Coco...may I?

I felt this box of chocolates from Cocomaya just really couldn't go without a mention...I think they are the most beautiful chocolates I've ever seen! The chocolatier and adjoining artisan bakery are located on up-and-coming Connaught Street, a London street known for its luxurious collection of independent shops and restaurants.

The chocolate shop specialises in anything chocolatey; drinks, ice creams and handmade cakes as well as exquisite chocolates like the ones below. They are all handmade, use the finest cocoa beans that meet fair trade standards, and avoid at all cost any artificial colourings or flavourings.

I was lucky enough to get this little box for my birthday...the chocolates are molto costoso so I think it will be a while before I get to sample them again. They were delicious though almost too pretty to eat. There is also a cafe where they do great coffee and delicious (but expensive!) salads and sandwiches, but it's well worth the treat, and you get to have a wonder round the lovely shops afterwards. Super.

Garden of Eden

A very belated post about the wonderful 2010 Chelsea Flower Show. There were some amazing gardens at this year's show. My absolute favourite was the Eden Project 'Places of Change' garden. The biggest ever show garden seen at Chelsea was created by 500 people supported by 43 homelessness agencies and 50 from eight different prisons, who teamed up with gardeners from the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The colourful garden was designed by Paul Stone and I enjoyed it because it was a very 'real' garden that felt like it could be achieved by all, and on a budget. It incorporated flowers and vegetables, and I was especially intrigued by the greenhouse made from recycling plastic drinks bottles. Such a sustainable and cheap alternative to a glass house - I'm saving up my Evian bottles already!

You can read more about it on the Eden Project's blog here.

I also loved L'Occitane's garden designed by James Towillis, who has managed to successfully bottle a piece of Provence. The best bit were the ancient olive trees, which I was told were saved from Northern Italy from certain death and were thought to be dated between 100 and 400 years old. Amazing!

Bee in your bonnet

Up-and-coming new milliner and very good friend of mine Bee Smith has just launched her first collection of hats. Bee has long been known on the craft scene with her unique range of quirky, hand-made accessories and handbags, with a following on folksy and at her market stall at Spitalfields.

Bee has always been inspired by a sustainable approach to design and looks to alternative sources such as recycling garments and overlooked materials with which to create her accessories. Bee has looked to vintage wedding accessories when designing this collection which offers a chic alternative to the feathery fascinators found on the high street!

 

Her hair pieces are delicate and natural and offer a pretty addition to the veil for a bride or a delicious detail to the bridesmaids' outfits. Bee uses recycled parachute silk and vintage veiling where possible in her entirely hand made creations, ensuring a unique finish every time.  

I love her iconic 40's style hats which remind me of my grandmother's wedding outfit. The peach one above and the pink with the veiling below are my favourites.

At the moment Bee's range of hats, which would also be perfect for a day at the races, are available online from her folksy outlet: www.folksy.com/shops/beesmithbridal, from her stall at Spitalfields market on Fridays from 10am - 4.30pm, and I suspect a few more stockists will be popping up shortly! You can see more of Bee's past collections on her website here. 

Bee is also happy to undertake commissions so you can request something special for your big day. You can contact her through her website here.

Horrockses Fashions

floral hanky (peach)

Drawn from the extensive V&A museum archives, The Horrockses Collection available from the online shop is a great little find. These vintage textile designs feature on dainty handkerchiefs, cotton scarves and tote bags.

daisy and rose stripe scarf

Horrockses Fashions, a subsidiary of Horrockses Cottons was launched soon after the end of World War II in 1946 when ready-to-wear sales through department stores became increasingly important, following the 'make do and mend' ethic of wartime Britain.

floral textile notecards

The couture silouette and youthful and modern textile designs of this ready-to-wear collection was incredibly popular with women of different age groups and social backgrounds. Relatively expensive, women would save up for the 'perfect' day dress or an outfit for their honeymoon.

