*Magpie* - Vintage Orangina Glasses

When I was a little girl, one of the highlights of a family holiday or school trip to France was that I could have the oh-so-exotique pleasure of Orangina. It seemed so much more glamorous than any British drink in the early 1980s, with its curvaceous bottle and its subtle fizz; not to mention that you had to tip it upside-down before opening to release the tiny, orangey bits! To me it was the epitomy of stylish French living - along with NafNaf and Chipie for the coolest of stationery (I would spend hours drooling over the ranges of fountain pens, ring binders and pencil tins... happy days!)

Orangina Posters by Bernard Villemot

I acquired this set of vintage Orangina glasses at a local vide grenier earlier this year - the kind old lady on the stall gifted them to me when I bought a big stack of vintage books, all fabulously faded shades of pistachio green, from her
 
I love the stylised 70s vibe. It reminds me of the classic British cartoon from the same era; Crystal Tips and Alistair. Do you remember it? It was all psychedelic colours and crazy hair



I'm still partial to a glass of Orangina even now... and woe betide the waiter who tries to fob me off with an inferior can of Fanta. Just sayin'

Lisa x

{photo by Lisa Pocklington featuring my actual french exercise book from school!}

*Magpie* - Vintage Brooch Bouquet

My inner *Magpie* did such a happy dance when I saw this fabulous bouquet on the ever gorgeous vintage wedding inspiration blog Ruffled last week (my go to source for innovative, hand-made, vintage obsessed table dressings & flower display ideas... and plus, who doesn't like amazing photos of a good wedding??!)

I have a small collection of vintage brooches myself that I use to add a bit of sparkle to jackets & cardies, but I had never thought about collecting them on mass to create a gem of a wedding keepsake or even an everlasting floral display for the home

My Nan (that's British slang for Grandma, in case you're wondering!) has the most wonderful box full of exciting, sparkly brooches in her dressing table. I remember one of my most favourite past-times as a young girl, when I stayed over at her house, was to make a garden of glamorous flowers with her brooches when I climbed into her bed in the mornings to join her for the first cup of tea of the day. She had a teas-maid at the side of her bed which I thought was the most luxurious, exciting gadget imaginable!

This bouquet has really sparked both my fondest childhood memories as well as my imagination; I can envisage small collections of brooches in cut glass vases as table centre-pieces at any given event or even at the side of a bed. I can imagine a larger version placed with pride on a console table in a hallway or lounge - and imagine the significant memory attached if it had been your wedding bouquet. {sigh} You could colour code it to your wedding / party or your home deco; and if it included heritage pieces, what a romantic way to include the "something old" of the traditional wedding trousseau

Now, I'm not currently planning anything that even nearly warrants bouquets, but seeing as I seem to have the proverbial kiss-of-death when it comes to flowering plants I think a small arrangement of delectable, impossible-to-kill, sparkly beauties would be a welcome addition to my home - especially for summer. I'll be looking to mix a variety of brooches and earrings to play with the scale, and of course I'll be sure to post a tutorial of how I put it together so that you can try it yourself

But most exciting of all is that I now have the perfect excuse for hunting down some vintage treasures for this project! Be sure to head over to Ruffled to see the rest of the amazing photos by the talented Deidre Lynn of this vintage-tastic wedding in Illinois.... loving the mis-matched old doors as a backdrop too!

Lisa x

{photos by Deidre Lynn via Ruffled}

*Magpie* - Enthusiastic about Vintage

I was just reading an insightful post on Enthusiasm over at Scouite Girl and realised that I had never actually got round to explaining to you what the whole *Magpie* thing is. You may have noticed (please tell me you have!) that I often start the title of my posts with one of three words

* Designer * Stylist * Magpie *

These are the 3 words I feel describe who I am and what I do and you can read my definitions of this concept over on my website. Whenever I feel that a post relates directly to one of these definitions of who I am, I begin the title with one of them.

I then got round to thinking what the purpose of this blog is; I mean, why am I here? And why might you be here? And it all boils down to enthusiasm; it's about things I love, hence the name...

Smitten with it all...

This blog is where I can document all the things I come across that enthuse me, inspire me and I can share that with you. I can share the enthusiasm. The dictionary definition of enthusiasm goes like this:

"a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it "

There are many things in this world that I am inspired by or interested in but when it comes down to enthusiasm, it seems you have to actually be involved in it - or at least be eager to be involved in it.

And so that is where the *Magpie* part comes into our story. I am cuckoo-crazy about  vintage items and so therefore I am enthusiastic about tracking down local vide greniers, brocantes, car-boot sales & thrift shops. I have a great eye for seeking out a treasure amongst the rubbish, and believe me I have rummaged through my share of rubbish! And what's more, I am enthusiastic to share my finds with you. Come to think of it, I have a whole backlog of finds to share with you!

