Jme at Home

Well, I'm pretty sure he doesn't need my promotional - or financial - support, but I can't help loving Jamie Oliver's home range. His new shop, Recipease, has just opened close to where I live, and it was the first time I realised he had this fantastic range of home products. I especially love this doormat, the candles (especially the fig design), and the lettering on his range of condiments.

His products aren't the cheapest, but his shopfront is bright pink, so it seduces you in for a moment even if you're only passing; long enough for a quick loop round the gorgeous products, a glance at what people are cooking, and a handful of sample nuts.

Vintage passion: milk glass brooches

I love milk glass - plates, vases and crockery. I'm planning some other round-ups soon, but my current milk glass passion is brooches. I've developing plans to acquire a milk glass brooch collection - I've just got one at the minute.

All of the above are from Etsy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6.

Wednesday workspace

The more I see photos like this, the more I'm convinced I'm going to turn my spare bedroom into a proper office and cram it full with office accroutrements. I already have the rolls of brown paper. I love the parquet floor, and how the glass desk lightens up even a cluttered space. The only thing I'm not convinced about is the chair - it looks good, but if it's anything like mine, it just can't be comfortable. According to my extensive research so far (two chairs down), office chairs should not be vintage, and they should not be Ikea.

Image via Desire to Inspire.

Guest post at the City Sage

I'm guest posting at The City Sage today, while Anne is on honeymoon in Maui, so head on over and join in the fun - there are more photos from the fabulous house featured above, the home of stylist Abigail Ahern.

Photo by British photographer Polly Eltes.

A shoe dilemma

I don't write about fashion too much on this blog, but once in a while there is something I can't resist sharing. I have had my eye on these shoes for ages. But which colour should I buy? I'm automatically drawn to yellow and silver, but to be honest I hardly have anything in my wardrobe which would match (plus yellow doesn't really suit me). The black and brown pair are more versatile, but I wonder if they're just a little bit boring?

A vintage suitcase

Well, I never knew I needed such a thing, but now I'm pretty sure I have a definite requirement for an old suitcase with pretty lettering.

I'm very jealous of Conversation Pieces' new acquisition, bought on eBay. I discovered her blog when she left me a comment - and it's one of my new favourites. I love finding new British blogs (us Brits are still slightly blog-sceptic) so pop over there and take a look.

Tea of the week: Daffodils in a teacup

An ode to my favourite daffodils, now dearly-departed; I bought a very sad and lonely bunch last Friday, but apart from those have not seen any for weeks. I was slightly cheered up by the bluebells I saw alongside the train tracks - but not enough. Next year, DV, I am buying daffodils every week they are in season.

Photo via Flickr.

Five Friday Faves

Crazy green walls.

Love these 'some day' aspirations.

Charming printed glassine bags.

The older I get, the more likely it is that I'll inherit my mum's flower-arranging passion (but not talent) so I loved Chelsea's guest post at The City Sage.

And my favourite of all - this seriously fabulous photographic roundup of London's markets (including my favourite, Columbia Road market, where I went last weekend.)

Have a great weekend! Thanks to everyone who has 'tagged' me or given me an award recently - that includes Annette, Carrie and Tina - but I've been very busy being back at work full-time so haven't got around to all my 'blog business' (let me know if I've missed your name here.) I'm very much looking forward to a sunny weekend.

Photo by Sarah Cresswell.

Painted stairs

I love this photo, with its painted stairs (which caught my eye first) and its elegant chic. The books propped on the stairs make me feel like my stair 'props' are more acceptable (actually, mine are piles of unopened post which never seem to move anywhere.)

Today I'm taking part in Hooked on Houses Friday blog party - see you there?

Image by Penny Wincer.

Photo print love

Olsen House no. 0080, by Kari Herer.

Winter's moon vintage

Well, almost everything I like is already sold at Winter's Moon, but this is definitely a vintage shop I'm going to be keeping an eye on. Look at that elephant - isn't it adorable?

NB: I've just had an email from Winter's Moon to say they've just updated their shop with another globe and another elephant string holder (sold out when I posted here initially.)

via Conversation Pieces.

What I feel like doing...

Seen here.

Wednesday workspace: Polly Eltes photographer

As a fully signed-up floor lounger, I do think that working on the floor is often the most productive place to be.

Photo by British photographer Polly Eltes.

