The Sneaky Magpie

I have been searching for a nice fabric for bedroom curtains. Ideally flowers in Bloomsbury Group style, something that would complement this 1930s house. I have looked over and over again through the curtain department at John Lewis but there was nothing that really stood out and felt right. I even fell in love with this Sanderson Dandelion Clocks pattern and then decided it is not right and also so overused everywhere else. My bedroom is in a desperate need of soft fabric and nice pattern, is is way too stern at the moment and bit echo-y too. So I am thinking flowers on the windows and navy stripes on the bed….

Anyway, the new Liberty fabrics are out and they are oh, so lovely. There is one in particular that I like so it’s time to save the pennies as I need a lot of them!

Here are my favorite ones:

Just imagine big Prada-esque skirts made of these?

My curtain number one is this Glencott House D Tana Lawn fabric:

And a major bed crush is this lovely Toast duvet cover mixed with white pillow cases and a contrasting throw:

The frost is here, which makes me think (and hope) there might be snow! There better be snow, I bought a nice wooden sledge for the boy and I am itching to use it.

The leeks and one lonely caovolo nero are looking rather pretty today.

In warmer and cozier news I have gone all peachy with this year’s make up and also, even more important make up news – Stila is back! There will be a counter at Harvey Nichols.

Above, Essie Tangerine nail varnish, Stila Major Lash mascara (the best mascara ever) and Stila blusher in Petunia. Cath Kidson hair accessory because since my son was born I have not been to a hairdresser and am now sporting a pony tail or a bun.

The interior got also bit orange-y with Orla Kiely’s cookie barrel and baking with strange rose petal macaroons. I am experimenting with red food colouring and rose petal essence.

We did a fair bit of decorating over the last couple of months, the staircase is looking very nice and is nearly nearly there. Here is a sneak peek – staircase in Charleston grey by Farrow&Ball, the Bloomsbury group’s favourite colour.When we moved here everything was badly painted including any brass and metal details. We started to uncover it all and it adds so much detail to the space.

Above decorations from:

Cath Kidston, Bombki, Paperchase, Pedlars , The National Gallery

Yesterday we went to our usual car boot sale and got few bits. Afterward we headed to Old London Road in Kingston. We popped into 37 Old London Road which was in one of the funnier episodes of Mary Queen of Shops, they have a very tasteful selection of old, new and reworked goods, some great tables and kitchen cabinets in particular. A world apart from their pre-Mary shop selling glass mules and a bathrobe clad son/shop assistant.

Next door is Kingston Antiques Centre which I passed by on several occasions but never stepped in, it looked closed. We went in and I thought I died and went to a vintage heaven – room after room crammed with antiques, every smallest nook filled to the brim, Victorian, Art Deco, Mid Century, modern M&S, it just went on and on, and there was another floor! Lo and behold – a Polish cafe to refresh yourself with a cup of instant cappuccino (yuck) and a bowl of home made chicken soup (delish).

We ended our trip at Princess Alice Hospice furniture store where we purchased a wardrobe, it comes on Wednesday and I cannot wait. After a year of a clothes rack and piles of shoe boxes scattered around the place this will be a brilliant improvement. Fingers crossed we can get it in!

Few purchases from the car boot fair.

Well, almost. The bicentenary of Dickens’s birth is coming up and we have all sort of treats lined up.

First of all, I am so excited about the BBC adaptation of Great Expectations this Christmas with Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham, Ray Winstone as Magwitch and David Suchet as Mr Jaggers. I am besides myself and cannot wait. I am starved of a good costume drama this autumn (season 2 of Dowton Abbey completely failed to engage me). In fact, we will be doubly treated to Great Expectations as there is also a silver screen version being shot with Helena Bonham Carter who, in my opinion, is the perfect Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Magwich who I am very curious about.

Most of us are familiar with Pip’s passionate love for Estella but I decided to refresh my memory and I am rereading this great novel. I downloaded the complete works of Charles Dickens to my Kindle for a mere £2 but you can go flash and get these luxurious Penguin Classics editions with fabric covers illustrated by Coralie Bickford-Smith at £10-15 per book or a full set for £100. A beautiful Christmas gift, don’t you think?

The box set includes A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Bleak House, A Christmas Carol and Hard Times.

The Charles Dickens Museum was closed up until this week for some restoration works so I went to check it out yesterday. I expected a higgledy-piggledy house with creaking stairs and dingy rooms. In reality it was a very orderly and tidy home.

We start our tour down in the basement where we find a cozy kitchen, a washroom and a library. Of course I was absolutely fascinated by the kitchen and it was my favorite room in the whole house.

The drawing room was such a happy place, it was all coziness, fun and love. You can imagine the Dickens family enjoying many chatty afternoons here. Just imagine Christmas in this place!

Mary Hogarth’s room had a beautiful gown on display.

The author’s desk.

The musem has got the best collection of Dickens memorabilia in the world.

There is a great museum shop with beautiful editions of Dickens’s works and the museum will be dressed up for Christmas with special events.

Last but not least we have the new biography by Claire Tomalin which I am looking forward to read.

We went to visit my mother-in-law in Carmarthenshire and join her annual Bonfire Night party. Freddie found the flickering bonfire hilarious but the fireworks failed to impress him.

My mother-in-law loves antiques, her house is like a treasure hunt, every nook has got something interesting. She restores and upholsters furniture so everything is unique.

Hubby’s college creation.

The great outdoors.

We also visited a great car boot sale, I wish we had a car! This is what we didn’t buy.

At last we have a dining table. Last year we sold our glass and chrome table and have been searching for something more suitable, something that would go with our chair and was more baby friendly.

We looked at many options on ebay but with all the changes in our life we never got round to buying one.

Then few months ago I got an email from my mother-in-law saying that their friend, a scavenger, had a drop-leaf Ercol table in a very good condition and it is ours if we want it. Of course we wanted it. The friend comes to London every month and was going to bring the table however months passed by and the table wasn’t here… A broken van. Bad weather. Many excuses.

At last it arrived last week and it looks great, it is the perfect size for our living room and it goes nicely with the chairs too.

Our bathroom is the most finished room by far, what it needs now are the right accessories and I just did another push on it. I must stress that windows and doors in the whole house are still to be repaired, we are waiting for good summer weather though.

The original bathroom was full on Art Deco, at first we loved it but when we looked closer it was too much, it was also not hygienic and with our baby that was a major problem. The walls were crumbling, there was no heating and it had the craziest accessories ever – a toilet roll holder and a tower rail, both with ashtrays.

So we got a couple of builders and six days later we were very happy owners of a brand new, sparkling clean bathroom.

Before.

After.

Before.

After.

We decided on a very simple look with the lovely metro wall tiles and Victorian floor tiles. This lamp shade traveled with us from our home in Amsterdam, it completes the look perfectly.

The baby bath will be gone soon to live in the nursery and serve as a toy storage. I love multifunctional things!

These two jars were bought at Liberty, originally meant for the kitchen but rather useless with flimsy clips to keep them shut (one lost during the house move made them even more annoying). They have a very pretty ornament at the front but impossible to photograph. I was very happy to make use of them in the bathroom. A traditional soap dish and shaving set also arrived from Amsterdam and the toothbrush glass is a drinking glass purchased at Labour&Wait.

At the moment I am looking for the perfect towels, something to sit neatly on the very skinny heater.

Few more things and the look will be complete. Obviously I need some of those to create the right relaxation mood.

At last our apple tree has blossomed and what a wonderful blossom it is!

I got a branch home.

And used jam jars (I collect for summer preserves) as vases. I am pretty pleased with the result.