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Street artist  Banksy  is one of my favorite artists, I appreciate his style and how he likes to push people’s buttons; like this recent piece that appeared in East London. It is depicting a child laborer sewing British flag bunting, and was coyly placed on the side of Poundland (the UK version of Dollar Tree).  Find out more about the artist and similar street artists in the documentary  Exit Through the Gift Shop .   I also feature Banksy’s work in my “Modern Art” board on  Pinterest

To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee taking place in the UK this weekend, I am sharing my favorite British things and today it’s all about design . One of my favorite British artists is Anne Carrington , a sculptor that uses large amounts of common objects like buttons, flags, bottle tops, nuts, bolts, scraps of vintage fabric, and creates masterpieces out of them.  I love her Pearly Queen made of pearl and shell buttons commissioned in celebration of the Queen’s diamond jubilee , a piece used by The Novogratz   @ Sixx Design in their home and design projects. Anne Carrington's Pearly Queen in Bungalow Hotel  I also adore Anne Carrington’s “Crown Jewels” made of pearl buttons on canvas. Anne Carrington's Crown Jewels Anne has made a 9 ft velvet banner sewn with half a million gold buttons to decorate the stern of the Royal Barge, Spirit of Chartwell. It will be at the front of the Diamond Jubilee pageant running along the River Thames on June 3 rd .  A...

Marking 60 years of The Queen of England’s reign, the Diamond Jubilee will be taking place in the UK this weekend. There will be lots of celebrations and street parties in England and being a Brit myself I thought I would share all things British this week. Starting off with some of my favorite photographs of the Queen – the icon and mother: Queen Elizabeth II by Dorothy Wilding 1952 Queen with Prince Andrew by Cecil Beaton 1960 Patrick Lichfield  1971  Left: 1953 Right: 1954  Queen Elizabeth 11 has appeared on countless cover, banknotes & stamps

I have just joined The Fancy  community; similar to Pinterest   you browse images in various categories such women’s, men’s, kids, art, media etc. and shop for them at the same time. As you click on things you fancy you unlock opportunities to collect badges (similar to SneekPeeq ) and are awarded promo codes for discounts. I actually think there is more choice for the male audience on The Fancy than Pinterest especially in the “media” category which features cool gadgets, artwork from classic movies, record covers, design books, boy’s toys and general lifestyle gift ideas….ideal for birthdays and Father’s Day coming up! Here are a few examples of what I “fancy” at the moment: Rachel Zoe sandal on The Fancy Notebook on The Fancy Horbert MP3 Kid's Player on The Fancy Dear Photograph book on The Fancy Paul Smith mini on The Fancy You can also find out about popular culture in the “media” section, for example I came across this poster by Pascal Witaszek with his idea for new...

Photo: Adam Davies I still have to pinch myself when I drive over the Golden Gate Bridge; it is an amazing site to see! The Golden Gate Bridge is celebrating its 75 th Anniversary this Sunday and there are lots of fun activities happening around San Francisco leading up to the big fireworks display over the bridge on Sunday night starting at 9.30 pm. Further information about the entertainment, the best place to view the display, when the bridge will be open and closed etc  View Website Odwalla  is one of the sponsors of this weekend’s Golden Gate Bridge 75 th  Anniversary Festival, and will be hosting the following family-friendly activities: East Beach Footprint  – Festival attendees can find two Odwalla tents set up at this location. Other than a free smoothie sampling station , there will be free face painting (made from soy products) and a planting table where kids can plant fruit seeds in biodegradable cups to bring home.    Marina Green Foot...

For those of you wanting to start a home based business or creative venture whilst balancing the demands of motherhood…this is the book for you! Cat Seto  and Meg Ilasco  from Mom Inc. Daily  are experts in running a successful home-based business whilst running a household. Cat Seto is a blogger mom who runs a stationary business in her studio and boutique on Polk Street in San Francisco. Meg Mateo Ilasco is a mother, freelance writer, artist, author and the co-founder and creative director of the fabulous home and lifestyle magazine Anthology . Meg Ilasco & Cat Seto - authors of Mom, Inc. book Cat and Meg share their wealth of knowledge and personal experiences in this inspiring and practical guide book about how to run a successful business from home called Mom, Inc. . It is full of informative advice on how to choose the right business for you, how to write a business plan and mission statement , find clients , and stay focused at home. Cover of Mom, Inc. boo...

