In my eternal search for wallpaper with an edge…I just discovered this amazing illustrator and her beautiful blog. Flowers that rock and roll. LOVE.

Oh and I haven”t done this in a while so … it’s for olives, oregano, oleanders, oranges, orchids, onion flowers, ochre, oval mirrors, ox-eye daisies, openess. Oscar, oars, oberon (Merle), oysters, Orson Welles, obsessions, optimism, oh yes I wills, etoilles, otters, odorantes, obituaries ( in the telegraph please), objets, oeufs en gelee, oscar meyer, otis, opals, oeuvres, oldies (golden), being out to sea and over heels and, Oliver.

What with one thing and another tea and coffee cups have featured a lot this month from meetings out east over tisanes to window displays and boat bricolage.

To running around in old bangers and cutting hundreds of life size paper ones for a window stuffed with brollies followed by a favourite tea and tights shop.

To sourcing heaps o vintage china for a winter wonderland project….a cup and saucer, oodles of lace, an old beaten chair and a christmas posie anyone?

To going offbeat and finding new bloguers…and collecting antique shoes and french fabric flowers over cups of tea. Earl grey and brown sugar please.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eSEWKhbfCU&feature=related]

Loving this song more than tea.

xxx

Tune for a tuesday…. Mon petit poisson is for you. xx

Of a pale predictable song title, polaroids, petals, plans and plumbing.

With the lure of a French barn to do up in Normandy and nuptials occurring in the surrounding orchard there’s been a heck of lot to think about not least Gypsy Rose plans, but surrounded by healthy piles of Interior magz I’m spoilt with inspiration for both. Far off chalky white froufroulala dreams but good ones…

After the onslaught of autumn leaves, a winter palette beckon for both flowers and buildings. This is why I’m getting carried away with the idea of converting half the upstairs barn in to a dreamy bathroom with views of apple trees where I’ll eat sleep, soak and read. This, this is the room to escape to…

Somewhere to make a posey, hang a hat, place my horse and sprinkle my bits and bobs.

Home.

xxx

Sometimes I’m lost for words, even about flowers, but not very often.

Tarting up the boat…hmmm have we had enough of the keep calm crew?

Mixing fake with real – vintage china flowers and silk hydrangeas…do they work?

Jury’s still out xxx

Today I…

Found an old bus conductors machine.
Boxed up some herbs in vintage boxes.
Saved a mouse, but don’t tell the O.
Worked on a wedding pitch…pretty!
Squealed in horror at pink cellophane.
Bought pretend homemade lasagne…tsk.

xxx

There’s a touch of scarlet fever on the boat today as we got the go ahead for something really exciting which I’ll be posting soon, proof that sometimes things are worth hanging on for and spurred on by Sofia Coppola – why not a bit of red?

Some of my favourite pictures taken by my friend Inness that sadly never made it on to the Gypsy Rose site but enjoy the rest here.

xxx

Yes it is. Even when I’m pulling out rose thorns I can hear the jingle of Jazz.

So I beebopped a bit when I got a long email from the amazingly cool Bob Dorough this week. Any man who includes a ‘hee hee’ by mail has my heart, let alone Mr D.

Saying hi and talking hippy communes in San Francisco with strict instructions to carry on the love for boats, blossom, music et chacun. We will, we will I promise.

Making my search for Gypsy wallpaper seem rather well…super lameo (in an I played with Miles Davis and you well never… piano kind of way).

Swooneroonie, here’s to the promise of tea on the boat next time you’re here.

And a top tune for a tuesday.

xxx

A skirt for a sunday – Back down in sunny surrey we’re escaping London for the weekend with a splash of inspiration from a flower friend. xxx

Apart from floral nosegays and tussies the victorians, bless them, really did love a bit of fancy dress pet action, and what’s so wrong with a cat in a ruffle?

I’ve been collecting old postcards for a while now and they look pretty gorgeous with my vintagy posies and bits and bobs.

Plus my heart really pitter patters when I read the polite scrawls on the back. “Ernestly Yours Ethel.” A declaration of love?

These newly acquired Christmas ones really tickle my turnip… handpainted, I’ve bought loads for cripper and gosh I really wish we still made this sort of shizzle.

Sharing a love for cats and upside down Union Jacks my lovely boat neighbour sent me this.

Fun for a friday.

xxx