Seriously, how is it the end of May already? This year is flying by! I had all this stuff I was going to do in 2011... hmm, maybe I should get on with some of that...

Anyway, it IS the end of May, the last Friday of the month to be precise, and that means it's Blog Love time again. I don't know what the weather's like where you are, but around these parts it has been decidedly dull, and grey, and wet, and just not very summery at all. So I thought I would try and inject a bit of sunshine into this rainy day and share a couple of colourful blogs that never fail to brighten up my day.

Conversation Pieces is the design/lifestyle/weddingy/general-cool-stuff blog of Edinburgh writer Zoe Martin. I think it's fair to say the girl loves a bit of colour; her blog is packed full of quirky design finds, gorgeous pictures of her bright and beautiful flat, and colourful vintage bits and bobs. She is also currently in the throes of planning her forthcoming wedding, which I have no doubt will be fabulously creative and one-of-a-kind, if her amazeballs Save The Date video is anything to go by.

What I like about Zoe's blog is that it's not one of those faceless, consumerist, "check out all this trendy stuff you will never be able to afford"-type design blogs (*cough* Design Sponge *cough*). Her personality and personal style shine through in everything she posts. I even bought this super-cute snuggly fox print after she posted about it - it hangs next to our bed and I luuuurve it. Zoe was also sweet enough to help me out with my yellow skirt hunt when I asked if she had any suggestions (yes, the saga continues) - she's all about the yellow.


Obviously the fact that Zoe is a fellow Edinburgh resident gives her a special place in my blog-loving heart (I don't know her in real life or anything, though. I did once think I saw her on the street and totally stared at her in a creepy-stalker way, but didn't want to say anything because, you know, didn't want to seem like a creepy stalker. Zoe, if that really was you, um, sorry) but no matter where you're from you will not fail to be inspired and just plain cheered up by her blog.

Trust me. It's like sunshine on toast. 

I don't know if it's weird to include Young House Love here - it's kind of like saying, "Hey, have you heard of this amazing company called Apple? They make some really cool stuff, you should check it out! You heard it here first!!". It's a pretty popular blog. But still, I imagine that some of you, like me, may have started out reading nothing but wedding blogs and might have no idea where to look and what to read once the all-consuming wedding wave has started to subside, so I'll go ahead and share it anyway. (Plus there is a whole section on Young House Love dedicated to their wedding, so if that's still your thing, you're sorted.)

The blog is run by John and Sherry Petersik. They are a young, wholesome, good-looking pair of newlyweds who have just bought a house in Richmond, Virginia. They decorate their house. Then they blog about it. Occasionally they blog about some other stuff as well. And that's all they do. As in, that is their only job. (Jealous, moi?)

As if their lifestyle isn't idyllic enough, they are also parents to the cutest baby EVER. Sorry all you other parents out there - your babies are cute too, but Clara is off the scale of cute. She is the Dominos pizza of cute. Or the crack cocaine of cute. She's just really, really, really cute.


So we've established their lives are perfect and their baby is adorable - wait, shouldn't we hate them? Well, no, because damn them if they aren't the nicest people too. They're just really open and warm, and their blog is full of attainable ideas and honest advice. If something they try goes completely tits up, they'll admit it. If they see their dream piece of furniture but it's waaay out of their budget, they'll go to Ikea instead, thankyouverymuch.

Like Converstion Pieces, Young House Love isn't filled with aspirational New York townhouses, astronomically-priced art or minimalist white designer furniture that most people (ok, I mean me) would spray with spaghetti sauce within five minutes of buying; instead, it is filled with colour, vibrancy, fun, and "let's just give it a go and see what happens". Which I love.


Obviously I don't have a house, so paint colours and DIY patios are not exactly top of the agenda at the moment, but there is still plenty of inspiration to be found. For example, they recently threw a party to celebrate Clara's first birthday and it was so fun to see all the creative little touches they put together for it. Sure, most people actually have jobs to go to and don't have time to hand-craft table runners and colour-co-ordinate balloons all day, but it's a constant reminder that creativity and craftiness don't need to begin and end with your wedding; they can be part of your daily life and the surroundings you create for yourself.

So, yeah. Even if you don't have a house, Young House Love is still a fun, cheerful place to visit for some if-I-had-a-house daydreaming, a bit of good ol'-fashioned Southern hospitality and bags of inspiration. (Plus, the cute baby. Don't forget the cute baby.)

And now for something completely different. I actually don't even know how to begin to describe Faux Fuchsia. Let's just say, if blogs were colours, Conversation Pieces would be yellow, Young House Love would be a nice fresh green, and Faux Fuchsia would be Pink with a capital P.

FF is Hardcore into Butter, unnecessary capitalisation, Oprah, gardening (despite constant battles against Old Testament Varmints), heavily discounted designer clobber and nail varnish that is not Quick to Chip. She is always immaculately groomed (even when uber pregnant), is frequently Directed by the Universe to bake, and has an undying commitment to Never Knowingly Undercushioning. 

In some ways, FF's posts are all the same, yet I always look forward to reading them. She has a wonderful turn of phrase, is full of wit and wisdom, and is much sharper than the blog's slightly overwhelming colour scheme would have you believe. 

Wishing you all a sunny weekend.

*Nicola - just to be clear, Ray is not an actual person...


Home card by Yoke. All other images are from the respective blogs.