Kelli Anderson

Kelli Anderson is currently my biggest creative inspiration. An artist/designer, she spends her time experimenting with photography, print and cut, constantly creating genius new designs and experiences. I found her website a few weeks ago and cant stop going back for more.

My favourite of her designs is a wedding invitation she created on a handkerchief. A couple wanted an invitation that was functional but also something their guests could keep and treasure as a souvenir at the same time. The handkerchiefs are hand printed with a beautifully designed map, showing how to get to the wedding venue with special landmarks on the way.

Below is the end result. It's enough to make me want to renew my vows just so we can have something as cool as this second time round.

The finished product

The handkerchiefs before they were cut

Close up detail of the invitations

To see more of her genius ideas and how a step by step guide to how she makes them, have a look at

www.kellianderson.com

Wall Couture

It took me months and months of dilly dallying over which wallpaper to hang on our bedroom walls. When I finally made the decision I was overjoyed with my choice. Until now that is.

Always on the lookout for a new wallpaper, I could barely control my excitement when I was told about 'Second Hand Rose'. I was hooked on the name alone. But it's come with problems.

The first problem is that it's based in NYC. The second is that I now obviously want to rip down all my wallpaper and start again . Sorry Chaz.

Suzanne Lipschutz has been selling 'wall couture' from her shop for more that forty five years. Her collection is a sensation. From photos I've seen, the shop looks like a wallpaper pick n mix shop. Rolls are crammed in from floor to ceiling, bursting at the seams. Heaven. She has Over 2,500 original rolls from every era and every country imaginable. Which actually makes it pretty hard to decide. I think I need to go and have a look for myself. All in the name of research of course. Do feel free to send me your orders...

www.secondhandrose.com

230 5th Avenue, suite #510

New York, NY 10001

Bright Side of Life

I adore the colours and vibrancy of these images. Styled by Lo Bjurulf, an interior stylist at Agent Bauer in Stockholm, they're enough to brighten any grey February day.

The bottom three pictures are styled for non other than the lovely Ikea.

Wondrous Waddler

My friend Fin, the genius behind Fins shoes, sent me a link to this divine children's clothing company this morning. I am completely head over heels with the whole collection already. The Cub would look so divine in everything and some pieces - the Wolf Suit - even have his name on already. Literally made for him.

llama Chaleco £35

Mitten overalls £60

Wolf hooded jumper £42

All boys clothes from £35

www.waddler.co.uk

Wild for Whitstable

I'm still feeling slightly worse for wear after my birthday this weekend. I had been imagining one of those beautiful, crisp sunny winter mornings but woke on Saturday morning to horizontal, lashing, cold rain. Not going to be defeated by the typical February weather, sixteen of us met at Victoria train station armed with enough croissants, coffee, champagne and bagels to feed the whole station and hopped on the train to Whitstable. My brother Ned and his lovely girlfriend Anna had been a few times and suggested that a day trip to the Whitstable Oyster Company would be a great outing for my birthday. They couldn't have been more right and it's now my new favourite hang out. Whitstable is an adorable seaside town in Kent, only an hour and a half on the train from London. The main street is full of little crafty shops - has a homespun feel to it, old fashioned sweet shops, home made cupcakes, bric-a-brac shops...Ideal for pottering even in the pouring rain. The restaurant is bang on the sea front and on a good day you can sit and watch the fishermen bringing in their catch. It's all gorgeous white clapboard, red and white check table cloths and floor to ceiling windows looking out to sea - very Nantucket.

The food is great, all caught that day. The town is renowned for their oysters so we thought we would all share a huge platter and even the non-oyster fans (me) were converted by the end of lunch. I tried to be swanky by choosing lobster which was delicious but I was rather jealous of my brother Tom's posh fish and chips which were a proper sensation. Definitely having that next time. We spent the rest of the afternoon pottering around, trying to recreate the Burberry campaign on the cobbled beach -as you do, and hanging out in The Neptune, apparently 'the oldest pub in the land'.

I am already excited about our next outing, the lovely Dee from the restaurant has given us the details of a house that sleeps 20 on the beach...Im thinking June would be good.

Happy Friday xx

I cant work out if these are amazing or really hideous.

But I think I love them.

£50 DV by Dolce Vero at www.asos.com

Za Za for Zara

Everyone loves a handbag. Everyone really loves a gorgeous, bargain handbag. I have been seriously spoilt in the bag department in the past and if I do say so myself have a pretty impressive collection of designer beauties. Anyway since The Cub arrived it doesn't seem right to be spending a fortune on yet another bag. As much as I'm gagging for a new one - I cant believe I think like this now - a new Gucci number costs the same as a year supply of nappies. So I popped into Zara to get some of their very cool leopard print ballets shoes and ended up wondering round the shop clutching about five of the most gorgeous, well made, swanky looking handbags i'd seen in a long time. I was in a total frenzy of excitement. Obviously my new restrained self had to put them all back. Ok maybe I kept one, but they were seriously beautiful, 100% leather, Celine and Marni-esque bags. What was I meant to do? No one in a million years would be able to guess that they were from Zara. When I bumped into mega-stylist Martha Ward that night, swinging one of their red and gold studded pouches from her arm, no-one could believe that it wasn't a Marni creation. Most definitely worth a look. I promise.

