A new venture inspired by Nature ....

I know ... I've abandoned this place way too long, but all for a good reason.
It's not that I haven't took any photos, but not the kind I usually share over here.

The last couple of weeks my living room was turned up side down while being used as a 'photo studio'.
All because of the fact that Mr. Reed Warbler and me are starting a new (ad)venture together.

Our love for both Nature and Interior has taken shape in our own Webshop and so very pleased I can finally share it with you ....

As long as we're a couple, I'm the one with the creative ideas and so fortunate with my husband who brings them into reality.
Therefore there will be, alongside New and Vintage items, also our own The Reed Warbler collection.

Most of these items created by my husband like for instance this Bench for the little ones ....

 And some bespoke knitting from my hand, such as this personalised little Dress ....

But most of our products we've sourced with the thought of bringing Nature indoors under our - for instance - category Botanical ....

Picture Frame 

Vintage Books

Botanical School Chart

Although I knew it would be a lot of work 'building' a shop on line, it still took more time than I had expected.
But is was so worth it, because I'm so very happy with the end result.

There's one person in special to thank for, because without him there wouldn't be a shop at all, and that is our youngest son.
Not only he's responsible for the design and everything that comes with it, but also his enthusiasm and confidence has kept me going when doubting sometimes.
All this makes this new venture even more special and counting my blessings even more.

We still have quite a few new products to be added over the next months, so I hope you will stay tuned as we will be adding more stock along the way.

As we're already halfway November it's all about cosy up at home and preparing for Christmas.
So very chuffed with one of our seasonal items, our own produced Hanging Christmas (Advent) Tree ....

  Which is - when all numbered paper bags are opened - also a lovely Christmas display ....

If you want to have a browse .... there's more to find here

Have a lovely weekend!

Anita
~ xo ~

Spring has definitely sprung ....

After the hibernation of my garden the first sign of Spring were these fritillary popping up in the border. 

It continues to amaze me when there actually grows something out of the bulbs I've planted months ago .... 

But also all the wildlife which makes a frequenter appearance, like this wren who is sunbathing after a bath in the pond .... 

The grape hyacinths in the flower box in front of my living room window were a nice surprise, it's such a relieve there's also a bright sight at being forgetful sometimes ....

A serious fight was preceded but in the end this blue tit has taken up residence of the nest box ....

And love is definitely in the air as this is his lady friend. They really seem inseparable and even feed each other, they're so much fun to watch ....

Now I'm used to get lots of different bird species in my garden but I couldn't believe my eyes when these two showed up on a Saturday morning ....

Another nice surprise on my drive to work, the storks who are back on their nest
just like last year ....

During a walk in the woods with a good friend I was astonished at all the green ........

On our way we also visited the Goat Farm where not only we saw a lot of little goats but also this hanging basket with a very special resident ....

Not only a lot of new green in the woods but also in my garden, gorgeous signs of Spring ....

And not before long now these ones can hide in my maple tree ....

"Pretty in pink" at the end of my street ....

After living here for fifteen years I finally planted the fruit trees who were on my wish list for so long. So now I've got lovely blossom as my garden fence  ....

With the large selection of flowers this season it's so easy to create a spring scene at home, even in my kitchen with my favourite spring flower ranunculus ....

A real bonus to the longer and warmer days is the evening chorus of the blackbird .... 

I've been very busy sowing all kind of seeds and last week all my seedlings went from the attic to my greenhouse in a new larger pot ....

Still so very happy with my little green house. As you can read here the assembly of it was quite a task but so worthwhile ....

How fab it would be when these really turn into the gorgeous hollyhocks as the front of the seed packet does promise ....

But for now I'm enjoying the wisteria on our back patio, if only you could smell the scent ....

My mums peony with so many of these promising buds ....

In an attempt to capture the fairytale atmosphere of the English bluebell woods just a little bit at home, I planted some Spanish bluebell bulbs and were so pleased when they actually popped up.
Although I think they're very pretty and would love to have them spread around my garden, it's not exactly the same one I admired during our holiday two years ago.
Not being able to find this particular one in a garden center at home gives me the perfect excuse to pay a visit to a local garden center during our upcoming visit to England, I'm not complaining!
But for now I'm very happy with these ....

So my next bunch of flowers will not only consist of cow parsley but just like this beautiful illustration in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady with some bluebell too ....

We've had wonderful weather this past week and hope it will stay with us for at least the (long) weekend!
Hope you'll have a wonderful one too.


Anita
~xo~

Easter (spring) 'cake' ....

This year I was aiming for something different than the traditional branches to get into the Easter spirit.

