just a minute x

just a minute, invented by jeneaveve at august street.......click here if you want to play too x

making.....a mess in my hotel room in hong kong, should be packing to go home

drinking.....a very large glass of white wine

watching.....sport (which i hate, but seems to fill every channel of the tv in the hotel)

reading.....the scandal of the season, murder, mystery & intrigue in 17th century london

listening.....to my ipod, oasis has just started

wishing.....for a magic fairy who would come & do my packing for me

missing.....home, friends and family xx

peonies & polaroids x

one of my favourite blogs is peonies and polaroids, and she opened a shop on etsy last week....go along and have a look, they are some of the most beautiful photos, so whimsical and emotive....x

she glances at the photo, and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes

frank deford

quote used on peoniesandpolaroids etsy shop

xx

shopping list saturday.....blossom x

this morning's shopping list is inspired by the title of my blog...all today's selections have the feel of spring days & springtime

i live very near the cotswolds and there are many fruit farms around that area, so in the spring you can follow the blossom trail, which is so pretty......x

1. cherryblossom pillow by nurserylove 2. crib shoes by whimbrella 3. felt headband by louandlee 4. bird in blossom tee by orangerhinokids

1. cherry blossom print by ketzelphotography (cheating a little, because I do actually own one of these!) 2. cherry blossom by amberalexander 3. perhaps by stilettoheights 4. friends in spring by kwaimooi

1. cherry blossom ring by lulucoco 2. cherryblossom broach by bubbletime 3. love birds tag set by brandywine 4. cherry blossom charm bracelet by beadscraftz

the saturday shopping list was started by fancy picnic so hop on over there to take a look at everybody elses lists.

hope your saturday is off to a enjoyable start & hope you've got lovely plans for sunday....x

addicted to blogging x

65%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

olive rue posted about this today.....it's a test to show how addicted you are to blogging! try it here & let me know how you do?

blue monday.....x

1. gardening, by MissK.B 2. eggs, by MissK.B, 3. church, by MoaMaria

4. kickin, by MissK.B 5. blueberries, by MissK.B 6. monday blues, by MissK.B

7. white anemones, by MoaMaria 8. photo, by unravelling [susannah] 9. blue, by *cinnamon

hope your week is off to a peaceful & hopeful start......x

hong kong colour.....x

one of the things i love most about hong kong is the colour of the city.....on the one hand you have the brash, lit up high rises around the harbour, with neon lights & light shows. then on the other hand you have the softer palette of the older buildings, all softened by the slight smog that seems to permanently sit over hong kong

i've mixed some of my photos of buildings around kowloon & lai chi kok, with fashion images that complement....x

1. photo by polly wreford 2. photo styled by emma freemantle

1. photo styled by emma freemantle 2. photo styled by emma freemantle

1. photo styled by emma freemantle 2. photo by emma freemantle

1. photo styled by emma freemantle 2. photo by emma freemantle

we paid a quick visit to sham shui po yesterday morning, but it was only fleeting so i didn't have chance to take any pictures.....sham shui po is streets & streets full of trim shops, button shops, and fabric shops.....mecca for those who love fashion, textiles, crafting etc....on my last visit before christmas i bought the most beautiful feathers with the intention of doing something wonderful with them.....as soon as do that something wonderful i'll post the results here....promise to post more on the fabric market later in the week

enjoy what is left of the weekend....x

shopping list saturday.....x

hello & welcome to my first saturday shopping list.......high tea is something of a tradition here in hong kong, and if i've got time on a sunday i love going along to the Penninsula for high tea in the lobby, it's just so ladylike & special.....

