My Favourite Decor Books

Friday 30 November 2012

Calm

Quiet moments leading up to Christmas.  Whites and pale pinks.  Unhindered, unstructured and calm.




















(all images Pinterest)



Ann Ward Sures - 'Midday in my Yard'


Enjoy the weekend
Sharon
xx

Saturday 24 November 2012

Pure indulgence

Hello and welcome to new followers!

Saturday, it's drizzling and I'm in a cosy bedroom with a huge faux fur draped across the bed!  My husband has already left to take my son to paintball....an early start at 6.30 this morning.

I really love dark walls, they add another dimension to your interior, and they make a room feel much more intimate and cosy, but what about when it's summer, when we automatically gravitate towards lighter and brighter colours? 

The trick is to combine it with brighter, lighter accessories, and of course window treatments like fitted blinds and drapes.

Pier Wright




Jon Redmond


Paul W Ruiz



Victoria Hagan








 



NYCLQ




bijouandbohemeblogspot.com



smallshopstudio.com


Chanel


I am in need of some fresh air and exercise so setting off for a long walk.  Hope you have a great weekend!


Sharon
xxx


Sunday 18 November 2012

Sunday musings...

This weekend I went to see Swan Lake performed by the Russian State Ballet and Opera House.  It was beautiful!  Such elegance, poise and stamina. Surrounded by glamour of the young and the grace of the mature in a beautiful old Edwardian theatre it was lovely to see people still dressing up for the ballet.   A pleasant diversion in this fast paced world we find ourselves in.  

  Not that I am reluctant to embrace technology, au contraire, I love browing the web for new finds, and have become quite a couch shopper from the comfort of my armchair.





I've found some online buys I really love, gifts to give to loved ones and some to keep.


Some of my favourite online stores this time of year:

Nom Living


Lacquer trays

Cinnamon boxes which apparently smell of cinnamon - divine!






Christmas Decorations




Angelatmytable


Embossed bird candles












Anthropologie













Do you buy online, or do you prefer the thrill of the touch and the rush of shoppers?
I like a bit of both.  I love Christmas time shopping and browsing store windows which have been decorated for Christmas.  I love the energy of shopping in London and the Christmas lights.



Sharon
xxx





Wednesday 14 November 2012

A tiny giveaway...just because

Hi everyone, and thank you all for your lovely comments on my previous posts (sometimes I forget to mention that!)

I mentioned before that I'm getting ready for Christmas and I've been busy crafting some of them and I've had such fun I thought I would share it with you!



I've been making clay hearts which I thought would look lovely hung on a few branches or twigs in a vase either for Christmas or Easter or just because they look so pretty!  They are extremely easy to make.  You need a slab of no bake clay, some detailed lace and a rolling pin!  

Roll out the clay to about 0.5cm thick depending on how thick you want your heart to be.  Lay the lace over the cloth and roll over with a rolling pin fairly firmly so that you can see the lace is embedded in the clay.  Gently remove the lace.  I did try and use cling film under the lace to prevent the lace from getting full of clay, but it didn't work  and my lace tablecloth is no worse for the wear anyway and didn't get clogged up with clay.

Now use your heart cookie cutters to cut out the hearts.  Smooth down the rough edges around the heart with a damp finger and make a small hole in the top using a knitting needle or a skewer.  Leave on a tray to dry preferably somewhere warm.  I left mine in an airing cupboard overnight!









To give an antique look to the hearts I used a used teabag and gently pressed down on the dry clay, on the sides and back of the heart.







The blue hearts I used acrylic paint watered down to give a very pale look













The purple hearts were on request from my daughter's friend.




Some of them I've left white, which are my personal favourites!  You'll notice some of them have a different design...I couldn't think what to use which would give me a pretty effect and then I remembered one of my glass plates on a stand has a patterned bottom which is ideal for this, so I turned the plate upside down and rolled and pressed the clay onto the underside of the plate, carefully removed it and then cut out the hearts








































So two lucky (!!!) people will receive these little hearts - a set of three!

You can choose which colour you prefer, antique, white or blue.


If you would like a set, please sign up to FOLLOW ME and leave a comment below.
If you already follow me just leave a comment and I'll do a random pick next Wednesday!


So....are they cute....do you like???


Until next time
Sharon
xxx




Friday 9 November 2012

Singing the blues

Hi everyone and thanks for popping by.

I predicted earlier this year that turquoise would be a BIG colour this year, it's being featured in fabrics, decor items and even furniture. But colours like fashion trends, come and go, so investing in smaller less expensive items are the way to go if you just want to perk up a room with a few new items.

The easiest way to change any interior is to bring in a new colour and you can do this by adding cushions, decor items, a feature wall, covering a chair with a new fabric and if you really want to splash out, a new sofa!

So this post is all about bringing turquoise into the home in fabrics, furnishings, vases and bookends etc





Beautiful plates from anthropologie.eu 




Nom Living have a beautiful selection of lacquer trays which I am coveting right now! here











































Jonathan Adler Pinterest









I'm absolutely smitten with these labrador book ends!





















(all images from Lonnymag, Rue magazine, Pinterest and my own)


Have a good weekend!
Sharon
xxx