Caroline Burke | Burkatron

anyone else almost forget about valentines this year? (the only reason i twigged today was because gabe's due date was feb 14th!) 

personally, i've always liked valentines, i think it's a cute holiday and i love an excuse to give gifts but i've always hated that some people find it a miserable day! who cares if you get flowers from someone? buy them for yourself, buy them for happiness, buy them for pleasure and hell, don't wait for feb 14th, it should be a weekly ritual (it is for me.) 

i wanted to share a project i made a while back, it's a quick floral wall hanging that would be great for a little valentines get together (whether that be with a loved one or your fave gal pals.) 

tbf it would work for so many events if you just switch up the flowers, white roses for baby showers, greenery for wedding etc. it's a really easy make and you can find the details on how to make this floral display for yourself over on hunker.

have you guys got any exciting plans? (james and i will be cracking out a bottle of wine and a new series on netflix and i'm not unhappy about it!)

back soon

caroline x

i adore giving flowers, whether it's a special occasion or simply just to remind someone i'm thinking about them. with valentines creeping up i figured i'd share some simple ideas to wrap them as they're a super cute galentine gift option for your bff's!

here are 4 easy ideas for transforming a plain old supermarket bouquet into a gift with a personal touch (for extra brownie points.)

1. DIY wrapping paper:

jazz up some plain gift wrap by splattering it with with an old toothbrush dipped in black acrylic paint. in the above photo i've used white paper as i wanted a modern minimal look but it works really well on brown paper paper too. (just make sure it's dried before you wrap up your flowers!)

to wrap the bouquet cut off a rectangle of paper and place the top of your bouquet in one corner. fold the opposite corner up over the stems then wrap the left side over the middle. fold the right side over and tie with string to finish!

2. mini bouquets:

these are great if you have a few people you want to surprise! divide up your flowers into as many mini bouquets you want and wrap a small elastic band around to keep them in place. cut some brown paper rectangles and wrap them around the stems- secure with string or leather cord to create these dinky little treats.

3. fabric bouquet:

i'm really into fabric wrapped presents right now so why not try it on flowers? here i've taken a piece of linen and used it to wrap a simple shop bought bouquet. you could use colourful or patterned fabrics as well- perfect for those off cuts i have stashed in my cupboards!

4. lace decoration:

take a simple bunch of flowers, secure with an elastic band and then wrap some lace trim or ribbon around the stems for a v. pretty and simple decoration. (if lace isn't your thing try some string or jute for a more rustic feel...) 

i know some people hate it but i think valentines day it's pretty cute -even if it is totally commercial. 

last weekend i decided to try a project inspired by valentines- making my own rosewater. roses and valentines kinda go hand in hand right? 

valentines is like marmite, I love it but some people hate it!

I love a good instagram stalk.. am I alone? 

it's definitely the app I spend the most time on; you know your addicted when nobody is allowed to eat at a restaurant until you've taken a photo of the food (guilty as charged!!)

anyhow here's some of my latest snaps... enjoy!

this weeks love heart nail art | MTV sweater- found on a charity shop trip | sweet shop excitement | talking chocolate

it's a wrap! (blog post on this event & details to come soon!) | vintage stamps- I'm using them to decorate my notebooks! | fave topshop polish in awol | the best stir fry I've ever eaten @ thai & lao street food in boxpark shoreditch

a quick little review for you guys today! since it's valentines in a few days I thought I'd share a few nail polishes I was sent by look fantastic recently. 

these ORLY polishes are from their limited edition 'I love nails' spring 2013 valentines collection and are appropriately themed in colour and name... awww!

so here are some swatches from two of the range:

toast the couple is a peachy nude that has a frost/pearlised finish. 

I don't wear pearlised polishes so this one isn't for me but I know they're quite popular so I thought I show you how it swatched! I was surprised how much I like it once applied and the formula is nice and rich without being thick and heavy. It hasn't quite won me round to frosted nails but I have to say I don't hate it! 

I used 3 coats here but I'd say 2 would be enough if you were in a hurry!

monroe's red is a bright pillar box red polish!

this one is my cup of tea! every girl needs a stand out va va voom red in their collection and this is no exception! bright, super glossy and one hell of a statement this is my favourite polish from the I love nails range. there's something that just oozes sex appeal about red polish; if I'm feeling a little meh this is definitely the polish I'd put on to give me a lift!

the I love nails collection is available here with free shipping; if you can't decide which is your favourite there's a mini selection with all four colours to tempt you with!

what nail colour will you be wearing this valentines, have you tried ORLY polishes before?

caroline x