Colourful new arrivals at Pedlars

Love these new items on the ever stylish Pedlars menu.

Totally can't afford this gorgeous, colourful Folkware crockery (because it's only for sale as a complete set, of 18 pieces, for £245. Sigh.) 

By way of compensation if you, too, can't currently justify a brand new dinner set – equally colourful, and available individually, are these lush POP mugs. They are a whopping half pint size (I have some other Pedlars mugs the same shape and always have the best morning cuppa from them) and have cute slogans on the bases – such as 'Lightbulb', 'Kiss Me' and 'Ice Cream'... yum. Each mug costs £13.95. Build your collection slowly. 

There are lots of other goodies in the new summer range on the Pedlars website, including some lovely retro-style city prints in frames... 

Five favourite Easter thingies

I'm not a big Easter celebration sort... but I could be tempted by some of the sweet bunny-egg-chick themed things in the shops right now. Hard to resist...

1. Our Workshop is a lovely place to browse online for handmade and vintage goodies. And these egg-shaped salt and pepper shakers, just £3.50 would not only give a sweet Easter twist to your Sunday lunch – but you could use them all year round.

2. These Russian chicks, £10 (set of four), from John Lewis are totally pointless but make for a dinky festive mantlepiece adornment. And kids will love playing with them too.

3. Simple but stylish, no? Wooden bunny ears egg-cup , £10.95 from Not on the High Street (check out their sweet Easter egg cosies too)

4. I had a bit of a bonanza window shop at NOTH (or should that be eggs-travaganza, ba-boom). These dinky crocheted chick egg holders, £1.50 each, are adorable though, how could I resist? Perfect for a children's egg hunt, or simply on the table for breakfast or a small, chocolate-y pudding...

5. Do you need bunny-shaped Easter bunting? YES YOU DO! Get yours from Etsy, around £3.30 per garland, plus £1.57 for postage.

PS – if you're looking for cute Easter cards to send, try Claire Giles. Lovely graphics.

Shop at Shelf

I've just been doing a lot of window-shopping at Shelf. If you don't already know it, do have a browse – there are lots of differently priced things, from Matt Pugh's Wooden Owls, £32.50 (middle image) to Emily Warren's weirdly wonderful papier mache wall hangings (top three images), which weigh in at £205 a piece. 

It was those that led me to Shelf, in fact, as I have just been sent a copy of the very cool new book, Casual Living, by Judith Wilson (Ryland Peters & Small) – in which one home featured has a whole family of Warren's paper creations looking down, a little scarily, from a wall. Looks brilliant.

The birds at the bottom are Frerk Muller mugs, £12 each, fine porcelain – and the ravens were originally created by the German illustrator in 1978. Love the OFFCUT Design door wedges, too. They're £12.50 each and are made from discarded laminate and oak. The design is based on a 180° protractor (seen in full, above) with each wedge depicting a different section showing their 12° angle.

Five favourite clocks

On our search for this week's Five Favourite Friday items, we found too many lovely clocks. So this may have to be the first of several posts rounding up the best...


1. Green retro alarm clock, £19.99
You wouldn't mind waking up to this dinky green 50s-style alarm clock, would you? It's from Brighton shop, Pussy Home Boutique – and the bargain of the bunch.


2. Elephant Clock £43.17 (excluding shipping)

This elephant clock by Etsy store, DecoLab, is cut from eco-friendly bamboo and would look lovely in a child's room. Check out their other animal-shaped clocks too.

3. Newgate clock, £80

This Newgate clock from Pedlars is timelessly simple and just very cool indeed. And it’ll last forever.

4. Half-time cuckoo clock, £165

This this slick lacquered wood cuckoo – available in black, green or red too – from Found Interiors gives the genre a whole new twist. Not cheap, but very lovely. 

5. 1980s Czechoslovakian wall clock, £165

Find this gorgeously unusual wooden clock (which measures 39cm x 39cm x 4cm deep) at Clock Props. And be warned, the place is a tempting treasure trove – but not cheap. Not feeling flush? Try this recently-discovered little secret – the British Heart Foundation's eBay shop! Here are its vintage clocks (starting price, £2.99). Love the Westclox 'Big Ben'.

Edited by Hayley Simpson

Best of British

Ziggi Ziggi is a new discovery. Lots of cheap and very cheerful homewares – including this range of British-themed chinaware (there's lots more, including different plates, King's Road mugs and a Royal teapot, but these are my favourites). 

The online store also has a brilliant "shop by colour" facility. Genius. 

