Jay Archer Floral Design

I love that term- mini break! It is so Bridget Jones. Love her too.

The Gofer and I recently went on a weekend away, together, less the children and minus my phone. I admit, as we drove away I panicked for a whole mili-second at the thought of not reading whose having what for tea on my Twitter and Facebook feed but soon got over that as I attempted to channel my inner Grace Kelly in a frock and shades. But didn’t *quite* work it.

It was raining heavily when arrived in France Lynch, Chalford but we didn’t care. We were greeted by the wonderful Orchard Cottage with its fertile gardens, wild primroses and leaning walls with nothing but the sound of the cows and the wind. The fire was roaring and, after climbing the uber-steep stairs to the room, I finally felt my shoulders hit the floor; I was chilled. Bring on 2 whole days of pure r’n'r, red wine and the Manfriend. Actual bliss.

The gardens of Orchard Cottage

Spring colour

Blue (and white) bells, lavender, euphorbia and hellebores

And relax...

Try getting up them bad boys when you've had a bottle of the hard stuff!

On the Saturday, we paid a visit to Tetbury and happened upon the most incredible shop, Artique. Stepping off a Cotswolds stone-clad, pretty market town street and into Artique caused my senses to collide at 100 miles an hour! There were rich, exotic colours, the smell of musky insense and silks and textures galore; I was in inspiration heaven.

I have never been to India, but have longed to go ever since I was a little. I think the obsession started with a Little Princess which came out around the time I was learning about Rama and Sita in the Diwali story and I have read it, ate it and dreamed it ever since.

The shop is not a retail money maker; it is a lifetimes work, passion and collection of the most beautiful pieces, each telling its own story and each as loved and as cared for as the next piece. Walking into this paradise was a real treat and on chatting to George and Ali, the owners, I am determined to go to India now more than ever- especially since they also have a hotel in Jodhpur (which you can see more of here).

Colour overload...

The ribbon fetish continues!

Inspiration overload...

Indian stamps

Artique, run and loved by George & Ali Bristow

This mini-break was a chance to refresh, re-energise and make the most of each other before wedding season ensued and we become once again passing ships in the night. I came home feeling thoroughly inspired- somewhat unexpectedly-, revved up and raring to go. Bring. It. On.

For more information on Orchard Cottage see:

http://www.cotswolds.info/webpage/orchard-cottage.htm or call Pat on 01453 883736

To learn more about the Bristows shop and hotel see:

http://hstrial-artique.intuitwebsites.com/

http://bristowsindia.com/ or email George on georgebristow@yahoo.uk.com
Do let me know if you ever go, won’t you?
Jxx

Well nearly! After waiting (not so) patiently since last year, I finally got a call from a rather special herb farm in Gloucestershire to say my mint was ready to collect! Now, I know Gloucestershire is a long way to drive just for mint, but it is a pretty special sort of mint and I believe it was totally worth it- and it is a perennial so it’ll come back year after year.

Anyway, I asked little Mrs Sunshine Caroline to come along and, armed with Rowntrees Randoms and sunglasses, we hit the road putting the world to rights headed in the direction of the rather special Jekka’s Herb Farm…

”When the rain wasn’t pouring, I recently went on a road trip with Jay to South Gloucestershire to pick up some specialist mint at Jekka’s Herb Farm.  It’s a busy working farm, especially busy with Chelsea Flower show on its way so we only had a little while to browse but all the same it was great to see the variety of plants on offer there.

Jekka's Herb Farm

Easy- don't get no closer!

I might have bought a bit more than mint...

Wild garlic

One of the talks we had at the River Cottage event we attended recently was about growing your own veg and herbs and it focussed mainly on growing different veg and herbs that you can’t buy in supermarkets.  After all, unless you have enough space in the garden to be self sufficient you will still end up buying some produce elsewhere so you may as well add some spark into your life and grow different varieties to add to your meals.

This farm was definitely an ideal place to go for finding something a bit different so hopefully a trip there will be on the cards again in the future.”

Wassn’t it lovely Caroline (whose blog you can see here). We bought some extras, inevitably, and came away with bi-colour lavender, cowslips, purple sage, mint and bronze fennel. Jekka’s Herb Farm specialises in growing herbs and flowers native to Britain and they’ve won numerous awards, including Chelsea Golds. The farm isn’t open to the public, but a couple of times a year they open their gates and welcome visitors in for one of their Open Day’s. Jekka also writes a blog and I spotted this recent post on mint. So it seems I’m not the only one mad for it.

