In support of local artists …..

Tabitha Mary's Embankment Suspension Bridge print - image from the website

Back in March, I took my little ‘Evie and Lola’ business to Westoning Spring Market. It was a lovely event with lots of fabulous small businesses showcased – most of whom I have followed since, with interest.

The one that stood out to me the most was Tabitha Mary. A collection of really beautiful, modern illustrations of iconic places in the UK. I loved the style, and it fits in well with postcards I have been collecting on our caravan travels, with the intention of decorating the caravan with them, as a kind of log of our travels.

Back at that fair, I admired the art, but was disappointed that none of the pieces were of places special to our family. I made a note to myself to keep an eye on the website, in the hope that Tabitha would add a print that was relevant to us.

A few months later, I heard that Tabitha was exhibiting at one of my favourite, and certainly most frequented, cafes in Bedford – Pavilion in the Park. (whilst on that subject, if you life anywhere close to Bedford, you must go there!  it's beautiful both in the day; for breakfast, lunch or coffee, or even better; go along to one of their excellent Supper Clubs.  You won't be disappointed - I promise).

But back to Tabitha's collection … I loved every print, as I knew I would, but just couldn’t choose between the newly commissioned Bedford images.  So, I did what I almost never do; I spoke up, and asked for what I wanted. I e-mailed Tabitha, explained about my postcard collection, and asked if she could do postcard sized prints for me.

Tabitha Mary's Bedford Park print - image from the website

Of course, Tabitha was incredibly lovely and helpful, as most owners of small businesses are. She explained that she would print four images to a page, and directed me to her website to choose the ones I would like.

While on the website, I spotted the Kilimanjaro print. This immediately brought back memories of seeing that very view, from a hot air balloon, on our honeymoon, five and a half years ago. So along with the postcards, I had to order a customised version of that too. It was supposed to be a gift for my husband on our 6th anniversary, but when it arrived, I couldn’t wait that long, and gave it to him right away instead!

Tabitha Mary's Mt Kilimanjaro print - image from the website

So my point in this story is twofold; support small and local businesses – they are usually extremely happy to go the extra mile for you, and if you want something, speak up and ask for it. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

I was inspired to write this after reading this lovely post from Katie Gregory - another Bedford blogger, who also asked for what she wanted, which ultimately added to my choice of beautiful Bedford artworks to be displayed in my caravan. Go and have a read. Then check out Tabitha’s website and blog for yourself. And maybe even commission a piece for your own town!

Sisterhood of the World

My lovely friend Lucy over at Mrs Bishops Bakes and Banter tagged me in a bloggy question swap this morning. I was inspired by her questions, so thought I'd jump right in and answer them straight away.

1. What is your signature bake?

Well, this has changed recently, as has all of my baking and cooking, due to my diagnosis with Coeliac disease, four months ago. I am still really finding my feet with Gluten Free baking and there have certainly been some disasters, but I would say that there has been one resounding post GF success: Nigella's Flourless Chocolate and Lime cake with Margerita Cream. Oh my goodness, it is to die for! I think I have made it four times since my diagnosis and it is quite firmly my 'go to' cake for impressing people! It's so incredibly easy to make, and any leftover cream makes amazing ice cream, just shoved in the freezer.

2. If you had to choose only one film to watch for the rest of time, and no others, what would you choose?

My favourite film of all time: Forrest Gump. I love Tom Hanks in anything he's been in, but this is my favourite. I just think it's so clever the way they weaved in so much history.

3. What is your favourite home cooked dinner, and why?

Hands down, a good old roast dinner, with all the trimmings. I very rarely order a roast dinner when eating out, because I don't want to be disappointed. If I do say so myself, I make a mean roast dinner!

4. Do you have a favourite artist or piece of artwork?

Well, this a difficult one. I'm not really 'in to' art. That's not to say I don't appreciate it, I do, but I just like a nice picture on the wall. I don't remember who painted what, or spend time analysing a piece. I am more drawn to certain subjects or styles of art though, of course. I generally like papercut styles, art relating to the sea, or cows. I know, the cow thing is random, but I think they are beautiful looking creatures, with a really comical look about them. I'd just like to reassure you though, that I do not have a single picture of a cow in my house. I have often thought of having one large cow canvas in our kitchen, but I'm not some crazy lady that collects everything to do with cows!!

