Searching for patterns

Exploring our friends house with my camera. Searching for pattern, print and composition. Documenting elements of their home - items that have been thoughtfully placed or used and worn.

Snow globe projection

I saw this beautiful installation yesterday at the Museum of Childhood - a video of two girls having a pillow fight that was projected onto a snow globe. It had such a magical quality with the feathers resembling snow, and you had to crouch down to watch it. The second image is by the artist Sarah Cole from her website.

Lunch at the Paxton

Sunday lunch at the recently opened Paxton pub at the bottom of Gipsy Hill (formally the Mansion). I loved the aged and painted wooden interior, collection of mismatched chairs in pink and blues, geometric woven cushions over church pews, stencilled floors, table number playing cards, bird drawings showing the weather forecast, and a huge decked garden and playground.....perfect for letting the babies have a run around before sitting down to a yummy pork belly roast.

A yellow party

Celebrating Sonnys 1st birthday with his trademark YELLOW colour scheme.

Cot activity board

My favourite and most exciting discovery at the Quorn car boot was this fantastic retro Fisher Price activity board from 1973. I had been looking for something for the cot for a while to keep the little lady occupied when she wakes up and give me a few more precious moments in bed. Most of the new ones are just buttons that play music, but this one is much more educational and gets her used to using her fingers to make things turn, move, squeek and hit a bell. Plus it was only 50p!

What makes it even more special is that I actually had a very similar one (see bottom picture) and it looks great in my old cot next to the little bear transfer. A proper retro lady!

Car booting

Some of my finds from a recent trip to Quorn car boot in Leicestershire.....I think the best quality I've seen but also the cheapest. I'm very proud of my retro Fisher Price classics, beautifully illustrated books and cute little sheepskin boots. With most things only 20p or 50p I only spent a few pounds and came home very chuffed.

*Rosie's Walk book by Pat Hutchins *Suede and sheepskin boots *Little bears jigsaw with separate faces, bodies and legs *Chicco activity board *Tomy merry-go-round *Ship Shapes book

Pram prints

*Footmuff from John Lewis designed by textile guru Celia Birtwell (who I was lucky enough to interview for work) ....and half the price of the iCandy one!

*Anorak 'Kissing Stags' shopping bag

*Travel changing mat free from Mother & Baby magazine!

*Lily's new lunch box in a cute vintage doily print from South of the River in Crystal Palace

Foodie snapshots

A weekend with friends in Melton Mowbray coincided with the East Midlands Food Festival....and of course we bought a pork pie!

October sun

Picnics surrounded by conkers and autumnal leaves but look up and see clear blue skies and bright green leaves. Loving the extended summer!

LDF highlights

Aside from Textile Field that I wrote about here, other exhibitions during London Design Festival that I loved include the Timber Wave 3D wooden latticework spiral designed by AL_A that echoed the arch of the main entrance to the V&A museum, geometric gem structures by Arik Levy that I spied in the gardens of the Natural History Museum, and the beautiful 'garden within a garden' of the Serpentine Gallery Pavillion, designed by Peter Zumthor and Piet Oudolf.

(I have to admit I didn't manage to see much else of LDF due to mummy commitments or just the hassle of trying to drag a pushchair around random locations!)