Getting Away From it All

Spontaneity is definitely the way forward...I can't recommend it enough! After spending all day Friday working with the sun streaming through the windows, my lovely husband (Nate) and I decided to head to the seaside in search of fresh air, the sea and an escape from the craziness that has been our lives of late. So, we found a hotel, threw an overnight bag in the back of the car and motored down to Dartmouth. How we love Dartmouth...with its sailing boats bobbing on the water (very Swallows and Amazons!), brightly coloured houses on the other side of the river, lovely shops for mooching in and great restaurants. 

We were rather excited to find that Simon Drew (whose brilliant illustrations have kept us amused and puzzled for years) is a Dartmouth resident and has a gallery in the town too. He was even there when we popped in to have a look around - we recognised him from looking at the inside jacket of one of his books that was on sale! No end of ideas started to pop into my head when we were walking along the water front...now all I need to do is create them!

We stayed at Browns...and loved it. Fabulous food! Its decor is contemporary and funky, but there's none of the pretentiousness that can sometimes be associated with boutique hotels. I loved the 'caviar' wallpaper in the hotel's restaurant and now I'm wondering where we could put some in our own house! I love bold colours, shapes and designs. If I could fill our house with the work of just one designer, I'd choose Sonia Delaunay every time. She was the most fabulous textile designer!

We spent Saturday doing all the things we dream of when we're at home...walking along country lanes, visiting interesting houses (this time it was Agatha Christie's old house, Greenway), fish and chips by the sea and spending time together, just the two of us. I took this photo in the garden at Greenway...I thought the tree was just so beautiful. The flowers looked like paper and I wish I could have taken them home to hang up in the house. The decision to leave the car in Galmpton and walk to Greenway was one of the best decisions we made all weekend! It was so idyllic wandering along the lanes. We even heard a woodpecker tapping away in the trees!

It's amazing how even the shortest of trips away can make a big difference. I feel completely inspired and as soon as I'm finished here, I'm off to grab a sketchbook and start doodling ideas for the book of sewing projects I've had in my head for ages...craft posts aplenty will follow in the following weeks, I promise!