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Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Sunday, December 2, 2012

An inspiring Sunday at Petersham Nurseries

I've mentioned Petersham Nurseries several times already but it is one of my favourite places in London and I love taking my mum there each time she comes over because I know it is the kind of place and aesthetics she appreciates. It was a lovely day...cold but sunny.
When I looked at the window this morning, it was frosty so I decided it was the perfect day to wear the boots I bought last year when we went skiing (bought them the last day of our ski holidays...as you do...and they've been keeping warm in their box since then). Mum and I had a lovely time, then we met Steve, Mila and Lucas in Richmond Park next to pick up some twigs to make a big star similar to this one, then we had lunch at High Road (another favourite place of mine and one I know Holly from Decor8 loves too) and a peek at The Old Cinema...perfect day in my book
So perfect, that I decided to make a pizza to end our Sunday on a high note.
Hope you had a great one too








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Friday, November 2, 2012

Life with Mila | The germs

One of my favourite thing when I work from my parents' home, is listening to Mila (7) and Lily (8) her cousin talking...
A few days ago, when we were in France, Mila got stroppy with me because I licked the spoon of her Sunday ice cream, my mum got her from McDo.
The day after, the girls got pancakes + Nutella* for desert and Mila happily licking the spoon full of Nutella and putting it back in the pot, got told off by my mum....
Mum: "Oh non Mila...ne fais pas ca!"
Mila: "I don't like germs"
Me: "That's rich!! You gave me a hard time yesterday and you just leeked the spoon and put it back in the pot! Don't do that! Anyway I carried you in my womb for 9 months so you wont get germs from me, I'm your mum, you're immunised "
Lily:"Yes you have the same slime"


So this is it...these last few days I went from sadness to lightness. The sadness to say goodbye to someone I love dearly and the lightness from two wonderful, smart and funny little girls. As she finally passed away yesterday, today I will spend the day with two of my favourite girls: my daughter and my sister. I wish you a nice, gentle Friday 
beautiful pic from Snippets from Suburbia
Une des choses que je préfère quand je travaille de chez mes parents, c'est écouter Mila et sa cousine papoter..
Quand nous étions en France ces derniers jours, Mila m'avait fait un pata-caisse parce que j'avais osé lécher la cuillère de son Sunday ice cream que ma mère lui avait offert chez McDo.
Le jour d'après, les filles ont eu des crèpes + Nutella pour le dessert. Mila qui lèche la cuillère pleine de Nutella et la remet dans le pot, se fait remonter les bretelles par ma mere
Ma mère: "Oh non Mila...ne fais pas ca!"
Mila: "Jaime pas les microbes"
Me: "T'es gonflée!! Tu viens juste de lécher la cuillère et de la remettre dans le pot. Ne fais pas ca! En plus je t'ai porté dans mon ventre pendant 9 mois alors tu ne choperas pas mes microbes, tu es immunisée "
Lily:"Oui vous avez la meme bave"

Et voila....ces derniers temps, je suis passée de la tristesse a la tendresse. La tristesse pour dire aurevoir a quelqu'un que j'aimais énormément et la tendresse d'etre avec deux petites filles adorables, futées et droles. Et comme elle s'est finalement endormie hier après-midi, ajourd'hui, je vais passer la journée tranquille avec deux des filles que j'aime le plus: ma fille et ma soeur. Je vous souhaite un bon Vendredi plein de douceurs.
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Friday, October 26, 2012

