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i have been really enjoying the pins by Christel Romahn this week she has hundred of lovely boards
here are 2 of my favourites Lavendel und Leinen or (linen and lavender)
having been really concentrating on my photography course over the last few weeks i particularly love the styling and lighting of some of the pics on here,
Happy weekend one and all, hope you have had a good week!
We' ve been busy colouring up new designs and getting tonnes of samples out following quite a lot of mentions in the press this month. You can click here to have a gander!
We have sold loads of our scrap bags - there are still a couple left in the sale here - and we will add a few more over the next few weeks. We made this little board on pinterest for ideas of things to make with scraps of fabrics.
this week thanks to my clever friend Dr H, I discovered a great app called feedly.com which you can use to read favourite blogs on ipad phone etc - makes my breakfast reading nice and simple! - you can even follow is in there! - i will have to ask Helen for some instructions on how to do it though!!!!
Those of you who know me well will know that i am a hugely greedy foody!! (i do love this quote by julia child!)
I follow lots of Bristol based food people on twitter and pinterest so was thrilled to come across the work of photographer kirsty young this week on twitter,
she does a lot of food photography for one of my favourite south west foodie magazines called crumbs she also writes a lovely blog filled with inspirational photography you can read it here.
this months crumbs magazine has a great article about one of my favourite chefs too - Bob and his family from Made by bob in Cirencester .
enjoy your weekend and may it be filled with food and friends and family!!
we have been working on some lovely collaborations recently with a great lady called Hanna who owns a fabulous interiors company Stenvall interiors. Our paths crossed when we took part in the SIT open studios, and we got on straightway.
Hanna grew up in Sweden and she restores vintage swedish and french furniture, she has a fabulous eye for detail and a love of linen that is similar to my own. (if the MD of harlequin were reading this he would groan as i was always trying to get him to print my designs on luscious natural linens when i was designing for them - i think he felt i was linen obsessed!) So its always nice to find a fellow obsessive!
Hanna has a great eye for colour and style - as can be seen in her stunning Gloucestershire home - all designed and built by herself and her husband.
Hanna has recently finished this beautiful commission in our delfine fabric - faded pink.
This one was made in a pink linen specially sourced from belgium after an exhaustive search for a perfect greyed off pink.
One day last year we got chatting and it turns out that we both love embroidered fabrics and monograms, so we got our heads together to create a few bespoke pieces for her clients.
Lovely for me as i dont often get to brush off my embroidery skills. ( to the slight horror of my parents I did a degree in embroidery….back in the day!)
if you would like a monogram on one of Hannas beds or chairs you can contact hanna here
and watch this space for some more embroidered cushions and lampshades - since you'll seem to have loved them on instagram
Its half term holidays this week, so keeping on top of things here in the studio has been tricky!
however we have managed a bit of doodling of new designs - more on those when the samples come in! had a little sale! find out whats left here and grab yourself a bargain! and revamped a few of our webpages to include our lovely torcello linens
torcello linen
and beautiful herringbone - which we can't stop adding colours to!!!
we also had a visit from the lovely Carrie Smith from Flohr and Co, who was down here visiting her parents so popped in with her gorgeous daughter to say hi!
We made some extra special biscuits - that are known in our house as "daddy biscuits" because my husbands mother used to make loads of them to take on their annual family camping trip! they were one of the first things my daughter Bella learned to cook.
I have made a few alterations to the original recipe because i dont really use margarine! and i wanted to add a bit of fruit, below is the basic recipe, with my additions below!
