Tuesday 21 September 2010
Recently my lovely sister treated me to a spa break at the beautiful Cowley Manor hotel in the Cotswolds. Amongst the many delights that this entailed, including a blissful and much neeeded pregnancy massage, was the opportunity to try out the divine Green & Spring range of toiletries. Created by the team at Cowley Manor, the range is inspired by the British countryside and uses herbs and flowers native to the British Isles. The packaging is rather beautiful too and I couldn’t leave without snapping up a few fragrant reminders of my stay. Browse the range at www.greenandspring.com.
Tuesday 14 September 2010
The September issue of Woman & Home magazine has a fantastic six page feature all about learning new creative skills (a subject close to our heart!) and we got a special mention as a great place to find out about courses run by talented British designers and makers.
The feature also highlighted many of the course providers listed in our Directory, including (clockwise from top right) The Make Lounge where we recently tried out candlemaking, Claire Aristides Jewellery School where we learnt to make a chunky charm bracelet, The Workshop by Sally Bourne Interiors where we’ll be making Christmas decorations, and Hugh Dunford Wood in Dorset who taught us to make beautiful hand block-printed wallpaper earlier this year. Search our Directory to find creative courses in your area, or browse our Course Notes features to read about some of the courses, classes and workshops that we’ve tried out for ourselves…
Lie back and think of England on this fabulous one-off upholstered ’Victor’ chaise longue from The Utterly Gorgeous Chair Company. Owners Jennifer and Andrea seek out quirky vintage furniture pieces and re-upholster them to create unique eye-catching designs in their Suffolk studio. This stunning chair features an original Victorian mahogany frame and was inspired by the notion of victorious Olympians… as the ladies themselves say: ‘all you need is hope in your heart and wings on your heels’. Not so much of the lounging then! This iconic piece can be yours for £1,550. To see a selection of their latest work, visit www.utterlygorgeouschaircompany.co.uk.
Last Saturday I did a beginners crochet class at my local yarn shop and haberdashery Mrs Moon in St Margarets. It’s such a beautiful shop and I’d often eyed their rows of brightly coloured yarns, patterns, books and accessories longingly, wishing that I was nimble-fingered enough to know what to do with them. I’ll be sharing my experiences as a novice crocheter in our next Course Notes feature, but in the meantime I wanted to post a few photos that I took in this gorgeous local gem of a shop. If you’re in the area I’d recommend a visit, but if not you can also buy online at www.mrsmoon.co.uk.
For this month’s competition, we’ve teamed up with typographic art specialists More Than Words to offer you the chance to win a personalised ‘Vintage Framed Canvas’ worth £165! One of their most popular designs, this ornately framed canvas features your own choice of words and can be made to match your chosen colourscheme with a choice of white, black or gold frame. An innovative way to capture precious memories or celebrate a special occasion. Click here to enter the competition today…
I’m a big fan of Polly George’s whimsical English bone china creations and her latest collection really made me chuckle when it popped into my inbox today. Who can resist these big haired Cressheads? Watch them grow from crew cut to bouffant, then give them a quick haircut and you’ve got garnish! Dinnertime has never been so much fun… You can read more about how Polly’s ceramics are made in our Meet the Maker interview, or visit www.pollygeorge.com.
Wednesday 1 September 2010
We recently spent a week at my mother’s farm in Cornwall, indulging in the wholesome delights of freshly laid eggs, homemade honey and delicious Aga-cooked food. I just love watching my mum cooking on her Aga, deftly juggling pots, pans and trays between hot plates and ovens of varying temperatures. It really is a completely different cooking technique, and one that I as a wannabe-Aga owner find fascinating. In fact my mum is such an Aga convert that in my kitchen, she cooks with one gas ring on low and the other on high, switching pans between the two as if cooking back home on the range, so to speak. I’m sure she’s not the only one!
If like me, you dream of owning one of these gleaming Shropshire-made beauties, you might be interested to know that Aga are holding a free ‘Best of British’ cookery demonstration day on 18th September in their stores across the UK. Visit the Aga website to find out more and book a place, or order your copy of the Aga Guide at www.aga-web.co.uk.
