Maison Mai

One of the great things about living so near to Greenwich is being able to stroll down to their arts and crafts markets. With all the hustle and bustle that the weekends bring it’s nice to have a chat with some of the traders, peruse their unique homemade items and generally have a good nose around!

One of our favourite stalls from last weekend came from the sisters of Maison Mai. Their embroidered owl cushions look ready to fly from their perch and the presentation of their garden tea light holders and wicker hearts adorning a white branch worked well. The whole stall has classy boutique feel without being too overcrowded and we particularly liked their homemade boy’s and girl’s Sleepover bags.

If Greenwich is too far out for you to travel you can order any of their eye catching wares on their website here. 

Blackheath Car Boot Sale

Hi folks. Don’t forget tomorrow morning, on April 27^th, Blackheath High School is hosting a local Car Boot Sale. Plenty of stalls, craft activities for the kids (plus that walk over the heath to build an appetite for Sunday lunch) Enjoy! 

The Sewing Bird

Don’t know your cast stitch from your running stitch? Dream of being able to create with just a needle and thread? Then look no further than Greenwich’s local sewing group- The Sewing Bird!

I came across their flyer hanging in Greenwich’s print shop (a lifesaving resource for me atm) and had to share. Starting just over a month ago, they cater to absolute beginners with Tuesday nights covering the basics of sewing and Wednesdays to dedicated dress making, both set in the relaxed atmosphere of the Plum Tree Café.

By the looks of some of the creations on their Facebook page it’s already proved quite a hit! Definitely worth looking into if you’re needle novice and looking for a fun place to start (plus there’s cake! Always a swing factor)

Here's a snap of their flyer with all the details but their Facebook page with all the further info you’ll need is here

Shannybebo Custom Clocks

Browsing through walls of images my eyes are immediately drawn to Shannybebo’s Clocks. Individually crafted, they all seem to have a ‘certain something’ that insists that they stand out from the crowd – miniature pieces of pure aesthetic delivered within all the practical promise of a clock.

In truth, some I like more than others but as their nicknamed creator Shannybebo comments clocks are a unique piece of art that enhance a room or space and that “really reflect a person’s style or personality”. As such she’s happy to embark on custom projects to deliver a time piece that’s set pride of place in anyone’s home. Her creation process makes for a good read and full Shannybebo story can be found here

If you fancy one of these truly unique timepieces her Etsy shop page is here

Easter Wreaths in Action

Back in March I did a post that highlighted just how much the right wreath can add to your home. Eating rather too many Easter Eggs yesterday I decided to walk off the fast approaching chocolate coma and came across some stunning floral creations proudly adorning some of the houses in my local area. Very nice they are too!

Hard to type...Chocolate Coma

Antique Wardrobe

Always on the hunt for something unusual or particularly stylish I came across this absolutely beautiful triple wardrobe made from rare walnut at Minerva Antiques in Greenwich (just look at that detailing!). Yours, if you have a spare £2650. 

Garden in the City

Depending on where you may be based, you may be lucky to look onto vast expanses of emerald green or if you’re a city dweller (like yours truly) a brick wall – lovely. 

However I got a chance to have a flick through Matt James' new book The Urban Gardener , published earlier this month, and it's proved to be a fantastic resource for the re-imaging of dull urban backyards into some innovatively lush designs. Everything from balancing new builds that back onto older structures, rooftop palaces of green, night time illuminations and, frankly, some bold landscaping is covered.  A 'why it works' section is in each chapter allowing for a springboard of further thought and design. If you’re looking to redesign your city garden or patio space then this is a great starting point.

Folklore Lighting

The fine folks from Folklore have their new lighting collection currently on sale. Handmade in Paris they have a variety of desk, wall and pendant lamps made from porcelain and aluminium. Tres bon.

Price range: £115 to £195

http://www.shopfolklore.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=francone

Hot Cross Buns

‘1 a penny, 2 a penny’, tis almost Good Friday and we’re already in the chocolate mood. Somewhat bravely I’m going to attempt to make my own, but with a twist! I came across this vid boasting an easy to make batch of chocolate orange hot cross buns (complete with obvious stork promotion). I doubt mine will look quite as neat but I’m betting they’ll taste ace. 

VERY easy to make candle holders

I came across these being sold at a local fete, and being only £2 a pop and for a good cause picked up a few to adorn the table in the evenings. Cute and delightfully atmospheric, they’ve worked so well we’ve decided to make some of our own to fill our lounge with candlelight in the early evenings and you can too! All you need are a few cheap small glass tumblers, some lace and heat resistant glue: voila!  A tea light candle holder that looks the biz.

Lavender Farm

Sad news: Lavender Farm isn’t hosting their annual Lavender festival this year (everyone now - awww). But the good news is that they’re planning to spread all their typical events over a longer period from the 5^th- 20th July (wahey!) Food tastings, lavender tours, aromatherapy massages and workshops are guaranteed to meet any and all of your lavender needs (and yes, there are many). Full timetable for the Lavender season can be found here: http://www.hopshop.co.uk/documents/LavenderSeasonEventsDiary2014.pdf

Sheridan Chroma-Cobalt Duvet Cover

There’s been lots of talk recently about redesigning the bedroom in a colour scheme of white and blue. Fine in itself (I like using blue) but I sometimes worry it may start looking a bit like a willow plate pattern. That said I came across some great bedding from Sheridan; bringing in the textured cool colours I want but with a messy modern twist. 

Found at House of Fraser:

http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Sheridan+Chroma+cobalt+king+duvet+cover,+reversible/189545630,default,pd.html

An Invisible Bookshelf

I’m a big reader and love my standalone bookshelves stacked to bursting point with my favourite tomes. I do however like the modernised look that an invisible bookshelf can bring to a room. Floating at any height in the room that you wish it’s as simple as a screw and stack and depending on how far you want to go with them you can get quite creative….

Striped Stairs

All too often our beloved stairwells are easily forgotten in the design process, carpeted over in a bland colour to create an easy connection from downstairs to upstairs. Far better to modernise that flow with a dramatic design statement – striped stairs! All you need is some imagination and plenty of builders tape! Paint on the base colour, then depending on how creative you want to get lay down the lengths and widths of the striped design you want. Be sure to seal in the edges with the primer layer colour for a final stripe that’s nice and straight. Add layers of coloured paint and remove tape accordingly and there you are – one very fashionable stairway.

(P.S. Keep in mind during the design process that whilst the paint is drying you might also need to use the stairs!!)