm not superwoman and I need to start listening to my body and slow it down a little.  

I’m feeling very reflective and it’s only now that I’ve stopped I can appreciate all that we have achieved this past year. This time last year my house was a building site and House Curious was still an idea with a logo and a holding page. Fast forward to now and we have put on some magical workshops, like our wellness day Shine Bright, the Candle and Calligraphy workshop and The Ultimate Dinner Party Menu to name a few. I’ve worked and partnered up with so many amazing and talented people and feel grateful for all the new friendships I’ve made.

It’s crazy to think that we only did our press launch last May and first workshop with Anna Barnett in June. Since then we have not stopped and I was fortunate to have my business and house featured in a few magazines. Between renovations, launching House Curious and running after my toddler we managed to do a soft launch of the House Curious interior and lifestyle shop a few months back. Why am I telling you this? It’s not to show off or brag... my business is a far from perfect and I still have a very long way to go but I’m proud of this little venture of mine and it’s good to acknowledge the wins. I know so many people that have little ideas and dreams bubbling away and to get your idea off the ground can feel scary and overwhelming. I know because I’ve been there. But I’ve learnt that you‘ve just got to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Even taking the littlest steps, like chatting to a mentor or doing some market research can get the ball rolling. I encourage everyone out there to do more of the things you love this year and do all the things that you’ve been talking about, no matter how big or scary they feel. When you do the things you love you instantly feel alive and this energy is infectious with others around you.

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There is no way that I could have imagined doing all the things I’ve done this past year. I would have said it’s going to be too hard and impossible but being focused and determined has led me to this point. As much as this year has been exhilarating and I've loved connecting with so many wonderful people I have to say that it’s been physically and emotionally exhausting at times. I’ve questioned whether I was doing the right thing, doubted every decision I’ve made and at times wanted to give up. I’ve worked liked a dog, had less time with my family (the opposite to my ideal) and I constantly feel like I’m on the back foot. Anxiety, stress and tears have all been part of this journey. But to get to the good stuff it was never going to be easy. You’ve got to work hard for the things you desire and never ever give up. That’s why this year I am going to be more fierce and determined than ever and little will hold me back, except a demanding milk leech who'll be making an appearance soon we hope. I’m telling you this because I think from the outside it can look all rosy and perfect but that is rarely the truth. We’re all human and we all struggle. And most of the time we keep our struggles to ourselves and we project the good stuff. So no matter how tough it gets remember most of us are struggling too.

So what's instore for next year? We’ve got two more workshops in Feb, which have sold out and then we’re going to be taking a little break on the workshop front until later in the year. My focus this year with be on the lifestyle and interior shop. We’re going to be launching House Curious in a bigger and bold way and I hope you will all come to the launch. We have some new partnerships in the offing and one that I’m most excited about is Blacklist. Blacklist is a design studio in Sydney who produce a range of very cool art, stationary and paper goods. And even better, all available at House Curious from mid Jan. To coincide with the launch of the House Curious shop we’re going to be doing some pop up shops in the Spring. I’m hoping to blog more about my interior style and share my little black book with you; I’m all about sharing my interior finds. Oh and let's not forget I need to pop a bubba out early March, a minor detail! It’s going to be a crazy ride but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve learnt a lot in the past year so I thought now would be the perfect time to share some of my learnings with you...

It’s ok to pause for a minute

Let’s face it there are going to be days when you feel shitty and things aren’t flowing so well. You know the kind of days where you have a million and one things to do but you’re exhausted, feel uncreative and then doubt starts to creep in. 'I’m not cut out for this. I’m going to fail' etc. We keep plugging away because we must prove that we are super human but actually we’re better off stopping and taking some time out. Refocus, do less, prioritise and if it's all too much scale it back until it's more manageable. Trust me you’ll be much better for it in the long run and the last thing you want to do is burn out too quickly and not achieve anything. 

Aim high but focus on one thing

I'm a big believer in setting goals that feel out of my reach, scary and bigger than my capabilities. Why not go after the big prize? Set your goals and dreams high and don't settle for anything less. If the bar is raised high then you are more likely to push yourself harder and I bet you will be surprised at what you're capable of.  The trick though is to drop everything else and focus on one thing and you'll more likely succeed. Most people don't fail because of their potential. They fail because their potential is spread too thin and in too many directions. Don't be too disheartened if it takes longer than you imagine. Take stock, acknowledge the wins, re focus and keep hustling until you're there.  

Vocalising your dreams and goals works

When I say vocalise I mean getting your ideas down on paper. Blog about it, share with friends, or on social media, basically to anyone that will listen! The more you talk about it the more accountable you will feel to action those dreams. The reactions you get from people will also help mould and form your ideas so it's a win win situation. Start with "My dream is..". or "I'm going to....." This is the first step to making your dream a reality. The catch?  You'll need to follow this up with a plan of action because only you can make your dreams a reality. 

Support and celebrate your friends achievements

On this journey I’ve had some amazing support, which has been instrumental to my stamina to keep going no matter how hard it’s been. Be there for your friends when they're going to great lengths to follow their dreams. Support them, share their work, celebrate their achievements. It takes bravery, blood, sweat and tears to go after your desires and sometimes a friendly email from someone close telling them 'you're doing great' can give that extra push to keep chasing their dream. Personally I love seeing my friends succeed and I love celebrating and supporting their wins.  Celebrating their success actually gives me the motivation to keep striving. We have so much to learn from each other and we are much stronger when we’re together, supporting each other. So come on let's make 2017 about supporting and encouraging each other.

Don’t forget to have fun

Note to self: loosen the F*&K up! Excuse my French but this is a big one for me because it's very easy to get bogged done by the stress and challenges of the daily grind. Starting a business has been so much harder than I expected and at times it hasn't been much fun. Make sure you leave some time for having fun, relationships and adventures. If it's all work and no play you'll be less creative and productive. So here's to having fun and living our lives to the fullest.

I would love to hear how you are starting the New Year and what you have learnt over the last year.  Please share with us by commenting below.

Love Sommer x