Beautifully British: Alison Hardcastle

Well, this was a Tea for Joy coup, if I do say so myself. I've managed to sneak in an interview with Alison Hardcastle, even though she's about to pop any day! Her first baby was due last Saturday, but hasn't appeared yet, so I swooped in, just in time for another Beautifully British interview.

Alison's work is a new discovery for me, but already I'm a huge fan - look at these fabulous notebooks. My favourite is the off-cuts (it is what it says on the cover - made with lots of leftover bits of paper) but I also love the bright ideas notebook (with stickers for those extra-special ideas.) They are all available to buy online at her shop.

Thanks Alison, for taking part.

Brief bio: I studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art followed by an MA in Sequential Design & Illustration at The University of Brighton. I've since become a freelance book artist, designer and printmaker focusing on making hand-made and hand-printed books, stationery and cards. In addition to this I've spent the last 6 years doing various artists' book workshops and part-time tutoring at Edinburgh College of Art.

My work: I use a lot of hand-drawn lettering, patterns and carefully chosen colours. My work is therefore probably characterized by bold colourful patterns often with a little bit of humour thrown in for good measure.

What inspires me: Inspirations for my work probably fall into 2 categories. My books tend to stem from a love of lists, collections and documenting. My designs for notebooks and cards tend to come from patterns which I find in everyday things. I'm also slightly obsessed with phrases and idioms and these pop up in all aspects of my work.

A perfect day: It definitely includes afternoon tea, sunshine and a bit of peace & quiet. I'm easily pleased.

Bird cushion

I'm still planning to wallpaper my rooms with bird wallpapers, but until then, perhaps I can get a head start on the bird theme with these cushions from the Solitaire Shop?

Tea of the week: tea cup wrapping

A perfect use for all the solitary teacups I keep buying.

Styling by Stella Nicolaisen, image seen here.

Five Friday Faves

Well, if you haven't seen it already, you must check out this circus party - and these fantastic invitations (I'm noting them down for one of my favourite posts of the year - maybe ever. Thanks Mel - I saw them on your blog first.)

An expectant mum is embroidering these lovely babygros.

More lovely cherry blossom photos - although these are of a pavement with petals, they look like a delicious slice of cake to me.

I can never have enough of car boot sale finds.

A great way to celebrate a birthday - offering the same discount off in your etsy shop as your age!

Photo via Creature Comforts new Etsy shop - just proves that it's all about the packaging (and the styling)...

London blogger meetup

Well, I didn't go last time, but I'm planning to go to next month's London blogger meetup. It's being supported by the charity Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, which was set up by Ralph Lauren in 1994 as the fashion industry's response to breast cancer. Let me know if you're coming so I can look out for you (I'm not that brave when it comes to crowds of new people.)

Style Resolutions: Cassandra from Coco + Kelley

Today's style resolutions come from the very glamorous Cassandra at Coco + Kelley. Cassandra has her own style portfolio service, and there's something about her blog which inspires me to smarten up my act, brush my hair, paint my nails and dress in classy neutrals with muted gold accessories. Months on, I still haven't forgotten this fabulous party and her White House inspirations. Next week, when she's not looking, pop back over here to see how I adapted this idea for myself (I tried to get an original but the shipping from the US is extortionate.)

Thank you Cassandra!

Style resolutions: Cassandra from Coco + Kelley

Q: What is your favourite recent design find/achievement?

A: This may be a boring answer for everyone else, but I just finished my first remodeling project - a friend's bathroom - and it's fantastic. I wish I could move in just to use the incredible steam shower we put in and to see the gorgeous carerra marble every day! While I've done design work for clients, I've never done a bathroom - it was nice to work on a project where I felt like I was taking away a lot of new knowledge. These photos were initial inspirations - as soon as I have some final touches done on the real thing, I'm sure I'll be posting it on my blog!

Q: Do you have any design/style ambitions you want to achieve by the end of the year?

A: Interior design/renovating: I would love to learn more about the textile industry and take a look at starting to create my own designs. I'm constantly inspired by color trends and vintage patterns. I think it would be so fun to be able to recreate some of them and give them my own unique twist!

I would also love to start designing more tabletops for clients. I miss having my hands in the event side of the lifestyle industry, and it would be so fun to come up with ideas for smaller more intimate dinner parties where you can really have fun with the style on a smaller scale.

Shopping/Fashion: I haven't really invested in a good handbag for a while - it took me over a year to find my last favorite, and I'm still in love with the color - a very soft caramel brown - but it's totally destroyed. I would love to find a new one this year to replace it... same color and all! I'd love to have a foley+corinna city tote - they're just perfect for lugging everything around!

