BY INVITATION ….. FLOWERS and FASHION ……….

Our By Invitation subject this month is Flowers and Fashion …..

Flower Power is back and, sad to say, I was in my late teens / early twenties when it made it's first appearance !! 

I was a mod and spent hours in Biba and went down the Twiggy route rather than the hippy, flowery one.

….. but, even Biba entered into the flowery spirit of it all with  strong pigmented make up with flowery names …..

….. and subtle, ditzy florals in dark browns, burgundys and purples.

For a more Edwardian, feminine look, there was Laura Ashley. You could match your dress to your sofa, to your curtains to your wallpaper if you wanted to !!!!!

….. and now, in 2015, it's all back again.

Not being the biggest fan of florals when it came in in the 1970's, I don't think that I'll be buying into it this time.

I'll stick to reading about flowers …..

picking them …..

….. and growing them !!

I am paying homage to the florals by wearing my new perfume, Maison Martin Margiela Replica Flower Market ….. it really does smell like a flower shop !

Were you wearing florals the first time round { I bet some of you men out there had some flowery trousers !! } and will you be wearing it again this year ?

For more flowery frippery, the other By Invitation contributors will be putting their own take on it so, as usual, Marsha has all of the links.

image 1 & 13: via sleepless, image 2: via byronsmuse, image 3, 5, 7 & 15: via pinterest, image 4: via superseventies, image 6: via barbara hulinicki, image 8: via zsa zsa bellagio, image 9: via john rocha, image 10: via preen, image 11: via kero i am, image 12: via good reads, image 14: via nibs blog

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BY INVITATION ….. INTERIOR TRENDS ….. DO YOU FOLLOW THEM AND DO YOU REPEAT THEM ? …..

Our By Invitation topic for February is ' Do you follow trends when decorating your home ? ' and ' Do you have a look which you repeat often ? ' and was chosen by Penelope Bianchi 

I think that we all follow trends to a certain degree ….. or not …… some people have other interests and their home is a place to eat and to sleep and that is enough. 

 I have always had an interest in houses, old ones in particular. Our home before the one that we live in now was built in the 1640's. Charles 1st was on the throne and The Great Fire of London was still to come !!  In our deeds it said that anyone could knock on our door and had the right to graze their sheep on our lawn. We were paid £5.00 per year for the inconvenience ….. nobody ever did !!  

We have lived in our present house for nearly 30 years. 

In 1895, a Mr. W, Theatrical Costumier and master hairdresser, built a large house called ' Paradise House ', for himself and his wife Elizabeth. He dabbled in property, purchased houses in the east end of London which he rented out and built a few houses in Hertfordshire , including ours and two others either side. These three detached houses were called ' The Briars ', ' The Ivies ' and ours in the middle ' The Laurels '. ' The Ivies ' fell into disrepair and was knocked down and two houses built in it's place. ' The Briars ' is still there but all original features have been removed over the years although, the present owners are gradually putting them back. Our house however, had many original features remaining. Luckily, no one had removed the fireplaces, the original dresser, the sash windows or the stained glass windows and front door.

The above are some of the original fireplaces that we have in our home. When houses were being built in late Victorian England, the builder would go down to the ' fireplace shop ' and choose the fireplaces that he liked . Our house was built in 1895. The beginning of the Art Nouveau style started to be recognised in Britain during the 1880's and our Mr. W, being arty and theatrical, obviously favoured  this new Art Nouveau style and, when he popped down to the fireplace shop, he chose, for me, the most wonderful fireplaces.  

I just have to say that the arched fireplace in the middle of the photograph is the only one that isn't original. It's a reproduction one and is more Georgian than Victorian but, we like it !!

When we moved here in the mid 1980's, Victoriana was the way to go and, our house was a step back in time with festoon blinds, dark colours and Laura Ashley patterned wallpapers. Now, it's the neutral palette of Farrow and Ball, distressed furniture and a Scandinavian feel. 

But, to answer the original question, YES, I do repeat the style that I have chosen in all of the rooms. My personal preference is a neutral palette but, a good friend of mine who is an art teacher has colour everywhere and her home is eclectic and beautiful. Each to their own. I love the fact that we are all different ….. it would be pretty boring if everyone's house was the same wouldn't it ?

I really don't believe that there are any rules. Everyone should choose what they like and go for it ….. after all, it is your home and you have to live there. 

I'm sure that there will be many people who won't like my style and will wonder why I have old French shutters, letters and my Dad's 95 year old christening dress but, I like them !!