But back to British: Fish & chips mug, £4.95; Brittania dinner plate, £5.95; Brittania eggcup, £4.95 

Five favourite salt and pepper sets

Splashing out on a cruet set could seem extravagant, but what other artwork can you use every day in the kitchen? Besides – you don't have to go for the £43 duo, one of these beauties is just £8...

1. Bye bye birdie... couldn't resist a bit of Mad Men nostalgia, and these vintage-like ceramic tweetiepies wouldn't look out of place in an early sixties kitchen. Rather marvellously, they're not vintage – meaning more of you can get your mitts on them. Better still, they are just £8 a set, from the new Urban Outfitters homewares department. For a slicker, more contemporary bird-themed cruet arrangement, try these quirky little ones by Koziol, an interesting German design firm, available at Heal's, for £26.

2. Love the sleek sixties feel of this salt/pepper mills by David Mellor Designs (especially the red ones). They remind me of some of the images in the gorgeous sixties illustrations book by Fiell, featured in a previous post – you can just see it on the kitchen table in that top picture, can't you? £28 for the 12.5cm one, or the 25cm version is £35.

3. These cloud shaped salt and pepper shakers will be the focus of the dinner table, whatever the weather. A steal at only £12 from the V&A shop.

4. Shake a little bit of history: this early 70s set would be a bold addition to any table top and – though they're originals – there are two sets on sale (the other is in red). Both are £25 from the fabulous online vintage emporium, Pip’s Trip, with only a few scratches and scuffs. If you miss out on these, eBay has a whole bundle of alternatives for a rummage.

5. These friendly felines are £43 from Jonathan Adler’s range in Heal's (pricey but highly collectable). Sold in cute little gift boxes they would make for perfect presents. There is an even greater selection on Adler's own website, but not all are available in the UK. Like his styl? Check out his range of decoration books – really love this one on Happy Chic Colours.

Thanks to Hayley for her hard cruet hunting work

A big apple! Sweet storage from Our Workshop

I've been spending a LOT of time in my office in the last few months. And my desk – particularly as it is not large – is always full of notebooks, Post-its, a diary open at the right page, business cards, to-do lists... all things that I need to hand, but which look a mess when I (finally) turn off the light and go and do something else. It'd be great to be able to bung the whole lot in something that would hide them all – if only for the illusion of looking tidy. And this lovely Granny Smith storage container, from Our Workshop, could be the answer...

Think it could also make great bathroom storage if you have a suitable shelf or ledge (sponges and soaps and razors are all ugly things to have lying around the bath if you can avoid it). Or in the bedroom to bung all your make-up in, or even the kitchen – for teabags.

Brilliantly, it comes in red, too, and in two different sizes: 20cm x 20cm for £20.50 and 300cm x 300cm for £43.

Animal-themed interiors

The wonky-legged pup was being particularly charming today – and it doesn't take much to make me come over all animal-y. That did it. So thought I'd do a round up of some favourite four-legged items for the home. A couple of things I've had my eye on for a while...

1. This Bitossi dachshund  (or 'Hound No. 44' as he's affectionately known) is part of the Rimini Blu collection created in the early 1950s by Aldo Londi who was, at the time, art director of Bitossi ceramics. There's a whole menagerie available alongside him at SCP but he is one of the cheapest – he's £30.71 and measures 24cm high – and, I think, the best.

2. Oh 'Urban Fox' how innocent and wholesome you look on this sweet Lisa Jones bone china mug. Nothing like the rangy and mange-y specimens that prowl the city streets round these parts, bin riffling, courting deafeningly and cat scaring. £12.50 from Hunkydory Home.

3. It is only as I type now, that I see I have osmotically been drawn to a double dachshund situation. That is what happens when I spend time with my 99-year-old granny and we talk about bad husbands and the short-legged succession of expensive dogs she always much preferred (spouses and canines, I should add, all hers). This 50x50cm cushion is just a tenner from Habitat.

4. Want this lamp. Want this lamp. Want this lamp. Why oh why is it £79 (from Liberty)? The long lasting joy it would bring its owner would surely justify the cost. But, just in case, I've also found that Good Gracious sell almost as nice versions (and in different colours) for just £39.99. They're currently out of the white ones though (just red, pink and green). But Caravan have them at £49.99. * NEWS: GG have white rabbits back in stock – and they are, I'm reliably informed, the very same as the Liberty ones!

More affordable art

Yesterday I blogged about some gorgeous Panda-based prints for a child's room from A Little Bit of Art. Just after I'd posted it, I couldn't resist a bit more window shopping on the site and dug out a few more goodies. I wouldn't usually blog about the same shop or site twice in a row – but there was just so much more there and I needed to justify the very long time I spent thinking, "want that"... "want that"... "want that"...

