Interior Inspiration

Truly, I am a fan of neutrals, but a splash of colour is often what's required to turn bleak house into habitat modern! However, I'm not likely to be satisfied by a trip to Ikea, despite a phenomenal and cheaply priced range of prints and faux oil paintings… I prefer the unique and original! I was therefore very pleased to discover KathPanton on Etsy. Presently Kath has 5 original mixed media pieces but every one could quite easily be accommodated. Kath's shop has been marked for future reference ;-) pop over now and take a look!

Mind out Mindy!

This is a shop I can't wait to see more of! Currently there are only 5 items at mindysandstudio but I like the look of them all! Her flowing, whimsical lines along with alluring rainbow colours combined with a graphical approach are extraordinarily appealing to my designer's eye: every box has been checked! You too can see her designs by clicking HERE. I'll be keeping an eye out for ceramics too!

Jamie to the rescue!

Why is it that no sooner have my kids eaten breakfast that they are asking about the content of the next two meals? They sometimes truly freak me… I can't even remember what's in the store cupboard, let alone dream up a culinary spectacular for their lunch boxes!

Their daily dose of the BBC2 series of "Master Chef" is also working against me! I now receive a score for my kitchen endeavours, with a full critique and an exclamation of whether I shall or shall not "go through to the next round!" (I tell them that dessert is the next round, so, generally, I succeed!)

To my delight, once I'd packed the girls off to school and made myself comfy with a coffee at my work station, I came across the Jamie Oliver website. It's probably the cleanest set of pages of its type, navigation is simple and the recipe list isn't likely to do your head mischief before you've scrolled the soup and salad section!

What's more, like a blog you can comment on recipes you've tried… Great! I love the idea of telling Jamie what I think!

The red cabbage that's been lurking at the bottom of the fridge for weeks shall, tonight, be transformed into this:



must-try red cabbage braised with apple, bacon and balsamic vinegar.

I MUST try!

fluid designs from AftonRiver

I just received an Etsy email and couldn't help but click the link to AftonRiver's shop. These simple and stylish designs are right up my street: plain colours, minimal but effective embellishment which transforms plain into exotic. Not only that, but the prices are modest too – something we all need to consider at this time. I'm looking forward to my first purchase from this store.

Earrings for non-pierced ears

It seems a while since I was last here, but phew! Life has been rather hectic since the New Year.

Anyway, today I filed my tax return and immediately felt the winter blues fade and positive jewellery thoughts take their place!

I've been after some pretty clip-on earrings for a while, and before the festive season made an extensive search of Etsy… but to no avail!

Without much ado I set about making some to suit my requirements… and then thought I really ought to make extra pairs for those, like me, without pierced ears. Actually I do have pierced ears but year of wearing cheap jewellery has taken its toll and now I'm limited to screw backs and clip-ons!

Here's a couple of samples of my wares: