November 20th

A decent meal

One of my favourite things about being at home so much is eating three proper meals a day. No more hastily grabbed snacks like greasy sausage rolls or cardboard tasting sandwiches that are laced with too much mayonnaise and cheap margarine. My fridge is also a happier place now that the greenery gets eaten before it wilts, and I get to see my husband for lunch too. An hour of daylight spent slowing down and spending some time eating home cooked meals at the table without our laptops is a simple luxury.

I am leaving for London now, excited to be meeting some other creative girls, we so often speak via email and twitter but rarely find the time to gather in one place, so it will be a treat to put the faces to the names I know so well.

Winter cheer

I am sure you all know how partial I am to a good moodboard. Well today I have news of a great competition with The Conran store and Mydeco. I made mine as an example with winter in mind, and the way this season is going I will need all these warm browns and cheery yellows to keep me going through the winter months. I have chosen roomy suede and rattan bags to use as storage for all those magazines I have piled all over the place, and plenty of candles for a cosy glow. The competition will be widely promoted from the 11th October. But as my readers (UK residents only I am afraid) you can enter from today.

If you would like to have a go. All you need to do is follow the link and create a mood board using Conran Shop products over at Mydeco. Your collection can be inspired by winter, the perfect living room or anything you like.

This will run until 31st October, with a member of The Conran Shop selecting a winner on the 1st November. If selected you will win £1,000 to spend at The Conran Shop, full terms and conditions are also available on the link above.


Have fun guys! and fingers crossed one of you will be the winner.

Colour burst

A final colour burst before hitting the colour trail myself next week when (volcano permitting) we should be in Marrakech. I was just over at Design sponge seeing what I had missed over the past week or so and found this amazing interiors shoot of the Buenos Aires studio belonging to the super talented Lula Aldunate and her sister Rocio. Take a look at the beautiful party styling in the bottom picture.

Images via Design sponge and Lula Aldunate.

Wishing you all a super weekend and hopefully I will be back next Sunday.

A thing for beauty

Aren't some things so beautiful that they almost cause you physical pain? I feel like that about the inspiration boards of the blog A thing for. I want to get inside the pictures and live the moments all for myself. I discovered them earlier today over at Once Wed

Check out her other lovely blog too. The post featuring turquoise walls makes me happy.


All images A thing for

Recordings

Have gathered some extra minutes from my days and turned them into some new daily collages, and I managed to pick up the pretty blue floral dress from the middle image in Laura Ashley for 75% off!

Other peoples things

A comment was left here, I think, on which post I am not sure, the trail back has abruptly ended and I am not 100% on where it began. I am one of those that find peace of mind from deleting my history and clearing out my sent/read messages. I must learn to hold on to this information longer.

Its late and I am very sleepy, I have just watched a film about Enid Blyton, beautiful costumes elegant setting, (Cath Kidston eat your heart out!) but boy oh boy, if the film is to be believed, behind closed doors she was a spiteful misery. Did anyone else watch it?
Now with my beliefs shattered I am heading off to bed. I thought I would share these pretty collections/collages from the commenter mentioned earlier, Spanish Rakufrecsia.

All images Rakufrecsia.

PS. happy Friday!!

Bakewell on the beach

Three almost perfect days. Saturday I went to view the house in the top photo. Met a friend for coffee and a delicious slice of lemon and poppy seed cake. Made collages big and small.

Sunday I got up early and cooked a bakewell tart for taking to a beach picnic with friends. The beautiful Ellen (bottom picture), Edith and Darren. The weather looked threatening but under the shelter of the wooden breakwaters we had a feast of bread, pate, cheese, cake and ginger beer.

Sunday evening I drank a little too much (happening all too often this year) and am now glad we have only one more party to attend this Summer.

Monday I mentally planned the snuggle down for Autumn. I look forward to carving pumpkins, drinking warm spiced tea, baking apple pie and wrapping up in cosy blankets.


how was your weekend?

Homemade fun and summer festivities

I find wedding blogs so inspiring. These inspiration boards from snippet and ink are just fabulous! I so love the simple natural colours of the top board, but how summery and fun is the bottom pic?

Have a good day.

All images snippet and ink.

Fresh figs and figurines

Sorry its been so long, I am posting over here again.

Two small scoops

Having a blue plate kinda day. Quietly murdering petit pois while I snatch glimpses of master chef! Two small scoops of ice cream to finish my day. Thinking I really should get on with some collage's soon.

pale and bright

My morning was made better after seeing the latest lovely party colour pallets from 100 Layer cake.

Images 100 Layer cake.

stitches and ribbons

Paint paper glitter stitches and ribbons. Trying to get back in the swing over at Etsy I have listed this set of four little postcard size artworks in my shop.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend. Looks as though our run of good weather has ended for now, but I have no need for sunshine, we are going to a house warming party tomorrow evening and I intend to say home and bake cupcakes tomorrow morning.
Does anyone have a favourite or unusual recipe link that they would like to share? I must head over to Cup cake bake shop and have a read of the archives for inspiration.

fresh as a daisy after a summer rain storm

I have been lying in bed listening to the beautiful sound of rain since 6 am. It is now 11 and I am still here eating jaffa cakes (how I love annual leave). With all the trees and plants fresh and happy after their morning shower I guess I should get the hell up and do the same. Thought I'd share some images that I recently put together for Artsy mama's other blog 'A year of colour". I have had fun putting together inspiration boards to match the theme each month. Its a great project with loads of tutorials, giveaways interviews and photography. So if you can check it out, do.

When it rains. Eat

Popped out for a coffee this morning and started to plan and scribble on our paris guides with all the great advice we have received from everyone. I have printed out the comments you left and stapled and stuck them into my Paris Moleskine. Nice to be out of the house away from doing the dishes for a while, engulfed in a huge squishy leather couch at a local coffee shop.

Just been eating and tearing up magazines for the rest of the day.

Cut out and keep

These are some favorite pages from one of my old interiors scrapbooks.

Torn papers I have kept for years but still fuel my imagination. I am happy to know my tastes haven't been fair weather. That some things will always inspire me. Linens, old lace, delicate details, pink blooms, a little glint of crystal paired with tarnished metal.

The article in the last image was from US Elle a few years back. I love the few choice items left in the wardrobe after the fixers are gone. It always inspires me to tidy and edit my clothes each season. I hope if you click the image the text is large enough to read.