I.Must.Have.These.Shoes.   From the name, Swedish Hasbeens, to their sexy 70′s vibe, it didn’t take much to make me love them.   All of the Swedish Hasbeens designs are based on original shoes found in the basement of an old Swedish clog factory.   The wooden heels and natural grain leathers are sourced from ecologically friendly materials and each shoe is lovingly handmade in Stockholm.   Perfect for this Summer paired with a silky jumpsuit or a cute little romper you’d be all set for a long night of dancing to Lady Gaga’s disco beats.

Spotted on Bloesem this morning, these charming paper lanterns from Dutch artist Jurianne Matter. They come seven to a package. You can email Jurianne directly to order or through the Dutch website Bijzonder.

I’m back from London, still a little jet-lagged but ready to get back to work.   It’s never fun to come back to an in-box full of email but it is fun when they contain notices about beautiful new products! Atelier R.Bernier the dynamite French design workshop has created this gorgeous “pyrographed” oak coffee table.   Don’t worry I didn’t know what pyrographed meant either.   It’s the process of engraving a design into something, in this case wood, with a heated needle.   I’m a sucker for the simple lines of this table but it’s the engraved floral motif that elevates this to something more than just a coffee table, it’s a work of art.

These past few days here in London I’ve had my senses overloaded, in the best ways of course: museums, shopping and sweets! Tuesday I spent almost four hours at the Victoria & Albert Museum where I was inspired by the amazing collections of textiles, fashion, jewelry and metals.   The Islamic and Middle Eastern rooms were by far my favorite followed by the English textiles from the 15th-20th centuries.

Victoria & Albert Museum

Harrods and Topshop were almost too much to bear.   Between all of the people and all of the fashions and accessories to admire my senses were wasted by the end of that shopping experience. I did visit the Madeline Weinrib Atelier in Harrods where her collection of vibrant colored furniture and carpets are as gorgeous as I had imagined.

Madeline Weinrib Atelier

Wednesday it was over to the Royal Academy of Art for the London Original Print Fair. Some of my favorite print galleries were represented including Eyestorm (they sent me a free ticket to the show!), Alan Cristea and now my new favorite TAG Fine Arts.   TAG represents Rob Ryan, the illustrator who has become known for his delicate paper cut designs. His original works are incredibly beautiful in person and very pricey.   For the Print Fair TAG commissioned Rob to create a limited edition ceramic tile with his “You can still do a lot with a small brain” illustration and it was only £25 so I snatched one up along with his book This is For You.

 Rob Ryan

Ottolenghi, otherwise known as the best bakery ever with the most massive meringue’s ever was scrumptious and Gywnnies recommendation for the Indian restaurant Amaya was spot on. We also had dinner at my boyfriend Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen where the food was perfect but the service was not so perfect, but we still enjoyed ourselves.   Notice how I’m already sounding like Madonna with her faux British accent.

Ottolenghi Sweets

Today I had the morning with the hubs before he had to work so we went for a long walk through Hyde Park where the flowers are blooming everywhere and then back to our favorite neighborhood Belgravia for window-shopping along Pimlico Road and Elizabeth Street.   The weather is sunny and beautiful so I’m off to Green Park to lounge about with my book until the hubs is back from his meetings. Tomorrow is history day with a visit to the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms, The Tower of London and maybe even a visit to the Tate Museum. Ta ta for now!

I’m a big fan of Sienna Miller’s boho style and everytime I see a photo of her I think, I’d wear that.   A couple of months ago I saw her wearing these slouchy suede boots to a movie premiere and loved them. In true Sienna Miller style she manages to combine a frilly dress with rugged boots and still look gorgeous.   So today while traipsing from Piccadilly Circus to Oxford Circus I saw them in the window of Russell & Bromley and I lost my mind for a moment and bought them! They are super comfy and they look super cute with my corduroy skirt and skinny leg jeans.   Yeah for fun vacation splurges!

