…eventful. And included a beautiful night ride along the ij river, a late supper of dim sum, a stroll around the spiegelkwartier gazing at glorious antiques, afternoon tea, and sweet sweet music, live,  as the sun set, in my little boat living room.

Oh, and my hair caught on fire in a cafe, with thanks to a table candle. Thankfully I saw the flames reflected in french boy’s suddenly wide eyes the second it happened and managed to grab it with my bare hands to pat it out. For the whole night all I could smell was burnt hair.

How was your weekend?

Last night I had a rare chance to visit my (blog)neighbours via my blogroll, and see what everyone is up to. It’s a rather favourite wander of mine, because there is always so much inspiration to be found at each of their places, and I come back to my (blog)house filled with light and joy. Just before I was about to head to bed, I decided to visit one more place and it was that of pacha design (you may recall I featured their awesome blog in my ‘blogs in the spotlight’ a couple of weeks ago). My heart soared when I spotted their post on fashion and textile artist J Morgan Puett’s artist colony in Pennsylvania called Mildred’s Lane. I have never seen a more inspiring property in all my life, take a look…

J Morgan Puett and her ex-partner and now good friend who she calls peabody, have spent ten years creating this magical place as an artists colony. They don’t believe in disposability so everything is used, re-used, and reworked – old nightgowns become tablecloths, bits of steel become coffee tables, and old linen is used as floor coverings. The staircase is made up of random steps, nothing is taken for granted and it takes a week to clean the place which is a cherished chore as it gives her a chance to rearrange her incredible collections. Old sheds have been turned into guest rooms in the most romantic and timeless of ways. There is not a space that has not been styled – J Morgan Puett even styles the inside of her fridge which is like a work of art with  gnarled wood and antique linen put to good use.

I’m completely enraptured. If I had magic red slippers I would click them right now 3 times to take me straight there. This is where I would like to be to rejuvenate my spirit in between projects.

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All incredible photographs are by Simon Upton for  London Telegraph Magazine.

Be sure to visit J Morgan Puett’s website for a more inspiration.

Thank you Pacha Design for showing me the way to Mildred’s Lane.

For the last few months I’ve been feeling like life is flying by, and I know from past experience that when I have that feeling, it’s a sign that I am super stressed out.  It means that I am letting things get out of control, overwhelm me, instead of taking things step by step.

Step 1 – Understand where you are living from…
If you are living from your head, you just get dizzier and dizzier, until you eventually fall over. If you live from your centre, it is easier to focus on what is important to you and let everything else drop away.

Step 2 – Connect with what is important to you…
The first thing you need to do is create a vision for yourself, your family and your children. Next have a look at where you are expending your energy. Are you doing the things you love or the things you feel you should do? Are you nurturing and caring for yourself and your family or looking after everyone else? What are you doing to create a peaceful and harmonious home? Another useful tip is to look at your world through the eyes of your children.

Step 3 – Stick to your vision…
The final step is to stay focused on your vision. So when any new opportunity comes your way you can easily decide if it’s really what you want to do.

It is also important to learn to say no; schedule your time with lots of space to just hang with yourself, your partner and your children; and remember to look after your health.

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I hope you find these little steps as useful as I do. I can see there is lots I need to work on, especially the saying ‘no’ bit, and making time to hang out with myself. Life is full of lessons, non?

Thank you Karin!

As most of you already know, House of Orange is the styling agency that represents me as a stylist. Today I’m excited to tell you that they have just launched a new website, and there are heaps of new images from all the stylists and photographers.  I love the way they’ve created a collage/moodboard which changes each time you click on one of the links.  There are some new images in my portfolio too, if you like you can check them out by clicking here.

…if you haven’t already added your name alongside Robin Williams, Billy Connolly,  and the Dalai Lama to The Prince’s Rainforest Project to help stop tropical deforestation, please click here to do so – it will be the most day enhancing thing you could do on this fine Monday. I added my name on Friday, but if at least one or two of you add your name today then you will be enhancing my day too as you know how passionate I am about these things. Merci beaucoup.