Behind The Scenes...

Another studio desk in my home...

We're just back from a lovely week in Devon,

 where we were lucky enough (very lucky in fact) to catch a few

 of the handful of warm and sunny days they've had all Summer.

 It was a week without internet and TV,

 so plenty of time for creative ideas-more of which in a later post...

I was hoping to do another post before I left,

 but just ran out of time. I did, however, take plenty of shots

 of my desk-just as it is-no cleaning up, no styling

-a simple behind the scenes sneak peak.

 For some reason, I like having a lot of tables around the house

 and lucky enough to have the space for them.

 This table is actually an old door bought for £20 at a

 reclamation yard and mounted on wrought iron legs

 given to me over 20 years ago by my lovely friend Colette 

when we both worked in the Debenhams buying office in London.

 (One of the fabulous perks of working in a buying office is sample sales!)

The table is in the family room which gets

 the best of the morning light, so this is the first desk of the day to get 'trashed',

 quickly followed by the little study upstairs!

 I picked as many flowers as I could before we went away,

 just to catch them before Summer ends 

(not sure when it actually started and I'm really not ready for all this talk of Autumn!). 

There were also a few odd bits and pieces

 which I'll post about in part 2.

 Some of the pictures will be on my Instagram stream, 

along with some shots from Devon if you'd like to see.

Have a great weekend!

Launch...French Connection Autumn/Winter 2012

Launch...French Connection first ever A/W range

Following their hugely successful launch in Spring of this year,

 French Connection will launch their first ever

 Autumn/Winter range this September.

New materials consist of sheesham wood, washed linens 

and my presonal favourite-coloured denims.

 Accessorize with hand blown recycled glass,

 chunky knits and statement lighting.

The full range will launch on-line in September and in-store from October.

Beautiful photography and simple styling-

I love this new collection and hope you enjoy a sneak peak too! 

Launch....Harlequin

Harlequin Impasto Launch...

This month sees the launch of the Impasto range by Harlequin.

 With bold florals, abstract geometrics, stripes

 and hummingbirds

 hand painted in-house, inspiration was taken

 from the Impressionists.

 Impasto refers to their technique of applying

 thick layers of paint which left the brush strokes visible once dry.

Printed onto silks, cottons, velvets and weaves,

 the range starts at £44 per metre.

 For your nearest stockist, refer to Harlequin's website.

Instagram Stories...

A visit to... Gudrun Sjoden, London

I try and take as many Instagram shots

 as I can when I'm out and about-whether it's for work or trips with the kids.

 Today's Instagram story features a visit to London store Gudrun Sjoden.

When I was last in London for a few press shows,

 I popped into the brand new store of cult Swedish designer

 Gudrun Sjoden in Monmouth Street. Opened in March of this year,

 Gudrun's shop is in complete contrast to many

 of our ideas of clean, simple, monotone Scandinavian design.

 The store is truly reminiscent of the classic Swedish look, 

awash with bold and bright florals and graphics,

 with a distinct folklore feel throughout the

 fashion and home textiles departments.

The company was established in 1976

 and works to a strong environmental ethos.

 Eco-jersey from Greece, strict rules on the use of chemicals,

 reduced plastic and packaging and shipping by sea rather than air

 all contribute to a conscious move towards

 greener production. Involved in world-wide eco projects,

 Gudrun sees the company as a producer

 'hard wearing clothes in timeless designs that can be worn until they wear out.'

The store merchandising is as inspiring as

 the designs themselves, with cameo sets dressed with 

vintage accessories and Scandinavian furniture.

 Great care and attention has been paid to the styling and finer details,

 so whether the bold designs are for you or not,

 it's certainly worth a look when you're next in town.

Visit the shop at 65-67 Monmouth Street, London WC2H.

 Tel: 0207 240 2211

    Gudrun at work producing beautiful textile designs in her studio

    A few pages from the home catalogue.

    Creative store merchandising.

    Framed textile designs, swatches and fashion sketches adorn the walls.

Raw Ingredients

From the food Cupboard...

A new feature-Raw Ingredients-
Gabriel, Evie and I cook a lot together,
but it gets a bit hectic in the kitchen. Sometimes we manage
a few step-by-step shots and even the finished product.
More often than not, we don't though,
so I thought a few shots of ingredients before they
get used would be a good idea! 

Gabriel brought home the carrots from his friend
Eddie who had grown them. They never actually got cooked-
but given to the rabbits instead!

Styling Details

Part 2- Passion Fruit and Letterpress

We're all off camping for a few days in Weymouth

 to try and catch some Olympic sailing!

 Meanwhile, I leave you with the final shots

 from my passion fruit and leterpress story.

 I hope you enjoy them! 

Again, a huge thank you to Tricia

 for the wonderful letterpress tray-without which,

 none of these shots would have been possible!