Tearooms, pink houses & lots of rain

As I mentioned in a previous post, last weekend myself and the other half packed ourselves into our little Mazda and headed for the country. Before we left the house on Friday, the news was of course reporting of the awful flooding that was happening down in Somerset. And where were we headed?! yeah you guessed it! But hey, we like an adventure, so off we went. And in fact, when we arrived Friday lunchtime the sun was shining! On Friday evening we had dinner at the Lord Poulett Arms in Hinton St George - well worth a visit if you are down that way. Saturday the rain returned but we wrapped up warm and went off exploring. We drove up into Exmoor, it was so beautifully autumnal, the colours so rich and the mist made everything magical!

I got slightly obsessed with all the pink houses I was spotting! I decided if we ever move to the country, I want a pink house!  

We visited Porlock Weir on Saturday and in the evening, we had dinner at Tarr Steps Farm - and luckily our lovely B&B host transported us there and back in his 4X4, because by the time we were coming home the flood waters were pretty high, and there is no way our little Mazda would have coped! Below are a few snaps from our lovely room at Middle Upcott Farm near Dulverton.  I'd really recommend this B&B if you are staying on Exmoor. Lovely people and a beautiful farm house filled with lots of vintage finds and pretty things!

On Sunday we headed over to a little village called Dunster where we had tea and cake, and wandered around taking pics of some of the beautiful autumnal plants...

And I managed to find my favourite shop of the trip there too! Horse and Crook is a beautifully styled boutique, filled with a mix of vintage items and rustic style things for the home. The lovely owner allowed me to take a few snaps to share with you.... as you can imagine I did not leave here empty handed! :)

We had a fab time celebrating our 10 years together so far, doing the things we love - exploring, eating and shopping! happy anniversary to us! :)
xxx

Sneak peek! Issue 5 of 91 Magazine

In a weeks time the 5th issue of 91 Magazine will hit your screens, so here is a little preview of what to expect! While it is our December issue it is not hugely festive, not because I'm a scrooge though! Make sure to read my editors letter to find out why...

 

We have a series of exclusive downloadable desktop calendars designed by Charlotte Love. The first four months of 2013 are available in this issue. 

Our 'Style Notes' feature this issue focuses on how to style your kids room with vintage finds, quirky items and handmade goods....

Get crafty with our 'Designer Makes...' feature - and make these simple but gorgeous tissue paper

flowers.

and drool over this light filled Californian home...

 

Thats just a few highlights from the new issue! It is our biggest yet, with an extra 20 pages, so there is much more to feast your eyes on! it will be available online on 4th December, but make sure to subscribe and get it direct to your inbox by emailing SUBSCRIBE to info{@}91magazine.co.uk

Follow us over on Twitter and Facebook too! 

www.91magazine.co.uk

Today I'm loving....

I'm heading off on a little jaunt to the countryside this weekend to celebrate me and the other half's ten year anniversary! We've been together since I was 21! And now only seven months to go until our wedding! so exciting! Anyway, as I am SO looking forward to getting out of the city for a few days, and getting a bit of country air, I thought I'd share these gorgeous cushions by Chocolate Creative because they are inspired by the beautiful English countryside. They have an almost painterly effect to them, and make you wish you were sitting on the edge of one of those lakes! They look fab on these vintage wooden chairs, but I also think they'd be great against a dark coloured sofa. What do you think? Right, I'm off to pack my bags, see you next week!

 

English Romantic Cushions, £50, Chocolate Creative

10 ideas for pom poms

Pom poms are most definitely hot right now. From the catwalk, to our homes, to weddings and even food styling. Whether made of tissue paper, wool or felt, the pom pom is a very versatile guy! I've been browsing the net in search of pom poms today, and here are 10 ideas of how to use them....

1. Garlands
Whether its for an event, or for simply decorating your home, you can use either lengths of pom pom trim, or join a series of wool pom poms together, and drape!

Style me Pretty

Dottie Angel

cafe noHut

 2. Cushion
The simplest way to add interest to a plain cushion. This one is from Kiss Her - although you could easily make your own with some trim and a needle and thread! I like the pom poms around the bed frame too!

