Friendship never ends

This was supposed to be a post about lack of inspiration, about how difficult it is sometimes to put pen to paper, note to musical instrument, crayon to pad. Instead, due to amazing friends, it’s become a post about what friendship means.

Friendships appear in the most awkward circumstances pairing up very different people with something in common. From then onwards they bloom, and soon enough you find yourself with great people you can rely on.

This is one day for gushing. It’s a month for gushing actually, as on Sunday we’re attending our first ginormous trade show and I and The Blonde feel like chicks on a highway!

On this note, I leave you with the fab and stylish Dimitri from Paris- Sacre Francais!!!

Heels gliding on Parquet

I’ve always had this thing for parquet and wooden floors in general. My mom and dad have parquet in the rooms. Don’t imagine it’s a castle- it’s only an apartment but hence I spent my childhood on parquet, I seem to crave it now! However, the other day I was looking at lovely Fifi’s home and was besotted with her white carpets. I showed The Blonde when he came home from work and he, with all his accountant-like practicality, belted out: “Aren’t they difficult to clean?” At that moment I remembered something from my childhood:

My mom is a clean-freak, so anybody coming to visit has to take their shoes off. Once they took me to see some of their friends who lived not far from us, a short 5 minute walk. When we got to their flat, the host greeted us and told us to keep our shoes on! That was a shock to me, being used to my mom’s ways. Their parquet was shining and the host wore high heels, and seemed to glide on the smooth surface like in a ballroom dance! My eyes were sparkling and I knew that from that moment...

“Who cares if they’re difficult to clean? We’ll buy a professional carpet cleaner!”

Ever since I saw that woman in high heels on parquet I’ve decided I am going to enjoy to the full everything I’ve got, be it taking the garbage out in Manolos, walking with muddy shoes on my white carpet or eat everyday with silverware!

Here’s to a glass of champagne in the afternoon!

One day we’re gonna live in Paris...

One day we're gonna live in Paris
I promise, I'm on it
When I'm bringing in the money
I promise, I'm on it
I'm gonna take you out to a club showcase
We're gonna live it up
I promise
Just hold on a little more

And every night we'll watch the stars
They'll be out for us
And every night, the city lights
They'll be out for us

So go and pack your bags
For the long haul
We're gonna lose ourselves
I promise
This time next year will be forevermore...

Friendly Fires - "Paris"

What to expect from rainy Mondays...

It’s not raining, it’s pouring with rain! The sky is a dirty white colour and even the dog wants to snooze indoors. That’s when you can tell it’s a rainy Monday. Rainy Mondays aren’t anything like rainy Tuesdays or even like rainy Saturdays! They’ve got that melancholy attached to them, that longing for the weekend!

This weekend me and The Blonde (my husband- he’s fair haired and I’m dark haired) went to look for a new mattress. He got the one we’ve got at the moment before we moved in together so I didn’t have any input in buying it... Which means it’s a very very very hard mattress! So hard we have to have a featherbed on top to spare our aching bones! The featherbed is becoming flatter and flatter so I suggested that instead of buying featherbeds constantly, we should invest in a better mattress, so we wouldn’t need a featherbed at all! Easier said than done. We went into a furniture shop, laid on some mattresses and realised the one I liked best cost £3000!!! We’re saving up for that, I think. The Blonde suggested we should try another shop, so that’s going to be next weekend.

Pumpkin Peach is coming along nicely and you should expect some lovely whimsical items in February. Me and The Blonde are planning a sourcing trip to Paris at Les Puces, so in March/April watch out for some one of a kind French finds.

On this rainy Monday, I leave you with New Order:

Food for the Soul

Aaah, the finer things in life!

Friday. That’s one good day, especially when it gets into the afternoon, and the anticipation for what’s coming up in the weekend rides on waves of joy!

Orange Juice. Tropicana Smooth for me. Smooth and punchy at the same time and one of your 5 a day. How could you go wrong with that?!

Gotan Project. Nuevo Electro Tango straight from Paris. So exciting, so intoxicating, so... PARIS!

Alexander McCall Smith book titles. This man is a genius at finding enthralling book titles. Listen to this: The Right Attitude to Rain, The Comfort of Saturdays, The Unbearable Lightness of Scones, The Careful Use of Compliments, The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs etc. I have never heard or read such whimsical titles in all my life!

Cafe Rouge. French home cooking in a restaurant chain environment. Their Boeuf Bourguignon and traditional Cidre Breton deserve a special mention.

The Loved One. You can share with them all these finer things in life.

Je ne parle pas Francais (so let the music do the talking!)

Not an entirely accurate description, but a great way to introduce you to my baby – Pumpkin Peach. It started in 2007, as a wild idea, that I could work for myself and it grew around my passion for everything French, shabby chic items and objet d’art. The name itself just came to me one night, as all good ideas usually do- when you’re just not thinking about the task at hand! Don’t you just love the bountifulness of a good ol’ pumpkin, with its fleshy and comforting sweet taste?! It makes me think about everything good in life- grandma’s baking, Indian summer evenings and a fine compliment just when I’m feeling down! Peaches are also fleshy but full of softness, just like a luxurious cashmere pashmina or a freshly shaven lover’s cheek! There you have it- Pumpkin Peach, the haven for indulgence!

You will be able to find little treasures such as antique one of a kind finds in Les Puces of Paris and deliciously girly treats for the home and soul from Lisbeth Dahl and many more secret gems you will be proud to showcase!

Speaking of freshly shaven lovers, I would like to thank my husband for giving me the wings to fly with this project and keeping my train on the tracks when things get tough! I would also like to thank Sara at SadieOlive, an amazing designer, for my lovely logo! And all of you, you know who you are!!!

Let the carousel ride begin!!!