Hair Candy

It's always heart warming to know that someone out there in the wonderful world of gorgeous things officially announces that they like what you do. My pink vintage fabric Hair Candy was featured in an Etsy Treasury East by eveneve recently & I am sooo pleased to be mentioned amongst such delicious vintage fabric wares. I am in love with that tote bag on the left... and the insulated lunch bag... and that pretty little neck scarf. Let's face it, I am in love with vintage floral fabric!

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}

Home to Roost

I'm heading back to the UK tomorrow morning for a cheeky visit with my family. Apart from being excited about spending quality time with my nearest & dearest (Christmas was a whirlwind tour!) I am also looking forward to some retail therapy

I love to hit the charity shops when I'm back in the UK - this is where I source many of my materials for the Get Smitten collections. It's so important to me to make the effort to reduce the amount of textile waste the Western world produces with its quick & easy, high turn around fashion culture. More about that another time though! Plus it's nice to support the charities too. I also love to scout for interesting items to use when I'm styling - be it books, vases, vintage patterns or kitschy ornaments. Here's a quick run down on what I'll be hunting for this trip

• retro sewing patterns
• vintage crochet patterns
• odd balls of yarn
• suitable jumpers to unravel for the yarn
• retro bedlinen
• cut glass vases
• books with interesting covers
• vintage sewing/haberdashery notions

 Mum & I are heading to the Victoria & Albert museum - to see the much talked about Quilt: 1700-2010 exhibition. I adore the V&A and am beside myself at the thought of seeing all the amazing quilts they have on display. I have spent many hours checking out the textiles at the V&A  over the last 20 years, although mostly in darkened rooms through flat glass plates, so it will be a real treat to see them in their full glory. You can find out all about the exhibition here

And lastly, I will be making the most of my trip to London by swooning at the gorgeous items in Anthropology. Can't wait to see what they have done for their displays - I totally LOVE their visual merchandising

There's always such a comfort in a trip back to see family - having lived abroad for so many years now I really treasure those moments of laughter, reminiscing & unconditional love. I have several items back there that I want to photograph so I can tell you about them in future posts here. I want to dig out my old ballet shoes so that I can take a dance class here. I want to find my A-Level copy of Pride & Prejudice - the one with all my course notes in. I want to look through the old photo albums of when we were kids. I want to feel that feeling you get when you're surrounded by your favourite people in the the whole world. Home is where the heart is. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pack!

Happy 10th Birthday Inside Out!

The blogosphere is currently awash with birthday wishes to super cool Australian interiors/lifestyle magazine Inside Out - they are celebrating 10 years of fabulous design, inspiration, ideas, recipes, colour and style.

Now, it is a little tricky for me to rave on about this celebrated birthday issue as I have not yet got my hands on a copy - although I have begged my Aussie mates to post me a copy toute-de-suite! (is part of my need linked to the fact that this issue comes with a screen printed Rob Ryan T-towel????? I'll let you judge me on that one!) So instead I shall link you over to one of my fave Australian design blogs, The Design Files, where the lovely Lucy interviewed Inside Out's editor Karen McCartney, who launched the mag back in 2000

And for a greater appreciation of the talent that goes into such a brilliant monthly mag, you must visit the Inside Out blog, where "the staff happily reveal a few of their favourite things". The Inside Out team totally inspire you to inject style into your life... it's contagious

I had originally thought that this would be the end of this post but then I realised that it is in fact thanks to Inside Out that I have my work now as a stylist. Back in about 2003, when I was living in Sydney, Australia, I found myself assisting various stylists in order to pick their brains about the job & get some hands-on experience of working on a shoot. The first kind soul to give me a break was English stylist Lynsey Fryers & the majority of the jobs we worked on together were for Inside Out with the hugely talented photographer Amanda Prior. Ah, happy paint-fumed, gluey-fingered memories!

I continued to assist various established stylists even when I started to get my own gigs (thank you at this point to kind soul no.2 - Art Director Caroline Sherlock) - it's such a great way to learn a trade, pick up tricks & secrets and meet other people in the industry. Plus it's fun - they tend to get the really good gigs which you can then become a part of. I remember in particular a 2 day shoot with stylist Sam Beer & photographer Lucas Allen - we took over this wonderful home up near Centennial Park & the entire front room was filled with props that Sam had called in from numerous stores and boutiques in the city. I was busy ironing creases from out-of-the-packet bed linens & decorating oranges with cloves (oh, yes - did I mention how glamorous the life of a stylist's assistant is?!) when they suddenly decide that the bed shot would look so much better with a body in it.... cue me, stripped down to my essentials & in a nightie, frolicking on a luxurious bed of throws & blankets with lights & cameras pointing at me. I can assure you I am not accustomed to this type of behaviour! Here, I have just dug out the clippings for your amusement!

So I guess that just leaves me to wish all at Inside Out a very happy birthday & here's to another 10 years of style inspiration for the home & for living!

photos of selected Inside Out/Home Beautiful magazine clippings by Lisa Pocklington

GretaGuide Gets Smitten

 Thrilled to discover that Get Smitten and in particular the Hair Candy range had a dedicated mention on Uber stylish fashion & lifestyle blog GretaGuide.

Thanks Greta, you rock! xx

We HEART Liberty!

