Seedling Inspirations

ITS BEEN A WHILE…

2014-08-02T16:53:00.005+01:00

…9 months in fact, but I've been super busy and have much to report on.

Jack and I have been on a mega US adventure, our new house is coming along nicely, I have been back to school, I started a secondary blog Au Lait? with my friend Sarah, attended many masterclasses, and completed many craft and culinary projects. As you can imagine thats a lot of photographs to sort, but over the next few weeks my mission is to get back up to date.

BOLD OR SUBTLE?

2013-11-18T14:06:00.000+00:00

I have been a big fan of Margo Selby's fabric designs for a long time, picking up off cuts at the last Selvedge Fair with grand plans to make lavender bags and pin cushions. I am said to say that these haven't yet materialised but having seen Margo's range of printed bedlinen available at John Lewis I suddenly have the urge to get out my sewing machine.

The trouble is whether to go bold or subtle and soothing. Any thoughts?

Images from Johnlewis.com

3 FASHION FINDS

2013-11-16T13:55:00.002+00:00

Heinui + Dusen Dusen + Les Creatures

CURRENTLY LOVING…

2013-11-01T08:00:00.000+00:00

Carleen SS14 collection – simple designs with beautiful cuts and details. I think my next purchase has to be Carleen's button jacket, love it!

Via. HoneyKennedy

TUSCANIC FANTASTIC!

2013-09-21T20:00:00.000+01:00

Every now and again Jack and I decide to meet in Soho to grab a quick dinner. We never book a table or decide on a restaurant before hand and each time we realise our error – Soho is always rammed with people with exactly the same idea. Mostly we have to abort our plan and head home, but other times like tonight we stumble on a rare gem.

Tonight we found Tuscanic a speciality Tuscan deli restaurant – we were spoilt for choice.

Jack and I settled on a selection of cured meats and cheeses (Il Misto), a salad of mixed leaves pecorino and pear (Le Insalate) and sides of olives and spicy sausage (I Cocci). It was all simply divine and the perfect hideaway if you want to be whisked away from rustle and bustle of London streets to Italy, if only for half an hour.

Tuscanic, 72 Old Crompton Street, W1D 4UN.

Go forth and enjoy fellow foodies.

PASTA MAKING – RAVIOLI

2013-09-20T08:30:00.000+01:00

After the success of our linguine Jack and I decided to give ravioli a go. We started with the classic filling of spinach and ricotta with a hint of nutmeg and it worked really well – no explosions.

We started off by making the filling. Wilt and blanch the spinach, mix in ricotta and freshly ground nutmeg. Make your pasta – we used the same recipe and method as last time which can be found here. Once we got to the point of super thin long strips we chopped the length in half and start dolloping the mixture on leaving enough room around each spoonful for the cutter. Brush around each mound with cold water and lay the second layer of pasta on top. Carefully press around each pile sealing the edges and pressing all the air out, if you don't get all the air our the parcels will explode when cooked! Finally cut out the ravioli in your desired shape.

They were super yummy – I will have to start dreaming up some more imaginative flavour combinations now.

CURRENTLY LOVING…

2013-08-31T08:00:00.000+01:00

Emily Amey's Jewellery – such beautiful semi-precious stones and settlings – I would love to have any of these pieces in my collection.

Hexagon Tourmaline

Rosecut Amethyst

Rosecut Tourmaline

Enjoy browsing through here amazing collection here

FREEZING SOFT FRUIT

2013-08-30T22:19:00.000+01:00

I am sure you are all wondering how on Earth Jack and I managed to eat all the soft fruit we picked on Monday, well we gave it a good go but soon both had tummy aches. So I set about freezing the rest of the berries so we could take them in our lunch boxes, below are my top tips for freezing fruit:

1. When you are freezing the berries make sure you set them all out individually on a chopping board, this is pretty fiddly but it avoids you having to chisel the berries apart at a later date.

2. My second top tip might seem pretty obvious but I speak from experience. Make sure you bundle the berries in small SEALED bags, not cling film twisted at the top. Why? Juice. Juice running everywhere!

Te best part of freezing berries is that once they have been added to yogurt it keeps it cold on the way to work.

Happy freezing.

