Special delivery!

The Pen&Pringle elves are busy getting Christmas card orders ready for delivery!

Ooh that's nice

A look at my latest loves collected on my Pinterest:

1. Twentytwentyone 2. Shophorne.com 3. catstudio 4. wildandwolf.com 5. Marks and Spencer 6. Liberty 7. Anthropologie 8. tattydevine 9. ourworkshop

"Roll up, rollup..."

...get yourself some lovely Pen&Pringle Christmas cards! Now available here at Bouf.

A hole with a view

Today was the perfect day for a stroll by the sea and me and the hubster decided to pop along to Bexhill for a mooch. Bexhill is looking great at the moment with all the wonderful works finally coming to an end. I took the opportunity to snap this cyclist behind one of the many weird and wonderful garden features that align the promenade.

Making an entrance

I'm chipping away at the house trying to get it nice before Christmas and it's so nice to see the hallway looking less like a building site! I love monochromatic schemes and there's still quite a bit to do but this is certainly a start. Can't wait 'til we mount one of our vintage bikes on the wall!! But for now, I think I'm going to put my feet up and have a brew.

Thrifty Find #009

Barratts of Staffordshire 18 piece set. St Michael's Hospice, St Leonards on Sea.

Thrifty Find #008

Brass Heron. Hastings and Rother Association for the Blind

Piece of cake

Great birthday card from Present & Correct.

Who care's if it's raining...

...when you have one of these. One for my shopping list!

Carousel umbrella by David David.

The Linnet

I decided to dust off my watercolour set today and have a little play. As I flicked through some of my old children's books, I was drawn in by the colours and markings of the Linnet bird and so here's my little doodle/painting which I'm rather happy with. For those of you who have never heard of the Linnet, they're a British bird and interestingly, when Linnet's call to each other, apparently they sound rather like the banjo?!

A Pitstop at the Pelican

We seem to be spoilt for sunny Sundays here in Hastings this October and I am certainly not complaining. Had a lovely potter in the Old Town and it could have been May. The streets were bustling, the fishmongers were busy and the fish and chippies had queues of day visitors. It really has been a glorious day.

Whilst taking a stroll along the seafront, I came across a new little frozen yoghurt cafe called the Pelican which was adorable. I love finding a new place that I know I'll go back to. The friendly owners have given the listed building a new lease of life and I have to say, their homemade frozen yoghurt was divine. Heavenly yet guilt-free.

Sitting outside the Pelican, watching the fairground attractions whizz round as I soaked up some autumnal sun, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Sunday.

Thrifty Finds #006 and #007

It's been a little while since I last went hunting for gems but yesterday I came across these 2 items at YMCA, Tunbridge Wells which I've now given a home.

The knitted vintage toy soldier I just had to buy. I love to collect London reminders so this dear little thing will take pride of place on the sofa...along with the cats who like to muscle in on photos the cheeky monkeys.

And this elegant deer I spotted a mile away which will probably find it's home above the fireplace along with my owls and pigeons and what not!

Well that's my latest thrifty finds for now. Happy Friday peeps and have a lovely weekend.

Snap Crackle Pot

Hastings always has a jam-packed diary of events and this weekend saw Hastings Bonfire celebrations which involves a torchlit procession, bonfire and fireworks to commemorate the Battle of Hastings, as well as the traditional gunpowder plot. It's one of those lovely evenings where you wrap up warm and go for a pint. Beats a night in with Xfactor any day! Here's some of my fave shots I took on the night.

Sew into You

"Sew into You" giclée print now available at Bouf.

The Caravan Gallery

Received White Stuff's brochure today and read about a really interesting arts project called The Caravan Gallery. In their words:

"The Caravan Gallery is a mobile exhibition venue andvisual arts project run by artists Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale who are on a mission to record the ordinary and extraordinary details of life in 21st century Britain."

It's fascinating to see The Caravan Gallery's snapshots of British culture and the insight it gives into the society in which we live in today. Some images will have you laugh, some images are quite thought provoking. Click here for upcoming events.

Beautiful Books

I'm a sucker for a nice book cover and I love Penguin's collaboration; Penguin Ink where they have teamed up with the world's leading tattoo artists to create a limited edition set of six classic novels. My favourite, which I've just bought, is Valerie Vargas' cover for Notes on a Scandal which is a great read. And the film with Dame Dench and the beautiful Blanchett is really good too but read the book first!

I feel good today

Love this optimistic and motivating piece of wall art at the erste liebe bar in Hamburg. Makes me smile and inspires me to maybe think about creating a happy piece of wall art for my home.

