The Leopard Anchor

Fred G. Johnson - the Picasso of circus art

One of my favourite ever TV shows is American Pickers, if you haven't watched it then you are seriously missing out. I'm always discovering great stuff through American Pickers and just lately it is the delights of Fred G. Johnson, who was a sideshow banner artist from the 1930s to the 1970s.

I have lost hours staring at this gent's work online, it's not everyone's cup of tea but I'm totally in love with it! I want to own the Mermaid banner, it's wonderful.

{click on the images for their sources}

Weekends are made of this

Bed

Brunch

Photography tuition

xo K

This is how we wrap

And by we, I mean me. Wrapping presents is my favourite thing in the WHOLE world, I adore it. There was a lady on the radio the other day who was an 'International Gift Wrapping Expert', now I know what I want to be when I grow up!

This is the third Christmas I've used brown paper and I don't think I'll ever go back to patterned or coloured paper.

Pretty wrapping comes at a price though:

What. A. Mess.

xo Kirst.

Holiday peeks: thifting & antiquing

About 90% of the photos from my visit to Canada are of old things, I can't get enough. Let me tell you, thrift stores on the other side of the Atlantic are on a whole different level. With that in mind, this post is pretty picture heavy even though I was ruthless and only picked my absolute favourites. This is a mixture of thrift store finds and cool stuff found in an amazing antiques barn.

The best thrift store I visited was a Salvation Army in a tiny town north of the farm.

This photo is about half of the main section, there is also a separate furniture section. It was HUGE, and it was by no means the biggest we visited.

I had to be dragged away from most of it, all my favourite things were too expensive or too big/heavy to bring home. My local charity shops will never seem the same again.

xo K

Inspiration: The Great British Bake-Off

I was a little (lot) late the the GBBO party, I only caught the last half of the final but I fell very quickly in love with the presentation. These ladies pulled out all the stops, what a visual feast! Not to mention all the bunting, Smeg fridges and Kitchen-Aid mixers in the marquee.

I think the lantern, over-sized basket and upside down parasol would be beautiful additions to a dessert table at a wedding, christening or party.

xo Kirsty

(all images from BBC iPlayer)