Some shopping (and a doppleganger)

Happy Sunday everyone! This post is a bit late in coming to you, I've actually had it lined up for the last week and kept forgetting to put it up so apologies.

Anyway, when we went shopping for paint testers there were a few lovely bits and pieces that I spotted whilst I was out and about and I wanted to share them with you guys. First up was our trip to B&Q to get the paint. Naturally enough I can't resist a trip around the entire store when I'm there (though the Big Guy was relieved that he managed to keep me out of the garden section for a change) and it was made even better by the fact that they have a big sale on at the moment.

First thing I spotted were these roman blinds. The blue ones to the right of the green are the exact same colour as the blue we're going to use for the feature wall in the bedroom and it would be nice to replace the (stained) beige ones that are currently covering the window.

They look patterned in the picture but that's just the poor quality of the shot I took, they're actually a solid-coloured linen fabric and they're not a bad price. The 60w x 160d are €36.60!

B&Q also have some lovely bamboo blinds that I am ogling for our sitting room window. The 120w x 160d are only €19.35, how good is that?!

I think they'd add some lovely texture to the sitting room and they're neutral enough to sit with pretty much any colour. Unfortunately our window is wider than the biggest size they had on display but hopefully they can order larger sizes in!

I spotted these lovely colourful poofs, cushions and throws in the sale section. Not colours that we'll be using in the house at the moment but I just love them! I really, really want those poofs, they'd add such a gorgeous splash of colour to any room they were in.

(Again, apologies for the poor picture quality - I still feel weird about photographing stuff in shops when I'm out and about so I tend to do it in the most rushed manner. As I get used to it/braver I'm hoping the pictures will improve!)

I had to buy this cushion. I'm not kidding when I say it is the loveliest, softest, chunky knit. Naturally the 2 cats have claimed it as their perch when I'm not using it. I love how it introduces texture through a soft and neutral colour (it's actually much lighter in colour than it appears in the picture, more like the light biscuit you can see on the righthand edge). It will go with pretty much any other colour so I'm not worried about moving it from room to room, or even house to house.

 B&Q are also selling these handy-dandy collapsable storage boxes, on sale now for less than €2!! The blue is similar to the blue for our room, but not exactly the same, which is perfectly fine. I'd rather layer shades of the same colour than have everything all matchy-matchy. See the colour of the cushion in the background? That's it's correct colour!

After our B&Q trawl we went into the city for some lunch and to meet with a hotel about the wedding (don't ask...). We had some food there and I couldn't help admiring their lampshades in the bar. Aren't these gorgeous?

I've seen shades like these on standing lamps before but never hanging ones. Okay, mightn't work so well in a house where people would walk into it but you could do the same as they have and hang it over a table, maybe a row of them suspended above a dining room table? Not that we have a dining room at the moment, but a girl can dream, scheme, and plan!

Finally, our doppleganger. This guy was seated out in the reception area beyond the glass wall of the bar. Doesn't he look like an older version of Dr. House? We (meaning I) stared at him for aaaages in fascination. And because I wanted to know what all the documents he was reading/signing were. Hey! I'm nosy alright!

So that is my (belated) shopping adventure. There are some other things but I can't share them yet as they're wedding related and I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for anyone going to the wedding who might be reading! I promise I will have it all typed up and ready to go the day after the wedding, okay?