Monday 22 October 2012

FABRIC PRINTING

It was with great excitement that I drove over the wild moors of Dartmoor to the house of a girl I had only met once.  Only a few weeks back had she called to see if she could come and print fabric with me and we had ended up concocting this plan that entailed me following on from my order of fabric and dyes to her more roomy house in Dartmoor.  So, you see I didnt really know what to expect, I was rather full of trepidation, but excited to at long last be giving fabric printing a go.  The results were wonderful....after a few days of hard graft - lino cutting, dye mixing, preparing fabric, experimenting, daring to wash the fabric, eating well, talking non stop - we were there...we got results and I was oh so delighted with mine.  I feel completely exhilarated to know that I can do it from my kitchen table....I want to do more, but of course I am now back at home with all the restraints of a young family (and my ever growing 6 month bump).....  I had planned to make our curtains, but now I wonder whether to chop the fabric up and make cushions to sell at the Christmas Fairs...hmmmm.

Here is a pictorial story of my epic jaunt to Widecombe-in-the- Moor
















Tuesday 25 September 2012

DECOREX

So, people get there kicks in different ways, I get mine out of browsing a fabric show and oohing and ahhing over all the lovely colours and patterns that I see.  Most inspiring.






My highlights had to be Penny Morrisons stand - watch out, one day I will be there too...but we also (I was with my 2 sisters) went to visit Soane ooh, so lovely, so sophisticated, so expensive!) and Raoul Textiles and it is always so lovely to see the charming Jean (Sallys son) in the shop.  I simply adore everything she does and have added yet more samples to my collection - one of which will become our new bedroom curtains, only how to choose which one!!
Another highlight was bumping into Marthe Armitage and her daughter - they seemed to remember me and we had a lovely chat - my sister happened to have one of her postcards of an interior that she had photographed, that my other sister had installed, that had MA wallpaper!!!
We also went and listened to the utterly bonkers Kathryn Ireland talking.....most enjoyable, because she is bonkers, but also because it was reassuring that she was 'one of us', she has worked hard to get to where she is, but as long as one has a little style and confidence then there is no reason why we cant do it too......(you may question my style when looking at my pink tights above!!!!).
So with a weighted bag and very sore feet, I returned to Sussex having had a very very enjoyable day....maybe next year I will be there with my own stand !?!?!

Monday 10 September 2012

CARA CONNELL PHOTOGRAPHY

We had our lovely friend Cara here at the weekend.  Check out her lovely shots she did of us.....if you like them as much as we do go check out her website and get her to do your family too....this will be a lovely memory of this stage in our lives, where we live, before the new baby arrives etc etc and especially the beautiful morning light that we get to enjoy here in sunny Sussex.
www.caraconnell.com








Friday 7 September 2012

VINTAGE VOGUE COVERS











I just love love love these.....look at the colours - right up to date in my mind - totally inspiring and the pictures are beautiful.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if the covers were still works of arts like these.....

Monday 3 September 2012

A LITTLE RANDOM INTERLUDE

Sometimes these random images collect on my desktop and just sit there while I ponder what to do with them..well, today is tidy up my computer day (yes, geeky I know, but I love it, its like spring cleaning the pantry)...so in order to take them off my Desktop I thought I would deposit them on to my blog....so excuse the randomness, but then perhaps its much like shopping in a Bric-a-Brac shop, you just never know what you are going to find next....and that is often such fun.

First off, a farm I found - somewhere I would rather like to live....I have no idea where it is, but I don't think I would mind - it just looks heavenly...

Next up my son who decided that that night he would rather bathe in the kitchen sink than in the bath...well why not..?

Third, my daughter, Lani took this shot - I thought it rather inspirational..
I have been delighted with our crop of Cosmos this year - a never ending vase of colour and happiness has sat on our kitchen table throughout the Summer....
A snippet of Vanderhurd fabric that I want for our bedroom curtains....
And lastly a rather charming tractor that I would have parked at the farm that I want/plan to live in one day!!  Did I mention that I am styling my life on Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang???  Simply my favourite film of the moment - I am still on a mission to track down the set designer and find out what happened to all the heavenly furniture, wallpapers etc afterwards....please don't tell me its sitting in a props room somewhere gathering dust....

Ahhh all clean and tidy at last!!  Such a good feeling, now for the pantry!



Thursday 30 August 2012

NEW PALETTE

I have been at a friends house today - she has this amazing ancient painting of the three Kings heading off to see the baby Jesus...the detail and the colours are inspiring and I am making a note to self to use these colours as the new palette for the next batch of stationery that I am about to produce....



Wednesday 29 August 2012

A LOVELY LITTLE PIECE

..about John Robshaw again!!, but I love the way it encompasses so much more than just fabric and pattern, this little trip has been a whole experience, good food, good company, inspiring objects, new faces, old faces, reverie and fun - somehow that it what I want to embody in the mollybydesign experience...you wont just get pretty wallpaper or pretty fabric, you will get a whole new way of living, an added enjoyment to your day, a good feeling, something that you want to return to....

Read this little blog, enjoy and be inspired...
http://www.toryburch.com/blog-post/blog-post,default,pg.html?bpid=61811

Friday 24 August 2012

AND SO THE LOVE AFFAIR CONTINUES...

Never will I tire of seeing new images of anything colourful, block printed, or even better both....herewith some more images to absorb and enjoy...... mollybydesign is hotting up and as the company becomes more established I get more excited about seeing it 'out there' for all to get their hands on....
The Christmas Fairs arent far away and I cant wait to see my table over flowing with the fruits of my labour....there will be so many lovely Christmas presents on offer, who will possibly be able to resist!!!







John Robshaw releases his new Fall collection www.johnrobshaw.com - utterly lovely.....