'The Queen' Horrockses fashion mounted print

The V&A collection comprises a range of accessories, prints and garments inspired by the contents of the Horrockses archive. Would make very pretty presents for Summer birthdays!

utility rose tote bag

Daisy Daisy

Lornie large feather curl earrings

My best friend sent me an email to tell me about this jewellery designer as she was convinced I'd love it as much as she does...and I do. Daisy Knights delicate and detailed necklaces, bracelets and rings are feminine but with an edge that keeps them far from sweet.

Sparky gem heart necklace

Central St Martins graduate Daisy was already supplying Paul and Joe with her designs before she graduated, making jewellery by night in her bedroom. Now she continues to work alongside her team in her Cotswold studio to make every piece by hand. She is inspired by the beauty found in nature in the British countryside, the Isle of Wight coastline and by her friends and family, naming each range after its muse. I love this 'gem heart necklace' available in silver, blackened silver and gold with a choice of gem colour...it's my birthday soon, hint hint boyfriend!

Sparky heart rings

Same with these....

Michelle gem stacking rings

These Michelle rings are stunning, and were my friend's favourite too. They are stackable and available in a variety of colours. If I started now I could have ten before I'm 30, that's Christmases and birthdays covered until then. Easy.

slender sea shell wrap ring

The talented young designer won the Bright Young Gem award in 2010 issued by International Jewellery London and has just designed a collection for Astley Clarke under their mentoring programme. Inspired by the seaside, the chunky silver collection is really wearable; "think white blouse, silver shell cuff and designer earrings on a beach in the South of France” says Bec Astley Clarke of the collection. You can keep up to date with Daisy's lovely designs through her blog.

Moominmazing

Moomin bowl Snorkmaiden, yellow

At school I unwittingly earned myself the nickname (I tell myself it was affectionate) of 'Moomin' due to an unfortunate hair cut. Since then I have developed a firm affection for the hippo like troll family, created by Swedish-Fin illustrator Tove Jansson, I have also been more careful with my choice of hairdresser. Time has passed and old wounds have healed, friends now buy me Moomin merchandise as gifts and we have a chuckle - though I honestly still can't see the resemblance, bad haircut or not.  

Moomin mug Moominmamma, red

My favourite of these gifts was a Moomin plate and bowl which I adore. I always wondered where they came from, then recently I stumbled accross the Finnish Design Shop, an amazing online shop featuring a whole host of unique and stylish pieces for the home, including Marimekko and Arabia, who I now know to be the creators of my precious Moomin ceramics. I prefer the fat, white Moomin characters and if I'm honest I find the other characters terrifying.

Moomin bowl Love, pink

Arabia have been creating ceramics and tabelware for over 130 years and are apparently very popular in Finland. I can see why, I have fallen in love with their 'Runo' range of tableware by designer Heini Riitahuhta who was inspired by the different seasons, the designs are entitled: Summer Ray, Autumn Glow, Winter Star and Spring Drop. Lovely.

Runo bowl, Summer Ray

They are reminiscent of 70's enamel saucepans but remain on the right side of kitsch with a charming, naive quality and a graphic edge. I want them!

 

Runo plate, Spring Drop

Runo plate, Winter Star

you say Dovey and I say Dyfi...

Boats Penhelig, Aberdovey by Glyn Davies

Over the lovely Easter bank holiday weekend D and I went to Aberdovey in North Wales, my favourite place in the world. I have been lucky enough to spend all my holidays there from birth surrounded by my cousins, gran and various aunts and uncles in our homely static caravan just footsteps from the sand dunes and a fresh sea breeze. 

Aberdovey Beach by Glyn Davies

My family all share this love affair with 'Dovey, as we were all brought up here! Not one of our homes is free from a watercolour of our favourite views by Claire or Glyn Davies. Claire took over The Gallery in Aberdovey from her father Edward Morris in 1982, a wonderful shop that sells a wide selection of original watercolours and prints by this family of artists.

Evening Light by Glyn Davies

The Gallery also stocks beautiful jewellery, objects for the home and hand thrown and painted ceramics by Gwili pottery, that I was particularly taken with. Sadly my budget didn't stretch to an original this time but I picked up some postcards to brighten up my flat. I've put a couple of my own photos up too which attempt to do justice to the dream-like light on the beach.