To see what other contributors of By Invitation think about interiors and decorating, Marsha has all of the links. 

image 1: via la bonne vie but with my words ! All other images via ME !!

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BY INVITATION ….. TRADING WITH OUR OWN SKILLS ….. A BARTER SYSTEM !!!! ……….

Trading with our own skills ….. a barter system. This is the subject for our January 2015 By Invitation post, suggested by Coty 

…..

If the world's currency ceased as we know it, and we had to barter, what would our immediate skills be …..

Well, I guess that we would all find it difficult.

I'm not going to pretend that I'd turn into Wonder Woman and be baking up a storm …..

….. or suddenly becoming exceptionally skilled at whittling wood but, I'm sure that I'd get by….. I'm pretty capable ! Once we've had the privilege of modern technology, it's so much harder to go back, isn't it ? Only this Saturday, our Sky dish connections came loose, due to high winds and, as much as it didn't ruin our life, it was annoying that we couldn't watch the things that we like to watch, only because we are used to having that particular facility…… if we'd never had it, we wouldn't miss it …… and it was only off for a couple of days !!!!! 

SO ….. what skills could I barter with ? ….. perhaps a bit of decorating …..

….. take in ironing ? …..

….. walk dogs ? …..

….. £1 a kiss ? …..

or, last resort ….. sell my body !!!!!

I think that, maybe, I'd send my husband out to bring the money in !!!!!

Let's wave the magic wand and get back to 2015. As much as we can play at going back to basics, we all like our modern comforts and, once they are here, we all embrace them !!!

What bartering skills have you got ?

For more bartering ideas, Marsha has all of the links.

images 1, 5, 7, 9 & 10  : via margadirube, image 2 & 4: via kero i am, image 3: via dornob, image 6: via inspiration lane, image 8: via la bonne vie 

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BY INVITATION ….. IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT, WHAT CHRISTMAS PRESENTS WOULD YOU BUY …..

Our By Invitation subject this month is Christmas presents and what you would buy if money was no object ….. 

Christmas is coming and it's time to throw money around like there's no tomorrow, trying desperately hard to please our loved ones …..

…..  I'm a bit reluctant to buy into the mass hysteria of spend, spend, spend …. it gets downright obscene at this time of year, Black Friday being an example.

SO …..

I've been kind enough to source some lovely but unusual presents that are not too expensive and will please your loved ones far more than anything in a Tiffany box, Birkin handbag or a pair of shoes with red soles ….. NO ….. don't thank me …. it's been a pleasure and, feel free to email me for suppliers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off the tee is the Uroclub ….. men are so hard to buy for and, if your other half, brother, uncle, nephew or best friend plays golf, they will be over the moon to open the Uroclub on Christmas morning and, next time on the golf course, they will be the envy of all of their friends when they get caught short at the tenth hole !!

Next, smoking mittens. No longer will smokers have to huddle together for warmth as they quickly smoke in sub Arctic temperatures. Smoking mittens have a hole you can smoke through !!

When someone tells you that they really don't want anything for Christmas, well, you really can get them nothing ….. unfortunately, you have to pay something for nothing ….. £3.99 !!!!

Introducing the wine bottle glass because, lets face it, drinking straight from the bottle is so unsophisticated !!

The Rejuvenique Anti - Ageing Mask claims to keep your face youthful and rejuvenated ….. it could also double as a hockey mask or Halloween costume.

Just one for those with more money than sense, recreate the effect of lounging about in a large, grassy meadow a la ' Honey I Shrunk The Kids " ….. unfortunately it comes with a $13,400.00 price tag !!!!!

If you like to give homemade presents and are good at knitting, how about these ? Perfect for this time of year but, if you don't fancy wearing them this way, you could always wear them on your head at the next office Christmas party.

Forget about Cocoa Butter and Honey Jojoba. Anyone who's anyone is washing in cherry scented bags of blood shower gel. The perfect way to freshen up after a tough day battling against werewolves and armies of undead Zombies !!

Happy Christmas shopping !!

For some nicer Christmas present ideas, Marsha has all of the links to participating blogs. 

image 1: via inspiration lane, image2: via pinterest, image 3: via recabrones, images 4, 5 & 7: via cocoloids, image 6: via getting personal, image 8: via over 50's forum, image 9: via clarissa's blog, image 10: via daily mail, image 11: via the world of kitsch, image 12: via neatocoolville

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