pop up sales

its a month of pop up sales and this year I am all over the place – I love that there are so many community markets and fairs that promote the creativity of small businesses and individuals like myself.   it is always inspiring to see such talent and beautiful things.

my next pop up sale is at Queens Park, next Sunday 24th November 2019 from 10am – 2pm. Curated by Christa Davis who has a fab collection of upcycled cashmere, there will also be a diverse selection of interesting things to buy.

Adjoining Queens Park Farmers Market, Salusbury Rooms, Salusbury Primary School, London NW6 6RG. Will be selling my cards, ceramics, some curated bits and bobs plus vintage and pre loved clothes. hope you can make it.

It will be an eclectic local indoor market celebrating independent makers & designers alongside eccentric vintage clobber and one-off stalls spring cleaning their homes.

the one after that is in Hampstead on Saturday 30th November at Rosslyn Hill Chapel, which is run by Badgers Velvet and it is an amazing array of fine designers, craftspersons and gifts all curated by the lovely Ros Badger;  and then on Sunday 1st December I will be at Curtain Up Christmas market  at St Mary’s Abbot centre, Kensington Church Street, where the lovely Jo Good will be drawing the raffle, which proceeds this year will go to Maggies Centre.

I will also be taking part in a one day ‘clear your junk’ fair on Saturday 14th December at Cecil Sharp House in Primrose Hill;  its basically a posh boot fair by a whole lot of interior designers and makers.

hummingbirds

did you know that hummingbirds tend to feed from flowers which hang down vertically even though this costs them more energy than feeding on more accessible blooms?  hummingbirds are crucial pollinators of flowering plants across the Americas.  apparently they choose the downward facing flowers because their nectar is less diluted by rain and thus contains the most sugar.

i love any items with birds on them, so it was lovely to see liberty still sell lots of items emblazened with birds.   when birds are used on everyday things  there is something calming about seeing them on familiar objects.  found this little nest hidden in my wisteria.  Jane Clayton has a lovely selection of wallpapers including birds too.

for another exquisite gift idea, these beautiful porcelain plates with little birds on are made by fliff carr.

fluffy towels

everybody loves a fluffy white towel, there is something innocent and pure about a clean white towel – maybe its the image of your little one wrapped sweetly ….  personally i prefer the hamman style towel or the thin waffle types that you can usually get from the white company , conran or designers guild.   you can buy a great selection of beautifully dyed shades of grey and pink from merci in paris.  I  actually get mine from spain in our town, where almost every gift shop there are selling hamman towels.  recently i have had to buy lots of quality towels for the suffolk cottage, and though I love white company, they are pricey;  good alternatives are from soak and sleep, next home, TK max, though you have to be lucky as its whats there on the day, and good old John Lewis.  If you have to buy a big quantity of bath towels  I recommend Next home, they are egyptian cotton and pretty good quality for the price.  there happens to be a gigantic store on the way to the cottage at woodbridge.

here are the tiles finally placed in my suffolk cottage bathroom, aren’t they pretty?  they were from smoke and fire in Darsham. 

 

Japanese knives

if you are looking for a great unusual gift for that person who seems to have everything, then go to the japanese knife shop in baker street, W1.  it has an amazing display of knives for every occasion – you can even have something special engraved on the knife of your choice!  however there is a saying that giving knives or scissors is a sign of severing your friendship, if you do receive a knife for a gift, you are supposed to return the thanks by sending a penny – in effect, you are purchasing your gift!  depends how superstitious you are!   kataba in brixton pop up has a beautiful collection, plus they do knife sharpening and sell some japanese ceramics – its really interesting at Brixton pop up, lots of fun places to eat, makes going to brixton village even more worth it.

keeping house on columbia road is another destination and it means you can also get your flowers. but my all time favourite kitchen shop is Summerhill and Bishop in Holland Park – charming and stylish, it has the french provence feel with a modern touch.

