Round here: Rose Clover and the Bureau of Change

I've talked about the amazing Rose Clover and Bureau of Change shop before, and posted loads of pictures on Instagram, but recently they moved premises to Albert Road in Southsea - and oh, my gosh, the new shop is amaaaazing.

The front of the shop is all beautifully dark walls, a spectacular archway and original features, and is the home to most of the plants and baskets. Industrial shelving is stacked with geometric pots, enamel trays and concrete accessories, and there is greenery everywhere; fishtail succulents jostle for space with pilea peperomioides, marantas sit snuggly inside rustic vintage clay pots and the hugest of cacti are displayed in handwoven baskets. There are little extras everywhere; bunches of dried lavender, air plants nestling in corners and the walls are adorned with handmade glass terrariums. In short, it's catnip to plant lovers.

Further back, you'll find the floristry space, where Liz makes up the most beautiful bouquets, and sells flowers by the stem - think the most exquisite blush tea roses, pointed spires of purple veronica, and bunches of scented eucalyptus. There's also the furniture and accessories discovered by Neil, who owns the Bureau of Change; vintage and industrial lighting, glassware, prints, books, magazines and home accessories are all displayed beautifully, and work so well with the plants and flowers. 

It's the ideal place to browse on a Saturday afternoon, and at this time of year, I can't think of anywhere better to find a Christmas gift for any plant-lovers or interiors fanatics in your life - if you live in Southsea, or are visiting in the next week or so, I can't encourage you enough to pop in! 

Wick Candle Boutique, Hove

I usually dread the end of summer and the colder months arriving; rain, grey skies, coughs and colds, and endless darkness.... but this year I'm unusually happy to see the leaves starting to fall. Autumn means, among other things, hiding inside with blankets, books and yarn projects - and of course, candles. Lots and lots of candles!

I've been a fan of candles for years, and I always bought the same ones; light florals in the winter, and then clove and cinnamon spiced scents in the winter - but then we went away a couple of years ago and stayed somewhere that had a log burner in the lounge, and I found myself trying to recreate that beautifully smokey, earthy smell. The only thing is, buying scented candles online is risky; although the descriptions always sound amazing, you can never be sure that they're going to smell quite how you imagine - so I was pretty excited when the lovely folks from Wick Candle Boutique got in touch to let me know about their new shop.

Based in Hove, they stock a huge range of candles, incense and bath and beauty products from all over the world, and take care to mix more well known brands with new labels and independent businesses. They kindly gifted me three candles; the Nomad Society Smoke and Wood soy candle, the utterly gorgeous Wildflower scent by Earl of East London and the wonderfully relaxing Kernel by Join. The Nomad Society is hands down my favourite; woody, smokey and delicious, it smells exactly like a log burner - the only thing missing is the crackle!

The shop itself is brilliant; light, bright and beautifully designed. Displays are glorious; fairy lights give glass jars and bottles a warm glow, fresh flowers are dotted around, and soy candles of all shapes and sizes jostle for space with oils, balms and creams from the apothecary. They also stock greetings cards and post cards, making it the ideal place to find the perfect Christmas or birthday gift - and they'll even wrap it for you free of charge. How's that for service?!

Wick can be found at 120 Portland Road in Hove, and can be contacted via telephone or email. They're also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so head over and follow along!

Many thanks to Wick Candle Boutique for collaborating on this post. I was gifted three candles, but as usual, all thoughts and words are my own. 

The Wise House

Although I've vowed not to enter Christmas-territory until the 1st December, I've made a few exceptions; firstly, the gourds have started looking a bit sad, so I've given them the elbow in favour of some lovely fresh eucalyptus, and secondly I've been looking for shops and crafters to feature in my festive shopping guide. I love the idea of getting as many people as possible to choose handmade and local products for their gifts, decorations and Christmas table, so every year I squeeze in as many posts as possible with as many talented shop owners, artists and crafters. This year, I'm starting with The Wise House, an online store packed full of ethical and eco-friendly goodies.

