BEST OF THE BASKETS

I'll happily admit that I'm a hoarder: tattered old school books, regrettable hot pants, bundles of long-forgotten necklaces - they are all staying (sorry Marie Kondo!) Despite this mania for nostalgia I'm not so keen on clutter...hide it all away and I'm happy. So I've been pretty happy to see my storage woes sorted with so many excellent baskets on the market at the moment. It's gotta be rattan, super simple, African weave and warmly tactile though - even us hoarders have standards... Now I just have to pick one out (or just nab the lot):

1. Peaks Linen Basket, by Donna Wilson, from SCP, price £190
2. Kenyan Blue Baskets, from Decorator's Notebook, price £25.95 each
3. Banana Leaf Floor Basket, from Young & Able, price $150 
4. Bombo Basket, from The Citizenry, price $135
5. Large Natural Belly Basket, from Olli Ella, price £29
6. Cheche M, from The Basket Room, price £29

OUT & ABOUT: ALDWYCH STATION TOUR

Underground, forbidden and just a bit creepy? Any Londoner who travels on the tube is curious about what lies beyond the boundaries of the every day escalators, tunnels and trains. I'm a lucky Londoner though. One of the lucky few who's had a chance to have a peek behind the fourth wall and explore the unknown...well mainly lucky as my work with the London Transport Museum Shop meant that I snagged a trip down the unused Aldwych Underground Station before Christmas. 

Here's some pics I took of this fantastic space - on the tour you learn about Aldwych's history including its various intriguing uses during the war, but also you might recognise parts of the stations from music videos (Firestarter anyone?) and pretty much every London-based film you can think of. Keep an eye out for surprising out-of-time ads, mismatched tiles and even more fascinating tales about this abandoned station. 

London Transport Museum will be opening up access to Aldwych and even more stations in March for a new series of Hidden London tours so keep your peepers peeled.

MONDAYS ARE FOR MUGS: GRANNY SQUARES

This week's mug is a tribute to my latest crafty hobby/frustration: granny squares. I've started to enjoy the gentle rhythm of this knotting pastime after far too many afternoons spent wrestling the crochet hook. I now have pipe-dreams of crochet kaftans for all by Christmas. 

But when I *finally* tie the knot on my first colourful crocheted square I think it would be most fitting to celebrate with a cuppa from this mug:

Granny Square Mug, from Oh Leander Shop on Etsy, price £10.77

OBSESSED: ARRO HOME

An important find: Arro Home cushions. 

I'll take them all. And at least 2 of the pretzels. 

Arro Home Cushions, price from $49 AUS each

MONDAYS ARE FOR MUGS: SUNRISE

Start the day with a cuppa/coffee/chai in this serene sunrise mug and say goodbye to any miserable Monday. Especially this one. In your face Blue Monday. 

Ceramic Sunrise Cup, from Lovebug Kiko on Etsy, price £32

SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS POST: DRUNK IN LOVE

A grizzly grey January calls for a slice of sunshine. What better than the fruit de jour to juice up this dull month? 
Watermelon faves are go:

1. Woolly Watermelon, by Colette Bream from Milk Tooth, price $74.95 AUS
2. Watermelon Illustrated Print, by The Lovely Drawer on Etsy, price £25
3. Watermelon Print, from Telegramme Paper Co, price from £20
4. Not longer available from Urban Outfitters (waahh) but currently popular on my Clothes Pinterest board
5. Watermelon Cushion Cover, from Latte Home on Etsy, price £23
6. Watermelon Party Tumbler, from Lorien Stern, price $45 US

COAT PROBS

Our hallway is fast becoming a coat graveyard. Parkas, anoraks, duffels and the occasional cape (mine, no superheroes here...) are overtaking our modest coat rack. Any of these would do nicely, thank you very much. Now I just have to choose where to, erm, hang my cape. 

1. 4-hook coat rail, from Calvers + Suvdal, price £54
2. Birch Spindle Coat and Hat Rack, from Amsterdam Modern, price $295
3. Peg Rail, from Another Country, price £96
4. German Mid-Century Coat Rack, from Wohn Raumformer on Etsy, price £119
5. French 1950s Vintage Industrial Coat Rack, from Le Strict Maximum on Etsy, price £33

GOOD VIBES

Good vibes make a good breakfast. Guzzle down your Rice Krispies with a smile on your face with this wall sticker from Molly-Meg, a gem of a shop for kids big and small (that's now opened a shop on Essex Road, N1).

Good Vibes Wall Sticker, from Molly Meg, price £20

MONDAYS ARE FOR MUGS: YULIA TSUKERMAN

I'm not setting myself any strict resolutions this year. But I think the sweet simplicity of this mugs nicely sums up my resolutions (as such) for 2016: take it easy, enjoy the small stuff and keep things simple. Should probably add 'buy less mugs' to the list, but we're keeping it simple right?

Handmade Ceramic mug with blue circle, by Yulia Tsukerman, price £21.21 from Etsy

OBSESSED: AN ARTFUL LIFE

There's something about this chair that says: lazy days, long drinks, hazy sunshine and...oh hell just bring it to my house now would ya? Throw a sheepskin rug over the back, pass me my book and I could just settle into this 70s style beaut allll day. 

Kawa Lounge Chair, from An Artful Life, price £176