Fine feathers make fine blinds

Way back in July, we had a trip to V V Rouleaux and bought this feather trim to put on a blind:

Some weeks later, it still hadn't attached itself, so we just had to get on and do it. First thought was to sew it on, but that turned out to be a bad idea. The feathers are glued into a kind of 'ribbon sandwich' which means that the band at the top of the trim is very stiff. It also means that the needle picks up glue when it goes through, making it sticky and harder to use. When the blind still had no trim but had acquired a small bloodstain on the back, it was clearly time for a rethink...

Fortunately this was one of those times when the lazy solution turned out to be the right one (we love those) and iron-on hemming tape came to the rescue. We cut the tape in half lengthwise to make it narrow enough and then just lined it up on the wrong side of the blind, covered with a damp cloth and pressed with a hot iron for 10 seconds.

Here is the result:

The wallpaper is the very lovely Hackney Empire from House of Hackney - this picture shows more of it.

And here comes a tip of the kind that we only share with friends: For the last couple of years, House of Hackney has had a sale in the run up to Christmas with big savings on all their products, including wallpaper. There's no guarantee they will do the same this year, but we'll be keeping an eye out just in case. 

Oversize footstool - Leisure Footstools review

Do you remember a while ago we got new sofa covers? Well, what they really needed was an oversize footstool to set them off and above is the one we chose. Actually, we commissioned it - doesn't that sound fancy?

There are lots available and they are all very nice but nothing was quite right until we discovered Leisure Footstools, who sell through ebay (check out their ebay shop here). They came close to what we were looking for and a couple of emails, some fabric samples and a phone call later, the lovely Chris had agreed to make just what we wanted - 130cm x 80cm in pewter coloured crushed velvet with wooden legs and brass castors. About 10 days later, here it is!

We're delighted with the end result and the service was great - helpful, friendly and quick. The parcel arrived very well packaged to protect it in transit. (Oh, and let's not forget the price - excellent value for the quality of the product).

So if you'll excuse us, these feet aren't going to put themselves up...

Tiger, Tiger...

Tiger, Tiger selling bright

Lovely things for our delight

We couldn't resist this laptop case from Tiger! Who doesn't sometimes want to look busy and important and online? 

Tiger is a Danish company which opened in 1995 and now has shops all over Europe and in Japan. As they say themselves, 'Tiger is a place you go to explore, a place where it is fun to shop'. All their products are simple, colourful and reflect Scandinavian design but there are two important things that set them apart from other retailers.

The first is the range of things available. On our visit the other day we found stationery, kitchen goods, huge bags of herbs and spices, toys, batteries, dressing up kit, candles. door knobs, nail varnish, glasses, lamps... The second is the price - 80% of its products sell for £5 or less! All the pricing is in whole numbers, so for example £1, £2, £3, 2 for £3, 2 for £4 etc which could be why it has been described as a posh pound shop - and what's not to love about that? (The laptop case was a whole spendy £7).

It came in this carrier bag, which shows some of the herbs and spices Tiger sells (4 million bags a year!):

The shops  themselves don't look particularly exciting from the outside. To be honest, you can see Tiger's discount store heritage - but it's always worth popping in to see what's inside. Unfortunately, Tiger doesn't sell online but their website gives a good idea of the products available. Hundreds of new ones are introduced every month.

Chai latte or organic coconut water? Skinny flat white please - unless it's a double espresso day!

True colours of early autumn

So that's it then. September has started, summer is over. People usually associates this time of year with a subtle palette of browns, reds and golds, but we'd like to suggest a rethink, prompted by Smythson, the luxury leather goods people.

This picture is a mood board for the Autumn/Winter collection from the blog on their site (so just to be absolutely clear, Smythson own the copyright for it):

Love the purples and greens - always been a favourite combination of ours, but they are not the traditional 'autumn' (or 'fall' - we're bilingual!) colours. They do give a better reflection of what is happening in the natural world right now, though. Right now, the leaves might be starting to turn but it's going to be a long time before their colours really show. The vegetable shops are full of delicious seasonal produce in gorgeous hues of purple, acid green and sulphur yellow:

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They look good together and not just in the vegetable rack. So just for now, step away from the terracotta. Eschew the ochre. Leave the stone unturned. Summer might be over but there are plenty of vibrant colours and exciting combinations from which to take inspiration!