Emma Bridgewater for Comic Relief

It's almost that time again - every March we see school children take to the streets in their pj's, celebrities do fun and crazy things a little out of the ordinary, and of course, little red noses popping up everywhere we look; from Greg James and co. tackling the Zambezi River to Jessie J shaving her head, it's a time for everyone to take part, have fun and do a bit for charity to boot!

This year British designer Emma Bridgewater has come to the rescue - be gone ugly-yet-money-raising goodies, this March even the most house-proud fundraiser can sigh with (comic!) relief as the fantastic range of Red Nose Day 2013 goodies are unveiled - exclusively sold at HomeSense and TK Maxx stores nationwide.

Featuring the distinctive black text and fun slogans the range is the ideal buy for those wishing to help a good cause as much as those who simply love Emma Bridgewater's iconic designs - with mugs from £9.99 (at least £4 goes to charity) and teatowels for just £4.99 (£2 goes to charity). 

Here's what Emma has to say...

“I was delighted to be asked to design a series of mugs and textiles to support Red Nose Day 2013. Matthew and I had great fun creating the range and we hope the products will carry the Comic Relief message into tens of thousands of kitchens and help change countless lives both here on your doorstep in the UK and in Africa. It’s also fantastic that Comic Relief supports a project in Stoke-On-Trent, centre of the Staffordshire potteries where all of the Comic Relief mugs have been made.”

Items available:

- Mugs (6 designs) - £9.99 (£4 donated)

- Tea towels - £4.99 (£2 donated)

- Double oven glove - £7.99 (£4 donated)

- Apron (worn above) - £12.99 (£6.50 donated)

- Bag for life - £9.99 (£4 donated)

Buy at - HomeSense or TK Maxx

Something for the weekend...

I've recently been introduced to Camera+ - an iPhone app that, you guessed it, is a camera and then some!

A little like Instagram (without the legal issues), Camera+ allows you to take photos and edit them to your heart's content - with different scenes, lighting, special effects and borders to choose from, there's no limit to the different looks and combinations you can create - not too shabby for just 69p. Here are a couple I tried earlier...

This week's top 5...Pouffes & Stools

1. Small urchin pouf - £470, Holly's House

2. Aqua 100% merino wool pouf - £195, Nordic Elements

3. Naoko beige footstool - £160, Habitat
4. Cottage checked pouffe - £75, Marks & Spencer
5. Tree trunk stool - £149, dwell

Brand watch...House of Rym

Probably best described as 'one-to-watch', House of Rym combines ancient Tunisian handcrafts and contemporary Scandinavian design to offer a wonderful selection of nature and colour - enjoying the old with the new.

The result of the combined passion from founders Rym Tounsi and Zied Youssef, the offering ranges from beautiful porcelain designs and elegant olive wood to fabulously rustic rugs and cushions; House of Rym is a treasure trove with a difference and most definitely one I will be going back to once their web store is up and running - watch this space!

Houseofrym.com

This little birdie...

Cheer up this grey weather with a beautiful Birdcage lamp from Graham & Green - ideal for adding a splash of colour and cheer to your home...

Medium Birdcage Chandelier - £470, Graham & Green

Do the look...Hubsch

1. Chalkboard decal - $12.99, Wallies

2. Hoxton stool - £50, Next

3. Set of 3 vintage glass bottles - £19, Not on the High Street

4. Emmanuelle enamel black pendant - £50, Habitat

5. Set of 3 rope crochet baskets - £25, Casa Couture at House of Fraser
6. Ingalls bench - £275, John Lewis

I spotted this fab lifestyle shot on Hubsch Interiors website - as with many, I absolutely love the rustic loft-living style but it's not always easy to achieve the right feel in your own home. I've spotted the above items on the web and the high street that might just help do the trick...

Hubsch products can also be found on CosyGlimpse.co.uk

Made.com must-have

I'm currently trying to convince myself that I don't need these dining chairs from Made.com...

Well of course I don't need them - I WANT them! It's not purely for the fact that at £149 for a pair they're really quite reasonably priced, or the fact that they'll go perfectly with our cream dining room table, or because they'll off-set the dark dining chairs we currently have, or the fact that they look good enough to eat - I just must have them, simple. If only it wasn't the end of the month...I'll just have to wait til next week then.

Pair of Jelly acrylic chairs - £149, Made.com

TRAVEL - The beauty of Berlin

Last August I went to the beautiful city of Berlin. Having previously not even considered Germany's capital as a potential city break location that I wanted to visit I really had no idea what to expect; I was very pleasantly surprised.

We stayed at Hotel Mani in the Mitte district. 

The hotel was ideal - beautifully decorated, quirky yet sleek, small yet kitted out with everything we needed; we were also permitted to use the stunning roof terrace bar of the sister hotel just around the corner (what better setting for a couple of sunny afternoon drinks?). The location of the hotel was also perfect, we couldn't have asked for anything better, particularly on our reasonably small budget. Just a short walk from Alexanderplatz, probably best described as the Leicester Square of Berlin without all of the bars, we were close enough to walk pretty much everywhere whilst still being able to experience an essence of Berlin-living in what seemed to be quite an upscale, trendy area.

Berlin itself is of course known for the obvious history and you really do have to do a bit of sight-seeing whilst your there - the buildings and surroundings such as the Reichstag are beautiful.

Another reason for visiting Berlin is the food; I couldn't go to Germany without trying sauerkraut and currywurst, especially with a German boss back in the office! I will never forget my first German meal, unfortunately not because it was just too delicious - quite the opposite. In simple terms, because I have no idea of the correct ones, it was rubbery pale cheese, very large, dry bread, pickled gherkins and...a tub of lard. LARD! I'm sure there were better things I could have tried, I'm quite a fussy eater as it is; needless to say, I stuck to what I knew from then on...

This short, brief summary of my trip doesn't do any justice to the sheer diversity of Berlin - from the wealthy Charlottenburg to the graffiti, infamous nightlife, culture and everything in between, Berlin is 100% definitely worth the visit; I, for one, will most certainly be returning very soon!

Fashion for the home

With Couture Fashion Week currently under-way it's all too easy to dream of floating down the streets of Paris in one (or all) of the exquisite gowns - now I can't speak for you but I can pretty much guarantee this is a very distant dream for me. What is perhaps more achievable however is taking the inspiration to make your home just a little more couture...

Whether you take inspiration from the colour (red seems to be a safe bet at the moment) or perhaps pick out the textures and materials with the use of accessories, there are many relatively quick, easy and purse-friendly options available to take a stab at.

For those that don't fancy scouring the high street Marks & Spencer have created a fab selection of footstools that fit well with the Valentino gown as worn by Cara Delevingne...

1. 3D multi flower beanbag - £149
2. Layered applique petals beanbag - £139
3. English Garden beanbag - £149

Well hi there, long time no see!

You may have noticed that we haven't been particularly active (read: we've done absolutely nothing at all) on Satchels & Soap since July 2012 - this was due to a number of reasons, mainly that same old story - TIME - or lack of..! Well it's a new year so what better time to get back on the horse so-to-speak.

Without blabbing away for far too long about the amazing changes in the pipeline (you've hopefully already spotted the updated logo) and mind bogglingly brilliant posts we have up our sleeves, we thought we'd kick off the new era of Satchels & Soap with something simple yet brilliant, and what better way than with the new TV ad from IKEA - brilliant as ever, here it is...

Lovely to see you again!

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