Campus in the sunshine| Wordless Wednesday
New home tour… the details
So I’ve blogged the overview of my new home, here are some of the details. More will emerge in the coming weeks and months – as is probably obvious, I seem to have a ridiculous amount of stuff!
Kitchen and conservatory details:
Wall art and my amazing route 66 clock. The Pepsi sign is actual vintage and has the rust to prove it, the Marmite one much newer.
Fridge with my 2013 things list on it (and it’s magnetic, which for some reason is a massive novelty)
The cakes I made last night and iced this morning with my very exciting housewarming gift from my lovely family, and the mixer itself – squee!!
The perfect reading chair…
I’m on something of a quest. You’ll know I’m on the move soon, and I’m so excited about having somewhere I’ve chosen by myself for the very first time. (I love the flat I’m leaving, but chose it for quite different reasons with one of my best friends when we moved in together nearly three years ago… so it’s time for a change!)
One of the things I’ve wanted for a long time is a reading nook… somewhere in my house that is in a warm spot, catches the sun when there is some, and is perfect for whiling away stretches of time with a really good book.
Source: worldmarket.com via Carla on Pinterest
This is a papasan chair. I saw and fell in love with them in the Pier, years ago. They are comfy, quirky and absolutely bloody enormous. Now the Pier is no longer in business and I will finally have a conservatory, I am on the hunt for one – preferably a second hand one, as new they’re more money than I would like to spend on a chair!
In my parents’ house I love to tuck myself into the cushions on the window seats, with 11 foot high windows there’s always lots of light and sunshine and it’s really comfy.
However, in my searches for my own home I’ve come across some other gorgeous chairs for reading in.
A tub chair, like you often find on holiday, in a purple that would go with my colour scheme beautifully…
Source: homebase.co.uk via Carla on Pinterest
A colourful but not rounded enough (but possibly curlable-uppable-in) armchair:
And a very pretty duck egg blue chair which I think would look gorgeous but probably not be comfortable enough.
Source: homebase.co.uk via Carla on Pinterest
Which do you think makes the best reading chair? Do you have a reading nook or a favourite spot in the house to curl up and read?
Places & Spaces | Inspiration Space: Tea & Sympathy, Colchester
Places & Spaces is a new feature here on Ducking Fabulous, for me to share all my favourite places in the world with you. And to keep track of them for when I want to revisit, if they’re not local. To kick off, here is the (wonderfully local) gorgeous Tea & Sympathy shop in Crouch Street, Colchester.
Walking through the door is like stepping into another world. Jo and Melissa who own and run it have curated all manner of beautiful stock (and Ducking Fabulous jewellery is stocked here too – I’m honoured!) including handmade and vintage clothing, accessories and homeware. They also have beauty therapists on the first floor, and run all manner of workshops from Christmas wreaths to blending your own body lotions to nipple tassel making, and recently turned the whole shop into a speakeasy for the night.
My photographs don’t do the atmosphere justice, but here they are anyway…
Shelves of gorgeousness as you walk through the door:
The view from the counter on one side of the shop, and along the front of the shop:
Tea, coffee and workshop area in the front of the shop, surrounded with gorgeous things to buy: 
Fabulous Jo, mistress of all she surveys: (and to the right of this picture, there is a rail of vintage clothing for sale that runs the entire length of the shop – it’s both exciting and lethal! 
The first selection of Ducking Fabulous jewellery in situ – most of which has now been sold and replaced 🙂 
I love going there to shop, to chat and sometimes just to chill out with a cup of tea. It’s a gorgeously inspiring space and the workshops I’ve done have been among my favourite ever evenings – there’s nothing like being creative with likeminded local people! I’d class it as Creative Space and Head Space as well as the Inspiration tag it has in the post title – it’s very quickly become a focal point for me in my quest to get to know the area and more people here better… and I bloody love it!
If you’re in Colchester, pop in and see Melissa & Jo, they’re at 113-115 Crouch Street (which is the fab independent part of Colchester). They can be found on Facebook (search for Tea Sympathy and friend them, much more info than the page!) and also on Twitter – @alittlesympathy.
I'm Carla, a quirky thirtysomething with a penchant for unicorns and glitter. I believe in magic and make-believe, and the gorgeous rebellion of making your life absolutely your own. And I'm a proud multipod!
I am a photographer and catalyst for small business owners, and a real life mermaid. I photograph people as they truly are, help women see and step into their brightest and best selves, add a sprinkling of magic to the mundane, and am a happy ambassador for stationery and slow living.
Proud to be both girly and geeky, when I’m not writing, photographing or daydreaming, you can find me dancing burlesque, riding my bicycle Bluebell, growing herbs and collecting typewriters.