Secrets of a Butterfly

Hush is Lush

Ok so forgive the corny rhyming title ...i just had to use it because its so very very true! Yes lately i have been unable to keep to my normal shopping habits as i havent really had cause for clothes. Well not the going out type at least. So thats where Hush have come to my rescue. You see presently most days i am having to either rest on the bed or on the sofa downstairs. I want to wear comfy clothes nothing restrictive but i still want to look presentable if someone comes round. And i need a welcome break from Pyjamas! Though they do do the most gorgeous versions of those too in brushed cotton..

Hush produce the most well thought out lounge wear i have ever found. They have been going for quite some years now, statring out as a little leaflet if i remember and now have expanded to a beautiful catalogue shot in a dreamy location in Australia where the founder originates from. Many of the items come in various colourways, and this is what i like best, because they do soft rose and raspberry shades which i adore. Not just the usual run of the mill navy or greys.

There are sloppy jumpers, and cardigowns, leggings, sheepskin boots, and one of my favourites legwarmers, oh and slouchy stripey bedsocks too. Its easy to mix there pieces in with things you already own, so that they become things to go out in too. well maybe not in the bedsocks but you know what i mean ;)

I have had such a boost from wearing their pieces and layering them together in various ways depending on our ever changeable weather! You can see 2 of my buys above. I also have some trousers, and nightwear from previous seasons. I find the stuff washes and wears so well and it last. Their website is a treat to browse too. With some great finds in the gift section...more on that in another post.
  I have this dress above that goes with the stripey hat. I think you'll all love their stuff as much as i do, till next time, tc love kat x

 

 

Paper whites and soft cream roses

 

The frost is still heavy on the lawn in the back garden at its almost 4 o'clock! I am tucked up by the radiator typing away to you my friends and staying warm. My dad is in the next room listening to the football match on the radio.

I am drawn to paper whites at the moment. They are the small daffodil like flowers, (some in the picture above). So light and delicate. I saw some in Bloom and wanted to get the tiny arrangement they do. They make the most life like silk flowers you've ever seen and have also started the unique idea of mixing them with fresh ones. I am glad i waited as today an offer for 25% came with their brochure in the post. I have ordered them now, and a rose arrangement for mam (shhhh don't say anything its a secret) a picture is below.

   

Thats the thing about shopping early on the internet, sometimes the offers and sales don't come along till later and you can end up paying more for being well organised! But at the same time i need to do my shopping by mail because i've not been up to going to the shops for a few months. I am of course well practised at this having spent many a christmas this way. Its become much easier since the online shopping took off. 

Speaking of good offers Whistles has 25% off their clothing this weekend. I think Santa is getting me a cardigan from there ( ;

 I love their range this winter-since Jane Sheperdson(previously revamped Topshop) took over, and i expect more great designs will follow in the spring. The quality is excellent,equal to designer labels but at a fraction of the price...so i think they will do well because people are tending to buy things to last nowadays, as opposed to fast fashion that is made to be so cheap it doesnt hold its shape past a couple of wears,not to mention the fairtrade issues that evokes.

Since this post is taking on the theme of 'shop talk' i'll just share with youMy Violet Hill which is a web boutique (and real life shop too here in the Uk!) I found it while googling Lola Rose as you know i am a fan of her gemstone jewellery. Different places have different selections and i was really pleased to see some ones i hadnt seen anywhere else. I got this butterfly bracelet in their sale...and they also have some beautiful new black agate pieces. They have recently added some clothes to their website, by Dari Meya and Lipsy. Their service was brilliant, very fast and wonderfully presented. So i can recommend them to anyone searching for a jewellery gift.They also stock azuni and Alex Monroe among others.     Warm wishes kathryn x

Jigsaw pieces

 

Jigsaw opened today online,(after quite a wait!) so for quirky vintage style clothing with a distinctive british flavour why not take a browse, the photos within their look books have always been a favourite of mine........ Jigsaw There is also a US version of the site which you can buy from too. kat x

Country Style shopping

How much would you like to have a browse around this shop!!! wellthe next best thing is to visit their website its at Decorative Country Living. If you are lucky enough to live in Lincolnshire in the village of Caythorpe then you can visit it in reality too. They stock vintage items, antiques and homewares and best of all its all beautifully displayed. A real treasure trove. Some of my favourite items are below. But here's a few more of the shop first...