Oh, I've lied, there is one ... This photograph from our wedding weekend. I love it.

Slightly off topic, but while I was looking for that photograph, I found another from that day that I also love, and have to show you.

We had such a laugh with these pictures. This isn't our actual wedding day. I had a proper dress for the real day, but this was the day we signed the papers. I really must write a post about our wedding sometime.

5. What's your tipple of choice?

I love a nice glass of prosecco and wine in general. Cocktails wise, I can't resist a good mojito. Just last week, I went to a wine tasting event and discovered this little gem. It is delicious. If you're a Bedford resident, I implore you to head over to The Blue Glass in St Cuthberts Street and procure yourself a bottle. While you are there, talk to John, who is lovely and will help you find your perfect tipple.

6. Do you collect anything?

Not in terms of a proper 'collection', no. I always wanted to collect things as a child. My problem was, and still is, I generally don't maintain interest in one thing long enough to ever create a collection! My husband would tell you that I collect hobbies, and I have to agree. I am always starting something new, but never really stick at anything with quite the level of enthusiasm I had at the beginning. I think it's probably the learning and equipment gathering at the beginning that I enjoy, before moving on to the next thing!

7. What are you reading at the moment?

Following on from the last question, you won't be surprised to know that I generally have a number of books on the go at any one time. I don't get much time for reading these days, but the books I am currently part way through are:

Toast

Wheat Belly

Get Your Shit Together

As well as an undefined number of craft and cookery books that are in permanent rotation on our coffee table.

8. Do you have a dream job? Or are you lucky enough to already do your dream job?

I've had the same dream job for most of my adult life. It changes slightly over time, depending on my circumstances, but is always along the lines of running some kind of small holding, somewhere picturesque, with a lovely cafe, craft workshops, little shop, petting zoo (where we might rescue the odd abandoned waif or stray), beautiful guest accommodation and maybe a camping field. It may take retirement or a lottery win to make this happen, but hopefully I'll get there someday.

9. What is your favourite item of clothing in your current wardrobe and why?

I'm having something of an image crisis at the moment, so I'm not especially keen on anything in my current wardrobe (taking that to mean clothes that fit!) except my blue DM wedge boots, which are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I love my green Coco dress, but I've gained weight since making it, so I'm not really wearing it at the moment.

10. Who is your most embarrassing celebrity crush? (Let's face it girls, we're never too old for a crush!)

I have had a crush on Jon Bon Jovi since I was about 14. If ever I met him in real life it would probably be a huge let down. He's probably really short or something. And if he wasn't wearing leather trousers, I'd be really disappointed.

I don't think you could call this a crush exactly, but I have some weird kind of love for John Barrowman, especially as Captain Jack!

I do love a bit of Nick Knowles too. He's just the right mix of sensitive, caring, a bit craggy looking and blokey. Who doesn't love the 'rough guy in a designer suit' look?

Are they embarrassing enough? Because if you need embarrassing, I've got one last one for you. Mr Bloom! If you haven't got pre-school kids, you probably don't know who I'm talking about, but I know I'm not the only mum with a thing for Mr Bloom (see the Guardian's discussion on the subject, here). It's got to be the character though. The real life actor that plays him is probably a perfectly lovely man, but if he's not wearing Mr Bloom's wellies and hat, I'm not interested.

 

Thanks Lucy for the fun questions. I'm now supposed to tag 10 bloggers and ask my own 10 questions, but Lucy has already tagged most of the bloggers I would, so I'm going to open this up to my lovely readers. I would love to learn more about you. Please answer the questions above and link to your blog post, or leave your answers in the comments.

 

 

 

 

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Sheridan UK launch and a lovely day in London

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited down to London, to attend the press launch of the forthcoming autumn range from Sheridan UK.

I jumped at the chance to go along to this launch, for a number of reasons. First, my absolute favourite bed linen is from Sheridan. It's years old, but is still every bit as beautiful as the day I bought it. Second, I thought I might learn something about how to get a quality nights sleep, which is obviously very important to everyone, most of all parents! And finally, but by no means least important, I really wanted to spend some time in a posh hotel, being treated with lovely food and wine and generally having a blast. Sheridan certainly didn't disappoint on any of those things!