4 0z porridge oats
3 oz plain flour
1 oz desiccated coconut (i use unsweetened)
4 oz butter
4 oz sugar - (i use unrefined caster or light muscavado)
1 tbs golden syrup (i tried this with a true tbs measure, but it wasn't enough so now i use a big old fashioned spoon! - if you are suing a tbs measure put in 2!)
i/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda dissolved in 1 desertspoon of hot water - dont miss this out its what makes the biscuits go all crinkly chewy yummy!!
additions to elevate from 70s status!
a handful of dried cranberries , or dried chopped apricots, or sultanas
a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds
a small handful dark chocolate chips
melt, butter, sugar syrup over a medium heat, mix in the dry ingredients mix in the bicarb and water mix.
dollop walnut size balls on a baking sheet - with plenty of space in between (covering the baking sheet with a teflon liner will make cleaning up a million times easier). bake in a medium oven (about 150 - 180 degrees depending on your oven) check them after 6 mins, - they vary but need watching as they burn super quickly. when they are golden take the tray out of the oven and leave to cool on the tray till they firm up a bit, then transfer to a cooling rack to fully set.
They dont keep brilliantly - you need to keep them in a tin with greaseproof between each layer or you will have a clump like flapjack!
Have a happy weekend everybody x
this weeks pinterest find for me was hope and fortune
whoever the pinned is , and there is no profile, so i don't know! has exquisite taste and an eye for beautiful images.
so whoever you are hope and fortune, i love your pins and you have made me happy this week!
…..so as promised i am trying to catch you up on our busy days!
one of my other resolutions this year is to try and have some time off on weekends.
running your own business and managing it around the pressures of parenthood inevitably means working odd hours. it is so easy to nip into the studio on a weekend to finish the bits and bobs that dont get down in the week. So i have been trying not to.
the arrival of cabbage the puppy has got us all out walking much more - to and from school and all of us as a family on weekends.
i have also been trying to cook everything we eat from scratch - not always possible but i am having a go - I've been trying to avoid refined wheat and sugar and eat more whole grains and natural foods. - have a look at the recipes i have been collecting on my whole foods board on pinterest. I am no angel and i should give up alcohol along with the wheat and sugar but a pub walk is a weekend necessity!
all images are from my pinterest whole foods board and the links will take you back to original sources.
i have been enjoying the recipes from hugh fw light and easy, deliciously ella and honestly healthy
hello, and happy valentines day
it feels a long time since i have been here, we have had a very busy few months both work and personally!
Anyway one of my new years resolutions was to be a better blogger - when Jo and I used to blog over at Hardaker and Pope we were really good about posting every few days! Lobster and Swan - my favourite blog is brilliant at regular posting and has hundreds of thousands of readers as a result! so with that in mind i thought i would try and catch you up on some of the new things we have been upto - though it might take a few weeks!
I have been doing a photography course which has been really interesting - but quite tricky on the technicals - i have been in class with 2 lovely business ladies who i know - kerrie who is the inspirational businesswoman behind pins and ribbons
and verity from rascal and roses (who knew that a girl who creates such pretty things was in the army!!!!) I am hoping you will see some improvement in my photography skills over the coming weeks!
I have also developed an addiction to instagram - so if you are an instagrammer come and join us here. It goes hand in hand with my pinterest addiction i do love all things visual.
i have had a couple of pinterest finds lately - and have been particularly enjoying these boards
from quayside furniture above
and Myrtle Bank below
check back in for more new things, and also a little bit about who we have been collaborating with lately…..lots to tell!
Sometimes its hard juggling what feels like too many balls! we have decorex coming up in a couple of weeks and at the same time (well the week before) my daughter is doing her 11+ - its such an awful pressure for a 10 year old. We are really trying not to make her feel that it is super important and be really calm (my husband who is a teacher is much better at this than me and i have to go and have a secret panic in the studio!) so i will be glad for her when its all over in a couple of weeks!
with this in mind i liked this quote this week - Miss B this is for you x
we have been busy working with local company Scumble Goosie on some new product and took a few photos of their chairs - they will soon be available on our website in either raw state ready for you to paint, or painted with a seat cover in one of our fabrics - we love the little baby version too!!!
i was really thrilled to learn that my good friend Julia Brendal is going to be exhibiting at Decorex this year and we will be neighbours - on the same row at the show - it will be nice to have a friendly face to chat to! Have a look at Julias website she produces the most exquisite woven fabrics and also stunning accessories - tablecloths and scarves - they are gorgeous.