Mary i don't know if this village is within traveling distance from where you now live honey? but look they have a mirror thats gorgeous in the background of this photo!!

Here are my pics from the website- this heart is made from vintage fabrics, and they have the wire card holders in the shape of hearts too, infact a whole section devoted to heart things-perfect! i was also very impressed by the prices of the items.

well worth a little browse if your feeling in the mood for website window shopping, or even looking for a gift or item for your home.

Love from me!

Sweet butterfly dreams

Isnt this mirror lovely, i once saw one similar in The Pier but didnt buy it at the time, now i'm sotr of wishing i had. The photo is on the cover of Inside Out an Australian magazine. It has a great feature on Liza Giles a stylist at Designers Guild. Many people have blogged on her home, as Elle decoration have featured it before. This is one of the spreads....

I got a novel today here's what a reviewer said about it on amazon....

 31 Dream Street is about a lanky, likeable landlord called Toby whose kindness to others is both his undoing and the making of him. He has a house full of eccentric human debris who have come to rely on his kindness so much that they have in some cases, ceased to think for themselves. Into the fray comes his neighbour Leah, also being taken advantage of by her on/off boyfriend who is a little too comfortable living in her flat as he cheekily awaits his arranged marriage to someone else. I won't tell you how events unfold but all human life is here. You root for the likeaable characters and despair of the more foolish ones. Lisa Jewell is not judgemental and explains what makes even her most foolish and shallow charcaters tick. Toby is like an awkward chrysallis trying to become a butterfly and has an innate understanding of others who need to do this too.

Sounds good! I have been waiting for it to come out in paperback for a while, and am looking forward to getting into it. The last book i read was Memories of the Storm by Marcia Willett and i can really recommend that one. I like all of her books.

I have been up more and feeling better, i got some 70's style jeans from the new French Connection catalogue online and have not been out of them since they are so comfy!

Along with the 70's stuff, I like the new seasons Folk inspired trends,funny how that sort of boho look comes back round frequently. I might save for a dress fromOasis as i have a 20% off voucher that came in Glamour magazine this month. its worth checking out as there's offers for a few places in the magazine,as part of their National Glamour week in September, including asos and Warehouse. 20% off always makes such a difference.

Looking back at this post i see there is a blue and turquoise theme! i seem to be into blues just lately, whereas usually i'm more for pinks.

I had a string of hearts from my firend Anna. Hanna her cousin has some very similar,check out her display here  I tried them in a few places but could never find just the right spot till now.The thing is i'm sure i saw someone else have a string of hearts up like this on the bedstead,and thats what gave me the idea, but i can't re-find where! was it you??? A nice touch of blue against the pink i think.

till next time,sweet butterfly dreams, Kat xox

Pretty in pinks

                                                                              

These pretty flowers are from Jane Packer delivered i got them for my mam, we were very impressed with both the price and the quality. Having dealt with other flower deliveries in the past this one get top marks. There is a limited range but they have altered their pricing lately and there are some more affordable bouquets now compared to when they first began. So if you need to have flowers delivered over christmas you may want to check them out.

I went over to the boutique's the other day to give the girls their christmas gift and card. Kate gave me a mince pie heated up,it was yummy, i asked her where it was from and it was Sainsbury's taste the difference range. I don't always like every type of mince pie but this one was just right. I find that i like alot of Sainsbury's stuff,(its been better than Marksy's)since we've begun to use them with having a little local one open last January.

Here's Kates tree in Have to Love its a big one with plenty of roses and butterflies... i wasnt going to buy anything but i spotted a top that i liked and so got it to wear christmas day. Its black with some sparkly stones on the shoulders and a few down the front and it has wide short sleeves,like butterfly sleeves.

Quite alot of the stock is very party-ish there and the prices reflect that. As many people go there for special occassion wear or club wear. But Kate has all the good jeans to try out and has started to stock C&C California which do super soft jersy wear that i like.

The card i had sent her and shared with you last time was up on one of the shelves. My christmas cards have been selling well which i was both pleased and relieved about. it was my first christmas selling them so it was all new as to how well recieved they'd be. 

