I clicked the link which took me to the book’s Amazon page.  The reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with several people mentioning they enjoyed it as bedtime reading.  Hmm.  That piqued my interest.  I am one of those people who does enjoy housework to an extent and the calm, relaxed feeling that a comfortable and clean home brings.  I decided I would really like to get my hands on this book.  The cover was very familiar and I realized that my mother had given it to me years ago when I was living in New York.  Had it survived my most recent book-purgings?  I was very severe with the last one, getting rid of many, many volumes and I knew this was one I hadn’t cracked in years.  So, I wasn’t very hopeful as I went downstairs to look in the bookcase.

Yet there it was, laying peacefully on top of a stack of old Elle Decoration magazines I never will get rid of.  I settled comfortably on the couch for a bit of light reading…

The sections that interested me most were the topics of schedules for housecleaning and the order in which tasks should be completed.  I have my own routines for cleaning and thought it interesting that my days for certain things corresponded quite closely with the suggested routine of the old days.  Mine goes something like this:  Mondays are for a mini cleaning after the weekend and starting the laundry, a task that continues throughout the week, Tuesday is for ironing, Wednesdays I (supposedly) dust, Thursdays I grocery shop, Fridays I clean the house for the weekend and give the floors a more thorough cleaning…in fact I do laundry and vacuum every day; with a toddler around I find that a little at a time works best for me as I never have a spare few hours at a time to clean the house from top to bottom.  And I will admit that I employ a cleaning lady twice a month, a luxury for which I am truly grateful, as she is able to get the whole house clean at one time, and she does the bathrooms.  In between her visits, I try to keep up with daily vacuuming, damp mopping floors once or twice a week as needed, dusting and tidying up.  Let’s not pretend that my house is spotlessly clean, of course, but I’m not embarrassed to have anyone over most of the time.

This book is certainly more relevant to my life now that I’ve had a few more years of experience in keeping my own house, trying out different routines and figuring out what works for me.  It’s an evolving process and I’m glad I picked this book up again because it is inspiring to see where I could improve on a few things (more sweeping and dusting!) or try out some new methods.  I will be putting this book on my bedside table so I can work my way through it and see what new information I can pick up and perhaps even implement.

How about you?  Do you have housekeeping routines, and if so, how have you developed them so that they work for you?

the house where we stayed in Norfolk

I think it’s having an effect on me.  My eye keeps catching on all these mad floral designs and I’ve got to have some of it for my casa.

Here’s an inspiration photo I found on flickr:

image by candy rose on flickr

It’s available for purchase in her etsy shop along with many other gorgeous prints.

Also at etsy, I found this Kindle case and some pretty earrings:

kindle case at etsy by seasidesew

rose earrings at etsy loleys

Urban Outfitters has a few lovely floral items right now; here are a few of my favorites:

potpourri duvet cover, $68

floral lace duvet cover, $68

faded rose rug, $18

Natalie Lete’s plate at Anthropologie:

gallery plate by Natalie Lete, $350

Zara Home has some vivid floral items I love:

florencia cushion at zara home

rosal table cloth and napkins at zara home

And for the full English effect, don’t forget the net curtains!  These are a pair I actually like from IKEA:

It’s not interiors, but have you seen Scarlett Johannson’s take on this trend?  Admittedly the woman would look gorgeous wearing an old sack but I think she pulls this look off perfectly.  The first is my favorite but I also love the cool blues and slightly mumsy look of the second photo:

Are you feeling it too?

wild pigs

So, I went on a little trawl of the internet and found this incredible shop called To Dry For.  I seriously love almost every single item they have on their site…and they ship anywhere in the world!  Here are a few of my favorites:

allo allo

beach huts

give me sunshine

london

tea time

kensal green

our house

made in england

Oh how to narrow this selection down…even I don’t need that many new tea towels…and my bank account would definitely agree…

And they ship anywhere in the world!  I can see I will be spending some money here shortly…

Which are your favorites?

A girl with a rather large nose…

Today, a woman with lovely auburn hair:

Close-up:

So much fun!  And as a bonus, can be completed during one baby’s naptime.

I found these…they are perfect and not expensive.

$12.95 at barnesandnoble.com.  I was able to get an additional 20% off with a coupon for new accounts I found online.  Love a good find like this!

The cutest ones I found are by a company called Mimi The Sardine.  Adorable company name and adorable products!  Just look at these:

Jungle Print

Propeller Print

Flora Pink Print

I love their bibs too.  This Bay Area company uses cute, colorful fabrics sourced in Sweden then covered in an eco-friendly, washable acrylic coating for easy care.  I think the propeller one might be coming to our house soon!

Great for travel too…do any of you use something like this for your messy eaters?

The Charmaine collection, now available in my etsy shop.

I’m off to take little Noah to the pumpkin patch now.  Happy Friday!

She makes the coolest things…

She makes the most beautiful watercolor illustrations and collages.  I fell in love after seeing some of her work on etsy and I couldn’t get this one out of my mind.  Lucky me, my sister bought it for me and now I enjoy it in my house every day.

The color and detail in her work is just incredible…I love these fish:

And this new Ocean Series too, available in her etsy store:

Gorgeous, no?  Not only does she create beautiful works of art, she crafts and she has the most amazing home in Mexico.  I love going through her flickr sets for inspiration.  Looks like she really is living her dream…I love that!

You can also see more of her work and life at her blog.  Happy Monday everyone!

And next week, I’ll be introducing Charmaine.  Stay tuned!