chinese new year x

{top: romantic chinatown via etsy; next: kung hei fai choi via flickr; & last: getty images}

i have always wanted to be in china to celebrate chinese new year. it seems such an occasion of celebration & the sense of tradition it brings doesn't seem to have dimmed over the years...

whether you are celebrating or not, lets share the sentiment of wishing peace & happiness to everyone...

for now

xx

my vintage party x

i have found the most wonderful company, not too far from me, that hire out vintage crockery & accessories for teaparties & weddings. am slightly envious & can't believe that i've not thought of that as a business before.....what a wonderful job to have a genuine reason {not that not having a genuine reason has stopped me} for searching out & buying lots of vintage tea sets....

*my vintage party* also has the sweetest vintage caravan available for hire.....her name is lola & she's lucky enough to be furnished in cath kidston.....enjoy..x

{all images from my vintage party}

had a lovely day at home today

bathroom all installed & now just waiting for paint & all the fripperies

photos soon

x

curiouser & curiouser.....x

a wonderful photoshoot for royal copenhagen china taking the theme of the mad hatters tea party

{via hus & hem}

just love the miniature table & chairs in the middle picture

xx

crockery....x

simple white crockery.....numbers.....letters

top left {balancingact via flickr} top right {monogrammedmugs via anthropologie}
bottom {numberteacups via flickr}

happy monday
xx

teaparty....x

saving my pennies for all the wonderful vintage fairs popping up now it's spring
top of the shopping list
vintage floral crockery...the more mismatched, the better

all images country living

xx

still here.....not there x

going the wrong way

by ianton via flickr

a beautiful foggy picture of china which completly sums up my feelings at the moment......i was hoping very much to be home by now, but work commitments mean i should stay an extra week. feel very torn between wanting to be home amongst family & friends and feeling the need to stay to finish a job properly......i hope you are all very well and forgive me for neglecting you a little longer.....i miss not being able to chat every day & am so looking forward to sharing new finds and thoughts on a more regular footing from next week

crossing all fingers & toes

xx

....and blue....x

*untitled *good morning weekend
*something blue *cinquefoil

whenever i feel blue i start to breathing again
l.frank baum writer of *the wizard of oz*

wishing you a lovely tuesday
xx

....and purple....x

*hydrangea *my lovely paper crane
*bunny *untitled

i think it pisses God off when you walk by the colour purple in a field and don't notice it
quote from *the color purple* alice walker

wishing you a perfectly purple monday
xx

....orange....x

*jasmine tea *oranges
*a garden party *cushions

orange is the happiest colour
frank sinatra

have a happy weekend
xx

....and green....x

*green reading *o n e
*light and it's curve *italian teacups

if i keep a green bough in my heart
then the singing bird will come
chinese proverb

wishing you a fabulous friday
xx

sagittarius x

moving to a new place will put a spring in your step. adventurers like you usually benefit from a change of scenery. if you've never owned a home, now is the time to put a deposit on a beautiful piece of property. seek out a home close to a river, pond, or lake. getting a glimpse of water on a daily basis will be good for your psyche. if you're short of cash, approach a male relative for help.
my horoscope for tomorrow.....

do you think that by reading your horoscope the day before there is a stronger chance of it coming true, as you live the day with these thoughts in your head?

i will keep you posted as to whether i do buy a home on the river.....xx

....and pink....x

*vintage supplies *all a dream
*pink roses *pink milinery flowers

this summer she wears her pink kimono
and she will walk under the pink blossoms of the pink sakura
she will carry a pink umbrella
and she will cross the pink bridge of kokoma

pink leaves on her feet
pink fingernails on her pink wooden shoes

in honour of her love
that never bloomed to complete red
she will sit on a pink bench
praying for pink clouds to drift
on the pink skies
poem by ric s bastasa

