Mr. Love From Lila, Post 3 of 3: What Have You Got Planned This Summer?

Summer holidays are fast approaching and it’s the perfect opportunity to try and arrange a nice romantic getaway together.

So get planning! Here is a simple breakdown of the steps:

1. Before you even start booking things, you have to decide whether you’re going to organise it together or whether you’re going to surprise her.
2. Decide on the dates! Whether you’re arranging it with her or surprising her, make 100% sure that you know exactly when you’re free, a cancelled holiday is not worth it!
3. Next, decide your budget and if you’re going to be surprising her with the holiday, are you also going to pay? If not, you can still surprise her by agreeing on a price range and then coming up with an idea.
4. Choose your type of holiday. Are you sun bathers, city tourers or activity doers? Obviously you have to stick to your price range, but if you can’t afford to go abroad, it doesn’t mean that you have to stay home and do a typical British seaside holiday. In the UK for example, there are plenty of wonderful places to visit and exciting activities to do that don’t involve seasides! That doesn’t mean that you can’t go abroad of course! If your budget will stretch, you can find some fabulous locations and activities.
5. Next, pick your destination. Once you know what you want to do, it’s easier to narrow down potential locations. So if there’s a particular activity that you want to do such as skiing, you can often find location ideas from activity websites. If you’re not planning an activity, but are looking for sights to see, you can find information on places like tourist information pages.
6. If you’ve picked your destination but haven’t thought of any activities, head over to the tourist information site where you can have a little look around and see what’s on offer. Even if you don’t intend to have an activity packed holiday, you can still surprise her with a trip to a recommended tea shop or restaurant. If you don’t have to book activities in advance then make a list of potential things to do on each day and let your other half pick which one they’d prefer to do.
7. Try and keep it varied, both with location and activities. You don’t have to spend two weeks in a rural cabin in the woods unless that’s all you really want to do. Even if you just plan a walk or two, or prep a picnic, there’s plenty of variation to be had! You don’t just have to limit it to one location either, you could spend a few days somewhere and then move and spend a few more somewhere else to really make the most of your limited holiday time.

Let me know where you’ve decided to go this summer and make sure you have a good time. It's your time together, so make the most of it, and make the most of each other, you're there to have fun! 

Enjoy, with Love From Lila’s Better Half xx

Mr. Love From Lila, Post 2 of 3: Present Buying for Men – A Male Perspective

When you repeatedly ask us if there’s anything that we’d like as a present, and we don’t give you any hints beforehand, it probably seems like we don’t want anything sometimes. This isn’t quite true but unless there’s something that we are thinking of getting then we don’t generally mind what you get us. We really do appreciate the thought as much as the present, even though you may not believe that!

Often, women tend to have their eye on one or two presents for themselves that they will hint about to their partner. Men on the other hand see present buying as such a daunting task that they spend more time worrying about what to get you, than thinking about what they might like themselves. Unfortunately that might leave you on your own searching in the dark.

If you’re getting stressed about present buying, take a scrap of paper and a pen and write down all of the things that your partner likes…

• Is he into music?

What artists does he like? Any new albums out that he would like? Is he a festival guru/does he like smaller concerts? Are there any upcoming gigs that you might like to go together to?

• Is he into sport?

Does he support a team – tickets to a match or merchandise might be a good idea?

• What films does he like?

It may seem like a bit of a cop-out but you can’t really go wrong, particularly if you go for less obvious ones!

• Does he like to keep himself looking good?

Old fashioned grooming/shaving kits are always nice. Suit related gifts are always welcome, anything that might help him look a little bit smarter.

Men tend to go for the affordable, standard version of things when they buy for themselves but it’s really nice to have the premium version. So if your money can stretch, premium is best. You know your partner better than I do, so get writing that list and your next problem could be narrowing down your ideas!!

If you need extra help, the following might be useful to note:

• Look at interesting events or days out that either he/both of you can go on. Just have a nose around the internet, you may have a good idea of the things he wouldn’t mind doing. I’m sure something will jump out at you.
• If in doubt, asking family or friends may give you big clues, but then again sometimes they’re clueless. It’s always worth giving it a go!
• Homemade presents are nice too – if you can cook or bake, we’d appreciate the effort, just make sure it’s edible!
• Obviously personalised gifts are a simple one – anything relating to your relationship would be a nice gift, (in a picture frame or photo album etc.) just don’t go overboard and get lots of these in one go.
• You could buy more practical things, like clothes – women tend to be more reliable with buying clothes than men so we’re more likely to take your judgement when it comes to these things. It doesn’t really seem to work the other way around though…

Filler presents are fine too, but only as a last resort and try not to get too many. Don’t be afraid to go over budget (if you’ve set one) either. It’s better to buy a really good present for a little bit more than use up your money buying too many filler presents.

We might like practical things but just like you, we don’t really expect them as a gift. So avoid buying things like a new games console or satellite box and strange gifts like that. And lastly, hopefully it should go without saying…please no gift cards! It just says “I’ve given up”. Other people can get gift cards - you really shouldn’t need to…

Anyway I hope this has been helpful, if so, let me know in the comments.

