Pedlars & a few more pics...

I know it's naughty but I am quite obsessed with Pedlars online.

www.pedlars.co.uk

I just purchased a fab oilcloth for our dining table.

It goes perfectly with my slightly beachy, nautical theme and looks brilliant with the

Jacqueline Tuckey painting we were given for our wedding. (Also, aren't the gladioli fab!)

Seagulls, brilliant! Just what the room needed.

I was torn though, as anchors or sailboats would have been great as well.

Please check out Pedlars brilliant blog and have a peek at a few more pics of my place.

Okay, so apart from bunting I am also VERY into mannequins, oh and Union Jacks....

Richard found this street sign in a skip, I love it, it hangs above our console table.

My cushion homage to Foxton Beach NZ.

Vintage Bread & Flour tins picked up at Colombia Road.

Strawberries & Mint, Pimms anyone?

xxx

Let me show you around.....

I thought it was about time we got to know each other a bit better.

This is where I live with my husband and my son.

No pets yet, but we will have 'fissshhhh' soon if Max has his way, or possibly ducks.

My house is your typical Victorian garden flat in South West London.

It's small but has loads of character and I just love it!

Hope you enjoy the tour.

x

Hallway. Haere Mai - Welcome!

Oh, hello Max.

Kitchen - my new teatowel.

A little shelf display.

Lounge - a lovely sunny spot to read a book.

Max's room and more personalised bunting for Max's mate Harrison.

Max's room with salvaged cupboard/drawers - just put those new handles on yesterday!

My (or should I say our) bedroom.

Painting in the hall by me. Painted in Paris in 2006.

Today in my garden.....

Not a cloud in the sky.....

Hello buddy.....

No clouds, but plenty of planes....

No paparazzi Mum!

Duck love.....

Our friend Mr Duck.

Bunting, of course!

Cuddles, so nice.

le petit atelier de paris & chien

Another of my top finds from my last Paris trip was le petit atelier de paris.

A small but perfectly formed shop at 31 rue de Montmorency 75003.

Founded by two designers with a shared love of ceramics.

They present a series of unique items, all handmade on site in the purpose built workshop.

Their brand image is a pair of hands and you can certainly see the artists' hand in evidence.

Every item is wrapped with care in brown paper & string.

My favourite finds were:

A cylinder vase/jug with a measuring tape hand printed on the side.

Ceramic letters & numbers.

Tiny hanging ceramic houses, which are also little bells. (So sweet!)

Also, I am IN LOVE with their beautiful dog....

This is one place I will definitely be returning to.

Woof! xxx

I'm having a Mr Darcy moment.

We all remember that sublime piece of TV magic when Mr Darcy (aka Colin Firth mmmm) delivered his proposal to Elizabeth Bennett. We almost wanted her to cave in at that moment and accept, but alas she was too proud!

When he spoke those words - "you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you" - well quite frankly we developed a bit of a crush really.

I found this gorgeous image over at the wonderful White & Wander blog and it reminded me how much I loved that mini series (Sorry Keira but only the BBC version will do!)

To me, this image is all about simplicity - honesty - beauty.

My words for the day.

X

Oui oui Merci!

I am such a sucker for a paper bag! And Merci's paper carrier bags really sum up this fabulous stores' ethos.
Giving can be a very stylish thing to do. All the profits from Merci go to charity. But a charity shop it ain't!


I first visited Merci last year and had to be dragged away from the place. I seriously wanted to move in.
Housed in an old wallpaper factory in the Marais, it is grand, shabby, whimsical & serious all at the same time.


If you are planning to visit Paris anytime soon, I would suggest ditching the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower and heading straight to Merci for a true Parisian experience.


The countdown is on for my return to Merci - yes! 48 days and counting.....


Merci, 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003, Paris.

My liddle beach cottage - how I miss you!

A couple of weeks before my husband and I got married we spotted a ruined wreck of a house in our favourite corner of the Kapiti Coast, NZ.
The auction was happening while we were honeymooning in Australia, so I sent my Dad along with strict instructions - one bid over £300K and that's it!
Well, obviously it was meant to be ours as we got the house, in all it's crumbling glory, for $301,000.
Yay!
Coming back from our honeymoon we then launched into a two month reno project.
Hubs is a builder (handy) and I dabble in interior design, so obvious this was our idea of a really good time!
After months & months of really hard slog our liddle house was ready.
And we did have three fabulous weeks living in it before we upped sticks and moved to London.
Here is our cute beach cottage, can't wait to get back there one day!

Before & After.

Before - "Mum I could really do with a haircut. It gets in my eyes all the time and I don't like it when Dad gives me a mohawk."
























After - "Mum, when I said haircut I was thinking Toni & Guy, you know some where stylish for the under twos. Not a home job with dressmaking scissors."

Max & the quack quacks.

It was the most gorgeous day on Thursday.
So Max and I jumped in the car and headed to
the Wetland & Wildfowl centre in Barnes.
This has got to be southwest London's best kept secret!
It is literally teaming with all kinds of birds.
You really feel like you are in the countryside.
Max has got a duck obsession happening at the moment,
so he was very happy!

Bunting heaven!

Okay.
I'm putting it out there.
I am a little bit obsessed with bunting.
I kinda collect it.
I have garden bunting, sailing bunting,
vintage bunting from the 40's, bunting for Max's room,
union jack bunting etc etc etc.
I have never actually made it though - until today.
My lovely friend Melissa has just had a baby and named it Matilda.
So I thought I would give this little idea of personalised bunting a go.
First I cut out the letters and glued them in place on my fabric triangles.






















Then I stitched around them in bright red thread.
I backed my bunting with random fabric in florals, sail boats & letters.
To finish I threaded my triangles onto vintage french ribbon picked up
from a stall in Portobello Rd.




I hope Melissa likes her gift.
And I hope she doesn't read this blog before I've had a chance to give it to her!

L.O.V.E. and marriage.

One of the most fabulous things we did while back in New Zealand was attending the wedding of our gorgeous friends Holly Hastings & Sam Turner.

Holly is a former event manager now a lady who lunches living in Hong Kong with her banker hubby.

At present she is interior designing their apartment to within an inch of it's life as they await the arrival of their first baby nicknamed 'Tiger Turner".






















Photo op with hubby before heading to the wedding.





It was truly a memorable and divine day. Holly is such a style queen so every detail was taken care of.

I particularly loved the L.O.V.E. canvases which formed a backdrop for the ceremony.

Holly looked so beautiful in her vintage style wedding gown, as I am sure you will agree.




All in all it was a day to remember. Mostly because it was a celebration of LOVE.
Two dear friends committing to spend the rest of their lives together.
It doesn't get much better than that.


Hubby & I get in on the act!