{ my home office }

here's the start of my home office...

{ man alive! }

this Penguin classic was written for me I think.

{ woodland bouquet }

last weekend my family and I spent a day in Surrey in my sister's new woodland.  we were there celebrating her birthday.  and what does every woman appreciate for her birthday?  a bouquet...

this is one that I put together for her from plants growing on her land.

the vintage enamel jug and retro camping stool were gifts I gave her for Christmas.

{ disconcerting }

there is something rather disconcerting about seeing a by Marlene Birger advert on your blog.  especially when you were just coveting their latest advertising campaign.  disconcerting...  but kinda cool at the same time...

{ why didn't we just keep it simple }

I am still having some serious problems with my MacBook, unexpectedly shutting down, portait photos in iPhoto blacking out.  which is why when I found this beauty in my local charity shop, I couldn't not buy it.  I love Apple.  but this design is so calming to look at.  you know where you stand with it.  it comes with corrector paper and a lovely hard case.  and quite frankly it's an amazing shade of bakelite green.  in future I think I might send all of my emails from here...

{ time for tea }

this is my latest beautiful retro find. not found in a charity shop this time, but rather a lucky stab in the dark on Freecycle.

this Goblin Teasmade is in perfect condition, with not even a chip on the Swan ceramic teapot.

it makes a gorgeous bedside lamp and I may even set it as an alarm with tea to order...

I heart it.

{ stand at Home }

Miss Etoile 

Betty Rizzo ∞ eat your heart out

is anyone else loving the SS12 Prada campaign?  

I love the set styling on this shoot.  the combination of the colours, and in particular the highlight of the key Spearmint pastel in the accessories, clothing and the props is so fresh.  whilst the backdrop of the all American cars and Grease Lightening flames looks amazing in juxtaposition with the femininity of Prada's Spring Summer 2012 clothing collection.

it all looks so light hearted, optimistic and sunny.  

but it maintains the chic-ness that we associate with the brand.

{ lovely colour pallet }

it's amazing how you can find inspiration in the strangest places, and right on your doorstep.

I love the colours and textures that this chipping paint has created.

Christian Dior ∞ SS12 ∞ Couture

here are my favourites from the SS12 Couture Dior show.

wish list... beautiful book

anyone feeling generous this lovely book is available at Mr Porter

{ a case of you }

this is a beautiful vintage suitcase with removable coat hangers that I found in a charity shop.

the accessories are pieces found in my wardrobe...

{ Croydon Carers Charity - week two }

due to an extremely frustrating day of MacBook hell, I decided to spend the day back in the Croydon Carers charity shop.  this day would not be spent picking up the pieces of my smashed MacBook from outside the window I may have thrown it through had I stayed at home.  But instead spent rather more constructively on giving the interior of the shop a make over.

I have created a Stylist Choice section of the store, with vintage signage and swingers.  there are some genuine vintage treats in this store at a bargain price.  I am constantly having to stop myself from buying them!

we decided to move the jewellery counter out from the cash desk area and on to the shop floor.  so I created this Treasure Trove.  stripping back the original brightly patterned fabrics that the necklaces were displayed on, I instead used some plates from around the shop so that the product could be seen in all its glory.

the store staff have had a tendency to go price gun crazy, lots of little bright yellow stickers everywhere, even on the toes of shoes.  so I have started to replace this with simple price menus neatly typed.

so far this has not costed the charity any money, I have used items I have found in the shop to dress it.  and of course some simple printing at home doesn't cost them anything.  the reaction has been very positive.  the employees in the office and the regular customers seem very excited by the changes.

before

apple tutu

loving the D&G skirt at Net a Porter

{ tassel on a key }

a simple way to add detail to a vintage white cupboard.

this is a silk tassel  I picked up on a buying trip to Hong Kong.

Kirsty Mitchell's wonderful 'Wonderland'

moved by the all consuming grief of her mother's death, Kirsty Mitchell created this wonderful series of photographs.  she says that the characters, inspired by the stories her mother used to tell her as a child, come to her in the night.  she then spends months creating costumes, props and styling sets for the characters to become a reality.  this is absolutely amazing, and so moving.

see more of Kirsty's work on her website.

www.kirstymitchellphotography.com

{ Croydon Carers Charity - week one }

last friday I suddenly looked at my watch and realised that two and a half hours had passed without me realising it.  And that was just working on the window display in the Croydon Carers charity shop! 

I am pleased to say that whilst I was there we sold 4 items from the window display I had created, so I quickly had to find replenishment so it didn't look empty!

after I approached the charity shop, one of the members of staff took the initiative to create the stunning  display of encyclopedia and darwin book collections.  I look forward to working with this volunteer in the coming months.

this week I will start to tackle giving the shop floor a bit of a lift.

philanthropy by The Detail

I have decided to make good use of some of my free time this year.  

