We had a fleeting trip to New York to attend a close friends wedding. The weather was great and the city as usual never fails to show us a good time. Empire State Building at dusk and rainbow over the village.

I absolutely love the cover of Ideal Home’s August issue, not so much that it’s a little patriotic, but more for it’s classic use of summer beach colours, and ofcourse because they included Sweet’s Deck cushion in blue on the bench! Thank you!

The sample sale was a great success - thanks to all who came from existing customers to local passers-by, it was great to meet you! I also got to meet a lot of the local shop and cafe owners in Munster Road which was really nice too.

We’re having a sample sale this Friday and Saturday, 13th and 14th June. Location is 207 Munster Road, London SW6. Friday timings are 10am-4pm and Saturday timings are 11am - 5pm. There will be lots of lovely things at bargain prices! Hope to see you!

I have just finished reading Three Cups of Tea, a book that has had a lot of acclaim on the other side of the Atlantic. Infact, my sister who lives in the Pacific Northwest sent it to me after she had read it with her book club. It is a remarkable story about one man’s committment to build schools in the remotest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, bringing education to children who would otherwise have been deprived of it. Greg Mortenson is the man (and co-writer of the book); a true hero and selfless person. Read more about his achievements and mission on Three Cups of Tea.

Teatime can be a fantastic event. But when it is done really properly - with an assortment of teas, finely trimmed sandwiches (smoked salmon, cucumber, egg, ham and cheese), scones (with butter and jam), petit fours, chocolate fountain with fresh fruits, and perhaps a glass of champagne for complete wickedness - it is completely enjoyable. But you also need good company. And on Saturday at Janine’s Hen Party all of these things were in place for a fine afternoon of indulgence and girly talk! Location: Myhotel Chelsea.

Just want to thank SheerLuxe for such a nice review on their site this morning. You can read the write-up at SheerLuxe as well as browse all their other tastefully selected products, read articles and sign-up for their newsletters and offers.

Trompe l’oeil at the Vatican Museum. Ai Marmi served the most deliciously thin pizza while Est Est Est served Neopolitan style thick-pan pizza. The Pantheon was stunning with it’s open-domed roof and the Colisseum was mesmerizing. Deep fried artichoke is a speciality at old Roman establishment Gigetto.

We finally made it to Rome - we’ve been wanting to go for ages!

We decided to try out Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant at T5 as it not only has a prime location overlooking the airport but also because it looked spacious and comfortable. We were asked to wait about 15 minutes to be seated which was fine. We were put in a lovely table right by the window, but were also suddenly aware of lots of commotion at which point we noticed Gordon himself at the entrance, followed closely by a large press entourage. Slowly parts of our breakfast arrived as the paparazzi ensued right next to us. As ‘first customers’ we were asked if it was okay for Gordon to come and sit with us for a few minutes so we all got to meet him! He was really charming and chatty, looks great in person, and you can really sense the high-energy vibe that sparks from him! Good luck with the new venture Gordon and thanks for breakfast!

When we booked our holiday to Rome we were completely unaware that we had booked it for the opening day of Terminal 5. But on seeing T5 printed on our booking we decided to allow extra time incase of any complications, aswell as having time for a leisurely breakfast. The new terminal is huge, airy and cool looking. But what would have really helped orientation would have been a simple map laying everything out as the scale is quite overwhelming. We did end up having a 2-3 hour delay which was annoying, especially as no one could really explain why, but at least our luggage arrived in Rome, as later in the day things really started to get messy!

The arrival of Spring (one day earlier this year due to the leap year) is upon us, and after two days of snow and freezing weather over Easter, seeing a field of daffodils is a lovely sight - such cheery flowers!

Look at these lovely treats for Easter. Butter cookies flown in from Mom-in-law from Oregon and a cute chocolate nest with speckled eggs!

Thanks so much to Country Homes for featuring one of my favourite Sweet quilts in their ‘Look of the moment’.