I am really enjoying an alternative talk show on the Lifetime channel called The Conversation  featuring high profile  female celebrities who have interesting stories and experiences to share. Each week British host (and photographer) Amanda De Cadenet curls up on people’s couches and has a honest and open conversation about “what women talk about” with inspiring and funny guests, it almost feels like you are listening in on a private chit-chat amongst friends. As Amanda puts it; “it’s basically the universal language of women.” You can catch the first three episodes through The Conversation Website , and be sure to watch the first show when Amanda sat down with Jane Fonda, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoe Saldana and Sarah Silverman to discuss topics like relationships, grief, postpartum depression, sex, body issues and more.  Produced by De Cadenet and Demi Moore (who is working behind the camera more than in front these days). The Conversation has a list of impressive guests...

Most of us have strong childhood memories of carefree days riding our bikes with our friends. We also remember our first childhood crush and how that made us feel. The butterflies when we dated in our twenties, leading up to the big day when we said “I do”. Children come into the picture, and as they grow and become more confident we teach them how to ride a bike. It all comes full circle. This is a classic story of boy meet girl, told beautifully by leading bike company Schwinn   in their new advert “Bike Life” that you can catch here on The Marin Scoop (sidebar). Schwinn  has a great selection of children’s bikes and trikes on their website for kids 3 – 12 years old in classic styles and colors. You can also shop for helmets, gloves, knees and elbow pads to make the learning process easier and safer. There is lots of useful information on the Schwinn Website  including how important it is to select the right size and fit, and the adjustments you can make to ensur...

This Mother’s Day weekend take a trip over to Oakland to experience lots of fun activities happening in Jack London Square . For the active family members; there is the Family Cycling Festival at the Sunday Farmer's Market    featuring a Family Cycling Workshop with East Bay Bike Coalition , a 5-mile bike ride with Geared4Kids  , a kid-friendly bike decorating station and fix-it-yourself demos by Spokeland Bike Co-Op. Jack London Square waterfront  Take to the water by booking a private small-boat expedition on the Bay with the Square’s newest permanent resident; Bay Voyager , or take a sailing lesson with J World Performance Sailing . Families can also partake in a canoe or kayak tour of Oakland estuary with rentals provided by  California Canoe & Kayak There are plenty of great places to stop and enjoy brunch along the waterfront such as the Peruvian restaurant Bocanova , Il Pescatore Ristorante , Miss Pearl's Restaurant & Lounge    and...

My daughter celebrated her first birthday yesterday, so we celebrated with a tea party . She is a little ray of sunshine that has brought so much joy into our lives so the theme was the song; “You are my Sunshine”. Sunshine theme birthday party I turned to Pinterest  to get my inspiration and ordered most of the party supplies from independent craft designers on Etsy . I also credit Tori Spelling’s new party planning book "CelebraTORI"   for some of the styling ideas. Sunshine Birthday Dessert Table The delicious birthday cupcakes with little sunshines and white clouds by "Who Doesn't Love a Cupcake"  was the focal point of the dessert table, next to the “You are my Sunshine” print was by Beau Chic Prints on Etsy which is placed in a simple white frame from  Target Beau Chic Prints on Etsy I hung lemon yellow and baby pink polka dot flag banner bunting from Jilly Bean Kids   across the top of the window and a large mirror above the mantelpiece.   I filled...

Not only is Target  a great place for finding everything you need all under one roof from fertilizer to flip flops, but it is an exciting company that collaborates with so many great brands. From Liberty London which was Target’s first designer collection spanning multiple departments, to the frenzy that was Missoni for Target. The shops at Target Their new partnership program is one of their most interesting to date. It is a new concept of selecting five small niche shops and offering their unique products within the Target  stores around the country and online. From the home emporium Privet House  located in Connecticut to my favorite The Candy Store  based right here in San Francisco ! The Candy Store at The Shops for Target The Candy Store   is located on Vallejo Street at Polk, just a few minutes walk from where I used to live and work so it was a regular place for me to stock up on my favorite British chocolate bars! The store is stocked with lolli...

I was kindly invited along to the  Modern Cookie Company  in Larkspur the other week to watch the creative team at A Little Savvy Events   set up a first birthday party for jewelry designer Ashley Morgan's  daughter. Ashley Morgan & her daughter I first wrote about Modern Cookie Company when it opened in December ( read article )   and it is fast becoming a social hub in the local community and a popular place to hold children’s parties. Modern Cookie Company Each party can have a made-to-order concept and this particular party’s theme was based the birthday girl’s favorite things; “puppies & polka dots”. I was rather interested in coming along to take a look, as I am also planning my daughter’s first birthday party, so I wanted to pick up a few tips! A Little Savvy Events party at Modern Cookie Co A Little Savvy Events  is a new division of A Savvy Event   which specializes in weddings and bespoke events based in the beautiful Cornerstone ...