....so today's shopping list is inspired by "teatime"

rose tea by sophieisobeldesigns.....sophie was the first to follow my blog, and i love her broaches & artwork....x

pearls & teaparties by curiousnomad.....this lovely print uses one of sophie's broaches....x

tea cosy with vintage buttons by lullabiesandlace....how cute is this....x

enchanted teatime by afancifultwist....beautiful collage piece....x

pretty in pink teaparty necklace by polkadotpancake....i love this it is so cute....x

teatime necklace by theprincessbowtique....would look lovely worn with the pink teaparty necklace....x

and finally

alice in wonderland charm bracelet by rosecreekcottage....i adore charm bracelets....x

the saturday shopping list was started by fancy picnic so hop on over there to take a look at everybody elses lists.

enjoy the rest of saturday & hope you've got lovely plans for sunday....x

arrived!.....x

1. Hong Kong, Asia's World City, 2. Hong Kong, 3. The "Star" Ferry to Hong Kong, 4. Lock Road, Kowloon

arrived in hong kong at lunchtime, afternoon spent at the office, very little photo opportunities, so cheated and pinched some great pics from flickr, tiredness now catching up

goodnight x

my bags are packed.....x

vintage suitcases , by suzanneduda

i'm off again.....this time to hong kong. it's probably worth me mentioning this is a work trip, as was La - unfortunately i'm not a fabulously wealthy woman who just takes off around the world as & when the mood takes her.....mores the pity!

i'm lucky enough to have visited hong kong many times over the past 5 years.....it's such a fab place, with a strange sense of the familiar, having many british traits as a knock back from being a colony, but also being completely alien, with a language that i will never make any sense of, no matter how many times i visit.

i've never really taken the time to take photos of hong kong, but as i now have this blog i have my camera at the ready and am going to make more of an effort to get out & about so i can show the many different facets of hong kong.

hope your week is going well...will return on friday from the other side of the world
take care x

plumo spring collection x

i was going to keep the french theme going with my posts this week, until I had an email from plumo with a preview of their spring collection......so nice to open an email shouting about something new, instead of how everything in the sale is now reduced by 99%!

some of my favourite things

things to wear......

more things to wear......

for my house.....how cute is the cotton reel holder

happy spring shopping x

the ten things I love most about Paris are.....x

in no particular order......x

1. the eiffel tower

......I don't think I have ever been to Paris & not clamoured for a glimpse of "la tour eiffel"

(autumn and the eiffel tower, toshio)

2. musee d'orsay

......I vividly remember my first visit here as a first year art student, thinking it was one of the most wonderful places on earth, and being mesmerised by the Degas pastels of the ballet students

3. the vintage markets at Porte de Clignancourt

......absolute heaven!

4. angelina's on the rue de rivoli

......their hot chocolate is the most decadent you will ever taste, and as you queue for a table you can gawp at the wonderful selection of cakes & pastries

5. galeries lafayette

......possibly one of the most glamorous department stores I've ever been to

6. the beautiful vintage carousels

......seen in so many of the parks and around the tourist attractions

7. Chanel, 31 rue Cambon

......the look of this building sums up all that is synomous with Chanel; classic, understated, simply elegant & unmistakably expensive

8. montmartre & the Moulin rouge

......I love the whole feel of this area, the views it gives you of the rest of Paris, wondering around the square watching the artists at work, and then seeing the moulin rouge, and feeling strangely surreal, as if in some ways this shouldn't actually exist, except in the fabulous imagination of film makers?

(moulin rouge, MoMaBi)

9. paris opera

......inspired Gaston Laroux's Phantom of the Opera
(place de l'Opera, brooklyn museum)

and finally 10. parisians

......so chic, so unapologetic, just so......

bon nuit x

28millimetres project x

enjoying a relaxing sunday, and came across an article on the french artist jr in the Sunday times....he never reveals his full name because it "would add nothing". in his teens, he "tagged" as a graffiti artist, but only started taking photographs when he found a camera on the Paris Metro as a 17-year old. he is now, in his own words, a hybrid "photograffeur", who pastes enormous black-and-white photographic canvases in various urban environments. one of his latest projects was in Kiberia, in Kenya, where he pasted portraits of locals onto train carraiges and onto roofs of their houses.....

