My Imaginary Shop – Spring Edition

I can’t be sure due to the intermittent drizzle and cold, but I think spring is finally here. The roads are lined with bursts of daffodils, Mini Eggs are adorning the shelves and those glorious May bank holidays are almost upon us.  When spring hits London the pubs suddenly overflow into the street as sleeves are rolled up – with sickly sweet cider leaving rings on the tables and reddened noses trudging back to the office a little bit slower than usual. Trips to the countryside are no longer weighed down with winter warms but optimistically met with t shirts and flip flops. The promise of summer is oh so close and I cannot wait.

To welcome spring properly is to introduce colour and life, to relegate the heavy woollen jumpers back into storage and undergo the cathartic spring clean. This year I pledge to rid my flat of the many unused towels, old uni books and outdated phone chargers using Buy Me Once’s ‘Things I Don’t Need’ (post on this to follow). I will only bring in what I need and love, and get rid of drawer-filling, once-a-year clutter.

To help you purge for spring and fill your space with freshness and life, my imaginary shop would be stocked with unorganised succulents, kitschy flamingo cocktail sticks and strings of festoon lights.

1. The Rurbanite: Living in the Country without Leaving the City A follow up to her ever-popular Girl’s Guide to Growing Your Own, Alex Mitchell is back to show us busy city dwellers how to introduce a bit of rural charm into our lives.
2. Muji Storage What organised home is complete without Muji’s now iconic plastic storage boxes? Somehow they’ve managed to make the most boring thing on earth into a organisational staple, adorning the offices and drawers of designers and creatives everywhere.
3. Harry Brompton’s Ice Tea I was thrilled to discover this in Waitrose the other day. I’m secretly a bit jealous of the idea of big Southern summer with jugs of ice cool tea, huge dishes of shrimp and corn and outdoorsy fun. I love the old school bottles too!
4. Urban Cinemas – Okay so it might be hard to squeeze a drive in cinema into my little shop, but I love the idea of pop up cinemas. I had a trip to Waterstones (Tottenham Court Road) the other day and they had filled their basement with candles and wine for regular screenings. Check some more out here – Rooftop Film Club, Film 4 Summer Films at Somerset House, Where Is the Nomad.
5. Elle Fit Active – Get Bendy Refreshingly non-smug for a gorgeous fitness blogger, Elle is a longterm sufferer from scoliosis and found yoga as a way to manage her pain. Now on a certified yoga teacher, she has released a series of easy to follow guides to get you bendy, split and inverted so that you can show off your handstands in the park.

My Imaginary Shop – Aaand Breathe Edition

One of the hardest things in everyday life can be finding the off switch on your working life and taking some time for yourself. Even when I’m at home I find it so hard to ignore emails popping up on my phone, which leads to needless worry in my supposed ‘me’ time. When emails are available at our fingertips every second of the day it turns a 9-5 into a 24/7. If you’ve had a particularly crazy week it can be so difficult to switch off that you end up carrying your work home and worrying about that email/client/meeting long into the evening. Long hours and the constant worry of job security can eat away at the precious time you need AND deserve to keep for yourself.

If the thought of deleting your gmail app makes you palms sweat, there are plenty of other ways to help you unwind. Give yourself some slack – if you’re having the week from hell it’s okay to give the gym a miss, to skip the home-cooked meal, or turn down those drinks. Don’t beat yourself up about it, use that time for you and you’ll feel better for it. Find your own happiness routine, whether it’s venting to your friends, leaning on a partner, or having some alone time. Personally, I find it impossible to think about work if I’m in the tub with an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, or cooking my favourite meal. As much as I wish I could find my happy place at the gym, realistically it’s in a glass of wine…but each to their own.

I think in my shop I’d have to have a night dedicated to this, maybe my ‘Unwind from the Grind’ night…too sexual? Anyway, we’d close the shop down, open a few bottles of wine and have some circle time.

Until then, here are my favourites for when I’m in desperate need of some me time.

1. The Grey Area – Yoga Mat Much nicer than staring at a plain grey matt, The Grey Area asked seven (reflecting the body’s chakras, obvi) artists to design a yoga mat for this collection. 
2. Prestat – Chocolate Boxes Now that your chakras are well and truly balanced, you probably deserve some chocolate. These beautifully presented chocolates are available in a delectable variety of flavour combinations. 
3. Sad and Useless – Colouring Book for Grown Ups Sometimes you need mindfulness and tranquility, and sometimes you need to hate the world a bit and let out some frustration. Channel your anger into creativity with these hilarious doodles.
4. Chapel Down – English Sparkling Wine England and wine are hardly synonymous with each other, especially with the amount of new breweries popping up we’re usually considered a beer country, until now. Chapel Down is created using classic Champagne variety grapes grown in Kent and is a frontrunner in the growing popularity of homegrown wines.
5. Neals Yard Remedies – Aromatic Massage Oil Okay so I cheated a little, you may need someone else for this one, but it will be oh-so worth it. Stored in their iconic blue bottles, this heady lavender scent puts your mind and muscles at ease.