June

I can't quite believe it's the 1st of July tomorrow. Where is this year going?

June has been a long month, with so much going on at work and at home, but also feels like it's flown by. I've watched old friends and best friends tie the knot, enjoyed the first of this summer's BBQs, been back to Brighton a good few times, spent plenty of quality time with family and had a LOT of great food, while somehow still managing to stick to the diet and continue losing weight.

June, you've been great. But here's to July, which brings another wedding, birthday celebrations and a couple of long-awaited days off.

Time For Something New - Cath Kidston AW14

Last Wednesday and Thursday saw the culmination of our team’s efforts over the past few months as we held the Cath Kidston AW14 press show at Mercer Street Studios in Covent Garden. 

The theme of the show was ‘Time To’ with the motif of clocks and newspaper popping up throughout the collection. The newspaper print itself was inspired by the things Cath used to pick up at car boot sales and antique fairs when she first started – that all came wrapped in inky newspaper. 

When planning a press show (and I’ve planned a LOT over the past 6 years) it’s lovely to have something relevant to the collection that can lend itself well to the set build. Stacks of newspaper seemed like the perfect podium-like structures to display product on, and made great visual impact too.

Being the founder of the company newspaper - The Stanley Standard - made for a good feeling the first time I saw the newsprint design peppered with the same name, plus anything in black and white gets top marks in my book. 

For someone that's spent a great deal of time around the collection already, clear stand out products for me are the neon spot print leather stationery, the hedgehog doorstop we've affectionately named Mr Darcy, the Autumn Bloom dress and the squishy red leather Cinema bag. 

Not to forget the Townhouse print large tote bag with it's bright orange leather trim, just begging to have everything but the kitchen sink thrown into it. After this season's Brighton print luring me in with the charms of my hometown, the Townhouses print has come to tug at my heart strings again. Inspired by the candy-coloured houses of West London (in particular the beautiful Elgin Crescent) another of the places I call home has been immortalised in print, meaning of course I must have everything it adorns.

You'd think that after over 9 years working at CK, a printed bag might not be at the top of my wishlist, but there you'd be wrong. 

Images courtesy of Chris Ridley.

Currently Coveting - Rifle Paper Co x Hygge & West

I know, I know, I have a slight obsession with anything that Rifle Paper Co touch, but their new collaboration with Hygge & West is too good not to share. 

Screenprinted in Chicago, there are 6 prints available in 26 colourways, all begging to be hung on a feature wall or two. I mean, who doesn't want pineapples on their kitchen walls, or zebras and elephants running amok in their bathroom?

They start at $135 (£80) for a 30 foot roll, so while they won't completely break the bank they're definitely more of a considered purchase. I'm a strong believer in cost-per-wear, and if you think about how many times you glance at your walls over the course of a year, I think it's money well spent. Just call it cost-per-view.

Rifle Paper Co for Hygge & West, available here.



All images from here. 

Exploring Amsterdam - Centrum

I can't believe it's a over a month since we got back from Amsterdam, making it about time to write the last of my mini guides to the city. 

One major tip I'd give to anyone planning on visiting this amazing city is to make sure you pre-book your tickets to any of the museums you'd like to visit while you're there. We didn't know this and were met with a 1.5 hour-long queue to get into Anne Frank's House. It is a completely surreal and humbling place to visit and was worth every minute spent queuing, however if you're only spending a few days in Amsterdam you won't want to waste a few hours of it in a queue. In peak season it is recommended to book at least a few weeks in advance. 

The same goes for the Van Gogh Museum. We arrived in the museum district one morning to overhear that the queue to get in was over 2 hours long. Yikes. Instead, either pre book online or head to the kiosk next to the I Amsterdam monument and book a timed ticket for the following day, taking the time you would've spent queuing to enjoy the rest of central Amsterdam. 

We wandered down Staalstraat and stumbled upon Het Hanze Huis, a foodie's heaven. This little gem had shelves bursting with specialist food and drink items from around the world. I wanted to buy it all, but restrained myself and left with a package of Dutch waffles wrapped in red and white paper and stripy string, and a tin of appelstroop, a kind of Dutch apple syrup that is usually enjoyed on toast or pancakes, but I can't wait to try it with cheese. 

Across the way was the Droog, a relatively new addition to the area with it's hotel having only opened it's doors just over a year and a half ago in September 2012. We came out by Cafe de Jaren, a beautiful canal-side restaurant where you could easily while away an entire afternoon people-watching and soaking up the rays. It also has a lovely airy indoor area so is still worth a visit even on cloudy days, and much like everywhere else we visited in the city, the food was delicious. 

Amsterdam was a place I could've happily spent weeks and weeks more exploring, and hopefully I'll be back there sooner rather than later.