August Summer Break 7

A day's planning

August Summer Break 6

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?

The August Break 5

Know it's a day late but Friday nite's alright.....

Culinary Inspired Paints

Eco-friendly paints from de le Cuona.

Rich raspberry, bold glistening marigold, delicious smoked chocolate hues and calming unassuming greys, sounds like paint on a plate. What more does a designer need?

The August Break 4

Could that cloud be breaking? This is for you Jo Jo x



Day one for me on The August Break 2011 challenge. Let's hope I can keep it up...

Children's Spaces

As much as our environment shapes who we are and how we act (and as we all know have a great affect on how we feel in general), children's spaces normally need to be far more multi-functional than that of our adult environments.

Sleeping, studying, playing are all everyday occurrences within their space but most importantly it is widely documented that the environment has a direct impact on their development in general. Textures, colours, patterns, shapes are just a few 'tools' which can be used to aid this.

In my advertising career I worked with many children's brands and one thing that was consistently at the forefront of any research and thinking was the importance of 'play'. Many parents put play into a box which is seen as 'time out' and some even see it as time wasting, for example they feel their children should be reading a book or learning a new subject.  An unfortunate and sad reflection on our competitive world. However, play stimulates many development factors of a child; creative thinking, interactivity, self-esteem and general social skills such as sharing etc. It's their one chance in life where they can be in charge and by doing this allows them to develop as a person, learning their boundaries as they go. The role of play therefore should never be underestimated.

Putting the play theory together with design 'tools' means you are able to develop the perfect children's space be that a simple or elaborate interior/exterior environment.

And my parting thought.  Many times, when we are designing a child's bedroom, we forget to tap into one of the key inspirations, the child themselves.  After all their minds are at times far more creative than ours.

Now for the first board in the series is Harry's Room. A vibrant space for a young lad using a combination of shapes, patterns and colour. A repeat pattern penguin wallpaper is complimented by a colour range of off blues brightened by striped blinds with an indigo denim trim and a height chart wall sticker. The playful feel is finished with a large mushroom lamp, antique style 1920's race car and unique yet practical ways to display their belongings.



Suppliers:
Isak Penguin Wallpaper Turquoise
All paint colours Farrow and Ball, Great White, Skylight, Blue Ground, Drawing Room Blue
Ian Mankin Worthing Stripe
Ian Mankin Indigo Denim
Shelving via Pininterest (sorry lost original link)
Punkin Patch Thomas Bed
Baby Face Striped Rug
Baby Face Gingham Bedding
Harry's Toy Box
Egmont Large Mushroom Lamp
Marquant Vintage Toy Car
Boudie and Fou Wall Chart

On Yer Bike

Douglas and Gordon have for years struggled to express their personality within the muddled estate agent market. Therefore when 'i am' associates re-branded and designed the interiors of their offices D&G were at last able to run with the big boys. One of their values D&G hold dear is their ability to be innovative and caring within a profession rarely associated with these qualities. But caring and innovate they are and to highlight this back in April they announced a new addition to the fleet, a vintage style bike.

This is a brilliant idea for this brand, highlighting their values perfectly and at last someone is jumping off the 'branded mini' wagon and into a unique branded transport area. I am just wondering if they have male and female versions? If not I feel they may have missed a trick - using old butcher's bikes for the men in the office would allow them to leave their property newspapers onboard for people to help themselves when they are left in the streets.



I just do hope no one has uttered the 'office bike' gag.

http://www.i-amonline.com

Rummaging on a grand scale

Those that know me know that I love a good rummage, but this is a rummage on a rather grand scale. Reminiscent of the recent sale held at our beloved Chatsworth, much of the late Dutch Queen Juliana's possessions are going under the hammer with Southerby's in Amsterdam this week.

Interested viewers from around the world have been found musing through a maze of oak tables, silver, threadbare armchairs, marble mantle clocks and giant chandeliers. Walls lined with oil and watercolor paintings with images of where once they were homed. And with much respect to the late Queen, even the paddles are orange.

I felt for one bidder, described as a collector and a royal fan, and was hoping to buy some antique porcelain he was quoted as saying

"I have the same problem as the royal household, where do I put it all?".

I know the feeling!

Delicate Days

Aedh Wishes for the Clothes of Heaven

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

William Butler Yeats

Photo courtesy of BendyChange

Foraging Foray

Autumn is here in all it's glory and we are off this weekend foraging in Epping Forest for 'shrooms! Not sure what to expect, except the guaranteed influx of rain which is due tomorrow morning. So wrapped up to the hilt, basket and flask at the ready we are off to join Andy Overall for a day with a difference. If I can manage to get the camera out without it and myself being washed away I'll be back early next week to unravel the adventure! Have a lovely weekend one and all, now where are my wellies?...




Mushroom shots courtesy of fungi to be with
Deer shot courtesy of Iain West

A sad sad day in our household

The 4th August was a dreadful day, one which we had dreaded for a long time. Our dear sweet boy left us, drifting away calmly while he slept. Our hearts are broken, a massive gap in our lives has been created and our house is so quiet. We will miss you dearly Jo Jo, you gave us so much unconditional love and joy, more than we could have every asked for. Sleep peacefully, we'll never stop loving you. xx.

4 Sleeps To Go!

Everything in my life has been on hold for a long time now and in four days time I am able to reclaim my life again. I have to admit I have had a ball being back in advertising, with some real challenges, but most importantly some great people and colleagues that I have worked with. However, now I am ready to get back to RedFish, my interiors, my vintage buying exploits, sourcing wonder pieces for people and getting Teacups & Pearls truly up and running (more on that another time). So my first challenge is to create and build a website for RedFish and Teacups & Pearls, and for this I have given myself three weeks. I am going to use this space to show the countdown and see if 3 weeks are possible. Let's see shall we?

