There is a National Trust manor house near me that has a room in which I would gladly set up a writing desk and fountain my thoughts onto parchment laid paper for the rest of my life. In a grand house it does not possess any grandeur of its own… indeed it is probably the smallest room in the hall, but in my memory the walls are lined with watery botanicals, exquisitely executed and displayed in all their floral loveliness, in such a way there is no wall to be seen…
Perhaps I made that room up. Sometimes we take only the essence of a room, a time or a place home with us. Sometimes a little seed of inspiration is sewn and the rest is just imagination creating a space we want to exist. A place we could live in.
Whatever…. but forever after I have loved botanical drawings, paintings and best of all the kitschy overcoloured botanical images to be found in mid century gardening books, the kind it doesn’t give me heart failure to rip out and pin onto my inpsiration board, nor shove carelessly into the frame of a mirror…
Like these delightfully exuberant images from a gorgeous little gardening book I found at the bottom of a very dirty suitcase called "Gardening For Children and Beginners" which tickled my green fingered fancy and speaks in the kind of plain english, lets acknowledge kids are mini people way so wonderfully peculiar to vintage kids books…
"To those of you who not only love seeing flowers but want to grow them for yourselves, I am going to try and tell about different kinds of gardens belonging to different boys and girls, in the hope that one or more of them may have something that will interest and help with your own. It is rather fun hearing what other people do or do not do, even if we do not want to do exactly the same! You will find in gardening – as in most things- that hearing and seeing what other people do is the way to learn lots of new things, and if we add these to our own experiments we shall never be tired or bored…"
Scrumptious! Close your eyes and you can just hear the deliciously plummy British accents can’t you?
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
Oh lucky, lucky me. Five minutes after I had opened my hate email, I came downstairs and this was waiting for me in the porch. A scrumptiously pretty vintage Valentine, left blank for my own use, courtesy of the ever wonderful FairyCakeGirl…
I spy with my little eye, bunting made from scraps of vintage embroidery. At Fade Interiors, Woodstock. Other Things To Do At BrocanteHome Browse the Bookstore Discover a curated list of books to enhance and support life the BrocanteHome way Browse the…
Heavens. Now here is a sentence I could once never have imagined typing: I am about to subscribe to The Lady magazine. Yes really. The Lady, once the doyenne of matronly ladies in twinset and tweed, is now quite the most perfect…
Blogging is kind of relentless isn’t it? You post one item, only to feel a desperate urge to tell the world something else. Then you want to see what the world has got to say about it. And what that wonderful little…
Though you may have come to know me as she of the puttery treats, very few will realise that when it comes to Firefox and Chrome extensions, WordPress plugins and  ipod/phone/pad apps, I’m also your girl because my curiosity knows no bounds and I…
Housekeepers I have turned into a Christmas Shopping Ninja! Never before have I been so darn organised, and I am currently on track for having EVERYTHING shopped and wrapped by December the 1st. What’s that I hear? No-one like’s a show off?…
I am so thankful whenever I find a book/creative individual who treats children as if they possess thoughts, feelings, etc. Sounds like this book fits the bill. I wish I was better at encouraging my children in our garden…this beast the Internet is way too distracting, I'm afraid. How lovely, though, that pansies are a cold weather annual. I will put that on my to-do list…with my children.
I just wanted to say thank you. I stumbled across your site a few days ago in an attempt to find ways to create a more cozy home for my 2 year old daughter and husband. I was captivated by your site and spent the last several nights reading through the archives. I even have my best friend hooked! You have put so much work into your site and so much of yourself into it which really personalizes it and makes it the most special thing I have ever found on the net. I look forward to going to your site everday to continue getting fabulous ideas. Your son is so lucky to have such a wonderful mommy. Michele Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
I just wanted to say thank you. I stumbled across your site a few days ago in an attempt to find ways to create a more cozy home for my 2 year old daughter and husband. I was captivated by your site and spent the last several nights reading through the archives. I even have my best friend hooked! You have put so much work into your site and so much of yourself into it which really personalizes it and makes it the most special thing I have ever found on the net. I look forward to going to your site everday to continue getting fabulous ideas. Your son is so lucky to have such a wonderful mommy. Michele Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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How beautiful!
Hiya your words transported me.Thak you for uplifting thoughts and inspiration.I hope your cold is better too.
I am so thankful whenever I find a book/creative individual who treats children as if they possess thoughts, feelings, etc. Sounds like this book fits the bill. I wish I was better at encouraging my children in our garden…this beast the Internet is way too distracting, I'm afraid. How lovely, though, that pansies are a cold weather annual. I will put that on my to-do list…with my children.
I just wanted to say thank you. I stumbled across your site a few days ago in an attempt to find ways to create a more cozy home for my 2 year old daughter and husband. I was captivated by your site and spent the last several nights reading through the archives. I even have my best friend hooked! You have put so much work into your site and so much of yourself into it which really personalizes it and makes it the most special thing I have ever found on the net. I look forward to going to your site everday to continue getting fabulous ideas. Your son is so lucky to have such a wonderful mommy.
Michele
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
I just wanted to say thank you. I stumbled across your site a few days ago in an attempt to find ways to create a more cozy home for my 2 year old daughter and husband. I was captivated by your site and spent the last several nights reading through the archives. I even have my best friend hooked! You have put so much work into your site and so much of yourself into it which really personalizes it and makes it the most special thing I have ever found on the net. I look forward to going to your site everday to continue getting fabulous ideas. Your son is so lucky to have such a wonderful mommy.
Michele
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA