The Beat That My Heart Skipped – A blog dedicated to daily design inspirations. By Rohini Wahi.

It’s summertime, and all I can think about is food… quiches and avocados, mangoes and crumbly pastries… I just have to look at My Tartlette…

Provencal Filled Zucchinis

Savory Greens, Tomatoes and Goats Cheese Tarts

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Sweet art from Alice Stevenson…

Well this weekend was absolutely glorious, as predicted. That was good news for be because I’d been planning a BBQ to celebrate my friend Audrey’s birthday. I wanted to create atmosphere with candles but was worried about the wind blowing them out. The perfect solution? Use old jars to make hanging lantern tea light holders. Hang them in a tree for a particularly whimsical effect.

You will need

Glass jars – jam jars would do, the main thing is that the jars need a rim, and the neck needs to be wide enough to fit a candle in.
Wire
Wire cutters
Bottle nosed pliers
Candles

Step 1 Cut a length of wire about 40cm long. Use the bottle nosed pliers to create a small loop in the wire about a third of the way along its length.

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How gorgeous are these porcelain plates from French illustrator Judith Leviant…

Notecards above by Cecily Vessey

There’s something about a mini-break that brings out the psycho in me. I wish I could be one of those spontaneous types who just books a flight and then finds accommodation/ bars/restaurants as they go. However, even the very thought of this brings on a sweat. Holidays for me involve serious planning and Excel spreadsheets. I’ll never forget the time we went on a girls’ trip to Copenhagen. My mate Mel [a fellow anal organiser] and I had spent hours compiling a list of the best places to eat / drink / shop / breathe and my sister [so horizontal it’s a wonder she can function] just left it behind on the plane. Mel and I took it in turns to deep breathe into the sick bags. I think I just don’t want to feel like I’m missing out on anything and I do like a nice place to stay so I can’t just rock up at any old b&b.

Tomorrow I’m off to Brittany – a whole new travel research experience for me. Normally I’m thrown into a whirlpool of options when it comes to boutique-style accommodation. However, the French seem to have ignored the fact that your average traveller now expects something a little slicker than OTT chintzy bedrooms with 1930s broken beds. Boutique hotels do not seem to have made it across the channel. I have scoured the charming gites sites and come up with some so-so places but nothing that really floats my boat. Of course every hotel on the shortlist was typed into Trip Advisor – there’s nothing like this website to get you really confused. You can read 20 great comments about a hotel and then all you need is one negative one to put you off it completely.

Anyway, with flights/hotels booked and restaurants/bars/shops starred and highlighted in the guide book, it’s onto stage 2 of holiday prep. Getting this stilton-esque body ready for exposure on the beach. It’s probably going to piss it down all week but in my head I will be surrounded by lithe, young French beauties in thongs who’ll leave me cowering under my towel behind some old grandmere’s windshield.

For a glimpse into what I’ve undergone this week, read Lauren’s article last week and times it by… well, lots of times as my body may well have to be ‘covered’ by nothing more than 2 tiny scraps of material. I am currently slathered in St Tropez fake tan – users of which may well be familiar with the unpleasant fruit cake odour and general fear of severe orange streaking. Plus it’s really hot so it’s starting to melt and the postman is due to deliver a parcel any minute. Do I explain that I have fake tan on or do I just leave him wondering why someone would be sweeping chimneys at the start of summer?
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