Button Babies!

Well, I never have denied that I love a bit of nepotism, but hey, this blog is all about 'things I love the most' and within that category how could I not include my Mum?!

As well as BEING one of such 'things', everything she creates also falls into the same category too!

The latest offering from Nanoo's Boutique are these lovely 'Button Babies' - they're a little bit teddy bear, little bit doll, quite a big pinch of robot and lots of snuggly goodness thrown in for good measure! Basically they are the latest obsession to spring from the end of my Mumma's crochet hook, and I really love them! She is also veering, as we speak, into the world of beatifully square-edged button-eyed animal friends too....

Inflatable Chesterfield?

What more can I say, really, ingenious!!! Made by Blofield

More sexy jewellery goodness!

Um, still trying really hard to save money, so I'm a bit like a greedy dieter eyeing up squishy cakes through the baker's window at the moment... except my sin is in the form of shiny jewels! For goodness sake though, will Vivienne Westwood EVER stop being cool and designing things I love? She surely is the devil in disguise with all her wicked temptation!

And acrylic is the new black daaaaahlings!

She's done it to me again at Dior!

Now it's not actually that often that I yearn for great wealth, usually I'm pretty happy that I live by the sea, and I take little pleasures in beautiful trinkets that I find at the car boot and recycle into new beautiful things, simple life for a simple kinda person....

But jeeesus, sometimes whilst I'm looking back at my favourite 'well-out-of-the-price-bracket' inspirations something stops me in my tracks, and for the second time running it's the beautifully insane designer Victoire de Castellane with the new Milly Carnivora collection for Dior...

Yeah, just going out to buy a few lottery tickets...

Mission Impossible: Never!

Nothing is Impossible, and with some polyfillering in the old holes, and my very sexy handles (despite ebay saga and giving in to much more expensive but ultimately more satisfying B&Q versions), my vision is complete! It actually looks exactly as I had hoped... and that never happens with anything!!!

Chuffed to bits! Hence having the urge to tell the world!

Mission Impossible: Phase 3

Getting the pink paint on cheered me up a bit, although I still had a few reservations about whether this cabinet is really gonna be as cool as I'd hoped, or would it end up like an extremely naff seventies blancmange... I have reserved the right all along to relegate it to the firewood pile if my vision is not realised!


When I put the bugger back together, there was then a considerable delay, as I have never applied wallpaper to anything and was a bit on the nervous side...

...And also I'm really anal and the pattern had to line up vertically and horizontally, and the joins had to be evenly spaced, so I didn't really relish the challenge I'd given myself! I have to say though, I have made myself proud with this attempt, if you look mega-close there's one tiny gap, but you'd have to be as finickity as me to find it!

Mission Impossible: Phase 2

Ok, so the primer was a bit of a problem. Well, not so much the primer itself but the hideous wee wee yellow stain which kept coming through from the previous varnish, despite 3 coats.

Fortunately I remembered a couple of years ago using a specific stain block paint to cover a damp stain in my folks' French house, and one coat of that sorted out that problem!

And because that stuff takes a little longer to dry, and I'm ridiculously impatient, and the insides didn't need treating, I made a womb-like effort to start on the final coat...

Mission Impossible, Codename: cabinet

When I brought this ace seventies sideboard home it was not particularly well received at home, earning itself comments like 'firewood' and 'smells like a charity shop'. Well I can see potential so I don't care if nobody else can!

So I am defiantly determined to make it cool for as little money as possible, and considering I got the thing for 4 quid, and paper to line the inside for free, and already had some sandpaper and primer in stock, I'm doing rather well so far!

All White Everyone?!

I'm feeling quite fixated with white things at the moment, i like to create in colour, dress in lots of colours and have bright orange hair, so I think I find a sense of calm in objects which are purely white, especially some of these clever designs which are not necessarily supposed to be made from white ceramic! The milk carton jugs from Ricochet Studio are amazing, and I'm definitely getting myself some of Rob Brandt's crushed coffee and espresso cups...
And offerings from the ever fabulous Etsy include Yogagoat's cool as mustard bunch of fortune cookies and The Automatic Crystal's strangely beautiful porcelain peanut necklace!

Finally, last but by no means least, uber cool design studio Mixko create brilliantly unusual items, including my favourites - their lovely ceramic rings. Models include 'Barby' and 'Baby' below...

Whilst researching this post I have totally fallen in love with their ice-cream cone light fittings too, what an ace way to make a feature of energy efficient bulbs! I had a spooky moment actually, as I was in the middle of chomping through a Cornetto when I came accross the picture! The final ring below is the one I decided on for myself, and the funky chunky dude always gets a great reaction when plonked on my tiny little finger!

At it again...

Still buying stuff for my imaginary house, bring on this blooming recession for the sake of the desperate first time buyers!

Still obsessed with invisible furnishings, and alternative light fittings, and have managed to combine the two - Oh how I love to make a cocktail out of a couple of trends!

The beautiful big spenders option is this Oxford 8 Light from Light and Shade, quite pricey but you get more mass for your money than you do with the spectacular Kartell 'Bourgie' light from Graham and Green which would be the perfect match for Starck's Louis chair (which obviously makes it my official favourite!)

But for the more realistic budget, the light fitting I actually bought is this extremely groovy acrylic / perspex number from Ebay - it may not be the same level of designer but it looks seriously posh and fits the requirement of near invisibilty very well! Who ever said you can't shop well when you're skint!

Groovy Baby Gear

My favourite groovy kids clothes designer is having a half price January sale!

Nanoo's Boutique is full of zingy bright coloured crochet and mouthwatering colour clashes, in the cutest hoodies, jumpers, cardigans and even soft toy Jelly Babies (knitted food - always a winner!).

Etsy Buy Handmade nanoos

Coolest designs of boring items!

In 5th place... the boring old USB key... reborn as a skull ring you can wear! Rather expensive but hey, how much cooler can you get!

At number 4... well USB thingys are very boring aren't they... so we'll have some pill-popping versions too!

Oozing in at number 3... the liquid bookmark... hand-made one-off's and actually pretty affordable too!

In at number 2... the penultimate coolest boring item ever... the Dead Fred pen holder - suitable for even the most homicidal of office workers!

But my personal favourite, in the number 1 spot tonight... the Voodoo knife rack - pure simple genius, what more can I say?!

Fruity Jewellery

There's no better antidote to the cake I've been wearing than a nice healthy dose of fruit to up the Vitamin C levels as we slide shivering into winter! The sparkling gem's of Anna Lou of London's cherries cheer me up no end, and hers is by far the grooviest shop in Soho these days! Luster Jewelry have come up with such incredibly cute strawberry earrings that they make my face hurt from smiling too much.

Other offerings are the beautiful Apple Pendant from jewellerylove.co.uk, and a little bit of shameless self-promotion of Foundlings Jewellery's Fruit slice earrings - OK so maybe I am their creator, but it doesn't make me love them any less!

Invisible Furnishings

I have coveted the Philippe Starck Louis Ghost Chair for a very long time, and as soon as I get a house to put it in I will surely have to have one ( or maybe 2), but now I would also like to accessorise a whole room with invisible furniture! Should act as a welcome breathing space from the teacup and Barbie chandeliers which will be brightening up the rest of the place! Bring on the Essey Illusion Table , the Ghost Candelabra , and these very groovy Floating Shelves.

And obviously the whole room will be painted white, and out of bounds to children, food, pets, and all other messy or dangerous beings!!!