happy thursday
xx

....and yellow....x

*happymondays *untitled
*yellowblouse&seahorse *yellowinspiration

late last night i heard the screen door slam
and a big yellow taxi carried off my old man
don't it always seem to go
that you don't know what you've got till it's gone
they paved paradise to put up a parking lot

music *big yellow taxi*

happy wednesday
xx

simple pleasures x

a little word from china....
when i am here i realise how much i take for granted, something simple as choosing whatever you want to eat for lunch, a simple cheese & cucumber sandwich, not the most exotic or exciting lunch in the world, but being somewhere where all the bread is sweet tasting, cheese is hard to find, and requests for cucumbers have been met with a blank look, my sandwhich today, is a little peice of luxury.....xx

red....x

*untitled *raspberry macaroons
*l o v e *redloveseat

red is the ultimate cure for sadness
quote from bill blass

happy tuesday
xx

home x

back in hong kong, back to posting.....i did find a sneaky way around the blogger ban in china, so i could see my blog, and post, but not with any of the editing tools, so no pictures, no links to sites, so no fun really!

i have a couple of days back in hong kong before returning to china....but must confess i am missing home a little today....i think this quote sums up my feelings today....

there are no foreign lands
it is the traveler only who is foreign
quote by robert louis stevensen

....so forgive me if today i post some photos of things which remind me of home and friends xx

curling up in my armchair with a great book to read

tea & cupcakes....no explanation required!

dressing up to go out with friends
x

my garden, oh so messy, but i love it
i wonder if the tomato plants have now completely taken over the greenhouse?

are you playing at home or away today
enjoy
xx

leaving on a jet plane x

window by leenah via flickr

all my bags are packed

i'm ready to go

i'm standin here outside your door

i hate to wake you up to say goodbye

but the dawn is breakin

it's early morn

the taxis waitin

he's blowing his horn

already i'm so lonesome

i could die

so kiss me and smile for me

tell me that you'll wait for me

hold me like you'll never let me go

xx

lyrics from *leaving on a jet plane* by john denver

i had completly forgotten that this was used in armegeddon...yes, i know it's cheesy, but it's cute cheesy, and it makes me smile! if you hadn't already guessed i'm on my travels again, and will be in hong kong & china for the next two and a bit weeks. now i know about the blogger ban in china i've come prepared, and will have prepared posts about my favourite blog reads to be published for the days i'm in china

hope you are having a lovely weekend, enjoy what is left of sunday

xx

waiting to go home x

i wish i found china as cute as i find this bag....

china dolls shoulder bag by kittyblossom via flickr

....i don't, not today!


p.s. would really really really like to be back home now xx

banned x

hello.....i'm back in the blogging world, after what feels like forever! i've been in china for the past week at our factory, and blogger is banned there.....yes, you did read that correctly, BANNED! spent several hours googling ways to get around it, but all to no avail.....i still don't really understand the full reason behind it, but it was SO frustrating, and made me realise what an outlet this has become for me, just a way to wind down a little from work, and even if i'm really busy with work, to take half an hour out to share something lovely with you all, is such a lovely thing to do each day....

.....anyway, just to show there's no hard feelings, and to honour what is a beautiful country, even with all it's poverty in a lot of areas, please enjoy this beautiful photo.....

yangshuo, china, photo by tjasa via flickr

back in china tomorrow till sunday, when i fly home, so cheerio till next week xx

storm in a teacup x

i'm now starting to believe in global warming....the weather in the uk is turning more tropical by the day. after an extreme heat wave last week, this week it's warm and muggy, with the most amazing storms, rain bouncing off car bonnets, thunder & lightning.....almost monsoonish!

wanted to share some beautiful ceramics with you today......

firstly lovely blue & white delftware teaset from
wendy mclachlan

flowers & butterflies trail over all pieces from
karin eriksson

and lastly
rosebuds and cherubs from

anna keramik

hope your week is going well.....i should have been in florence tonight but flights into pisa were cancelled due to airport strikes....so instead of a lovely fresh bowl of pasta it's a bacon sandwich, pure comfort food xx