Wall art created by Niels Bruschke, Santiago Design.

Source: Cool Hunter

Pen&Pringle's new shop at Bouf!

Now available at the lovely online store that is Bouf, you will find my very own limited edition prints inspired by my love for old gems. Check out my wee shop now by clicking here and remember to keep your eye out for more exciting additions to the Pen&Pringle collection!

Tequila Watermelon Popsicles

I think we'll be needing these today!

Source: Tequila Watermelon Popsicles | Love and Olive Oil

Can'ts into Cans

Source: Pinterest

Home Highlight: Still Life from Sanderson

This week my home highlight is Sanderson's new collection Still Life. I adore the work of Matisse and this design takes my breath away. If this sofa were to be mine, I would never leave home. It makes me smile with it's joyful colourways and really makes me want to get my easel and paints out. Hmm, perhaps I should dust them off this weekend?

La Dolce Vita

Recently returned from Lake Garda. In a word - magical. Surrounded by mountains, the crystal clear waters of Lake Garda shimmer as serene swans float by minding their own business. A beautiful place where you never tire of the view and every perspective is a picture postcard. A place I'm sure to return.

My latest woman crush...

I love Keiko Lynn's style and with her tutorials, Keiko helps you achieve many of her effortlessly chic looks.

The backing track to my daydreams

This is how we do it

I love a lazy Sunday. I get pretty grumpy if I can't have a lazy Sunday. A lazy Sunday itinerary usual entails pottering about the house, reading the papers, baking...I think you get the picture.

Well on today's lazy Sunday, I decided to do something a little crazy. I attempted a different flapjack recipe. And for the first time ever, my flapjacks didn't completely fall apart! So in celebration of my perfectly square flapjacks, the hubby and I skipped to Pett to enjoy said flapjacks with a nice hot tea. Ok so we didn't skip but we made our way merrily to the beach.

I'm never one to follow instructions exactly so here's my thrown together recipe. Particularly tasty for those who like cakes that aren't too sweet.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp honey

200g olive margerine

150g porridge oats

100g dessicated coconut

50g dried fruits

1. On a low heat, melt margerine and mix in honey.

2. Turn heat off and add oats, coconut and dried fruits to melted mix.

3. Add mix to grease proof tin. I like to spread my mix so it's about 2cm thick and use your hands to press the mix down so that it's nice and compact.

4. Bake for 25min at 180C/350F/Gas 4 or until slightly golden brown on top.

5. Whilst hot, gently score into squares.

6. Leave to cool before turning out.

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Badass Beanbags

Loving Woouf's ultra cool beanbags and cushions. Woouf is a quirky design studio based in Barcelona whose work is packed full of fun and joy. I'm all about design that makes you smile and Woouf's collection has me beaming. For anyone starting to think about what to get me for Christmas, I'll have the keyboard above thank you very much. Woouf deliver to the UK but Im sure it won't be long before these are snapped up by UK homeware retailers. Keep an eye out for this bright and bold bunch.

A trip to Rye

Pottered about in the lovely town of Rye yesterday. It's only a 15 minute drive from where I live and I always find a gem or two to take home. I love rummaging in Rye's vintage shops and it was nice to have a nose in some of Rye's new-ish stores too.

Pale and Interesting, a boutique homeware store had some gorgeous things and I had to get myself this lovely piece of glassware. They've just published a beautiful interiors book which is definitely on my list of things to buy. Take a look at their website and also follow the links to the couple's own websites for some pale inspiration.

I also came home with this French tin hook which I'm going to use in my floral themed bedroom for dressing gowns. Bought this in Country Ways - Jane Wicks Kitchenalia on Strand Quay. She has an amazing collection of 50s kitchenalia which had me drooling with absolute envy.

On the way home, I nipped into the Windmill Orchard Farm Shop in Icklesham which was delightful and is now going to be the place where I get my fresh groceries. Everything is locally sourced so I bought some apples and plums from Peasmarsh, milk from Guestling, you can refill your Ecover liquid products and you can fill your own bottle of their olive oil of the season. I'd highly recommend a visit if you're passing or live nearby.

Anyway, that's enough from me for now. Time to get some lunch ready me thinks!

Ciao for now. x

Sources: The Woman's Room, Windmill Orchard Farm Shop

Bunga Bunga!

I love finding new places to try out and this place is the next one on my list.

Bunga Bunga appears to be a pizzeria like no other. Based in Battersea, diners can expect karaoke, cocktails, cheesy DJs and much more. My kinda place.

Source: Daily Candy

Something's fishy

Love this from Made in Design.