Life with Mila | The Tooth Fairy

Sadly Mila and I had to rush to France yesterday to see my 95 years old mamie (she is the hot chick on the left hand side and my mum is the one in the middle sporting the bathing suit with spots - I love this photo). It's a sad time but I wanted to be there* to tell her what a wonderful grandmother she had been to me before it was too late. How many good memories I have for all the summers spent with her, all the walks we took by the seaside and to the library, her maverick sense of humour, how she always had a pot of Nutella for us when she knew we were coming, how happy she was when we all had our own children (my sister, my cousins and I) and then she became an amazing great grand-mother putting photos of all her grand children everywhere. How funny, polite and witty she was - she would greet and smile to everyone in the street, even people she didn't know but once in a while she would squeeze my arm with a maverick smile and say "this one is an idiot" and I would burst out laughing. How she never spoke a word of English but always spoke to Steve with a warm, caring smile as if he would understand. How unbelievably soft her bed linens and towels were and how neither of us ever managed to crack her secret despite using the same laundry products (I had this conversation with my aunts yesterday). 
How wonderful she always smelled (she used Roger & Gallet soaps), how soft her skin was and still is and how much I love her.
I'm glad Mila came with me. She is such a caring little girl. Yesterday while she was stroking gently my mamie's hand, she asked:
Mila:"where are her teeth ?"
Me: "She hasn't got any :-("
Mila:"Did she get some money from the tooth fairy ?"
I can't tell you how good it felt for my mum and I to burst out laughing...Have a great weekend

*thanks to Steve to make that happen

{Thank you for leaving a comment. Reading them always makes me very happy}
Malheureusement Mila et moi avons du prendre l'avion en urgence pour rentrer en France hier et voir ma mamie qui a 95 ans (c'est le  petit canon à gauche de la photo et ma maman est celle au milieu avec son petit maillot à pois - j'adore cette photo). C'est un moment un peu triste mais je voulais lui qu'elle mamie géniale elle avait été pour moi avant qu'il ne soit trop tard. Combien de bons souvenirs j'ai de mon enfance et des étés passés à ses cotés, des promenades que nous faisions le long du bord de mer jusqu'à la bibliothèque municipale, de son sense de l'humour, du  pot de Nutella  qu'elle avait toujours pour nous quand elle savait que nous venions et combien elle était heureuse quand nous avons eu tous des bébés (ma soeur, mes cousins, cousines et moi) et qu'elle est devenue une arrière grand-mère géniale accrochant des photos de ses petits-enfants partout dans la maison.
Combien elle était polie, agréable et drole - elle disait bonjour à tout le monde dans la rue et souriait tout le temps mais une fois de temps en temps, elle me serrait le bras et avec un air de complicité, elle me disait: "celui-ci est un imbécile", ce qui me faisait éclater de rire. Combien elle n'a jamais parlé un mot d'anglais mais elle s'est toujours adressé a Steve avec un sourire bienveillant et complice comme si il comprenait. Combien ses draps et ses serviettes étaient les draps les plus doux de la planète et qu'aucune de nous, n'a jamais pu avoir des serviettes de toilette qui sentaient aussi bon et qui restaient aussi douces même en utilisant les mêmes produits (une conversation que j'ai eu avec mes tantes hier). 
Combien elle sentait toujours bon (elle utilisait toujours les savons Roger & Gallet), combien sa peau était - et est toujours - douce and surtout combien je l'aime.
Je suis contente que Mila soit venue avec moi. C'est une petite fille avec un grand coeur. Hier, alors qu'elle caressait gentiment la main de ma mamie, elle me demanda: 
Mila:"Ou sont ses dents?"
Me: "Elle n'en a plus :-("
Mila:"Est ce qu'elle a eu des sous de la petite sourie ?"
Je ne vous dit pas a quel point cela nous a fait du bien a ma mere et moi d'
éclater de rire. Je vous souhaite un bon weekend
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Monday, October 8, 2012

Monday wishes and a Thank you!



Oh how I wish I was playing hookie today and taking this little guy on a picnic with the hubby!  Perfection I think.

The weekend has ended and we are knee deep in design goodness here- wishing you a wonderful start to the week!

Also a big thank you to everyone who takes the time to follow here and elsewhere we just hit 10,000 + on pinterest!