I was delighted this week when not one but 2 lovely friends dropped by with big bags of plums from their garden. I have made a massive batch of chinese spiced plum sauce - i am in good company as Nigel slater is doing it in this weeks observer food.
we have had masses of lampshade orders lately so its with great pleasure that i am handing over some of our drums to my friend louise from lolly and boo, who makes fabulous lampshades in a huge array of fabrics
I found my old iPod case that i made for our van travels a couple of years ago, and it perfectly fits my iPhone - which i was rather thrilled about. I had forgotten how much i liked them, so i think we will add them to the website this week as part of our autumn / winter accessories collection. what would be your most favourite design/colourway ?? join our mailing list here and comment below and you could win one in a fabric/colour of your choice .
while perusing pinterest last week i came across a lovely picture with art in a box. It was instantly recognisable as one of viv from Hens Teeths creations
which led me inevitably on a clickathon and i found a really lovely little board of art in boxes.
i am always inspired by unusual creative goings on so here are some pictures to inspire you too!
all of the original images can be found on my art board on pinterest and they will take you back to the original source.
another busy week here in the studio while we are gearing up for decorex - a very prestigious London trade show for interiors, where we will be showcasing some new fabrics (a sneaky peek of those soon!) heres one of our new stripes in colour "damson and greengage" - quite an apt name for the distinctly autumnal feel of the moment.
Going on holiday always puts things in perspective for me and so when i saw this quote this week it made me smile, it sums up weeks when you feel like chucking in the towel but something makes you carry on!
i have had a thing about neon pink this week - especially with grey!
we seem to have been making lots of bags in the studio this week , our shoppers are still one of our most popular products, but we have done a few custom orders this week with longer handles for over your shoulder and a soft clutch bag.
our autumn winter collection of accessories have started arriving, which is always exciting!
i feel i have got my cooking mojo back a bit - i got rather lazy in france as i didn't have my huge store cupboard of exciting spices and there isn't the same vast choice as we have here (which in a way to is much more healthy to be governed by the rhythms of the season but green beans wear thin after a month!!!) so i have been making lots of yummy salads - recipes here.
clockwise from top left green bean salad from plenty by ottolenghi
chopped thai salad with sesame garlic dressing from a pinch of yum
summer slaw
rainbow salad with greek yoghurt ceasar dressing from scaling back
hope you all hd a great week!
Its always hard getting back into work mode (especially when the children are still off school!)
i have been clinging to the last vestiges of summer and reminding myself of all the yummy food in the market in ile de re - we had such delicious camping lunches
i am inspired to keep it going now we are back with lots of salads from our garden!
and it seems as though so has everybody else has been hanging on to the last days of summer too - as our nauticals have been really popular this week.
the gorgeous cushions in the bottom left picture are made by my friend Ceri at White Mulberry soft furnishings - have a check out of her website. we will be featuring some more of ceri's lovely work in a forthcoming post!
I dont think any working mums find life easy - and its often difficult to get the balance right!
so in between working this week we have been to giffords circus (a wonderful event and if you are in the cotswolds in the summer time it is well worth a visit - its a really traditional beautiful old fashioned show and i LOVE it every year!!)
However I have had design ideas pouring out of me this week, so i have been trying to get those down on paper at the same time as colouring our new designs for decorex and sorting out new product / accessories samples which have been arriving for christmas!
its nice to be back on my mac and indulge my pinterest passion!
this quote was one of my favourites of the week!
We have just returned - filled with inspiration from our travels around france.
Lots of lovely food and some interesting brocanting!
I thought i would share with you some pictures of Ile de Re, one of my favourite places -we go back most years, it has similar light quality to st ives. Big skies, billowing drifts of wild fennel, and wonderful chalky coloured shutters on all of the buildings, which always inspire me for colours in our designs!
the Island is a spit of land off the coast of La Rochelle, famed for its salt, oysters and little buttery yellow potatoes. Everyone cycles everywhere which is lovely and makes it blissfully quiet.
the beautiful soft chalky paint colours of the shutters always a source of inspiration!
above majolica stripe
its been a ridiculously busy week here , making jams for the school fete.
finishing new designs for decorex
and sorting out bits and pieces for our summer travels in the camper van - do say hello if you happen upon us in france (more of where we are going in a later post)
we joined instagram and you can find us here
this week i discovered Meera Sodha via instagram and then her gorgeous website here, and i can't wait to cook these coconut prawns her new cookbook will definitely feature on my xmas list.
