BEAUTIFUL BUTTONS...

I've just become a fan of buttons after seeing Laura Walkers stunning ceramic pieces. Inspired by vintage, textiles, embroidery, interiors and fashion, Laura's beautiful buttons are a gorgeous way to enhance garments, bags, shoes, scarves, gloves or interior accessories such as a throw, a cluster on a cushion or attached to a lampshade. Laura has also made decorative brooches combining both embroidery and ceramic buttons. However you attach them, they will most certainly look stunning!

ELEGANT ILLUSTRATIONS...

I want to share with you two talented illustrators who capture movement and life with just a few unfussy brush strokes. The water colour artist Anne Watkins elegant illustrations are both privately collected and regularly published in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Weddings and In style Magazine. Her work is cleverly simple, yet as most of us know, water colour is a difficult medium to control. The fleeting strokes are well poised and she depicts her subjects beautifully.

Tara Smiley is another talented illustrator who also presents her work with fairy tale elegance. Her designs are so pretty and can just imagine her note book full of magical illustrations and doodles! Check out her website for more beautiful artwork, wedding hair pins, ornaments and accessories...

KICK-START YOUR CREATIVENESS...

'What if you could find a way to become incredibly successful in your career, and have ridiculous amounts of fun doing it?' A quote taken from the book 'How To Have Kick-Ass Ideas' by Chris Barez-Brown.

I flicked through this book whilst tidying a friends living room (yes aren't i good!) and loved the illustrative quotes and creative ideas to get you thinking. I'm now in the process of reading it out of sheer interest. The writer gives over 50 ideas and exercises to jump-start inventiveness and help you create an extraordinary life. I'm not quite sure if this will be true for me, but it's a great way to get that creativity flowing!

WANTING MORE INSPIRATION...

If you love nothing better than being inspired by mood/story boards then the website Polyvore is the site for you. It's a unique site for mixing and matching products from any online store (including my Gerbera Clip Purse.) Items are pulled together into a visual set of products that can be shared with anyone and everyone. What's so great about the site is that each product used within the mood boards are linked back to the online store where it is available for purchase. This is a fantastic site for both business and pleasure.

Below are just a small selection of inspirational boards for you to ponder over, but log on to Ployvore where they have a huge variety of boards showcasing a whole range of products.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY...

I want to share with you an incredible recipe book my dad found in a loft of a Victorian house years ago. It dates back to 1785 and is mostly written by a lady called Elizabeth Pickworth. You only need to open the book to realise it holds a huge amount of history between the pages. The elaborate recipes are incredibly detailed and the handwriting is something of an art in itself; with an elegant, free flowing form. The recipes were written by cooks who (judging by the food content) obviously cooked for a very wealthy household. Each page is scrawled with calligraphic step-by-step instruction on how to cook a pigeon, a lemon pudding, mushroom sauce, pickle walnuts, to stove a veal, to salt a ham...the list goes on and on. What I also find interesting are the pencil doodles dotted about the front and back covers and carefully placed pins to attach more recipes to the pages. This really is better than any history book you would find in a library. It's real, personal with a great deal of character...

Book Cover (just a little worn!)

Inside Front Cover - spot the pencil sketch of a male profile...

Back Cover - Pencil doodles...

Scribble Handwriting...

A long list of ingredients and measurements...

THE GODDESS GUIDE FOR 2008 AND BEYOND...

I flicked through this book whilst waiting for a friend in Urban Outfitters and found myself at the cash desk paying for it just moments later! I instantly fell in love with the stunning layout decorated with photographic collages, quirky illustrations entwined around the text, stitching, ribbons and lace bordering the glossy pages. Not only this, the book is packed full of girlie facts and tips, contacts, guides and lifestyle know it all knowledge! The writer, Gisele Scanlon unravels her secrets of living an unforgettable and desirable life. From fashion, destinations, beauty, travel tips, food, art, gym tips, fashion designer interviews...the list goes on....and on. It's an interesting read (and believe me, i'm not a book fanatic!)

It's a book well worth grabbing for its inspiring illustrations and ultimate goddess tips!

The Goddess Guide by Gisele Scanlon

AS SEEN IN...

I received a complimentary wedding magazine today from the magazine company The Bride & Bloom. I flicked through the pages and spotted one of my Yellow & Cream Sunflower Cushions, which they featured as a Ring Bearer Pillow. This style is not part of my current wedding ring collection, but it's definitely a style i will begin working on for my forthcoming ranges!

Eye-catching and individual - just how every bride would want to be!

INSPIRATIONAL MOOD BOARDS...

I spotted one of my Gerbera Wedding Ring Cushions on Snippet & Inks blog today and fell in love with the arrangement of wedding ideas and creative mood boards. It's a fantastic source of instant inspiration and ideas. Kathryn's palette for this inspirational board is crisp white and zesty lime. A perfect combination for a modern spring/summer's wedding.

Log on to Snippet & Ink for a huge variety of stunning themes and ideas!

MAY IS FULL OF MERRINESS

I spontaneously bought a new digital camera over the weekend and since becoming a proud owner of what i think is a fantastic little gadget, i've become very snap happy! It also helps when the sun is shining and as it's the beginning of the summer season, what better way to experiment than to take (a huge) amount of photos of my garden! May is one of my favorite times of year as everything blossoms, looking fresh and vibrant. It's the beginnings of a merry summer!

IT'S ALL IN THE DETAIL...

I'm heading off to London today for a long weekend, but before i go, i want to share with you designs by a talented illustrator, Hennie Haworth. I spotted her whilst in Habitat not so long ago and bought a set of her illustrative/doodle style postcards. She depicts everyday objects and transforms them into her own stylish doodle drawings. I love her repeat pattern illustrations using girlie shoes, cupcakes, perfume bottles and a range of decorative tea cups.
They would make for great wrapping paper!

Check out her website for a whole load of stylish designs.