We are about to complete!

I can't actually believe it, as we speak the final stages of the completion on our new house (Well it's not really new it's well over 100 years old) are taking place. We are picking up the keys this evening and cracking on with cleaning and decorating straight away. So I think it might be a takeaway for dinner and some much needed champagne to celebrate that we are finally in (it's only taken a mere 5 months).

It needs quite a bit of work but we've got plenty of time and family members who are kindly helping out. I will post some before pictures soon

Tent London 2011

Apologies for not posting yesterday or Monday but I was feeling a bit under the weather so had a day under the duvet and now I'm playing catch up.

On Sunday we visited Tent London at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, East London. I try to go to at least one London Design Week event a year and Tent is becoming my favourite, especially now as I'm decorating my own house (Just to let you know we have now exchanged on the house so it's all go for the completion on Thursday, getting seriously excited)

Anyway back to topic of the post, below are my faves from the Exhibition that I thought you might like to hear about, enjoy:

1. I couldn't go to an interiors and furniture exhibition without encountering the ever popular Ercol. They were showcasing two new prototypes of chairs, a new bar stool and stacking chair in collaboration with Russell Pinch. The colours used on the stand are a good indication of the new hues for Autumn/Winter in interiors. Loved the use of orange with royal blue.

2. Zoe Murphy was exhibiting her wonderful array of up-cycled mid century furniture again this year. Every time I see her pieces I get so excited, I really would love one but I think they might be a bit out of my price range. However, she does do commissions, so if you have a piece of retro furniture you really love but needs some updating, she's your girl!

Images from Zoe Murphy

3. Ary Trays new products were also really exciting, my husband and I particularly liked their Alabasta Folk Stripe range designed by British textile designer Asta Barrington. They were displayed on foldaway stands to create fantastic occasional tables, they would look great in the garden.

Image from Ary Trays

4. London Timepiece had a great stand. They deal in a huge range of vintage and retro clocks with everything from Industrial to traditional styles. My husband took a fancy to a few of them, maybe a birthday pressie possibility.

5. Famille Summerbelle was possibly my favourite stand of the day. The company is run by husband and wife team Simon Summerscales and Julie Marabelle. Julie is the very talented artist of ridiculously intricate, personal and lovely papercuts of their favourite cities, London Paris New York and San Francisco. She studied Fine Art and Theatre Set design at St Martin's College in London and her inspiration comes from bringing up their young family between London and Paris. The original papercuts have been vectorised into prints and laser cuts that you can purchase in limited numbers in particular colours. They also produce Paper banners, family trees, cushions and wallpapers all with Julies signature illustrations.

Images above from Famille Summerbelle

6. Bluebellgray by Fiona Douglas is a company I have posted about before, but she had something new and exciting to show at Tent this year. She has now released her signature prints in fabric that can be bought in panels. Simply beautiful!

Image from Bluebellgray

7. Finally last but certainly not least is Mini Moderns. As well as being nominated for an Elle Decoration British Design award this year for Best British brand, their stand was one of the best on show. Showcasing their ever increasing range of wallpapers, cushions, fabrics tea towels and much more. My husband was particularly taken with the Whitby Wallpaper below, featuring a wonderful pattern of waves and boats in the Lido colourway, a lovely mid century Turquoise tone. 

Image from Mini Moderns

Personally I'm a big fan of their Festival Wallpaper in concrete below.

Image from Mini Moderns

Decorate Book Tour - Anthropologie Kings Road

Images from Decor8

Holly Becker of Decor8 fame is in London for Design Week, where she is holding a book signing of her bestselling book Decorate and talk about moodboard how-to. She will be joined by designer Abigail Ahern and stylist/photographer Leslie Shewring at Anthropologie on Kings Road on Sunday 25th September. It starts at 1pm and you need to RSVP: rsvp@anthropologie.com if you would like to attend.
I bought this book a few weeks back and it is by far the best interiors book I've got. It's simply laid out with fantastic photos, floor plans, colour ideas and gives you suggestions on how to decorate on a room by room basis, it really gets the creative juices going. So if you happen to be in London on Sunday, get yourself down there to meet some great creative peeps.

Brita Sweden Rugs

I am in love.....with rugs. Since spotting this image on Pinterest I have been trying to track down a UK stockist of these wonderful reversible soft plastic rugs by Brita Sweden. The only place I have found close is the Scandinavian Design Centre based in Sweden who will ship to the UK. They would make a great runner for the hallway, and because they are plastic are really hard wearing.

All Images from Brita Sweden

Pinterest Home Board

I have been a member of Pinterest for about a week now, and I'm still loving it. There is so much on there in terms of inspiration I've already collected quite a few pins. Check out my Home Board here.

