A time to give to others.....

Yesterday i visited my grandmother who is 97 at her nursing home she is in the Alzheimer's section (defiantly where I'm heading!) as soon as i arrived my heart skipped a beat there was my grandmother and other elderly men and woman singing xmas carols and having a great time, my sister was with me as we also sang the look on all there faces was appreciation that two young girls were singing with them, one older man told the nurse how my sister was a spitting image of his daughter and he couldnt take his eyes off her, i sat there wondering how many grandchildren or children bother to see them, and how desperate they are to be heard and not forgotten! i have told all my kids that on xmas day after pressies we are going to take platters of homemade xmas treats and we are going to visit all the Oma's and Opa's at the dutch village (where my grandmother lives) for just an hour! I think the experience is going to touch there hearts too and make our xmas even more special.

Inspirations....

I have used this gorgeous DG wall-paper in my daughter Lexi's room on two walls and the other walls i painted in a mustard yellow, its such a beautiful colour and her room looks young, fresh and girlie (which was her request, strictly no pink,thankfully i have 3 other daughters to at least use pink) i covered her bed-head in a beautiful aqua linen piped in white, ill post some images soon! but the real reason i posted this photo is the use of scattered vases with hand picked flowers, this is by far my favourite (in-expensive) decorating tool, the fun of raiding granny's cupboard, hitting the markets to find vintage bottles and antique crystal vases is so much fun and looks great on a coffee table, sideboard or in my case my little lily has a collection and we collect flowers together to put in the vases and she just loves it (and she is only 3, okay on the odd occasion she has plucked off every petal!)

Every year i buy a new journal, it may just be to note a great book i've read or my goals for the year, motivational quotes,something funny lily did or simply my ideas and inspirations both personally and in my work, i have just ordered for the store these beautiful Designer guild journals and notecards, they are just so beautiful! (in-store soon)