I suppose I should make it a goal to re-learn how to dress for cold weather. I can't stand it. I'm such a sunshine gal that sundresses are my absolute favorite. I have tons of them just sitting in my closet from living in LA for two years. Now that I'm back in Seattle, I'm struggling with the whole layering and sweaters and whatnot. Time to stock the wardrobe up with some more quality fall and winter pieces!

Q: Which are your favourite style blogs?

A: You know, it's so hard to choose favorites these days! I keep discovering new ones all the time. Some of them are so good at pulling out specific lines and pieces, others are fantastic for inspiration. I'm slowly working on updating my blogrolls, but to see my real favorites, go to "the dailys" list on coco+kelley.

{this is glamorous} and her side project are always full of beautiful finds. Once Wed never fails to have fantastic posts on weddings and tabletops. Making It Lovely is so wonderful for her house projects and resources. And, I always love visiting more local blogs like {frolic!} and my best friend at Apt #34. I could go on... but I think you should just visit the blogroll instead!

Photos as follows: 1: left bath by g.p. schafer, right bath source unknown. 2: wallpaper by schumacher, photography by aaron delesie. 3: bag by foley+corinna, photography by corrie bond.

Letter lights

Lights fantastic. From Agent Gallery Chicago, spotted on My Spinning Wheels.

Wednesday workspace: windowed wonder

When you look around this room, which are the details which jump out at you? There are so many small features, which manifest themselves after you keep looking for a while. For me, I love the light fitting, and the ordinary white magazine holders (just because I'm about to buy some similar ones from Muji to organise my magazines.) The rug is great too, although I don't think I could sit on that chair for long. Oh, and they're a Harry Potter fan...and a Louis Vuitton admirer - see what I mean?

I can only wish that one day I might have a window like that to sit in front of - and while away hours looking out of it. It just has to be more inspiring than staring at a blank wall.

Image via Living Etc.

New online store: Patchwork Harmony

First Miss Aimee, next Patchwork Harmony - there are new blogger initiatives all over the place today.

Patchwork Harmony has just launched a homewares store online, aptly named Patchwork Harmony - selling lots of lovely rustic items, as well as a small but perfectly formed range of vintage goods.

These are my favourites. I love that yellow crocheted cushion, the enamel soap dishes, and if there's one thing in life you can never have too many of, it's old milk bottles. When my mum's local milkman went out of business, I seriously thought about contacting the dairy to buy a job lot of old milk bottles - but apparently they're still in business, even if my mum's visits to the local supermarket put her milkman out of a job (and she knows I hold her responsible.)

There's a free heart with every first order.

Mostly Mod photography

Miss Aimee's never flaunted her photographer status in her blog posts, but I've recently discovered that her Etsy shop is newly stocked, and ready for action. Birds + wire = my new favourite photograph.

NB: I'm looking for a present for a newborn baby girl and want to buy something on Etsy, except I don't have the will to look aimlessly through thousands of listings. If anyone has a tip-off of an Etsy shop which sells pretty dresses, let me know.

Tea for Joy, PI

When Tara emailed me and asked for help in tracking down something similar to the wire baskets in this Wednesday workspace, I used all of my powers of deduction to track down something similar. Tea for Joy Private Investigation services; 100% success rate.

What actually happened is that I forgot all about the question, as I had no idea whatsoever. I was looking at Rockett St George for a completely different reason altogether, and then spotted these. Aren't they fantastic? I'm still in favour of the 'shove everything in a box out of sight' approach, which I'm following on my own desk, but if you're the kind of person who actually gets to the bottom of your in-tray, then these are a perfect option.

Update: Thanks Sian, who left a comment saying she had also seen them here, a little cheaper - and with cheaper postage too. My PI skills are obviously not as good as I thought - although they don't seem to have the letter in-tray.

Beautifully British: Dee Beale

I love Etsy shops which showcase a small, but worthy, selection of designs. Enter Dee Beale - her tiny Etsy shop is currently selling four designs, but I love them all, and would hang any of them on my walls. The sun print is instantly cheering, and did you know that I love owls? Well, me neither, but I think I'm slowly developing an interest - it's the owl print which first attracted me to her work. Dee kindly answered a few questions for me. You can also find her at her blog, where her other designs make welcome guest appearances.