Our Christmas tree is finished i did it through the week so i'll post photos next time. On the drive back from the shops the sky was gorgeous i was taking photos thinking i want to share this with you as the colours were so pretty....love kat x 

Les Fleurs boutique

Bonjour!I have just been shopping in France! well not quite but more or less....my parcel arrived from Les Fleurs today. Its such a gorgeous shop with all sorts of pretty little things. Just the sort of thing i'd like one day. I found it through Mandy's blog as her belle and boo range is stocked there. Here's a look around inside isnt it a treasure of a place,magical! makes me want to put up more fairy lights...

I'll show you what i got and hope those recieving any at christmas won't have seen them on here. the bunny i chose for Nic my cousin, isnt it sweet, she wants a rabbit herself but her mum won't let her so i'm giving her this for christmas instead. this pretty postcard and some other small bits and pieces,some for new year gifts.arent the mini postcards divine! Lucie was very friendly on her emails and i think you'd enjoy browsing if you stop by anytime,everything is listed on her boutique site and she also has a blog. its in french but is very easy to follow by going by the pictures and clicking the links. Though you'd have to check if the shipping was to outside the EU.

I did quite alot of parceling yesterday. with many of my christmas giving being in the mail, it needs sorting quite ahead of time. I still have family gifts to get. I have books for part of my dad's, Eric Clapton is one. Not sure what to get my brother Neill this year.i have a pair of cufflinks so far, love and fleurs Kat x

Violets & lily of the valley

I LOVED this dress by Whistles since it came in at the start of the season. Even when it was reduced to half price i thought mmmh i better not since i had no dressy or special occasion in the near future to wear it to. But then the other day in House of fraser sale they had reduced it further to only £40 so i couldnt resist it for that! a saving of £100! Its such a pretty print violets and lily of the valley on silk.

The picture below is of a glass vase i got in Nothern lights gallery in Keswick,they had some lovely things and have quite a large selection avaliable online. i love how the light comes through it and brightens the colours Here is a photo of the outside... and the inside.. i got some wooden bowls here too for myself and for mam and dad. The beads in the picture above were from the Alpaca centre and handmade in Peru.And this one has some of my gemstones in..i love doing this sort of thing,like trays or dishes with pebbles in..where does that come from i wonder, i dont know, all i know is i like creating little displays and the gallery really touched my soul and made me think.. maybe i dont want a girly boutique, so much as a place where i can source and sell arts and crafts,things made with heart and soul,expressing love beauty and meaning in a multitude of ways unique to each artist. Its a dream and i hope it comes about one day. i hope youve enjoyed todays post with wishes K

Sunny yellow and pretty pink

if youre reading this from england at the moment we havent been having much sun so i thought we could all do with some brightness in the form of these sunny yellow tulips. They were just from the local shop but were amazing in that there were 3 or 4 flower heads to each stem i've never seen that with tulips before. I'm thinking of my brother just now as he's on his way to Australia now with a stop over in singapore. A long way to travel but i'm sure he and Deb will have a great trip and see many of the wonderful sights there.

Jenny came last week and i gave her one of my lace bracelets like i've given a few other friends. This one was blue as i know she likes that colour. It was a boost to see her and catch up on everything thats been changing in our lives as she also uses the same therapy i do for recovery.

I found this great little vintage inspired bracelet the other day in Halo in Jesmond. It was such a good price too,only £16 with an additional 20% off. The lady was really nice in there too as i had a sit down for a bit on one of the chairs There's another shop there called Lola L'amor which has beautiful clothes and many jeans by sass and bide which are my favourite fit. I got a white top from here thats like a t shirt but also a dress with leggings. plain with black stitching as a trim. I started with some flowers so i think i'll end with some too... speak soon,love Kat xxx

Have to love

Here's a close up of a shop door sign that Kate asked me to do for her boutique. Its somewhere i love to go and that has gorgeous clothes. They even stock Manoush which is quite a rare thing!and its my favourire label. They have some of my handmade cards there too. I'd really like to expand my handmade things once i am doing even better health wise. At present i just do things for fun.The boutique is going online soon havetolove    

Here's the other side of the sign with the web address. The other photograph shows inside the shop and  my cards out on the table. Its been such a big thing for me i'm really happy with them. They are all pinks and creams with vintage images on. I did them these colours to go in the shop well.

I may set up a etsy shop soon with a few cards and bracelets,i'll see how things go. Watch this space as they say.