Hotel Style: Wall Mounted Soap

I've only ever seen these wall mounted soaps in hotels, but not long ago we were asked if we could find some for their bathroom. This nifty soap from La Maison Bleue attaches to the wall so you don't get any gungy soap marks all over your sink. It's £31.50 and you can buy refills in sets of two for £12. It's about as close as my bathroom will get to looking like a swanky hotel.

Design Porn: Takae Mizutani and Sons

I've already shown you some of Takae Mizutani and Sons' brilliance. Remember this castle and horse egg cup set from Caravan? This was created by Takae. Her designs are created by asking simple, (and wonderfully childish) questions. Why can't soldiers have their very own stand? Why indeed! But there's even more exciting things to show you!


A snail plate! For no reason other than the fact it looks awesome and it's fun! More design should be simple and fun. He's £22.12 from the always fabulous Hidden Art Shop.


This salt and pepper set is adorable. Wonderfully named 'Memory of Falmouth', it makes you wonder why something so simple hasn't been around for years. This is £38.78 and also comes in blue.


It took me ages to choose my favourite out of these tea towels, but the idea of counting raindrops in puddles is almost as fun as jumping in them. Check out more over at the Takae Mizutani and Sons website.

Biscuit Decorating at The Make Lounge

When I heard about the new culinary course at The Make Lounge, I was very excited. Biscuit decorating! My love affair with cupcakes might be dwindling slightly (feel free to attempt to change my mind) and I find myself leaning more towards biscuits and cookies.

This is no bad thing! Look at how pretty those biscuits are! These are yummy gingerbread biscuits with all different types of icing. And you can learn how to make them! You can pipe 'flooded' icing onto pretty dresses and shoes, roll, cut and play with glitter and all sorts of funky things. By the end of the session you'll be rivalling The Biscuiteers. Especially if you pick up some of these bug-shaped cookie cutters.

Once you're done, you take home recipes to make your own cookies, all the cookies you've decorated, and you can pick up more things to help you get creative in The Make Lounge shop. The classes start on April 22nd and they're £35. If the rest of the classes at The Make Lounge are anything to go by, you'll want to get yourself booked in soon - they sell out quickly!

Book Review: How to Be Gorgeous by Nicky Hambleton-Jones

This book's full title is a bit of a mouthful: How to be Gorgeous: Wear It Your Way and Feel Like a Goddess Every Day. So henceforth let's just refer to it as How to..., shall we? It was given to me as a belated Christmas gift (it came out to coincide with wardrobe-related New Year's resolutions at the start of last month). And although I'm usually ever so cynical about books like this, this one actually seems to be stylish but practical – a useful combination for ladies like me who accumulate style guides only to read them once and then abandon them on the bookshelf forever more.

How to... is basically a fashion guide book which talks you through popular trends, with lots of photo examples, and explains ways which you can wear each one and adapt them to suit your personal style. By advising you to find your own interpretations of each look, you're more likely to be comfortable and confident with the results.

There's a broad range of styles to experiment with, but chances are, unless you're a fickle fashionista indeed, you'll only be interested a maximum of two or three. Some you'll be downright distressed at the idea of. Or I was, at least. 'Sports Luxe'? Moi? I hardly think so! But some, like 'Grown-Up Glamour' are full of handy hints on common pitfalls to avoid, so you can be confident that you'll look more class than trash.

It's £11.49, reduced from £20, at Amazon. If you're an avid reader of the glossy fashion magazines, you'll probably already know all its tips and tricks. But if you're easily flummoxed by trends and want a reference guide as well as advice on combining certain accessories and styles, then this is about the same price as a couple of issues of Vogue, and much more accessible and useful too.

Wall Candy: A Meal Without Wine Screen Print

This hand-pulled screen print is currently topping the list of my most coveted homewares. And although of course us Domestic Sluts would never forget this sacred rule and serve a meal without wine, it doesn't hurt to remind everyone else of this undeniable truth, first inscribed by 19th Century French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

It's retro without being tacky, it's simple enough to make a statement addition to an otherwise-unfussy dining room or kitchen, and it can be yours unframed for £34.99, from The Contemporary Home.

Whilst I'll definitely be keeping this on my list of gifts for myself and other wine enthusiasts, I also have to confess to heartily concurring with Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin's other famous claim: "A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye.”

Although apparently the folks from TCH weren't as impressed with that one, as I've yet to find a screen print of that particular slogan!

A little bow-legged

These bow pattern tights from Dorothy Perkins just popped into our Twitter stream. And they're so very pretty. I tend to wear bright colours and patterns so shy away from patterned tights. But I must have these. They're too adorable not to. They're sheer, so you won't be roasting on a spring day when the sun inevitably comes out when you're dressed for colder weather (why? why does that always happen?) These are £8, and there's some with a heart pattern on them for £6. Just sheer prettiness.

Etsy pick: Zedhead

'Z' isn't the most hopeful of letters. It's generally a big old 'zzz' of a snooze. Thankfully, that letter has now got a whole lot more stylish courtesy of the bright and playful world of Zedhead - a Bristol based fashion and homeware design company. Far from being boring, their designs are colourful and lively enough to keep you awake at night.

Their scarves and clutch bags are pretty nifty but, typically, it's the cushions and lampshades that make my heart beat just that little bit faster.

Take this Peacock print lampshade. Some say it's unlucky to bring peacock feathers into your home. Ignore them and channel your inner Oscar Wilde to create a decadent and louche lounge look.

Continuing with the Victoriana feel is the 'Giddy up horsey' lampshade. It manages to use horses without being too 'My Little Pony'. For that it'll win you best in show.

The range of styles available is illustrated by this more folksy-style Birdy print cushion. These feathered friends have a very different feel to the peacock shade.

The good news is that Zedhead tend to use their patterns across their products so, if you see a cushion that you like, there's probably a lampshade (or a bag) with your name on it too. Like the lampshade? Then light up your life with a matching cushion. Prices are very reasonable with the lampshades costing $55 and the cushions priced at $50.

And finally, my favourite, the Flamingo and heart cushion. Nudging towards the side of kitsch, it shows that these birds don't only look pretty in pink. They look pretty in blue and yellow and on cushions and lampshades too.

Like the look? Then just head to zed...