Hey! It's been a few weeks - the silly season is upon us. As usual, this is a visual, rather than lyrical blog! I want to talk and show you Christmas decorating. I had a change of heart on the tree front this year and decided to do away with the great big tree and have a mini forest of different sized ones - some slim, some tiny. As I love to inject a sense of humour, there was never going to be a classy, understated approach and as you'll see, kitsch, bling and oversize rules! If you don't approve, I hope you, at least think the scenes are cheery.

Have a good one!xxxx



At this time of year I love the look of the rooftops. It sounds a bit crazy but as a child I always imagined seeing Father Christmas flash across the chimney stacks, pulled by Rudolph and the gang. I think that's where it comes from! There's a splash of blue sky around right now - no rain and even the deciduous trees look majestic across the skyline.



The sea is quite close here and looks so frothy and whipped, like a huge capuccino topping. It's not all about summer, is it?
ttfnxxx



 Don't you think fresh flowers are just the most beautiful and luxurious thing you can receive? They are so short lived, I find I just want to preserve them and appreciate them as long as possible. I have received lots of flowers from good friends and family lately and I want to thank them all and what can be a better form of preservation than appearing in cyber space!. Thanks guys and love you! xxx

Well I'm back. All better now and looking forward to posting some new and inspirational stuff! As a keen artist, I've been busy painting canvases over the last couple of weeks.

I find myself very influenced by my surroundings and objects and things that feature in my day to day life, just as much as natural phenomenae and romantic scenery. It may still be surprising though, to find out that I'm hugely inspired by the Apple products. The styling is very sleek and beautiful and the I phone in particular, is made up of shapes and colours that appeal to me and make me want to put acrylic to canvas!

Although I say these things influence and inspire me, I am essentially a pattern and patchwork maker - whether working with paint, textiles, ceramics, whatever the medium. Hope these add a bit of cheer to the dull weather. xx

Well I think the time for action has finally arrived! I did talk some time ago, about my need to stand up and be counted. I am about to go into hospital for a short stay and whilst recovering at home, I will be reorganising and streamlining my website, to reveal a reconditioned, revamped and generally slicker platform for my products.

I will be doing this with the help and expertise of some fellow designers and good friends. Watch this space!! Don't desert us- it will be worth it. xxx

Here we are again! Today I want to focus on fashion as we head towards the winter season and start to think about cosiness and wrapping up.  Today is a beautiful autumnal day, so let's get on with it. There's an awful lot of choice out there on the high street right now, not to mention what's available online. So what do you think about vintage, you know, good old fashioned second hand? I've been a big fan since I was about 17 and in the sixth form, when you could suddenly lose the school uniform and start to express yourself. In the 1980's you could pick up the most amazing pieces, from 1940's utility suits that looked a million dolllars, to winkle picker shoes in fabulous condition.

The suit above is a 1980's Warehouse piece and as we've all noticed, the tailored jacket and pencil skirt are back to being hot property with a vengeance! This required a little courage to wear back in the day and would require even more now, but if I had the right occasion, I'd still give it a go!

This suit above is by a company called Washouse Modes and is from the 1990's . It's noticeably less decadant in terms of material than the 1980's suit and suitably pared down in terms of colour and shoulder pad!! Like any quality piece, it has stood the test of time and could be worn now as easily as it was worn nearly 20 years ago.

So now we have something really special! I bought this suit from a charity shop and it's vintage 1940's. It comes from a time of 'make do and mend', a wartime ethos, where utilising fabric that may not have necessarily been considered appropriate was quite commonplace. I did wear this suit during the 1990's and it was unspeakably stylish and beautifully tailored. It's amazing what you can pick up and even more amazing to see how 'what goes around comes around'!! Enjoy your thrift shop foraging.xx