I’ve had another lovely week with a couple of cute date nights and a chance to get back into a routine with work and get designing again. The weather has really heated up here in England and I’ve been out and about enjoying the sunshine, especially on Friday when I went for a long walk in Sutton Park with my friend Sophia for a good old catch up. We found ourselves by Blackroot Pool, which was covered in gorgeous blooming water lilies, and spent over three hours meandering through the forests.
I also spent a lovely couple of nights with my boyfriend Ben visiting Rico Libre for paella night on Thursday after a trip to the Lego store. We also saw each other on Friday for a much quieter night spent watching Love is Blind; we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the UK edition!
WHAT’S INSPIRED ME THIS WEEK
As a fashion designer, and general creative type, I am constantly seeking inspiration wherever I am, and these posts are a way to document what has ignited something within me this past week. Whether its artwork I’ve seen online, photography that moved me, or a collection of colour in nature that kick-started a creative idea in my head, I’ll be sharing four ideas that have brought me joy in the past seven days.
R. READING
I’m reading Still Life by Sarah Winman and I’m obsessed with how human and genuine it feels. My favourite novels are those that feel so raw and genuine that the emotions of the characters almost feels palpable. I’m about a quarter of a way through the novel and I’m loving how layered the character development feels, I can’t wait to keep reading.
E. EDUCATING
The Intimate Conversations in Clo3D sessions, run by Kristen Anderson and her team, that I attend monthly, have started a new series of swimwear designs and I’ve absolutely loved learning about how to create swimwear pieces in the Clo3D software.
Understanding how this different part of intimate design can be portrayed in the 3D world is so intriguing, and I can’t wait to dive into it – pardon the pun – even further in the next session all about bikini tops.
P. PLAYING
I mentioned my new found love for Lego in last week’s post and it has gone up another level this week as my boyfriend, Ben, and I made Lego mini figures of each other. It was the sweetest date idea and we had so much fun designing outfits for each other’s ‘mini-me’ in the Birmingham Lego store.
O. OBSESSING OVER
Ben and I have decided to the do the ‘alphabet dating’ trend and we’ve spent the last few days planning out what dates we want to do for each letter.
It has forced us to be inventive with what dates we want to do, especially with some of the more obscure letters (!!) and it’s led to some really interesting date ideas that we may not have thought of otherwise.
We kicked it off with L – making Lego minifigures of each other – and it was the sweetest thing.
We are planning to scrapbook every date we go on, and as someone who loves journalling and getting crafty you’ll know how excited I am for that!
R. RECOMMENDING
Rico Libre, a hidden gem tucked away in Digbeth in Birmingham, is one of my favourite places to visit for a romantic dinner in town.
Each Thursday they host paella night, with their delicious paella at only £11 per person! Ben and I had the chicken and chorizo one and it was scrumptious; I’d also recommend their seafood paella – Rico Libre never misses! If you’re a fan of Spanish food make your way down to Digbeth one Thursday evening and treat yourself to the best paella in Birmingham.
T. TREATING MYSELF TO
I’ve been treating myself to a wonderful morning routine of reading in our conservatory whilst eating my breakfast and drinking fresh orange juice.
There’s something so lovely about fresh orange juice on a summer morning, and the calming breakfast sat in the bright conservatory whilst reading my book feels like such a treat.
Love Chloe x
