Present and Correct

There's something about the first of the month and a Monday morning that sends me into organisation overdrive. Definitely time for a sort out and some new lists. I've been obsessed with stationary since I was tiny. I can still remember with vivid clarity, the excitement at the end of each school holiday, when I would go to WH Smiths and buy a whole new pencil case filled with pens, rubbers, paper. Anything I could get my hands on. I would insist that it was the only way I could possibly go back to school happy.

Still today, a new notebook can make my day. I do try not to buy other notebooks and only use Willow Rose ones. But sometimes, I feel it's good to test out my competition. I've often dream of setting up a stationary boutique selling gorgeous cards, books and beautiful hand made papers.

I'm very excited by my latest find as unusually, they aren't going to bankrupt me. Well, individually at least... They would look very good en masse though.

There's a brilliant stationary company called Present and Correct who stock a huge range of vintage inspired notebooks. Just like you had at school. I adore the retro simplicity of them and think they will look particularly nice in my new office.

Colour block notebook. £5

Shapes Notebook. £4

Linen recipe book. £9.50

Diamond and Stripes Notebook. £4.50

Some of my Willow Rose notebook collection

www.presentandcorrect.com

www.willowroseboutique.com

Greg Kadel goes Tribal

I'm loving this over the top tribal shoot. It was shot by Greg Kadel for issue 124 of my fave mag Numero.

Daphne Groeneveld by Greg Kadel for Numéro #124. June/July 2011

Tresco Time

Our last week in Tresco has gone straight into the top three of our 'best holidays ever' list. I think it could be the most perfect place for Cubs in the World. He may only be 20 months old but I haven't yet, until now, been on a holiday or weekend away with him and found it remotely relaxing, for one second. We spent the whole week sitting on the white sandy beaches, with not one other person in sight. The Cub spent his time pottering around throwing rocks and shells or getting Chaz to make him sandcastle turtles he could jump on and destroy. A lot of eating, again. Obviously. Everyone always says you must sample the 'local cuisines' so I did a lot of that in the form of clotted cream and Cornish ice cream. Now that I'm having another Cub, all I seem to want to eat is cream so Cornwall really couldn't have been a more perfect destination. My day typically started with Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and clotted cream on top...

While we're on the subject of food, my new favourite find are Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's, River Cottage Yoghurts. The poshest yoghurts I've ever seen. Gorgeous, heavy glass jars - which I might have brought home to use as vases - with real fruit layered at the bottom. Doesn't sound that great but they are a real taste sesnsation. I'm slightly panicking about where I'm going to get them now I'm back in London.

Chaz with matching short and frisbee combo

Money raising on Tresco

The money snake

The Ghost ship

Love Mosaic made my Lucy Dorrien Smith

Pint of prawns caught by Chaz and Tom

www.tresco.co.uk

A Bientot!

I'm going away again for a week. This time to one of my most absolute favourite places in the World. Tresco, in the Scilly Isles. My family have been going since I was two years old and it now feels like my second home. It's tiny wee, only a mile long, has no cars, palm trees and white sand. And icy cold sea. And sells the most delicious Cornish clotted cream on the planet. I'm counting the seconds as we speak.

www.tresco.co.uk

Twinkle Toes

Everyone needs a sparkle in their life. Especially when it's been raining for the whole of July. And it comes in the form of a shoe.

I had a quick tripette to Zara this week and was dazzled by these full on, sequinned, gold ballet flats. Verging on fancy dress but essential nonetheless.

www.zara.com

sequinned ballerina

£49

Louise Body Paper Tiles

I've always loved the mish mash Moroccan tiled look and would love to do a huge wall of antique delft blue tiles in our new kitchen. One Delft tile costs about £20 so that idea's gone pretty quickly out the window. When I first saw Louise Body's wallpaper, I honestly thought that they were actual, proper tiles. So clever. And compared to the tiles, a bargain at £16/metre...

www.louisebody.com/papertiles