vogue addiction

February 2011 with Victoria bloody Beckham on the cover

the hideous and fake Cheryl Cole on the cover in October 2010

i have had a serious addiction to vogue and have been buying and saving them for years.  but my loyalty is waivering...mostly because i am disappointed with the appearance of not one, but two gossip-rag poptarts on the cover in the past 6 months.  first it was Cheryl Cole (ugh!) in October 2010 and this morning i see we have Victoria Beckham (gag!) on the February 2011 cover.  what is going on? Vogue you should be ashamed of yourselves.  i do not want to spend a whopping £4 a month to see these ultra-fake semi-slebs on my glossy - they should stick to the cheep and cheerless waiting room fodder if you ask me.  who next? Jordan...Kerry Katona...gawd...Mylene Klass?!!  this is your second warning, three strikes and my allegiance goes elsewhere.

evidence of my addiction - several years worth which had to

be moved into the kitchen recently, while work was being carried out at home

i decided to look back at the very first one that i have, probably not the first i bought but this is when i started saving them, from April 1984.  the shonky old advertisements do make you laugh but the fashion spreads are as amazing and relevant as today's....and back then it was only £1.60 and bigger for your buck!

front cover April 1984 with a swimsuit from Norma Kamali 

(they even list the scent worn...it was Je Reviens by Worth)

an advertisement for Rolex...back then it was only for the Polo set!

(nowadays worn by many a d-list sleb, dealer, pimp or city slicker)

 a L'Oreal ad - this was the "Rachel" haircut of it's day!

swimwear photographed by Paolo Roversi - who also shot the front cover

(i badly wanted hair like the red-head!)

amazing spread by Richard Avedon for Axon's African Collection.......[sigh]

pure white loveliness

my beautiful new Robin Day Poly Armchair has just arrived from john lewis and tho the white is pure loveliness i am regretting the colour choice cos it has two paw prints on it already!  i was sorely tempted to get the yellow or orange....hmmm.....they are half price at the moment so....no i must resisit and stick to the one.  it's gonna look fab in my new studio shed...when that is installed.  i spotted more white loveliness via design sponge's sneak peak into the home of photographer Sam Horine - i love these ceramic animal heads that he and his wife have collected from rural Virginia flea markets - aren't they fab.

scarlet & violet

some beautiful flowers i bought from Scarlet & Violet, another lovely shop on Chamberlayne Road.  they look gorgeous in my ceramic jug with one of my vintage rose trays.  this wonderful florist not only provides stunning flower arrangements for weddings, events and delivered to your home, but also have a selection of great vases, jugs and other flower receptacles in store. 

layers of loveliness

beautiful outtake photographs by lesley williamson via sf girl by bay

wardrobe wannabe

love the comfy slouchy look from hush uk spotted via say YES! to Hoboken....yum!

cheer! cheer! first mattress of the year!

here's the first mattress of 2011...spotted on Clifford Gardens, NW10...while on my first bicycle ride of the year, en route to Portobello Road for lunch today.  i think its very auspicious that its such a lovely bright orange one - like a little ray of sunshine to ring in the year!

stargazing

i'm rather partial to a spot of amateur astronomy and am loving the new BBC2 show Stargazing LIVE which is on for the next 3 nights and is encouraging people to get out to gawp at the night sky, particularly as there are a few highlights this week.  tomorrow morning (8-9am) there is a partial solar eclipse on the south east horizon, the Quadrantides meteor showers (4-6am) and with Juptier visible in the night sky, Uranus is also lining up in conjunction this week.  there are over 300 events nationwide - check here for something in your area and here for basic tips to help you with your stargazing.  i hope to head to Parlaiment Hill or The Hub at Regents Park (courtesy of The Baker Street Irregular Astronomers) to see what i can spot this week...weather permitting of course as its been a bit cloudy lately.

image

more sausages

oh how i dream of having a sausage of my own one day....but look at this lovely fabric spotted via where the lovely things are

birds on wires

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

totally awesome...via laissez faire just like this great wall decal from rose and grey...

thoughts

i used to write a daily diary when i was at boarding school but seem to have never to had the time since then.  i saw this via laissez faire  and have decided i can surely manage a line a day.  its great because you have five years on each page so that you can look back at past entries as you go along.  it reminded me of something James Mason said in The Shooting Party which i watched the other night...i don't remember the quote exactly but he was writing in his journal and advised his grandson that he should get into the habit of writing his thoughts down, in that way you do not have to subject other people to them - quite - and with this little short and sweet journal, you don't have to subject yourself to too much rambling either.

the blake wright

heh heh...i quite like the rudeness of american illustrator blake wright even tho his work reminds me very much of  our own david shrigley.