So I dropped the girls off at nursery and got the train down to London, treating myself to a coffee and a snack on the way! It's a while since I travelled down to London on my own, but I kind of miss the commute in a way. Easy to say when you're not doing it every day I suppose!

My train journey was made all the more pleasant because I met a lovely lady called Celia, and her sister who was visiting from Canada. Celia and I chatted away for the whole journey, very probably annoying the rest of the passengers! Celia and her sister had a fun-packed day ahead of them and Celia, if you're reading this, I hope you really enjoyed Wicked! What a change, to sit and chat to a stranger on a train. Most commuters avoid eye contact at all cost, burying their nose in their newspaper. Maybe it was because Celia and I were both travelling for pleasure, rather than commuting, that we were able to strike up a conversation, but it really think that commuting for work too, would be so much nicer if travellers struck up conversations with each other.

Anyway, enough of that. The launch was at the stunning Cafe Royal Hotel, on Regents Street. What a beautiful location. I was greeted by a doorman at the entrance, followed by porters at both entrance and exit of the lift. Now that's service - not even having to press the lift button yourself!

Once at the Sheridan suite, I was immediately welcomed with a glass of wine and a manicure. Lovely, this is the life! I sat watching the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly Circus below, whilst having my nails painted a lovely pistachio green colour. I even got to take the rest of the bottle home with me!

Just look how excited I look. Anyone would think I've never had a manicure before!

A mooch around the suite revealed numerous bathrooms and bedrooms, all kitted out in the absolutely stunning bed, bath and loungewear ranges from Sheridan. Here are just a few of my favourites:

The kids range is just beautiful. Really lovely quality and not too childish. I would gladly have any item from that range for myself and love it (ok, maybe not the sleep sacks!)

The loungewear just looked sooooo comfortable. It's lounge/sleep wear, but is absolutely nice enough to wear out of the house. If I owned this lovely soft waterfall cardigan, you might see me in it every day!

This was my absolute favourite of the bedding range. It's silk, and feels amazing, but I was also told that silk sheets and more specifically, pillow cases, are really good for your hair. They really help to calm some frizziness, as there's less friction between your hair and the pillow, when you're moving your head in your sleep. Well, who knew?? Certainly not me, but I could do with all the help I can get, to banish the frizz, so silk pillows are definitely on my wish list.

Speaking of wish list, I met a lovely man, Paul, from Quilts of Denmark, who supply the pillows and duvets to Sheridan. Now, I would not have expected to find a conversation about duvets and pillows to be interesting, but actually, there's a lot to learn. I learnt some really interesting things about how your bedding can help your sleep, but you 'll have to wait for another blog post for that. This one's about Sheridan!

After my mooch around, I was invited into the living area of the suite, for nibbles and canapés. Oh my goodness, the food was amazing!

I even bought a little bag of old school sweets home for the girls. Who remembers flying saucers??

A great benefit I hadn't expected from this event was the chance to meet some other bloggers and have a good natter. Some of these ladies were just as new as me in the blogging world, so it was really lovely to chat with them.

If all this decadence has left you wanting more, let me show you some more images of the new ranges for Sheridan in 2014 ..... Because they really are lovely!

I love this range. If you've been reading this blog a while, you'll know about my obsession with anything bird or deer related. This set would be just perfect for our little Lola.

How cool is this swinging bed??

And just in case you thought rope swing beds were just for girls .....

Lastly, these are for my lovely blogging friend, Lucy. She loves a bit of mustard and blue!

While we are talking about Lucy, she has just been short listed for a Loved by Parents blogging award. She us super excited by this, as am I, as her friend, and both she and I would be really grateful if you took a moment to click here and vote for her blog, Mrs Bishop's Bakes and Banter.

While you're doing the clickies, click on one of the little buttons on the right to follow my blog updates. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter too, my username is @Wannyrow. Then you will be sure not to miss the post about sleep and Quilts of Denmark!

Bye for now x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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