One night in Paris

I suddenly found myself having a 'dream job' moment when I was asked to deliver a feature film to Paris ready for the Cannes film festival. A hop onto the Euro Star, a night in a hotel and spending money! What more could a girl want?

 I was given a hotel in the 17e which I didn't know at all but would definitely recommend. I did a bit of research before I left and found out that there was a great Veggie cafe near by, places to buy cheese and wine and a type of Paris the tourists never see...

There was a wild carpet in my room! And I brushed up on the school girl french as the internet warned me I was going off track to where Paris doesn't speak much English. I loved it! Words came back and people didn't mind if you couldn't speak French brilliantly...lots of arm waving and mime actions!

The people were so lovely in fact, that one of them gave me an ice cream for free saying that I was 'Too much charm in one body". I think the yellow Orla Kiely suit I was wearing had something to do with it! 

Terrible picture of me but you can see the lovely suit!

 
Had a delicious Masala Dosa at an Indian near to the Gare Du Nord...my favourite!

The veggie cafe that I found was called Joy in Food. A huge plate of lovely goodness! And there was a 24 hour ambulance service a few doors away that had amazing paintings all around the windows that I suspect have been there for years...don't you just love her green bow?

 I wanted to move the bin...but now I quite like it in the photo!

 Little french man with a black Berri.  

 I adore the architecture of Paris, there really is no where else like it. 

Even the railway lines look beautiful.

Back on the train home with treats in my bag....

...french Elle Decoration, and a raspberry meringue,croissants,nut bread, wine and cheese...thank you Paris!

Cushions galore

You might remember the tiny lavender bags that I made from some little sample scraps of fabric and lavender that I harvested from the garden last year. We decided that the fabric was so lovely that we ordered a meter of it to make cushions for the front room.

The fabric has been hand printed in India and the cotton is beautifully thick.

We only had some vintage zips to use so they were a bit wobbly-wobbly! With a bit of pursuading they were sewn into place.

 And to save time the edges were cut with pinking shears and then zig-zag stitched. We thought that as the cushion wasn't going to be worn like a top the inside didn't have to be finished perfectly!

The little grey cushion is one that we had bought from the shop where the fabric came from called Hand made interiors. You can find it on Cheshire Street off Brick Lane in London. 

We were really pleased with how they turned out...although our sofa looks purple not grey in this photo!

New pin and the 1st of May

We can't believe that it is the 1st of May today! So we gave ourselves a little treat of this super cute broach! It is made by the artist Anna Wiscombe and you can see more of her work here.

Making lavender bags

At the end of the summer last year I harvested lavender from the couple of plants that I have in the garden. It was something that Grace taught me to do. She used to have the most beautiful garden where she had planted for scent as well as colour. 

I didn't think that I would have a lot of lavender from two little plants. But once I had dried them, tied up in a paper bag, I was surprised at how much I had. 

I love keeping tiny scraps of fabric that inspire me. I wish that I had the patience to make a quilt, but I know that it isn't for me. What I love to do is a bit of hand sewing as I find it very therapeutic. So with scraps in hand I made some lavender bags for our draws, which I hope will keep the moths away this year. And failing that, they smell so delicious, at least I will feel relaxed if we have another moth invasion! 

A night in Cornwall

 

Husband and I were feeling a little blue after returning from our 9 week adventure in India ( more on that another time). So to stop us feeling sad we decided to book a night away in Cornwall. I found a lovely B and B online called The Dwelling House in Fowey.

The Dwelling House was everything that we hoped it would be, shabby chic furniture, with a roll top bath in the room, amazing teas that we had never heard of and a cream tea or cake and coffee on arrival! What more could you dream of? Even the breakfast made us feel very spoilt, with a fruit plate to start followed by scrambled eggs on toast, cappuccinos and a tea menu! Yes a whole 4 sided menu just on tea. I guess this is the perk of staying at a B and B which also doubles as a tea room... And only £80 per night.

 We love Fowey and it was very, very quiet as it is off season at the moment so we felt like we had the whole town to ourselves. We came to see 2 wonderful friends who live near-by and run a magical place called Botelet.

We wandered around town, looked at the water before we met them for dinner and just had to take this chap home. He came from a little shop called White Doll Arts but the owl is made by Robin and Mould, a creative couple!

Husband decided it was just the thing to wear when having a bath! And now we are home he is happily keeping the tea and coffee pot warm.