Anthropologie – like Hamley’s for grown ups!

For some reason, I only recently ventured into Anthropologie. It houses gorgeous (but expensive) clothes, home accessories and jewellery, but worth a visit just to see how everything is displayed and all the artwork they have around the place. And it is just a few shops away from Hamley’s on Regent Street. My favourite display is the wall of vintage matchboxes in the changing rooms.

A very lovely wedding-do…

My very special friend Tom got married to the very lovely Danny a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful day in so many ways (the couple themselves being the obvious one!) but also with all the gorgeous things they did to decorate the venue. I’ve been meaning to share some of the photos with you and I’ve just been sent a selection from Tom. My personal favourite thing was the jam-jar wedding favours – really cute jars filled with cake! Also loved the bow-ties that the boys wore (which were then changed to cravats and waistcoats for the evening!). Also worth mentioning the amazing cake and floral arrangements done by the same florist that Kate Middleton used (obvs). All photos taken by Kimberley Elliott Photography except the cake which was taken by Grace Hammond. Hope you enjoy them!

Bird cages with flowers sat on the tables.

Just loved this idea! Looked so good on the tables – worth all the hard work getting them ready!

Guestbook with a chest of roses.

The yummy cake!

Really love this picture – think it would make a really cool Wedding Card design.

Also wanted to show you the corsages – using feathers and roses. All flowers done by Green Parlour in Pangbourne.

And finally, the happy Mcilvenny-Cox couple (Danny on left and Tom on the right).

Pretty things using old books and maps

I’ve spotted some lovely bits and bobs using different types of paper recently – particularly maps and books so thought I’d share. The first one is by Erin Ciulla (from Canada) which I got from @theheydayshop’s curating cuteness blog. She has used what looks like map wrapping paper (you can buy it in Magma, Liberty’s etc) to decorate the inside of a suitcase. Then she has filled it with tiny little books – would be lovely for all sorts of party decorations, or a smaller version for a gift for somebody.

The one below also uses the wrapping paper map of Paris to make wedding invites – a really simple idea, but it looks really smart me thinks.

Stephanie Lynn also offers some food for thought with her beautiful flowers made out of old books. She also explains how to make them on her blog.

And similarly, her description of making paper bird decorations is very cute and easy to do:

And my final thought for this post is from the gorgeous photos at Lola’s Room on Etsy. She has some really beautiful prints for sale – perfect for my little sewing area I think! But this one of these vintage books shows how lovely a colletion of old penguin books can look, and the gorgeous prints that used to be used on them:

Just discovered @twigandthistle

Twig & Thistle is a great blog – full of all sorts of interior ideas. My particular favourite post has to be this one – but there are also some great posts on interesting branding. This chalk drawing is by Dana Tanamachi.

a bit of wedding inspiration from junkshopbride and rock my wedding…

I went to my Cousin’s wedding at the weekend – such a beautiful day and a very lovely do. The flowers in particular were beautiful – loads of peonies, roses and sweetpeas mixed with rosemary, mint and sage. Photos to be uploaded shortly! Since Saturday however I’ve been slightly distracted with the junkshop bride blog which is full of gorgeous ideas and beautifully presented. I also came across this one from rock my wedding – This is right up my strasse – such a beautiful way to layout the seating plan.

This is another lovely idea from their blog – old fashioned polaroid cameras next to the guestbook so that you can stick your photos in to the book as you write your memories. I also think that the sweetie jam jars would make a lovely gift for somebody for any occasion.

Things I’ve been lusting after since being trapped in John Lewis..

Had a bit of a nightmare deciding what to buy my Mum for her birthday this week! After establishing that Mulberry had nothing to offer that I could afford, my brother and I headed down to John Lewis and told each other we wouldn’t be leaving until we found something. A few hours and a cup of tea later, we ended up with a really lovely vase, some Sophie Conran plates and a jewellery stand. I was however keeping my eyes open for things for me and saw some gorgeous Wedgwood cups and saucers, and have been working out how I can justify buying this sandwich plate! It is fifty whole pounds…maybe after the next payday?! I also really love the boxes they come in – so almost like a nice freebie thrown in. I’ve included the jewellery stand we bought Mum too. At 25 pounds, it is definitely a good gift idea to keep up your sleeve.

The opening of my package from @pickle_pea!

My collage pack from Pickle_Pea arrived on Tuesday. It’s chuffing brilliant. It has so many quirky bits included to use for card making. Particular favourite was the tight-rope tina card! Also really lovely branding on the packaging, with what I think is type-writer typed info on the back. You can’t choose what is in the pack, but to be honest that is what makes it so much fun because it is all a surprise when you look through it, and there is enough in the pack to keep you going for ages. If you like card making/collage etc, it really is a must-have, and a bargain too! Thank you Pickle_Pea!

What should I do with my 1950s rocking horse?

It’s rather bigger than it looks in the photo. Keep it for a rainy day or sell it? Hmmn. 

Royal Wedding Official website launch!

Now you can follow the Royal Wedding officially and get your daily update on the lovely Miss Middleton. Follow them on Twitter @Clarencehouse. I’m very excited. 

A very lovely weekend in Brighton.

So took the boyfriend to Brighton on Saturday for a mini holiday. We fell in love with the place – such a relaxing (and refreshing) change from London. It’s only an hour on the train from London Bridge, so definitely worth a pop down for a walk along the beach and a cheeky visit to Brighton’s Lanes. The Lanes are literally full of boutiques and independent shops, as well as a few antique/flea market type shops (much to the dismay of said boyfriend!). A particular favourite was the Lavender Room which sells things ranging from scented candles, to beautiful underwear and vintage dresses – as well as loads of lovely dressing-table type accessories.

If you can’t get down there they have an online shop, and also a shop on notonthehighstreet.com. In a shop called the North Lanes Antique and Flea Market I picked up some brilliant vintage photographs for about 20p each (which I’ll be using for card making) and there are a load of shops selling prints too, and I got this rather lovely Becky Broome print from a shop called InHouse Space, run by a very nice Australian lady.

For a good meal, we’d recommend Pomegranate – delicious food and really lovely atmosphere as it is set in an old townhouse over two floors. Also worth mentioning a cute place for breakfast called Tic Toc Cafe which was very cool indeed.

And if you’re feeling a bit indulgent and fancy a bit of pampering, go for the Hotel du Vin which has free-standing baths in the bedrooms! Made a pleasant change to my ex-council flat!