Owned by the lovely Lucy, The Wise House is a treasure trove of handmade, ethical and completely unique homeware, clothing and beauty items, and is the perfect place to shop if you're looking to get away from the high street this Christmas. From artisan soaps and handmade linens to colourful home accessories and beautiful loungewear, there's something for pretty much everyone - and there's even a brand new festive section full of lights, garlands and rustic-style gift sacks. I can also happily vouch for the Parkminster candles - the bonfire scent is perfect if like me, you're longing for an open fire, but are missing a chimney!

 I've rounded up my six favourite items below - happy shopping everyone.

From top left:
Pompom Light Garland, £25 //  Souk Shopping Basket in Plum, £24 // Cushions (Made to Order), £35 // Oven Mitts, £10 // Handmade Soap, £5 // Personalised Christmas Tree Sack, £12.50. 

Lucy kindly sent me the Parkminster Bonfire Candle to try, but as usual, all thoughts and words are my own.

Lovely Lewes

A while ago (quite a long while ago, to be honest - I've not blogged for a month, and it was quite a long time before that!), we spent a pretty nice Saturday exploring Lewes; I'd never been before, and there were a tonne of lovely shops I was dying to have a rummage in, so off we went. 

Just the other side of Brighton, Lewes has just as many lovely places to visit, but with less crowds and cheaper parking! We only had a few hours, so I didn't get to quite as many places as I'd have liked - but I still managed to go home with a full belly and a loaded car!

The Good Times Home Store, The Needlemakers, West Street

I'd planned to go and visit The Needlemakers after Jeska told me how amazing it was (and she was right - more on that in a bit!), but we actually stumbled across it by accident on the way out of the car park, when I saw the front of The Good Times Home Store. Well, when faced with lovely kitchenware, handprinted cards and exquisite cushions, what can you do other than run inside?
Based on the lower floor of The Needlemakers, I spent too long in this shop - but the lovely lady who owns it let me potter up and down happily, stroking the beautiful fabrics and trying desperately to decide whether I needed one wooden spoon or two (it turns out I needed two. Surprise!) The good news is they have an online store as well, so even if you're miles away, you can still have a thorough look around.

Louise Harding, The Needlemakers, West Street
Tucked away in the corner on the second floor of The Needlemakers, is a tiny gem of a shop absolutely packed with beautiful things for the home. Louise Harding's space is full of wonderful ceramics, heady scented candles and a huge selection of lighting, prints and other goodies. I came away with some candlesticks, a card and some lovely decorative feathers.

From Victoria, The Needlemakers, West Street
Directly opposite Louise Harding, is From Victoria, which I can only possibly describe as UTTER PLANT HEAVEN. I stood outside for ages, picking pots up and putting them down again, pondering over beautiful woven bags and marvelling at the loveliest vintage tiles. Inside, giant old windows filled the space with light, bathing everything in a gentle golden glow; plump linen cushions jostled for space with beautiful ceramics, hand illustrated cards sat neatly on small shelves and surfaces were filled with string, scissors, candles, clay pots and organic body products. I spent far too long pottering around, but finally left with a few vintage tiles and a Pilea plant (I've been looking for one for absolutely ages) - although I do keep thinking about the terrariums!

Closet and Botts, 196 High Street
Out on the main high street lies Closet and Botts, a beautiful lifestyle store which is the perfect combination of old and new. One of those wonderful shops that covers pretty much everything, there were racks of vintage seed packets, artisan soaps, teetering stacks of tableware, piles of gorgeous linens, woven baskets and the most glorious collection of haberdashery I've ever seen. I bought a basket and some candles, but could have quite happily taken home most of the shop!

The Flint Owl Bakery, 209 High Street
I don't really know where to start with the Flint Owl Bakery - I'm not much of a foodie, but this place really made me swoon. Directly in front of the door was a huge rack with handmade, artisan, glorious-smelling loaves of bread; dusted lightly with flour and piled high, sourdough rounds nestled next to spelt loaves, and crusty white baguettes teetered on the top. While we queued for our lunch, we eyed up the shelves laden with cakes; impossibly huge gateaux, featherlight sponges and exquisite patisserie all made me consider skipping lunch and heading straight for desert. In the end I had a vegetarian tart (there was goats cheese, but I can't remember what else, other than it was incredible!) and Ali had some handmade sausage rolls. There are no pictures, because I couldn't wait long enough to take any!