Spirit of Summer Fair

If you’re a regular reader of The Amazing Blog, you’ll know that we’re always looking for products and events that are different and stylish. We love discovering boutique brands and smaller companies and sharing them with all you lovely subscribers, so we of course have to tell you about the Spirit of Summer Fair that’s happening next weekend!

From the 16^th to the 19^th of May, you can visit the Spirit of Summer Fair in Olympia, London, a perfect day out to discover new trends and creative ideas for the home and garden. You can spend the whole day wandering around the variety of over 200 handpicked boutiques, for inspiration on all things home and garden - and best of all you won’t be able to find these stylish picks on the high street! The quirky brands on show at the fair are great for anyone looking to find whimsical additions to their homes and gardens, or handmade decor that no one else will have.

At the fair you’ll also be able to participate in workshops, inspirational talks and food and wine tastings. Experts from Jo Malone will speak about the launch of their new room scents, you can take inspirational design tips from Nina Campbell, and also speaking is master perfumer Roja Dove. We know we'll be stocking up on Rhodes to Heaven's 'heavenly' natural beauty products and adding to our Summer wardrobes with Louise Sandberg's gorgeous kaftans. With workshops, stalls, and talks for everyone, the Spirit of Summer Fair is great for an afternoon or a whole day, with friends or family.

So whether you're looking for inspiration for your home, garden, or both, be sure to head over to the Spirit of Summer Fair next weekend. It’s open from 10am to 6pm each day, and tickets are available online or on the phone. Don’t miss it!

Chocolate Creative

Having lived in the same bedroom for the last five years with the same furniture and decoration, give or take a few pictures on the wall and decorative candles, I’ve decided it’s time to update my boudoir and give it a fresh new look. With neither the budget to invest in a complete set of new furniture nor the skills to fashion my own DIY crafts for the home, I have been on the hunt for easy, simple and affordable ways to update my furnishings and hopefully add a stylish edge touch to my existing belongings. As always, I knew I wouldn’t be searching long thanks to my colleagues here at the Amazing Blog and sure enough they came up trumps by introducing me to Chocolate Creative. Chocolate Creative is a London based boutique homewares and accessories brand focused on sustainable, hand-made products, combining traditional skills such as cross stitch and embroidery with silkscreen printing. Inspired by traditional crafts, antiques, vintage textiles and images Chocolate Creative have created a range of products ranging from handmade natural linen cushions to bone china mugs. Here at the Amazing Blog we love the new range of wooden wall hooks and furniture knobs which are handmade in Chocolate Creative’s studios and guaranteed to transform the plainest furniture or wall space with their bright colours and vintage glamour inspired designs. Adorned with old fashioned landscapes and vintage embroidery and available in a range of colours to suit any colour scheme, the hooks and knobs can be used to decorate walls and furniture in an instant. We love the hooks for adding a touch of glamour (and are always handy for hanging coats, scarves, bags and hats) and the knobs which are great for adding a personal touch to newly bought cabinets or chest of drawers or for giving old furniture a new lease of life.

Chocolate Creative is available to buy online here.

The Mystery of Mooi

On one of my visits to Animal Fair for Mojai’s regular manicure, I spotted a new shop across the road. A rather nice distraction from my dogs appalling  behaviour. Attracted by the myriad of colourful clothes and accessories Mooi lured me in a bit  like a bee to honey…. Mooi is a beautiful shop on High Street Kensington spread over two floors and overlooking its own lovely garden, however its array of unique and one-of-a-kind high fashion pieces makes it hard to notice the scenery.  The shop boasts an impressive list of international labels and hard to find designers such as Tsimori Chisato and Australian designer Meagan Park whose pieces line the walls in bold colours and beautiful fabrics.  Designs by LA stylist Simone Harouch bring a little taste of Hollywood to the High Street, his statement carryalls having graced the arms of such A-list celebrities as Nicole Richie, Julia Roberts, and Miley Cyrus.  Along with its prestigious couture credentials, Mooi’s distinguishing characteristic seems to be its diverstiy; alongside well-established designers, owner Deep Sahni (also the store’s interior designer) has integrated lesser known international labels not likely to be found in any other U.K. retailer.  Beautiful antique Indian jewelry sits alongside covetable and timeless pieces from Phillipa Holland.

Mooi is the kind of shop that will make a fan out of any keen connisseur of high fashion.  Whether you’re out for a shopping day and on a hunt for some of the latest and hottest couture pieces or you’ve got a taste for the unusual and exotic, this small but statement shop is sure to intrigue your tastes and make you a regular visitor- even if it’s just to come in and ogle the latest overseas arrivals to grace the racks.  Mooi is a Kensington must-see and stands alone as a novel boutique in a sea of generic name-brand shops.

If you possibly need anymore reason to go and see this new little High Street jewel, the lovely people at Mooi are offering our readers a 20% discount throughout the month of December!  Show this blog post with codeword MOOI-AMAZING PR when you go in and receive this amazing discount!