One of my favourite blogs to read has to be Sweet Paul, written by New York City based, Norwegian, Paul Lowe – a food and prop stylist. His craft creations and yummy recipes are used in many editorial and commercial projects; but most notably in his own online and free publication, Sweet Paul Magazine.

Paul’s Oslo heritage can be seen in all aspects of his work. Cleverly working light, texture and colour in an effortlessly chic way. Crafting also comes naturally to Paul which gives him the edge to think out of the box and create something truly special. His beautiful images and food creations will not only make your mouth water, but they’ll leave you inspired. Sweet Paul’s recipes are easy to follow and due to the rustic, fun nature of the images – you don’t feel intimidated to try them. The elegant recipes are for home, friends and family; rather than Masterchef professionals! All 172 pages of the Winter 2011 Sweet Paul Magazine are brimming with original and festive ideas for you to try. Personal favourites from this issue include ‘Make Your Own Paper’ Pg 28, ‘Christmas Pudding Cupcakes’ Pg 37, and the feature on a homemade ‘Natural Christmas’ Pg 53. The feature on crafting your own wreaths {Pg 118} offers a creative option to the old classics. Oh, and the Divine Chocolate feature {Pg 160}!! There’s just too make great features to choose from.

To view the Winter 2011 Sweet Paul Magazine please click here.

The following images are from the blog, ‘My Shabby Streamside Studio’, and belong to the talented Sandra Foster.  Her pure and simple style is breathtaking, combining white on white interiors with pretty vintage accessories.

Tips on vintage styling:
- Use old medicine bottles as vases, clear glass look best.
- Use old french linen as a tablecloth, embroidered edging looks super cute.
- Hang vintage bags on door knobs or if you have one, on the corner of your metal bedstead.
- Shabby chic some old pine chairs, take a look at our guide on ‘How to Shabby Chic furnitre’.
- White metal bird cages are still a firm favourite, try filling one with tea-lights and hang it above your dining table as a feature light.

Hello everyone, I’m afraid it’s been a while since my last post as I have been out of the office for a while, but I’m back and now and have some fantastic posts coming up.

I was in the middle of sorting through some bits at home and whilst doing so, I came across these original needlecraft books from the 1950′s; there seems to be a vintage theme on my blog at the moment!  They belonged to my grandmother, who was crazy about needlecraft, and I think they’re fantastic.  The front cover of the first image is especially interesting as 50′s interiors are so fashionable, people are paying a lot of money to buy original pieces like this; especially the sideboard.  The 1950′s paint swatch card is from Erwinhouse, I thought it would be interesting to see all the colours together.  Most of them are a bit heavy for my taste but I am a fan of the Chelsea gray, I could see this one amongst the Farrow & Ball colours.

At the beginning of 2011 Pippa Jameson Interiors was asked to become part of 3M’s expert panel. This means that I get to try out and use all of their products by creating some online videos as well as mini-makers…great!

The last makeover we filmed was the transformation of an old cupboard in to a kitchen pantry; the result was fantastic, it’s amazing what you can achieve in a day! We used a whole range of clips for the film but the one I wanted to talk about is the picture clip as I think this would be most relevant to my readers.

I had the idea of using it on the inside of the cupboard to hold all of my loose recipes and it worked a treat. I am forever tearing interesting ones out of foodie magazines and they either get lost or just end up as tatty bits of paper stuffed in to other recipe books. The clips could work really well on the wall next to your oven or even on the inside of a cupboard door like I have used it.

Another option is to use it on your fridge for notes as an alternative to magnets as let’s face it, magnets always fall off!

Below is the makeover video and a little bit more product information about the picture clips:

• Hang a photo, reminders or schedules without magnets failing or leaving adhesive residue.
• Works on painted walls, wood, tiles, & metal surfaces.
• Clip is translucent to blend in with the surface.
• Includes 6 clips and 8 Command™ strips per pack (2 extra strips to reuse clips).
• Easy to put up – no need for nails or screws.
• High performance adhesive – holds on strongly.
• Easy to remove – innovative stretch release technology leaves no surface damage.

More information on Command Picture Clips

It’s hard to believe we’re in the middle of June with the recent dismal weather we’ve been having in Blighty. So when the sun finally came out this weekend, I decided I’d make the most of it and spend some time in the garden. In my garden there is a small patio area which is used for an outdoor seating area, and a kitchen garden with herbs. The patio is fairly packed with wooden planters, a rusted old bench, and plenty of the same old terracotta pots.. oh, and a garden gnome! It’s undoubtably a lovely area but it lacks in colour and character. I wanted to make changes that 1, wouldn’t cost too much, 2, would add colour and 3, would be quick and easy!

My first quick fix was to update the wood and wrought iron bench, which I sanded down then painted in a sky blue, outdoor gloss paint. Next on my list was the boring planters for the various herbs and flowers. I raided the garden and greenhouse – collecting lots of different shapes and sizes of terracotta pots to paint. I sealed the insides of all the pots before painting them in different colours. So as not to waste paint I had several 250 ml tester pots made up in my selected colours at Homebase – they only cost £2.50 and they go a long way. I chose bright colours with the intention of using contrasting coloured flowers for each pot. Once all the painted pots are dry I will mix them into groupings with different pots already on the patio.

Apart from the terracotta pots I wanted to find other planters that would add further interest – first stop, my local charity and antique shops. I was in luck and found a gorgeous old green metal watering-can which is now a planter for fresh mint. I was also hoping to come across a couple crates or wine boxes with interesting type or design, that I could line and use as a planter, but I wasn’t so lucky this time. From looking online, I’ve seen that Not On The High Street offer a fabulous crate which can be personalized with font and colour – click here to view.

Below are the images of my days work in the garden…