My best friend T believes that if you think hard enough about something it will begin to happen. There is one thing just recently that has happened in this way, but I will save that for another post as the culmination of the thought is on Monday and I don't want to tempt fate.

The thought I do leave you with is that today at the market I bought 4 1920's pen illustrations of ladies head fashion and a sale poster scamp for Derry and Toms (which I will share with you when I find their full history). Derry and Toms were one of the largest department stores in 1920's London. They were rivals of Selfridges and Swan & Edgar attracting vast queues on their opening sale days and standing the test of time until they sadly closed on January 13th 1972. Most people would then have known the building to have been taken over by Biba with the amazing Rainbow Restaurant and the famous Roof Gardens, commissioned by Derry and Toms, and now owned by Richard Branson.

So imagine my surprise when I am part way through researching the history of the illustrations I had bought and clicked onto a blog I read regularly Ted and Bunny. Her latest post was about yellow and how much she would love to wear it but sadly cannot, as the colour does not suit, and the last time she had bought a yellow piece was in Biba in the old Derry and Toms building on Kensington High Street - weird, random, coincidence?

Catwalk Capsule

Would love to be wearing this today, grey and yellow hues with white accents - bring on the sunshine!

All images courtesy of Anthropologie

Getting Away From It All

We all have dreams, some of us are lucky enough to live them, some of us tiptoe around them and others just continue to dream.

Mr S and I have been dreaming and talking for a long time about what we would like to do if we were ever to get out of the big smoke. I guess we are still at tiptoe stage, however, we do have a small list:

• A boutique B&B,
• A Delicatessen with a vintage tea room,
• An interior business we could combine with the B&B,
• A goat farm or
• A combination of all of the above!

And, it is with this dream that I gleefully stumbled upon this wonderful small boutique B&B in Hastings, right near the coast. It's not totally what we dream to have, but there are beautiful snippets of the building and interiors that can't do anything but make you smile.

So if you like what you see in this post why not pour yourself a steaming cup of tea, click on here and plan that long deserved weekend away. We can all dream.

Lucienne Day - 1 January 1917 to 30 January 2010
Thank you for your inspiration.

Camping and a fresh outlook

Yes, I haven't blogged for a while now, Yes, I have been a bit lapse, No, I have not lost interest. Mr S and I have just been camping for four glorious days down in Sussex. Long walks, bird song, great food on the barbie, weather was grand, wish we could have said the same about the caravan! Joking aside we had a magic time which has inspired many new ideas, keep checking back as they will be on here soon. In the meantime have a great weekend, fingers crossed the sun stays out, I'll be back soon with more on our glamorous get-away!

Spring has sprung

This weekend brought us two inspirational events - firstly spring, which seems to have rapidly disappeared as the week has developed, but also the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle's much-loved classic The Hungary Caterpillar, which was originally published in 1969 and every time I see the book or illustration I can't help but smile.

Eric's original idea came to him while he was working in his studio.

"One day I was punching holes with a hole puncher into a stack of paper and I thought of a bookworm and so I created a story called 'A Week with Willi the Worm'. Then my editor suggested a caterpillar instead and I said 'Butterfly!' That's how it began."

Eric, who turns 80 this year, is still very young at heart and receives some 10,000 letters a year from children who have read the book and as testament to great work has sold more than 29 million copies around the world and has been translated into 47 languages. It still sells on average one copy every 30 seconds. Which just goes to show whilst many fads come and go simple and inspirational work lives forever.

War is declared in Duntshill Road

This little beastie has returned - the Chrysolina Americana as it is known in horticultural circles, or more commonly The Rosemary Beetle, is not a welcome guest in our garden. Our small patch brims with green hedges, white roses, herbs and lavenders and it is the rosemary and lavender bushes that this little chap delights in. They are not new to the UK the Royal Horticultural Society reported them first in 1994. However they first visited us two years ago, and now every year I am on beetle watch starting in early spring through to the summer and to my horror this morning I spotted the first of our yearly visitors. Although they look lovely with their dark green and red stripes they unfortunately strip the lavender and rosemary and can eat an amazing amount of just one bush in one day! So beware, if you have these plants in your garden go now and check them - and believe me don't feel cruel.

Happy Mother's Day Mum x

Although I can't be with you today I am sending a huge hug and kiss to you Mum - wouldn't these be lovely with a up of coffee? xx





Happy Mother's Day to all you Mum's out there - enjoy the sunshine.

Wednesday was a challenging day. It started off with me not concentrating and tripping up the escalator at Baker Street Station (at least it was up!) and cracking my knee on the edge of the next metal step - s**t that hurt - it was bizarre the different emotions I experienced.

1. Terror - I see moving metal approaching me very quickly
   
2. Confusion - What's going on? I'm not meant to be down here, sprawled completely un-lady-like
   
3. Possessiveness - Grab tight of everything on person - mobile, travel card, handbag, document you were reading on train and bag which was on shoulder with "stuff" in it, which on reflection could have been surplus to requirements this morning
   
4. Shock - Think I might cry now, the bottom lip is quivering - luckily it was only for a split second as it could have been even more embarrassing then tripping in-front of hundreds of rush hour commuters!
5. Worry - Have I ripped my trousers? I have a meeting at a large advertising agency in half an hour with people I haven't met before, is my knee bleeding?
6. Relief - Safely in office, no rip, no blood, bowl of porridge/banana/maple syrup, time to gather thoughts for meeting and get a cab to large advertising agency with only 5 minutes to get there before meeting, it's just not going to happen.

Time to compose myself and metamorphose myself back into 37 me and not 63 my mother who regularly trips up! Perhaps I should take more water with it!