Monday, 26 March 2012

Book Review: Flowers Every Day by Paula Pryke

What a perfect weekend we had in England weather-wise. 
Warm and mild and gentle and mellow. 
Top-class British perfection, I'd say.

And to celebrate all the lovely pottering I was able to do in our garden,
I have just the book for you today.....


Paula Pryke's Flowers Every Day.
{Published by Jacqui Small}

Oh, it's a complete treat for the eyes.
And for the mind too.

So many gorgeous ideas.

The basic premise is that it should be possible, with clever use of your garden, together with carefully bought selections, to 
enjoy flowers at home every day of the year.

A good one, don't you think, as premises go?

But how does it measure up in the practical stakes? 
Let's dig in....

Flowers Every Day 
is divided into seasons....

 
...and with each season, Paula Prykes takes you 
through what could be available in your garden...

 
and what works well when bought....

 
I love it that both these aspects are covered. 
Learn how to enjoy the best of Country (the Cutting Garden) 
and the best of Modern (the best flowers you can buy).

Modern Country Gardening.
Bliss!

Special events are covered too....

Mother's Day
{LOVE this idea...}

 
and Easter...

 
There's plenty of advice for the gardener...

 
and expert tips for getting the very most from your flower-buying.
Not necessarily by buying the cheapest of the cheap
...but by understanding what will give you a longer vase life.

All in all, this book is jam-packed 
full of original ideas...

for the novice...

 
and the clever-clogs...

 
So lovely.

I've included it on my sidebar 
{to your right and up a bit}
in the Amazon widget of 
my favourite Modern Country books.


This could be yours...
Tempted?

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Friday, 23 March 2012

Yes, it's our fifth baby....



Aaah, Modern Country tunic, I love you. Can you see the fabric this gorgeous frock is made from? It's a grey Union Jack. I know, I know...L:O:V:E, right? It's not maternity wear but because it's all floaty, it just slips right over my baby tummy.


Tunic: Traffic People, Jeans: Crave Maternity, Boots: Clarks, Belt: Thrifted, Sunglasses: Boots 

This baby sugarplum is the fifth little addition to our family. 

Guy and I always hoped to be able to have five kiddiewinks. I can remember sitting on the lawn with him in my parents' garden when I was seventeen, talking about what we would name our five children. And now, here we are....

Makes me a wee bit tearful reminiscing.

I have sunk to new depths of romantic nostalgia and am listening to Unchained Melody as I write this. On repeat. Double dang those hormones.

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Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Edwardian Porches: Dos and Don'ts...

 Whilst we've been thinking about what we want for the porch design for our Edwardian house, I've come up with a list of Porch Dos and Don'ts, along with some images to match.....wanna see?

{Let's have a little game...you have to guess which images are Dos and which are Don'ts...}

Make sure the design looks original:


The porch should fit in well with your neighbours:

 

...and with the street....


The porch should reflect the scale of your house:


And, finally, use similar materials to the main building:


Did you guess the Dos and the Don'ts??! 
These are the thoughts that we're using to envisage our dream porch design....I can't wait to show you...but it won't be ready for quite a while so let's press onwards and upwards...

Can you believe I'm seven months pregnant now? 
And I'm still enjoying wearing clothes that aren't from my 30 for 30!!

On Friday, I'll be sharing how...

Images via: Adtrader, Victorious Feline, BricksandBrass, unknown, Victorious Feline

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Monday, 19 March 2012

Edwardian Porches

Remember the gorgeous porch I shared on Friday?
(see here if you missed it)

I have Edwardian porches on the brain...

Edwardian houses in the South of England were generally built with a porch of some kind, either set into the house or protruding outwards, usually within the space next to the bay window. 

They range from the enormous...

 
to the extremely modest....

 

and from the city...

 

to the country...

 

And I love them!

So if you were to design your own, where would you start?
{Because that's what's going on inside my busily nesting head this week....}


Images via Victorious Feline, Freepedia, unknown, Victorious Feline

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Friday, 16 March 2012

Small Gardens: Spruce Up Your House

Small gardens are all about using the space you have, and using it well. 
Whether it's your front or back garden that's teeny tiny, don't forget to use the walls of your house to create a whole host of gorgeous planting opportunities that will bring your small garden a new dimension.



And, oh, did I see a porch up there
in that small garden of perfection? 
More about that on Monday...

In the meantime,
to everyone who's ever had a mother,
have a very wonderful Mothers' Day!

Image via House To Home

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