NEW BEGINNINGS // FIELD & NEST

Field and Nest

I've been blogging on Kisses and Cross Stitches since I was 22. I was working as a visual merchandiser and had a really keen interest in fashion trends and photography at the time. My favourite band was the Kills, hence the name of my blog taken from their lyrics.

A lot has changed in the past eight years. 

I'm now 30, couldn't really give a stuff about catwalk trends and haven't listened to the Kills since about 2009. I'm a freelance writer, scribing online and offline articles for a variety of journals, blogs, websites and magazines. I work for a lovely interiors brand part time. I love to explore outdoors and snuggle up at home.

I've outgrown this blog, and it's time for new beginnings.

I'll be leaving Kisses and Cross Stitches as it is, so that both you and I can read back over my old posts if we so wish. 

My journey will be continuing on Field and Nest.

Here I will be blogging about travel, adventures, interiors, timeless style, photography, slow living, and anything else that takes my fancy.

I hope you'll join me over on Field & Nest, and thank you for reading Kisses and Cross Stitches for all these years.

Emma xx

Interiors // It's in the Detail

My home as a whole isn't Pinterest-worthy just yet, but there are several new purchases and little corners that I'd like to share. 

INTERIORS // THE BEDROOM OF MY DREAMS

Recently, I've been waking up in the morning and carefully considering our bedroom. The colours are all wrong. The white walls seem harsh and cold, the sun-bleached turquoise curtains add no warmth to the room. I'm envisioning a snug and cosy room, but am wary about how I'll feel once the summer comes back around. As of always, I'm looking to the internet for inspiration.

STYLE // THE GREAT

Casual wear advocates rejoice - there's a new brand in town that creates clothes that women can actually wear!

STYLE // AUTUMN DAZE

Wrapping up warm // dreaming of heavy materials, soft fabrics and rusts x neutrals.

DIARY // OCTOBER

Better late than never, hello OCTOBER!

INTERIORS / INTRO

I'm finding myself inspired by interiors and coveting an abundance of plants, textured throws and rustic wooden stools.

INSPIRE // FAVOURITE BLOGS

I've discovered a host of new favourite blogs recently, and thought I'd share the love.

PHOTOGRAPHY // HOLLY FERNANDO

Seafood, live music and the coastline of Brittany make for the perfect ingredients for a quick trip away.

DIARY // SEPTEMBER

Welcome to a new regular post on my blog, where I will be collecting my thoughts on the first of each month for the weeks ahead. Read on to discover what I'll be up to and what I'll be coveting during the month of SEPTEMBER.

INSTA INSPIRE // @ASHLEYTKIM

They say a picture speaks a thousand words.

Whilst I adore reading, and remain loyal to both quality blogs and print publications, I love a good scroll through Instagram. @Ashleytkim is one of my favourite new finds, sharing images of herself predominantly taken by her husband against a backdrop of great American scenery.

TRAVEL // DAWN ON THE ROAD

There's nothing better than being on the open road, the wind whipping your hair through the open window, watching the world speed by. Perhaps that wanderlust I have for driving off into the sunset, to discover isolated rivers and steep canyons, is why I can't get enough of Christy Dawn.

STYLE // OLIVE CLOTHING

I've recently stumbled across London-based brand, Olive Clothing, and have fallen head over heels for their cute clothes and simplistic styling.

DOUBLE TAP STYLE // @ALYSSAINTHECITY

Hands up who else scrolls through their Instagram feed for inspiration when getting dressed in the morning? If you're anything like me, one reason to click 'follow' (besides awe-inspiring travel photos and an immaculately curated feed) is when you realise that you're coveting the outfits of a fellow 'grammer. In this new series of posts, I'm going to be profiling a selection of my favourite ladies to look to for style inspiration - kick starting with Refinery 29 fashion writer, Alyssa Coscarelli.

@alyssainthecity

TRAVEL // THE HIGHLANDS

It's funny how people crave to travel to the far flung corners of the globe, yet dismiss what is right there on their doorstep.

