TO BLOOM IS TO KNOW YOUR ROOTS

At Clementine & Bloom we have been very busy, not just beavering away in our studio producing all our lovely products but we've been busy trying to do the right thing. We are two creative people who love nothing more than to make a cushion or a lampshade but there comes a point in every creative company's life when things have got to get serious. And we think now just might be that time for us!

Starting next week we have enrolled at The School for Creative Start-Ups, an amazing opportunity to learn all the things we need to know in order to grow our company. As creative people the business side of working often gets pushed to the bottom of the 'to do' list - it's too easy to just make something because you love it, but as Christmas rapidly approaches we are looking at forecasting sales, planning a marketing strategy and dare I say it adding a few new lines!

So it's time to step away from the studio and back into the classroom for this mother and daughter team. A scary thought until we saw this little poem on the side of a construction site (hate to say it but we forgot to take a snap of who wrote it), the words seem particularly poignant at the start of this very new chapter for Clementine & Bloom. We will keep you all posted on our progress and as always we would love to hear from anyone else on the course or taking a similar big leap!

MUSTN'T GRUMBLE

We know this is a little late but the last couple of weeks have been very busy and it's not been an easy post to write. After last year's amazing Thames Festival our expectations were high but sadly not fulfilled. We were located with the We Make London team near Tower Bridge and as there were no events taking place on the Saturday and very little advertising it meant there was not much footfall (excepting the odd stray tourist or local resident surprised to discover an artisan market taking place on their doorstep!)

This did give us the opportunity to have a wander in the vicinity and we came across this wonderful sculpture by artist David Kemp at the Hay's Galleria. The Navigators looks like a creation from a Jules Verne novel and was made using recycled and found objects.

The final day of the festival was better, there were choirs and bands performing in the Scoop near our stalls and people were wandering along enjoying the entertainment and making the most of their Sunday.

We were informed that the budget for the festival was reduced this year but then why did the organisers  stretch the event across two weekends? The spectacular fireworks finale was greatly missed by stall holders and visitors alike and the atmosphere of carnival and colour we've come to expect was non existent. Our fellow stall holder Jane sums up the experience precisely here.

The event is called the Mayor's Thames Festival so come on Boris let's put a little more thought in for next year or you may find yourself celebrating on your own!

UNDER THE SEA

It seems like ages ago that we were on holiday, not only because the weather has taken a serious turn as Autumn sets in but also because we are unbelievably busy. I know we are lucky that there are two of us at Clementine & Bloom but this week it would be good if there were four! I hate to say it but we are now in full preparation mode for...Christmas...

Fear not though because as promised here is our second inspirational post from our holiday, a trip to Monaco's aquarium was a real highlight. All the amazing colours of the tropical fish against the deep blue ocean background was so visually exciting and to top it off I got some great snapshots of a few interesting underwater creatures.

  

We love the vibrant colour combination of orange and ocean blue.

Reminds me of something I've seen before...

Papilio cushion

THE GREAT ADVENTURE

Hello to all our lovely readers (old and new!) we are back from our summer holidays and boy what an adventure we have had. Having flown to the South of France we then rented a car and drove in the most spectacular zig-zag back to Paris to catch the train home. Rather than bore you with the hundreds of holiday snaps that we took, the next few blog posts are intended to inspire.

One of our greatest loves is to travel, there is nothing more inspiring than immersing yourself in different cultures and the best way to do that is to shop with the locals. I can't tell you how many times we have both come back with weird and wonderful purchases stuffed into our suitcases or taken on board as hand luggage - all because of the desire to build a home full of treasured memories and possessions.

So what did we buy on this trip then...on the last day we decided to head out for a little bit of antique rummaging and we came across this beautiful Singer sewing machine. This is potentially the best bargain we have ever had, a mere €8!

P.S : all market photos were taken in the Old Town in Nice. There is a flower market most days except Monday when it's full of antiques.

POSTCARD

 

 A picture postcard from our holiday. 

We will be back in the studio from next Monday 9th September, until then enjoy the sunshine everyone!

THE MAYOR'S THAMES FESTIVAL

Great news! We are happy to announce we will be participating in The Mayor's Thames Festival along the Southbank for the second year running. This is a fabulous event which brings together a huge variety of activities on, about and around the River Thames.

We will be situated at More London next to the Scoop on 14th and 15th September and if it's anything like last year it promises to be a fantastic event. The whole thing is completely free and aimed at all ages so mark it in your diaries and we'll see you there!

AQUAMARINE GILDED BUTTERFLY

Check out our new favourite colour combination - aquamarine silk with the copper gilded butterfly design. These were printed recently for a customer and we loved them so much we are thinking of adding them to our range permanently.

If you can't wait that long you can always email : info@clementineandbloom.com to talk to us about a commission or stop by Greenwich on a Wednesday to buy this beautiful little vintage Jersey pottery bedside lamp base with our new aquamarine gilded butterfly shade.

THE BARBICAN CONSERVATORY

Have you ever been to the Barbican? Just like us you have probably only ever been there to see an exhibition or maybe go to the theatre. Last Sunday we went to see the gardens...

The simplest way to describe the Barbican estate is as a concrete jungle with a million dollar price tag. Yes, there are high rise flats built in the late 70's from a brown concrete mix but it's also nestled right in the centre of London making it a very desirable location to live. Many parts of it are open to the public but as it's residential there are also a lot of areas that are private, then there are those sections like the conservatory that are open on select days of the month.

I had been recommended to visit by a friend and so at a loose end this Sunday I decided to take a look for myself. As you can see from the pictures I was not disappointed, it's compact and beautiful making it the perfect place to browse for a few hours. I came away feeling truly inspired...maybe a plant inspired print is just what Clementine & Bloom needs!

A NEW LINE

 

Whilst it feels like the rest of the world are on vacation, here at Clementine & Bloom we've been busy at work. Here's a snapshot during our photo shoot for our new range of cards, already a popular seller at markets and events we've decided to add them to our online shop! 

ISLINGTON GREEN

This is a little later than expected but on the last weekend in July we had a stall at the Islington Green Summer Fair.

This is a new event organised by our old friend Brandon, who last Christmas held a very successful winter fair on the same site.

The weather held out for us despite the weatherman promising showers and as ever we had a great time, helped along by the lovely stall holders and customers throughout the two days. There are more events planned for later in the year so do look out for them.

THE LATEST HOARD

Couldn't resist sharing this photo with you first! One of us (yes the one pictured) has been hunting for a vintage Union Jack flag - that was reasonably priced - for ages. Once again Ardingly answered my prayers with this giant for just £18!

Always on the look out to try something new, we picked up these lovely retro stools that we plan to recover in one of our fabrics. We would love your suggestions for a preferred print?

Another bargain of the day was this French globe. We're not sure exactly how old it is but it's definitely well used and several of the countries have since been renamed - it was a snip at £20.

The absolute gem of the day has to be this beautiful anglepoise lamp. Yes we know we have a home full of lamps and lampshades but one can't resist a classic!

Finally we bought these old metal letters. The 'a' is a gift for a family member on distant shores and the 'c' is of course for Clementine & Bloom. One day we hope to own every letter to our name; we know we should have picked a shorter brand name, but then all of the fun is in the hunting for the treasure!