Le Camping

We are camping for the summer in France, while we rent our house out. Here are a few photos from the last couple of weeks.

01. The first campsite we visited in lovely Brittany. 02. At our current campsite in the Gironde. Think pines and sandy beaches. 03 & 04. A technicolour rug on the forest floor. 05. Always looking for snacks. 06. We brought bikes to explore. So far we've cycled 300m to the beach every day. 07 & 08. Wren is fascinated by Bug Bingo. She uses it for matching and sorting bugs as well as playing the actual game. There are lots of real bugs here too.

Note: Wren's dress is by Pala Mino. Check out their new collection here.

Postcards 07

Happy 2014 everybody! Here are a few pictures from our Christmas and New Year break.

01. We rented a beautiful cottage in Wales with a couple of friends and their kids. The weather was wild and stormy so we stayed in and cooked lots of delicious food. 02 & 03. I love these traditional handmade Safi plates. They make everything look good and are available from Moroccan Bazaar. 04 & 05. In Wales we visited the Trefriw woolen mill. They make incredible Welsh blankets, these are a few of their vintage designs. 07. In search of a bit of heat we visited the Eden Project. It was a good move. The rainforest biome was so warm that my lens kept steaming over and I couldn't take many pictures. Next time I'm taking a picnic.

Postcards 06

1. Teddy helped me sort out the kid's craft cupboard. 2. The (messy) artist at work. 3. Helicopters. 4. A woven straw decoration that I found in the local charity shop. 5. Putting lights in places that little hands can't reach. 6. A new use for our oldest and biggest wooden bowl. 7. Playing on the beach, whatever the weather.

Postcards 05

Our endless summer seems to have finally come to an end. Autumn has rustled in and I am a little behind in posting my photos. Here are a few from the last days of summer...

1. Fred's feet on a beautiful rug. 2. A rainbow of glaze. 3. Swinging from a tree. 4. Sand pit playtime. 5 & 6. Wren loves the beach. 7. Din-dins. 8. Fred looking pensive. 9. Shoes off. 9. Scary shadow.

Postcards 04: Just So Festival

Last weekend we went to the Just So Festival at the beautiful Rode Hall in Cheshire, and let me tell you, it was more than just so, it was fantastic! The festival is for children and families of all ages and there is something there to capture everybody's imagination. There was storytelling, doll making, cowboy training, sandcastle building, crafts, camping, delicious food and fairies. For babies there was also a special "shiny things" tent, quiet areas and lots of bubbles! Wren and Fred both had a brilliant time as did we grown ups. Here are a few of our festival highlights...

1. Tipis. 2. The cowboy training area, which turned out many a fine cowboy and cowgirl. 3. Wren's festival styles. 4. Playing in the sand in the High Seas area. 5. Snack time. I failed to take photos of any of our food because I was too busy eating but it was all very delicious! 6. Watching a band sing songs about vegetables. They were surprisingly good! 7. A resident owl. 8. Craft tents in the woodland. 9. Magic. 10. Paper mushrooms under the trees. 11. Two bumblebees having a chat by the boathouse.

www.justsofestival.org.uk

Postcards 03

1. A rabbit at home. 2 & 3. Exploring car parks and stones. 4. We went to Bristol Zoo and saw penguins. 5. And seals. 6. Surprisingly the animatronic dinosaurs were Wren's favourite thing at the zoo and she made up a little dance to imitate them. 7. On safari looking for dinosaurs.

Postcards 02

Last week in London, we spent a lot of time getting to know the city's play parks. This one in Marylebone, at Paddington Street Gardens was our favourite.

1 & 4. Wren loves the slides. 2. Hostas in the courtyard of our block. 3. Paddington Street Gardens. 5. Spider's web. 6. This is how we do the swings - sibling style.

Wren's jacket is by Pala Mino.

What We (Wish We) Wore

Fred: Lolly raglan sleeve T-shirt by Tootsa MacGinty, Blue poplin coconut trousers by Caramel Baby & Child from I Dream Elephants. Rebecca: Yellow marl Stadium sweatshirt by Current/Elliott from My wardrobe, Quincy dungarees by Citizens of Humanity from Selfridges, Superga 2750 Cotu Classic trainers from Atterley Road. Wren: Blue and yellow striped silk dress by Maan from Liberty.

Illustration by Andrew Wightman.

Japanese Sewing Books

I love Japanese clothes but in England they are hard to find, expensive and unless you are extremely petite, usually a little on the small side. Thankfully, I just found these great new books called Feminine Wardrobe: Twenty-One Beautiful Skirts, Dresses and Tops for You to Make, and Stylish Dress Book: Simple Smocks, Dresses and Tops, so that I can now make my own! The books are part of a series of Japanese sewing books, all reprinted in English and published by Laurence King. They feature lots of very wearable clothes in simple shapes that have just the right amount of Japanese quirk to stop them being boring. The instructions come through a series of simple, step-by-step diagrams, as well as actual-size patterns included in the back so they are really easy to follow. I have my eye on several of the designs and hope to make a couple in the coming months.

Postcards 01

1. Local gnarl. 2. Rapunzel. 3. Fred and I enjoying some hammock time. 4 & 5. Gnomes in the woods at the Gnome Reserve & Wild Flower Garden. 6. Our very own gnome. 7. Playground antics. 8. Green.

