Decorative Living Fair 2013 - in pics

So as I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I decided to take a little day trip down to Kent to check out the Decorative Living Fair which was held yesterday. Despite the dark looking sky in this first pic, the sun actually did join us and it was a glorious day in the Kent countryside! The fair has been running for 8 years, I can't believe I've been missing out all these years. This was my first visit and I really was impressed by the quality of the stalls, the reasonably priced items, and the general good organisation of the event. Rather than rambling on too much I will let the photos do the talking. Be warned, I did get a little snap happy so there are quite a few!

So many gorgeous things right?! I didn't manage to get all the stall holders cards, but some of my faves were Goose Home and Garden, The Old Haberdashery, and Gil Fox - there were so many others, but I didn't get all the names!

Thanks so much to Caroline Zoob and Hetty Purbrick for putting on such a fab event, and to the sponsor, the lovely Homes and Antiques team.

I will definitely be popping down next year! xxx

PS. I've also uploaded all the photos to my Flickr page if you want to see any of them full size! x

Vintage Craft by Pearl Lowe

The perfect combination of vintage style and crafts is what makes this lovely new book by Pearl Lowe so appealing to us here at Patchwork Harmony! Sometimes I think when I say I'm into 'crafts', people think I'm talking about the kind of thing you might see at a (bad) village hall fair - really dated and a bit twee.  But Pearl's book eptomises the type of crafts I personally like; items for your home you can make yourself, fit seamlessly into the style of your home, ooze vintage class and looks like you spent a lot more money on it than you actually did!

For example how beautiful is this patchwork tablecloth edged with some stunning vintage lace?!

The book is filled with a real range of projects, from the very simple, such as this painted chair with added decoupage motif; right through to padded headboards or luxury ottomans.

Beautiful photography by Debi Treloar, Styling by Marianne Cotterill and beautiful illustrations by Abigail Warner really bring this book alive and it is topped off by a great little black book of Pearl's favourite shops and suppliers at the back.

Its certainly a book that I know I will keep going back to for inspiration! 

Order your copy now peeps!

Decorative Living Fair

If you happen to be at a loose end this Thursday and you are in the south of the country, you might want to pop down to the Decorative Living Fair. The event which is held annually at Eridge Park on the borders of Kent and Sussex, not far from Tunbridge Wells, is set to be jam packed with gorgeous homewares, fashion and garden delights, both vintage and contemporary. 

Here's a little taste of what to expect with some photos from previous fairs, but you can also check out their Facebook page for updates too....

As well as a spot of shopping, it sounds like they are due to have some great speakers and demos happening on the day also which are organised by Homes and Antiques magazine: Naomi Thompson author of Style Me Vintage: Clothes will talk about investing in vintage clothes; the editor of Gardens Illustrated magazine will give some tips on planting & container gardening; Selina Lake will be talking about her life as a stylist and giving a demo for styling the perfect summer party and the editor of Homes and Antiques magazine will discuss upcycling and transforming your furniture. I think it sounds like a fab line up! 

I'm definitely planning to take a little day trip and have a good rummage and hopefully catch some of the talks! Let's hope the sun comes out to play! 

You can get tickets for the event here.

xxx

Crafty Fox Box giveaway!

Well, the last week has been a crazy one! Filled with meetings, going to courses and deadlines! I didn't have a moment to even think about blogging, but at least its been a productive week and I've met some lovely people along the way! So, to make up for lack of blogging, today we have another exciting giveaway! We don't have any for ages, and then 2 come along at once!

I was recently asked by the lovely Emily to contribute to her amazing venture - Crafty Fox Box - which is a subscription service where you receive a box full of crafty goodies each month, delivered to your door. Emily invites fellow creatives to design projects for the boxes, and she then includes everything you need to create these mini projects.

 As with everything Emily does, the boxes are beautifully presented and packaged, and I guarantee will not fail to bring a little happiness to your day when it arrives on your doorstep!

I'm so honoured Emily asked me to be involved, and she is giving one of my lovely readers the chance to win this months box which includes the projects by moi! As the boxes are a surprise I can't tell you what my projects are, or what is inside the boxes, that's what makes is so exciting! But here are a few examples of previous boxes to give you an idea of how fab they are!

To enter - all you have to do is leave a comment on this post - make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open to international readers - hurrah! To have an extra chance to win, check out our Facebook page!

The closing date is a week from today: Sunday 19th May 2013.

Find out more about Crafty Fox Box

Good Luck!

xxx

Bring Spring in

I absolutely love having flowers around the house, but I generally don't have the budget to be buying them all the time. I usually raid the reduced section in places like Waitrose were maybe one stem is looking a bit sorry for itself but the rest are fine, and they've been reduced to 40p! But this week I decided to take advantage of some of the flowers I've managed to actually grow myself. I'm certainly no Isabelle Palmer or Laetitia Maklouf (2 of my gardening idols!) but I do love a potter in the garden and get a real sense of achievement when bulbs start to push through or a plant that you thought had had it comes back to life with a little nurturing.

Even just the smallest bunch of blooms can make a difference to your home and your mood. It really is a case of 'the simple things' I think. Weirdly it also gives me a lot of joy to photograph these little arrangements before their fleeting life is over! In fact if you follow me on Instagram you may well already have seen these pics!

If you've been 'bringing spring in', why not share your pics on Instagram too - I'd love to see! Just tag me in @91magazine and add #bringspringin

Snakeshead fritillary

Pansies

Cowslip

Grape hyacinth

All photos © Caroline Taylor / Patchwork Harmony

PS: If you are a gardening fan, check out our feature in the latest issue of 91 Magazine, where Isabelle Palmer shares her tips for creating a vintage style garden! 

xxx