Boutique and Unique - McQueens

In my previous life as a TV producer I was lucky enough to meet and film with Kally Ellis of McQueens. Their designs were trendsetting at the time and revisiting their website they clearly still are today. From early on they were feted and flown to LA to decorate the Vanity Fair Oscar bash. 

And of course part of the reason for blogging about them today is because it's Valentine's Day.  And McQueens have themed their bouquets with the names of romantic films including Love, Actually, An Affair to Remember, The Age of Innocence and From Here to Eternity.

When Kally Ellis set up McQueens in 1991,she had one aim in mind. “I wanted to sell simple, stylish flowers, beautifully presented, to the London market. And I knew people would love it.” Kally drew on her business experience working in the marketing team of a large international French merchant bank. With a strong sense of colour and design, and a genuine passion for flowers, it has proved to be a winning combination, establishing McQueens as the premier name in the UK flower market – and beyond.  “It never fails to surprise me when I receive calls about our flowers from Hollywood and Japan,” says Kally. “It’s amazing to think that from a small shop in Clerkenwell, we’ve built a reputation for quality and innovation that’s known the world over. Yes, I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”

I have always loved flowers and did nurture a dream that if I won the lottery I'd set up my own shop but I've settled for making the odd display including arrangements for my sister in law's reception and my own altar piece at my wedding. But nothing as impressive as this by McQueens.

I have always meant to treat myself to taking a course (I don't think the visiting florist to our guide company when I was about 12 was enough, although I did learn about the rule of using triangles which has probably long gone out the window!).   

So although I doubt I'll be able to make it to McQueens in London, I'm sure that there are some great courses available to me locally and to you where-ever you live in the UK. So get googling and find yourself a course now.

But of course I did make my own flowers of a fashion and can make up a bouquet of lilies, roses and tulips.  You can see them here and buy them from our website too.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Let's Celebrate .... Burns' Night

We love an excuse to party and since we also love all things Scottish, Burns' Night provides the perfect opportunity.

When looking for inspiration for our new living room since moving, I happened upon these sumptuous cushions which I freely admit to coveting.  Produced by Voyage Maison, they are divine.

 Another great thing about moving is I get the chance to discover some new shops - one of them being Pethau Bychain in King St, Carmarthen..  Here you'll find an eclectic mix of lovely interiors, homeware and jewellery along with a great coffee shop, making a welcome respite from the chains found elsewhere.  And this is where I stumbled upon my cushions, as you can see here.

We always take the opportunity to celebrate so on the day we'll be donning our thistle hats (you can get one here), ....

.... and aprons, tucking into an enormous haggis, complete with neeps and tatties, and having a crack at Robert Burns' famous address to the haggis.  If you fancy a go, here are the first few lines.

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, 

Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye worthy o' a grace

As lang's my arm.

Slàinte! (Cheers)

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Boutique and Unique - Polkadot of Winslow, Bucks

Stumbled across Polkadot on Facebook and thought you might like to see what they get up to.

Lisa (aka Miss Dottie) runs Polkadot and spends her days hand-painting gorgeous stuff & things in a farmhouse in the middle of a field in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside.

She specialises in handpainting wooden signs, canvases, hearts & boxes and the sound of sawing, sanding, drilling & painting, dogs & chickens can always be heard!

I love the fact that when Lisa gets cold she fires up the kiln and makes a few of her sweet little mugs, jugs or teapots!

There seem to be no end to Lisa's creative talents and she also produces a range of cards & prints.

As well as a shop in Winslow you can also buy her stuff online.

All images (c) Polkadot of Winslow

Boutique and Unique - Stanwells, Lymington and Bournemouth

You don't need to be in London to enjoy designer labels and stylish independent boutique shopping.  

Not too far from us in Lymington, you can find Stanwells, where new edgy brands sit alongside classic or cult labels, including Victoria Beckham denim, Alice Temperley, Diane Von Furstenberg and Joseph.

They have another store in the increasingly trendy Westbourne, in Bournemouth where staff are friendly and knowledgeable and you can browse at leisure.

And if you can't make it to their store, you can check out their website and do some online shopping instead.

All images (c) Stanwells.com