. lOve . statiOnery .

this post was originally planned for yesterday . which would have made far more sense as yesterday was wOrld statiOnery dAy ! but things got in the way . by things i mean i spent far too much time on pinterest . & . browsing statiOnery loveliness on papermash & a beautiful mess . which begs the question . is it possible to have too much stationery in your life ?

which is a rhetorical question . obviously . 

as the answer is nO . obviously .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 .

. lOve . statiOnery .

so if you happened to miss out on wOrld statiOnery dAy fear not as it's also natiOnal statiOnery wEek . which means another 4 days of statiOnery lOve . take a look over here . and . pOp out & pick yourself up a cute notebook to celebrate today being #nOtebookdAy !

. have a happy day .

. april showers . bring . may flowers .

that is what they say . 

i hope that is true . but i fear in my garden it may just be weeds that continue to grow . i have managed to mow the lawn . but only the front lawn . & . only the once . i have not yet dared to venture further than the back door for fear of what i will find lurking in the greenhouse . this is not good . 

seeds are waiting to be sown . tomato plants are waiting to be potted . early potatoes to be planted .

but for now i find myself looking back to hAlloween & christmAs . the strange life of a designer !

lets hope the garden will wait a little while longer . 

in the meantime i will leave you with some drawn flowers & seeds . & . mAy's calendar for you to download . & . as always . to use & abuse as you wish . 

. mAy 2015 .

for now i'll go back to pumpkins & robins & snowmen .

. have a happy day .

. anzAc biscUits . for . anzAc dAy .

i have a confession . despite my best intentions to eat my way around brisbane & sydney . it seems that i managed to overlook the anzAc biscuit . a complete oversight on my part . but . easily remedied with a little home baking this week . 

the anzAc biscuit is a biscuit traditionally made with oats, desiccated coconut & golden syrup . & . they were made by the wives of soldiers serving in WorldWarI . who sent them out to their loved ones serving abroad . today marks anzAc dAy . australia & new zealand's national day of remembrance for those who served & those who lost their lives fighting . & . in particular memory of the Gallipoli campaign . i think it's easy to forget that those wars were fought the World over by those in every part of the globe & all of us have everyone of those soldiers to thank for the lives we lead today . 

but . back to those anzAc biscuits . there are so many recipes out there . some hold true to the origins of the biscuit . including this recipe from Donna Hay . who also has this amazing recipe for an anzAc carAmel slice . but as i'm trying to be a little bit healthier i was looking for a recipe that make me feel a little less guilt ridden when i ate it ! i was tempted by this gluten free recipe from Teresa Cutter aka The Healthy chef . & . also this one over at Delicious Everyday . but in the end returned to a recipe i'd spotted in ' love, bake, nourish ' which included dried blueberries . 

. however . not having any dried blueberries i've adapted it slightly & added dried cranberries instead . a twist on a twist on a twist ?

so . however you are spending today . & . where ever you are in the world today . take a moment . over tea & biscuits if you can . & . remember those who battled for us all those years ago .

. have a peaceful day .

. colour lOve . leOn .

yesterday a new blog post from a friend popped up on facebook . joanne is a very talented photographer who i first knew in her former life as a children's wear buyer . as talented as she was at that, & lots of fun to work with, & i hope she won't mind me saying this, but photography suits her so much more . she has been working as a professional photographer since 2007, photographing weddings & families . creating imagery for businesses . alongside her own fine art photography . 

last year jo spent several months out in central america, volunteering with Raleigh International as their expedition photographer . based in Costa Rica & Nicaragua, she also spent a few days in the very beautiful town of Leon . & . it's the images she captured here that caught my eye on facebook yesterday . far too lovely to be confined to only jo's blog, she's very kindly let me share them here . 

enjoy . 

. all images . joanne withers photography .

all these lovely images are available to buy on her SmugMugGallery . 

&

she has a beautiful photo book on blurb full on images of Nicaragua .

&

she is very generously donating the profits from the photo's & the book back to Raleigh International to help to continue to support the amazing work they do overseas . 

. have a beautiful bright & sunny day .

. cocktails, caravans And cake .

today the post-holiday blues have caught up with me . i'm missing the sunshine . i'm missing the beaches . i'm missing australia ! it's been an odd kind of day today . not really warm . not really sunny . not really anything . and it feels a bit of a shame to end the weekend on a bit of a low . especially as yesterday was so different . warm . sunny . & . so much fun . yesterday i really didn't miss australia at all . 

so why was yesterday so much fun i hear you ask . well quite simply because yesterday was all about the cocktails & cake . oh, & spotting some lovely local creative people over at the Spring Market .

the seasonal markets started last year . set up by The Bournville Waffle Co. who wanted to recreate the vibe you get at festivals but in the centre of birmingham . a lovely mixture of artists . vintage wares . & food stalls it seems to be growing with each market that takes place . add into the mix the Routemaster Bus Bar & the Cocktail Caravan, not to mention a gorgeous sunny day, & you have a lovely day out . there was a great buzz around the place, not to mention some amazing foodie smells from the likes of smoqued . the original patty men . & . pietanic . & . cakes to make you drool from cake doctor . bake . & . peel & stone .

there were also artists & designers . lovely individual pieces from very talented people .

. spring market . the bOnd . fazeley street . digbeth .

. the cocktail caravan . & . the routemaster bus bar .

. deborah ballinger .

. rolling roses .

. tuckshop flowers .

. bake .

. the best saturday night takeaway . ever . from the cake doctor .

so looking back at such a wonderful way to spend an afternoon maybe it's only right that today should be a little quieter . with a little less cake . 

and looking on the very bright side there are only 82 days to go until the Summer Market !  

. have a sweet day .

. australia . kids . dOwnUnder . at hOme .

it's fridAy . yAy . i've got a lovely day planned . working on a new range for spring16 . so i thought i'd get this blog post written & posted a bit earlier than i usually do . 

as promised i have so much more to share from australia . the lovely thing about cOcoon was the bringing together of brands for more than just a child's wardrobe . beautiful hand made toys . gifts . & lovely, lovely homeware . so i wanted to share with you a few of my favourites . 

. lOve mAe .

working from a little studio nestled in the hills of the beautiful Byron Bay .

designing vintage inspired wall decals, wallpapers, & dinner sets .

hoping to inspire young imaginations, encourage creativity & to lift your spirits .

. inCy interiOrs .

a family run business based in oberOn . 

beautifully designed, quirky cots, beds & so much more . 

with gorgeously styled room settings to inspire you further .

. mE and ambEr .

karen and amber are two best friends working together .

hand making a whole range of products . 

including these lovely artworks screen printed onto plywood . 

{ i so wanted to buy one of these ! }

. have a very fabulous friday .