Hurry up sun!

I am already thinking about summer after this new charity shop find. I seem to be quite good at finding oversized shirts in patterns I adore, perfect to take apart and re-make!

 This fruity Hawaiian light weight fabric already has me dreaming about holidays and cocktails... 

Bookends

I have been back in the family home for 6 months now and I am yet to properly organise a work station for my sewing machine, laptop, scanner/printer and the other copious amounts of art 'stuff' I couldn't possibly throw away. 

Along with the above also comes a growing collection of interior/craft/design books and magazines that are currently sat on my floor next to the two white floating shelves I got last month! (My room needs a paint before any diy can commence) 

Anyway, next week is the week to get organised and for now I'm happy looking at some fun and useful bookends! 

The Bulldog Bookends, Graham & Green, £60

Letter holder and tape dispenser bookend, Ideaco, around £22

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Although bookends depict a structured space, I am also a fan of the natural collection of things. I love the two images below showing a mix match of personal items collected around books and magazines.

I particularly like the idea of incorporating vintage wooden printers blocks!

Quentin Blake Wallpaper

The childhood favourite illustrator Quentin Blake, has our imaginations racing once more with a new fabric and wallpaper range entitled ZAGAZOO by Osbourne and Little. The range features his wonderfully expressive style brought back to life in a mix of animals to abc's to brighten any child's bedroom. 

Ceramic Gift

I absolutely love birthdays and find choosing the present the most exciting part, trying to mix their personalty and a bit of my creative side to find a gift they would of never imagined they 'need' in their lives!

Last week it was my friend Esme's birthday, a tattoo artist who's style of traditional flowers, skulls and birds (to name a few) translates into her home. 

I started my search on NotOnTheHighStreet.com focusing on homeware and within minutes came across ceramic designer Melody Rose who upcycles vintage tableware by incorporating her own graphic illustrations. I love the contrast between the decorative and delicate porcelain against the bold black and grey overprints pictured below.

 In the end I went for the gold skull tea set and she loved it! 

Design Sponge at Home

I have been a big fan of the Design Sponge blog since I discovered it a couple of years ago and so was very excited to hear they had squeezed all the brilliance of the website into a book!

Keeping the main features of the website the book is divided into chapters entitled Sneak Peeks, DIY Projects, DIY Basics, Flower Workshop and my personal favourite Before & After. 

Here are my photos to share...

 Sneak Peeks

(A rather brilliant way to have a nose around some stylish interiors!)

 Perfect space saving solution

Bold and chic, you just know from that exterior the rest is going to be good!

DIY Projects

 Delicate doilies stitched together to make a romantic table runner (great for a christmas centre piece!) 

Before & After

 A fantastic transformation of a drab writing bureau back into a sophisticated desk using a great palette of colours. 

Anglepoise

 This is my new vintage Anglepoise that I got for Christmas after a rather big hint to my mum! The cream colour works really well within my room and it now takes pride of place next to my bed.

 

The best alternative I've found to the original Anglepoise is this brushed chrome desk lamp from Tesco. Keeping the same retro style of the Anglepoise with a clean modern finish, and guess what its £18! 

For Olivia

Here are some photographs of the bracelet I made for my little sister Olivia for Christmas. She absolutely loves horse riding and even dedicates her free time to help out at the stables, so when I stumbled upon this silver horse charm I just had to get it and make something especially for her.