Best of British: Tea Towel Edition!

Best of British: Tea Towel Edition! by elbonner featuring pink kitchen towels

I've decided to do a little series about my British favorites: food, clothing, home wares, the whole lot of it! I usually spend a lot of time talking about faraway tropical beaches and forget the cold, rocky beaches I played in as a baby. They're as much a part of my love for the ocean as all the other beaches I've been to, so I want to show a little more appreciation for what makes me love Britain so much! It also gives me an opportunity to share with you some cool things I have discovered on my travels that I think the readership (you people!) would enjoy!

This week, we pay homage to the tea towel; not a total British invention, but the ones you find in the UK, whether it be from a home store or a tourist shop, tea towels are anything but just a dish rag! My favorite place to get really cute and clever tea towels are from a website called To Dry For. They stock some of the most adorable, smile-worthy tea towels on the planet and every time I go there I find myself wanting all of them! I have a few from them and they are going on five years of heavy use and show little signs of wear. Some of them are so cute I'd rather frame them than use them!
The designs feature themes like classic British foods like fish'n'chips, biscuits, and cakes. They also have super cute, very British sayings, and fun things to brighten up any kitchen! They are your typical cotton, sort of flour-sack material which makes them super absorbent and easy to clean! They do a great job of drying up your dishes and also hang and iron nicely. They ship worldwide and the prices range from £9-£13, which some would say is a bit much for a tea towel, but they do stay bright and fun after many washes and anything that makes doing the dishes more fun is totally worth it!

The above selection is only a small fraction of what's available on the website, so check it out! Whether you're looking for something fun to add to your kitchen routine, or if you want to frame one and put it on the wall, To Dry For is my ultimate spot for the cutest tea towels either side of the Atlantic! Dry happy, now!


Instagram @e_bythesea
Pinterest @ebythesea86

The Cute Files: Roberts Radio

The Cute Files: Roberts Radio by elbonner on Polyvore

For real, guys. I can't even handle how adorable these lil' radios are! Just look at them, LOOK AT THEM! Unfortunately, these beauties are not readily available in the US as they are a British company. I've been watching a lot of UK beauty bloggers and they ALL have this little radio sitting pretty in the background and a little piece of me dies every time I realize I can't get my hands on one! If you are in the UK, the Roberts DAB Radio lets you listen to your typical FM stations as well as letting you plug in your smartphone/mp3 player to listen to your digital music. Some of the models even have wifi so you can listen to digital (Spotify/Pandora) and satellite radio stations. 

I'm not totally sure if these radios will even work in the states so don't go throwing down over $200 just yet. Even if I can't get one here I can always dream. If I ever someday move back to England then I shall have one of these radios. This post probably wasn't super helpful, but I want the rest of the world to know the cuteness of the Roberts Radio. Hey, maybe they'll even make them available in the US someday! God bless cute radios!

Roberts Radio

Ease the Winter Blues: Tropicalize Your House!

Tropicalize Your House! by elbonner featuring Zara Home

Most of the Eastern Seaboard, South, Midwest, and Northern states have had it with all this freaking snow. I'm over, you're over it, we are all over it. I've just about finished my week off which would have been a thousand times better if the weather hadn't been a total crapfest. With only one day of sunshine in the past 12, I'm looking to other things to lift my spirits. What better way to brighten your mood than to add some tropical fun to your home?! I'm all about fun prints, bright colors, and beachy accents. You can incorporate these things into most color palettes. Have mostly neutrals? Throw in a neon pillow, throw, or vase to shake things up a bit. I think everyone needs to embrace brights a little more and bring some color into their lives!

1. Pineapple Tealight Holder from Zara Home: super cute and subdued way to get some color and fun into your home decor. Will be great lit up out on your deck for a summertime BBQ too when the weather heats up!

2. Bath and Body Works 3-Wick Candles in "Coconut Leaves" and "Aloha Waikiki": These scents warm up any room and bring beachy clean scents to your house. Coconut leaves is a fresh green fragrances with a hint of coconut, citrus, and vanilla and Aloha Waikiki is straight up plumeria and tiare blossom. Not too sickly sweet and far from all that cinnamon nonsense you get at Christmastime.

3. Sisters of Los Angeles Beaches Glasses: These glasses go from the mornings orange juice to homemade margaritas without skipping a beat. I have all four of these and they are always a fan favorite. It's a great way to brighten up your beverage routine.

4. CWonder Ikat Dinnerware: I love printed plates and bowls. It's little things like these that can really brighten up your life. Your day may have sucked ass, but at least you have the most beautiful dinner plates around!

5. A Funky Rug: Now, a bright orange rug may not be your cup of tea, but the concept of a bright area rug is a great way to bring some life to a room. It's like putting art on your floor! There are so many cool rugs out there at places like Ikea, World Market, and even Target so you have no excuse not to chuck out that boring jute rug and get something with a little more life to it!

6. Beachy Wall Art: If you want to create a beachy haven, what better way to do that than to put beachy pictures on the wall! Everywhere you look can be a tropical paradise. You could even go for some bright, punchy prints of patterns if you don't want just photographs. I like this one from Goldfish Kiss at Society6 because it's part photo, part life inspiration, and totally drool worthy subject matter. Society6 is a great place to find original artwork for a great price and they have plenty of bright prints for any room!

7. Bright Pillows/Poufs: Have a plain, brown sofa? Most of us do, so spruce it up with some fun pillows! If you don't want a bunch of pillows on your sofa or want a cool little accent for your bedroom, invest in a fun pouf that can be used as a seat, footrest, or clothes holder like all of my furniture has eventually turned into! Big plus, most prints on Society6 can be made into a pillow! If you find a beachy print that you don't have the wall space for, you can make it a pillow instead!

Now, a tropical home space may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if sure helps having bright things in the house if you succumb to the winter sadness. Light yourself a delicious candle, snuggle up with a tropical pillow/throw, and enjoy a beach cocktail in a fun glass to take the edge off of this never ending snowpocalypse!