(images from Getty Images and Socialite Life)

I’m in London this week! The hubs had to come for work and I got to tag-along to play. Between my friend Maglie’s suggestions, Tea for Joy’s London Guide for Design Sponge and Gywnnies GOOP guide I’ve got plenty to do, see and eat.   After a morning run/walk through Hyde Park, we had an amazing porridge and coffee at the TomTom Coffee in Belgravia (my favorite district so far) then we watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace before the hubs had to leave for work. In the afternoon I toured around Notting Hill and the fancy shops there.   I had a chance to visit Toast which has the most gorgeous catalog. To tell you the truth the live version was a bit of a disappointment. The clothing, although made with fine linen and silk was very bland and the home decor selection was also a bit of a snooze.   It just goes to show that excellent photography can do wonders.   I also dropped into a TopShop and tried on a few items from the Kate Moss collection. Boy was that depressing. Apparently you can’t have bones if you want to fit into anything Kate Moss designs. Fortunately for me I have bones, so that didn’t go so well.

The highlight of yesterday had to be my visit to Robert Kime’s textile shop.   I have been salivating over his fabrics for weeks and couldn’t wait to see these lovely designs in person. Emma was a massive help and I think she might have had as much fun as I did choosing patterns for my three re-upholstery projects. I took a few of pictures of the shop to share with you.

 Ok I’m off to the Victoria & Albert Museum now and then to the National Gallery to visit my friends the Arnolfini’s.   Ta ta for now!

For those of you who fell hard for Kate Towers gorgeous designs and were as sad as I was that she has nothing currently available, here are some irresistible designs from a couple of talented ladies who also hail from Portland, OR.   It seems as if Portland is the latest mecca for beautiful handmade dresses from independent designers. Last seasons Project Runway winner, Leanne Marshall came from the City of Roses as do these designers, Sarah Seven and Makool Loves You.   It seems to me that a   trip to Portland is a must for you lovers of romantic vintage inspired dresses.

Sarah Seven:

Makool Loves You:

Hello again Frillows! First off thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway by commenting.   It was really difficult to pick winners so I was glad that there were three bags to giveaway!   Second, a HUGE THANKS to DELIGHT for sponsoring this giveaway and Thirdly, Thank You to Morgan at RUNWAY DAILY for promoting it as well.   Now on to the WINNERS!!

For the Silver
Susan:
“I love the silver one! I would put my astronaut suit in it and my kid’s light saber’s (compacted of course) and together we would save the universe!”

For the Gold
Paula:
“Solid Gold…Gold eyeshadow, gold earings, golden glitter lipgloss, gold strappy heels and golden underwear (that would be Tylers. He is potty training, i promise i will wrap in plastic before putting in my solid gold bag!)”

For the Purple
Shauna:
“I love the purple bag! In my purple bag, I’d pack my Purple Rain cassette tape and circa ‘86 walkman, my purple slippers and purple PJs, a sixer of Purple Passions, and a plane ticket to UT for a slumber party!”

Hello Frillows! I am excited to announce my first GIVEAWAY!   Jenny from Delight.com is offering three Metallic RuMe (get it, re-use me) bags to three lucky Frillows. Here’s the deal: cruise over to Delight and check out these three hot bags in these three hot colors, Solid Gold, Silver Lining or Purple Rain. Then comment below and tell me which color is your favorite and the most interesting thing you’d put in it. That’s it! Good Luck Frillows! Contest ends Sunday, April 19th at midnight pst, if you’re a winner we’ll email you.

 look how compact it is!

Bold colors + retro designs = Lotta Kuhlhorn’s pieces for the launch of from Sthlm.   By bringing Swedish design to us through from Sthlm, founder Tiffany Orvert took sympathy on those of us in the U.S. who have a love of this style but can’t make it to Stockholm to shop. Each month will feature a new designer and their limited edition pieces.   Her friend Karin Carlbark, owner of retro.etc describes Swedish design best, “A must is that I get a totally happy feeling… I want to feel it in my hands right away. I can’t wait.”   And that’s exactly how I feel about that apple cutting board.