Take a look at these glass bead beauties by London-based jeweller, Clara Francis. Small beaded hummingbird necklace in vintage green, left, £60; and large beaded hummingbird necklace in vintage pink, right, £140.
Best of British
November 01, 2009
Birdy pick of the week
Take a look at these glass bead beauties by London-based jeweller, Clara Francis. Small beaded hummingbird necklace in vintage green, left, £60; and large beaded hummingbird necklace in vintage pink, right, £140.
October 27, 2009
What to take home: Fortnum's Honey
Fortnum & Mason is one of my first stops if I’m looking for something quintessentially London to send to family and friends in Australia – whether it’s a canister of their iconic tea or a jar of Rose Petal Jelly.
Now I can add Fortnum’s honey to the list, which is actually harvested from the hives on top of the building in Piccadilly. I love the idea of bees getting busy high above the bustle of Piccadilly. The bees feast on pollen in the nearby gardens of Green Park, Hyde Park, and Buckingham Palace, and the honey is limited to just 400 jars. But apparently there has been a rush on pre-orders, so there are just 60 precious jars left.* Available now for £10.
Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly
London W1A 1ER
Tel. 020 7734 8040
Nearest Tubes: Piccadilly and Green Park
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
* NB. I've just been informed by Fortnum's PR that there's been such a buzz (sorry, couldn't resist) about the honey, that stocks may in fact be depleted. Best to call customer services on 0845 300 1707 first. If they're out of stock you can put your name on the waiting list for the next harvest. Can you imagine? The bees have a freakin' waiting list!
October 26, 2009
Wee find: Love Lane Caravans
I stumbled across Love Lane Caravans via the lovely @pipnstuff on Twitter, and was instantly charmed by the rustic romanticism of hiring a lovingly restored classic caravan in Cornwall.
Each caravan has been fully kitted out to suit the period, and comes complete with linen, BBQ equipment and outdoor seating. The website also lists a number of excellent campsites around Cornwall.
The ‘70s style caravan brings back some of my earliest childhood memories of camping around Europe with my family in the summer of 1977. I was only three at the time, but I do vaguely remember picking wildflowers with my sister at the side of the road, and scouting out each campsite for the nearest playground. In fact, my brother rated each campsite according to the pool/playground factor. Here are some of the photos I've dug out of the family album...
Check out the groovy mustard curtains! But this was camping at its most basic – there were no mod-cons, toilet or shower on board – and my parents had to contend with three children under the age of 13. I’ve never been camping since then, but that trip has become the stuff of family legend and will stay with me forever...
Cartshed Cottage
Retallack Farm
Constantine
Cornwall TR11 5PW
Tel. +44 (0)1326 340406
Email: [email protected]
October 22, 2009
What to take home: Pedlars British cushions
These new 'I love London' and UK map cushions have just arrived in-store at Pedlars. I'd love to scatter a great big clump of them on my sofa! Featuring felt appliqued designs and super-lovely blanket-stitched edges, they're priced from £94.95.
Click here to read about my Pedlars shop tour.
Pedlars
128 Talbot Road
London W11 1JA
Tel. 7727 7799
Nearest tube: Ladbroke Grove
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 11am-5pm
October 18, 2009
Wee find: Mine
This is MINE's spring/summer 2010 collection by Katherine Pont, one of the up-and-coming designers at Swanfield (see my post about the pop-up shop below). Featuring exquisite hand-drawn prints and embroidery, it's her most accomplished and cohesive collection to date. Entitled 'Tick Tock Order', it's all very quirky and whimsical, with fantastic attention to detail. Love the very sweet harlequin-bunting trim on the collars and cuffs, as well as the art-deco influence on the hand-drawn prints.
EDIT: This collection will be out in early 2010 for spring, but you will find Mine's current autumn/winter collection at Swanfield now.
Swanfield (until the end of Oct)
1.2 Kingly Court
London, W1
Tel. 07595640403
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus.
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am-7pm
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