London Shopping

Yesterday my son and I took off to London, with camera in hand...

We started off on The Strand, passing by theatres with familiar billboards...

pubs that looked very inviting...

and interesting buildings..with clocks...

I spied these beautiful floral arrangements in a hotel foyer...

I raced in took a shot and raced out...

This shop window caught my attention...

they obviously sell varieties of tea but look at their display...

these vintage teacups looked amazing...

filled with weird and wonderful tea leaves..

On our way to Regent Street we passed this sign in a window...

and it really appealed to my son...

Of course I couldn't visit London without a stop over at Anthropologie...

for a dose of their visual merchandising heaven...

and they had some particularly great items of furniture

'holding up' the merchandise..

not to mention vintage props, like these suitcases....

there is great stuff everywhere...

These old trays were a treat...

just wanted to tuck a couple into my handbag...

buckets...

and decorative beehives....I just never know what to expect...

Wouldn't mind a couple of these wicker crates...

don't know what I'd do with them..

perhaps put wheels on them and fill them with linen or magazines...

Finally I fell in love with these old filing boxes with the little labels...

before heading to....

Liberty of London for a REal treat..

RE  is showcasing some of it's wares in the exhibition space
at Liberty...and it's amazing...

Lots of lovely vintage pieces were on display and all for sale...

There was stuff sort of shoved into corners...

and something resembling my Dad's shed...

There is a mix of old and new...these plates were a little weird...

but I love the blue bottles...

Old school maps, Coke crates and feed sack cushions...

This table was crowded with old glass compotes, cakestands

and glasses

Bright deck chairs, French street signs, lots of lovely gal...

Blue Masons jars...and that map...

I would love to visit their store, but I've just googled and

it's nearly in Scotland...so a bit of a journey...

but you never know...perhaps a visit to Scotland is in order!!

Have a look at RE www.re-foundobjectives.com

Merci

During my recent trip to Paris I visited a unique store called "Merci"...

Located on boulevard Beaumarchais, in the Marais district

it is filled with unique gifts and homewares...

This concept store stocks an eclectic variety of new, vintage

 and 'one off' items.

The founders of Merci donate profits from the business to an 

 endowment fund set up to help disadvantaged children.

 Some artists also donate their margins...

their products are identified by a small gold medal.

Vintage garden chairs...

Create your own perfume...

Glass display cases with interesting jewellery and ephemera...

This linen was divine...almost like muslin to touch...

and comes in a variety of  lovely colours...

Outside was not overlooked...

This vintage Renault is perched in the courtyard at the entrance...

Lovely presentation...with a lot of small gifts pre-packaged...

This cloth necklace has a sample of the cloth

used inside attached to the top of the bag...

These photos are not terrific as they were taken with
my (very basic) phone, but you can at least get
an idea....

Have a look at their web page here...

Linking up with Sarah at Good Life Wednesday.

The Seaside

During our stay here in England, we have not seen a great deal of coastline.

Where we live in the Midlands, we are about as far from the coast as

you can possibly be. However, the little bit that we've seen has been 

memorable with some pretty pebbly beaches,

along with some stunning scenery

and quaint harbours and inlets.

The pretty village of St. Ives in Cornwall was a spectacular introduction

to a quintessential English seaside destination,

with a lighthouse overlooking a small swimming beach..

made all the more picturesque with the little red and white
 yachts bobbing about in the water.

The town of Dartmouth in Devon was reached via a ferry 

and was well worth the queue of cars waiting to board.

This town is definitely on my list to visit again...

A mere four and a half hours drive from us is Aberaeron, in Wales.

This little coastal town is a favourite holiday destination in the summer...

and home to some very pretty pastel coloured houses.

The little harbour is home to a variety of boats..

***

A bit further afield in Italy I had the chance to visit the Isle of Carpi...

Just a short boat trip off the coast of Sorrento, 

I found yet more quaint little boats tied up in the harbour...

One of the locals insisted on being in a picture too.

***

A little closer to home on the Normandy coast in France

there are many beautiful seaside villages...

In Saint Valery-sur-Somme a little boat sits beached on the muddy flats

of the estuary on the River Seine.

Further around the coast, the pretty village of Honfleur

is a safe harbour to these yachts lined up waiting to go sailing off...

Restaurants and cafes line the edge of the harbour 

offering lovely views as we dined on the water's edge.

***

As you've probably noticed I like taking photos of little fishing boats,
especially the neglected and forlorn looking ones.
One day, when I have a beach house I will hopefully
have a nice collection of them to remember our
coastal visits!