This is who I am - carefree

This week for the beautiful lady diva Cristina's workshop 'This is who I am' we have been instructed to immortalize our most dominant emotion of the moment in a photograph! Well I have to say the most prevalent emotion overriding me right now is the feeling of being carefree! I have been peaceful in my head all last week and have simply wanted to dance and laugh since this weekend! I don't want to dwell on morbid things, read or watch gritty dramas - I want to be silly and make people laugh! So there you have it and a photograph to boot! xx

Hazel Penwarden - My fabulous great-aunt!

My great aunt Hazel has fascinated me from a very young age, not only for her joie de vivre, but also for her style, her ability to paint flowers with so much passion and fluidity and above all for her esteemed place within the world of theatre throughout the 50's, 60's & 70's! Hazel started as a shakespearean actress after graduating from RADA and went on to perform with some of the greats such as John Gielgud, Christopher Lee and who could forget the beautiful Richard Burton! I remember her opening up for me a suitcase of treasures she had collected over the years including an adorable little poem written for her by Richard Burton on a scrap of paper, I was overcome with what excitement she must have felt to be around such wonderful characters. It was another world back then, full of pomp and pageantry and more than anything unbridled talent. Here are couple of images I came upon of my aunt while wandering through the world of web - (in the bottom picture Hazel is on the bottom left hand side).
xx

Much Love Monday - Flowers in ones hair......

I can never seem to find any pictures I have for Much Love Mondays that include hearts, oh well! This week and probably most weeks of my life I am loving flowers in ones hair. Flowers picked from gardens or wedding displays, roses, ranunculuses, blossoms or even the silk varieties - I love them all! In fact this weekend I purchased a wonderfully large pink silk flower head piece to wear at my birthday dinner this coming weekend, I can't wait to wear it! I can't describe it, it's almost as if as soon as that flower is placed behind my left ear I feel playful, young, empowered and wonderfully silly, isn't that just marvellous?! xx

Edie oh Edie.....

I'm a little obsessed with Edie Sedgwick at the moment! I find myself searching for images of her, stories and quotes - what can I say, she fascinates me! From her delicate little features to her quirky sense of style (which cannot be truly appreciated if you don't love fabulously big earrings darling), her vulnerability and luminiscence which led to her eventual decline into drug addiction! Her life paints a sad story but a challenging and fascinating one too! I really want to read her biography and find out more about this poor little rich girl whose light burnt out far too soon.....


Edie Sedgwick Pictures

Edie Sedgwick Pictures

Jodie sweet Jodie!!!

Being a little bit 'self-indulgent' is something I have recently become more comfortable with....I think when you reach your thirties you realise that you don't have to make everyone happy or pretend to be something you're not. I would have never had the balls to do this before unless it was for some friends' creative assignment, but I feel now that I can stop for a second - take my life in and celebrate it! I am a big big fan of Jodie Chapman! I first discovered her wonderful photographic charm in 'Cosmoplitan Bride' where she was featured as the genius behind capturing a brides day so beautifully and succinctly! I love her soft, dreamy focus of the lens, the sense of spirit and movement she portrays in her images as well as their timeless quality! Jodie is also a big fan of vintage which could only make me love her more and this you will see in her photography too! I was too late by the time I found Jodie to use her for my wedding but after some facebook love I mentioned that maybe one day if I was a mummy then I would steal her away for a shoot! Jodie was very clever in suggesting maybe something for myself and since I knew the big 3 0 was rapidly approaching I thought, well heck why not a shoot celebrating 'me'!! But, seriously for a second, I know time is moving fast and who knows I may be too busy for this in a couple of years, so before the cracks of time start to appear I thought I should have a personal shoot to celebrate being 30 and fabulous (aka sex and the city style). So tomorrow I shall be trekking up to my old neighbourhood of Richmond-upon-Thames to meet the lovely Jodie and steal away some time for a moment! I will be sure to put up her images as soon as I have them, which I have no doubt will be fantastic! I shall also be attending a wedding on Saturday in Richmond Park which I cannot wait for, so expect some bridal love too sometime next week!

Bisous ladies...

I *heart* Sweden!

I have so much that I could say here that I love about Mija & Martin's country but I would go on and on and on.....so I think it best to say it in photographs - don't you? Thank you Mija and Martin for making us feel so welcome and arranging so many fun explorations - also a big thank you to your gorgeous family who we so enjoyed meeting - it was a privilege to be let into your very special world! Puss puss lol xx