Paper Bags etc

I am having real trouble believing that all these gorgeous items are actually paper. From storage bags to

plant containers for inside and

outside to

candleshades the fit over wine glasses

even paper braces to fix to 

these fabulously simple aprons and to top it all they do

BLING! All by Italian company - Le Sorelle

Floating Vases

I love a clever idea and this one is no exeption. A vase to place in water and looks like a ripple - pure genius by OOD Design in Japan

Oh I Just Love This - The Clip Bag

Oh someone give this guy a break. Peter Bristol has designed this quirky and clever Clip Bag and is looking for a manufacturing/distribution partner.
Made from felt and aluminium tubing it looks so much like the binder clip it is based upon and I would think either sex would be happy to use it. Fingers crossed Peter.

Putting a Candle In Anything

If you stop and think about it if something has a hole in it then you can put a candle in it. Love these ideas by Seventy Seven Society using vintage kitchenwares.

i gigi In Hove

I am only doing one post today because I visited i gigi's website and found so many amazing images I got carried away. i gigi has 2 stores in Hove, West Sussex and even have a cafe. If my son still lived in Eastbourne I would be there in a flash. Just browse my images then visit their website for more screen licking goodness.

If You Are In London Go Here - You Would Be Mad Not To

My friend and co- collaborator Kathy Dalwood is holding an exhibition at Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing until 9th June 2013.

Not only is the Manor stunningly beautiful but so is the Secret Society Banquet Kathy has put together.

She never ceases to amaze me whenever I see what she creates from plaster. This time she has excelled herself and I for one didn't think that possible as she in my mind already had.

No less than 64 plaster busts have been created and they are attending a Secret Society Banquet. Like the busts everything in the banquet is in plaster.

I have been lucky enough to spend time in her studio and I can tell you what she creates does NOT involve a simple process, her attention to detail is unbelievable.

I am trying my utmost to get myself down to London to see this banquet in the flesh, so to speak and will report back on it when I do but I thought I would do a post about it now so those of you that are in London can go, visit and give your eyes a treat.
Visit Kathy's blog to see even more.

My French 1stdibs

dibs

noun plural an entitlement to something dibs on the front seat!>

Synonyms call, dibs, pretense (or pretence), pretension, 

Related Words birthright, prerogative, title; favor, privilege; refusal

French Daybed

Why did I have to be born with the desire to change things? I buy forlorn furniture from France and bring it back to life in a new and different way, giving it some 21st century chic. However on my buying trips to the brocantes of France I have to chain my cash down to stop myself from buying pieces that need no work on them. They are always the pieces that show their history in charming and unexpected ways.

French Oak Staircase

Here are some French pieces I found over at 1stdibs the No1 spot for finding amazing antiques from all over the world. Click on the captions to take a much closer look.

Napolean III Daybed

French Louis 16C Pierglass

Pair of French Wine Barrel Stools

Wrought Iron Garden Fauteuils

19C French Gilt Wood Vitrine

Hermes Leather Blanket

Zinc Cabin Trunk by Louis Vuitton

Grey Interiors - Pointing You In The Right Direction

There is an unbelievable amount of magazine articles and blog posts around at the moment extoling the virtues of decorating in White, Black or Grey. All a bit monochrome methinks but used in the right light it can be stunning, LIGHT being the operative word. Scandinavian design tends to lean towards this palette but the light in that country is NOT like the light here.
I will not rant on anymore I will just advise you to visit the wonderful blog of Kate Watson-Smyth, Mad About The House.

Today she is using her inner compass to advise on what shade of grey to use in your home by considering which direction your room faces. Bloody genius I say. I love her humour which never fails to make me laugh out loud. This makes her posts all the more interesting. She reckons that grey is so on-trend at the moment that she even bought a grey kitten recently.

Oh and just to prove I know her advice to be sound, this is my West facing kitchen which is, surprise surprise Grey.