 

Image via
Photobucket 
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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Little creative project for the weekend

Lately, things have been pretty busy for Steve and I and as a result, we are both quite tired by the time we catch up in the evening and often, we just end up crashing on the sofa watching TV. I know these signs very well. It's a slow, slippery slope that little by little drives us apart. We get tired, start drifting and then suddenly you're not close anymore and you argue for little things when all you want to do is curling up in each other's arms. It happens to all of us. So this weekend, it's family reconnecting time!
Saturday afternoon: Mila and I are doing some DIY. As she fancies a change in her bedroom (more pink!), I showed her all my Pinterest boards to see what would inspire her to do and her choice went for this image so we'll be painting her old white wooden desk in soft pink.
Saturday evening: The All Blacks are playing at midnight. I really don't care about rugby but apparently it happens once a year and I know how important this is to Steve so we will watch it as a family and Mila is super excited by the prospect of having a midnight feast although she will probably fall asleep.
Sunday: If it doesn't rain, we will go for a bike ride around Richmond Park and take Lucas with us because there is nothing than being out there, breathing fresh air, away from the computer to have a good time as a family.
Have a great weekend!
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Saturday, June 23, 2012

MILK photoshoot

How about I shared with you my totally out-of-focus 'behind-the-scene' photos!?
I should have got my tripod out but I didn't, hence you get to see some really badly taken photos.
However, the photos taken by MILK magazine are fabulous! I saw them yesterday and the layout of the pages,, the colours, the photos...everything is stunning and I can't wait to show them to you once they are published.
Mila was wearing her beautiful grey tutu and before you ask, unfortunately the MEOW poster in the kitchen is no longer available as it has been replaced by MIMA LE CHAT print and Le Chat print.
The gorgeous gold stars garland on pic 8 in the kitchen is one of my latest finds and they will be available in the boutique very soon and the pom poms in Mila's bedroom are from here and because it was Father's Day last week, I had done a special moodboard in our bedroom with what the lovely words Mila had painted for her papa.
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Mila's Birthday

Mila is 7 today...
I could never have dreamt in a million years to have such a gorgeous, beautiful, smart and funny little girl and I wish from the bottom of my heart that she grows into a beautiful, smart and funny young woman...
Happy Birthday ma chérie, je t' énORmement!
Photo 1 & 2 by Chris Tubbs for the Grand Design photoshoot  | Photo 3 & 4 by Michael Paul for Home Beautiful Australia who is shooting our London home this weekend.
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Monday, April 9, 2012

Kinfolk magazine shot by Leo Patrone

I love big gatherings with friends and family, I love having people around especially in our holidays home in France where we have 2715 m² of garden and enough space indoors to put up several families without feeling the stress of being on top of each other.
Last time, I was in Paris catching up with my best friends Emma and Laetitia, both reminded me that when we were at University, I was already dreaming of a big holiday home where everybody could gather together. I think it is probably why these beautiful images by Leo Patrone for Kinfolk magazine in the Green Building in NYC really stroke a chord.

Leo Patrone is a wedding and portrait photographer and you are going to die when you will spend a bit of time on his website and drool over his beautiful images.

Kinfolk magazine is something that I think, you will also very much enjoy reading about.
It is a growing community of artists with a shared interest in small gatherings. They  recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us and like my post on SLØ magazine yesterday, helps to focus on what matters.
Every element of Kinfolk —the features, photography, and general aesthetics—are consistent with the way they feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived. Kinfolk is the marriage of their/our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends.
On this note, I hope you had a great Easter weekend with friends and family. Personally I feel like I've eaten far more at Easter than we did last Christmas in New-Zealand but I endeavour to run when we are in France next week to burn off all the chocolate the Easter bunny brought us.

I almost forgot to share this beautiful video....

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Self-portrait by F.A.B.

My brother François, who is shooting the BODIE and FOU SS/12 catalogue did these two self-portraits last Summer which I loved because he managed to create two complete different characters.
The first one was shot in our Dad's workshop and reminds me of Tchao Pantin {So Long, Stooge in English} with Coluche but I guess you need to be French to know what movie I'm talking about.
The second one was shot in our Mum's car.

