Instagram

I am officially addicted to Instagram! Every day I try to take one or two photos to keep up my feed of daily observations, I think it's like Twitter but with pictures. I feel like I've got new 'friends' in my fellow Instagramers, I can't recommend it enough if you've got an iPhone and a compulsion to take pictures!

Chunky Knitted Loveliness

These knitted baskets are LOVELY. They are by Ferm Living which can be found on the 95% Danish website. As for the cushions, they are even better. They are so tactile, I think that varying textures in a room is very important - I have always had a bit of a 'thing' about cork too (coaster featured below is also by Ferm Living). I bought a cork lampshade by Habitat a few years ago when I moved into my first flat - my mum said she thought it had come with the flat - which was previously owned by a lovely old lady who had a penchant for floral borders (one in EVERY room including a particularly delightful one in the kitchen featuring bowls of fruit)! Charming.

Midcentury Magazine

I just subscribed to this magazine! I can't wait to see it! Found it thanks to Jane Foster.

I want to go here

They have a beach on the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea, what a fab idea. To quote them:

Cocktails, ice cream, deck chairs, palm trees, pedalos, sun loungers, telescopes, music, fun... beach life comes to the Pavilion roof this summer with everything you need for that ultimate seaside experience. Bring your coolest beachwear, towel and sunscreen and relax on Dune - Bexhill’s first ever beach on the roof. Free entry.

I want to go. The DLWP is my favourite building in the UK (that I have seen so far) - if you have never been, I highly recommend it. And they have Eddie Izzard there on the 8th July but it has sold out. :o(

PS.

I know I have been SO RUBBISH at blogging but I am DETERMINED to be better! And I have just discovered the Instagram app which I totally love! Here is my new plantpot that I mused over a while ago.

Festival of Britain

I received my Elle Decoration magazine and the first thing to catch my eye was beautiful tableware from Minimoderns inspired by the Festival of Britain. So I hopped on their website and to put it simply, they make great stuff! But I particularly like the Festival range as I have been reading a book about all the souvenirs they made back in 1951 for the Festival. Plus I saw the exhibition at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester when I went to see the Robin & Lucienne day exhibition. It is all very inspiring plus has that great 50s vibe about it which has become much more popular in interiors recently.

Here are some Minimodern highlights. We haven't decorated our lounge yet and all this is VERY inspirational!

People Will Always Need Plates

Especially ones with lovely pictures on them.   I think people will always need mugs too.

Robin & Lucienne Day and a great book

I am going here on Saturday to see the Robin & Lucienne Day exhibition and can't wait!


The Pallant House Gallery, Chichester

And for my birthday recently I received this book which I wouldn't have found out about if it wasn't for the H Is For Home blog!
I can highly recommend it!

More upcycling!

Image from here on Flickr.

Everyone is upcycling!

I am loving the trend for upcycling! Crown and Graham and Green ran a competition last summer, read about it here on Crown's blog.

I love Zoe Murphy, her pieces are fabulous, oh how I would love to have something of hers in my home!

I have just found Think Contemporary via this lovely blog. I love the idea of lovingly restoring a piece of furniture and giving it your own twist! Must keep my eye out for something with potential...

I am trying to think of what to do with my old pink iMac and upcycling could be an option... one idea shown below! Image from here.

Any better iMac ideas much appreciated!

A glimpse of what our house actually looks like inside

This is the second bedroom, affectionately known as The Jungle Room due to THAT carpet... am strangely attached to it now actually and I think when we decorate this room we may keep a square of it... by the way, don't the curtains go well with it!

Sorting out your house v blogging

Thank you to Kerry at The Seventy Tree for commenting on my last blog post and inspiring me to get on the case again! I will post a picture of our new kitchen diner but the only pics I have taken are rubbish so I will wait for a sunny day and take better ones.

Well our kitchen diner is finished (apart from things like painting the skirting boards) and having such a lovely room that we are so pleased with has really made me look at the rest of the house and want to sort it ALL out! But there is a lot to do and it can be quite overwhelming just thinking about it so I have decided to make short achievable lists of things to do. I have been doing a lot of SORTING recently as we don't have much storage so there are piles of stuff in rooms which does do my head in, I like everything to be in its place and it isn't at all! Next project will def be our bedroom, we have no wardrobe, just dodgy rails from Ikea that are about ready to collapse. But there is a little patch of damp we need to get sorted before we can paint - why is there always something?!

On a more productive, exciting note, we have ordered a dining table from Indigo Furniture! We decided to spend on the table and go for cheaper chairs (prob from Ikea!) that are deliberately different from the table, we could afford the table but the lovely chairs blew our budget out of the water! Anyway here it is in all it's chunky plank glory!

Sorry for the essay post, it has actually felt quite therapeutic writing all this down, maybe if I keep blogging, our house project will feel more manageable!

Excuses, excuses

I am still not blogging as much as I would like because life is a bit topsy turvy at the moment! And now we have loads of snow too! Well... this is what my kitchen looks like... getting there! We are 2 weeks in, we had a tiny kitchen before, knocking a wall down works wonders!

and this is how we are cooking dinner...

Happily I now have one of these beeeeauuutiful composters to put in the kitchen when it is done, thanks to my fabulous fella...

And this is where I work on Southampton Common, doesn't it look pretty!

Today I found...

a very talented illustrator:

Her name is Sally Elford and she also has a good blog to peruse... Again her style is reminiscent of Charley Harper...

I Heart Sanna Annukka tins

Hooray! Thanks to H Is For Home's blog, I have discovered that Sanna Annuka has designed some more beautiful tins for Marks and Spencers. Last year's tin was lovely but I only found out about it after they were long sold out. H Is For Home say they have now exchanged hands on Ebay for £15-£20 - EMPTY! So I am determined this year to get my hands on one as I love her work. All pics from her website.

Her birds are very similar to the Hornsea birds I think and her style is reminiscent of Charley Harper.

I've been away...

but I'll be back. Lots has been happening which means I have had no time to blog :o( but I'll be back on the case very soon as I miss it!

(Image courtesy of Flickr)

Jane Foster's cushions

Oooh so many that I want! I have too many cushions as it is but hope to be moving to somewhere with more space soon... so watch this space! :o)

Jane Foster Vintage Cushions

Retro ceramic loveliness

I have just seen these photos via Mrs Eliot Books on Bloesem, what a lovely house! I love retro ceramics too, this kitchen is definitely very inspirational (I think my boyfriend who I am buying a house with is doubtful as to how my retro ceramics will fit in with our new kitchen but he will soon see and understand...)