3. Gift wrapping
So many possibilities here! make mini tissue or wool pom poms and then follow the tutorial for these first ones on Whipperberry.  I love the second idea, where they've been mixed with doilies and brown paper - a super thrifty way of making your packaging look gorgeous! The 3rd example is actually wrapping paper from Anthropologie US, but again this would be so simple to recreate yourself. Just grab a bag of tiny felt pom poms from the haberdashery and get gluing!

Whipperberry

via Papercrave

Anthropologie

4. Necklace
Pom poms are everywhere in the fashion world these days, and can even work as jewellery! I love this neon pink necklace. I reckon it would be quite hard to pull this look off well, but she certainly is! 

Spotted on A Pair and a Spare

5. Curtains
Again, like the cushion, such a simple way to add interest and colour to plain curtains. A bright colour such as this yellow, or a hot pink would look great.

Photo by Bentley Waters

6. Flowers
Create a permanent floral display with these pom pom single stem flowers. Make wool pom poms of different sizes and then simply glue onto twigs you've collected, and pop in a vintage bottle! simples!

Country Living

7. Window display
Hang strings of small pom poms in your window for a pretty display inside and out.  You can buy a kit with felt balls, embroidery floss & needle from Acme Party.

8. Umbrella trim
Simple pom pom trim jazzes up another potentially mundane item!

Photo by Sassyfras Studios

9. Confetti
This would involve some serious pom pom production, but how lovely is this wedding where pom poms were thrown instead of paper confetti?!

via Love the Schultzes

10. Cake toppers
Another one for a party or wedding. Decorate your cupcakes or full size cakes with these cute paper or wool pom poms on sticks! Buy from Potter & Butler on Etsy, or to make your own follow the tutorial on 6 Bittersweets. The wool ones are also available on Etsy from Cherrytime, but you could easily make your own.

Left: Potter & Butler on Etsy Right: 6 Bittersweets

Cherrytime on Etsy

If you haven't made wool pom poms before, there is a great and really quick video on Creature Comforts blog to show you how.

Bauble bonanza

I have to admit, every year I get tres excited about putting up the Christmas tree! We've always got a real one, and we used to go trekking out in the cold to track one down, and have been known to bring one back on the tube from Columbia Road when we lived in East London, the other half carrying it on his head! Now we have a car though so it makes it much easier! I love getting out the box of baubles, unwrapping them all, and rediscovering all the lovely decorations we've collected over the years. I always think its nice to add at least one to your collection each year - a really special one - and then gradually you will have a tree covered in unique objects, that make for a much more interesting display. So here is my round up of top baubles this year, and a few other interesting decorations you can dot around the house too...

I think its a really nice idea to give a lovely decoration as a gift, and these ones from The Shop at Number 57 are perfect for a crafty friend, as it is a little kit to cross stitch your own, and includes all the components you need! £15

I love how none of these are particularly 'Christmassy' items, but they just work! I think they'd look lovely mixed in with some sparkly silver and gold. Polar Bear, Anthropologie US, $20; Boat, Anthropologie US, $14; Owls, Rigby & Mac, £3.95

Don't leave your windows out when it comes to decoration! I love these sweet deer stickers from Cox and Cox, £5.50

Fancy going off piste with your colour scheme for a change? Why not go for the hottest trend this year and decorate with pastels?! A little unconvential perhaps, but with these cute bambi figurines from The Hambledon, you will be rocking the retro vibe! £7.95

Prefer to stick with a more traditional colour scheme? hang these paper balls in clusters from the ceiling for a modern but homespun look. From £3.50 at Loop the Loop

These cone decorations are striking and will really stand out on your tree, or hang a row of them from your mantelpiece. £6.50 for 2 from Rose & Grey.

