Mix and match tiles

A little while ago I came across a image of a kitchen wall... full of mix and match tiles. Ever since I have seen them popping up all over the place... especially after my trip out to the reclamation yard when I discovered boxes and boxes full of random tiles!

I love the way that the different patterns on the tiles sit so well together. As long as the colour pallets are tight, they seam to work well together. All the titles having come from different places, all with differnet stories to tell... but when brought together, for a new chapter... a new home... they create a whole new look.

How fab is this kitchen above... due to the bright colours within the tiles, they would need to be limited to feature walls. The yellow and bright turquoise sit so well together against the fresh white of the walls. I wonder if alot of these tiles have been painted especially for this new room, or the owner just hit very lucky. The chandelier sets the whole look off and brings the dated tiles to life! Maybe this isn't a kitchen that you would enjoy with a hangover but it is definitely a sunny and happy room.

In contrast the bold solid patterns on these tiles clash and give off a retro vibe.  The black of the oven seam to bring the room together and the small area of tiles shout without taking over the room. This would be a very easy look to achieve with the right simple cupboards and light bright walls.

Nothing beats the classic look of these blue and white tiles, all re cut to the same size. The trimmed tiles allow the patterns to fall off the edges and create one large mix and match print. The clean look of the blue and white does not jar on the eyes, but brings back memories of blue and white china and fresh white sheets hanging on the line.  This is a very preety look.. but could easily look dated and fussy. The room decor would need to be mondern, bright and airy... allowing the tiles to be the focal point of the room.

This has to be my favourite of all the mixed tiles images I have spotted... the modern bath and white walls and wooden floor boards against the fun bold and unplanned wall tiles. I love the contrast in sizes and the bright jades against the grass the green.... this look is nothing but fab! It may not be the easiest to clean but they have actually only used 5 differnet types of vinage/retro tiles with the rest being made up of modern tiles. This in turn would possibly allow the look to be achieved at a cheaper cost rather than sourcing every individual tile at reclamation yards.

Amazing intricate patterns painted on to the tiles. The top left image is lovely how the petrol blue walls almost give the tiles a second burst of life!

I love...

Okay so I love chairs.... Yes the more battered and warn the better, the older and nore tales they have to tell the better... I like chairs with character.

I am currently on the big deposit at the moment for my own house... but I still find my self looking in junk shops and on eBay for fab old chairs!

 I love both of these sets, they are both completly different but speak volumes. When I have my own home I would love to have a place full of mix and match chairs... There are way to many fab chairs out there to have matching ones!

 Look at this fab leather set... its super cheap to! I love the way that the leather is all warn and probably has loads of tales to tell...

How fab is this! Definetly a star piece for any room... could be a funny colour to fit into a room though.

Love this! A lady in my Gran's flats has exactly the same one!! Wouldnt it be fab in a clean fresh white kichen with fun pops of colour.

Cinema chairs... they definely need to sit in a big tiled hall... one can dream!

These are a real style piece but I worry that when they are all sat round a table 

that they may loose their impact? Pretty cool though...

Good old school chair with the desk arm, we used to have these in drama. I remember at the time thinking they were pretty cool but now I would love to own one of my own. How fab would it be as a old fashioned telephone chair... do people even sit on the stairs anymore on the house phone playing with the curly wire?

All these fab chairs all within a 30mile radis of where I am currently living!!

eBay is fab for chairs...

Nancy and Donald...

This morning while driving back from sunny Wales to the midlands I was glued to radio 2... yes I maybe 27 but radio 2 in the mornings is my station of choice... So Chris was chatting away about 'Nancy and Donald' an American couple who have been dressing the same for 35 years!!

I know couples often unintentionally dress in similar colours or that they try and link up for formal events... but this is just taking it to another level!

I wonder who decides each day which outfit they will wear? Do you think they ever have a day off or just think sod it today i just want to laze about in joggers and cosy clothes?

Nancy started making them matching outfits after Donald wouldn't remove his jacket on a date even although the weather was really warm... so she thought if she made him a shirt... he wouldn't want to a a fend her... and that was the start of it.

