Wednesday 30 September 2015

Things that made me happy in September...

I thought with this months little round up, it was probably as good a time as any to see what I've been up to over on instagram.
It's been a busy few months over the summer with birthdays, a work trip to New York, our wedding anniversary, a holiday and lots of book buying (oops!)
Heres a peek...



Enjoying...
a busy few months...
(photos above from my instagram account, click here to follow my goings on)

Looking forward to...
the release of this li'l beaut! (team p&c woooo!)

Reading...
The Rosie Effect

Listened to...
Ella Eyre - Ms Mr - Duran Duran - St. Vincent - Benjamin Clementine - Stereophonics -
Chasing Grace - Echosmith

Feasted on...
these vegan and gluten free oatmeal banana pancakes
this creamy oatmeal with blueberry compote
recipes from Jamie Olivers new book
(the seared golden chicken, mint sauce and spring veg fest comes highly recommended)
this macaroni with broccoli and peas
this strawberry banana oatmeal brûlée
this creamy tomato soup

Loving...
these nails
this idea
the colours in this Bloomingville collection, gorgeous!

Buying...
Francis Quinns' 'Quinntessential Baking'
a new dining table and chairs, ooooooooh so excited!
succulents (yes, more)

Wanting...
this gorgeous camel coat for the new season
to be little again so it would be acceptable to have this bedding!

Crushing on...
these colours

Watching...
Imitation Game
The Jones's
The Theory of Everything (amazing!)

Supporting
Jamies Sugar Rush

Following...
this pinterest account
this instagram account

Inspired by...
beautifully styled children's interiors, this one included

Admiring...
this beautiful artwork 'Winter Breakfast' by Yuliya

Laughing...
at this (too true)

Favourite things that happened...
catching up with a gorgeous gal pal and her even more gorgeous little boy
the boys birthday!
september sunshine


So, that was a round up of my month,
how was yours?

x x x

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Monday 28 September 2015

Etsy interviews round up...

If stats on this little blog are anything to go by, you lovely readers do like a good etsy interview, so incase you've missed any in the past, I thought I'd round up all the fabulous designers that have been featured so far...

Enjoy!



More etsy shop owner interviews to come soon!

x x x
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Friday 25 September 2015

Etsy shop finds...a chat with Rebecca Jones!

Rebecca Jones is a super talented British designer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia.
I've been chatting with her this month as part of the etsy interview series, so you lovely readers can get to know her a little better.
Her artwork is absolutely gorgeous and the prints available in her shop would be great in children's rooms. They feature beautiful whimsical animal and girl characters so something for any age group.
Rebecca uses some lovely techniques in her work, typically starting off painting and doodling and finishing her artwork in photoshop.

We're very fortunate that Rebecca has sent over previews of two new prints that will be going in her shop soon; 'I love tea', and 'Its always tea time'.
Ooh I love a good exclusive!

So, very appropriately, get a cuppa, get comfy and read on about the lovely Rebecca Jones...


1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background... 

I grew up in England, and as a child I loved nothing more than being outside in the garden, chasing birds and butterflies. 
Both of my grandmothers and my mum were very artistic, always making things. 
So I think I knew from a young age that I wanted to do something creative for a living.  
I studied for a degree in Textile Design and after graduating, I moved to London. 
I worked as a designer for quite a few years, first as an in-house designer for John Lewis and then for a design studio, where I designed lots of embroidery, as well as print. 
I moved to Australia in search of a bit of adventure 12 years ago now. 
I have worked as a textile designer here ever since. 
In the last few years I have become much more interested in illustration, and I started working on my folio to try and get more of this kind of work.



2. What books/ magazines are you currently reading/admiring/perusing?

I have a subscription to Flow magazine, 
which is such a beautiful and inspiring magazine to look through, 
and I also love to read Frankie magazine.


3. Who are your design heroes and how do you stay inspired?

As much as I love looking on Instagram and Pinterest, to be honest it often leaves me feeling inadequate and stressed! 
When I’m in need of inspiration, I like to go for long walks, just being outside helps. 
I love to browse some of the lovely little design shops close to my home, go to the art supply shop, or go to visit a gallery.



4. Tell us about a typical day for you...

As soon as I’ve finished school drop off, I grab a coffee from my local cafe on my way home. I’m really not good for anything much before I’ve had a coffee!
Once I’m back home in my studio, I answer a few emails, look at Pinterest for a bit before starting some work. 
I don’t feel like I hit my creative stride until about midday, and then school pick up time comes around far too quickly. 
Once dinner and the bedtime routine is all done, I normally go back to work in my studio again. 
I feel my most creative late at night and I often work until the early hours of the morning. Though I often find myself regretting this decision to stay up so late when I’m struggling to get out of bed in the morning!


5. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?

Once I’ve got an idea of what I want to work on, I might gather a few images from google and then I like to roughly sketch some ideas out on loose bits of paper. 
I find sketchbooks too stressful! 
It frees me up knowing I can just throw something away if it turns out horribly. 
Then I might start drawing or painting depending on my mood. 
I mostly use watercolour for painting, and dip pen and ink when I’m drawing. 
I tend to paint or draw lots of little things separately and piece it all together in Photoshop.


6. What art do you have on your wall?

I have lots of different things I’ve bought over the years from Etsy - from Blanca Gomez, Matte Stephens and Helen Dardik and many, many others. 
I also have some gorgeous screen prints from Lab Partners and Tom Frost. 
My husband bought me an original piece by Australian artist Christina Gordon (JamFancy on Etsy) a few years ago that I just adore.



