beautiful biscotti

Snowed in, I made Christmas biscotti (from a  BBC good food recipe), packed full of spices, nuts and dried fruit. It was the first time I'd tried making them and they worked out perfectly. They'll keep for up to a month in a tin, but I'm quite sure we'll have scoffed them all long before then.

sally nencini

I am totally taken with the work of talented textile designer Sally Nencini and am lusting after these cushions, which you can buy directly from her website or from her etsy shop:

the regency

We finished a big project at work this week and went to the Regency, frankly the best cafe in London, to celebrate with egg, chips and beans:

christmas cards

I thought I'd start December with a round up of my favourite Christmas cards. First up, this from dicky bird (£1.90 each), who I came across at Midcentury.Modern:

I love Ruth Green's work, and you can buy these handprinted cards (£5 for a pack of five) at not on the high street:

These are part of a set from the marvellous gemmabear on etsy:

I did try hard to source all my cards from UK suppliers, but couldn't resist these from Vandalia Street Press in Saint Paul:

and these from Lucky Bee Press in Santa Cruz:

Both will deliver to British shores. 

crafternoon

Spent a very happy afternoon crafting with friends. We made pom poms for my Christmas tree and super cute felted acorns, as seen on i diy:

mini men

These handsome little men were created from my all time favourite winter biscuit recipe (thank you Nigella). They're made with mixed spice and when you bake them the smell is, to me, the epitome of festive warmth.

dirty old river, must you keep rolling...

The Thames by Lambeth Bridge, late afternoon. I love the light of a low winter sun:

advent

I confess… I’m a little crazy about Christmas. It’s the perfect combination of all the things I love best: baking, eating much too much, home décor, gift wrap, cards and spending time with family and friends. However, I try hard to restrict my festive celebrations(and blog entries) to the month of December.

I will, however, make a brief exception for this beautiful advent calendar from Nouveau Designs in New York, because if I don’t order it now it will be too late!

tea for two

The boy went away for the weekend, so my friend Dominic kindly kept me company on a visit to the Blackbird Bakery in Crystal Palace. We gluttonously munched our way through apple cake, mince pies and carrot muffins, all washed down with a pot of jasmine tea.

Before....

... and after:

guinness

Spotted this great bench in Crystal Palace park, 'In memory of Guinness - an old English sheepdog with attitude':

beret

Lusting after this beautiful beret I've just spotted in Monsoon (£12):

garden gate

Passed this pretty garden gate in Brighton. The work of those clever people at Farrow & Ball, I suspect.

anna fewster

Anna Fewster is a Brighton-based letterpress printer and book artist, who creates delightful paper goods on a vintage Adana Eight-Five platen press. Each piece is unique, produced with careful attention on a small scale and in short runs, under the imprint Lampyridae Press. You can read more about Anna's work and see bespoke commissions on her website, or you can purchase a range of pieces from her etsy shop
 

who ate all the pies?

The boy had the day off work today, and when I came home he'd rustled up this tasty spinach and feta pie (Jamie Oliver of course!):

catherine tough

Spotted these darling knitted lavender hearts by textile designer Catherine Tough in Abode:

i do like to be beside the seaside

This week's posts are dedicated to the delightful day out I had in Brighton, which was spent perusing a host of antiques shops, independent boutiques and cafes. First stop, tea and crumpets for breakfast at i gigi:

upcycled vases

Lately, I've been buying firefly tonics at the Italian deli on my way to work. My favourite is 'sharpen up'. Not only are they delicious and packed full of all sorts of healthy things that your body needs, but they also make amazing little vases.

before...

and after...

midcentury. modern

‘This show could cause design lovers a cardiac arrest’ Grand Designs

This weekend, I'm planning a visit to the Midcentury.Modern show at Dulwich College, an 'unpretentious one stop shop for busy people who appreciate collecting beautiful pieces for their homes'. Visitors can source antique pieces from some of the UK's best dealers and discover new work by contemporary designers. Directions, opening times and tickets are available from the Midcentury.Modern website. 

the isle of purbeck

The boy and I spent the weekend on the South Coast at the wedding of S & E (more on that to follow soon). Along with our friends Mr & Mrs Jones (yes really!), we rented The Cheese House, a tiny two bed cottage nestled in the Dorset countryside:

Complete with wood burning stove for cosy winter's nights:

These pretty farm eggs were left out for us:

The day after the wedding, we headed to the beach at Swanage, where the boy reminisced about his childhood holidays and we amused ourselves on the 2p slots in the arcade, before scoffing fish and chips.

jamie's greek salad

I came home from work and the boy had made me a yummy greek salad (Jamie Oliver's recipe):

brown paper packages, tied up with string...

I adore these illustrated brown paper bags from humunuku's etsy shop:

wedding card

Some exceptionally good friends of mine are getting married this weekend in Dorset. I cannot wait to celebrate with them (and to post some pictures of the festivities for you to enjoy). I made them this card for the occasion. They both love travelling so I incorporated a vintage map, which I got from a second hand bookshop for a mere pound. The card came from the Chelsea College art shop, which is full of crafting delights and is exceptionally good value. If you're ever in Pimlico it's well worth a visit.

woven in wales

Welsh company Melin Tregwynt makes these useful, yet beautiful blankets that would make a lovely gift.

a weekend away

A few weekends ago, I spent a debauched hen weekend at The Residence, a magnificant Georgian townhouse in Bath. The property is available for hire all year round, sleeps up to 15 people and makes the perfect location for getting together a big group of friends. It even has its own cocktail bar, complete with sparkly floor, what more could a girl ask for?

We passed perhaps the most entertaining Saturday afternoon that I've ever had at The Makery, a fantastic creative hub and craft studio that is run by the ever lovely and hugely talented Kate, a friend of the hen.

atelier eva juliet

I am a total Francophile. Check out this adorable print from Atelier Eva Juliet (via Etsy):

 

ben cuevas

This skeleton made from wool by artist Ben Cuevas (via David Thompson's blog) is beyond awesome:

the way to a man's heart

The joy of baking is an utterly wonderful website, crammed full of recipes. These shortbread hearts were a treat for the boy. I didn't have a cutter small enough for the middle sections and did them freehand so they looked a bit rustic, but were nonetheless well received.