Anyway...François has been staying with us recently until he moves into his new pad next week and seeing the slow mail he was getting, I recently realised that cool his initials were...
See... as he was the kid brother of the family, we all had a say in his name. 
Our Dad (Françis) was keen to have a name similar to him because he was the only son, our mum was in love with the name Baptiste and Elodie and I wanted to call him Adrian so in the end, he was called François, Adrien, Baptiste - F.A.B. Pretty cool isn't it?!
(C) Photo: François Kong

Mon frère François, qui shoote le catalogue BODIE and FOU SS/12 a fait ces deux auto-portraits l'été dernier et je les aime beaucoup parce qu'il a réussi a créer deux personnages complètement différents. Le premier a été shooté dans l'atelier de notre père et il me fait penser au film Tchao Pantin {So Long, Stooge en anglais} avec Coluche et le second a été shooté dans la voiture de notre mère.
Enfin bref...François est reste avec nous ces derniers temps jusqu'a ce qu'il emménage dans son nouvel appartement la semaine prochaine et il n'y a que récemment, en voyant le courier qu'il recevait, que j'ai realisé a quel point ses initials étaient cool.
Etant le petit dernier, nous avons tous eu notre mot a dire sur son nom...Notre père (Françis) voulait un nom proche du sien (vu que c'était le seul garçon de la famille), notre mère tenait beaucoup a Baptiste et Elodie & moi voulions Adrian donc au final le petit dernier s'est appelé François, Adrien, Baptiste - F.A.B.
Pretty cool, hein?
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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy Mother's day

It's Mother's Day in the UK tomorrow and in May in France
This weekend we are in Bristol with close friends: Mandy, Acland and Mila's God Sister: Isla, the most gorgeous, little thing...
Today my thoughts go to my friends and all women who are going through IVF, premature menopause and all difficult things that will make tomorrow a bit painful...

1. My friend, talented singer & choregrapher | 2. The Glow (wonderful website) | 3. Elodie & Lily eight years ago
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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Life with Mila...at the pool

Now that I know how to crawl, this gives me a great deal of satisfaction, let alone a huge amount of freedom & fun in the water.
My next thing is taking Pilates classes. Last week I was told by my chiropractor that around the age of 50, the upper body of women start to fall down which causes back problems. Did you know that??
It also seems that despite by regular 10K run and fitness level, my body has starting this process earlier than scheduled so I have now about 10 years to improve my core strength and get a fitter body by the time I'm 50 which frankly sucks!

Walking back from the pool...
Me: (making conversation) "I can finally crawl. Do you think I'm good?"
Mila: "um...yes you are but I dont want to say it so let's pretend I said it"...
La voila...
I'm in love with our new Ghost sofa by Paola Navone. Grey tutu from here
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Thursday, December 29, 2011

My Winter Table





This year we have had the chance to have a few gatherings around our table and I cannot wait to have more in the coming years.  I fell for a picture that I found of a table done in white and linen.  This is my loose imitation with my favorite thick linen napkins and some vintage pieces that we picked up this year.  I hope you are looking forward to the new year as much as I am!  


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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Thank you!

Last day at school for Mila, last day at work for me...
Me grabbing her royal blue trousers from COS: "What about these??....you havent worn them for ages"
Mila: "No I don't want to"
Me: "Oh come on! I can turn them up and make you look really cool in it"
Mila: "I don't want to look cool, I want to look pretty and for that I need a skirt and some tights"

Mila and I are flying to New-Zealand tonight to meet Steve in Hong-Kong and carry on our journey together to Auckland. 
I can't wait to switch off. I look terrible and I seriously need to go back running, drinking water and eat healthily but this has been by far the most full on, enjoyable and most rewarding year: a new/first mail order catalogue (on issuu here), some amazing feedback, great pressour own App on iTunes (you can download it for free here), My Interior Life in Living Etc and days at work with a great, new team that have been hugely fun. 
I wish you all a fantastic, relaxing, enjoyable Christmas break with your friends and family. xoxo 
Shanna Murray wall sticker...you should really get these for your home and this new print that makes me laugh
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