Sharing a few things that I have loved this past month - read, listened to, watched, discovered or worn. I hope you find something here to enjoy too, please do share anything you have stumbled upon, delighted in or learnt from this month, I’d so love to hear xxSara

I packed a pretty full suitcase for our December/January France trip this year as we had a couple of family celebrations tossed into the mix, and a full seven weeks in which to get my cold weather outfit fix.  However, I returned time and again to a small capsule of pieces and these three outfits in particular, whether I was in Normandy, Paris or at the slopes. I think they are perfect too for the early transition to Spring in Paris and Northern France, just ditch the coat if warm, so I thought I would share.

Outfit 1 - Black turtleneck (I like Uniqlo Mens Fine Merino Wool and travel with several), Wide Legged Black Leather Trousers, loafers for day and pretty mules, a necklace and large earrings for evening.

Outfit 2 - Wide Legged Dark Indigo Wash Jeans, Shirt (I love a plain white button down, but always have a stripe or check for the big travel and exploration days, more forgiving), Cardigan or wool gilet, loafers for day, mules for the hotel restaurant or dining in at night, with a fur stole.

Outfit 3 - Denim Maxi Dress, opaque tights and boots or loafers for day, same mules for evening with large, dangly earrings. Pictured here my Sezane maxi which I adore, but I did see a great one in Cos which tempted me hugely and most retailers have a version at the moment.

Each piece stood up beautifully to the repeated dance of constant wash and wear.  A few are investments for sure, but classics that will be worn and treasured for years.  My mules and loafers have already had a couple of trips to France, which is testament to their quality and enduring style.  Bobbies Paris have a great selection of loafers and boots, I wore their Abisko snow boots in Meribel and on a couple of very chilly days in Paris, the cold moves through a thin sole on the short January days pretty quickly so rubber is best on these days.

Read

Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Sweet, cosy, fun read that you can happily sweep through on a sunny Sunday and be left with a rosy glow and satisfied smile.  It is the uncomplicated RomCom paperback that you throw into your basket on the way to the sunlounger or for dining at cafe for one in an impossibly sweet little village on holiday, when you want to busy yourself and enjoy a story, but also keep an eye on the moving feast of your surroundings.  A lilting, easy writing style, seemingly real main characters and a satisfyingly lovely, soppy ending. 

Life in a French Country House by Cordelia de Castellane

This is everything I love in a coffee table book, the prettiest cover (floral and fabric covered perfection), my favourite subject - French country houses, and compiled in a way that I can happily pick up and down when a moment of calm strikes.  There are lovely personal stories and fabulous seasonal recipes, but I find the play of patterns and joy of the chosen, everyday accoutrements in Cordelia’s home and garden, and the photography and styling, just spectacular.  With my own French house in mind, I try to visualise how the room compositions can work for my spaces and how I can build on vingettes with fresh flowers and symmetry of objects.  Worth the investment and will remain tagged and inspiring.

Listened To

Why Women Grow by Alice Vincent featuring Paula Sutton of Hill House Vintage

I listened to this Podcast on my walk this past week and then played it back when not so distracted.  I have long since followed Paula and her Hill Vintage Instagram feed, and bought her book as soon as it was released, I adore her English country style and her joyful approach to life and Insta posts. So, I was pleased to stumble across this podcast and episode.  I am at the very beginning of my love affair with gardening, sparked I think by inheriting a beautiful one at the French house, or perhaps just stage of life with now the time to potter, so I am interested to hear how gardens have inspired others and their work and family life. 

‘… I am an introverted extrovert – I can be the life and soul of the party, but I also need time on my own, and I need to be creative on my own, and there’s no better place than the garden to have a few hours peace …‘ Paula Sutton.

Doing

I have been working my way through Willow Crossley’s ‘The Complete Floristry Masterclass’ via the marvellous online learning platform Create Academy. I love Willow’s style of flower arranging in that it seems to mimic a rambling wildflower meadow spilling out of the restraints of a vase. Extraordinary. Willow’s easy manner on camera and generosity in sharing her tricks makes it a lovely course to watch, but as I sit typing on my kitchen table surrounded by flowers cut from my garden and arranged whimsically in a selection of vintage glass bottles, a joy to learn from too!

I signed up to Create’s very first class with Rita Konig when she shared details of it on her instagram. I have long since adored Rita’s aesthetic and have shamelessly copied her salon hang for my walls and her subtle pink hue, and I loved learning from her via this course. I have gone on to work my way through cooking, crafting and garden designing, picking up little tricks along the way and continue to refer back to Rita’s course to guide me through various home refreshes.

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for reading! This is all very new to me and I am just feeling my way through rather whimsically, enjoying creating and pottering through words and my daily life of mama chores. Would love any feedback you can offer and look forward to posting some shares in April. I am thinking once a month on Fridays. Have a lovely day xxSara