 

absolute princess

this is just SO NOT ME...but i absolutely adore the absolutely ladylike blog...so pink and girly and gorgeous and glamorous i can't stop looking at it. its like...total princess porn!

a mattress is a girls best friend

via absolutely ladylike

nest

 

wow...check out this amazing nestrest (via lace & tea) - have your own personal hanging pod bird's nest...i want one!

dreamy...

Yuval Hen's dreamy photography, spotted via lace & tea

 

vintage signs

wonderful signs from signs of vintage spotted via true & wesson

apple of my eye

beautiful candles from DL & Co  (images via cherry blossom girl).....want.  luckily i have found they are available at Liberty.

man-mattress

image

hmmmm....what's going on here then?

ladies & gentlemen

 

love this piggy bank, which you can personalise with chalk, and serving cutlery from ladies & gentlemen.

silver service

 

i adore the delightful hand-stamped vintage silverware from beach house living (spotted via frenchie & flea) especially the cheese markers, lemon fork and jam spoons - kinda wish i'd found them before christmas, but actually i want them for myself!

 

resolutions...

calvin & hobbes

well...i was never into the whole resolutions thing...perhaps because i just know i'm not that good at sticking to them.  its hard enough thinking them up, let alone remembering - but i've decided to jot a few down this time so i can refer back...so here goes:


(1)  Love home again....

i've been fighting an almighty urge to leave this busy city and move somewhere quieter and with views of the sea. somehow London is more bearable in the spring, summer and autumn months but this time of year its much tougher when the skies are grey and gloomy, the temperature drops and all about are unhappy, coughing and spluttering people.  at this time its important to have a cosy home to hibernate in and lately i haven't felt this way so its time to de-clutter, fix things up and fall in love with where i live again.  hopefully within a short time i will have a new kitchen, a streamlined living room and a beautiful outdoor space for summer.  i really look forward to having a lovely home, be cooking up a storm in a new kitchen and inviting people to enjoy some alfresco fun!

 

(2)  Get more creative & crafty...

shoofly 

i haven't spent as much time with my knitting as i'd like this year, so i will definitely set some time aside to complete the many unfinished projects i have waiting around in bags and baskets.  other projects that need my attention include the upcycling of a few pieces of old furniture i have scavenged from the streets around and about.  also i want to work on some secret "mattressland" projects...watch this space.  all the above should be more achievable once i have my new outdoor shed/studio set up as all that has been missing is space to actualise my ideas.

(3)  Learn something new...

twostringjane 

i think i say this every year and the list of possibles usually contains the following: a language - ideally French, which at least i have a head start at having studied it at school, and especially as i spend a considerable amount of time with french speaking friends in Brussels and visiting my parents in the South of France - so it really is inexcusable that i speak it so poorly; or driving - tho again, i have had some experience of this as i spent a hilarious (but fruitless) week doing an intensive driving course - great fun but i still didn't get a license. i'd also love to learn to paint or do a course in photography.  but hey, i'd even be happy enough just learning how to crochet amigurmi!

(4)  Bring a dog into my world...

image 

i've really missed my wonderful dog Boo these past seven years and for a while now i have been thinking i'd love to welcome a new four-legged friend into my life (ideally a little sausage but i'm really not fussy as long as he/she is small enough to sit in my bicycle basket).  the problem is i have a small flat and a job that would mean leaving a dog on its own for long periods of time - so things would need to change in order for me to fulfill this wish....but i really hope i can this year.

(5)  Smile, laugh, dance & be happy...

i've got to let go of the doldrums that have dogged me on and off for the past couple of years and concentrate on regaining my old self.  i know i will be able to do this with the love and support of all my dear friends and wonderful family - so i look forward to spending lots of quality time visiting friends old and new, near and far and having a blast...and i can only wish the same for everyone..HAPPY 2011!