This site is going to be so much help when I come to doing moodboards for the new house, can't wait.

Speaking of the new house, we have an update. The sitting tenant has now moved on, and we managed to get in yesterday to check it all out before we exchange. It's so weird seeing it all empty, we can actually start to imagine what it will look like with all our furniture in. Still lots of decorating to do, nut manageable. So hopefully we should be exchanged by the end of this week and completing on next Thursday, exciting time people.

Autumn at Rifle Paper Co

One of my favourite stationery companies Rifle Paper Co based in Florida, have come up with some lovely greetings cards, invites and place name cards for Autumn. Many are for the American market with Thanksgiving being a big theme, but the Halloween and autumn foliage designs  are great.

Fall Foliage Card

Halloween Lineup Card

Trick or Treat Invitations

Halloween Monster Card

Thankful forest place cards

Love the little squirrel on the Place cards above.

Norfolk Living, Burnham Market

Image from Norfolk Living

If you ever find yourself on the North Norfolk coast and you are in need of a bit of retail therapy check out Norfolk Living in the the lovely town of Burham Market. We took a trip on Saturday to the coast because my husband was taking part in the Round Norfolk Relay so while he was busy running, I was busy shopping (for the new house of course). This shop is a fantastic emporium for everything you could ever need for the home and garden, including lovely giftware if you are stuck for a birthday pressie. I managed to come out with some imitation white hydrangea stems (seriously realistic) and a lovely Grey/Blue vase to put them in. If you fancy a treat after your shopping, head to the Hoste Arms for afternoon tea!

DIY Paint Swatch Chandelier

This is a fantastic project for those of you who have recently decorated and have loads of paint swatches lying around, or if you haven't simply go to your local DIY shop and grab some in your favourite colours.  This DIY Paint Swatch Chandelier idea is from the Hey Gorgeous blog edited by Rhi in Western Michigan, she's a wedding and editorial shoot stylist and her blog is now on my list of faves for pretty inspirational images. All you need are paint swatches, a scalloped edged hole punch, some clear or white thread, tape, a small wire lampshade frame and a colour coordinated bow. This simple decoration would make a lovely addition to a little girls bedroom.

All Images from Hey Gorgeous

Pinterest

I realise I'm probably slightly behind the times, but I wanted to post about the fantastic online pinboard that is Pinterest. It lets you share and organise all the images you find on the web that you find interesting, you can have nay number of pin boards for planning your wedding, decorating your home, favourite recipes or even just colour combinations that make you smile. Even better is that you can view pinboards created by other people to gain even more inspiration. This wonderful online resource was founded in California by Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp. So take a look at my pins so far

Tent London

When I first started this blog it was as a response to visiting Tent London (here's the link to my first post), a fantastic multi-faceted design event where companies big and small display their new products for the home. It is a truly inspirational show and even better it's held in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane which in itself is a great place to pick up ideas. This show and many others around London are all part of the London Design Festival. So get down there between the 22nd and 25th September for your chance to see the movers and shakers in the interiors world.

Images from Tent London

Another exhibit you might be interested in is 100% Design the UK's leading Contemporary design event held in Earls Court between the 22nd and 25th September.


Living Etc are currently promoting an offer where you can get tickets for free to Tent London and a 2-4-1 offer for 100% design. I will be heading there on the Sunday for my fill of fantastic products.

Jessie Ford Illustrations

Jessie Ford is a freelance illustrator based in Brighton, she has worked for big clients such as major newspapers and magazines as well as collaborating with Mothercare and the Early Learning Centre. She also happens to have an online shop where you can buy all her prints in A3 format. Here are a few of my faves.

I love this print for Transport for London, it pretty much grabs the essence of London.

A To B

 This print below is pretty much my mantra for life! Yum

All I Really Want

The colours and use of patterns within the fonts looks great here,

Alphabet

Love - to raise funds for the Demi McKenzie Cancer Trust

 For some reason this reminds me of a Picasso print.

Musical Dreams

Design Sponge at Home

If your not familiar with Design Sponge it's a design blog run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney launched in 2004. It has been so influential and loved around the globe that Grace has produced a fantastic book Design Sponge at Home containing real-life interiors, where the decor has been collected from flea markets along with hints and tips on how to make your home beautiful and interesting. So if you are looking for interior inspiration take a look.

Images from Design Sponge

Wall Mounted Clipboards

I'm absolutely loving this whole idea for a home office from the Decor8 blog. I think it's the combination of the monochrome palette with hints of hot pink and lime green with the use of a classic Eames chair and trestle table, the whole scheme just works perfectly. These clipboards can be picked up fairly easily from most stationery shops or even online at Amazon.

