Shabby Chic

The long weekend is over, the sky is grey and a soft drizzle falls outside my window. On days like this I long to escape for a while, on a little adventure to somewhere sunny. This cute little bijou hotel would do nicely.

Taken whilst on holiday in the south of France, myself and my gal pals de vacances, had taken ourselves out on a day trip up into the hills above Nice. After a long and rather dizzying drive through ramshackle villages, we arrived in Grasse. The grand old buildings up there are testimony to a time when wealthy tourists came to revitalise their spirits and take the air, as others would take the water elsewhere. After a tour of the famous Perfumery (lost on me I'm afraid as my sense of smell is not the greatest), we had a picnic lunch taking in the vista, and slurped ice creams whilst ambling leisurely through cobbled streets.

That was when I saw this cute hotel. Understated, a little rough round the edges, but charming too. Almost the definition of Shabby chic. If only I'd had time to have a nosey around inside, but we had to run for the bus, and head back to Nice. Another time maybe..

Bank Holiday Bizarre

I'm a big fan of bizarre and totally embrace english eccentricity. The weirder the better sometimes. So when I heard that the pretty little village of Sonning, was holding a Scarecrow Trail I thought what better way to spend the Bank Holiday. There was a really good turnout and the villagers had put so much effort into making their Scarecrows. Here are just a few of my favourites.

Dorothy's red shoes are such an iconic image. I actually believe that every time a girl dons her red shoes she is secretly imagining herself as Dorothy, clippety clopping down her own imaginary yellow brick road. Well I am anyway.

Loved this old boy in his blazer and school cap. "I say, spiffing!" What a handsome face too. Strictly speaking, probably not doing his job as he wasn't scary at all. You should have seen some of the other scarecrows, I mean why do you think I only photographed Dorothy's feet?! (her face was shockingly frightening - in fact its burnt into my memory like a bad dream!!)

This trio of crash test dummies were strung up across the street, and their entry entitled Hung Parliament. They had photos of 3 dummies pasted onto their faces, but I thought they looked more attractive from behind. Check out their pinstripe trousers flapping in the wind, as though they are leading us all in a merry dance! Indeed.

A proper scarecrow, at last. Kinda scary, but also sort of beautiful. Note the false eyelashes. She was stood outside the post office in a scene from Cranford. (If thats what its called, I'm not up to date on Period dramas).

And lastly a ghostly pair from the local school. Looks like the younger girl was not such a keen scholar and had to be dragged into school by her big sister.

I was really amazed by the creativity and workmanship of all those involved. Well done people of Sonning! I hope your efforts helped to raise some funds for the village.

Take the rough with the smooth

How much am I loving these lush, vibrant greens. Just love the crackled green against the grain of the wood. I have to admit I have a bit of a thing for lichen, though not so much that i could tell you what type this is, maybe I will have to rectify that and become a lichen geek.

Recently I used some beautiful lichen branches for a twiggy arrangement that featured in June's BBC Homes and Antiques. I was inspired by wild rambling hedgerows and used some fallen branches encrusted with lichen and some old man's beard (no not an actual old man's beard, a type of wild vine that once flowered has a fluffy cotton wool like seed)

In contrast with the rough texture of the lichen, how gorgeous are these glossy glass pots and vases, shot whilst on work experience at McQueens. I won a floristry competition at New Covent Garden Flower Market and as part of the prize got to work at the top florist's branch in Old Street, London. The shop is gorgeous, with huge windows and lovely display fittings like this old wooden desk. I came away with lots of ideas, totally invigorated and inspired.

Hello!

Hi. I'm Tilly. Welcome to my blog. Here I will be sharing some of the things that make me laugh, smile, cry and whoop with delight.


Some things I love: delicate stems in pretty bud vases, dappled light in leafy gardens, beautiful slubby linens and crisp cottons, bright and cheery prints, illustration, the thrill of vintage finds, homespun charm of crafts, and feasting my eyes on all the lush imagery, beautiful styling and interiors that abound on this little interweb of ours.

As a florist, I am lucky enough to be able to enjoy fresh flowers every day and have lots of tips and ideas for simple and stylish displays. I am also working on a sideline as an Interiors Stylist and hope to give you a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes during a shoot.

Its not big and its not clever, but as they say simple things please simple minds! And I like simple things, like fresh blooms, new shoes, sunny days, blue skies and bunting.