mag hag

*all pictures by holly jolliffe
a long time ago back in the mists of march 2010 a london photographer and stylist were commissioned to do a shoot at my old flat in glasgow. i don't think i'd ever tidied up as much as i did for that day (i am a little bit slovenly if truth be told). i've spent many years poring over interiors mags as i've mentioned before so it was funny for me to think about actually being in one.

the march issue of good homes was in the shops last week so i trundled along to get a copy. it felt quite strange seeing these pictures again of the place where i used to live and started my flower business. it feels like a lot has happened since then.  we did so much work to that flat and it took a long, long time.  when i was 8-months pregnant with my first daughter it was in a terrible state. the floorboards were all up, there were wires hanging out of walls, we barely had a kitchen and we still had not really any heating. my mum came to visit, burst into tears and said 'you can't bring a baby into this'. good point, most people would agree but at the time i suppose i hadn't really thought about it. i think after a while you just don't see the chaos. 


the write-up did include a little airbrushing of the truth which made me smile. most impressive was the statement that in a mere half an hour the dining room could easily be turned from working flower studio to serene family space. oh how i laughed.

the mary poppins fanclub

greta hasn't been well the last couple of days and we spent most of today on the sofa snuggled in blankets watching mary poppins. i pretended this was for her benefit mostly but the truth was i enjoyed it as much as she did. i really think it's a masterpiece - visually amazing, brilliant songs and wonderful special effects. it's got such a magic all of it's own. julie andrews looks astoundingly beautiful in it. the interior sets are quite lovely. i adore it when i revisit a film from my childhood and it's as good as i remembered it. quite a warming feeling that. go watch it again.

tools of the trade (in no particular order)

friday escapism

thankyou marie-fleur charlesworth

the prettiest light shades

crochet doily delight! made by the very talented shannon south

a little bit goth at hotel du vin

when i was teenager and growing up in a small north yorkshire village i really wanted to be a goth. me and my friends used to put talcum powder on our faces and wear body shop dewberry perfume oil. i wasn't a very good one really. but this was one of my favourite weddings. hotel du vin is a gorgeous venue and lends itself well to a bit of goth - dark velvety roses, black lace ribbon and bell jars. plus i like working at posh hotels. they offer you coffee at 6am and bring it on a tray with proper silverware.

lab haul

i have just been given two big boxes of bottles by a friend who works in a lab after they had a large clear out. most of them have the original glass stoppers and they are in a whole mix of sizes. result.