The beach looking towards Tywyn and Cemetry Bay

Looking out into Cardigan Bay

1973

 belle and boo first meet by belle and boo

A lovely company called nineteen seventy three who make cards, notebooks, stationary and wrapping paper with a unique designs by a variety of different illustrators including Sanna Annukka. They also sell limited screen edition prints.

 

cowboys and indians by belle and boo

evie's flowers by belle and boo

I love the Belle and Boo range because they very naive, delicate and pretty (and because my mum nicknames me 'Boo'!). I bought some of these notebooks as christmas presents...and ended up keeping them for myself, so naughty. 

deluxe by Sukie

This card from the Sukie range is also lovely.

Clever Clogs

Barcelona

I've had my eye on a pair of Maguba clogs for a while now. The clogs trend has really taken off this season, and every designer seems to jumping on the bandwagon, but these are my favourite because they are handmade in a family owned factory using traditional techniques.

 

Bologna

They are also made with the environment in mind and utilise natural materials such as wood, leather and water based paints, producing shoes that are both comfortable and durable. They are comitted to sustainable production processes and for every pair of clogs sold a donation is made to plant new woodland in an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint.

Visby

What makes Maguba clogs even better is that you can design your own pair! Choosing the style, sole and upper leather colour to create your own perfect pair. I fancy the Barcelona in brown or orange...or gold?!

The hills are alive

On Sunday I am off on holiday; skiing in Switzerland with friends and family. I am very, very excited. In celebration, a simple post containing some beautiful postcards I bought in Zermatt on last year's holiday. Above is a poster for the 'Chemins de Fer' made in 1895 by F.Hugo d'Alesi, from the poster collection at the Zurich Museum of Design. 

This dreamy image of the striking Matterhorn is by Francois Gos, from 1925. It's a lovely illustration, but I sincerely hope there is more snow in Verbier, where we are staying, next week! 

This is more like it. Crisp, white snow and a wonderfully stylised skiier flying through the air, like I will be shortly only slightly less gracefully (I don't do jumps). This poster from 1931 is by Pierre Kramer.

I did'ne ken...but I do now

backpack, courtesy of Julia Crew 

The perfect bike needs a perfect bicycle bag, and I think I may have found one, well a whole collection of them actually. A recent graduate of London College of Fashion's new MA course, entitled Fashion and the Environment, Julia Crew has designed a collection of sustainable man bags entitled 'i-did-nee-ken'.

saddlebag, courtesy of Julia Crew

In this collection she confronts head on some of the environmental issues faced by the fashion industry, concentrating her design process into three main areas: Durable design, responsible sourcing of materials and the encouragement of a sustainable lifestyle. This has resulted in bags made specifically to appeal to cyclists, using the highest quality organic waxed cotton and sustainably sourced leather, that are made to last a lifetime. The collection name 'I-did-nee-ken' stems from a Scottish colloquialism meaning 'I didn't know' and illustrates the commitment to transparency and honesty Crew has shown throughout this project.

small satchel, courtesy of Julia Crew

The best thing about these bags is undoubtedly the design; innovative styles that will appeal to a unisex audience (whether they want to or not) and functional features such as the reflective piping and copious amounts of chunky zip pockets. Julia is working on turning her first collection into a business and I for one am holding my breath until I can buy one. For more information on Julia's collection and her fellow student's solutions to environmental issues within the fashion industry you can see the article I wrote regarding the MA show for Amelia's Magazine here.

Hello Princess

The Raleigh Apple with it's shiny red frame and bicycle box, was my pride and joy. It was the perfect bicycle - when I was six. It must be these sweet childhood memories that caused my heart to flutter when I saw the Pashley Princess for the first time. The classic hand-built frame, the front wicker basket, the antique brown Brooks saddle. Even the name is perfect.

For Spring 2010 Pashley have released The Brittania, a special edition model based on the Princess in fire engine red, white and navy blue, in celebration of the company's heritage as the longest established manufacturer of hand built bikes in Britain. This lovely red number is, dare I say it, even better than the Raleigh of my memories.

The navy is my colour of choice - the perfect accessory to my current wardrobe and just asking for some new 40's style tea dresses to accompany it on bike rides in the country...a girl can dream.