In a busy world, dominated by time spent in front of screens, these intricately designed books, help you to switch off, de-stress and rebalance body and mind. So we couldnt wait for one of our favourite Fashion Illustrator’s Laura Hickman to launch her Instagram inspired colouring in book #OOTD ( Outfit of the day). Drawings of beautiful, imaginative illustrations are inspired by timeless fashion trends of Nineties, Seventies & Parisian Chic including current shoppable pieces.

The book is such a special piece and makes a unique & uplifting gift. Perfect for long haul flights, cosy nights in & just when you’re feeling in need of some inspiration… Laura is a full-time designer specialising in illustration for independent fashion designers, she was previously the Visual Specialist for Arcadia including Topshop. Laurence King, who have published books for the likes of Matthew Williamson & Anthropologie deemed the book #OOTD as “The perfect hostess gift” we knew we had to have a quick catchup with Laura whilst galavanting around her hometown of Wales. She also happens to have the keenest eye for whats on trend -so lets us know what is inspiring her for 2017 and some insider tips on getting published – no agent needed…

Read Laura’s full interview to get a glimpse into her beautiful, creative world with some inspiration for a fun & simple way to de stress and rebalance ready for the New Year ahead…

Thank you so much Laura!

Happy New Year! SBE xx

You can pick up a copy of #OOTD at Colette Paris, Urban Outfitters, Macys or Amazon and coming soon to ASOS.  Follow along with Laura @LauraHickmanillustration

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How to make your own Macaron Tower..

the easy way, without the glue gun, cake turning table or templates – you don’t need to be a professional cake maker for this, you just need to be a little bit creative and have fun!

I find there is always something so magical about Paris at the end of the year. The Parisian’s give way to the city of luxe and make way for traditional family fun – food, friends & laughter! Even the fashion houses & designers – Chanel, Vuitton & Jean-Paul Gaultier amongst others embrace the holiday spirit and give back to charity by designing their vision of a Christmas tree for “Les Sapin Noel Des Createurs”. Every corner turns in to something magical with light festoons, brass band’s and Christmas markets at the boulevards of Saint Germain, Montparnasse & Saint Sulpice, lining the square’s with their pretty cake canopies, artisanal sweets, cheeses, & hand made gifts. A symbol of Christmas in Paris are the open air ice-skating rink’s that glitter in the dark of the night at places like Hotel de Ville & Champs Elysee with the smell of spice in the air from the warm, “Vin Chaud” The street’s of St Germain des Pres use to be home to bohemian artists, designer’s & writers, now one of Paris’ most iconic shopping spots where the glittering windows of Laduree’s tea salon almost always draw me in. It reminds me of being little. So beautiful and enchanting as always but the atmosphere at Christmas make peering in through the frosty panelled windows, feel like a glimpse into Santa’s grotto – full of pastel coloured boxes, sugared almonds, ribbons, colourful tartes and of course the delicious macaron towers. A quick stop for my favourite macaron – Caramel au beurre salé and I have the inspiration for a very special Christmas & Birthday gift this year!

My Sister in law’s Birthday happens to fall on Christmas Day so I wanted to make her something special & personal….. After some brainstorming I decided it had to be a Macaron Tower. I have never attempted this before and only ever admired them through the window’s in Paris but I decided it was worth the challenge and a great alternative to regular chocolate’s & cakes. I called my good friend, Jean – Herve Nedelec at Bougie Macaron in London. Jean made me 150 beautiful Macaron’s filled with Chocolate Opéra, Caramel au beurre salé ( Salt Caramel) & Vanilla.

If you are looking for a piece for your next party try this DIY macaron tower. You can create something really pretty and it’s fun to do.

Macaron’s
Polystyrene Cone
Pencil
Cake candle
Scissors
Pencil
Chopstick
Cocktail sticks ( toothpicks)
Ribbon’s ( personalised ribbon is always a nice touch) 1 thick piece ( 2 inches wide x 2m long) – 1 thin piece (0.5cm wide by 2m Long)
Sellotape & double sided sticky tape
Wrapping Paper
Cake stand
Sewing pins x 4( you can use sellotape if you don’t have any pins)

Make it with a girlfriend if you can – this will always help for that extra pair of “delicate” hands and it’s fun to do, as long as you don’t end up “testing” every flavour again & again and not having enough…. I have explained in number 6) how to sort this situation out if you did what we did! lol…

1) Lay down your cone on the table and loosely place the thicker ribbon on the bottom ( not stuck) and some macaron’s up the cone, again not fixed – to visually estimate if you have enough macarons to cover your tower. Use the pencil to mark. You will also need to do this side ways too with the macaron’s. I realised at this point we didn’t have quite enough macaron’s so used some of the thicker ribbon to improvise our design and take up some space.

2) Wrap your wrapping paper around the cone and fix with double sided sticky tape at the base of the tower. Fix with regular tape through centre but leave the top of the paper open and a little higher than the top of the cone so you have some excess to neatly tuck it in.

