Happy Week-end.....

Mozzarella, Pesto, Arugula, and Parmesan Bruschetta

Coughs, colds, snow, sleet & very cold weather....

that's my London week in a nutshell!

A little sunshine this morning was all that we needed to grab our things & head for town

....a walk by the river, lunch at Borough Market & a little exploring.

Have a great week-end!!

Some lovely links for you....

delicious coconut cloud cake (as seen above)

an extremely cool Swedish family home

a beautiful nursery for a little girl

the most beautiful Italian wedding

anniversaries/marriage/relationship - a great post from the heart

a gorgeous Swedish attic apartment, so fabulously decorated

some words of wisdom, "the greatest challenge"

House & Home : Pantry Storage

A pantry always seems to me to one of those features you would have if you were lucky enough to  build and/or design your own home....

it's an old-fashioned but wonderful space to have I think.

I'd love the one above....simple& clean with metro tiles. And shelves galore. 

I like to think of a pantry as it would have been some years ago, rows & rows of preserving jars filled with food for the winter.

It might not be filled just with jars these day but I like to think of it as my own little "self-storage" unit....full of treats & treasured objects.

....isn't this beautiful?

a "baking pantry"

House & Home : A Little Organisation

The weather might still be cold & dark but there's something about the start of a new year that always makes me want to declutter & re-organise.

Perhaps it's just a natural response to the Christmas season.

I like to have items on display but can appreciate that open shelving isn't for everyone - nor is it practical.

I like my favourite items where I can see them & enjoy them whereas my husband likes everything put away & out of sight.

I bought a large Le Creuset casserole a few weeks ago....yes, it's for cooking but to me it's also a thing of beauty. I leave it on the stove-top where I can admire it, he puts it back in the cupboard.

I move it....then he moves it back! 

We do find a middle ground of course, it's not like it has to be on show....

although on the other hand, it's no fun if everything is stuck in a cupboard.

There is however something about organised cupboards & labelled jars in uniform sizes that is just so pleasing to the eye. 

Who hasn't been to Ikea & looked longingly at the huge choice of containers & pondered buying the whole lot?!

I think it's the sense of order that it conveys.

I LOVE this....it would drive my husband crazy! 

just look at these drawers....this is perfect for me!

a pull-out pantry

I love baskets actually & use them wherever I can.

Kitchen Love : Open Shelving, Yes or No?

Kitchen cupboards or shelves....

 My kitchens have always had cupboards but increasingly I am loving open shelving.

I love bowls on work surfaces, the windowsill,...my kitchen table,

 a jug or container full of kitchen utensils

a dresser full of pottery or pretty dishes

I like my favourite things where I can see & admire them....enjoy them.

If my ceiling allowed it, I'd have one of those contraptions with copper pans etc hanging from it.

I think it adds colour & interest to a kitchen....it gives it character.

I love all the kitchens I've featured in this piece....

although I'm not sure about the practical side of having open shelves....

would you have to dust all the time? 

I know it would drive my very practical husband crazy....kitchen = cupboards to him ;) 

What would you choose....

do you like everything out of sight or do you prefer it within easy reach and on display?