Turning wrapping paper into cards

Remember my visit to the Geffrye museum, where I bought this stunning notebook? Well I also bought this gorgeous wrapping paper there too, with absolutely no intention of using it for wrapping paper, despite how lovely it would be to receive a gift wrapped in this.

I had something else in mind entirely. 

But before I get onto that let me share with you that folded wrapping paper is one of the things I dislike immensely. It's a small thing but one that really annoys me. I didn't want this one rolled either as it would be too awkward to carry and continue to take pictures of the museum (there'll be another post on this at some point), I asked the man in the shop if I could fold the paper myself.

He looked a little bemused by my request but agreed nonetheless and carried on taking my card payment. And I set to work folding it neatly so that none of the "seed packets" had a fold in. Suddenly I was aware I was being watched and I looked up to see the man in the shop watching intently, looking even more bemused than before.

Worried that I'd offended him somehow I asked if everything was ok. Thankfully it was but he said he'd never seen someone fold wrapping paper with such care and precision. I imagine he thought me a right nutter, so I explained that I planned to make some cards with them. I'm not sure this did anything to change his opinion of me, but I was happy that the folds were where I wanted them to be and ready for the project I had in mind.

So far I've only made a few into cards, but there's plenty more to come I'm sure.

Each has a slightly different feel, which I'm happy with. I've experimented with texture on the Watercress and Peas card by adding black and cream tulle as a background. And on the Okra card I've sponged one corner for a bit more interest. I'm pleased with how each of them have turned out, and now I just need to be brave enough to part with them when the time comes!

And you never know I may get all inventive when I eventually send them and add either a few seeds or perhaps a recipe. I'm sure there'd be more that I could add too.  I'd love to know what you think and if you have ideas for complementary inclusions.

The Creative Spaces at John Lewis, Oxford Street

On my recent trip to John Lewis in Oxford Street where I had a long wander around their revamped Homewares department I stumbled upon something completely unexpected.

The introduction on the wall summed it up perfectly, and here it is:

A celebration of design and imagination, our Creative Spaces are designed to inspire. John Lewis offered space to four of the UK's most innovative interior creatives and gave them free rein to sign their perfect home environment. A relation of individual style, personality and taste, the Creative Spaces bring contemporary home design to life in an exciting and immersive way.

There were four spaces, so let's take each one in turn.

1. Tom Raffield

With his imagination stimulated by the beauty and wilderness of Exmoor where he grew up, Tom's designs are spectacular, ecologically sound and beautiful. He's a former winner of the Lighting Design Association's Lighting Design Award and it's easy to see why. 

His space is themed on a woodland cabin of someone who creates beautiful products using traditional methods. It's inspired by his home, a gamekeeper's cottage set in 30 acres of woodland in rural West Cornwall. Which if I'm honest sounds idyllic.

2. Buckinghamshire New University

Charlie Fowler, a member of John Lewis' Design Studio has worked as a furniture designer for ten years. His most recent outreach project involved third year students from the BA Furniture course at this university. The students designed furniture aimed at solving the problems associated with working from home.

The design brief reflects the increasing number of people who work from home and the blurring of boundaries, particularly in urban areas where pressure on space means that very few people have a dedicated room to use an a home office. These pieces have been designed to make the maximum use of space and to be multi-purpose and adaptable.

I've mixed feelings about these, I can see why they could be very popular and there was one piece that I really liked. But apart from that one piece - and I'm pretty sure you'll work out which one without me telling you - I couldn't ever see me buying these. 

And yes, it was the fold-up desk on the wall that I was taken with. I think it's a clever way of incorporating a desk into almost any space. If I wasn't already running out of walls, or didn't have sloping walls upstairs I'd be looking into this further.

3. Timorous Beasties

Founded by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons in 1990, Timorous Beasties are noted for their surreal and provocative textiles and wallpaper. The studio is a diverse operation considered iconic by those in the know and has won many awards.

This space explores the great opportunities that hallways have. They're often the first space that greets you into your home or one that enables you to move from room to room, and they believe this means we can be more daring and provocative than in a conventional room. Here they have kept everything relatively dark to illuminate the rooms leading off the space, and this is a very deliberate attempt at reassessing an often neglected space.

4. Supermarket Sarah

Sarah is a stylist and she wanted to mix her passion for fashion and interiors with a fun new way of shopping online. It's a simple idea and is a wall of "clickable" items. Sarah sells items on uniquely curated walls, the first of these went live from her living room. They soon spread to bars, galleries and major department stores. The site is now an open platform for creatives to sell their wares and Sarah works with major brands to create unique retail spaces and branded content.

Sarah's Supermarket room forms her signature splash which is normally in CMYK colours but is now in the John Lewis green, and she's picked her favourites for her ideal studio which embodies the feeling of studio play.

I found this to be a fun set and I as I'm rather partial to green, I found lots of things to like - especially the large S!

So there was quite a lot to take in in this relatively small space. And without knowing it was there either. I'm not sure how long it's there for, but I'm glad to have seen it. What do you think?

Styling the Seasons: September

This is the first time I've joined in with Styling the Seasons that Katy at Apartment Apothecary and Charlotte at Lotts and Lots run each month.  I've read lots of their posts and those of others that take part all the time thinking that my posts would never match any of those. But this month when I read Rachel from The Ordinary Lovely's post she inspired me to give it a go, mainly because if I'm not trying to style my photographs then I'm not going to get any better at it.

So off we go...

The prompt for September - and yes, I'm only just scraping in - is vintage, that was another push to join in. That and autumn being my favourite time for food...

So it's apt that my setting is a chopping board in my kitchen.

For me September is full of tomatoes and blackberries, and this year there's been apples and crab apples from the allotment too. None of those are vintage but they scream September to me.

The vintage items are these bun tins which were my great nan's and I photographed them a while back for the black and white photo project.

The Hovis tin is an original and was a birthday present from my parents. I love how that I can bake Hovis bread, just by using this tin. It's smaller than you think, but it sure holds a lot of tomatoes!

While the books aren't usually in my kitchen, I do regularly have my nose in and out of books during the month deciding just what recipe I'll be using this time round. I've some favourites of course, but it's always nice to try a new chutney recipe.

So far this year there's been blackberry and lime jam and some crab apple jelly. I'm planning some tomato salsa and I'm sure there'll be pasta sauce for the freezer and more, plus some apple compote for breakfasts too.

The cup and sauce are part of a six piece set that I've had for many years, picking them up at a jumble sale of all places. They're pearlescent and pretty and they're great for serving chocolate mousse in. Which reminds me, it's about time MOH made some more of that...

The jar clearly isn't vintage but it's an essential in the kitchen this month with all the preserving and chutney making I'll be doing.

So that's what September means to me, what does it mean to you?