PICK YOUR OWN

2013-08-29T21:59:00.000+01:00

What better way to enjoy a Bank Holiday Monday in the sun than at your local pick you own, in our case this was Park Side Farm in Enfield and we were certainly spoilt for choice.

We came home with corn on the cob, raspberries, blackberries, french beans, spinach, chard, tomatoes, courgettes and a delicious jar or Parkside honey – very reasonable at £21. While waiting to pay we had so many comments on how professional and tidy our trolley was – that pleased me so much more than it should have.

PASTA MAKING – LINGUINE

2013-08-27T21:44:00.002+01:00

During my manic week in Oxford I still managed to find time to re-watch Michela Chiappa's Simply Italian on Channel 4 which inspired me to try my hand at pasta making. This coupled with the fact that my Mummy kindly give us a Lakeland voucher – the land of ridiculous cake tins – off we went to Stratford to buy a pasta machine.

So following Michela's recipe of 100g of 00 flour and 1 egg per person we embarked on our own little culinary journey, and it was well worth it.

Firstly we measured out 200g of 00 flour and made a well in the centre. Added 2 eggs, and using a fork brought it all together until we could start with the kneading, we kneaded until it felt smooth and elastic. Then it was rolling time! We went through all the settings until we had a super thin dough and then popped it though the linguine attachment and hay presto linguine!

So what next… a lovely sauce to accompany and we settled on chilli and crab. It may not the prettiest looking dish but it is super tasty. Here is the recipe for the crab linguine.

Next time Jack and I will be attempting to make ravioli.

OXFORD SUMMER SCHOOL 2013

2013-08-26T19:20:00.001+01:00

Last week I was lucky enough to attend this year's Oxford Summer School. Held in Oxford's Keble College. It really was the perfect setting for 200 people to meet, learn and discuss the retail industry.

Each day was based a different subject. We studied leadership, finance, merchandising and marketing, and had some amazing guest speakers, including Mark Price, Managing Director or Waitrose, Justin King, Managing Director of Sainsbury's and Laura Wade-Gery, Executive Director, Multi-Channel E-Commerce, Marks & Spencers to name just a few.

I have come home with my head filled with so many new ideas having not only learned from the tutorials and tasks each day but also from the amazing team I worked with. They really made my Oxford Summer School experience so much more enjoyable. Thanks guys!

The highlight of the week for me has to be the Wednesday as I put myself forward to lead the team for the marketing task day. This was initially challenging but soon became incredibly rewarding as the ideas we all generated were brilliant and meant our food emporium concept won in the Dragon's Den style pitch.

I gave you a clue as to where I am in the School photograph above but lets see if you can spot me in the Oxford Summer School closing video, good luck and enjoy!

2013-08-26T17:42:00.001+01:00

As you may have guessed from the new look and this post, Seedling Inspirations is back after a unexpected 16 month break! The last 16 months have been pretty nuts, in that time I have had two promotions at work and Jack and I have bought our very own flat in gorgeous Stoke Newington.

So now the stress levels have returned to normal and we've had the luxury of a long bank holiday weekend it seems like the perfect time to start the blogging again.

Enjoy!

I SPY...

2012-04-01T20:23:00.001+01:00

You all know how I love seeing the books I have designed in actual book shops. This morning I spotted the last book I worked on in the Design series in the Tate bookshop. It makes me smile.

YAY FOR SUNDAY!

2012-04-01T10:17:00.001+01:00

It's going to be a beautiful day, going to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the Tate Modern and sample some delicious delights at the Chocolate Festival on the Southbank. Yay for Sunday.

THE VIEW FROM OUR CHALET BALCONY

2012-02-28T16:41:00.001+00:00

ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND, JANUARY 2012

2012-02-25T08:47:00.002+00:00

I few pictures from our annual ski trip, this year we went to Zermatt, Switzerland, a place where the snow was perfect and the runs and off piste were awesome. Only draw back was that everything was so expensive, seriously £5 for a pint of beer, thank goodness we hit the duty free on the way out!

The Matterhorn

The 'bros'

Iglu Bar from the chair lift

Inside the Iglu Bar

Our daily nap and mulled wine stop in the sun

Well, the sign says it all!