For the small dog in my life, I had to start with this super sweet and slightly kitsch canine covered number under the banner Collection of Joy (£20, A3 size, open edition digital print).

And it's not only prints for walls that the shop sells. LOVE this plate! (It's £30 and 250mm diameter.) There are some tea-towels and other illustrated accessories for sale on the site too.

And these fishing boats are just great, aren't they? By artist Hanna Melin, it costs £60.

And this is just brilliant. Love the dayglo tinge. It's by Robert Rubbish, costs £50 (48cm x 64cm, signed, limited edition screenprint of 200). I really want it.

Christmas after-glow

Me and my lovely ma in my professionally festive-upped
sitting room (which all makes sense here)

It's been a bit of an extended festive break (mainly due to it not being a break but full of work, but hey-ho, spring holidays beckon...). But we're back - with a round-up of some of my Christmas homes-y highlights for starters, and lots more exciting stuff in the pipeline.

I'd love to hear (and see) everyone else's festive highlights too - whether a great recipe, beautifully set table, moment of tree brilliance, inspired gifts, pretty wrapping... Why not get in touch via Facebook?

In the meantime, here are some of mine:

Yummy five-spice beetroot/vodka soup I adapted a couple of recipes to come up with my best ever beetroot based soup. In a nutshell - garlic, lots of ginger, some red chilli - dried or fresh, and Chinese five-spice, fried gently with an onion; raw, chopped and peeled beetroot and potatoes and a carrot or two if you have some (about a 3/2 ratio for the first two respectively) chucked in the pan for a few minutes; add some vegetable stock, boil then simmer until the veg is cooked. Season and blitz. Squeeze in some lemon juice before serving in bowls over a small shot of vodka. I swirled yoghurt on top, sprinkled with fresh coriander, and made garlic pitta bread strips for dipping. So, so good.

Bargain candles The tacky, panic-bought cinnamon-scented candles from the pound shop actually smelled rather delicious. Just goes to show it's sometimes worth a punt. But a safer bet is this Celery & Herb tin, £8.65, which created a surprisingly sophisticated, unsweet scent (the antidote to the cinnamon ones). The St Eval candle also comes in other lovely non-sickly flavours - such as Bay & Rosemary, Thyme & Mint and Bergamot & Nettle.

My new sofa The pre-Christmas sale at DFS was GREAT (and that's a place I never imagined I'd shop having only ever seen scary looking leather contraptions that move or seem to be designed with aesthetics as the last consideration in their adverts). Having only ever had second-hand and not very comfortable lounging options, this has been a revelation - and was perfect for the festive flu and Poirot marathon I had just after Christmas. Yes, I was shamelessly seduced by the idea of paying a around a tenner a month for pretty much the rest of my life to get my hands on the beautiful, rather Fifties-ish corner sofa you can see my father modelling (left) on Christmas day as he opened his presents from Action Posters. The Candice corner sofa is still available, though (sorry!) the price has gone up again, quite a lot (it's now £1558). But their interest-free credit is quite something - and the next sale is surely just around the corner.

New bowls LOVE these small wooden bowls (left) I found in a charity shop last Autumn for about £2 each. They remind me of the comforting wooden plates my parents had when I was little and I finally got them out at Christmas (to serve the beetroot soup in). I have hunted around and can't find anything quite the same (unless it's really expensive) but I did find these gorgeous mango wood bowls (above) with colourful exteriors (£13 each) from OurWorkshop (a brilliant, brilliant online store where the stylish wares are lovingly handmade).

Lovely Christmas stylings

How beautifully wrapped are these presents? They're from my dear friend Holly – whose family my family and I spent Christmas day with. And how clever of her to know that the blue of the envelope my card was in would so perfectly match my leg and footwear combo of the day. She wrapped my beautiful gifts (more of which imminently) in the stock and shares pages of the Financial Times. Simple but Lovely.

Great Brazilian lace table cloth - ready for the ginormous roast Christmas goose Holly cooked (my own freaky but reassuringly non-nut loaf style vegetarian creation for me - involving stuffing mix, whole cranberries, liquidised Quorn pieces (not mince) – for bounce, oyster mushrooms, and broken up chestnuts). When pudding came around, we all had chic mismatched plates collected over years, like..

this one, around £12, from Elfi KDO

and this one, £19.99, from the London Transport Museum (it's Park Royal Station, which is rather spectacular)

and this one, £20.50, from Donna Wilson

The chef – with my favourite saucepan ever (and a cunningly matching outfit). Try eBay for similar

What a brilliant Christmas tree. "A dog's dinner" said Holly's mother. How mean! I think it's most stylish. Oh, and on the left you can just see the Christmas moustaches  – so much more fun than festive paper hats

The end of New Year's Eve. A slice of home-made bread and a cup of tea (or coffee) from a cute pot. Circus in Brixton Village is always full of such items, and Oxfam online is also a treasure trove of the things if you are a patient rummager

Deal with Christmas cheese in a compact space by putting it on a cake stand. All this lot was from the John Lewis festive Nordic range (love the robin).