Some of Zara's bags in stores at the moment

from £49

www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home/uk/en/zara-S2011

Happy Valentine's Day xx

Today is like Marmite. You either love it or hate it. I am a marketing man's dream and love Valentine's day. You could sell me anything heart shaped on most days of the year but come February 14th and I cant get enough pink, hearts, flowers, fluff - anything remotely romantic and I'm all over it. It's only 8.30am and already I've had a Ren Moroccan Rose bath, written two cards and a Valentines bbm to my husband, put on a flowery dress, and thought about making fried eggs in the heart shaped mould whilst sipping 'Love Tea' from Pukka. In my opinion, everything today should be rose tinted and happy. And all food should be heart shaped. Even Pizza Express has got into the swing of things this year with heart shaped dough balls.

Vintage Love Cushion from Angel Linens £90

Picture by Coulson Macleod £199 both from

www.notonthehighstreet.com

Crazy for Crochet

I'm having a crochet moment. It generally has a bit of a bad name. Someone says crochet and you think of grannies, doilies, that old musty smell. General fuddyduddyness.

This season though, there are so many beautiful crocheted pieces. Not just on bags but shoes, shorts, dresses, jumpers....everywhere you look, it's there, wanting to lure you in.

I've been a fan ever since my lovely friend at Gucci put a very rare and beautiful, cream, crocheted lace bag to one side for me. Only 150 were ever made so in my eyes not just a collectors item but an investment too.

Karl Lagerfeld's collection last Summer for Chanel was pure heaven for me. Properly artsy-crafty. The only problem was the price tags. The idea of coughing up thousands for something that I really could have made myself when I was twelve makes me feel like a lunatic.

In fact, I might just give it ago. There are 13 million articles on google offering to teach me 'how to crochet', so why not have a go?

Chanel Crochet S/S10

My favourite finds this week are a real bargain and seriously beautiful. Someone even stopped me and asked if they were Chanel yesterday.

Crochet ballet shoes by Topshop

£18

This crochet bunting garland from 'little tea wagon' on Etsy would be very at home in my kitchen.

Floral all the way

I am trying to remain calm about these

Ballet shoe + Flowers + Chanel = HEAVEN

A not so heavenly £583

www.chanel.com

Hail Jamie

As I've mentioned before, I adore reading about food. Cookbooks, takeout menus, recipe cards, other people's blogs, anything; I'm not fussy.

My kitchen shelves are bursting with cookbooks. One of my favorite things to do when I'm without the Cub is to go to Daunt bookshop and sit for hours in the cookery section, drooling over the new books. I seem to be drawn to the Aussie chefs most of the time. Donna Hay and Bill Granger feature a lot in my collection; I love the freshness of their ingredients, everything is so green and wholesome, you feel healthy just looking at the pictures.

Saying that, the newest and already favourite book in my kitchen is not written by an Aussie but the very British, brilliant, Jamie Oliver. Jamie really has excelled himself with his latest book 'Jamie's 30-Minute Meals'. The book is amazing - I cant really think of a better word to describe it. Other than maybe 'genius'. It is a collection of recipes for a whole meal- A main course, side dish, fancy drink and a pudding, that you are supposedly meant to be able to recreate in 30 minutes. It sounds impossible but every one I've tried so far works. Just.

Our best so far is the pan fried Sea bass filets with pancetta sweet potato and coriander shown above.

If you want to make the seabass creation, here's a link below which shows you how.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1312675/Jamie-Olivers-30-minute-meals-Sea-bass-pancetta-sweet-potato-mash-Asian-greens-berry-ice-cream-sparkling-lemon-ginger-drink.html

Morning Delight

I said the words 'bircher muesli' so many times on our holiday that now every time I so much as hint at it, Chaz practically falls asleep. So after a being back a week, I finally decided that last night was the night - perfect muesli-making-time.

It sounds quite tricky but it's really not at all. It's seriously quick and my delight this morning at not having boring old Bran Flakes well out weighed any hassle it was making it.

200 grams of oats

a large pot of plain yogurt (500ml)

4 apples, peeled and grated

half a lemon

some honey

any berries you like, I used raspberries, blueberries and blackberries

raisins or sultanas

pomegranate seeds

Evening.

Peel and grate the four apples and cover with a good squeeze of lemon juice to stop them going brown.

In another bowl mix all the oats, the plain yogurt, berries and raisins and then add the grated apple.

Cling film it up and put in the fridge overnight to let it do it's magic.

Morning.

If you've used the quantities above you'll have made quite a lot so siphon off as much as you like and then add a little more plain yogurt and honey until it's the consistency that you like. Apple juice is also delicious to add to make it slightly runnier. I sprinkled a few pomegranate seeds on top which added some very welcome juice explosions every now and then but you can pretty much add what ever you like, bananas will bulk it out if you're especially hungry.

And voila, you are ready to go, Bon Apetit!

Flower Power

D&G's latest spring/summer floral creations have got me all a fluster. I can't stop thinking about them. Most wanted is a very tiny playsuit in a beautiful, bright floral pattern. I cant imagine that it would get many an outing, maybe slinking around at home or hanging out at the beach, but it is such a thing of beauty. It would be like buying a piece of art. An investment.

The playsuit, second on the left, worn under a coat