So Shutterly Fabulous

It's amazing how things come and go in terms of window-dressing fashion. Even given that this is probably one of the most expensive things you will buy when decorating a room, it is also one of the key things that sets the tone. We have been through every variation of window-dressing, from full on full length curtains, to bamboo blinds, Roman blinds and slatted wooden blinds. Now I've noticed that our street of Edwardian houses are taking to putting in shutters.

I am thinking of doing the same as they look so smart so was interested to be told about Shutterly Fabulous who make, you've guessed it window shutters in all manner of shapes, sizes and colours.

Otherwise known as plantation shutters, Shutterly Fabulous make their own shutters here in the UK and are based in Brighton & Hove but cover Leeds, Manchester and other parts of the UK too. They fully measure and install for you as these really are an investment buy and will come along to discuss your needs and make sure you are getting the best. They use premium grade woods like yellow poplar and elm -  nothing is made from mdf or ldf here. The shutters come with a 3 year guarantee which fully covers the installation and product too.

Here are some of the range and you will find loads more on the Shutterly Fabulous website.

Shutterly Fabulous also supply DIY shutters if you don't want the full bespoke shutter service so are pretty versatile in making sure you get exactly what you need for your budget.

British flowers at their finest

These were just so pretty I had to share them with you. This bouquet is called 'The British Country Garden Bouquet' and is available to order at Waitrose flowers from May 21st.

The jug is an exclusive design for Waitrose by Emma Bridgewater and the pattern mirrors the Britsh flower theme with sweet peas and peonies (£59). Prices for this range start at £22..

My garden is just about bursting into life with all the wet weather but I've a long way to go before I see sweetpeas - these will more than surface!

Dwell Flamingo Bedlinen

I love this bedlinen. Flamingos are a really cool motif whatever your age and will fit into a wide variety of bedroom styles. This would make me smile every time I slipped under the covers.

The pillowcases and duvet cover are highly embroidered and have a contrasting piping finish. It is poly/cotton which means it will be easier to iron than 100 per cent cotton and also comes in a Kingsize.
Flamingo Duvet Cover Set from Dwell, £79.

J Sainsbury Welcomes In Winter

Christmas in July also heralds Autumn/Winter collections and one of the hot tickets this week was the A/W and Christmas collections from J Sainsbury.

Beautifully styled by Sally Cullen the range is, frankly, incredible and even if you don't have a large Sainsbury near you with their online store you can order online and pick up locally.

Here are a few of my favourites from the night which had been reserved for Handpicked Media bloggers and websites - once again it was lovely to see everyone!

The first room full of simply beautiful things - loving this bed-linen.

Bathroom accessories are bright and bold and the ceramic dispensers had useful rubber grips - a unique design for J Sainsbury.

A beautiful Christmas table - almost can't wait for Christmas now...

How lovely is this Shaker inspired dresser with classic red and white accessories...

We never knew we could get so excited about knives but after a demonstration I am going out later today to buy one - at around £12 they are a bargain and professionally sharp.

Wish I had the cupboard space for all of these gorgeous bright casseroles and pots...

Boring household chores will be much nicer with these storage ideas...

All these goodies will join the 15,000 online from September - happy home shopping!

All photographs copyright of J Sainsbury.

Lileks - the first blog I ever followed, and what a blog!

Years ago I was working on an online project that never took flight (my own personal little pun which I must apologise for as it was, in fact, for British Airways). Anyway I digress, this project meant that I had to familiarise myself pdq with all things online. Now when I tell you this was over ten years ago you will see that all this internet stuff and working was very shiny and new and really quite limited. We had just got Google (what a stupid name I remember thinking at the time - won't last) and my job initially was to use this Google thing to search and find interesting things on the interweb to inspire me to do something fantastic for airline users (ie passengers) to do with home and lifestyle. So it was on this fact and ideas finding mission that I came across a blog which made me laugh so much I put it in my favourites and returned every day to make sure I worked my way through the archive.

Lileks was the name of the site and blog and it still is as strong and funny today as it was ten years ago. The Bleat is the daily update from US journalist James Lileks and is worth a gander, but what made me crease up laughing was his Institute of Official Cheer which contains The Gallery of Regrettable Food which display pages from old recipe books and journals with his own thoughts added. I didn't know recipe books could be so funny until I read things like this from Lunches and Brunches...

You were up all night scoring the pig testicles, and no one ate them! You slaved for half an hour making that head-cheese-and-blood dip, and no one tried it!


Or this from the Better Homes and Gardens Meat Cookbook....

This has a name like "Snowplow-cut Butt Steak," or something. It's one of those attractive meat-meals that brings out the muscle striations to nice effect. You reeeallly want to know you're eating muscle when you tuck into a plate of meat. Muscle: ask for it by name!

Note how they think that shredding the greens and sprinkling them around will get us to try them. Hah! Nice try!

Can you imagine in this world of Nigella and Jamie that such cookbooks existed and were meant to inspire you the rush into the kitchen and put that pinny on.

But James Lileks doesn't just curate the truly awful in cookbooks. No he holds up the worst in science fiction,  comic books and 'male publications' of the fifties and sixties into the harsh light of today. Interior Design comes under scrutiny too with Horrible Homes from the Brass Age of American Design. Here is a taster...

This is a teenaged girl’s room. Toss a modern Goth chick in here and she’d dissolve on contact. The yellow and checked pattern do provide an interesting contrast, but you could say the same thing about a vat of acrid urine and a dozen Krispy Kremes. So what, in other words? What’s so blessedly special about contrasts, particularly if the effect looks like a room for someone overly prone to throwing up six quarts of mustard now and then? 

No unauthorized cameras allowed, says the Old-Timey sign. Oh, don’t worry. Not when this hue and this pattern is described in most technical handbooks as “the lens-cracker.”


I'm not going to give you any more - you'll have to visit Lileks yourself - but give yourself at least half an hour as you will get lost in the fabulous archive and the slice of American living you will find there.