how I feel lately

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!

Today is my birthday and I just spent a lovely day at home with Chris and Hesper. I had a birthday breakfast of croissants and bucks fizz then basically spent the day opening presents, watching films and lazing around in front of the fire. Might not sound that exciting but after a week of illness and taking the dog backwards and forwards to the vet, it was bliss!

Jon Klassen

// All images via Pinterest //

dream summer wardrobe

My summer wardrobe needs to be a planned affair this year. The problem with British weather is that hot weather catches us off guard and it can seems silly to spend a lot of money on clothes that will be worn for about 2 weeks out of the year. However, a bit of forward thinking and bargain hunting should help. I am really drawn to classical, effortless styling... without too much scary flesh on show: Breton stripes, pleats, simple dresses in white, navy, neutrals with a flash of colour.

All via Pinterest: blazer: Forever21.com // sunglasses, spot cardy, stripe dress, wedges: hm.com // pleat skirt: warehouse.co.uk // chinos: oasis-stores.com

you are where you need to be...

These quotes sum it all up for me at the moment. Namely, my frustration at not being where I want to be... deciding where/what that is ...and the single-mindedness needed to achieve it.  Although I am a determined person, this is far outweighed by my ability to be distracted/influenced by other paths.

(I am desperately clinging to the hope offered by the Julia Child quote):

vineetkaur.tumblr.com

uppercasegallery.ca

melisandemaude.blogspot.com

LoveSugar at Etsy

a room of one's own

I have come to the conclusion that for now, I am going to put my screen printing/Etsy shop on hold... although I do not feel as if I ever really got started with it! I started off about a year ago wanting to screen print & sell my designs on Etsy. I began with with baby/kids tees as a way to print my designs onto textiles. I was returning to work with a one-year old and needed to keep it accessible for myself, so I decided that printing on ready-made garments is easier than printing on items that I also have to sew myself.

My big idea was to eventually include handmade home-wares and accessories, combining screen printing and recycled/vintage fabrics. The vision is still there but I have to accept that it is just not possible for me at the moment. I work three days a week and the rest of the time I am with my two-year old daughter. I do have a workspace which is a converted garden shed, and though it is adequate, it is sill cold in the winter and besides, I rarely get the time to actually go in there and try to create anything!  I know that things would be different if I had a work-room in the house as I could shut myself away and create, returning to ideas without having to pack it all away or leave things for weeks before picking up again. I may feel differently in the summer, when the evenings are longer and it is warmer, otherwise I may have to wait until we can either move, or my daughter is in school...or we win the lottery?!

Anyway, all is not lost. The other great albatross around my neck is the KLC Interior Design course that I enrolled on some ...ooh a few years ago. It is designed to study at home around work/family commitments but I never managed to do it when I was working full-time and certainly not with a baby...not to a standard that I was happy with anyway (I think I'd rather not do something than do it badly).  But as I spend most of my evenings glued to my laptop and even more recently, to Pinterest, this has got my passion for interiors fired up again. I may not have much work of my own to talk about but I can still use this blog to share design finds...which will ultimately help me with my course-work...when I get that room (and time) of my own...

Inspiring work spaces...

All sourced on Pinterest, from top: mintdesignblog.com // heartfish.com // seventhingstowritehomeabout.blogspot.com // scandinavianretreat.blogspot.com // bloomingville.com // 

satchels and tweed

I love Pinterest as a way to help me shop! I can browse online and pin anything that I like the look of, then see what else I could put with it, like a virtual wardrobe. Especially useful as I seem to have gone off actual shopping in the real world these days...it's just not the same with a bored toddler in tow - as for trying things on, forget it.  I've been after some brogue heels for weeks and finally found a decent pair (from Tesco!) for £20, similar to the ones here. I'm also coveting this tweed blazer from H&M, but  being a bit of a cheapskate I'm hanging on for a sale. This striped jumper was reduced to £3.99 though so I've ordered two in different colour combos. Bargain!

Above: striped jumper, tweed jacket, scarf, jeans all H&M // heeled brogues Dorothy Perkins // satchel New Look

september teal & gold

Autumn is well and truly in the air now, my favourite time of year. This month has been a real in-between-summer-and-autumn month. A combination of stormy skies, sun and flashes of autumn colour.  The colour combination of teal and gold has caught my eye lately and thanks to my recent discovery of Pinterest, here's a little collection perfect for September:

September Teal & Gold

Clockwise from top: emerald decanters from Graham and Green; photo by Hannah Dennis; interiors photo fromscandinaviawithlove; linen and velvet cushions from Cox and Cox; tin trunks at Toast; Content by Conran Aspen armchair and turquoise Bump chair, Sanderson Miro wallpaper, all John Lewis; lace dress from Warehouse.