There’s something about warm summer afternoons and long evenings spent outdoors with friends that makes you want to scatter soft lighting around and open a bottle of traditional lemonade.

A: Leaf Fantasy Outdoor Lights in Green at Purves.co.uk, £23.50 (GBP)

B: Heirloom Fairy Lights by Louise Traill at NotOnTheHighStreet.com, £155.00 (GBP)

C: Rose Lights at The Urban Garden, £22.00 (GBP)

D: Glow Brick by Suck UK at Prezzybox.com, £17.95 (GBP)

The Hidden Art Shop is one of my favourite sites on the web - each of the items they stock is thoughtfully designed, fun, and entertaining.  If I could only do my Christmas shopping at one store, it would be Hidden Art.

A: Queens Head Mirror at the Hidden Art Shop, £19.95 (GBP)

B: Kingfisher Light at the Hidden Art Shop, £276.00 (GBP)

C: Rose Clock in Pink at the Hidden Art Shop, £74.95 (GBP)

D: Butterfly Scarf at the Hidden Art Shop, £109.25 (GBP) on sale

E: Apple Branch Breakfast for One at the Hidden Art Shop, £50.00 (GBP)

F: Oxi Scroll Earrings at the Hidden Art Shop, £69.00 (GBP)

I’m not too keen on the traditional floral fabrics unless they’re balanced out with leather, denim or metal.  A good compromise I’ve found for wearing flowers without looking like a character out of a Shirley Temple movie is to go with the modern prints:

A: Placement Print Dress by Lipsy at Oli, £65.00 (GBP)

B: Trailing Peony Motif Dress at Warehouse, £60.00 (GBP)

C: Oriental Print Kaftan at Oasis, £38.00 (GBP)

D: Short Dandelion Dress by Fever at Oli, £60.00 (GBP)

E: Floral Print Skirt at New Look, £28.00 (GBP)

F: Trickly Clutch at Dune, £27.50 (GBP) on sale

G: Perfume Peep-Toe Heels at Dune, £52.50 (GBP) on sale

You all know that anything I see on the River Island website is bound to tickle my fancy, so it’s no surprise that I fell in love instantly with the chunky gold chain necklace you can see below.  What wasn’t expected was that this seems to be a trend that other brands are following along with - check out these other awesome necklaces:

A: Singspiel Necklace at Anthropologie, £154.88 (GBP)

B: Gold Chunky Chain by River Island, £9.99 (GBP)

C: Infinity Link Chain by Amfitheatrof King at Kabiri, £385.00 (GBP)

D: Funky Black, Wood & Gold Chain Necklace by Jolie Bijoux at Treasure Box, £18.00 (GBP)

E: Encrusted Link Necklace by Karen Millen at ASOS, £75.00 (GBP)

It’s okay, at least I can admit when I have a real problem.  I’ve noticed whenever Gordon Ramsey goes into a kitchen he’ll complain that the head chefs have too many different pieces of serving ware, too many platters and too many different sized plates.  This is something that I’m definitely 100% guilty of:

A: Heart Olive Oil Dish by Coasting Along, at NotOnTheHighStreet.com, £20.00 (GBP)

B: Malteser (or Olive) Solitaire Dish by Bob by Post, at NotOnTheHighStreet.com, £28.50 (GBP)

C: Impression Crockery (Soup Bowl & Spoon) by Benjamin Hubert at Rockett St. George, £29.95 (GBP)

D: Sandwich Melamine Plates by Matijs Korpershoek at Dutch by Design, £15.00 (GBP) ea.

A friend of my sister’s and mine, Julz, is about to embark on a truly epic holiday to Peru where she will be doing volunteer work and generally expanding her horizons.  I’m hoping she meets a hot guy called Diego who introduces her to a world of a jet-setting, exotic food and expensive jewellery.  Anyway, in honour of her impending departure, here are some finds with a South American flavour:

A: Cabos Bag from Adili, £120.00 (GBP)

B: Sterling Folk Art Floral Pendant from Peruvian Connection, £120.00 (GBP)

C: Handwoven Embroidered Flower Belt from Peruvian Connection, £29.00 (GBP)

D: Lengua Skirt from La Nativa, £34.99 (GBP) on sale