As always happens when the weather changes and we spend more time outside, I realise how our outside space needs some tender loving care...a bit of prettying up. I find it all too easy to neglect the outside, especially in the cold dark winter when we rush inside and hardly glance at what we have.

I dragged Matthew to the garden centre yesterday and we picked up a few bits. I bought a fabulous Allium plant that I just can't wait to see bloom. In the meantime, I'm really pleased with the pot that we bought to plant it in.

Next on the row is some sweet peas that I have planted in some rustic pots by the front door. I meant to do it last year, but it didn't quite happen. I'm hoping we'll have a continuous supply of beautifully scented pretty flowers to greet us as we go in and out.

I spotted these Black Eyed Susan's and thought they also would add a bit of sunshine to the deck. I have never bought them before and have no idea how long they stay flowering for, but they look very pretty at the moment.

The last in the row here is my pride and joy peony plant. This is right next to the front steps and gives me insurmountable pleasure when it is bloom. It is the most stunning dark pink-red. It pops its head up from nowhere after sleeping underground all winter and fill me with ridiculous anticipation until it is in the bloom. The downside is it doesn't stay in bloom for long. You have to catch it while you can.

I had to get these lavender plants - one in the front and one in the back. I love the shape of them and again think they will provide lots of scent and calm tranquillity.

It's amazing how the sunshine and a few plants can perk your mood right up. Simple pleasures.

Ode to Orla

As you well know we have finally been getting on with the pretty stuff after the mayhem of putting the subsidence back together. And as you well know Orla has been featuring rather heavily in the whole process.

I didn't really mean for the house to turn into quite such a homage to Orla. But in many ways it does mean there is some unity to the house. It feels cohesive.

I'm not even sure which is my favourite Orla room. I absolutely love our bedroom. When we decided to use the wallpaper there, I was slightly hesitant, but it seemed like a good idea to save the compromise on style we would have had if we had gone with any of the others. And it's actually alot more restful than you would think.

I am totally in love with the living room. Again, it works. The grey pulls the room and the house together and the wallpaper with the fireplace is just a dream. I am convinced I am in someone else's house when I look at it.

The final Orla touch is the towels in the bathroom. This wasn't exactly planned. I was buying this phone for Matthew's birthday, when I happened upon...as you do...the towels. As you can see they fit in perfectly and to be quite honest, we had been wanting new towels for ages, so it wasn't quite as impulsive as it looks.

The house is just about done. The hallway is to be completed (no Orla there) and quite a few finishing touches are needed, but I promise, for those of you who don't quite share my love of all things Orla, this will be the last posting on the subject.

We were in Bristol over Easter staying with one of Matthew's brothers and famille. The other brother and famille were there too, so it was a mad old but great time. I love both his brothers and wives and one of my sister-in-laws in particular. I would have chosen her as a friend and I think that's always a good sign.

We are all on the same wavelength alot of the time. Just to illustrate the point, we'd brought down 2 bottles of bubbly, the others had too and the host family had bought a couple in too! So 2 nights and 6 bottles of bubbly later... ;-)

As well as seeing my lovely in-laws, the other thing I love about going to Bristol is the obligatory trip to John Lewis' Haberdashery. We don't have a John Lewis in Leeds, although rumour has it that is soon to be rectified. We took the kids to see Nanny McPhee (fab film) and I managed to drag everyone into JL while I fabric shopped. JL fabric department is one of my favourite places to buy fabric. I love that you can buy as little as 10cm. I know you are thinking 10cm won't get you very far, but believe me I can make a heck of a lot of these and certainly a load of these with 10cm.

Time was short so in supermarket sweep style I picked up a few stash favourites - stocked up with some Cath Kidston dots and flowers, a couple of Tanya Whelan's, an Amy Butler spot that I love and then this gorgeous green Liberty esque almost Tana Lawn, which I think is going to be a new fave. The small scale is perfect for my pics and cards.

If you haven't yet discovered the wonders of John Lewis fabric Department, it's well worth the trip of finding your nearest one.