3) For the candle. Take your chopstick and push down at the very top being careful not to split the cone. I twisted my chopstick in to create a hole big enough for the candle to sit securely without it being loose.

4) Take the chopstick out and push the unstuck paper into that hole. Pushing it down with the chopstick and place in your candle to check it fits.

5)Next, I took thick ribbon and fixed this around the top of my cone. Put the candle back in and then tie the 0.5cm ribbon around the candle in a pretty bow, knot or whatever you like.

6)Creating the Tower- insert cocktail sticks above the bottom ribbon. Place cocktail stick’s at a 45 degree angle, facing upwards. You want to insert the stick in until only about a 1/2 – 1/4″ is showing, then “pierce” the macaron onto tower..continue until you get to the top. If like us, you didn’t have enough macaron’s for the size of the cone. You can always place a thick band of ribbon on to your tower, every so often to take up some space.

7) Lastly, take your thin personalised ribbon ( 0.5cm) and wrap/swirl around the macaron tower securing at the bottom, in the centre and at the top by piercing the ribbon with some sewing pins into the cone.

Voilà, C’est fini!

Happy Holiday’s from all of us at SeabyElle!
Send us some of your tips & idea’s here for pretty homemade gift’s that we can try!

Elle x

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Photo Credit: Faye Bullock

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Accent Gold by Elle 

 

I love home!  and my decor is all about texture. You can create a super stylish apartment or home with a few key pieces accessorised with beautiful textured items & accessories. Mixing clean lines & space with button back pieces creates an over all Modern Elegance to a room. Art, photography or textured wallpaper & curtains can add depth to a plain wall and bring a focal point to the room.

 

 

Mirror clock by Reflex, Chandelier by Kolarz, Wallpaper by Brian Yates,

 

 

 

10 Decor ideas for a beautiful home

 

1)LOVE YOUR WALLS

These are the areas that you have the space to try something new. I love subtle iridescent wall paper or something slightly metallic. The above iridescent stripe paper is by Brian Yates.  Try and edit the colours within your room down to 3 with one depth colour that is a little stronger, deeper or brighter or add a statement piece of artwork to a Monochrome room. 

 

 

2)LIGHTING

Layer your lighting. Go for a softer tone to change  the mood of the room . New lamps or statement chandelier/ shade will instantly glam up any room. 

 

 

 

3) LOVE YOUR WARDROBE 

This is your space to do whatever you like . Organising your clothes in to colour and garments order can re invigorate items you forgot you had, make space for new ones & also look beautiful. 

A great tip if you don’t want to spend on refitting your whole closet space. Order your shoes & handbags on bookcases – mirrored bookcases can make a small wardrobe space look a lot bigger. 

 

 

 4)SCENT

Scent is important in a home. Candles are a great & in expensive way to accessorise and add a beautiful scent that is personal to you. Sometime’s when I am travelling away for a month or so I will take a scented candle with me and it reminds me of home..

 

 

 

5)TEXTURE

In your furnishings, work in textures that you want to touch to make your home stylish with depth! It can also turn a home from airy and fresh in the daytime to something a little more sultry and romantic in the evening when your fabrics & walls catch the light. If your not sure how to start try by mixing  different cushion fabrics on your sofa; silk & chenille, linen & jacquard  or Satin & Sequin for something a bit more glamourous.

I love this Mother of Pearl Chest of Drawers for a different surface & texture.

 

 

 

 

 6)FLOWERS

 A bunch of fresh flowers in a clear vase of water or a plant.

Many kinds of house plants actually help cleanse the air of harmful pollutants.

Tip: Once you have used your scented candles wash them out, remove the wick and use as a mini vase for your bedside table. 

7) SOMETHING GOLD

Adding something gold coloured to your home is like adding a little jewellery accent. One of my fav decor inspirations is Aerin Lauder’s office.

 

 

 

 

 [Plum Pretty Sugar]

 

 8)STATEMENT PIECE

A statement accessory or piece of furniture can transform any room to make a focal point like a floor length clock that can work as a mirror.My fav statement piece is my “Monroe” bed from the Amy Howard Collection. Here is a Monroe bed in their show room in Tennessee. You can can choose the finish from clear glass venetian to Antique mirror and also the material/ button back for the headboard to suit your style.

 9)ART

A  piece of artwork can add impact and personal style to your home.

 

 

 

 Nancy Corzine’s office with Jeffery Reece’s bw “SKIRT” as her back drop.

 

 

 

 10) MAKE YOUR WORK SPACE INSPIRING

Create a mood board above your desk with magazine tears, note cards, packaging anything you find creative.  This will give a focal point in the room but most importantly some much needed inspiration when you are working.  Co ordinate your stationary, storage boxes and organiser’s so every thing has a place to keep clutter free.  Martha Stewart do beautiful office bits & shagreen note pads here!  Tray’s are great for desk tops – also a good tip, keep any packaging / boxes from online purchases and use the bottom and lid ( flipped over) to line your drawers and create divider’s. 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed reading, have a beautiful week,

Elle x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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