Brief bio: I studied Graphic Design & Illustration at the North Wales School of Art and Design. After graduating I worked as a Graphic Designer for Design Agencies in Manchester. Decided to become freelance after the birth of my second child and concentrate more on Illustration and Printmaking.

Describe your work: My designs have been described as decorative, detailed graphic and bold. Work tends to start in my sketchbook, my designs are quite stylised and I like to incorporate pattern into them wherever I can. Ideas come from everywhere, a piece of pottery, a flower in the garden, a trip to the charity shop.

What inspires you: My work is inspired by many things mainly nature, mostly plant forms and animal shapes. I'm also inspired by Mid Century Design especially Scandinavian design and ceramics. Some of my favourite designers include Stig Lindberg, Jessie Tait, Grete Prytz Kittelsen, Alexander Girard, and Lucienne Day.

Describe a perfect day: A perfect day should include, in no particular order;

A fresh coffee
A bacon sandwich
A walk on the beach
An open fire
A good film
A good red wine
A few good friends

Thanks Dee!

Wallpapered stairs

I was so impressed when I saw this makeover, that I just had to ask the owner if I could share her photos.

After having had an extortionate quote for carpeting the stairs, the owner of this London house, Helen, put on her thinking cap and proceeded to carefully cut out and wallpaper her stairs, armed with a roll of Orla Kiely wallpaper, white paint and varnish, and a lot of patience. I feel quite unwell at the thought of cutting the paper so precisely and lining all those stems up - plus, there were 40 stairs in total, and she wallpapered them all.

The whole transformation is very impressive, don't you think? I love the stripped floors and especially the grey front door (grey being the front-runner for my favourite paint colour of all time.) I'm not sure what happened to the old glass doors downstairs, but I'm glad to see they've moved on...

By the way, I'm having a flash of stair nostalgia - remember these mirrored stairs?

And the winner...

of the Glue and Glitter giveaway is Kotori! Congratulations, the buttons and necklace will soon be on their way!

Deborah Champion

Eggs - not just for Easter. This silkscreen print (which also comes in blue) by artist Deborah Champion would be adorable in a child's bedroom. I'm secretly hoping that this becomes available in a child-free and neutral colour, as it's a beautiful print which would still work outside of a nursery setting.

Tea of the week: Turf stacks, Connemara

Do you remember this sewing room? The owner (and my cousin) Christine Boyle, is currently exhibiting at the John Hewitt bar in Belfast. Christine specialises in natural dying techniques - the above is an artwork made from hessian and dyed with tea. The exhibition, the Green, Green Crafts of Home, runs for the month of April.

Giveaway: Glue and Glitter

Well, I always like to support the young little chicks, taking their baby steps in this not so brave new world, so I'm very excited about today's giveaway! (I'm not as ancient as that suggests.)

The prize comes from Glue and Glitter, whose kitsch offerings include everything I love; birdcages, teacups, trees and little cameras. Laura, the designer, is giving away a set of camera buttons, and this endearing tree necklace, to one very lucky reader. The items are made from her sweet illustrations, using plastic and resin. The buttons are especially popular with creative types who use them to customise all kinds of craft projects.

A short word from the designer:

"I am a young designer, illustrator and fresh from studying on a graphic design degree. I really enjoy being experimental with my designs, and often choose paper and pen as my medium to create all illustrations. Having said this I love reading up and watching others get to work on their crafts as I find this inspires me and gets me really motivated. I started off making jewellery, but have most recently been creating prints so that I can have fabrics and paper printed. Many more items of homewares and stationery are soon to come, so watch this space!"


How to enter: visit Glue and Glitter's Folksy or Etsy shops and leave a comment below, stating your favourite item! I would love to hear what you might have in mind for the little buttons - but it's not a requirement for the competition - it's just great to hear you share your ideas!

The competition will be holding the fort while I take a blog holiday this week - deadline for entries will be midnight on Sunday. And have a happy Easter, everyone. I've been totally successful in giving up Coke for Lent - but I've subsituted it with other carbonated drinks, so I'm not sure it was that difficult. If you are feeling spiritually uplifted, or even just excited at the thought of a four day weekend, please do one thing for me; visit Glue and Glitter's blog and leave her an encouraging comment - it sounds like (unsurprisingly) it is a very tough environment for a young designer trying to find a job.

Winner!

The winner of the Summersville giveaway (which I picked using the help of random.org) is Lauren, from the lovely blog Lauren's Paint Palette.