I have volunteered my services to my local charity shop.  over the course of the next year I will be giving the Croydon Carers charity shop a bit of Visual Merchandising tender loving care (or VMTLC to those in the know...).  I'll update my blog with what I am up to.

here is a picture of the windows before I got involved.  

a lot of ceramic bells and A4 signs in the window and not much else.

the first job was to tackle this window display...

golden glamour

this Elie Saab dress was my red carpet favourite even before I saw the deep vee drop back!

Jessica Biel looks stunning.

hello

I haven't been able to find out who to credit for this, but I love the idea of people handing these out on the underground.  let's start a flirting revolution!

blank canvas

so here it is.  

a freshly painted second bedroom soon to be converted into a 'study come guest bedroom'...

not the biggest room in the world...  let's see whether I can turn it into an inspiring dual use space!

elegantissimo!

the Italians have such class.  thanks The Sartorialist for this lovely picture from Pitti Uomo, Florence.

{ time for tea }

vintage tea cup set that I found in a charity shop, set atop a vintage book, again found in the same shop.  it's a first edition Marie Antoinette!

{ the birds and the butterflies }

it's amazing what you can find rummaging around in charity shops.  

not only is it a bargain, but you get that real sense of satisfaction.  

like you've been lucky enough to discover a treasure.

this beautiful silver tray was another charity shop find.  it was missing the base, 

so I had one cut and sprayed it with white gloss paint.

the little cups were found in the same charity shop, although they weren't sold together.  

I thought they would make beautiful tea light holders.

the bird is an old Christmas decoration and 

the butterfly an old windows prop from my Laura Ashley days.

all sat atop an old tea chest I inherited many years ago.

{ customised tee }

this was a charity shop find, which I updated by removing the old white plastic buttons and replacing with these amazing gold ones from my mama's sewing box...

{ new skirt, new 'old' coat, new year's eve }

this is me...

{ weighing it all up }

some vintage sewing items I've collected, as well as the beautiful jewellery of The Chalk House, all scattered in an old set of kitchen scales from my dad's old lab...

can practical still be inspirational?

I am having a very real problem.  

my second bedroom needs to work twice as hard at the moment.  it needs to work as a spareroom for paying B&B guests, as well as serving as my home office when no one is staying.  the challenge is to include all of the above in each, without compromising on style.

what I have realised, apart from the fact that this is quite a challenging concept in a small room, I have also noticed that there is very little out there in the way of inspiring home office images.  I will be scouring the interiors world for inspiration and will share them with you here.

above images from House Beautiful and House to Home

I'd walk a mile in these...

not only are they white and stunning, but they are handmade in Brighton by Laste.

old school craft turned cool

this beautiful crochet top by Amy Phipps is so cute.  

I love the texture and drape.  

and the styling with that huge gold doily flower is stunning.

all handmade in Brighton to boot.

{ home sweet home }

welcome to my home...

these are photographs that I took of my flat last year.  I have now moved back into the flat having returned from my 5 months galavanting around South America and am giving it a fresh new look.  I'll be taking snaps of the changes as the year progresses.  hopefully this time next year I can do a new post to show the finished look...

{ retro zzzzzz }

this lovely retro cool beside table is one of a pair that I picked up in a local antique shop.  

gave them a good clean and popped them next to the spare bed.

1930s cool

I love this original 1930s wedding photo.  It was so cool before its time.  I bought it in a market in Buenos Aires, and rediscovered it unpacking the flat.  I think it's going to go in a giant frame and sit tiny in the middle.  

{ think pink }

I was playing with pink on my dining room shelves...  Looks quite cool I think.

{ baubles are for life, not just for Christmas... }

don't make me take them down!  my new vintage baubles are so pretty.

(as is my new Black & Gold 70s soda stream!)

a new year's goal for every month

                              1) Dance more often, perhaps twice a week

                2) Feel better

       

                                            3) Build a client base

4) Learn to dance the quickstep

5) Go to more exhibitions

6) Cook properly and regularly

7) Go to Paris

8) Redesign my flat, make it feel like home again, but different

9) Take some ballet lessons

                                                                                10) Go on holiday

          11) Build back savings

12) Speak Italian again, maybe with a visit to Italy

{ goodie two shoes }

these are some little goodie bags that I made for my friend's daughter's 1st birthday party.  

we wanted it to be a little classier than the usual Barbie plastic bags...

...and we filled them with lots of lovely treats fit for the little princes and princesses.

pink for girls and blue for boys.  

honey bunny

I really hope I can get to Paris this year to see the Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton exhibition.

9th March - 16th September 2012

http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/