Good Luck, with Love From Lila’s Better Half xx

Mr. Love From Lila, Post 1 of 3: What Good Is A Talent If You Don’t Use It?!

Hi everyone, over the next three weeks I’ll be sitting my final exams for my degree so I’m taking a little break and letting my other half take over the blog! It’s a risky move, I know, but I thought you’d all appreciate hearing something from the other side. So now, it’s all down to him – good luck and I’ll see you all again soon, I have some great ideas lined up so make sure you pop back and read them!

Welcome to the other side!! The dark side!! AKA Love From Lila’s better half…

Whether you’re a man or woman, you can always rely on what you’re good at when it comes to doing something nice for your other half. I’m not just talking about presents on special occasions but as men, that tends to be when we actually do something! You know, when the pressure’s on, and everything…

But if you’re just sat around doing nothing and somehow you’re hit with the urge to do something creative then there is nothing easier than doing something you’re good at. Why spend so many agonising hours wandering from shop to shop in a desperate search for something nice to give to your girlfriend (and yes most men find shopping agonising regardless of how much they enjoy hanging out with their girlfriends – P.S. you should already know this women!), when you can make or do something for her using the things you’re good at!

Now I’m not saying that most men are particularly sentimental and creative, but most men are practical and we all have talents. Of course this doesn’t just apply to men; women can make use of these ideas too.

Here is a small selection of things you can make or do for your partner...

1. Hand Crafted

Women tend to be better at making things look nice and frilly – men don’t tend to do this… if we end up making something, we’re better actually making an object and this isn’t really too difficult, just time consuming!

Whether it’s card, woodwork, metalwork, or high-tech, men are good at building things. This could be pimping out your girlfriend’s computer, making her jewellery, or simply making something out of wood. Here’s one I made earlier.

When this was finished, it was a sanded, buffed and varnished section of log with the dates of our three year anniversary on it. I’m glad to say that she absolutely loved it!

2. Look, I’m an Artist!!

Sometimes we’re gifted with the ability to draw or create an image, be it drawing, painting, photography or graphic design. We may be exceptional or just simply good but when in doubt, something important to your relationship or a memory from it is normally a good place to start.

3. Music Maestro!

Singer songwriters might sound cheesy with their love songs for the other half and it can be a painful experience for all involved if you’re about as eloquent as doorknob. The best bet unless you’re good with words is to adapt or cover a favourite song of hers, record it on video or mp3, and maybe surprise her with it (you can find some potential ideas from this youtube playlist). Sometimes composing something without lyrics is a good way to go, you can’t do anything wrong if there are no words, and interpretation is a wonderful thing. A lesson learnt, stick to something that at least sounds like there’s some feeling in it – thrash metal is not a good way to go, unless she’s into that sort of thing!

4. Are you a Wordsworth?

If you happen to be an eloquent writer, sometimes a poem is better than having to say something directly. Although horrifically tacky in the wrong hands, a poem is normally regarded as a good thing when it’s about someone you love, regardless of how good it actually is.

5. The way to the heart is through the stomach…

You don’t need to be a professional chef to bake or cook up a dish that she’ll love (check out these other posts for Berry Tartlets, Box Mix Cupcakes, Basic Biscuit Dough and Easter Eggs). Baking can be a surprise gift and with everything you need to know online, even an amateur could do it. My favourite’s Banana Bread…pity she doesn’t like it. Remember whatever you do, don’t burn it!

I hope this has been helpful. Just stick to what you’re good at and you’ll find loads of cool present ideas. And make sure you comment below, don’t be lazy now!! If you can read, god knows you should be able to write, even if it’s just to say “Fudge”. Let me know what you think and maybe you’ve already made use of your talents. Click that lonely “No Comments” link below and write a comment, you can be an anonymous stranger or you can add a name, whatever you feel like doing.

Best Wishes, with Love From Lila’s Better Half xx

Female Body Image

Have you ever wondered why your girlfriend doesn't believe you when you tell her how beautiful she is? This post may help you to understand why.

I'm sure you've always wondered how your girlfriend, being as beautiful as she is, would never fully believe you when you tell her how beautiful she looks. Dove (the skincare company) conducted a social experiment to look into female body image and the results are fascinating (if you've been on youtube recently, you may have already seen or skipped the video).

If you only have a few minutes then there's a shorter version of the video...

But if you have a bit longer (6.30) then I'd really suggest that you watch the longer version (or even both!).

The experiment looked at how women perceive themselves and how others perceive them and the results found that women were much more critical of their looks and described them very differently to how others described them.


You may never understand why your girlfriend doesn't believe you when you tell her that she looks beautiful, but please don't ever stop telling her. We seem to be programmed not to see the true image in the mirror and that bleeds into our everyday life. That means that when we say that we aren't looking good, we truly think that we don't look good and we really do appreciate all of your work in reminding us how beautiful we are! Thank you, we love you!

Love from lila xx