. lOcal lOve . blUe dOor bakEry .

the last day of mAy . a mixture of showers & very grey skies . but when you are sitting with a cupcake topped with sprinkles the day does seem a lot brighter . 

my cupcake . with sprinkles . is courtesy of a trip out yesterday afternoon to the lovely blUe dOor bakEry . the lovely girls who run the bakery studio have just moved to some very cute new premises at tardebigge court in bromsgrove . after spotting that they were holding an open day it seemed silly not to take the opportunity to pop along . & with the offer of tea & cake . well . i couldn't say no !

originally started by sarah . blUe dOor bAkery are now . dani . caroline . & . laura . individually they all have their own cake businesses . collectively they came together to share their love of cake & their skills & expertise by running classes on everything you need to know about cake decorating . 

the new stUdio is small but perfectly formed . a perfect size for the six students that are in each class . a small enough number to ensure that there is plenty of opportunity to ask questions & make the most of the learning experience . there are classes for those just starting out in cake decorating . & . others for those who want to learn more specific skills & techniques . from cupcakes to big cakes all the classes are taught by the lovely cUpcake gUru's themselves or invited guest tutors .

the cUpcake gUru's themselves are so lovely & friendly . & . { judging by their instagram } . { & I'm sure they won't mind me saying this } . they don't take themselves too seriously . i can imagine that the classes are full of fun & giggles . 

. blUe dOor bakEry .

so thankyOu to dani . caroline & laura for letting me take lots of photo's . & . for the lOvely cupcake too . 

&

i hope you're all impressed with the huge amount of willpower it's taken for me to keep the cupcake until today so i can write this post on a slight sugar high & covered with sprinkles .

. have a sweet & sprinkle filled day .

. hEllo sUmmer .

although i am slightly doubtful that this years sUmmer will full of beautiful sunny days . i think we've been lucky that for the past couple of years we've had beautiful sUmmer's . yet with mAy drawing to a close i am sitting writing this post snuggled into my cosy cardigan . & . watching the rain pouring down outside . wondering do i really really want to face going outside today ?

but on the bright side . i can see a glimmer of blue sky on the horizon . & i'm pushing those doubts to one side & feeling hopeful that there may be brighter . warmer . sunnier . days ahead . 

& on that note . here's a bit of brightness for your desktops for jUne .

. your jUne calendar to download .

. jUne 2015 .

. have a sunny day .

. inspired . #2 .

after posting the photo's of the spring'15 aquascutum jUnior collection last week i took a little trip down memory lane . looking back over my initial colour & inspiration boards for this collection . remembering the trip to paris to source new fabrics for the range . & . that whole selection process that leads up to the designing of the range .

perhaps it may have made more sense to share these with you before the lOokbOok images . but then again i think they can be appreciated for what they are . something separate & distinct from the finished range . 

. inspiration . colour . designing .

. have an inspired day .

. aquascutum junior . a day out at the zoo .

it's a strange job the job i do . as a designer you design & develop a range . & . then you move on to the next range to design & develop . & . then the next . & . then you remember that range that you worked on all those months ago . & . you go & look for it . & you almost hold your breath as you don't know quite how it will have turned out . who knows what might have happened to it in the multitude of processes it goes through after it leaves your hands . you never ever quite know . 

i'm happy { & relieved ! } to say that the aquascutum junior range for spring'15 looks lovely . i'm going to pretend i haven't noticed that a few of my favourites don't seem to have quite made it into the range . nope . haven't noticed . but i am loving the look book photography . 

the shoot took place at lOndon zOo & i think the shoot is a perfect blend of showing off the iconic aquascutum classics that we included in the range, like the trench coats & the club checks, but mixing in a younger, cooler look with the styling & location .

. Aquascutum jUnior . Ss15 cOllection .

. photography . Adrian Green .

. Alex&Alexa . ChildrenSalon . ChildsplayClothing . HouseOfFraser . Terraces .

sadly this was the last collection i worked on for aquascutum . although i'm sure that the wonderful design team i worked with in hOng kOng have developed an equally lovely collection for Winter'16 . & . i look forward to seeing the lookbook for next season too .

for now i will leave you with a look at the behind the scenes footage from the shoot . 

. behind the scenes . sS15 jUnior shoot .

. have a happy day .

