my good friend.

Having been away for a year I am frantically trying to catch up with all my friends and family. Today Lucie popped round for a cup of tea and we had a good old natter. When she had left I decided to check out her website to see what work she had done in the last year. I came across these two images on her blog that I just love! I adore the colours and reflections that she has captured so well. Can't wait to see more images from her - keep a close eye on her blog for more updates. 

home sweet home.

Well first week back to the UK and I have really thrown myself into it. I decided that settling back into reality was not hard enough and decided to rip up the carpets, sand the floorboards and re-decorate! First room under the hammer is the bedroom and I have chosen this beautiful wall colour I found on house to home matched with the super cosy bedlinen from Toast. Step one is to sand the floorboards... will post some pictures once it is all complete. 

a picture. a country.

I just wanted to share with you a picture from each of the countries I have visited. 

 A country of extremes. India

 Rainbow windows. Singapore

 Kite surfing Gili style. Gili Islands

 Pristine sand dunes. Australia

 Picture perfect. New Zealand

 Fish running scared. Sri Lanka

 Lantern lights. Thailand

 School uniform. Laos

 Trekking into the mist. Vietnam

 Mother nature. Cambodia

Time for tea. Malaysia

 Sainsbury's eat your heart out. Sumatra

A summer tan. Borneo

childhood memoeries.

Do you remember having one of those cardboard dolls that you could dress up and fold the tabs over to keep the clothes on her? I loved it... and now here is a modern day version created by Love Mae. They have loads of other stickers for children to get creative with - check out the website.

house story.

A home that I styled for Ideal Home has recently been featured on the house to home website as the Editors choice of home stories. I worked with the wonderful photographer Heather Hobhouse to shoot this Edwardian terraced house, which was beautifully decorated with soft colours and furniture creating a light and airy home. It was a fun day and Oliver even let me have some of his sweets! 

setting a scene.

I adore this project by photographer Christoper Patrick Ernst. He has traveled all over the world to find establishments that have used scenic wallpaper - I love the combinations created and the contrasts between the furniture and wallpaper. To make it even better I and am so pleased to hear that these places do really exist so you can visit them if you want!

tea and cake.

Well I have finished the drawing... and now I need a slice of cake of my own so off to town to try and find a cafe in Dunedin with a Victoria sponge!
Hope you like the illustration and here is a list of where I sourced everything.

1. Antique table cloth, Cabbages & Roses, 22.00. 2. Vintage Fenton cake stand, Junking for Joy, 60.00. 3. Cake stand, John Lewis, 42.00. 4. Amicable aster plate, Anthropologie, 14.00. 5. Cupcake cases, Steamer Trading, 4.50. 6. Glass display dome, Rockett st George, 22.00. 7. Ceramic three tier cake stand, Lisbeth Dahl, 52.00. 8. Heart cupcake toppers, Etsy, 3.00. 9. Platinum petals wine glass, Anthropologie, 12.00. 10. Lace cupcake cases, Gorgeous Cups, 5.00. 11. Desert plate, Anthropologie, 12.00. 12. Bunting cake topper, Bella's Bunting, 12.00. 13. Rediscovered flatware, Anthropologie, 36.00. 14. 15. & 16. Royal albert cup and saucer, Liberty, 16.00. 17. Cake stand, Vessels and Wares, 43.00

which way up.

Traveling around New Zealand and you can't get much better than this! A day out at Lake Matheson - can you even tell which way round it goes?

muted tones.

 

I love the muted tones of this Cornish home featured in Living etc.  My favorite features are the stained glass panels in the door, the large wooden kitchen table, wood paneled walls, log fires and the comfy seats waiting for someone to join them with a hot chocolate and a good book!

sneak peek.

I have been missing my local cafe in Brighton called 'The Mock Turtle' that serves the most amazing array of cakes and home baked goods. So I have decided to draw a cake display instead.. here is a little sneak peek of what I have done so far. Will post the finished illustration soon.