Congratulations! Thanks everyone, for your very inspired comments. Check back later today for another giveaway. Oh, and if you haven't been there already, Lucie from Summersville has a blog too, which is definitely worth a look. Enjoy!

Five Friday Faves

This is seriously one of my favourite vintage items ever.

Help the cause! Add any Domino photos you have to Coco & Kelley's Flickr pool.

A lovely roundup of vintage kitchen clocks.

This blog has one of the nicest headers I've seen in a long time - and love the tea theme too!

Some gorgeous English views (and positive words too.)

There's still time to enter this week's giveaway, a fabulous notebook from Summersville. Next week I'm taking a blogging holiday, but I'll be popping in on Monday to reveal this week's winner, and to announce next week's giveaway - there's a real treat coming up!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Image via Domino.

Bright week: for a bright spark

My last bright week post - this time dedicated to my brother. G is a mathematical genius - and has the credentials to prove it.

Have you noticed that people who are brilliant at maths are often very good at music, too? I think it something to do with the patterns in both maths and music. I've even had a conversation about the synergies between math and music with Nitin Sawhney in my local coffee shop. If you don't know who he is, he's a composer - and he used to be an accountant. He told me how he likes to do some kind of ancient Indian mental arithmetic - for fun.

G just sent me a CD for my birthday, of music which he composed using a computer programme that he wrote.

Now, it's fair to say that the music is 'interesting' at best - but I appreciate the effort! I received one last year too, and he's made one for both my niece and nephew to celebrate their births. It cracks me up, as I wouldn't quite say that the music is sophorific for a newborn - but it's the thought that counts.

That's what happens when you've got a mathematical genius in the family. So, in celebration of the bright spark of the family, a round-up of maths-related finds on Etsy. I especially love all the vintage items - in particular the old school books.

1. Pink geometry collage 2. 1946 school book 3. 1940 protractor 4. Calculator notepad 5. Vintage math notebook 6. Flash cards 7. 1880s arithmetic apparatus advert 8. Gas station sign 9. Blackboard coasters 10. Small vintage numbers 11. Typewriter key cufflinks 12. The Maths teacher is in love.

Bright week: bright light

I've been seeing a lot of cherry blossoms in the area where I live over the last few weeks. For today's bright post, I've picked out a selection of Etsy photographs with spring (and perhaps summer) flowers. I'm not very good with anything photography-related, but is it fair to say that I love the quality of the light in these photographs?


1, 2 and 3. Feeling sprightly, with a spring in your step yet? Just a few more pictures and you definitely will...

4 and 5.

Wednesday workspace

This week I was inspired by Cassandra and her lovely office to tidy up my desk and take a photograph to document the fact that I can be organised - sometimes.

The first thing I did which made a huge difference was to move the printer to underneath the table. At the minute I have just propped it on a stack of magazines, but I'm going to investigate a more stylish but permanent solution.

The desk is from Ikea. I've seen it in a few offices, including this one. At some point I would like to change the legs and substitute them for turned wooden legs.

The lamp is from John Lewis, and the pen pot is a mug from Petra Boase, a present. I broke the handle off the mug within a few days of being given it, so I felt that I had to give it a second chance in life, albeit with a new purpose.

I've stashed all my papers in brown boxes from Muji. I started off with their clear plastic in-trays, which I really liked, but as this corner is in my living room, eventually I wanted to hide the papers away. On top, the grey box with a ribbon is an upside-down shoe box from Jigsaw.

I've seen some lovely boxes and box files at Heals (the Orla Kiely range) and at Liberty - but as both are out of my price range for what they are, I'm happy with my plain brown options for now.

I won this chair on eBay, but it's on it's way out. It is from the 1960s and I love its style, but it is not height adjustable, and I think it is important to have a comfortable working environment. I also have an office chair from Ikea, and that is not comfortable either. But as it's in my living room, I want a chair that looks good too. Any ideas?

I think my little arrangement really brightens up the space. The picture is this Charlie Mackesy postcard of an angel and a cellist. The box was a present - a box of Orla Kiely Butler's chocolates which came in this funky box.

Remember how I said I added a special touch to the milk bottle arrangement? I love this tiny hummingbird - one of my favourite possessions.

Isn't this a vast improvement on this untidy space? What you don't know is that I just scooped all the mess off the desk and moved it out of view. But I'm making a lot of progress. I'm also planning to wallpaper this wall with this wallpaper, one of these years.