INSPIRE // SUMMER

Wild swimming in cold reedy lakes; sitting outside pubs with friends as lightning strikes across the moody sky and big, fat rain droplets cool down my sweaty skin; lazing in parks and contemplating life; cycling everywhere with my hair drying in the sun - the past few days have been absolute perfection.

TRAVEL // OFF THE BEATEN TRACK: BERLIN

I'd move to Berlin in a heartbeat; everything about the way of life there sings to me. Relaxed bars, endless flea markets, countless green spaces, a plethora of independent galleries, bustling food halls, incredibly cyclist friendly - the list goes on.

For this most recent trip, we set up home right by the canal in Kreuzkolln, smack bang in the middle of my two favourite neighbourhoods. I'm not one for sight seeing, I prefer to get down to the nitty-gritty and get stuck into life as a local, so (besides whizzing around the main 'sites' one evening for a friend who was a Berlin virgin), we stuck to whizzing around the city on our bikes, discovering hidden nooks and crannies.

STYLE // NADINOO

Apologies for my unexplained absence - I'm aware that I've been AWOL for over a month now! I'm still here, just somewhat sporadically. I've lots of content to share, including an Off the Beaten Track guide to my favourite place on the planet, Berlin. But first things first - I've been meaning to share the new Nadinoo lookbook with you for some time now.

PHOTOGRAPHY // FIELDS OF GOLD

I've always fancied frolicking in colourful fields filled with flowers.Sunflowers, poppies, tulips, lavender or multi-hued wild flowers - the brighter the better. Imagine my delight when my boyfriend suggested that we drive to find a rape seed field to take photos in!

INTERIORS // INSPIRED

I'm currently feeling the urge to paint walls, varnish floors, upcycle vintage furniture and spend all my well earned cash on crockery, wicker baskets and patterned blankets. Is this what it means to get old? I rinsed last month's pay check on plant pots, herbs and wood chip for the garden; now I'm itching to redecorate the interior of our home.

TRAVEL // HOLIDAYING

Is it weird that I enjoy planning holidays almost as much as I like going on them? I get excited months in advance, purchase every travel guide going, sift through thousands of blog posts, start stalking people on Instagram, and accost every person I know who has previously been to my upcoming destination.

These analogue shots are all from last year's European jaunt with a group of friends. We traveled by train from London - Paris - Aix en Provence - Barcelona, living off a diet of avocados and cava. We lazed in parks, drove up terrifying roads to witness terrific views, swam in icy lakes, partied all night, and attempted to sleep on trains. I'm off to Berlin with the gang one month today, and there will almost certainly be more photos to share upon my return.

STYLE // CONTEMPLATING STYLE

It's a funny thing, being able to wear whatever the hell I want to work each day. In most ways, it's completely liberating and amazing - yet staring at my overwhelmingly eclectic wardrobe each morning can be quite daunting.

I had a very definite 'work wardrobe' at my old job. Lots of black, white, navy and grey mixed in with as much colour and print as I could get away with, usually in the form of a stripe. There were elements of this work wardrobe that had crept over from my regular clothes - pinafore dresses, striped T-shirts, shirt dresses - but I certainly felt restrained, and found that there was a vast amount of my wardrobe that was not at all appropriate.

My new office is awesome. It's bright and light, with huge windows and wooden floors. We have a hot pink raffia parasol by the 'meeting table', there's plants all over the place, and if you feel a sneeze coming, you head straight to tissue cottage. I don't want to induce jealousy - but I'm also surrounded by beautiful vintage-inspired printed dresses, day-in day-out. 

As you may have gathered, there are no restrictions when it comes to what we can and can't wear. I could probably wear my pajamas to work and get away with it. This means that I can wear that sunshine yellow ditsy floral vintage dress that has only been worn on holidays for the past five years. Or my most vibrantly patterned skirts. Or, if I'm feeling lazy, my favourite jeans and old stripy tops. Anything goes.