I also found my chum Holly on instagram (Holly was my beautiful assistant for Decorex last year and i am hoping she will join us again this year.) She is finishing her textile degree and writes a fab lifestyle blog at the same time .
Most of you will know of my addiction to pinterest! i LOVE IT!!
Anyway this friday 5 is all about quotes, there are some fab ones that pop up on pinterest and here are 5 of my favourites - some for the words and others for the beautiful nature of the styling!
and this one because it makes me smile!
I dont often get chance to paint these days - other than the artwork for my designs, but i thought i would take my paints on holiday with me this year and hope to come back with a creation or two!
Though i don't think i will ever be a true fine artist as even when i paint for pleasure they always come out looking a little bit surface patternish!
here are some current favourite paintings
charlotte hardy
elaine pamphillon
charlotte hardy
charlotte hardy
One of the upsides of my job is that i get to work with some lovely people! When i met Marina from Oakhouse Design at a function i knew i had met a kindred spirit, so i was thrilled when she made these gorgeous cushions and bolsters for our website.
Which is your favourite?
……..and a new dress!
i seem to have been obsessed with purpley blues and fuchsia this week,
images from pinterest and sarah hardaker
and with the arrival of three big rolls of our ever popular old sheets fabric, it has been linen and lavender all the way!
i have also had a little splurge on one of my favourite clothing brands - the australian fashion brand one season, and bought 3 dresses….all in shades of blue!
and here is a lovely inspiring collage from one of my favourite bloggers snippet and ink in shades of pink and lavender blackberry and quince!
One of the nicest things about this business is getting to meet - either personally or virtually a wealth of talented people. Be they designers, curtain makers, shop owners or members of the general public who just love fabric, we really enjoy chatting and working with them.
Debbie Down at Rooms with a View in Diss in Norfolk is a strong supporter of British design talent, stocking the smaller British designers alongside the big boys of interiors! Debbie stocks Authentico paint and lots of gorgeous painted furniture, and a wide array of design led gifts.
Debbie has a lovely shop in the town of Diss, and also owns a fabulous cottage - called hollyhock cottage , with stunning interior decor by Debbie, available to rent here. It is a perfect weekend romantic retreat.
Hello folks - long time no speak!
iIthought i might start an irregular series of 5 good things - i will try and post them on a friday - but can't promise!!! they might not be the 5 best, but they are 5 that i like!
Anyway i am dissatisfied with my walls - i have a lot of pictures but can never get them quite properly arranged. So i am kicking of friday 5 with 5 good things for picture display, they are all from pinterest and you will find the links to the original post by clicking on the pic.
Happy friday one and all!
one of the downsides of opening our own studio as part of the open studios is that you don't get chance to visit other artists in their studios, so I was delighted when an email arrived from my great friend who was going to collect a painting from one of our favourite artists asking me to accompany her. Kate Loveday is a wonderful Gloucestershire based artist who lives and works in an amazing house in the d part of Stroud. Her open studio is very often the first port of call for buyers on the trail and her work is much sought after ( I have 3 of her paintings and they give me such joy every day!)
It's not just the painting that make a trip to Kate's studio such a wonderful experience, but also her amazing home and beautiful garden leave one feeling inspired.
Kate kindly let me take some pictures when I paid her a visit on Wednesday & if you are in the Stroud valleys this weekend I thoroughly recommend that you pop in and enjoy Kate's beautiful work, you will find her house at the end of a secret pathway at the bottom of lower street.
THOUGH OPEN STUDIOS ARE NOW OFFICIALLY OVER THIS YEAR, KATES PAINTINGS ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR SALE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR & KATE CAN BE CONTACTED HERE katelovedaypaintings@googlemail.com