A trip to ye olde city of London isn't complete without a visit to Liberty - the building is beautiful & oozes history, the window displays (especially at Christmas) are a joy to behold & inside is a rabbit warren emporium of wonderfulness.

For me though, Liberty is epitomised by the fabrics - there is just something quite special about those delicate prints, sophisticated colour palettes and drape & quality of the fabric that I find almost mesmerizing. I have been collecting bits of Liberty fabrics now for many years - they are not that easy to come by & are usually a bit pricey, but hey, the FEEL of them is so worth it! I recently made a series of paper organisers featuring a Liberty fabric covered button so that it added a touch of quintessential British vintage glam to my desk & all those mundane bills & invoices that needed tackling. I guess the aim is to one day have enough to incorporate into a divine patchwork quilt.

Talking of which, I am so very tempted to book a flight back to London just to feast my peepers on this new exhibition at the V&A (that's Victoria & Albert Museum for anyone that isn't sure - my most favourite place in the UK). Quilts 1700-2010 runs from 20th March until 4th July 2010 and features this beautiful Liberty Jack quilt (above) by Janey Forgan. *swoon* I need to see this exhibition!

Fabric lovers & patchworkers take note; to celebrate the Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition, Liberty Art Fabrics and the V&A Shop have collaborated on a limited edition collection of 18 printed cottons featuring designs from quilts in the V&A’s collections. All fabrics are 100% cotton and sold by the metre making them perfect for quilting, dressmaking and patchwork as well as homewares and many other craft projects. Prices start at just £3.50 for a fat quarter and can even be ordered online Yay! The V&A totally have this covered & you can even follow the behind the scenes action of the exhibition at the curators blog.

The big news of the moment is that Liberty have collaborated with US giant Target to offer an affordable range of fashion & homewares launching on March 14th. Luckily for us Brits the range can also be bought online from Liberty.co.uk and will be in the store itself from April. The designs will feature the Liberty's iconic micro-floral prints on bedding, gardening items, piggy banks, lamps, candles, storage boxes, ceramic and melamine dishes, and even a bicycle! Hello summer, riding through the park! And as for the dresses, well, check out the sneak peak video clip here... be warned, they are exceptionally gorgeous!

"I am thrilled by the way Target has interpreted the flower power of Liberty by mixing, in a very modern way, our heritage prints with the widest ever range of products from lingerie to design chairs to bicycles," said Geoffroy de La Bourdonnaye, chief executive of Liberty, in a release. "The collection is a very youthful interpretation of the love and rebellion values that Liberty of London stands for."

Confused & bemuddled at the choice of prints to get your mits on? Try the Patternality test on the Liberty of London & Target Facebook page. I took the test and they decided my pattern of choice is Mark. Personally I think I love the Sixty print most.

"You are a little arty and a lot delightful. Hopping into the convertible with your three-ring binder and your shoes off—it's splendid
And so it is with pride that Liberty of London can lead you to the fab paisley wonderland that is Mark. Dive in—it's wonderful in here."

The top snapshot of the Liberty building was taken on my last trip back to the UK at Christmas, down Carnaby Street. How delish is that!? I'm not sure if the building is always like that or whether it was part of the 60's vibe they had going on down Carnaby Street but I'm so glad I got to see it with my very own eyes!

Did you know that Liberty offers craft workshops? No, neither did I! But you can sign up a week ahead of each class and learn about sewing, knit, crochet, colour theory. Their current schedule can be found here

And finally, here's a little history...
Arthur Lasenby Liberty first opened his Regent Street store in London in 1875, selling ornaments, fabric and decorative objects from Japan and the East. In 1885 he expanded the location and added carpets and furniture. In the 1890s, Liberty built strong relationships with leading English designers of the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements and incorporated the styles into the shop. Over the decades, Liberty of London grew into a destination emporium for eclectic renderings of contemporary and traditional designs in fabrics, homegoods, furniture, accessories, gifts and apparel.

Get Smitten's Giant Spring Clearout Sale!

 As it is now officially Spring I thought it time to have a huge stock clearance sale at Get Smitten. There are lots of fab new summery handmade goodies ready for the Spring Summer collection & quite frankly I need to make some room for them here at Get Smitten HQ!

And so (drum roll if you please........) for a limited time you can grab yourself a whopping 50% off your online order by entering the discount code BIGFAT50 at the checkout!

but wait there's more. Mother's Day in the UK is March 14th and so I will be giving away a FREE handmade Mother's Day card with every order. Yep, that's right 50% off all those gorgeous handmade Get Smitten goodies AND a free Mother's Day card. I know, I'm too good to you. (if you're not from the UK, hold on to the card for later in the year - you have Mother's Day too right?!)

Here's a sneak peak at some of the bargains you can bag and don't forget that all purchases are beautifully wrapped & tied with a Get Smitten printed lace tag

 

Birds & Bees silk cushion in grey & yellow was £45 now £22.50

Esme Flirty Scented Sachet to make your undies smell divine! Was £25 now £12.50

Truly, Madly, Deeply one-off necklace was £20 now £10

Offer applies while stocks last & the 50% off does not apply to postage costs. You need to enter the discount code at the checkout in order to receive the reduction. Happy shopping!