{ happy friday! }

Audrey - image via Mrs Juliette Lee

Lauren Hutton circa 70's - image via Pinterest

Blair Eadie via Atlantic-Pacific

The sun is shining again. And here are three classic girls in white. Happy Friday!

xx

{ painted elephants }

Image via Lark & Linen

Image via The Midnight Moon

 

Hermes 2008 campaign. Image via Nirali

Just love. 

So beautiful they inspired me to paint my own as a gift for a family friend's newborn boy:

I hope baby Charlie likes elephants too!

xx

{ neonspiration }

I'm sure I'll be over by it tomorrow, however today (I'm a bit sheepish to admit) I'm obsessed - like everyone else - with neon. I don't think I will find myself actually buying/ wearing much of it but it does make for great photos! Case in point those satchels at the top.... they're a fluoro twist on the cult bags from the Cambridge Satchel Company and can be personalised with your initials embossed -very cool. Am sure I will start seeing these on the shoulders of many pretty young girls this summer as they'll go well with all those denim cut offs + high buns + stacks of overpriced friendship bands. 

Anyways I'm going to embrace it for this minute, too - so here are a few picks from my recent neon trawl! 

She's fabulous:

Image via The Glitter Guide

So's this:

Via apartmenttherapy.com

Obligatory arm party image:

Image via honestlywtf

Hard to choose which image of BEE to include as she is basically most stylish person ever.... but this pom-pom scarf is too good:

Image via  Atlantic-Pacific

Can't resist some colour-dipped coral:

Image via Pinterest

Last but not least... I stumbled across this image a while ago but I really love it, I think it's because it could be a man or woman under there (look again!):

Image via StreetFSN

So what's the verdict... yes or no to neon? And how long will the fluoro fad last? I'd love to hear what you think!

Pip xx

{ another week! )

I can't believe another week has flown by and no posts... this blogging thing is easier than you realise to let slip. Eeek. That said, I can at least say that I have had quite a busy and productive week and I'm now very energised about  this exciting stuff that will come to a head in the next month or so with this project I'm working on. I've got so much to do over the next few weeks but I can't wait - more on all of this later! - but I will say that after a very fruitful planning session yesterday with the very talented and creative friend who I'm lucky enough to be working with on this, I left her showroom yesterday afternoon inspired and positive and with a real spring in my step. It's been a great week!

Sooo all this creativity and sunshine (plus my visit to the most colourful showroom/shop around!) has me craving colour...  yellow in fact, and lots of it. I want to be/ have all of this, don't you love?!

how cute are these... Kate Spade of course

She's fabulous! Image via The Style Rookie

REALLY want this - from Zara

Makes you want to go into this room! Image via Colourful Homes

Amazing. Image via Oceanwide

Anyway hope everyone has a great weekend and I promise to get on the blog bandwagon next week!

Pip xx

{ crisp }

Image via Russh

Image via this is glamorous

Image via The Weigands

My lily

It's days like today that I feel very lucky to live where we do. I had the loveliest day and spent most of it out in the garden drawing and enjoying the fresh air. I think it is now officially Spring - and my orchid is even starting to bud! Have a lovely weekend, see you next week.

Pip xx

{ a gilty pleasure }

Lately I have been very inspired by accents of gold -  there's nothing like a touch of metallic to make anything that's a bit pretty or special become even more so.  For those who don't know, my passion (and current main vocation!) is illustration, drawing and painting, so in my latest little travels I've started experimenting with gold leaf on some of my pieces. I'm now a bit obsessed.

When I first got this idea I did have a vague idea of what a process this might be, however I don't think I was quite prepared for the amount of patience that it requires. It comes in the thinnest sheets that look like this:

... and literally requires tweezers, needles, brushes with about 5 bristles and the steadiest hand ever to manipulate the little flecks and sheets, without it all crumbling away to nothing. This picture doesn't quite capture it but trust me, it's a labour of love! So I'm still playing at the moment but it just seems to look so pretty whereever it lands, so I thought I'd share some early workings.

In and amongst watercolour.... 

A snippet of a jewel painting I'm working on.... the accent makes it! 

Hard to see, but I tried some little flecks on my bumblebee, will definitely try this again.

Anyway, I'm still very much in the trial stage but I am loving the effect and contrast of this thick and shiny gold on the translucent watercolours. Can't wait to see what else I can do with it, hopefully I'll come back with the next instalment! And all I need is this camera to take the pictures with... how amazing.

Image 1 via Flickr; Image 2 via Mixed Plate and bottom image via The Glamourai 

Pip xx

{ good afternoon }

Image via All Things Stylish

Quite wish I was this girl right now.... on that boat and owning those espadrilles. Summer, please hurry along!

xx

{ colour kin }

I've often thought colour looks most fresh next to it's 'kin' - it goes against that whole principle of contrasting or complementing colours to make them pop; however I just love the often unexpected look of similar tones and hues all jumbled up together.

Think yellow with shiny gold, peaches and cream, apple to mint green; I just love how organic this always looks, almost like a big real life, working paint palette. So on that note here are a couple of lovely colour pairings to leave you with for now - I'd love to know what you think!

xx

Delicious fresh mint + curacao - Via Louise Scarlett

Original acrylic painting by Jen Ramos 

Colour blocking in corals - via About to Blow

Blondies.... with a tan - via Imgspark

Two little buttercups - via Bunny Victorious

Top image: Mixed hydrangea -  via Tiny White Daisies.

{ a Spring resolution }

Image via From Portland to Peonies

It's here.... the Spring has sprung! To me this is the most wonderful time of year. With its crisp mornings, the waft of jasmine and the start of those light and balmy evenings... it's bright and fresh and everyone always seems so happy.

So in the spirit of this new season, I thought it high time I actually bit the bullet on this blog I've been meaning to start for quite some time. As I write this first post, I'm not all too sure what it will evolve to be or what you might find here in the days, weeks, possibly years to come. But at the very least I hope it to be a place for me to catalogue all the bright and beautiful things that inspire me each day; and even better if there are others who can share it with me. 

Today therefore marks the start of my own little 'Spring Resolution' - to get this started, with the hope to keep it fresh and interesting with lots of little treasures for myself and anyone that might visit.  So here's to the Spring, and to new beginnings!