Learning to Embellish the Everyday

Embellish:

Verb

To make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features.

'blue silk embellished with golden embroidery'

synonyms: decorate, adorn, ornament, dress, dress up, furnish, beautify, enhance, enrich, grace, trim, garnish, gild, varnish, brighten up, ginger up, deck, bedeck, festoon, emblazon, bespangle, do up, do out, jazz up, zhoosh (up), tart up, bejewel, bedizen, caparison, furbelow, befrill

Bear with us. In short and in this context: Making every day things an occasion, or just more special than you already would. A little extra effort if you will. For no other reason whatsoever other than it brings along a little bit more joy. And most of the time with no extra cost at all.

I know what you’re thinking: That all sounds a little bit…fancy. And we’re not fancy….far from it to be honest. But the last few months being at home has meant that we’ve found new ways to make ourselves feel better. And do you know what? There’s something to be said for just making the normal day-to-day a little bit more lovely. If like us, you’ve also found it hard to tell one day from the next and found them all a little bit samey, this might be right up your street.

We’ve all been guilty of blaming a lack of time on rushing through each and every day in the past. And maybe you still find that you get to the end of the day and can’t remember the start of it or why you have left your phone in the fridge….

Well you know what? This is for you too. It’s for everyone. Because we know that not all of us have been blessed (?!) with extra time and that for some of us life has been more stressful than ever before. Whether you’ve been twiddling your thumbs and have tried every new hobby under the sun or are just looking for a little ‘slow down and catch your breath’ once in a while.

Join us in stopping, stepping back just a bit and making those every day things, well: a bit lovelier.

Here’s a great big list of things to get up and do instead of the things you usually would. Maybe like us, you’ll find new habits and stick with them but even if you don’t it’s good to give something new a go from time to time. Consider it less a ‘to-do’ list and more a ‘could-do’ list instead. Grab a pen….

1. Get up for sunrise. Even if it’s a lot earlier than you’d normally rise. Or even if it’s on a weekend. Even if you just wrap up in a blanket with a brew and sit on the garden bench, give it a go. Heck why not go all out?! Wrap up warm, grab a flask of coffee and some pastries and head down to one of the lovely parks around us?! Listen to the dawn chorus, look out for any shy deers and rabbits and notice how silent the world feels when most of us are still asleep.

2. Buy yourself some flowers. Or pick some wild ones. Whilst there aren’t a great choice out in the wild at the moment there’s something rather lovely about a vase of small blossom buds waiting to unfurl. But let’s face it there’s also nothing more cheerier than a great big jar of yellow daffodils.

3. Make breakfast an affair! When we think of cooking from scratch or making an effort with meals, don’t we always rush to cook an elaborate dinner or feel smug for having leftovers to take for lunch the next day?! We rarely make any extra time for breakfast. It’s probably also the meal most often skipped or forgotten in favour of an extra half an hour in bed or a busy schedule. Even if you only have the time to go the extra mile on a weekend, treat yourself to a special breakfast! You don’t have to be a whiz in the kitchen either. Buy a fancier loaf of bread in your weekly shop and make French toast. Go all out on toppings and make your own granola to serve with some plain yoghurt and fresh fruit. If you’re feeling like you want to make even more of a meal of it why not bake a loaf too? THIS soda bread recipe is super-duper easy, needs no proving and takes only 45 minutes too. It’s a lovely soft bread for a bacon sandwich as much as it is served warm from the oven spread with butter and jam. Make a habit of it and maybe you can treat yourselves to our beautiful ENAMEL TEAPOT and a TEA COSY for the middle of the table?!? But which colour?!?!/

4. Have a cup of tea in bed: When was the last time that happened? Don’t feel even an ounce of guilt for heading back to bed for an hour with a brew and your book. Orr the weekend papers. There is something to be said for the cosy feeling of nestling yourself back under the duvet with a hot mug of tea and coffee. You can find our favourite mugs HERE and HERE .

5. Run a special bath. You know the drill: put on a face mask, light a few candles and listen to absolutely nothing. Or you know a favourite album, podcast or playlist. Extra points for doing this on a rainy weekend afternoon. Extra extra points for a fancy pants BUBBLE BATH too.

6. Ear-mark your lunch hour. If you usually ate your lunch at a desk in between answering the phone or returning emails, and are now working from home, we bet you still don’t allow yourself an hours’ break. Even if you make a sandwich and take it into the garden for half an hour with a cuppa, make the most of that break. Maybe you could pack up your lunch and take it with you on a short walk and find somewhere nice to eat it? If the weather isn’t on your side, what about the luxury of half an hour with a book or podcast? Maybe you could carry on with a new hobby for fifteen minutes?! You could even squeeze in an at-home exercise class or yoga session. Just because you can!

7. Don’t save things for best. Wear them anyway and because they make you happy…within reason!

8. Explore somewhere new. Fed up of your daily walk?!? Like most we too find ourselves walking the same routes around the city. Why?! If you live in Carlisle it’s a very pedestrian-friendly city and you can get to all parts of it easily on foot. There are also many local parks and lovely greener detours to most corners if you look for them. And if that’s not your bag, grab your coat and head into the city centre for a wander around parts you maybe haven’t had time to linger before. Better still pack a flask and a snack for company. We stick our CHILLY’S bottles in one of THESE.

9. You know those beautiful scented candles you love so much but rarely light because there also only for ‘best?’ Light them. Plus isn’t there something a little bit lovely about the novelty of just sitting in candle-light?! Smartphone and all technology blue lights be gone! Make it smell lovely by burning one of THESE.

What’s the verdict then? Are we bonkers or are we onto something?! Let us know if you’ve been finding new routines and lovelier ways to fill up your days, accidentally or on purpose. If you haven’t also give us a nudge or tag us in a photo if you give any of these a try.