Mondays are for Mugs: Avec-Des-Si

Starting a Monday with understated simple glamour isn't my usual routine (it's more: pressing snooze too many times, smudged make-up, spilling cat food and running for buses) but with this optimistically bright, subtly stylish and comfortingly hand-thrown mug from Avec-Des-Si, I might at least *look* slightly more glam with my cuppa.

'Inge' Hand-Thrown Porcelain Mug, in ochre, from Avec-Des-Si, price £17.50

The Perfect Tea Towel: I Feel Natty

If you like a bit of geekiness while drying the dishes this is the tea towel for you. 

Kiwi designer/maker I Feel Natty has screen-printed the Topographical Tea Towel to show the hand-drawn map of south coast of Wellington in New Zealand. So you can embrace the Duke of Edinburgh orienteering memories while doing a bit of housework - nice!

Topographical Map Tea Towel, from I Feel Natty at Etsy, price £10.15

Mondays are for Mugs: Famille Summerbelle

This mug should really be drunk from with breakfast in a chic diner or Central Perk a la Friends (anyone else missing their Ross and Rachel fix as much as me?!). But if your Manhattan dreams are as distant as mine...this beautiful Manhattan Mug from Famille Summerbelle is a pretty good alternative to cheer up a Monday morning.

Manhattan Mug, from Famille Summerbelle, price €15

The Perfect Tea Towel: To Dry For

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that I like cats. And judging the mere existence of this little blog, you can probably tell I'm rather keen on furniture too. So no surprise that the Cat Naps tea towel picturing perfect pusscats on vintage chairs from To Dry For is already a top contender for The Perfect Tea Towel.

Cat Naps Tea Towel, from To Dry For, price £9.95

Mondays are for Mugs: Lisa Jones/Soma Gallery

Something a bit snappy to wake you up this Monday the Crocodile Mug, by Lisa Jones, available at Soma Gallery. I do like my first cuppa of the day to have a bit of a bite to it...

Crocodile Mug, by Lisa Jones, from Soma Gallery, price £10.50

Being Awesome in Verona

A day in Verona, a new camera, some pizza money and a copy of Be Awesome, by Hadley Freeman. Sounds like my kind of perfect: 

The town is actually a world heritage site and, boy, can you tell - the building are so beautiful and kept wonderfully well:

Beautiful stonework and details still intact:

There were incredible churches - this one was called the Anastasia: 

These are from another church just around the corner (there were so many beautiful ones!) Love the griffin: 

And the Arena, originally a Roman Ampitheatre it has been restored and is still used for opera and concerts today: 

I thought my gladiator sandals fitted in very well here!

And here's the rest of me!

I went in early May, the weather was warm but a little patchy at times (obviously not when these pics were taken!) I flew BA and it cost £75 return - very much recommended for a weekend, at least!

The Perfect Tea Towel: Fate London

Drying up is pretty rubbish. So why not cheer it up with a jolly tea towel? After having a long, in-depth conversation about the aspects of the Perfect Tea Towel (yes I know my life is ridiculous) it seemed a good challenge to go on the hunt for this ideal dish drying cloth. 

My first find is this very cool Tea Towel from new online shop Fate London. The graphic print and fluro pops are well on trend and just my cup of tea (towel - eh?!)

Fest Black Tea Towel, from Fate London, price £19

Disclaimer: I know washing up is *much* more of a pain than drying up...but sponges and scourers are not so pretty!