We have a winner!

Congratulations to Kristin Saegaert from Life Stories Books, whose name was just plucked from a hat – she’s the lucky winner of our stunning silver Anglepoise lamp from John Lewis. Thanks so much to everyone who entered.

Oooh, don’t you just love this pic from Country Homes and Interiors? Obviously the Anglepoise is lovely – but I love this group of old jars! Got a bit of a thing for James Keiller & Sons Dundee Marmalade pots at the moment. Boyfriend says we don’t need any more ‘tat’. I beg to differ. – Ellie

HOT SHOP: Bottle Green Homes

After a lovely trip to Italy for a friend’s wedding, everything seems a bit boring today in comparison. Then this beautiful postcard from brand new mail order company Bottle Green Homes landed on my desk and cheered me up!

Oooh, I do like a vintage bottle. Or five. And there are lots of other lovely things from some of my favourite stockists on the Bottle Green Homes website too – have a look!

Nice photography from Jon Day. I’m busy compiling our Christmas gift guide today and gathering all the entrants for the Anglepoise lamp give-away – 6pm is the deadline, so now’s the time to enter if you haven’t already! I’ll announce the winner tomorrow. – Ellie

NEW Orla Kiely range

Oooh la la! Here’s a little peek at the new Orla Kiely kitchenware range, due to be stocked at the likes of BlissHome and John Lewis later this summer…

If you’re an Orla fan like me, this could all prove a little bit too exciting…

Don’t you just love that yellow storage pot? I’d like three for tea, coffee and sugar. SIGH. – Ellie

HOT SHOP: Rosie’s Armoire

Let’s kick the week off with a glance at the lovely new website, Rosie’s Armoire.

I met shop owner Helen Ashworth at an exhibition a while ago, and bought one of her lovely purses…so I was excited to see she’s launched a whole website of her beautiful makes and vintage finds. It’s right up my street!

I love this ‘Cavendish House, Cheltenham’ purse, made from a vintage department store receipt. Helen prints ephemera on to fabric with beautiful results, and she’s got a magpie eye for finding lovely vintage treasures. Hard to resist!

Pop along if you need a vintage fix! – Ellie

Anglepoise lamp: GIVE-AWAY

SO. Would you like to get your sticky little mitts on a silver Anglepoise Type75 lamp? HomeShoppingSpy has exploited contacts, pleaded and BEGGED. And the good news is, we’ve got hold of this lamp from the lovely lighting experts at John Lewis. I told them it would be going to a good home and, in fact, it COULD be winging it’s way to YOUR home!

I thought about organising some sort of mammoth competition with complicated questions relating to the history of the Anglepoise. I considered asking something mind-boggling such as: Who designed the Type75? (Kenneth Grange). When was Herbert Terry’s iconic brand born? (1855). What else has Kenneth Grange designed? (The London black cab, the Kenwood food mixer, and the Kodak Instamatic.) BUT. What with the power of Google etc, as I’ve just demonstrated, it all seemed rather pointless. So, this is a good ol’ fashioned give-away, folks. To enter, just leave me a comment on the end of this post with your name and email address. On Wednesday 28th July 2010, I’ll put all the names in a hat and pull out a winner – and then I’ll send that lucky person a gorgeous, brand new, silver Anglepoise Type75 desk lamp. Remember, as my PE teacher used to say: You’ve got to be in it, to win it. – Ellie

(Click here to see the Terms and Conditions)

Just a bit more H&M excitement…

So, yesterday, I was getting all breathless about the new H&M Home online range launching this autumn in the UK, and we had a little look at some of the highlights. Well, I now have a whole CD of pretty pics, and there are a few more bargain buys I just HAVE to share with you all…

How much would you pay for the stunning SEL DE MER cushion cover, top left? It looks like it’s been made from a vintage salt sack. It’s gorgeous. It’s classy. And at H&M, it’s going to be…just £7.99. Bargainous. The OATS & CO tea towel, top right, could be framed for retro wall art, or sewn into a cushion cover by a crafter – and it’s just £2.99. And how cute is that LAUNDRY SERVICE bag, just £12.99? Sorry to bang on about this collection two days running, but it’s basically my new favourite range. Please bear with me if vintage sacks are not your thang…normal service will resume shortly! – Ellie

NEW: Cole & Son wallpapers

Bonjour, blog-browsing buddies. Ever since I became obsessed with the Cow Parsley print (but black or yellow?! THAT is the question!) I’ve been a huge fan of Cole & Son – a great example of a British company that continues to push the boundaries every season to remain ahead of the game. This autumn/winter, you won’t be disappointed…check out this little preview of the new FRONTIER collection, due to be released this September:

Based around a theme of adventure and discovery, the designers drew inspiration from Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. The collection consists of 12 new designs, based on archive patterns from the 18th, 19th and 20th century. I particularly like the elegant black and white bird design – what’s your favourite? – Ellie

NEW: H&M UK home range

Get ready for some serious shopping, people – H&M is launching a homeware collection in the UK – finally! Available online from September, this brand new range oozes designer-style, at teeny weeny high street prices. This. Makes. Me. Very. VERY. Excited. Observe:

We’ve lapped up H&M‘s on-trend-but-affordable fashion for years; on a personal note, I’ve been a big fan of the lint rollers (by the tills) for a decade at least. I probably need to get out more. When H&M homeware launched last year – in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands – basically, everywhere but here – it was an instant hit. The UK is more than ready for trend-led homewares, and I predict this new collection is going to be HUGE. Check out the place mats, napkins, cushions, and tea towels – this French-style look is oh-so-chic! I am LOVING the butterfly paper napkins, the Chanel ‘No.36’ cushion, the ‘Please put the milk bottles out’ tea towel – basically, everything here. And, to give you a rough idea of prices – we’re talking £4.99 for a hand towel, £24.99 for a duvet set and £69.99 for a bed spread. Pretty darn reasonable.

Bed linen with typewriters, Anglepoise lamps AND birds on it? So many trends in one place! Love it!

Oooh la la! There are some fabulous boudoir shower curtains here, and some stunning floral prints on towels and table runners. I really like the rich, midnight blue and teal rose pattern above – it reminds me of a vintage dress I have. What’s that? You’ve been searching for space-age, silver bed linen with a foil-like look for years? Coming right up…(I imagine Lady GaGa has this at home…to match her leotard):

Visit the H&M website in September to see the rest of this quirky collection. Three cheers for the hipsters at H&M. Hip Hip… – Ellie

Guest post at Etsy

I’m over at Etsy today, picking out coral buys for home and craft. It was so difficult to choose my favourite buys from such a fabulous range of vintage and handmade products. You can read the article here, if you’re in a coral-kinda-mood! – Ellie

Cox and Cox: Autumn Winter

Thanks to Henrietta at Cox and Cox for sending me these lovely new autumn/winter pics – you’ll have to wait until September to order these treats, but let’s have a little look at some of the stunning new stock…

I love these mercury glass number votives – they’re going to be £14 for three. And check out these cute motif tealights which will have a £15 price tag for three…

If you’re having a wedding, you’ll love these gorgeous monogrammed cards and funky favour badges…

Ooooooh, I’ve got a real THING for mercury glass at the moment. The more I look at the top image, the more I like it! – Ellie