Sunday 31 October 2010

Saturday 30 October 2010

Fur Lined Snuggleness

It's getting colder and damper here and my pumps and mac aren't going to cut it for the back to school runs so I took the opportunity during half-term to seek out some new found cosiness or snuggleness as we like to say. Here is what I've come up with...



Pre-children I think I might have owned maybe one pair of flat shoes tops, no trainers. Now they are a daily essential and fleeced lined flat boots were something I had been looking for forever and I found a barginous pair at Dorothy Perkins of all places, and there was a one-day sale type thing on so I got them for £40. One happy customer indeed. The coat is from Matalan, somewhere I have never been or purchased from but I saw it featured in a magazine and it had me at hello! x

coat - matalan, boots - dorothy perkins

Sweet Saturday



Half term has been a busy week for us, with lots to do with the children and a spare room that has had 4 coats of white paint to get rid of 'that' pink! It's looking much better already. The room is east facing and now with just a basic coat (or four!) of white it is now such a light bright space instead of a marshmallow gone wrong room!

We are having a lovely easy day today, pumpkin carving and a chinese take-away tonight and then Joe has been invited to a Halloween/ Fifth Birthday party which should be interesting! He's going as a werewolf bless him. What are you doing for Halloween? Now we are living on a high street in a small village I am expecting quite a few callers, Joe's never experienced this before as we used to live rurally so I'm quite looking forward to seeing his face! Have fun whatever you are up to xx

Monday 25 October 2010

Monday Brights

How was your weekend? Ours was - Yuk. We all had a horrible sickness bug, I'm so over all the germs now! Oh how I would love a nice beach holiday right now...

Oh well the sun is shining and I'm going to get cracking painting the spare room, hoping that looking at these bright happy rooms will spur me on!








images via lonny, procrastination mama, decorpad



Friday 22 October 2010

Happy Friday and Graham & Green's New Blog

Hi y'all! After a week of sickness bugs and more colds I am looking forward to a weekend of painting the spare room and fun with the kiddos. How about you?




Have just been over to my obsession which is Graham & Green (as am very tempted by their 15% off all lighting weekend) and noticed they have a new blog.

Definitely worth a check out as it makes interesting reading - they describe their buying trip to India and their new Goan retreat - available for rental! Jheez, it seems that all I do is plug them, they really should employ me!

Have a great weekend xx

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Wee Ones Wednesday

We've been on a gorgeous break to the New Forest but more on that tomorrow..!


I ADORE this little boy's bedroom as featured in this month's Lonny. I love the pastel blue bed and the grasscloth walls. But I especially love the Paul Smith wallhanging, so much so I went exploring at The Rug Company and found these:

Ark Wallhanging by Paul Smith - £995. I heart the gorgeous illustrations and colours.

Another from the Paul Smith Collection, £995

Flamingo Wallhanging by Suzy Hoodless at a slightly cheaper £595. Would look gorgeous in this room...




 I would love the Ark or the Train for Jackson's room. Unfortunately for me, the room has sloping walls on most sides - unfortunate for me, fortunate for our bank balance!


Monday 18 October 2010

Local Inspiration


I am so impressed with my local lifestyle magazine Wealden Times. The geographic of the Weald of Kent is tiny, not even a county, just a small area - the 'heart' of Kent as they say. And yet the magazine is so so stylish, the homes they feature are just gorgeous and their articles are interesting.

To me it is up there with the national magazines I loyally purchase every month. There are quite a few adverts but it's great for me as they are usually for small, local businesses. And the best thing is that their featured houses, recipes etc can be seen online!

Here are a few examples to whet your whistle...








I had to put the dog in. I want him.

Wealden Times

Monday Brights

I'm very excited about my new purchases for my current project - our spare room.

My mum and sister are visiting from France at the beginning of November and it is currently (as left by the previous owners!) bright bubblegum pink with a crystal pink lampshade, pink gingham curtains and a (yes, you guessed it) pink blind with pink pom poms! It also has a green carpet. I would love to take this out and burn joyously but I don't know if I will be able to get round to this as well, we'll see. I must take a before photo to give you the full picture!

Anyway, we are allowed to paint the walls as long as they are neutral colours so I'm going to paint the pink out and have just bought these gorgeous cushions from the talented Willa Skye at Etsy:



Love them and can't wait to get them! Here are a few more of my favourites from her shop...


These Schumacher fabric pillows are stunning (expensive, but stunning!). I have my eye on these for our own bedroom.




Always love greek key designs, in fact I love all the fabrics she has at her shop, decisions decisions!

