Hats and rose petals

I recently spotted these hat boxes full of rose petals that the Real Flower Company are doing. The perfect present idea! See www.realflowers.co.uk

Below image: the anzu 'Hat shop' image

Kokon Tozai

The shop Kokon Tozai has opened up around the corner from the office and I love the way it looks. It used to be an old butcher's shop and all the fittings and wonderful tiles have been kept.

The shop, like it's Soho sister, also has a really interesting and unusual selection of clothes from designers such as Marian Pejoski, accessories, jewellery, and ceramics such as mother of pearl teacups.

Tim Walker photographs

At the weekend I went to see the Tim Walker exhibition at the Design Museum, London and absolutely loved it. It is beautiful and truly inspiring. All the photographs are stunning and are a lovely mix of glamorous fashion, fairytale wonder and adventure.

I especially like the hanging dress tree photo and the way that his photographs bring outside indoors, such as showing camping in tents in an elegant stately home sitting room, and inside outdoors, as in the wonderful twilight picture where a family sits in a back garden watching Brief Encounter projected onto their country house wall.

The exhibition also has lots of inspiration display boxes which hold Tim Walker's sketchbooks and cuttings. It is on at the Design Museum until the 28th September see www.designmuseum.org

Wing chairs and Chinese goldfish

I have been busy in the office all week working on some floral images, in my new wing chair and at my new desk. I am delighted with both. The other new arrivals are these two Chinese goldfish below! Things have been rather frantic this week, but next week I will be writing a lot more blogs, including one on the great new shop that has opened round the corner.

Gypsy caravans

After my trip on the canals I have been really loving the idea of having a portable but beautiful home. Gypsy caravans and canal boats have a similar decorative look, which I love. Just today I came across this website www.les-verdines.com I had already bought their book, Les Roulettes in Paris (see below) but hadn't seen the website where you can actually buy fully restored and decorated caravans.

They are just so romantic, and for a holiday home or summer house at the bottom of the garden I wouldn't get tired of the highly decorative interiors.

At night they are just magical.

Why not? (no.9)

Why not use wine crates to display or store cards and other products in? Ask your local wine merchant if they can give you any left over spare wine crates. Thanks to Coney & Barrow I just got a delivery of three wine crates. I am using one in the office and the other two have made fantastic planters. Just drill some holes in the bottom for drainage, and paint with wood preservative and then plant.

I planted one with herbs and white flowers, and the one above with lupins and various flowers as well a rather experimental grape vine, which I hope is going to survive!

Cornflowers and Chamomile

I have been very busy here working on a last minute freelance project that came up to do some packaging. Can't say much more other than I have been sifting through images of lavender, lime tree blossom, chamomile blossom etc. Aren't cornflowers (below image) the most stunning colour? Above is a little glimpse of some of the work I have finished - I can't wait to see the final complete product!

The Royal Show

It was blustery and wet but still fun to attend the Royal Show yesterday. A typically English agricultural show with everything from prize winning marrows, sheep being judged by bowler hatted men, a flower tent full of sweet peas, gladioli and lilies, and this planted meadow above. It was a fun and different day out!

Crowns and tiaras

I just came across the website of the Paris Home boutique in San Francisco the other day (www.parishotelboutique.com), which sells items such as silver services and even lift panels from old hotels (in an era when hotels were truly grand), as well as other lovely antiques. If I lived in San Francisco, I would be sure to go there, but for now I make do with their blog. On it, they featured a customer's house, and this amazing collection of French antique crowns artfully arranged in her home.

Aren't they stunning? I painted the image of the tiara below for my princess card. My Mum and I were very impressed when a buyer visiting us at a trade show recognised that it was based on a Russian tiara.

Image above: The anzu 'Princess' card, photos courtesy of the Paris hotel boutique