"the more you go to places like Kibera, the more you realise that the people don't understand you. food is their first need. they don't do art just for the love of art. it has to make sense. by making their roofs rainproof, what we did made sense. they loved it" jr

I think these photos are so beautiful, and seeing them in context of the landscape in which they were taken is amazing.....there is such a strong sense of power & purpose in them.....

kenya: women project

work in progress in Rio favela of Providencia

Rio favela of Providencia

on a slightly different note, there was also an article on blogging, listing the first half of 100 best blogs. have to admit that I don't follow (or have even looked at?) any of those listed so far, but i might now be tempted to have a peek at the following......

tmz the ultimate in "snarky" (sarcastic & cheeky) celeb gossip

thelipster the "hobnobs" of hip style blogs - you can't stop munching!

orwelldiaries george orwell's diary entries are reproduced here

chine photos of daily life in china

venicedailyphoto photos of daily life in venice

not many from a list of 50, but more hopeful on next weeks list which covers art, the home, theatre & pop....

enjoy your sunday x

can't buy me love....x

well actually you can..........x

lovely things.............

1. pretty willow heart.....cox&cox

2. white love sign....an angel at my table

3. gold love sign....an angel at my table

4. love heart....photo by eva lindh for lantliv magazine

lovely books.............

1. wuthering heights....emily bronte

2. enduring love....ian mcewan

3. love letters lost....babbette hines

4. the french lieutenant's woman....john fowles

lovely flowers...........

1. hyacinths....

2. tulips....

3. orchids....

4. azalea....

love.....x

(kissing you sung by Des'ree)

for stony limits cannot hold love out
and what love can do that dares love attempt
william shakespeare, romeo & juliet (1595)

he loves me....he loves me not....x (photo by ifangelsflywhycanti on flickr)

(top left: sandra r, top right: peace & love, bottom left: grace faoro, bottom right: beth armsheimer all on flickr)

love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud...
it is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs...
love does not delight in the evil but rejoices in the truth...
it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres....x
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

happy valentines day to all......x

J'adore Paris....x

stumbled across Rhonda Mum blogspot this afternoon.......she is hosting a "love of all things french" event on the 16th & 17th of this month, inviting everyone to post and share their pictures & memories of france.........watch this space x

lamplight....x

I sometimes wonder if I have slight tendancies towards pyromania, such is my love of tealights & candles?

"she would rather light a candle than curse the darkness, and her glow has warmed the world..."
Adlai Stevenson, writing about Eleanor Roosevelt, in the New York Times, 8th november 1962
source: Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

my LA story.......part 2 x

anthropologie was just so beautiful.....the LA store at the Grove shopping mall is a lot bigger than the stores I've been to in New York, and it's the kind of shop I can wander around for hours (and yes, I think we did!)

the windows were beautiful with flying papier machie birds and lovely garden benches, pots and things that made me wish Spring were a little bit nearer so I can start planting pots & making my garden look much more presentable than it does.....

I could easily have bought twice as much as I did, but here's a few things I just couldn't resist.....

so pretty......vintage style espresso cups...x

pretty & glittery.....lovely guest soaps...x

a really lovely mercurised tealight lamp...x

also bought some lovely books, notebooks and a gorgeous door handle which is going to look great on my living room door.

must now go and light my beautiful lamp......x

snow.....x

best way to enjoy snow......tucked up on sofa with a good book & a large cup of hot chocolate..x

my LA story.......part 1 x

arrived back from LA this afternoon.......what an amazing place! the sun shone all week, which is a wonderful pick me up in itself, but the people there were just so friendly...

will write more about the trip and all the wonderful things I saw, and bought, later in the week, but wanted to share these lovely pics from the hotel we stayed in......The Standard Downtown...

the restaurant had a modern contemporary diner feel, was decorated in lovely yellow buttercup tones.....I love the picture above showing the sun shining through the daisy embroidered curtains. the bar shelves were so pretty as they had doily lace trims edging each shelf, with really sweet vintage lamps...

now back in the uk with snow on it's way! will write more tomorrow.......by the way, for all those in the Uk, anthropologie is opening it's first store here at the end of the year, on regent street....x