It makes dressing in the morning both more exciting and more challenging. So,I'm looking to the ladies of my favourite social channel for inspiration. These are the gals I turn to when I'm wondering how to dress down whilst maintaining a stylish demeanor. Or when I want to try out a refreshing new colour palette. When I'm wondering what I can layer under my numerous pinafores for a bit of a change. If I'm unsure how to give that cutesy vintage dress a bit of an edge. I'm a completely eclectic dresser - one day I'm head-to-toe vintage, the next I'm channeling Nordic vibes; sometimes I love crazy prints and bold colours, other times I just want to strip everything back to natural fabrics and gingham or stripes are the only prints I can think about. This mix of well-rounded girls really reflect all of the different aesthetics that inspire me.

Who do you look to for inspiration?

PHOTOGRAPHY // COLOUR PALETTE

I'm a sucker for colour. Vibrant pops of tangerine, candy pink and sky blue are guaranteed to make me stop in my tracks when scrolling through my Instagram feed. I also love nothing better than discovering a carefully curated feed with an exquisite balance of colour and composition, with a distinctive theme.

PHOTOGRAPHY // CASEY LIU

I can't get enough of the work of Hawaiian photographer, Casey Liu. I want to visit every single location that she shoots.

STYLE // SAMANTHA PLEET

Gosh, I was away for a long time! I think that's the longest I have neglected my blog since I first started out blogging. My only excuse is that things have been a bit crazy recently - I left my job that I had been in for four-and-a-half years, started a new job that's going really well, and I've had a few weekends away - a countryside retreat with a group of friends and a trip to Brighton to visit my best friend.

I'm going to continue the look-book love I started with my last post, and show you the latest collection from one of my favourite independent designers, Samantha Pleet. Scalloped hems, pretty pastel hues, clean lines, and lots of gorgeous prints. Samantha's collections always catch my eye: if I lived in the States, I'd snap one of her printed dresses up in a heartbeat.

STYLE // COLD PICNIC

What's not to love about Brooklyn-based accessories and homeware brand, Cold Picnic? They make super-cool rugs featuring naughty body parts (way to get around Instagram's no-boobs policy?). They take macrame to a whole new level with their furry and fabulous wall hangings. Their jewellery line perfectly fuses contemporary and ancient influences. Oh, and their leather bags are both practical and sleekly stylish. Their latest look-book doesn't look half bad either (it's actually completely inspiring).

Inspirations? Seventies movie colour palettes, traditional crafts, and the natural landscapes of America. It's a recipe for success.

GIRLFOLK

Kisses and Cross Stitches isn't going anywhere - but I've decided to start up a new side project blog, purely dedicated to travel, getting off the beaten path, and inspiring adventures.

Read Girl Folk now

THE TRAVELLING LIGHT

I love a good travel blog. It's been a while since this space could really be called a 'fashion blog', as travel and photography have been my primary sources of inspiration for some time. So much so, that I've decided to branch out and start another blog based entirely on travel (but more about that in an upcoming post).

Travel blogs can be pretty hit and miss. It's relatively hard to find one that goes beyond the obvious and details places that I would actually want to visit. The Travelling Light does just that.

Scrolling through the feed of recent posts, I naturally chose to read about places that I have visited myself, before skipping to new and intriguing destinations. As soon as I had covered Paris and Berlin, I knew that I was on to a winner. Not only had Katie wrote about one of my favourite ever bars (Le Comptoir General in Paris), but she'd ventured into Grunewald Forest in the outskirts of Berlin and broken into Teufelsberg. My kind of gal.

If you're into reading interesting posts about travel, are looking for inspiration for the next place to visit, or just fancy discovering a selection of great photography - I couldn't give you a better recommendation than The Travelling Light.

