best kept secret...winterwell

....the biggest little festival!!

'mano de dios' I LOVE... & nothing to do with Diego Maradonna!

Winterwell kicks off today, in a field somewhere in the Cotsworlds... I can't tell you where, because I wont know until I arrive ! WHAT FUN even if I am there working...

This is the 3rd year of Winterwell - the 'biggest'' little' festival & it is fast becoming the most whispered-about secret in the festival calendar & the ultimate jewel in the crown...

I stumbled upon Winterwell when trying to find out where Mano de Dios were playing this summer. Cue - a vibrant upbeat mix of Spanish Rumba and Gypsy swing. INCREDIBLE!

The band spearheaded by the divine Jackson Scott formed two years with their friendship and style evolving through their shared passions for the rhythms, romantiscim & songs which make up their sound today.

More info on Mano de Dios via

More info on Winterwell via ...& the latest news is there are a few day tickets being released for tomorrow & Sunday too!

shoot for the stars....shabd simon-alexander

I LOVE ...

summer storm leggings $120 usd

- Made in the United States. Hand dyed in New York

- Cotton/spandex jersey (95% cotton / 5% elastane)

shabd simon-alexander leading the way in hand & tie dying

big bang bag $150 usd

- 100% hand woven cotton from Mexico

- 16 x 19" with rope handles and interior pocket at top

- Fully lined in ivory 60% polysester/40% cotton

aurora tights $130 usd

- 75% cotton, 20% supplex, 5% nylon

crystalline silk scarf $140 usd

- 44 x 44" or 22 x 90" @ $165 usd

- Unisex silk scarf with hand rolled edges

Designer and artist Shabd Simon-Alexander has created a limited edition collection of hand dyed clothes, inspired by Hubble telescope photos of worlds being born and stars dying.

Her simple feminine shapes with attention to fabric combinations and compositions bring design, chance and chaos into a perfect balance.

I predict that this is only the start & there will be more and more interest in tie & hand dying in the coming seasons... so be sure to be ahead of the rest and shop NOW!

Sadly Shabd's collection only feature in a handful of US boutiques at the moment BUT you can get hold of these amazing creations via

www.shabdismyname.com

friends....are what life is all about

friends are for chatting and sharing life's trials & tribulations

friends are for hanging out with

friends are for there for each other

friends accept you just as you are no matter how crazy and ridiculous we sometimes are!

& your friends are your friends no matter why, how, when, and where!

Today's blog is dedicated to each & everyone of my friends... xxxx

Sophia 203 couture accessories...

silk & metal flower brooch $15 usd via

Sophia modeling her full bloom necklace

Sophia at work - big love!

head bands

Elle (Japan) this month!

Whilst in Jaipur last month I had the pleasure to meet a friend of a friend (aren't friends great!) - Sophia Edstrand.

Swedish born Sophia lives and works in Jaipur as creative assistant of the reputed jewelry designer Marie-Hélène de Taillac. Additionally, more recently Sophia has started created her own couture accessories Sophia 203, a range of jewelry, belts and hairpieces - which are fabulous and are already creating a stir in the fashion world. This month Sophia 203 features in Japanese Elle.

Sophia's uses a rare technique of embroidery and weaving, mostly used for the traditionnal wedding jewelry in Rajasthan, India. Her inspiration, as well as the name, comes from her surroundings and travels, her passion for colors and everything that glimmers

It is Sophia's Birthday today, so Happy Birthday Sophia!

For more information on where to source Sophia 203 please email sophia.203@hotmail.com

mix and not necessarily match...

wooden panelling finished in a stunning blue, with a mixture of fold up chairs and floral prints.

Not the faint hearted!! a different floral wallpaper for every room of the house. In fact the first room has at least 3 x diff. wallpaper designs!!!

Orange/yellow velour sofa, turquoise touches, pinks & stripes... potentially my idea of hell BUT this works really quite well.. To pull this off white walls and neutral floor colouring a MUST!

This is my favorite image - probably because of the Indian influence. A mixture of block printed and patterned fabrics created a warm and cherry space.

Today is all about trying new things and in the process not thinking too much about it...These images show you how mixing various styles- colours, textures, vintage with new etc etc creates great spaces..

I've tried to conjure up a sense of cheeriness too!

There is nothing sober about any of these rooms...and best of all it doesn't matter if it is pouring with rain or blowing a gale outside because being holed up in any of these rooms would keep you smiling!!

All images re blogged from Maison Bo heme.

peacock inspired mirrors & chairs.....

via Wisteria - $2399 usd

via Pier 1 - $249 usd

via

via

Something old, something new...it seems anyone in the 'know' is keen to track down peacock inspired furnishings.

With so much hype about the stunning peacock/honeycomb mirrors isn't it time to bring back the gracious peacock chair?!

The chairs, made famous in the 70's by Al Green and strangely, Morticia Addams of The Addams Family - everyone had one back in the day.