To find out more about Jekka’s Herb Farm, her books and the conservation work she is doing, please visit:

http://www.jekkasherbfarm.com/

http://www.facebook.com/jekkas.farm

https://twitter.com/JekkasHerbFarm

Jxx

In my previous Scrummy Supplier Spotlights, I bought you Cherry Pie Lane and Fiona Kelly Photography. This time round I’m delighted to bring you… The Vintage Sparkle Company! I first saw Paula’s work at a shoot we both contributed to on together in November and was staggered by the beauty of her work. As well as making beautiful jewellery, Paula also works at No.10 Bridal Boutique in Farnham where a range of her pieces are available to to see…

”Did you choose jewellery or did it choose you? 

I most definitely choose jewellery and more specifically I choose vintage jewellery. I discovered early on in my life a real passion for going to auction houses and as a magpie have always been drawn to brooches. Vintage pieces are so well made; something that has managed to survive intact for 70 years has to be really well made.  Originally in life I was an accountant but after my son was born decided to follow my passion and have never looked back!

Do you find it hard to part with some pieces and is there a particular designer or era of jewellery you like?

I find it incredibly difficult to part with all my pieces, they all have their own names and I take such considerable time to source all of my components. I love it when I work with a bride from start to finish to create their own beautiful vintage piece for their wedding. My favourite period is art deco, I love the simplicity of period.

Can you give us a tip for caring for antique or vintage pieces?  

My top tip for caring for your vintage costume jewellery is absolutely NEVER put them through a jewellery cleaning machine or in any cleaning solutions! Stones will fall out and any coatings on the metal will come off and if you submerge a piece with foil backed stones in water it is likely to get trapped in the setting and effect the look of the piece.

To clean your vintage costume jewellery put a small amount of mild soapy solution on a soft cloth and polish your piece which will remove any surface dust and dirt. Use a cotton bud for any difficult to reach places. Make sure you fully dry your piece before putting away.

Do you own any special pieces of jewellery- maybe for sentimental or beauty value?

I am very lucky enough to own a piece of jewellery that once belonged to Audrey Hepburn, a beautiful diamante necklace that my husband bought for me just before we got married. It’s a piece that I love wearing, a few people have said to me that I should frame it so it doesn’t get spoilt but I am a firm believer in jewellery is for wearing not looking lovely in your jewellery box.

You are currently working with No. 10 bridal and have collections there- how many collections will you be presenting a year and can you give us a sneak on the next collection?

Working at No.10 has been great for me, I’ve been able to listen to the brides about what they want from their accessory collection and work on lots of new pieces which are designed to go with the dresses that we stock in No.10. I’ve just launched a new range of handmade sterling silver and freshwater pearl Jewellery.  I’m very excited about showcasing my first vintage brooch bouquet and vintage brooch cake topper which will be completed in the next couple of weeks.

Do you wear jewellery everyday and if so, do you follow fashions or the beat of your own drum?

I do wear jewellery every day, I love accessorising my outfits. I definitely do my own thing and don’t follow the jewellery fashions at all. If I like it and it goes with my outfit then I wear it, a lot of the jewellery that I wear is vintage and you do find that trends with clothes and jewellery repeat themselves so lots of the original jewellery that I’m wearing is really on trend now!

If you could work for any jewellery name in the world which would it be and why?

I would turn back time and work for the house of Dior in the 1950’s on their catwalk collections. They are exquisite pieces of jewellery that were at the cutting edge of design. There are lots of collectors of vintage Dior jewellery today and I can see why it’s so popular classic designs and fantastically made! The prices of the pieces in 1950 would have been about £10 – £50 today these pieces are upwards of £300.”

Art Deco inspired piece

Beautiful, vintage headband

My fav... stunning ceramic flowers and pearls

Pearl headpiece

All diamond headpieces

Karen Flower Photography at No.10 Bridal

I’m so grateful to Paula for sharing this with us, I feel really honoured to have such beautiful work to share with you on my blog. You can find out more about Paula and see more of her work here:

Website: http://www.thevintagesparklecompany.co.uk/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/The-Vintage-Sparkle-Company

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vintagespark

Thanks Paula!

Jxx