A Few Photos...

1. & 2. Crafting at Tate St Ives. 3. The big difference between Fred and myself is that he loves the camera and I don't. 4. We had a photo shoot at the cottage for an exciting new project - I'll be able to reveal more soon. 5. Wren is so much fun, she's always up to mischief. 6. I sampled the most delicious jam and marmalade from the Jamsmith club.

The Set Table

I love beautifully set tables. By that I don't mean anything too fancy; just some nice plates and cutlery (it's fine if they are mismatched) with napkins and a few sprigs of flowers. Setting a table makes even the most simple meal feel special and having just read The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings by Hannah Shuckburgh, it's something I am going to make a bit more effort to do well. The book strikes just the right balance between inspirational and achievable and shows you how to set a beautiful table with modest resources. There are tips on choosing crockery and cutlery, suggestions for flowers and lighting, and advice on how to make all mealtimes that little bit more memorable. As well as Hannah's useful tips, the book also features lots of inspiring photographs, which make you want to grab some napkins, bake some bread and invite a few friends round. It's a good book and one that I'll be dipping into time and time again.

The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings is published by Cicada.

A Few Photos...

This week was all about Wren's birthday. She turned two on Tuesday and we celebrated with a little party at home over the weekend. It was very simple, just a couple of friends and we got the kids making pizzas. Wren was very lucky and got lots of nice presents; a Clothkits dolly and xylophone from her grandparents, some new crayons and books from friends and real, child-sized cooking equipment from us. It rained all day on her actual birthday, so we spent the day inside baking cakes and biscuits with her new tools.

1. Sprinkles. 2. Playing with new toys. 3. Party Fred. 4. Cloth Kitty. 5. Wren's biscuits.

I bought our great party plates, cups and hats from Molly-Meg.

How About?

How about Dahlia's? They are one of my favourite flowers and remind me of old men tending allotments wearing dungarees. Plant some now for lots of late summer flowers that are perfect for cutting and bringing inside. I like the garish bright colours best, but these soft white ones are pretty too.

Photo by Kara Rosenlund

A Few Photos...

1. Tiny toes. 2. Stripes. 3 & 5. I finally used my Christmas present - a trip to the St Moritz Cowshed spa - it was amazing! 4. Steely gaze. 6. Big toes. 7. Wild swimming. 8. The winding road home.

What We (Wish We) Wore

Andrew wanted to join in with What We (Wish We) Wore this week and he chose to wear a pea green suit by Gucci!! It's an odd choice for a man who lives in scruffy jeans and checked shirts but still, it's nice to see him smartening himself up! Since Andrew looks so dapper, the rest of us have had to make a bit more effort than normal too.

Wren: Paper bag costume by OMY Design & Play from Molly-Meg. Andrew: Cotton canvas green suit by Gucci from Mr Porter, White organic T-shirt from American Apparel and canvas shoes from Vans. Rebecca: V-neck shift dress by Richard Nicoll and sandals by Sam Edelman. Fred: Handmade turtle costume with a green babygrow and painted cardboard shell.

Illustration by Andrew Wightman

A Few Photos...

1. Fred flying. 2, 3 & 4. We took a day trip to Fowey. 5. A couple of new books for Wren Now I am Big and I Can Do It Myself by Stephen Krensky and Sara Gillingham. 6. Pear blossom in the garden. 7. Fred on a Liberty print patchwork blanket made by my Mum. 8. Running about in the garden. 9. Andrew's studio and log store.

A Few Photos...

1. Watching windmills blowing in the breeze. 2. Fred enjoying some spring sunshine. 3. Picking and eating lots of rhubarb from the garden. 4. We dug out this old rug from the attic that I designed with Stepevi a few years ago. 5. Learning new words with these animal alphabet flash cards by Lisa DeJohn. 6. Wren, always curious, always investigating. 7. Her new boots.

What We (Wish We) Wore

This is the first of a new regular blog series called What We (Wish We) Wore. Inspired by Gemma Correll and Sarah Dyer, it's a fun twist on the What We Wore photographs that I'm sure you will have seen on lots of other blogs. Now, I'm not really one for posing in photos and to be honest, my wardrobe has seen better days so this is a fun way for me to indulge in a little bit of fantasy dressing. It's also the start of a new collaboration between Andrew and myself. I'll be putting together the outfits and he'll be doing the drawing.

Fred: Striped romper by Agnes B. Kids. Rebecca: Indigo twill smock by MHL Margaret Howell, Petit New Standard jeans by APC, red almond toe pumps by Megumi Ochi at Couverture & The Garbstore. Wren: Pear print top by Bobo Choses, Banana print trousers by Indikidual, Cardigan hand knitted by Granny.

Illustration by Andrew Wightman

A Few Photos...

It's been ages since I've done one of these posts. We've been so busy that I forget to pick up the camera. I really want to change this though, because if nothing else, I want the memories to look back on in years to come. Here are a few things that we've been doing lately...

1, 5 & 6. Admiring the buildings at the Royal William Yard in Plymouth. 2. Making friends with watering cans. 3. Spring cleaning. 4. Smiling and growing. 7. Exploring the garden.