A random selection of baubles – sticking to the same colour or style helps mixing them up. And three is the magic stylist's trick for a good display.

Last-minute Christmas decorating!

Been meaning to post this shoot of my festive-ed up house up since it was published, last Sunday, in the Independent's New Review magazine.

It's a piece about how to decorate your house for Christmas at the last minute. There are some seriously low-effort, time-poor suggestions in it - though not one of my favourites which there wasn't room for, as suggested by Sarah Dare, from John Lewis, who came to share her expertise and some lovely Nordic style festive furnishings:

No tree decorations? Cut up some tinsel in the same colour into little snippets, and simply chuck it at your fir. Genius.

Photos by the lovely Rachael Smith

Budget-friendly Christmas gift guide

Some generally quite affordable nice interiors-ish things that I think would make great gifts... would love to hear what you think, if you got any of them, who you bought them for. Will no doubt be adding more shortly.

Who for Busy parents who'd appreciate an excuse not to display Auntie Dot's cat calendar this year; architecture students; style conscious entrepreneurs; organised eco bods

Where from The Peanut Vendor 

How much £12

What This no-nonsense wall planner measures 70cm x 100cm and is by Crispin Finn design studio – who apparently only design in red, white and blue. It's 100% recycled and comes beautifully packaged. A great stocking filler or chic Secret Santa.

Who for The chap – or chapess – who appreciates the finer things in life; the friend who throws slightly intimidating dinner parties in her/his uncluttered home; the cognac connoisseur; the friend who has everything
Where from  Boudie and Fou
How much £35
What These deliciously touchable brandy glasses by Normann Copenhagen are specifically designed to "enhance bouquet, temperature and volume" of the cognac, apparently.  If you're buying for someone with lady-sized hands – they also do a smaller version.

*ONE-OFF*
Who for Craft nuts; vintage sewing fans
Where from The OK Corral 
How much £5
What Totally loving this online shop right now. And this book would be a lovely, unique gift for crafty friends or relatives. Not only does it have a marvellously retro cover (it was first printed in 1978) but it is also wildly practical – with tips for knitting, sewing, crocheting and more (it even includes patterns). It's a one-off so no guarantee it'll still be there – but do browse the site's other vintage books,  or try eBay or if you have the patience to rummage, Oxfam Books online has some gems too.

Who for  Children saving for a rainy day; grown-ups who'd like to look at a nice owl sitting on their mantlepiece
Where from  Habitat
How much £10
What It's from the kids' department – he's a moneybox – but this super cute retro styled owl would make just as lovely a present for a full sized people, in the ornament department. Thanks to cunning shopping friend, Holly, for this genius idea.

* ONE-OFF *
Who for Anyone who's just moved house; a chap who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty; the guy with a new home and no clue what to do with it; a single gal (or co-habitee of the former) needing some DIY tips; a young man about to be unleashed into responsible life
Where from The OK Corral 
How much £5
What A thoughtful secondhand book – particularly of the non-fiction variety – can solve the trickiest gift conundrums. This 1913-20 bible of manly skills covers everything from polishing shoes to mixing your own paints. And it's a piece of history! A total bargain to boot. See above for links to some other places to shop around for more of the same.

Who for A man with a home office; a stylish bachelor; aspiring gentlemen; fans of spy novels; probably not someone working in a call centre or the armed forces, the police or at sea
Where from  The V & A shop
How much £15 unframed (try Eframe for affordable non-standard sized frames to order)
What This cool, manly poster features the nautical flag and Nato alphabets. It'd be perfect hung near a popular telephoning spot – for translating call centre interpretations of the spelling of one's name without hesitation. It measures 297cm x 420cm.

Who for Clean, serene design freaks; loveable hypochondriacs; a couple with a newborn and an sleekly designed nursery; chic eco warriors; the stylish in-laws; nature nuts; subscribers to Inhabitat 
Where from  Super-Collider store 
How much £129
What This is Andrea. She looks nice, doesn't she? As well as that, she also purifies your air – in the most natural way known to nature, by filtering toxins through her planty fronds and roots. Only she's a super pimped plant, with NASA research behind her creation – and French designer, Mattieu Lehanneur behind her sleek style. Super-Collider is a sexy science-y organisation that has lots more than gifts going on. Check it out.

