Today I Love.... Letters

My love of typography is well documented in this blog, but it's been a while since I've visited the topic.  Today has been a bit crazy and I needed the reassurance of some solid lettering!  I've put together a little collection to bring some happiness on this lovely Wednesday evening...

Slightly off topic (but only slightly), I came across this little dress made from recycled envelopes and thought it was the cutest bit of fancy I've seen in ages...

Historic House Parts, Farm4.static, Brown Button, Make Mine Eclectic, Craphound

So Transparent!

While on the hunt for a good looking fireplace for a house I'm designing at the moment, I stumbled across this incredible house photographed by Magnus Persson.  While there is no way I can incorporate something as phenomenal as the glass box fireplace below, it got me thinking about how to tackle things differently.  When you boil this design down, the genius lies in it's simplicity.  Also, check out the cantilevered glass staircase... each descent would be an act of bravery but it looks amazing!

Purplearea

Life....

I'm going through one of those ridiculously busy patches where life threatens to swallow you whole.  I've had no time to look at pretty pictures, no time to chat to my friends and no time to remember to be me.  BUT it's Saturday (finally) and I want to be like the girl in this photo, sailing through the air, free as a bird and wearing a frilly swimming cap!  I promise to post more lovely stuff soon but right now, I'm off to spend the day with my besties, drink tea and hopefully find a pool to wallow in (shame I don't own a swimming cap as pretty as this one!).  Have a FANTASTIC weekend everyone :)

Beautiful Wedding Flowers

I went to a wedding on the weekend that had the most stunning flowers I think I've ever seen (and I've been to a wedding or two in my time!).  My gorgeous friend Pip was married on the sunshine coast, and was blessed with the most beautiful day.  I just loved the monochromatic colour scheme combined with the antique silver urns - absolutely divine!  I wish I'd taken more pics but I got a little teary and lost focus x

Ceiling Love on a Sunday

I have such a weakness for beautiful ceilings.  To me, they are the epitome of attention to detail and the element that reveals just how meticulously an interior has been planned.  Ceiling treatments are never an afterthought, they need to be planned from conception and are often an added expense that many feel is too extravagant.  But just look at what a difference a stunning ceiling can make to a room.......

Patricia Gray

India... A Happy Pattern Retrospective

It is easy when traveling in India to get a bit blaze over their almost obsessive use of pattern. You see it everywhere and after a while even the most enthusiastic of design junkies becomes a little immune to the sheer beauty that is displayed on almost every available surface.  Flicking through my photos earlier I was overcome with how incredible they are - perhaps it is only upon reflection that one can really appreciate the wonder of a culture that has held the decorative arts in such high esteem for centuries.

Photos taken by me  in Udaipur, India

Today I Love..... A Little Union Jack Action

There are so many aspects of this London house that I covet... the white floorboards, the sanded skirtings, the mouldings, the mix of well worn traditional with emblematic masculinity, the chandeliers and above all... the scale!  What I wouldn't do for that ceiling height - to me, it's the most crucial element of the home, creating the perfect, impressive backdrop for everything else shine.

Shootfactory

Travel Trinkets

Seeing as though I spent nearly all my money just getting to India, I didn't have much left over for shop shop (much to the disappointment and disbelief of nearly every shopkeeper I met)... Thankfully I'm discerning by nature so I was happy to come away with only a few, small yet perfectly formed reminders of my trip.  Here are my finds (which I love!):

Worry dolls purchased from the Anjuna Markets in Goa - a little Tibetan perhaps but their crazy, manic expressions appealed to me as I stood in 38 degree heat bargaining my heart out.

Cow bell - I found this (with ribbon already attached) in a little shop in Baga.  I like to think it was once around the neck of a lovely, docile holy cow rather than a boring old ox.

Somehow (by sheer good luck) I stumbled across the wholesale manufacturer of Hermes scarves in Jodhpur... to say I was a little excited by this discovery is an understatement of grand proportions!  For an hour and a half I died and went to heaven.

Bangles - the tiny little bangle shops (that are really just a hole in the wall) are like an Aladdin's cave of beauty.  They are lined with boxes and boxes of glass bangles in every conceivable colour imaginable.  The hardest part is choosing which to buy.

I unearthed this camel bone inlaid box in the same shop that I found the cow bell - it feels incredibly cool and smooth to touch and is the perfect size for precious jewels.

The Blue Room

I fell in love with this room, which is inside the city palace in Udaipur.  I took literally hundreds of photos of Indian design while I was there, but this room remains one of my favourites.  I'm sure it has a lot to do with the colour scheme but I also adore the intricacy of the designs and the fact that it looks like something straight out of a fairytale.

Happy Girl Friday

Things I'm Thankful For:

1. Wonderful, amazing and beautiful friends 

2. A family who love me even though they don't get me (at all!)

3. A job that allows me to draw for an entire day without stopping

4. My huge tea cup that holds nearly 500ml

5. My MacBook - we are practically joined at the hip

6. Yoga buddies

7. That today is FRIDAY!!!!

Sleep in, sleep well, sleep now

Images to Love

Today I have been feeling a little down and out... a combination of jet lag, back at work blues and the onset of a cold... so in order to cheer myself up, I have collected a few little images to brighten my day (the baby blue sideboard and giant letters are working their magic already!).

Vintage