I have always thought they are beautiful, their form so delicate and elegant and with the right fabric redux, it could be quite a cozy place to sit on a summer's night cocooned.

This said, getting ones hands on a pair or even one may require a bit of imagination... Think garage sales, even ebay..but it will be well worth the hunt and I imagine there are still some wicker manufacturers who produce them, but your will have to search!

Thankfully the mirrors are less difficult to source. The 2 x mirror featured above are available from:

i) Wisteria - handmade German silver . $2399 usd

ii) Pier 1 - $249 usd

images re-blogged from milk & honey and rickshaw design

shooting stars.....

emma bridgewater ceramics...

my current favourite pattern - Tins start @ 6 uk sterling

a selection of Emma Bridgewater patterns

The UK company Emma Bridgewater is celebrating it's 25 th Anniversary and to celebrate this, has produced a special edition range of ceramic tableware. The theme 'spots'.

My current favourite though is the flowers range - I love the colours and in particular the patterns of the cake and storage tin set.

Everything is available through the Emma Bridgewater website.

The initial idea for the company came when Emma grew tired of trying to find a birthday present for her Mother. She wished to buy her Mother a cup and saucer but didn't like anything that she saw in the shops...so she made her own. The rest, so they say is history... In little time she had designed four shapes and with the help of a model-maker in Stoke-on-Trent Emma Bridgewater was born. Together with her husband who designs as well they have grown their company far further than they expected, expanding the business to include home textiles and stationary.

camp in style....

The 2010 'Belle' tent from Yurtel

a view from Camp Kerala at Glastonbury!!

interior of the Kerala tent

an 'uber cool' airstream - available to hire

romany gypsy caravan - available to hire

Listening to the rain falling outside signals only one thing - the arrival of the Great British summer!

For those of you planning to attend a festival and who haven't quite worked out the camping arrangements, here are some images to get you inspired!

gypsetting...

The Mignot Sisters in Sayulita Mexico - ultimate gypsetters!

Jade Jagger - gypsetter

‘Gypsetting’ “an approach to life that fuses the wild and unconventional ethos of a gypsy with the sophistication and speed of the jet set. It’s a lifestyle that crosses high and low - a surfer who is also a fashion designer, an artist who traded the go-go New York City art world for Bali’s low key tropical shores, a jewelry designer who would rather work out of a town in Mexico than in the uber-chic Saint-Germain-des-Pres.”

First coined by by Julia Chaplin in her book ‘Gypset Style’ (Assouline, 2009) it is a term regularly read about in glossy magazines and it is somewhat of a buzz word.

I must admit, I'd never heard of gypsetting until the other day and well, just perhaps..... I have found my calling life!

FIONA : someone who is essentially a bohemian nomad, albeit one with luxurious taste. FREEDOM!!!

Gypsetting is about thriving on the search for new living paradigms.

In the book, Chaplin tells of the Mignot family and their trans-continental/trans-oceanic adventures. In all of these stories, it’s about creating reality and populating it with scenery and characters that are glamorous by way of their boldness, individuality and artfulness.

The book is full of stunning images and makes a wonderful coffee table book.

The reality check of course, is that you need stacks of $$ to live the gypset lifestyle. The other thing that would bother me about gypsetting would be the inevitable implosion of hangers on, which in the end would destroy it.

How about an 'eco friendly' form of gypsetting - but alas in our quest to reduce carbon footprints we would end up staying put which would signal the end of 'setting' of any description!!!

Gypset Style $45 from Amazon

tiles, tiles, tiles....

Tiles by Popham Designs whose range of tiles bridge quite wonderfully the classic and contemporary worlds.

I adore this Morocco influenced image with the concrete tiled floors taken from the inspiring and highly delectable book Morocco Style by Christine Reiter

tiles, tiles, tiles - so many great variations!

Rather outrageous don't you think! Wall to floor tiling - definitely a statement maker if you can live with it! These tiles are by Popham Design.

Bright and vibrant tiles create a dramatic walkway as featured in Australia Vogue Living March/April 2008 issue in their article on Casa Mollino which was the home of Carlo Mollino, the great Italian architect and designer..

"Everything is permissible as long as it is fantastic" Carlo Mollino

quote....

Today definitely feels like a day when I need to keep the following close to hand... I didn't see that bus coming umphhh oh well! onwards n upwards TOO RIGHT!

bag it...

I am loving this bag and even better it is the perfect size - not too big, not too small.

Featured in one of the weekend papers it is a collaboration between Livia, the actor Colin Firth's wife (yes, yes his wife is talented too!) & Made exclusively for Whistles, Eco Age and of course Made too!

Made an ethical brand have a whole host of beautiful things for sale and this bag is no exception.

Made quote..."Livia’s tireless championing for ethical and eco fashion made her the perfect choice to design the inaugural Made leather bag."

The bags are available NOW from Whistles and Eco Age and from mid-june at www.made.com.uk

Bag your's now.....150 uk sterling