Who for The sort of friend who might own a cake stand and drink tea out of proper cups; a no-nonsense kitchen whizz; parents who sit down to breakfast with their toast in a rack; owners of a country-style kitchen
Where from Labour & Wait (click on "all products")
How much £14
What This glass butter dish, made from an original 1950s mould, is a classic bit of design. It's lovely and almost transcends taste; a bit of a no-risk gift for any of the above and many more.

Who for A person in whose kitchen yellow won't clash; a mid-century modern loving friend/sister-in-law/mother; someone who happens to live in a town full of Northern European style townhouses like the ones on the tea towel, or is moving from the country to the town – that would be sweet
Where from Lisa Jones Studio
How much £10
What Love this "Town" tea towel and the way it looks like a chocolate box Swiss village, just waiting for snow to fall. It's 100% fairtrade organic cotton, too.

Who for Storage nerds; those with allotments; that person you know who has a whole cupboard full of bags for life they keep forgetting to take out
Where from Habitat 
How much £15
What Technically it's a bag. But I love the idea of it as the place you dump all that unsightly guff you walk through the door with (keys, bicycle lights, dog lead etc.) – and make it look beautiful. It'd work well by the front door or on a suitable kitchen or hall shelf, or on the stairs if they're wide enough. It'd also work as a magazine rack. And, of course a shopping bag...

Who for That person you know who's just done a first aid course; a parent with small children and a suitable bathroom; the gentleman cyclist who often needs his wheel wounds dressing
Where from Amazon
How much £21.98
What This tin first aid box (21cm x 15.5cm x 16cm) makes a sweet and unusual gift... however, if the colour-scheme of your intended recipient is all about beiges and creams, this might not be ideal – it'd work well in a house which embraces splashes of bold colour.

Who for Someone with a nice desk; anyone who likes Orla Kiely-ish/Scando/mid-century modern stylings; retro kitchen owners
Where from North Rock Gallery
How much £13.20
What Designed by Lotta Odelius for Sagaform, this Swedish tinged ceramic container is probably intended for the kitchen but would look great on a design-y desk – perfect for paperclips, odd coins, Post-it notes of import etc. A row of three would look great.

Who for The Proud-to-be-British; ex-pats missing home; a chap who needs some wall filling but needs to keep it masculine; font nerds
Where from Bold & Noble
How much £38 unframed (it's a standard size, so no need for framers' shops: try Eframes or Ikea's Ribba range for affordability and niceness)
What They do maps in the same range of Australia, New Zealand, the USA and London too, so good gifts for anyone moving or travelling to any of those places soon or, indeed, living there. They measure 50cm x 70cm and also come in a duck-egg blue.

Who for Doggie types

Where from Quietly Eccentric 

How much £30

What These cute cushions come in lots of different breeds – including non-breeds. The designs are printed onto new wool, fully machine washable covers and feature illustrations by the artist Lindsey Gardiner. They're kinda cute.

Who for Wildlife-loving children with bare bedroom floors; stylish vegetarians; pampered pussy cats (or their owners); the nephew you've also sponsored a tiger for

Where from The V& A Shop

How much £20
What This cute-faced fairtrade Tibetan rug is made from felt wool and measures 38cm x 94cm. He's very handsome.

  

Who for The Hipster tween/teen in your life; fashion-forward photography fan

Where from The V & A Shop

How much £12.99

What The Street Style Memory Game features 25 pictures taken by the Flemish photographer, Barbara Iweins of hip young things on the streets of Amsterdam. The game requires players to match their faces with their outfits – or it can be played as a traditional memory game.

Who for Design-conscious in-laws; arty Grandpa or Grandma; husband; wife; colour-loving lover; glasses-wearing pals

Where from Supernice

How much £30
What A rather special glasses case designed by Jonathan Adler, who also makes rather glorious ceramics in the shape of birds and lions and angular faces  (and rugs and exciting books and all sorts) that are currently flying out of the gifts section of Heal's...

Who for Him indoors; the family; anyone with a silly sense of humour who likes a nice big mug of tea; fancy dress fans; the guy who loved Movember more than anyone expected
Where from Pedlars
How much £16.95 each
What Handsome half-pint sized mugs , designed by Peter Ibruegger, with your choice of moustache on the front. They're kind of silly but beautifully made (and so a pleasure to drink from) and would cheer up any kitchen. One or two would make nice stocking fillers, or splash out on a whole set for someone really silly who you really love.