Join us for #primaveracrowns on 20th March!

Here’s a bit of fun Michelle and I dreamed up… join us to celebrate the start of spring on 20th March by making a flower crown and posting a photo of yourself wearing it on your blog, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram using the hashtag #primaveracrowns.

Please share the photo above to help us spread the word!

A few posts explaining how to make a flower crown to help you get started…

 < A simple step-by-step tutorial from A Beautiful Mess >

< A little more complicated for a lovely casual look from Green Wedding Shoes >

< A pretty video tutorial for those who prefer YouTube >

< Follow my Flower Crown Inspiration board on Pinterest >

We hope to see you next Thursday!

Mood of the moment… drift away

{LIVE / EAT / WEAR / ESCAPE}

{LISTEN Lissie Little Lovin’}

Pictures curated by Bethan, music selected by Joe. We hope you enjoy our picks and they set the mood for a relaxed weekend… here’s to breakfasts in bed and glittering sunsets!

Golden hour

In the 13 years our parents have owned this house the field behind has always been for sheep, but for some reason this year it’s been planted with wheat. Last night I took an evening stroll through in the still-wilting heat with my camera in the hope of capturing the golden hour.

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

The light was a gift. It was still so warm the wheat smelled grassy-sweet in the sunshine and the red Wiveliscombe earth was baked red beneath my feet. I couldn’t resist lying down in a furrow made by the tractor’s wheels, looking up to the blue sky and breathing the scent of a British summer all around me.

House Tour: amazingly austere American farmhouse

Sometimes trends come along and, although you might like them, they take a bit of effort to embrace. Others  just slot into your natural way of doing things and feel like they’ve been around forever… to me, those ones are undoubtedly the best.

The emerging trend for all things uncomplicated connected with me straight away – probably because it’s not really a trend at all. Valuing authenticity, cherishing history and making the most of the simple things in life taps into the nostalgic yearnings we all share. It just feels right. I came across this incredible home on Pinterest and it so completely encapsulates this mood I had to share it.

{all Phoebe Troyer}

Phoebe Troyer‘s Ohio home is so uncomplicated you might call it sparse – maybe even austere. Its simple style has such an air of authenticity I wouldn’t be too surprised if the owners were fresh off the Mayflower! Every single piece of furniture has been chosen so perfectly that there’s not one item that jars or feels out of place. The design is so apparently simple, but there’s an incredible skill in the way the rooms have been put together.

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a house like it and I’m completely in awe of Pheobe’s style. If you’re as drawn in as I am, there are lots more photos of the house its beautiful garden on her Pinterest boards.

Friday: a day of two parts

{À la Mode}

{via That’s Just It}

Some weeks, it’s those little treats that get you through.

Make sure you give yourself a treat today and have a lovely weekend xx

Out of Office

Next week I’ll be here.

{The Developing Photographer}{Wolfy}

There is no mobile phone signal. There is no wi-fi. For the first week ever, there will be no posts.

Don’t take offense, but I’ll be trying not to miss you…

Love, DN x

Simple pleasures: blue and white china

It’s a funny feeling when you catch your own tastes changing.

I used to be a white bedding and white china only girl but recently I’ve found worn striped and floral bedlinen calling me and a taste for fussy willow pattern crockery has been creeping up on me for a while now. I think it was Lobster & Swan‘s lunch photos that started it and now Michelle’s car boot stash has got my vintage-hunter’s fingers itching again.

{both Michelle Young / MYCreative}

I really like how Michelle’s styled the simple blue and white china on such a boldly patterned and contrasting fabric – not an obvious choice, but there’s something rather appealing in the clash!

Check out MY Creative for more photographic goodness – this recent farm shop jaunt is one of my favourites.

Me in three…

I’m at a turning point at the moment and there is so much recharging, thinking and planning to do this weekend. These three photos encapsulate how I feel right now.

There’s something exciting on the horizon… will you come along with me?

{via View Your World}

{Shakespeare quote via Pinterest}

{Christian Kluge via Kinfolk}

Have a wonderful one.

Love DN xxx

October is the finest month

{by Danielle Kroll}

Woodsmoke drifting on frosted air

Fingers red with blackberry juice

The first crumble of the year

Homemade sloe gin – waiting, waiting, waiting

Hot chocolate with cinnamon and chilli

Copper beech leaves shiny with overnight rain

Knitted socks over knitted tights

Casseroles and dumplings scented with thyme

My annual escape to the Lake District

…………………………………………………………………………….

What do you love about October?

Earth laughs in flowers

I came across the dreamiest blog last week. To me it seems to perfectly capture the beautiful sadness that accompanies these last fading days of summer.

Emerson Merrick is written by New York florist Amy Merrick. However her most inspiring posts come not from the Big Apple but from Elmwood, her tumbledown country escape in New Hampshire.

It came as no surprise to read that Elmwood recently played host to Kinfolk (my latest obsession) who did a photo shoot there this summer for a future issue of the magazine.

There’s such a wonderfully languid feel about all Amy’s photographs. And very lovely flowers, as you’d expect. What I would give to have my own rural retreat like this!

{all Amy Merrick}

Visit Emerson Merrick to get lost in daydreams of Elmwood yourself… be warned, you might never want to come back!

Ps – poetry lovers, the title quote for this post is taken from the poignant Hamatreya by Ralph Waldo Emerson – read it here.