ted baker blooms x

{ted baker ~ spring&summer12}

a little bit of window shopping today led to the discovery of these beautiful pieces from the latest ted baker collection ~ lovely photographic florals gracing 50's style dresses & the cutest clutch ~ so very very lovely.....

for now

xx

sunday x

{photos by me}

my sunday

making paper garlands, making paper origami hearts, staying out of the rain, making a comforting rice pudding, catching up on some reading

&

sharing some lovely links from lovely places

~ how to make dollar bill origami hearts ~

~ some very pretty pins ~

&

~ some more very pretty pins ~

~ yummy looking roasted strawberry muffins ~

~ spring blossom giving hope that summer's on it's way ~

~ some wonderful shots of london ~

&

finally

~ inspiration for spring cleaning ~

enjoy the rest of the weekend

for now

xx

mt magic x

{all images from mt masking tape}

i've noticed a thread in my posts this week, which seem to have been japan related, so today seemed the perfect day to share something i've had bookmarked to share for a while....the amazing images from the mt expo which took place in tokyo last year.  i first spotted this over at *paper social*, who shared lovely images from another fab blog *hello sandwich*.

i've had a bit of a washi tape obsession ever since my first visit to tokyo a few years ago & have jars of lovely tapes sitting in front of me at the moment ~ although stocks are running a little low at the moment...eeeek! ~ the expo looked so much fun & i can't imagine how much money i'd have spent if i'd been there.

did you know that mt have their own channel on youtube?  well they do & amongst lots of lovely crafty ideas they have a great time lapse video showing the covering of the mini in the top pics....take a look *here* & lots more videos *here*

for now

xx

masao yamamoto x

{masao yamamoto via NYTimes}

beautiful photography from japanese photographer masao yamamoto

so atmospheric & almost haunting

for now

xx

softly, by the sea x

{etsy}

"so fine was the morning except for a streak of wind here and there that the sea and sky looked all one fabric, as if sails were stuck high up in the sky, or the clouds had dropped down into the sea"

{virginia woolf ~ to the lighthouse}

a treasury of lovely things for a sometimes sunny sunday

for now

xx

the best brunches in paris x

{my little paris}

i think that i must keep my subscription to *my little paris* simply to torment myself with all the things i could do in paris if i visited more/lived there....but if you are planning a trip in the near future it's a great resource for restaurants, bars, new shop openings & general things to do that you probably wouldn't stumble across yourself.....

being a complete breakfast addict, I loved yesterday's email....*the best brunches in paris*, sharing sixteen venues for brunch, from the *trendy brunch* & the *brunch at the market* to the more exotic *lost in bombay*....but my favourite has to be the *bookworm heaven* set in an old library ~ sounds truly heavenly

off to book the Eurostar...

for now

xx

a little gift x

{all photos by me}

a little while ago i made rocky road for the girls at work which seemed to be a big hit {girls & chocolate ~ you can't really go wrong can you?}, so when one of the lovely assistants decided to wing her way to pastures new this seemed a fitting *good luck* present ~ oh, and the fact that none too subtle hints were dropped when i'd seen her the week before....

the recipe is a version of one from the lovely people at Hummingbird Bakery with a few additions & omissions...

*rocky road*

take around 5 or 6 medium size bars of chocolate

{i always use a mixture of milk & dark chocolate}

melt

&

add the following

1 packet of maltesers

1 packet of biscuits

{i love malted milk but choose your favourite & crush them roughly}

a couple of handfuls of raisins

{you can now count this as 1 of your 5-a-day....honest}

3 or 4 handfuls of marshmallows

{chop them in quarters}

& lastly

5 or 6 mars bars

{this might seem a lot but the original recipe called for 8!}

mix

&

mix

pour onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof

or

muffin tins lined with cake liners for individual portions

&

scatter with some mini marshmallows & chocolate sprinkles

chill until set

eat & enjoy

xx

the rocky road made it's way in a pretty tin & i couldn't resist adding some washi tape flags & a pretty tag, oh, and of course lots of pink ribbon......yum, this post has made me peckish....

for now

xx

inspiration x

{top:  stylizimo;  next:  pinterest;  next:  the pursuit aesthetic;  &last:  dolly pearl inspiration}

torie jayne wrote a lovely post last week about inspiration walls & i wanted to dig out some of my favourite images to share.  at work i always had lots of lovely images & inspiration around me, sometimes to the despair of neater colleagues {ho hum....}, but as yet i've not put anything in my new work space....which needs to change, especially as this week i've been feeling less than inspired & a little lethargic ~ something which the damp, wet weather is not helping with ~ so my aim, & promise, is to post some pics of my inspiration wall by saturday....