. selvedge . spring fair . stroud .

i'm sitting writing this with nervous anticipation of attending my first ' creative meetup ' tomorrow . as someone who works from home it's easy to miss the buzz of being around likeminded creative people . you miss that opportunity to bounce ideas off others . you miss that feeling of shared inspiration . of sharing new finds with others . & . discovering new things through others . i'm hoping that tomorrow will bring a little of that back to me . 

in a way this blog allows me to do this . but sometimes it can feel like a one sided conversation . not that it's not nice to be able to chatter on & on to you all after spending the day in the peace & quiet of my little creative space . so let me share with you some lovely new finds that i spotted at the selvedge spring fair at the weekend . 

i went to my first selvedge fair last year . the winter fair was held at the usual venue of the lovely Chelsea Town Hall & was a delight of design, haberdashery, textiles, & lovely inspiration . disappointment at not being able to make it down to the spring fair in april soon turned into delight when the fair became a travelling one with stop overs in bath & in stroud . which just so happens to be not a million miles from me .

slightly smaller than in london it was still busy & with some familiar faces . & . others not so . it was a lovely break away from my desk . 

i don't think i will ever get tired of looking at the beautiful handcrafted works of others . the time, the attention to detail, the creativity & the love that goes into each piece of work never fails to amaze me . so here are a few of my favourites . 

. sophie tilley .

. the sweetest wooden dolls dressed in dresses that you'll be coveting for yourself .

. in the cutest dolls house that you'll be wanting to live in yourself .

. with beautiful stationery & she is currently working on a series of books .

. charlotte macey .

. i've long been a bit of a fan of charlotte's beautiful work .

. the simplicity & quality of line & subtle colour palette she uses is just lovely .

. was so incredibly tempted by these gorgeous linen cushions .

. minus sun .

. fashion . embroidery . jewellery . all made by a girl who hates the sun . Yuka Maeda .

. beautifully intricate & darkly fascinating .

. if you have the time take a look at her equally fascinating website . 

. gentlework .

. handmade & hand stitched from vintage finds . 

. her work has a wonderful wistful & whimsical quality about it . 

. almost like discovering & delving through a victorian ladies sewing box . 

i'm already counting down the days until the next fair . 4th & 5th december . pop the date in your diaries now .

. have a happy & creative day .

. wAlnut . dAte & peAr . bAnana breAd .

i lOve fruit . but . banana's wouldn't be my first choice . or my second . in fact they come pretty far down the list . but they do have their uses . last year's hUge trend of making a healthier ice cream for example . & . they are great for smoothies . & . then, of course, there is banana bread . 

i think every healthy food blogger & writer has their own interpretation of banana bread . my first foray into this healthier treat was this lOvely recipe from bbc gOod fOod, aptly titled healthy banana bread . & to be fair this recipe did me well . i've adapted it . added to it . tried it with berries . tried it with apples . & a fair few other variations as well . 

then i ventured through a few more recipes via pinterest . before settling for a while on the Hemsley and Hemsley sister's recipe . 

but then i got itchy feet again . which i blame in part to a wonderful breakfast i had at sAssafras cAnteen whilst in brisbane . a huge plate of walnut & date toast with ricotta, hazelnuts & honey . it was sO good . & i wondered if i could somehow recreate it in banana bread form . or something similar . well however it was going to turn out there's something lovely about the combination of walnuts & dates & wholegrains & i couldn't resist adding sliced pear to the top as well . 

am i alone in buying banana's simply to let them ripen to the point of spoiling just so that i can make banana bread ?

& now i'll leave you as i pop off to cut myself a slice of this . to top with ricotta & honey & hazelnuts . it might not be quite that breakfast from sAssafras but it's a not far off .

. have a happy day .

. eAt . yOur . vEggies .

or mind your pEas & all those other veg . 

i thought it was only fair to give the veggies a chance after the citrusy post of the other day . just a quick reminder that tomorrow is #FoodRevolutionDay with jAmie olivEr . there are some great recipes to try on the FoodRevolution site . i have my eye on homemade granola for breakfast . salmon & parsley fishcakes for lunch . & . these gorgeous looking baked veggie balls for dinner . 

&

possibly squeezing in a little slice of this Epic chocolate & bEet cake in between ?

& speaking of beetroot . back to those veggies . a little veggie inspiration to wear . some to hang on the wall . something to chop & blend & bake & serve up to your littleOnes to entice them to eat more veggies in an interesting way . & . maybe even get them interested in growing their own . it's the perfect time of year to start a little veggie patch & the perfect way to start teaching them about those 5Aday . 

 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 .

 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 .

. 11 . 12 . 13 . 14 . 15 . 16 .

i lOve the sweet & savoury gUmmy sweets from mOdern pArent mEssy kId . i might even tempted to try those for myself ! & those fab looking smoothies from sUper hEalthy kIds . who had sO many great ideas . again not just for littleOnes . 

i found so many more ideas that i would love to have featured . so gO & see lots more on my pinterest board { eat . your . veggies } .

oh . & you might want to take a look at this too . Ed Sheeran wrote a song for jAmie's #FoodRevolutionDay . so far it has just a few likes on fAcebook . well 203 odd thousand ones anyway . take a look & then if you haven't already please go & sign it . & . share it . 

. have a happy & healthy day .