The most FABULOUS competition and celebrating an imperfectly, perfect, laid table

Now bear with me on this one! True, the table cloth needs an iron, the crockery doesn't quite match, the paper napkins are from Ikea and the cutlery could do with a polish. BUT here's the thing. I walked through the door at about 5pm yesterday, the sun was shining but fading, we had a fantastic burrito dinner planned and I felt that spring might just be in the air, so I decided that all of these things were worth celebrating, albeit in a slightly imperfect way. 

Table cloth Cleverly Wrapped (£48) Flowers from Peony Flowers Glasses from Oliver Bonas similar here

I could have waited until next weekend when the light wasn't fading, when I'd sorted the crockery, when I'd ironed the table cloth and found some fabric napkins - but then the moment would have been lost, the time investment would have been disproportionate and it may have created pressure. Hec I may not even be around then!

So this post is about looking beyond the imperfect (other than the flowers which are TOTALLY perfect and which we will come to in a minute) and seizing the moment. Everyone who sat at the table - from the 10 year old to the three teenagers and my husband, noticed and appreciated it, so it was worth the effort. But to be fair even if they hadn't, it made me happy! Plus I'm pleased to report that the new table cloth (which was gifted to me by Cleverly Wrapped at a recent event and which can also be used as a beach throw or a wrap) survived the onslaught of tomato sauce spillages and chocolate sauce being dripped all over it. 

So what was bunged onto the table in addition to the obvious? Bottles of gin of course. Rhubarb, lemon and elderflower to be precise. I love the colour of the labels and also of the contents. A bowl of lemons and limes, a candle from Neon Beach Club which kind of worked with the flowers and the Easter eggs that my Mum has wrapped up for the children for Easter.

But let's talk about the flowers. Oh how gorgeous are they? I met Julie from Peony at QVC on International Womens' Day. We shared a dressing room and got chatting about all sorts of things.  I had seen Julie before, and I knew about Peony Flowers but I hadn't really investigated them. To be honest I just don't think I'd ever really thought about faux flowers. Oh what a mistake was that?  Hello lightbulb moment!

Subsequent to our meeting, Julie sent me this beautiful hydrangea arrangement, together with a stunning bouquet, both of which instantly transformed our room. I think that I messaged her straight away telling her that I hadn't realised that this was just what the room needed. Mr SG is very impressed with the flowers. He's slightly mystified by them and he keeps on taking a look at them, and feeling them, to see whether they are real.

And in her kind and generous way, Julie has offered this Lily arrangement (which retails at £160) as an Easter gift in a competition that I have already launched on Instagram but which I would love everyone to be able to take part in, whether you're on Instagram or not and whether you're able to leave comments on the blog or not.

So really it's very simple. If you're on Instagram please hop over to my Instagram page here and tag a friend who you would like to receive this gift. You can tag as many friends as you like. If you're not on Instagram, just leave a comment below, mentioning the name of a friend. And if you can't leave a comment, please just email me at mail@bethgoodrham.com with your friend request. And that's it! The winner will be announced on Easter Sunday - and believe me, this lily arrangement will be far better than any possible Easter egg ever could be. Good Luck!

An Interiors Post - Creating a compact study area

Before we had the work done on our house, I didn't have a space of my own for working or blogging. I would move from the kitchen table to the kitchen island and back again, leaving leads trailing and people flailing as they tripped over them.

So, when the chance came for me to think about what we wanted from our new space, it was important to carve out a work corner. It didn't need to be big but as it's not hidden from view, it needed to be tidy. (The rest of my files and paraphernalia are currently in cardboard boxes but they will be stored in a cupboard that has yet to be built.)

As to the furniture, I looked at lots of desks and finally chose this John Lewis gravity desk in walnut (£250). The design really appealed to me. I didn't want anything too "officey" looking and it was just really different - plus it wasn't extortionate. The shelves are, as you might predict, the high gloss lack shelves from Ikea.

I love listening to the Radio and my husband bought me this Roberts Revival Mini Radio from John Lewis for a recent birthday.

The tall vases are handmade by Susan Nemeth and I've probably had them for ten or so years now. I love ceramics and particularly the colours that Susan uses. The squarer shaped vase is by Jessie Higginson. I carried around a postcard with her work on it for a very long time and then a few years later some of her vases appeared in a local shop and my husband bought this one for me as a present. That was about 16 years ago now and I love it now just as much as I did then. The vases used to be in our living room but the colours seem to work well with the colour of the wall, so they're living here for a while now instead.

And I know that this sounds a bit up my own bum but as everything is on display on the desk, it needed to be pleasing on the eye whilst also functional. I had some John Lewis vouchers saved from Christmas and so I treated myself (and it was a treat, to the point that I had slight palpitations) to this Kate Spade stapler, tape dispenser and letter tray whilst my husband bought me the Kate Spade tumblers so that I had something nice to drink out of when I was working. Bless him! The notebooks are from Home Bargains (the gold striped one) and the turquoise and white one is from Kate Spade at Selfridges, although it's no longer online.

The chair that I am using is one that we already had and it's the Macadam folding chair from Habitat. These chairs cost £10 and come in variety of colours. They are brilliant, really sturdy and comfortable plus fantastic for their price. I must admit to quite fancying the pale pink one too. To soften it up a little, I bought this faux fur cushion in silver stripe from John Lewis (£15). A review that I have just read says that it sheds fur over everything but I haven't noticed that to be the case. Although I could well be walking around with a furry bottom without knowing!

And this is my study area in context. Tucked away at the back of the room it is cosy and all mine (for now - wait until the A-level revision starts. I fear that I will be back on the kitchen table!)