Jack looking super cool in front of the Matterhorn

SKI SHOTS!

The most amazing fondue in the world and cheap :)

And today my dear followers we are off on our second ski trip of the year to La Rosiere, France.

THE FINAL OF THE GREAT HARRODS BAKE OFF

2012-02-25T08:15:00.000+00:00

So as the final of the Harrods British Bake Off drew nearer I began to re-evaluate my cake, how could I make it even better and win first prize? To be honest the first cake was such a rush to make that if I spent anymore time on the second one it was bound to be better… and it was.

I went all 'designer' on it and make a little sign and the hint of vanilla I added to the cream was super yummy. But, alas it wasn't enough to bag first prize, but I did get ninth, which I am still super pleased with and as a prize I got the Laduree savoury and Great British Bake Off books to add to my ever expanding culinary book shelf. This is my cake next to the winner:

The best part was that I got to meet Paul Hollywood and he wrote some lovely comments about my cake; "The sponge was lovely and great cream" YAY!

More of the entries from the Great Harrods Bake Off can be seen on my friend Jenni's lovely blog, Like This, Want That.

PROLIFIC PANCAKES

2012-02-21T22:10:00.000+00:00

Happy Pancake Day!

There is only one thing better than pancakes, and that is pancakes cooked by someone else and I have to say Jack did a superb job. Rather than the standard lemon and sugar we opted for onion, bacon and cheese stuffed pancakes, yum yum.

THE GREAT HARRODS BAKE OFF

2012-01-29T13:21:00.000+00:00

At work we has the first round of our very own Great British Bake Off and the competition was fierce. There were so many amazing entries but thankfully the judges saw something in my 'Summer Fruits Genoese Sponge Cake' and I am through to the final, hooray!

What is so exciting is that the next round is judged my non other than Paul Hollywood himself, I can't wait to meet him. I will let you know how I get on.

IT IS NEARLY THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

2012-01-25T19:18:00.000+00:00

Yes, Valentine's Day and rather like Christmas here at Seedling Press we have been so busy working on commissions and our new range of wedding stationery that we have not been able to launch any greetings cards. I tell you, next year you are all going to be spoilt for choice!

But at Anna at Rifle Paper Co. has been a busy bee and created some beautiful designs, I love her whimsical illustration style. These are a few of my favourites:

All these designs are available here.

LET THERE BE LIGHT...

2012-01-24T19:59:00.000+00:00

But only if its interesting! And I can't think of anything more exciting than Benoit Vieubled artistic creations, some combine unusual artifacts, other create exciting shadows and shapes, I love them all.

Mappemondes

Moten lumiere" petite modele

My favourite, Gilda la trapeziste and I believe I have seen this lampshade in Paris

Lampe a poser Pytheas

Branche Pytheas

BEAUTIFUL BRANDING

2012-01-23T19:00:00.000+00:00

The are my two favourite pieces of branding that have popped up on blogs in the last couple of weeks.

The first is by Manic for The Sultan, a brand new boutique hotel in Singapore.

The second is for Baker D. Chirico in Victoria, Australia. I love the quirky illustrations and the simple monocrome colour palette. Branding by Fabrio Ongarato Design.

Both via. Design Work Life.

THERE ARE MANY WONDERFUL PIPPAS IN LONDON!

2012-01-22T19:59:00.000+00:00

I am a massive fan of Pippa Caley's amazing textile designs, each piece incorporates so many layers of techniques that a beautiful depth is created and every time you glance at them there is a new shape, colour or texture you notice.

Pippa's range includes chairs, cushions, lampshades and my favourite, textile art. When Jack and I get our own place I am going to fill it with Pippa's products, they will be happy days.

THE PERFECT SATURDAY MORNING

2012-01-21T11:42:00.001+00:00

What could be better than a bacon sandwich and coffee in bed while watching Saturday Kitchen and Nigel Slater. Bliss.

THE PRINT MASTER

2012-01-17T18:05:00.000+00:00

Radio 4 had a wonderful programme on today about Curwen Studio and the lithographic process, listen to it again here.

I love the wall of inks in Curwen's studio.

Have a lovely evening guys.