Hope you all had a Happy Easter x

I know it seems like I'm always buying fabric, but I actually don't think I have for quite a few weeks now...and in my book that's quite some time. I think I've been so busy at looking at wallpaper, paint colours and prints for the walls, that my fabric stash has got a bit neglected. Sad, but true.

Fortunately I've put all that to rights this week with just a small little shop at Saints and Pinners, one of my favourite on-line British fabric stores. I was driven by the need for a fabric to back Ruby's quilt. I've been coveting this Dolce Deco Fans for a while and think it will work beautifully with the fabrics we have picked for the top. Fortunately Ruby agrees.

This stunning Barefoot Roses is such a gorgeous duck egg/grey colour that I couldn't resist throwing it in the basket. You can never have enough dots in your stash. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to incorporate it in Ruby's quilt, but I'm not too worried about it being saved for other projects if I don't. It's going to be a useful little number. The little black dress of the fabric stash.

Final purchase was this beautiful Voile from the new Anna Maria Horner Collection. Another recent covet that I succombed too. I just bought a fat quarter as it's quite expensive, but I think I'll be going straight back for more. The stunning vibrant colours are what you expect from Anna Maria's fabrics and the weight is akin to Liberty Tana Lawn. Feeling it is tactile heaven. This has leapt into one of my all time favourite fabrics.

Ruby took one look at it and gasped in delight at the thought of it going into her quilt. No, my darling, this one is not for you...

We had to say 'a bientot' to some very close friends this weekend. Scarily we worked out that Matthew and Jem have been friends for over 25 years. That made us feel far too old - particularly since this was a University friendship - not just old Primary School friends.

Jem and RD are emigrating to Israel - and taking their new gorgeous baby boys with them. They are in Manchester and we are in Leeds, so we don't see them all that often...but it's a damn site nearer than Jerusalem.

I know with the internet we are all so much closer and more in touch than ever before, so hopefully it won't be too difficult to keep in touch. And hopefully we'll visit one day soon.

And in case you were wondering, although you've probably already guessed...I made these placemats for them to have a little bit of us with them until we do. What do you give people who are moving country? They certainly don't want to have to schlep even more belongings than they already are.

I haven't had alot of time for playing in my studio recently and I'm not even sure I've felt the desire to do so either. My mojo has definitely left me stranded. Part of me has wanted to just escape to the studio, but a bigger part hasn't even had the energy to do that.

I do know however that if I can just get myself back into the swing of it I will feel a whole lot better about everything. So yesterday I forced myself to start cutting squares out of the fabrics Ruby had chosen for her quilt.

Isn't it amazing how with those first cuts a rush of excitement enters and you just want to do more? You start to see the design in your head. The fabrics start talking to you and leading you and you wonder why it took you so long in the first place.

This afternoon I'm going to start laying them out and see where we get to. It's going to be interesting to see how it all blends. The quilt is for Ruby so I did have to let her choose what she wanted. However, as we all know, kids choices aren't necessarily the right ones, so I have added a couple of my own and taken out a couple of hers. There were some that where non negotiable...from both of us.

By the time they are all together and I've added the necessary (for me) linen and embroidering, I'm hoping it will be pleasing to us both. Time will tell and I'll be sure to let you know how our journey goes...

The modern wonders of Amazon. Every year for my birthday I ask for an Amazon voucher from my in-laws. This way we are both happy. I get to choose something I love and they get to be relieved that they don't have to worry about getting it right for their fussy daughter-in-law. Obviously from one birthday to the next my wish list of books grows bigger and bigger and I have to be selective about what I choose.

I am totally in love with my selection this year and I want to share them with you. First off I want to show you this one...

Like all Japanese sewing books it is a book of beauty. The colouring, the photography, the sashiko abound. Not only is it an absolute gem to lose yourself in accompanied by a coffee, but it is full of gorgeous projects that are crying out to be made. Ruby has already demanded this Bunny Pencil Case.

It is simply yet beautifully written. Each project is simply described and straightforward clear instructions accompany photographs and illustrations.

I also love the 'Zakka Fact' that accompanies each project.

I don't want to spoil it for you by showing you all the gorgeous photographs and projects, so if you want to see more go purchase it...you won't be disappointed.

Next up, Material Obsession...