books... Storage Style

I don't know about you, but one of my constant battles at home is storage - there is just never enough space or places to put everything! So when I seen the Country Living book - Storage Style by Lesley Porcelli I thought this is perfect for me! It is a lovely book full of gorgeous photography and seems to focus mainly on open storage - so rather than shoving everything in a cupboard and shutting the door, trying to organise all your things and looking good at the same time!

One idea which I have adopted myself is stacking piles of books, originally as we didn't really have much furniture, I used a stack as a bedside table! As in this picture it can look really great....

I love these quite chaotic but organised rooms which use all the space to display and store essentials...

There are lots of ideas for quirky containers, and your best bet is to keep your eyes peeled for vintage items that could be used for storage, like these....


I recently found a similar vintage trunk in a charity shop for about £25, which is great for towels and linen you don't use regularly, or your out of season wardrobe....


and if you're lucky enough to have space for a dedicated laundry room, how great is this dolls house shelving!?!

Images courtesy of Jacqui Small

Inspired by nature....

sorry I haven't been around here much this week... we started decorating our hallway, and I am seriously knackered!!
Also this week I have done a little guest blog post at a relatively new blog - shopaholic.become.co.uk - I have written a post about nature inspired home accessories called 'Outside Inside', which you should check out here - it features some lovely items, most of which are on my own wish list!!

Here are a few other lovely bits which I couldn't fit into that one post but I love just as much!!

Butterfly Garland - £12 - Cox & Cox

birdcage mirrors - from £60 - An Angel at my Table

Butterfly print - £17 - Graham & Green

These stag cushions are gorgeous, but not cheap....

Enormous Stag cushions - £125 - Pedlars

or why not try your hand at a bit of needlework?! buy a kit from Felicity Hall
kits start at £60, and come with all the bits you need - perfect little project for a winter nights beside the fire!


xxx

Rachel Whiting - Photographer

Today I just wanted to share with you the work of a photographer's work I really like... Rachel Whiting.
The shoot that caught my eye initally was in Homes & Antiques earlier in the year... see the top 2 pics. This is kind of the look I'm wanting to go for in my house!

Se her website for more.

the next thrifty chair makeover!

So those of you that may have seen my last chair makeover may be excited to know I've now done the other one! As planned, it is completely different from the Cath Kidston oil cloth one AND it cost me absolutely nothing! not a penny!
To remind you what the original chair looked like.....

and now she looks like this.....!!

what do you think?! do you prefer this one or this first one?!
here's a few more closer pics....

Luckily I managed to find some pots of paint in our shed left behind by the previous owners, so I just painted one coat of this ochre colour - kind of a light grey / green - and then I gave it a rub with sandpaper in a few areas to give it the good old 'shabby chic' look! For the seat cover, I had a batch of Ian Mankin fabric samples knocking around that I knew I'd find a use for one day, and I just stitched them all together on the machine and re-covered the seat with it! Voila!
I think I've definitely found a new passion, it is so satisfying bringing something back to life!

xxx

Wallpaper by Vivienne Westwood

So we all know that wallpaper is firmly back on the map when it comes to style in the home, and now the queen of style in the fashion world puts her stamp of cool on it too....
but what do you think of Vivienne Westwood's designs? will they work on our walls?

Cut-out Lace

Magnolia

Squiggle

Union Jack

Absence of Rose

Trompe l'oeil Drape

Tartan

For me, I am tempted to order samples to see them in the flesh, like the cut out lace... others I think would just give me a headache - Trompe l'oeil Drape - although I do think this would look really cool in a funky restaurant or bar.
My faves out of these examples are actually the Union Jack and the tartan, very Vivienne Westwood, and very British, and I think they could work really well for a bold statement wall.
Which is your fave? Or are you not impressed?
Check out lots more of the designs at the Cole & Son website. xxx

In the Press...

Things have been pretty hectic of late, I never seem to have a moment! The shop has been getting busier in the run up to Christmas, so I must admit most of my time is going into that, so I thought I'd share a few recent product mentions Patchwork Harmony has had in the press...

Mail on Sunday's You magazine had a lovely feature with Cath Kidston, which included patterns to make some lovely things (which you can download templates for here), and they included my little Make Do & Mend tin in the round up of items you need for your sewing box....


I'm sold out of these at the min, but have 2 other designs.... (£2.75 each)


The Sunday Express's S Magazine, featured my little jam pot in an interiors piece about country style....


And Saga magazine included my handmade seedmarkers by Esther Coombs in their Christmas Gift Guide.... This was styled by Katie Sellers whose work I love, and I think it looks great! very quirky!

xxx

Cosy up with Anta

I don't know about you, but I am frrreeeezzziingg!! It literally seemed November 1st arrived and so did Winter! But of course the best thing about Winter is cosying up with a hot mug of tea, lighting the fire and snuggling on the sofa with a good film.... and the range from Anta seem well prepared for these times.... Inspired by the Scottish landscape and traditional Scottish style, their gorgeous throws, cushions and stoneware display a modern twist on this, so would look fab in a country pad as well as a more modern interior....

oh and in the summer you can always use the throws for picnics!

I really like their stuff as it is good classic design, that will never go out of fashion... and looks so cosy! :)

Lucky Scottish readers can check out their shops, the rest of us can buy online.

xxx