Emma Makes

I have a great love of stationery, and even with the amazing technology available to us these days, there's nothing quite like the simplicity of a good looking notebook and a pencil. With three young daughters following in my footsteps, forever drawing and writing stories, we go through a lot of stationery, so I was pretty excited when I came across the fabulous website "Emma Makes".





Emma McCleary handmakes the most gorgeous range of products, all with a vintage vibe. The notebooks are a fantastic price (great for our family who fill them up very quickly). And they are all stacked, folded, sewn and trimmed by Emma. My favourite is the letter journal, which you can select in your choice of letters. Perfect matched to the notebooks and journals, are the cute HB pencils with a selection of witty engraved sayings.





A love of vintage textiles means Emma is always on the hunt for fabrics to work with. She sources an ever-changing array of short fabric runs to design and sew her range of bags and homewares. Think pretty floral, smart stripes and cosy vintage blankets. The cute fold-over clutches are my pick. Fill with all the essentials like credit card, phone, lippy and keys, and then throw the whole clutch into a bigger bag like the ones from Emma's Art Deco range.





Another idea I loved, and it's so simple, is the pack of ten luminaria candle bags. Add a scoop of sand into each bag, place a tealight candle on top, and enjoy the simple, but stunning effect. They are flame retardent so can be used again and again at all your parties.




And the kids will love the adorable range of cushions and pencil cases Emma has to offer. There is so much more to discover, including such delightful things as hearts on a stick, strawberry ribbons, and retro tablecloths. Make sure you check it all out for yourself.



Christmas in Black & White

There's nothing quite as crisp, delicious, and graphic as black & white. I absolutely love this Christmas styling by Charlotte Love for UK company Papermash. Using paper straws to create snowflakes and garlands; and washi tape and stamps for gorgeous wrapping.



images via Charlotte Love

image via Papermash


When I think 'black and white', I automatically think Scandinavian design. So, of course, Ferm Living has a fabulous range of black and white Christmas decorations to make your home look suitably fab these holidays.

Christmas Tree Blanket


images via Ferm Living

Penguin Books

Penguin Books revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through it's high quality, inexpensive paperbacks. Avoiding the gaudiness of other paperback publishers of the time, Penguin opted for the simple appearance of three horizontal bands, the upper and lower of which were colour coded according to which series the title belonged to. In the central white panel, the author and title were printed in Gill Sans typeface.


Group them together in colour blocks




With their range of simple, bright coloured, uniformed covers, they have become popular to have on display. They look quite stunning when grouped together in colour blocks. I recently came across this photo (below) of a Penguin book blown up and framed, which I think is gorgeous. And after further searching I was pleasantly surprised as to how many Penguin products are available. Not bad for a design created by a twenty-one-year-old graphic designer nearly 80 years ago!


Simple and graphic, this print looks stunning in it's neutral surroundings

A collection of coffee mugs

A box of 100 postcards each featuring a different and iconic Penguin book jacket

I love these deckchairs available in a range of bright colours

Also available in drink bottles and luggage tags