And finally, for that rustic look, this stag head is essential! and could be kept up all year round! £29.95 from Angel Vintage

xxx

Creative Business drop-in event

I'm SO excited to be involved in an event that is being hosted by Shipshape Studio in collaboration with Designers/Makers on the 9th December in Hackney.  As part of Designers/Makers Rotary Walk Artisan Market, Shipshape Studio will host a series of drop-in sessions for creative businesses, and I will be one of the people giving advice! As you may know, when I relaunched the Patchwork Harmony website recently, one of the new things I am offering is creative business advice. I've already been working with a new kids clothing brand launching next year, and I hope to expand this service in 2013, so I am really excited to meet some creative people at this event.
The sessions will be free, and are for 15 minutes one-to-one, so if you'd like to book one, all the info is over on the Shipshape Studio website.
it should be a great day, as there will also be the artisan market on, with lots of opportunity to pick up some unique Christmas gifts!

Papermash new blog

One of my favourite online shops is Papermash.  It feeds my stationery obsession with its unique items and beautifully styled images.  Lynne has got a great eye and I've always enjoyed catching up on her blog Tea for Joy. Now Lynne has decided to bring her business & blog more in line, and will now be blogging solely on her new Papermash blog.  Her first post features gorgeous images from one of 91 Magazine's favourite stylists Charlotte Love (look out for more of Charlotte's work in our next issue, out soon!) These simple but beautiful images show off Papermash's products in new, interesting ways, such as the pic above, which is a page from the Rifle Paper Co. calender - showing how to use it when the calender is out of date. You could create a grid on your wall of each month's image in a frame!

So be sure to pop over to Papermash's new blog, I'm excited to see what they have in store! xxx

Rough Luxe

Via Desire to Inspire

Via Sania Pell / Photo: Uli Schade

If you are doing up your home or just fancy a bit of a change but money is tight, then you will love the trend for 'Rough Luxe', a style that is hot this Autumn/Winter. Edgy, but comforting with a touch of luxury. To get this look you can pretty much skip the whole decorating stage, as this style demands pared back walls, either exposed brick, rough plaster or even bare concrete, and floors can be left as is, or painted white for a slightly brighter look. These elements create hard lines and textures, so to soften it and get the luxe feel, add accessories that create glamour, but that will look effortless against your rustic backdrop! Rich, warm tones and colours help to create the luxe look, so think slate grey, deep burgundy, browns and creams for your soft furnishings and add the sparkle with a delicate chandelier, a sequined cushion or vintage mirror, which will look great against the rough walls. Metallics, glass and zinc will all work well. Furniture should be eclectic, from rustic wood vintage pieces to sleeker contemporary items but still sticking with the pared back colour palette.  The accessories you choose do not have to break the bank either.  As regular readers will now, I love a bargain, so here is my selection of top buys all under £80 that will help you create the Rough Luxe feel.

Metal shelving, Loop the Loop, £55 :: Bronze pendant shade, John Lewis, £45 :: Sheepskin Rug, John Lewis, £59 :: Ampersand Sign, Ruby Roost, £57.95 :: Industrial stool, Loop the Loop, £65 :: Rustic lightbulb, John Lewis, £4 :: Grey Velvet cushion cover, Sparrow and Co, £12.50 :: Gold bowls, Nordic Bliss, £12.50 :: Cream faux fur throw, John Lewis, £80 :: Gold sequin cushion, H&M, £9.99 :: Wooden table, Nordic Bliss, £69.90

Number candlesticks, H&M, £4.99 each

Vintage mirror, Loop the Loop, £39.95 :: Set of 4 linen napkins, Ebury Home & Garden, £32 :: Wood panel wallpaper, Next, £15 per 10m roll :: Fresco birds wallpaper, Rockett St George, £78 per 10m roll

Pillar candles, Cox and Cox, £10.50 :: Lace effect bedlinen, Rockett St George, £59 :: Diamond bulb, Rockett St George, £35 :: Hanging bloom tube, Rowen & Wren, from £7

Here are some more inspiration images for different ways to create the Rough Luxe look, whats your fave? And do you think you could live with this look? 

left image via Pinterest (no original source) , right image from Romantic Style by Selina Lake. ©Ryland Peters & Small

Image by Chris Court

Image by Christine Bauer

Image via Marie Claire Maison

Image via Pinterest (no original source)

Image via The Design Files

This post was in collaboration with vouchercodes.co.uk