The white Alex drawer storage units on castors are available from Ikea, you can also find similar trestle bases from Ikea. The Vitra Eames DSW Plastic Chair is available in Basic Dark from Utility Design. 

DSW Chair from Utility Design

Alex Drawer unit from Ikea

I'm now going to have to find a corner in the new house to do this. love it, love it, love it!

A favour to ask!

I have a favour to ask of any readers of the this blog. My colleague Mikaela has entered a competition to have a photographer at her wedding completely for free. The competition is on the Love my Dress blog and she is one of six finalists that need your vote to win. Have a read of her sweet and amusing entry given with her fiance Andrew about how he proposed, you'd be hard pushed to find a more romantic proposal.

Andrew: Mikaela and I first met on the slopes of the Andes Mountains, in the foothills of the lost city of Machu Picchu, whilst I was searching for lost Peruvian treasure a la Lara Croft..

 Mikaela: No Andrew, I've told you...it's got to be honest and from the heart...!

 Andrew: Boring!

 Mikaela: Try again, like this:  Rewind to Christmas 2009 and I open a present from Andrew, a small wooden box containing 53 small, purple envelopes each with a number in the top corner. Inside Number 1, an instruction to open a new card each and every Friday for the next year (Christmas that year was a Friday).  As I embarked on this exciting quest I found that each card had a different reason why Andrew loved me inside, with every Friday morning swift becoming the highlight of my week!

To cut a 52 week story short, Christmas 2010 began with a bang as I opened my final card in Andrew's presence on Christmas Eve only to find a marriage proposal delicately scribed inside.  I, of course, said yes and we have now set our date and venue for June 7th, 2012.

 Andrew: You are so soppy, no one wants to know that! Other guys will steal it now!

Mikaela: During the course of that year we had losses in the family, bought a house and pursued our careers, but never once forgot that we love each other and we are...

Andrew: ...SOON TO CONQUER THE WORLD!

Mikaela: Quiet now Andrew, it's my turn. I was going to add, before I was so rudely interrupted by my darling hubby-to-be, that we are now counting down the days until we wed.  We are happy to have booked the perfect venue that best fits with and reflects us, celebrating alongside close friends and family, but now seek a photographer to capture the essence of our day, we love the natural style of Mr Dunn, and feel that the small, intimate moments of laughter and of joy and of love will be captured best through his style of photography for us to enjoy when we are...

Andrew:  .....old and can't remember ourselves?

Mikaela: ...well, yes. These photographs will be the window back through time in which we can both relive and experience once again what we hope to be the most perfect day. The monumental task of gathering all our loved ones in one place is getting harder every year - Adam's photography will capture this celebration of our love for all time...

Andrew: ...for all of mankind to revel in!!

Mikaela: Certainly for the Humphris and Wilson families, Andrew :)

Andrew: Let's wrap this up now sugarlumps. I think MIkaela, as perfect as she ever is, has conveyed the reasons for our entering this competition with pin point accuracy, and if not hopefully my proposal has won you over, as it did her :)"

So please go to the page and make a comment voting for these two lovely people.

Postcards for Japan Exhibition

Postcards for Japan is an exhibition by Children's Book Illustrators and Children's Book Illustration MA Students in aid of Teachers for Japan.

My friend Natalie who is one of those students told me about an exhibition she is holding with fellow students and illustrators at the Michaelhouse Cafe, St Michael's Church, Trinity Street, Cambridge from the 5th-11th September between 8am and 5pm. I should have posted about it earlier but been a bit distracted this week, but there are still a couple of days to check it out.

Each postcard is a piece of original artwork which when together represent a message of hope and good wishes for Japan. The work will be exhibited and sold anonymously at the same price so you can become the owner of a piece by a well-known illustrator.

The MA Children's Book illustration at Cambridge School of Art has strong links with Japanese students. This exhibition has been organised to raise funds in support of the relief efforts in Japan, following the earthquake and tsunami.

New products at Papermash

I had an email newsletter from Papermash showing come of their new products so I thought I would share some of my favourites with you.

1. These brilliant banners would add a chicness to any party.

Party Banners

2. I love these Japanese Masking Tapes you can literally decorate anything with them or even make bunting with them as seen below.

Blue Graph Tape

Green Checked Masking Tape

3. I love these designs by Rifle Paper Co especially the use of vintage colours. I've previously posted about a print I bought from Papermash for my husband for Valentine's day, I'm also very tempted by the Ladybug Print below

Bonjour Notecards

Ladybug Print

Merci Cards

 4. These Paper Cups ares so fun and colourful, I probably wouldn't even use them for parties, looking this good they need to be displayed somewhere!

Numbers Cups