LILAC WEDDING COLOUR THEME

Lilac...
can showcase a summer wedding beautifully.
It's romantic, elegant and calming. There are so many hues to enhance this shade such as ivory, cream, greens and deeper shades of purple. I have introduced a new Wedding Ring Pillow to this mood board to give you an idea of how well the Gerbera pillow works with such a feminine shade.

I think it's very pretty...

(With thanks to Style Me Pretty, Elizabeth Designs, The Party Dress and Snippet & Ink
for lovely images.)
Anna Whitford Wedding Pillow is Copyright Protected 2009.

ALL MY FAVORITE THINGS

I went to London yesterday to visit a brand new greeting cards trade show called Progressive Live. It was great to see all the top greeting card publishers all under one roof, and it gave me a chance to spend time with some of my own greeting card agents, which was great as now i am able to put a face to a name!

In the afternoon i made my way to Soho to collect some fabric for my wedding ring pillows. If ever you're around Soho, be sure not to miss this little treasure of a fabric shop. Cloth House is packed full of quirky rolls of exciting fabrics sourced from around the world. Check out their web page for a great in sight into their world of textiles!

Before i headed to my next destination, i stopped off at Liberty. I have to confess, i make a trip to Liberty every time i visit London, simply because i LOVE IT so much.

The scent of the flowers outside the store was just heaven.

And i couldn't resist taking a pic of this amazing white and milk chocolate floral wedding cake by Choccycoccydoodah displayed in the confectionery area. (I'm such a sucker for chocolate!)

My next stop was Sloane Square. I love its upmarket ambiance, its amazing array of shoe shops and its picture perfect row of pastel shade Chelsea houses. I could quite happily relocate to this amazing street, but which coloured house would i live in?!

...and with an authentic Italian ice-cream cafe hidden just around the corner, oh what a perfect place to be!

Whilst joining the ice cream queue, i couldn't help but admire the ice-cream order of those in front of me. It's not every day you get to treat yourself with a humongous portion of ice-cream dripping with flavored sauces, a sprinkling of chocolate flakes, finished with whipped cream!! Yet however amazing this dessert looked, all i could think about was how sickly i'd feel after the last spoonful...

...so here is my portion!
An authentic Italian hazelnut ice cream. Not quite the same i know, but was very tasty indeed. See i'm not that greedy...honest!

After my (not so) big bowl of dessert, i made my way down Sloane Street and to my surprise spotted a shop selling Rosanna Rossi Greeting Cards. Our Wedding card was proudly displayed in the window, which felt great!

The Designers Guild wasn't far from the shop, which was my last destination before heading back home.

As a student, i used to visit this shop religiously. I was amazed by its clever arrangement of colours, accessories and quality products. I love The Designers Guild as it always inspires me.

Take a look at the fabric swatch room!
Each mini draw stores a Designers Guild fabric swatch. How very organised!

Don't you just LOVE the kids lampshades!
Embellished with colourful trimmings and beadwork. Beautiful.

On my way back to the train station i bought a guide to Barcelona. If you don't know already, i'm taking a break for one week as from next Friday, and i'm incredibly excited!

Happy Weekend Everyone! x

DAYS LIKE THESE

Summer visited us today!
I hope it stays for a while.
...at least till the end of the season..!

On my travels i spotted:
little lambs grazing
a huge black fish in a small pond
some lost travelers asking for directions
a big white glider circling a hayfield
a stalk flying overhead
dragonflies
a dog barking loudly outside its gate
a mass of tadpoles swimming beneath pond weed
and a group of walkers who greeted me as i passed them by...

i'm looking forward to summer!

FLORAL WALL ART

I made a hand sculpted gerbera wall art a while ago. The single gerbera is mounted in a white box frame, which sets off the flower beautifully.

The wall art hangs just above my desk, so that every time i look up, i see a big bright gerbera bursting from its canvas. I feel like it's summer all year round!

Have a great weekend everyone! x

BRONZE WEDDING THEME

Bronze...
doesn't necessarily mean Autumn. It works just as beautifully with both Spring and Summer season. I've added my Bronze Gerbera Wedding Ring Pillow to this inspirational board. The metallic bronze adds a shimmery warmth, especially when mixed with a zesty orange, yellow and ivory, making the hues richer and more vibrant.

I love this hue as it feels very rustic and warm.

(images with thanks to Style Me Pretty, Intimate Weddings, Indian Proposal)

Anna Whitford Wedding Ring Pillow is Copyright Protected 2009.

MONDAY

isn't my favorite day of the week. Although when you receive a sweet message from a lovely friend saying that she will pop by with a batch of cupcakes, suddenly Monday doesn't seem so bad...!

This illustration made me smile today too.

Hope you're having a good Monday.

PERSONALISE YOUR STATIONARY

Like many, many others, i too am a big fan of the greeting card publisher Caroline Gardner. She has just released a range of personalised stationary in her famous quirky Caroline Gardner style...
and i simply love it!

You can choose from any of the unique printed background images that are featured on her site, i have picked a few of my favorites below. Then choose the quantity required. Orders will arrive with tissue and ribbon wrapped, presented in a keepsake box.

voilà!
a beautiful set of personalised stationary ready to send...
(or in my case, to admire and treasure!)

Have a great weekend everyone. x

1...2...3...

until i pack my bags and head off to the airport to not only see the most
AMAZING
guy ever, but jet off to Barcelona with him.

It's been nearly 7 months since i last saw him, and not a single day has gone by where he hasn't been missed.

1..2..3 weeks to go...!

A CRAFTY LITTLE CRAFT FAIR

I thought i would try something a little different and sell some end of line accessories at (what i was told) to be a very good craft fair. So early Sunday morning i went on my merry way, with a big box full of pretty little bits and pieces. On arrival, my grandest illusions were shattered after being confronted with a teeny tent that felt very unwelcoming. And the thought of spending all Sunday in the stuffy tent, with the warm sun gleaming outside, filled me with dread!

The (not so) glamorous marquee pitched on a hillside, with some fantastic countryside views.

I managed to sneak away from the crafty little tent to admire a huge range of stunning vintage cars. I don't know much about cars, but i can definitely appreciate these old charmers...

They remind me of faces. Each with their own little expression. Take a look at the little moon face on the right. Cute! I know...it's a car. But i can just image it winking at me...