Category: accessories
Midsummer x
Midsummer’s day on Friday and the weather finely got the message, though looking out of the window now, the air is thick enough to slice and grey storm clouds are gathering. Which probably explains the English fascination with tents and gazebos: a place to escape from life and rain, somewhere full of hope and nostalgia that remains a little bit of summer no matter what.
(All pics Pinterest)
These are all from the Raj Tent Club – the creme de la creme of canopies, but I’ve always had the urge to create my own…
Laters, Kate x
Silver Lining x
I remember at Christmas being drawn to coloured fairy lights over the classic, style leading, Scandi simplistic white and that pull to colour is still strong: In the opening episode of Tales of the City on Netflix, there’s an outdoor party in San Fransisco festooned with every kind of light, shape, size and colour and it was an eclectic, mad, happy joy to see. When the weather is grey, the politics greyer and the country feels like it’s going to the dogs, we need colour….and the bigger, the brighter, the more ebullient, the better.
(All pics Pinterest)
Simple pleasures.
Laters, Kate x
Centre Half: Scarf
Friday marks midsummer. Try telling that to the clouds, the rain, the wind and the temperature. It’s the pay back and karma for last summer. But it still hurts. Maybe that’s why I’m loving the colour, the fluidity and the fun of men wearing silk scarves.
(All pics pinterest)
It just brightens the day.
Laters, Kate x
Smile x
Borastapeter wallpaper take classic designs and interpret them in a contemporary way.
Because there’s great joy in taking an accepted pleasure spot and moving the boundaries just enough to find the riches inbetween.
The joy moves up a notch further when the price point is a sensible one.
(All pics Pinterest)
Then the heat it attracts is both warming and thrilling.
Laters, Kate x
Smile Plastics!
Hats in the air to Waitrose starting a ‘bring your own containers’ trial to Oxford. Plastic packaging for a range of products like pasta, cereals, rice, coffee, wine and frozen fruit will be removed and replaced with a refill your own station. About bloody time one of the big supermarkets did this. When they roll it out across all stores (fingers crossed) maybe they’ll use Smile Plastics in their design..
Smile Plastics is a material, design and manufacturing house making desirable hand crafted panels from waste material. Their vision is to change people’s perceptions around waste via innovation – to use art and technology to unlock the hidden potential in recycling and open peoples eyes to the unexpected beauty of scrap. In doing so they hope to inspire more people about sustainability and recycling.
(All pics Pinterest)
Transformative.
Laters, Kate x
Izipiziz x
Wow! The shops in Deal are getting good!..just the right side of vintage, affordable and desirable. In one shop – The Hoxton Store – they also had a glasses brand from France – izipizi – I’d never seen before offering sunnies, reading glasses, baby glasses and blue light glasses for working with screens. Classic shapes, bright colours and around the £40 price point. Winner, winner chicken dinner.
(All pics Pinterest)
J’aime.
Laters, Kate x
Update x
The crochet is going great guns, particularly as we’ve come up with the perfect project to encourage repetition, practise and ideal tension: We’re making what can only be called ‘little socks’ for my dining rooms chairs to replace those sticky pads that only work to gather dog hair.
We did experiment with a garden string and twine, but for ease of make we’re going with a thick grey wool, though we’re both anxious about longevity – time will tell.
It also helps that the six chairs round the table are back with their newly woven seating, looking enticing.
So that’s only seven chairs and twenty eight more socks to go..
Laters, Kate x
Floor Sing
Floor bling. The flooral (!) soundbite that declares quiet sophistication.
(All pics Pinterest)
A subtle shift in emphasis, two contrasts fused seamlessly together.
Bliss.
Laters, Kate x
Wiser x
It’s going to be some time before my fingers can instinctively do this, but I’m having my first ever crochet lesson today and my eyes can’t wait.
They’ve been checking out all the incredible designs a simple hook and a piece of yarn and a little bit of yearn can make.
I’m very lucky – I’m learning from a highly skilled older lady in my neighbourhood courtesy of The Wiser Collective, a group set up by local mums Claire Redway and Sarah Laffey which aims to link up the generations in my area and
- offer practical support for families living apart from their relatives
- build connections and provide purpose for potentially isolated older people
- offer a sense of neighbourly community and companionship for both groups.
It works on the idea that there is so much we can learn from a group that all too often find themselves isolated, and there are things that as busy families we can offer – large meals with laughter can be something we take for granted.
(All pics Pinterest)
I can’t wait
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 