TRIPPIN'

I stumbled across Shop Dawn yesterday and immediately felt the urge to share. California native, Christy Dawn designs the kind of dresses that I dream of spending entire summers wearing, all inspired by her love of vintage garments. The best bit? Christy is super inventive when it comes to look-books - the three shoots currently featured on the site all revolve around a gaggle of her gorgeous friends jumping in a car (along with a stylist and photographer, both of whom are also total babes) and heading off into the wilderness. What better way to showcase your dresses than clothing your mates in them and frolicking in meadows, on beaches and down highways en route to Big Sur?

THAT SUMMER FEELING

I'm thinking of summer already. Warmer temperatures naturally mean more time spent outdoors, after all. Every spare minute will hopefully be spent hiking, dining alfresco, taking road trips, wandering through forests and picnicking in meadows. Clothing wise, I'm searching for the perfect denim pinafore that I'll wear with bare legs, comfy sandals and air-dried hair. Travel wise, I'm planning trips abroad and within the UK; thinking about discovering places that I have yet to step foot in. I'm counting down the days until the air warms up and the crisp white landscapes turn to fresh green.

INSTAGRAM FAVOURITES: JANUARY 2015

@ajclementine

It's been a while since I last shared my favourite Instagrammers with you. It's no secret that I love scrolling through people's feeds, double-tapping and adding new accounts to follow as I go. As my 'following' list threatened to reach 900 this week, I've had to go through and sift out the accounts that I really want to follow - it was becoming overwhelming! 

I look to Instagram to discover new photography talent that I can then blog about, to increase my wanderlust for certain destinations that I'm aching to travel to, to look for inspiration for healthy eating, to look for inspiration for what to wear when I'm getting bored of my wardrobe, and simply just to escape whilst stuck on a long commute.

Here is a selection of my current favourite accounts. If you have any recommendations I would love to read them in the comments.

WHITE AND GREY

The start of a new year always gets me thinking about interiors and the huge list of things that I would like to do to our house. I stumbled across this beautiful bedroom makeover on Avenue Lifestyle, and now I can't stop thinking about a fresh white and grey bedroom. I usually love cosy clutter, rustic furniture and bohemian rugs and throws - but such a clean space would be so relaxing to sleep in. 

ARDEN WRAY: FAMILY

Arden Wray has just added a ton of new work to her website, including this magical shoot entitled Family. The creepy vibes (in an incredibly good way) are reminiscent of a coven of modern-day witches meeting up in the woods. Arden describes the shoot as 'scenes from an imaginary film' - I'd love to view the film! 

MY TRAVEL WISHLIST 2015

2014 was a good year for travelling; I broke away from my standard retreat of skipping off to Berlin for a few days and managed to tick off several previous wish-list destinations. I briefly revisited Paris; drinking on the bank of Canal Saint Martins and in the eclectic surroundings of Le Comptoir General at night, and exploring side streets by day. We then took the TGV to Aix-en-Provence where we ate the best pizza by candlelight when subjected to a power-cut, drove around the surrounding villages and took a day trip to Gorge du Verdon, where we peeked over the edge of the precipice to take in the views and swam in a crystal clear yet freezing cold lake. Next, we headed to Barcelona for four days of debauchery, music and drinking plenty of cava at Primavera festival. Barely a month later, I flew to Budapest where I discovered a collection of down-to-earth bars that fused art and music, and an array of interesting architecture. We then jumped aboard yet another train and headed for Zagreb, where the stifling temperatures saw us retreat to the shore of Lake Jarun; also taking in a day trip to the splendorous Plitvice Lakes. Jump forward four months (dashing through a series of UK-based festivals scattered in diversely stunning locations), and I finally made it to Scandinavia. A short break was just what I needed prior to Christmas, taking in the scenery, architecture, culture, nightlife and food of Copenhagen and Malmo.

Now, I'm making lists of where I would like to visit in 2015. Several of the locations I'm dreaming of stretch far beyond my bank balance, so bear with me as I fuse the realistic with the if-only. 

2014: THE ROUND-UP

2014 was a great year; packed to the brim with exploring new places, enjoying festivals and hiking in the countryside. Read on for my round-up of some of my highlights from the past year. All photographs are my own.