35 years later Nancy's dress making skills are going strong and the fabrics she picks seam to be as bold and bright as ever...

    I bet Nancy is really quick at wipping up shirts by now...

Even pj's...

... and the dog!

Not sure it's my thing but good on Nancy 35 years worth of outfits is a lot of sewing.

Oil painting inspiration...Floral dress

Did you see Amanda Holden's dress on Britain's got Talent at the weekend? Its super cute and I love the fact that the florals are beautiful and look like they could be part of a old oil painting...

The dress is one of J'Aton couture designs, its plunging neck line makes it sexy while the florals keep it classic. I wonder if the studded belt was part of the dress or if it is a stylists addition?

 I wonder if these beautiful paintings were part of the inspiration behind this dress? 

Illustrator...Mick Inkpen... Don't lose Pigley, Wibbly Pig!

I spotted this book on the dinning room table and it has to be one of the cutest storey books... beautiful watercolour illustrations with a lovely story...reminding little ones to take there time and do one thing at a time.

In the storey Wibbly has just been to a party and has been given a party bag... but he has two many things to hold and can't see everything in his bag and so he rushes and makes a mistake and his poor little to Pigley gets in to a spot of bother until... Wibbly stops and thinks and everything turns out okay in the end.

The illustrations are so innocent and the font for the text is so child friendly and bonces along the page perfectly to the story...

Fab watercolours...

Oooh what's in the party bag?!

How lovely is the font it looks handwritten in crayon...

Yay! Happy Wibbly Pig!

... it's not suprising it's sold millions of books worldwide!

Illustrator... Jill Tomlinson...The owl who was afriad of the dark.

This has to be another timeless classic, and one that is sadly falling apart on my bookshelf... yes I still have mountains of children's books, all collected or kept because of there beautiful and different illustration styles.

The 'Owl who was afraid of the dark'... is another one with pen and ink illustrations dotted through out the book but with a imaginative story line that any kid wishes they were part of. It's a lovely book because it is one that both girls and boys can enjoy.

...Plop, the main character who is a baby barn owl is afraid of the dark and its all about how his mother is trying to teach him all about the dark... and over a few nights Plop meets a number of people and other animals all who love the dark...one night he meets a friendly boy scout who shows him all about camp fires and hot potatoes... eventually Plop grows in confidence and shows everyone that he isn't afraid of the dark anymore...

The story at first sounds like it should be for little ones but the way it is written and the fun characters means it is a great book for all ages... especially at bed time for those kids who may be afraid of the dark themselves!

Lovely book that is slowly falling apart after years of being read... definetly getting better with age!

First chapter...

Plop talking to the artist who wan't to draw him...

I love how simple these illustrations are....

Boy scouts teaching Plop about camp fires...

The illustrations a beautifully simple a very stylised defiantly not like kids picture books these days... oh geez I am showing my age... but if you ask me illustrations when I was little left far more to the kids imaginations... which has to be a good thing!

Nail art... Cornflower blue

So in the last two weeks my nails must have changed colour at least 4 times!... I know this is what happens to you when you are single... way to much time on your hands.

So I have had these patterned blue nails now for nearly 5 days and they havn't chipped or marked at all so I am pretty pleased...and no top or base coat... I know, I know... I should... but I don't own any so...

First I applied two coats of cornflower blue nail varnish... then I used the black nail art pen to draw the geometric patterns... this design just developed as I did the first finger... I didn't realise how much harder the right hand would be than the left.

Day 5... starting to chip...including four days swimming

The nail varnish... Gelly high shine/ Barry M

Nail varnish score ... 8/10

It applys smoothly and only needs two coats to create a solid smooth colour. 

It also dried quickly and has warn very well.

 Nail art pens... Kelly Brook

Nail Pens Score... 7/10

This is the first time I have used nail pens, so partly this was me getting used to how they fast the flow.

Over all I was very suprised at how easy they were to use. They have warn really well and I like the way the nail pen varnish sits flat on the surface rather than being a raised mound. These are really easy for beginners and I would definetly recommend them in the future.

What shall I do with my nails this week?