toy factory

As my baby turned one I decided it was time to start up the toy production line to make presents for her & her friends.  It would be nice to think I could turn it into something more fruitful but as my return to work is imminent it is probably nothing more than a pipe dream.

Nursery nicknacks

When I became pregnant I knew I never wanted an off the peg nursery from the high street in ubiquitous pale blue, pale pink, lemon yellow or play it safe neutrals, so I have created a happy space for my baby in primary brights back to white and natural wood.  By making things and using hand-me-downs, retro furniture and finds from my travels I have created a more personal space that has stories to tell.

Appliqued elephant cushion from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Re-upholstered retro nursing chair that was my mum's

E. Gomme G-Plan oak chest of drawers

Animals of the Chinese zodiac from Hong Kong

Fabric birds from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Paper mache birds from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Paper mache elephants from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Home-made curtains - the bane of my life at 39 weeks pregnant!



Operation Bunny

I knew I did a fashion degree for a reason - I've dusted down my pattern square & put my design & pattern skills to good use to create a birthday present for my friend's baby.  Here is the first off the production line - we'll have to see if more follow.

bunny #1

button & ribbon detail as the bob tail

bunny with the mock up I made to test my pattern



A toast to an old friend.........

Today would have been my cat Casper's 5th birthday.  Sadly he was killed a few years' ago but today would have been his coming of age birthday.  You see, Casper was no ordinary cat, he was a Maine Coon, one of the largest domestic cats you can get and they don't reach full maturity until they are about five years old, so the photos you see here are him as a baby!  He was like no other cat I have ever known - more like a daft puppy, chasing after us down the street when we left for work, thundering up to us when we came home, chasing sticks, playing with water - the breed is often described as the clown of the cat world.  He's the reason we know all our neighbours; we became known as the people with the big cat.  When we were out at work he would visit everyone in the street - he even won over people who have never liked cats, inviting himself into their homes, greeting them as they pulled up in their cars, even getting in their cars.  He was loved so much by so many that people would come to visit him (not us) and once when he had been ill, came and knocked on the door to ask after him.  When he died we received cards, flowers, plants, heard stories of his adventures in their gardens and even had a neighbour crying on our doorstep.  That's not the reaction you get over your run-of-the-mill moggy!  People still talk of him fondly now.  We'll always miss him and wonder how big he would have grown - he certainly would have weighed more than our 7 month old baby daughter!  One day we may have another cat but they'll have some tough competition to be as great as Casper.

Old MacDonald came to dinner.........

Getting creative with dinner

Blooming Chelsea

Chelsea Flower Show is over for another year.  I was disappointed at the absence of one of my favourite designers Tom Stuart-Smith who has worked in collaboration with Laurent-Perrier at Chelsea for a number of years and who's gardens never fail to inspire me.  His ethos is essentially all about the planting, keeping his work very naturalised and using the hard landscaping as a backbone to his gardens.  I have been lucky enough to see his work with his revival of the Italian Gardens at Trentham Gardens and part of the gardens at Wisley.  I grew up in Trentham and saw the decay of the gardens over many years;  in 2005 Stuart-Smith breathed new life into them giving a contemporary twist to Charles Barry's formal Victorian gardens.

He may not have been at Chelsea this year but I am looking forward to visiting Stuart-Smith's current exhibition at the Garden Museum this summer.

Stuart-Smith's perennial borders within the structure of Charles Barry's formal Italian gardens at Trentham

photograph courtesy of Tom Stuart-Smith

So, who did impress me at Chelsea?  I was pleased to see that plants remained the focus of the gardens this year, I'm not fond of gardens where the hard landscaping takes priority.  Quite often the show gardens are just about that - showmanship - something that I don't identify with.  For a designer such as Diarmuid Gavin it is all about the theatre - it may be inspirational but it's unattainable to the average man on the street; I prefer something quietly confident.  It is the smaller artisan and urban gardens that I relate to.  The Lands' End Across the Pond Garden by Adam Frost was my winner.  In a 7m x 5m garden, he created an oasis of calm inspired by the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Lands' End Across the Pond Garden by Adam Frost

photograph courtesy of The RHS

From an aesthetic point of view I have admired some of Lloyd Wright's work but was never aware of his philosophy, that being a strong visual connection between the interior and exterior spaces of a building so that the architecture harmonizes with nature.  Frost has used this philosophy in his Chelsea garden using materials favoured by Frank Lloyd Wright such as polished concrete and water and using strong structural planting where the foliage is as important as the flowers.  The concrete has strong visual impact but does not detract from the planting within the garden.  For me the tight use of colour, presence of water and restrained structural elements reminded me of Tom Stuart-Smith's 2008 Chelsea Garden.

And now it's all over, it just leaves me frustrated - wanting to get into my own garden, inspired but not having the time to spend working on it.  At least the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming so it may be unkempt but at least it's pretty.

The Beth Chatto Gardens

So, Chelsea Flower Show is almost upon us  - I don't have a ticket for the show this year but I will be spending every night next week glued to the television to soak up the atmosphere & note anything that can be applied to my own small garden.

On a gardening note, a few weeks ago we went to a wedding in Essex & had the following day free to explore.  The obvious choice was to head to the coast but then I discovered we were very close to The Beth Chatto Gardens.  I knew my husband wouldn't be too keen to visit yet another garden but I managed to persuade him with the prospect of fantastic cake in the coffee shop.

I had heard alot of the award winning Chelsea designer over the years so it was a privilege to final visit her garden.  She started it in 1960 & has developed it over the years from overgrown wasteland into a gardeners paradise.  You won't find manicured borders here - everything had a very naturalised planting scheme that seems to have evolved from a very organic thought process.  There are four clearly defined areas to the garden - the famous gravel garden, a woodland area, a water garden formed of natural ponds & a scree garden.  I was very pleased as I walked around that quite a few of the key plants are ones that I already have in my own garden.  That certainly didn't stop me from spending in the nursery afterwards!  We took the opportunity to take lots of photographs for future inspiration.  If you are heading in that direction & like gardens then it is well worth a visit - or you could just go for the carrot & banana cake - it didn't disappoint either.

 Ajuga reptans

 rhododendron

 primula japonica

 bergenia

Myosotis 'forget-me-not'

Jocelyn Brown at The St John Sessions

Last week I went out for the first time by myself since my baby was born - quite a milestone!  Jocelyn Brown was playing locally so I seized the opportunity to see the diva sing.  It was quite a surreal night for many reasons - the concert was in a church, the alcohol was flowing freely & the vicar was dancing in the pulpit!  Anyway the lady could sing & she belted out some classics that had everyone dancing.  A friend of my husband was there too & took these amazing photos.

Photographs by Cristian Vargas

Sleepless night

I couldn't get to sleep last night as I was so excited about creating my new blog & the images I want to share with you.  It's silly really as I need to take advantage of all the sleep I can get - I'm a new mum & I'm usually up a few times in the night.  Anyway I have just been creating my new title while my baby is having a quick nap - quite pleased with it so far.

Blog virgin

Welcome to my new blog.  I'm currently sifting through images & inspirations to share with you in the future - there will be a mix of everyday items & snaps from my travels.  I hope to have something to inspire you soon.