Happy Monday one and all x

Willa Skye

Sunday 17 October 2010

Sunday Inspiration - Jones Design Company



I have had a lovely Sunday afternoon with my feet up reading the inspirational blog Jones Design Company. Emily is an extremely talented mum of four, stationery designer and has a beautiful home. You must check out her blog, she has a shop and the tutorials are great - especially the 'wallpaper' painting tutorial - so clever!




jones design company

Friday 15 October 2010

Autumn



All the things I love about Autumn including warm apple pie, brown boots, chunky cardigans, gold and orange hues... cosy and gorgeous x

Happy Friday!



Happy Friday everyone! It's been a strange old week this week, one of those weeks were you feel like you are wading through mud, busy - but not actually making progress on the big things. We made an impromptu birthday party for my father-in-law on Wednesday, have had parents evenings, assignments to finish, and so it goes on!

So I'm putting the week behind me and am I am looking forward to this weekend; out tonight with school mums for a pizza and a chat and then celebrating my husbands birthday tomorrow (it's not till Wednesday but we'll take the babysitter when we can!) Really looking forward to it as we have friends coming over to stay. I feel a hangover in the offing...!


Hope you have a fantastic one whatever you are doing! x

weheartit

Tuesday 12 October 2010

I'm in love...

...with this gorgeous idea from Rocket & Bear...



Take your child's favourite teddy, take a photo of the teddy, email the photo to them and they will print a perfectly personalised tee-shirt for your little one - and all for £20. I think it's a super clever idea - not only would my kiddies be over the moon, I also think they look really funky too so everyone's happy!
Definitely one for the Christmas list.

Rocket & Bear via notonthehighstreet

Glace Colours En France

My parents little project (their home in France) has turned out to be a huge project! My mum is very happy that she finally has stairs to her bedroom (it was a trip up a wobbly ladder every evening) and things are structurally starting to come together.

To cheer herself up after a very long build, my mum has started to think about colour schemes for the rooms and although I haven't even been to the new house yet (infants + renovation projects = disaster) we are regularly on the phone discussing possible interiors.

One of the first rooms she wishes to tackle is the main guest room as it will be one of the first to be completed (and of course I can then come to stay!). As with many people, my parents have accumilated a lot of pieces - whether it be furniture or soft furnishings, that they want to keep and tie-in with new schemes.

Once such piece is a large bedspread that my mum bought a while ago. It is a pretty piece but it is very 'country cottage' and she doesn't want to go down that route with the room as a whole. In fact she has decided that she wants the interior throughout to look fresh, simple and bright.
I immediately remembered being inspired by Kellie's recent post at Ada & Darcy's on Gelato Colours although it would have to be Glace Colours as this will be in France!


She didn't want to use wallpaper in this room and she didn't want to paint it pink so I suggested a fresh light spring green which would tie in with the tiny green petals on the bedspread.


With plain white bedding and simple window treatments it would be easy for her to add accessories and additional furniture in pastel glace colours and white keeping it bright and breezy and in the permenant season of Spring! I can't wait for it to come together and to see it finished!

Images: Driftwood Interiors, Ada & Darcy

Saturday 9 October 2010

Dear Euro-Millions...

Dear Euro-Millions,
Why oh why do you keep ignoring me? I am a loyal follower of yours and never fail to miss a Friday night and yet you overlook me every week. I wouldn't mind but I have my wish list sorted out. I'm not, actually, even greedy - no, I don't want the whole £122 million for myself just an etsy-bitsy little chunk so I can...

Finally buy that sad, lonely french maison near my parents that I have been wistfully looking at for over two years. My sister (an estate agent) is fed up with having to show me around every time I visit, knowing full well I can't buy it! But with a little love (and a little money) I know it would look like this:





It would need the perfect pantry of course...

And a gorgeous outdoor living space...

With beautiful decor in keeping with the setting...


And fun spaces for the children to enjoy.


Back home of course I could then snap up that house nearer to Joe's school, you know, the one just over £1,000,000...






Not as much of a bargain as the French house but what does that price tag include? Well only: Entrance hall | Drawing room | Dining room | Family room | Study | Kitchen | Orangery | Cloakroom | Master bedroom with dressing room and en suite bathroom | 5 Further bedrooms | Family bathroom | Shower room | Garaging | Outbuildings including utility room and gym | Swimming pool | Pool house with 2 changing rooms and WC | Tennis Court | Gardens | Paddock | About 4 acres

Oh that'll do for the time being! So please Euro-Millions, I would be eternally grateful if remember me next week....I'll invite you round for tea x