I recently passed old street and there is a Japanese Kitchen Utensils pop up shop at Sway Gallery.   lots of other Japanese gifts too, including vintage Kimonos, stationary.  I couldn’t resist buying a hand forged steel wok – such a beautiful object and hopefully will last a lifetime.  you can see the difference to the cheaper Chinese ones that you see everywhere.  only on until 25th May, but worth going to.

the clock

I finally made it to Tate Modern to see the clocks film – it really was interesting and compelling watching and a very clever idea – I only stayed an hour and a half, but I could have sat in that comfy sofa for the whole 24 hours!!  I urge you to visit, its free and ends this weekend.  there is a big queue, so go there early, unless you want to see films at a particular time, say 3.15pm…..

i love old station clocks, we have a double sided one at home, which we have inserted into the partition wall, so that you can see the clock both sides.  smiths made quite a lot of the industrial clocks in the early part of this century.  you can find some clocks at trainspotters – an interesting site that sells architectural fittings, some lovely old lights and lamps and a few other original pieces – i love the old train luggage racks  – perfect for an industrial type kitchen.  elemental in spitalfields also have a few that they restore and sell.

sardinia

I love my job, it takes you places, you meet lovely people and every job is a new experience;  though now photography is at the touch of every one’s fingers, there is a click for every moment and I can see that soon the art of photography is going to be very difficult as it can be done by anyone on even a phone.  my friend Jac asked myself and Pip to photograph her beautiful house for her website – she intends to rent it;  its nestled on the gentle slopes of a mountain with the most incredible view and comes with housekeeper and boat.  website is to follow very soon.  Pip and I work as a team, styling and photographing to create inspirational spaces and then together with my brother, Paul, we create an individual website that not only looks beautiful, but one that you can easily add and change.

cushions and textiles

love the beautiful silks and indian embroidered fabrics  in warris vianni on golborne road – especially the deep cerise pinks.

i love fabrics and have lots of remnants that i collect hidden in the cupboard, thinking one day when i have the time, i will make myself a dress, or even a cushion for the bedroom….  so its good to see that there are some companies reproducing some of the lovely old classic designs.

sheila cook for inspirational vintage fabrics – its not easy finding interesting fabrics –  but sheila cook has a good collection including beautiful vintage lace and collars, but more for the serious collector .   donna flower has a more affordable collection, ranging from the 1920’s onwards.   liberty is still a good source for both modern and vintage style patterns – especially with its famous floral print. john lewis has a big selection of interesting fabrics, some quite retro in style – their leaf and graphic designs are quite 1950’s in style. . designers guild probably has the prettiest and brightest colours – some are delicately pretty and some bold and vibrant.

talented stylist and artist mary mathieson made this colourful throw – she can turn anything simple into something beautiful.

love the handwoven cushions from Kalinko – apparently made on wooden looms in remote Burmese villages.  sometimes mixing ethnic hand embroidery in a modern environment takes the harshness and blandness away.

moroccan rugs

i wonder how many people come home with a rug from morocco?   i loved the way they laid out the rugs like squares of paintings – i can see where Paul Klee got his inspiration.

there is a moroccan rug shop going up to  highgate, but if you are after modern rugs then the rug company has the best choice.    I also adore the modern rugs by Kate Blee, talented through and through, is there anything that she cant do?

beautiful umbrellas

there is something lovely about umbrellas, they are such a simple classic design that has never changed through the ages….  there is the beautiful umbrella shop, James Smith and Sons,   that Robert always insists on buying his umbrellas from and then there are parasols that are for gardens.   my friend Jac had this really enchanting parasol in her house in Sardinia, which is an art piece in itself.  not sure where she bought hers from, but I know that she brought it out from the UK.   but somebody recommended this company, sunbeam jackie. and they have some really beautiful ones but they really are a super luxury item – there must be something more affordable on the market similar to this.  I managed to find these Indian embroidered ones,  but not as beautiful as the others.

swimsuits

have spent weeks looking for swimsuits – so difficult to find ones that fit well.  finally found one in j crew, they have a big range online, but not many in the store, but if you go and try on the sizes and shapes, you can then find your size online.   i really like the simplicity of the costumes from eres swimwear, but the prices are so high – its also about finding the right amount of coverage at my age – look out for them in the sales;  I did invest in a one piece that fits me perfectly and it is always commented upon;   some of the ones in cos and top shop looked fine, but no support at all and are fine as decorative bikini tops to your beachwear, but watch out if you are doing a lot of swimming.  another company with great costumes is sea folly – their one piece costumes are quite flattering styles.