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Welcome the new season and spruce up your home for spring! For the longer, lighter days it's time to switch out the darker tones for softer shades. Foldaway the fleece duvet covers for something lighter. Add a pop of colour here and there to turn your home into a bright and happy place. Here are a few fun trends and homeware pieces to bring spring to your home this year and for years to come!
The power of flowers
As the trees begin to blossom and flowers start to sprout, bring the outside indoors with some floral decor. If you have a softer palette in your home, dried flowers are a great staple and last a whole lot longer than real flowers. Or, why not head straight to the summer shades with the bright and bold blossoms in a rainbow of colours to turn your home into a colourful one!
Zesty decor
Spring brings more fresh and delicious fruits so why not add a zesty twist to your home with some ripe and ready decor! You can have so much fun with fruit decor - add some subtle fruit touches with some prints or go all out with some zesty curtains or bedsheets! 
All things yellow
Keep the sun shining all season long with bright, golden home decor. Switch to light soft furnishings around the house to keep it as cosy as it was in winter but adding a lighter, happier vibe to your home! Add some small pieces around the house to brighten your space to make it feel more open - a great choice for people living in smaller, darker spaces.
It’s always fun to switch up your decor and while you’re spring-cleaning, why not make some switches to refresh your space and celebrate all the delights that spring brings!
What spring style catches your eye?
Thanks for reading,
Sarah x
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The final film in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series is out! Always and Forever is the final adaptation of the trilogy of books by Jenny Han - a classic YA trilogy to get lost in all the high school romance feels; a series that many readers know and love. But the romance feels don't have to stop there! There are some more fantastic YA romances for fans of To All The Boys to keep you fueled with romance, wholesome and heartwarming stories!
Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali
When Zayneb is suspended from school after confronting her teacher for investigating her activist friends and who won't stop telling the class how "bad" Muslims are, she heads to her aunt's house in Qatar. Feeling guilty for getting her friends in trouble, she sets out to become a "nicer" version of herself. Adam was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while struggling with the loss of his mum and keeping up with school. They are both keeping their thoughts and feelings locked away in their diaries until the day they meet.
The kind of lovely contemporary read that reminds me of To All the Boys but also covering really important topics and a perspective worth reading.
Meet Cute: Some people are destined to meet by Jennifer L.Armertrout & others
If you're already seen Always and Forever, you know the significance of a meet-cute. If you're like me or Lara Jean, a meet-cute really is the basis of any good romance story - if you agree, this one is for you!
This is an anthology of short stories of "how they first met", written by amazing YA authors. For romantic, real and all the feels, dip in and out of this book whenever you're in the mood for a lovely short and cute story.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
For more high school romances that make you scrunch your nose from all the cute, heart-warming moments and if you want a couple to root for, the Heartstopper graphic novel series is for you! Charlie is a shy student and Nick is a friendly, rugby player. They both attend the same all-boys grammar school, but it's not until they are put in the same tutor group that their friendship blossoms, or is it something more?
Simon vs The Homo Sapien's Agenda by Becky Albertalli
For another fantastic YA classic with a fabulous movie adaptation (Love, Simon), this is a great book to pick up. 16-year-old Simon is being blackmailed by his classmate Martin - if he doesn’t play wingman, Martin will tell the whole school he is gay. Simon doesn’t want his sexual identity to be everyone’s business and, more, he doesn’t want to compromise the relationship he has with his pen pal, Blue.
High school romances, messy friendships and a blackmailing class clown, Simon’s junior year has become much more complicated than he imagined and now he’s forced to step outside his comfort zone.
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Dimple Shah is ready to take a break from her family and their obsession with finding her the “Ideal Indian Husband". Now she’s graduated she’s heading off to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers. Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic so when his parents tell him his future wife is attending the same summer school, he’s so excited.
When Dimple and Rishi meet, they think they have each other figured out but perhaps it's not all that simple.
So, now you've read the whole To All the Boys Trilogy and devoured all the Netflix adaptations, what book do you think you'll be picking up next? Have you read any of these recommendations?
Thanks for reading,
Sarah x
This past year has definitely been tricky and trying to plan for exciting projects has been difficult. We've all had to change our plans, putting things on the back burner until this uncertainty passes. The start of a new year usually came with a new want to set goals, get organised and start working towards these goals but it doesn't seem as straightforward for 2021. After last year, no one really wants to set such big goals to be disappointed later down the line again. But, it doesn't mean that you can't still progress! Here I've put together a few tips for how I've adapted my goals to plan for the uncertainty to keep me motivated working towards my goals!
1. Don't panic!
Right now, we're all in the same boat. Plans have been put on hold, personal deadlines changes or projects scrapped. If you're feeling lost, unmotivated, stressed for the work your future self will have to pick up when things are more certain, find comfort in the fact that we're all feeling the same! Don't pressure yourself into staying productive, don't worry that things haven't gone as you originally planned and let's get cracking on a new plan!
2. Focus on what you know and can control
You've got something big you planned but right now there are things you can't do? Worry about those later. Focus on what you can do in the present and take little steps to complete tasks you can do with what you currently have access to. What can you do while you're stuck at home? Is there some progress you can make that you'll thank yourself later for doing? For me, it's given me time to create a routine, write a list of what I need to do and break it down into what I can do now and what will have to wait. Organise your projects and plan more diligently for what you can do now and prep for what you can do next.
3. Create flexible goals
If you're like me and you work towards personal deadlines and smaller milestones, this is definitely more difficult to stick to right now and it isn't as black and white as I would like. Give yourself a buffer of time to be more lenient with deadlines and can factor in some of the things that may be out of your control.
Don't be too hard on yourself and too strict with your deadlines. In uncertain times, no one knows what will happen next so be flexible in adapting your plans, postponing tasks and changing your priorities where necessary.
4. Have a backup plan
If it turns out that you hit a dead end, there's nothing more you can do in the current circumstances, is there a workaround? Take a step back and remind yourself of what you watn to accomplish and see if you can find another way of completing your goal this year. Or, accept that this goal is unrealistic right now, is there something else you can work towards that will still be beneficial to you in the future?
5. Factor in the restraints where possible
Things are moving slower, we can't travel right now, we're working from home - just a few examples of the blockers that may affect the goals your reaching for. Being aware of these can help highlight where you might run into some delays this year. Some we may be unaware of right now which is why being flexible will help you stay on track and not feeling overwhelmed.
Br realistic with what you can accomplish in the current climate and also know your own limits! Remember to take time for yourself to stop you becoming stress when a blocker does come your way.
6. Look further into the future
Personally, I'm seeing this year as a progress year rather than one where I'm hitting goals. I'm focussing on making some small steps towards my goals to relieve some pressure but also looking way more broadly at the bigger picture; where are my goals leading me, am I setting the right goals to reach where I want to?
Reflect on what you've accomplished so far, where you want to go next and then plan for how you get there. It will never be that simple but it's definitely a start!
Thanks for reading,
Sarah x
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