7. What's your guilty pleasure?

Sleeping in way too late on a Sunday, whilst my husband and son are out playing soccer. 


8. What are your top three blogs?

I don’t read a huge amount of blogs these days, I find Instagram a bit easier for keeping in touch with things people are doing. 
I do still often check The Design Files though, and I still love to look at Posie Gets Cozy, one of the first blogs I ever came across. 
I think i’ve been reading her blog for about 10 years now.


9. What makes you laugh?

My son, he’s 7 and still has that crazy innocence and an absolutely infectious laugh.
 I also love going to watch comedy shows, Melbourne has a big comedy festival every year that we always try to go to. 
Amy Schumer, Ricky Gervais and Demetri Martin are some of my favourites.


10. Who are some of your favourite illustrators/designers and why?

I have so many favourite illustrators, but amongst my favourites  are Richard Scarry, Mary Blair, Marc Boutavant, Alain Grée, and a new (to me) favourite is Christian Robinson - I love the simplicity and the joy that just shines through in his drawings.


11. What's your favourite book from your childhood?

I really loved all of my Richard Scarry books, I had quite a lot of those. 


12. Whats your favourite item for sale in your etsy shop? And the most popular?

My most popular, though not by much is Cat Lover,  my prints actually sell fairly evenly. 
I think my favourite is ‘Imagine”, the one with the bear in the terrarium.


You can follow Rebecca here;


And don't forget, her new prints will be available soon!


A big thanks to Rebecca for taking the time out to be part of the etsy interviews!

x x x



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Wednesday 23 September 2015

Mini colour crush...

Bloomingville do some beautiful ceramics, and in gorgeous colours too, yum!


Image copyright of Bloomingville

x x x

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Monday 21 September 2015

Little spaces...fresh mint geo

I'm constantly inspired by all the amazing room decors I come across while trawling pinterest and blogs, and in particular, beautifully styled children's rooms, and obviously the creative parents and folks behind those well thought out little spaces.
Here's a current favourite; fresh mint and bright white with midnight blue, mixed with touches of geometric prints and polka dots.


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 

x x x

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Friday 18 September 2015

A happy Friday kinda mood...

I thought it was time for a nice, homely, interiors post with a little mood board to boot.
Beautiful colours, gorgeous styling, and lovely bits and bobs...what more could you need?
Oh yes, a cake covered in sprinkles!

Happy Friday everyone!



1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

x x x

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Wednesday 16 September 2015

Inspired by...Mani Annie Art...

I recently stumbled upon the beautifully, mesmerising artwork of Mani Parkes aka Mani Annie Art and couldn't wait to share it with you.

I love her use of colour and the feeling she manages to evoke in her paintings.
Her artwork uses tones of chalky blues with grey, whites and cream with pops of red or ocre here and there, just gorgeous!

When reading about Mani on her website; 
"My wish is to capture a quiet moment that makes people smile'.
Well, she certainly made me to do that this morning, and hopefully you too.

Inspired by the simple things in life; the day to day sights, buildings, cycling through the streets and characters she comes across on the school run, Mani is able to translate what she sees into the most beautiful paintings. 
Day trips by train, breakfast in bed, book sales, a surprise bouquet of flowers from an admirer and cycling on the first day of spring, just the every day made special!
I love the little dogs that appear in her work too (obviously)

To see more of Mani Annie Art click here for her website and here for her folksy shop.










(all images above copyright of Mani Parkes)

x x x
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Tuesday 15 September 2015

Paper & Cloth head off to Paris...

Premiere Vision Designs (Indigo) opens its doors today in Paris, and the Paper & Cloth team will be there, bright eyed and bushy tailed, showcasing the AW15 collections. 

Here's the promo flyer...


(images above copyright of paper and cloth design studio)

x x x

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Monday 14 September 2015

Ferm Living Autumn Winter 2015 collection...

Lets just take a minute shall we, 
to dwell on just how lovely the new Ferm Living kids collection is...
Seriously gorgeous
Every time
Beautiful colours, patterns and nordic inspired fable animals feature across cushions, wallpapers, tableware and more.
Here's a little selection of the loveliness you can expect to find...











(all images above copyright of ferm living)

x x x
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Friday 11 September 2015

Mini colour crush...

A mini colour crush to end the week...
Happy Friday everyone!


(image source unknown - please get in touch if you know the source and I will add a credit to the post)

Image found on pinterest, find it here along with the other pins on my colour inspiration board

x x x

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Wednesday 9 September 2015

Foxy planters...

In need of somewhere lovely to pot your little succulents?
Say no more...
Look at these gorgeous foxy planters and bowls!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

x x x

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Tuesday 8 September 2015

Colour crush...

Ooh peachy!
Mixed with a little hint of lilacs, mint and soft blues...makes for one lovely little colour crush, don't you think?


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

(clockwise from top left)

x x x

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Friday 4 September 2015

Something funny for a Friday...

A common problem...

We like to call it 'hangry'


(artwork by neiko art)

Happy weekend everyone!

x x x

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Wednesday 2 September 2015

Decor lovin'...

If you're anything like me, I love being surrounded by lovely little bits and bobs of beautifulness around the house, and it could be said that I have a slight bowl obsession! 

There are some great companies out there doing some amazingly gorgeous things for us interior decor obsessed folk and I thought I'd share a few of my favourites.
It seems I have a particular penchant for Scandinavic interior design along with the always beautiful offerings found in Anthropologie.




x x x

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