 I also realised that I have recently found a way of highlighting this enthusiasm - albeit unintentionally. At first it was just something to prettify the blog, make the images a little more personalised and keep a continuity of my branding present. But now I see it as more than just the Get Smitten stamp of approval. It's me sharing even more enthusiasm about what I was already enthusiastic about! A double whammy! How about that?

By reading this blog you are part of the journey; you are involved in my enthusiasm. I like that. So, thanks for being here; I hope you enjoy the ride!

And if you'd like to get more involved & maybe even share a little enthusiasm of your own, then why not leave me a comment? Tell me what you think about my posts - or even just say hi!

{Feel Inspired poster designed by Lisa Pocklington at Keep Calm-o-matic. Smitten with it medallion by Lisa Pocklington using graphics by Pugly Pixel }

Scandinavian Lifestyle e-mag .1 by Fryd

Open publication - Free publishing - More travel

When I read Holly's post on e-mags earlier this week at Decor8 I just knew I would have to put a few hours aside this weekend to check out her recommendations - sometimes I feel like that lady can read my mind, I am totally on the same wavelength & have often been thinking the exact same thing as she has posted about. Weird... but also wonderful

One of the e-mags in her round-up was .1 by fryd which you can see in motion above and I must confess I am totally hooked! Creator Jeanette Lunde has compiled the most wonderful collection of images, quotations & simple projects that leave you wanting to book a last minute flight to Stockholm, Copenhagen or Oslo to soak up a jumbo dose of that infamous Scandinavian style. Her teal coloured love-seat (above) is divine & the little girls' dresses are too cute for words

As you know I am something of a vintage fabric junkie - in particular when it comes to the floral designs from the 60s & 70s (check out my stack of lovelies above!) and they always seem to just sing when you put them against the simplicity of white. Jeanette features photos of her daughters' rooms here & here which to me are the epitome of this much loved combination. {sigh!}

She also features several shots of mix & match vintage crockery - yep, yet another passion of mine! - with a great how-to on making your own vintage inspired cake stand. Have a look for your self right here. It really is beautiful

You can follow the inspirations & creativity of Jeanette & by fryd on her very gorgeous & beautifully personal blog here. So thank you Jeanette - I, amongst the many thousands who have viewed your new magazine, have truly been inspired. I just L O V E .1 by fryd and can't wait for issue .2

Looks like I'll have to save the rest of Holly's recommendations for another day!

{vintage fabric photo by Lisa Pocklington for Smitten with it All, embedded e-mag via ISSU, all other images by Jeanette Lunde for by fryd}

Valentine's Wish List (hint hint!)

It's Wednesday afternoon & Valentine's Day is this coming Sunday, so I've left it a tad late I know! But, for what its worth, here is my little wish list...

 

Paris: Made by Hand by Pia Jane Bejkerk

First is this book of hand selected places in Paris to find wonderful hand-made lovliness. It is by the amazingly talented Pia Jane Bijkerk - a stylist working between Sydney, Amsterdam & Paris and is basically an all singing, all dancing, full colour version of her stylist's little black book (we all have one you know!) Her blog is both beautiful & inspirational, you have to check it out! Jez & I are seriously overdue a trip to Paris & I ain't going without this baby tucked into my weekend bag!

 

Flea Markets of France by Sandy Price & Emily Laxer

Second is another little book, again on the Paris trip theme but this time covering all the best flea markets & Brocantes to find vintage treasures. I stumbled across it while searching for Pia's book & well, while you're at the bookstore you may as well get both! This covers the whole of France so it will be invaluable in hunting down wonderful new bits & pieces throughout the year as we travel around on photo shoots

Third is the box set of Flight of the Conchords - Series 1 & 2. These guys make me laugh so much, I never tire of watching them. I would love to catch a live performance & had actually watched all of their live clips on YouTube before I had seen a single episode of the series. Pure genius



So many clips to choose from, but here is a live version of "It's Business Time"

Finally, and most unlikely (as they have all already sold out), is one of the totally incredible, limited edition Rob Ryan Valentine lasercuts. Swoon. Image from the Rob Ryan blog. Oh if only I had seen it earlier!

To be honest, we rarely exchange gifts on Valentine's day - for us it's more about sharing a day together & usually revolves around food! (I'll be posting my fave Valentine's dessert recipe later.) This year we plan to take the cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi (it's right behind our house) and catch the adjoining Helbronner cable car over into Italy for a high altitude coffee & ice-cream. Hope it's a sunny day - the views will be breathtaking!