If only because of the comments from the men household in which I live. Especially because to them it's more like an obstacle then an addition to the atmosphere (or in other words .... it mainly obstructs their view on the television) 

A while ago I saw this lovely flower (wedding) cake from The Flowerbird on Instagram and it instantly gave me inspiration for an Easter (spring) display ....

Is it only me that when I'm looking for something, it's just not available or ridiculous expensive.

So I decided to make a cheaper version, of what I had in mind as basics, myself.

Therefore I bought this simple candle holder and sink scale in order to glue them to another. 

Together with floral foam (soaked in water) shaped to the size of the scale and moss they form the basis of my spring arrangement. 

Before the real decorating could start I made a hole in the middle and added the Narcissus Bridal Crown which I really love for its fragrance ....

After that I started decorating with these gorgeous roses and spring branches (using a cocktail stick to make a little hole before adding them ) ....

And some Easter decorations with the necessary 'tools' to secure them ....

After gradually adding all of its 'ingredients' this is the end result ....

Though I'm rather pleased with the end result, I braced myself for the expected comment that the men in this house would have preferred an edible cake.

So to keep them happy I prepared something edible too .... 

The narcissus make their expectation more than true, because the living room is filled with a gorgeous springlike scent .... 

Wishing you a happy Easter!

Anita
~xo~

Living the Cotswolds dream at home ....

For those who follow me for some time now there's no need to explain my love for England.
Although I've visited a lot of - all beautiful - areas, one of them made an indelible impression on me, the Cotswolds

I already dedicated a blog post to this wonderful part of the country you can read here 
How much as I would love a second home in England, sadly this will remain a daydream in present circumstances.
Therefore - and because my visits to England are every time such an inspiration - it makes me want to create a bit of that typical English atmosphere at home.

During our stay in the Cotswolds not only I fell in love with the gorgeous landscape and nature, also with the beautiful cottages and in particularly the paint colour of most of the woodwork.
For example, this (one of many) door I saw in the fairytale village Bibury ....

This was definitely the view I wanted for our home entrance, but had really no idea what kind of colour paint (or brand) it was.
That question, which I shared on my Instagram account was quickly answered by one of my lovely followers (thanks Loraine) which shows again what a lovely community this is.

So the next step was browsing on the Farrow & Ball website in search for the colour Bone, which gives such a calming and neutral tone.
Luckily my husband needed not much convincing (even suggested we should also paint the garage doors!) and not long ago we've said goodbye to our plain white door ....

And I'm so very pleased with the outcome ....

To complete my dream I planted the gorgeous white (David Austin) rose named Glamis Castle of which I can't wait until it climbs around my entrance next year ....

And therefore, for the moment I'm .....

Whatever you do, never stop dreaming.
                                       Darren L. Johnson


Have a lovely weekend all!

Anita
~xo~

It's all about inspiration ....

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Maybe it's because Spring is around the corner but there are so much "new projects" going through my head.
Unfortunately one can do only one thing at the time, at least that's the case for me (especially when you also have a job to go to)

I've got so much inspiration these days and not only there's Pinterest  and  Instagram  
to blame, I've also discovered a lovely program on BBC 2 ....  The Great British Sewing Bee

Many years ago ( it almost feels like in the stone age, because I didn't even had any kids at that time ) I went to sewing classes.
At first I was the laughing stock at work (I went with some colleagues) because Anita and sewing lessons, they all seemed to find it a very rare and funny combination.

To everyone's surprise (me the most) I did it quite well and appeared to be the only one who enjoyed it for a very long time.... making my own clothes.
Over the years it wasn't that fashionable any more and by become a mum of three boys also time became less.

But now finding a lot of ideas on Pinterest, watching the Sewing Bee and following lovely ladies on Instagram makes me want to start sewing again.

For instance this lovely dress from Debbie shown here on her Instagram account Rooms with a view
                   

Or the beautiful garden coat from Lucy also shown here on her Instagram account Love lane (vintage) Lucy

Both dresses made from beautiful (and also my favourite) fabric .... linen!


And last but not least these (cotton) dresses  you can find on the
(not only for the dresses) lovely blog from Hettie Brown      

Because I still haven't been able to find a suitable pattern , this image on Pinterest   
gave me enough inspiration to get my sewing machine and start "sewing"
(on a small scale than) again ....

It seemed like a good idea to start with something simple and because it has been on my wish list for a long time I bought myself this "partner in crime"....

This beautiful lace was a real bargain on the market ....

and would fit perfectly on this sweater I hardly wear these days ....

By adding the lace it turned into a different look, one I will really love to wear again. And all because of a simple image on Pinterest !

Because I'm not particularly thrilled with a "selfie" I found someone else willing to show the end result.

And who would be more appropriate than my new roommate ....

Needless to say what I'm going to watch on the telly tonight .... have a good and inspiring week !

Anita xo