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At the age of 51 I can definitely say that I know myself and the things that bring me happiness very well.  It’s something that often takes time and maturity, and more than a few years of bumpy roads and false starts, but as it says on the Lancôme website - “Happiness is the most attractive form of Beauty”, and so learning to nurture the multifaceted needs of our personalities and prioritise our own happiness is something that we all ought to take time to invest in.  Personally, I am an eternal optimist who is as happy to brave the elements on a cold and blustery country walk, as I ..read more

(#AD/ This post was sponsored by ETSY & Affiliates Link are used.) #EtsyEveryday  I’ve often been asked why and how I started using @Etsy Moving to the English countryside a decade ago, I found myself wanting to find beautiful and inventive ways of furnishing my new home whilst on a budget.  I knew that this was my chance to really put my stamp on my home, as well as an opportunity to express my love of vintage and artisanal products in a carefully curated way.  Thus my first venture onto Etsy was borne out of wanting to find unique items that would truly express who I ..read more

(#AD/ This post was sponsored by ETSY & Affiliates Link are used.) We all love finding new and unique things for our homes, but it cannot be denied that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years that we've known collectively as shoppers for a long time. However, it’s also been evident during this time, that our enthusiasm for our homes, gardens, creative visions and style cannot be hampered by even a worldwide pandemic.  Thankfully, despite the challenges this year has brought with it, our need to personalise and be creative with the most important parts of our lives is still ..read more

I'm sure that we're all familiar with the famous William Morris quote "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful', however, did you know that the quote continues...  "...The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life." It's a mantra that I live by, and one that is of particular importance during times when being in our homes is so important to us. As I write this, we are currently in a state of national lockdown due to the worldwide pandemic that is the COVID-19, and therefore, stayi ..read more

If you've read my blog for a while, you'll know that despite my love of country living and all things vintage, chintzy, home cooked and slow paced - I was actually born and brought up in London, and only made the moved from City mouse to Country mouse ten years ago... In my old guise as 'City Paula', I worked in the fast paced world of fashion;  firstly as the PR for Elite Premier Model Agency (in the heady days of the original Supermodels, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington et al,) ending up as the Bookings Director at British Elle Magazine, where I was responsible ..read more

As I've said numerous times before, your finest dinner collections are for life - not just for Christmas.... but my oh my, don't they look particularly splendid during the festive period! I don't tend to need any excuse to use my finest china - in fact any excuse is a good excuse - even a mere sandwich or a solitary mince pie...   Whether it be for a garden party (as in a previous blog post) or a Christmas feast full of puddings, the versatility of my Spode Blue Italian is an excellent example of how a pattern can be dressed up or down to suit any occasion, from the most grand to th ..read more

If you follow me on Instagram and have ever wondered why I enjoy talking about wine and food so much, it's because not only do I come from a family of 'foodies', but I also married into a family of huge food enthusiasts...which makes for quite a large collection of competitive cooks to stir the metaphorical broth! Thankfully, as we are all self proclaimed amateur - ahem -'experts' in our own unique fields - it allows us to avoid too may arguments surrounding the best way to dice a carrot, boil an egg or mix a cake batter... My personal forte is the perfectly imperfect layered cake - which lo ..read more

Here I am in the middle of preparing a ‘casual’ garden feast using some classic blue and whites - in this case a 203 year old pattern by Spode - the stunning ‘Blue Italian’.  I’m firmly of the belief that even the most meagre and solitary of sandwiches deserves to enjoy its last moments languishing in the luxury of a fine china plate. Good pottery is for everyday use - not just for Christmas! You already know me to be a chinaware obsessive - be it brand new or vintage, I am a sucker for a pretty pattern and an elegant design. So when I was approached to be a brand Ambassador for Spo ..read more

There are many events throughout the Summer that I would love to attend..  From the floral delights of RHS Chelsea, through to the sporting events of Henley Regatta and Wimbledon...but it is the series of Opera nights at Glyndbourne that capture my imagination the most...  However, for a dozen practical reasons, the ability to attend everything that we'd like to is impossible for the majority of us, but why should we let that curb our creativity and imaginations... Can you imagine sitting in the grounds of a beautiful stately home enjoying a sumptuous picnic on the lawn, and liste ..read more