WEEK 8 - WALLPAPER OF THE WEEK

Trippy by British Design Talent : 15195 : Graham & Brown

Woah there Mrs B - I've just taken us all on a dizzy trip back to the year of my birth! I thought I'd go for a complete change, something to wake us up on this grey Monday morning (just). Yep its retro and its orange ...and I'm back there in 1980 with our orange washing up bowl, brown kitchen tiles and avocado bathroom suite. But this is bringing it right into 2009.

I would go dining room with this one, on one wall, with dark brown wooden furniture, if you can source it then you want the real thing, 1970's originals. I've gone dining room rather than living room as you don't want too much else in there to around it and dining rooms do tend to be rooms that we are better at not cluttering. You can tone it down by using it alongside a very neutral scheme letting the wallpaper do the talking or you can complement it by adding accessories (as shown in the picture) to highlight it further.

Not for the faint hearted, not for a period home, but if you're brave enough its going to look fab !

"Woman in Business" ...or am I just playing house ?

So this is me...sitting at my desk...as I am right at this moment.

I have to admit that the contents of the desk are slightly different today... The stack of four Starbucks paper cups are looking like some kind of mini modern art sculpture but are more representative of a secondary school science project...The hair is scraped back in a Monday-morning-get-the-smalls-to-school-quick-before-they-stop-serving-breakfast knot but its still me 'working' all the same.

The photo was taken last week for an editorial that I was asked to feature in the Bedford Times and Citizen. ( http://bit.ly/K9Y2p ) When I was initially contacted I was enticed by the discounted advertising rates and the fact that they had contacted me and not the reverse, meant my message was getting out. The paper had 'found' me as a result of being a member of the networking group 'Mums the Boss' (http://www.mumstheboss.co.uk/) they're fab - look at the site, read the blog, follow on twitter.... All of the small but numerous things that I had been busily working away at to try and get various marketing plans underway with my limited marketing budget were actually starting to lead to something.

Or am I just playing ?....Do you have those moments when you don't feel real ? When you wonder where the time went and how you got from where you were to where you are ?

At times I can't actually believe that I am Mum to not just one but two gorgeous little small people, real people ...no longer a "Paul" doll and a Cabbage Patch Kid. I have a house, a proper house, not a Wendy house built with plastic poles that we could roll down the garden. (I have the mother of all mortgages to go with the proper house but am not sure there was a childhood equivalent of that in the early 80's !). And I now have a business, my own business, my own responsibility, not a little pretend shop with my Casdon cash register that had to be turned upside down to get the numbers to go back down, but a proper business delivering a service to clients, hopefully making people happy in their surroundings.

So to then discover that my editorial was to be featured under the header of "Women in Business" was scary on a few fronts. "Women" surely I'm not old enough yet to be classified as a "Woman" yet ? "Wannabe" yeah, but at what age do I / did I become a "Woman" ?

And "Business" ...well I consider myself incredibly lucky on that front. I don't think of my work as a business. Business was my 'Previous Life', managing millions and the stress and long hours that goes with it. Ivy House Interiors is a love, its a dream and having lived the two lives how the two can ever be related I'll never understand.

So, I may have been titled a "Woman in Business" but I feel more like "Little Sarah being a very happy 33 year old". (33 ...can you believe it ?)

WEEK 7 - WALLPAPER OF THE WEEK

Mackintosh Rose by Hemingway : 16088 : Graham & Brown

Its just so lovely and ...round ! I've got a thing for really tight flower heads, roses, peony's etc (blimey that makes me sound like a right green fingered little thing - I'm not !) I think its just because I like things to look neat and this wallpaper has it all for me. Its classy, simple yet has so much impact and will go with any colour scheme you fancy.

And the weekly question of where would I put it ? Anywhere, well pretty much. Think it would be best used as a feature wall in living room, or behind the bedhead in a master or guest bedroom.

To complement it add chocolates, taupes then probably go for a few bold contrast pieces such as cushions in a striking duck-egg, a shocking pink or a crisp white.

WEEK 6 - WALLPAPER OF THE WEEK

Eco Highway by Central Saint Martin's : 17768 : Graham & Brown

I love this -yep I know another one, I just can't help myself ! This has a bit of a 'do-good' story behind it, the designer was looking to encourage children to think about their carbon-footprint (probably a bit deep for most but I suppose we have to start somewhere). The futuristic cars apparently run on milk rather than petrol...wouldn't it smell ? especially in the summer ?

I like it because its a children's design that doesn't look like its been taken straight off the pages of CBeebies Weekly. The colours make a nice change from the typical 'Blue for a Boy', although that said a navy bedding scheme would go really well with this.

So is it limited to a boy's bedroom ? I don't think it is - I think it would also work well for 'slightly older' boys for a quirky twist in a study with white gloss furniture and grey accessories. Let me know your thoughts...feedback always appreciated

WEEK 5 - WALLPAPER OF THE WEEK

Taylor and Wood - Frames by British Design Talent

Something a bit different this week - I first saw this paper a few years ago and I still think its such a great original idea. Basically the paper is white but covered with back-to-back picture frames just waiting for budding artists to fill them with whatever design they like. Slight concern, especially living with a 3 year old, is how you would tell a small person they could draw on this wall but not others, but hey a small price to pay for what would end up looking like an amazing display of bespoke original artwork !

Where would it go ? More like where wouldn't it go ? I'd choose hallway (who needs a visitors book when they can leave a comment of a different kind) a downstairs toilet (for a bit of graffiti like the old school toilets) or a family room / play room somewhere where the personality of the house can really shine through.

I'm getting all excited about it - you could have a wallpaper / house warming party and get all the guests to fill a box with a drawing or bring something to stick in it. You could simply add photos...ooh the possibilities are endless !