I aim for colourful and simple eating on hot summer days. For evening drinks or starters at lunch or dinner I  pass round smoked mackerel, beetroot and horseradish on pieces of soda bread or a huge plate of raw vegetables and beetroot puree .  Carrots, chicory, cucumber, radishes and courgettes are  perfect vegetable  colours in orange,  pink, green, and yellows. Substitute the puree with garlic mayonnaise. These went down a treat at my Pure Colour book launch in June, when the garden was heavy with the scent of  rose blooms .

For the book launch we hung garlands of lights  which gave a  twinkling summer garden party feel to the occasion. Their waterproof qaulity is being tested as we leave them up through the summer cloudbursts to enjoy on warm evenings.

Summer colour in the garden doesn`t stop when the roses are over. I stitch cushions in rose pink  cotton velvet, and purple and yellow linen  by Manuel Canovas to keep the vibe going.

And there`s cake. Cake is best eaten outside  on a winter picnic,  or somewhere shady on a hot afternoon. I make a basic Vctoria sponge and smother it with lemon butter cream.

Tags: purecolour, summer, simpleliving , cake, homemade, linen, cotton, garden

The cat and dog  look at me hard  as I shut the door to the kitchen.   I read their  stares as  `what is she doing,  denying us access to  FOOD ? ` But  I don`t want them decorating the freshly painted white floor which is wet and drying  slowly slowly because it is oil based . The long drying time is worth it because the result is hard wearing, like enamel. And this is good for repelling the assault by the heavy  boot wearers and furniture draggers of the shoot world.  The  chalk-on-blackboard screech as a bed or sofa is grated  across the boards  propels me out of my hidey office hole like nothing else. Thankfully most people are brilliant and careful when they come to use the house.

It`s as if I`ve gone on holiday to a fresh new space . I`m inspired to invest in a a new steam cleaner to keep it looking that way. Quite sceptical about housey gadgets but this is rather wonderful like a steam iron-with-pad on astick.  The thing works well if I apply a firm pressure - in the manner of mowing the lawn. Rather meditative, too,  as  no interruptions for rinsing like you have to do with a traditional mop and bucket.
 PS Cat and dog food bowls  relocated so they don`t go hungry.

I also update the central island units with a coat of  water based  `diamond` eggshell,  which does do what it says on the tin but obviously wouldn`t be up to  something like a floor painting job.

Number one unreliable gadget, the car won`t start.  Into garage and the blissful engine hands of Panos.  Bicycle main form of transport  and so I wobble off with dog on lead tied to handlebars.  I am multitasking:dog gets walk in park and I can get to the market to load up with birthday party ingredients for son turning 25.

 As ever, Herne Hill Market is a  treasure trove of edible delights : rock oysters from Poole in Dorset and leafy greens to start with. Bicycle basket filling up , but I can`t resist retro jug above, and green retro Pyrex glass below.  Makes up for the vintage olive oil  jugs I backed out of  at Fuseta market the other week. The last stop turns out to be the west country cheese man, whose extra mature cheddar is mouthwatering. I feel the dog  tugging and sniffing , trying to get under the stall. Bike , dog and me, almost a heap on ground, when west country cheese man shouts,`  `Oi its  got my lunch`  and bends down to retrieve a  half finished carton of curry. Wishing I wasn`t there, I offer replacement  and buy an extra slice of goats` cheese . Time to leave.

Incident free on the ride home.   I bake  a birthday cake  involving much chocolate and caramel sauce.  The canine,  not chastened of course , lurks by my feet waiting for a tasty crumb to drop.  .... I  have to  admire  her dogged persistence.

Tags: winter simple decoration white retro vintage, white paint,

I`ve always liked a stripe or two or three, and thought they`d look good on my new range of Colour Band paper borders.  Fiona  and I spent happy sessions eating munching home made cake, and messing about with paint before coming up with  eight  colour ways. The next step was to find someone to hand print our designs so that they  retained their  chalky handmade quality. We  eventually struck lucky and after  a few stages of sample tweaking we took delivery of the first batch of Colour Bands.

The idea is that you can give your room a simple colour update  by running the striped borders  anywhere you please.  Whether it`s to make a simple dado effect to break up an expanse of wall or to frame a doorway.  Simply paste the border lengths with glue ( each 10 metre roll comes with paste flakes which you mix with water ) and position in place. The borders look great against white, but I will be showing you next how to combine them with other colour backgrounds.  Watch this space!

See below: Pure Style  Colour Bands reflect the Vogue for stripes in 2013!





Rose Petal: fuschia pink to border a door frame






Not just for walls:  Fennel, lime green, Colour Band decorates  a side table






Colour Bands in 8 Pure Style colours






Cake tin:  a retro blue that makes a simple decorative trim all around a room 






Colour Bands are easy to handle






Toast:  simple trim around a chimney breast






Duck egg:   dado effect in a bedroom






 Marmalade : a splash of orange in the bathroom 







Cornflower: kitchen colour






Quince: yellow trim looks good with blue detail.

Tags: colour, simple, decoration