for now

xx

sunday x

{photos by me}

my sunday

nursing a teeny tiny hangover {giggles & gossip & an amazing apple crumble cocktail}, indulging in a sausage sandwich for breakfast, counting lots of loose change, wondering how you end up with lots of random coins from lots of random countries, trying to remember if i really agreed to a girly camping trip {refer to hangover!}, looking up glamping accessories for said camping trip

& sharing some lovely links from lovely places

~ table styling for spring parties ~

~ a gorgeously elegant shabby chic home ~

~ a cute animation *flower dreams* ~

~ the lovely Ss12 collection from orla kiely via eat drink chic ~

~ gone fishing fashion ~

~ a chocolate cake that ensures you get 1 of your 5-a-day ~

&

lastly

~ a beautifully simple post with a lovely quote ~

*what if i slept a little more and forgot about all this nonsense*

{franz kafka ~ the metamorphosis}

enjoy the rest of the weekend

for now

xx

lyla&blu & a return to titanic x

{all images from lyla&blu}

a trip to see titanic in all it's 3D glory is planned for this afternoon & by good fortune a new tumblr find that i wanted to share with you all has some beautiful images that evoke the spirit of the film.  please take some time to take a look at lyla & blu.....a beautiful collection of images that encourage you to lose a good few hours browsing through, with a little bit of pinning along the way i'm sure

i have mixed feelings about this 3D version of titanic....i have to admit that i've not yet seen any films in 3D & am not quite sure what to expect & if this technology can really improve the viewing of what essentially is a love story....will let you know my thoughts tomorrow

for now

xx

the little paris kitchen x

{top:  via fallen from flavour;  next:  via pretty+pretty;  next&next:  the little paris kitchen;  & last:  via sanctuary}

i have discovered a wonderful new cooking star that i had to share with you all....rachel khoo & her little paris kitchen, which really is a very very little paris kitchen ~ i always thought i was slightly hard done by in the kitchen stakes & very proud of what i managed to achieve in my not so many square foot, but hats off to rachel, who for a while was serving up meals for paying customers in her teeny tiny paris flat & now hosts her own show & manages to whip up her food, wonderful twists on french classics that leave you drooling & rushing to the kitchen to start cooking....

....the book that accompanies the series looks wonderful....pages & pages of gorgeous photography & images of paris, markets & food ~ what more can you ask for?  you can see a sneak preview *here* & watch snippets of her *here* & *here*....the croque madame muffins from the last clip are on my *to make* list for brunch this weekend

for now

xx

golden x

{top:  ladies&gentlemen;  next:  catbird;  & last:  edisen}

a little bit of gold & sparkle to brighten up your day

&

a gold & glittery pinterest board for a little more sparkle

for now

xx

dancing girl x

{eadweard muybridge ~ dancing girl}

via

{that girl}

did everyone eat too much chocolate yesterday?

google is celebrating eadweard muybridge's 182nd birthday with a cute animated google doodle based on his images of racehorses.  his pioneering work using multiple camera's to capture motion & his zoopraxiscope, his device for projecting motion picture, undoubtably led the way towards early cinematography.  although best known for *the horse in motion* i love this dancing girl, twirling & swirling around....

for now

xx

happy easter x

{happyEaster}

have a lovely easter

for now

xx

saturday x

{photos by me}

my saturday

catching up on blogs, wondering how long the rain will last, buying chocolate eggs,

making chocolate cake, & a little bit of designing for the blogs

new headers, buttons & lovely things to share very soon

&

some lovely easter links from lovely places

~ a reminder of comfort food from childhood ~

~ a wonderfully fun & yummy take on an easter egg ~

~ a far eastern easter ~

&

~ a colour me pretty easter ~

&

~ lots more lovely ideas for easter styling ~

~ an etsy easter hunt treasury ~

&

lastly

~ some egg-shelled goodness & gift ideas ~

have a lovely weekend

for now

xx

easter blooms x

{top & next:  stylizimo;  & last:  inspiration for the home}

i've seen so many lovely ideas for flowers placed in eggshells, & easter week seemed the perfect time to share....would make a beautiful setting for an easter table, or just a lovely easter gift for someone....

for now

xx