It's a boy!

I woke this morning to the fantastic news that my gorgeous friend Sharon, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last night! It's not been confirmed yet but he's looking like a Jake, he's nice and healthy and I can't wait to meet him! No doubt I will spend the next couple of weeks looking at anything and everything baby-related, but I loved this giclee print by New Zealand based printmaker and illustrator, Bernadette Sipkes. You can see more of her of her lovely prints here. 

Have a lovely weekend folks!

I'm a little teapot...

Seeing as I'm on the subject of turquoise, I thought I'd share with you my lamp base which I found in a junk shop before Christmas (hence the gold baubles in the front of the shot). My mum think it's a bit naff, but I love it and think with a little re-wiring and a nice new shade it will look even better! What do you think? 

Oh, I also picked up the little pink teapot too....oooh I was a happy one that day!!!

Ode to Aqua

Whilst clearing out some files on my laptop today, I came across this moodboard which I created around this time last year and it reminded me just how much I love aqua tones. Turquoise is not a colour which we have much of around our home, but seeing as Pantone have named Turquoise 15-5519 their colour of the year, I thought I would seek out the glimpses we have here and there.

All images: My own

Anyone for Cheap Chic?!

....Yes please!

Emily Chalmers, author, stylist and owner of the truly wonderful shop, Caravan, in East London, has released her new book here in the U.K and if you head on over to Decor8 you can see a full review, alongside beautiful images from the renowned photographer, Debi Treloar. 

We bought the pineapple wall sconce after visiting Emily's shop during a weekend in Shoreditch and I just love it! I've decided it deserves more attention than it's getting in our bedroom, so it's currently awaiting it's new home in the living room....if it ever gets painted that is!

Images: (top right) Decor8, all others my own.

We've been Re-Funked!

On the run up to Christmas, Steve and I were super busy putting the finishing touches to the new office and one thing we were definitely lacking were some nice meeting chairs to go downstairs in our meeting space.

So who should we turn to....Re Funk Your Junk of course!

These guys are a furniture recycling initiative with a difference who collect unwanted furniture and reintroduce it to the public in a creative new guise...the services they offer are endless! Their studio is an Aladdins cave of amazing pieces, both funked and un-funked, and for a chair fanatic like me, it was nearly too much to bear! In the end we came away with four side chairs, a coffee table and a nice big table for me which I intend to paint up and use as my desk....more about that later, but in the meantime stop what you're doing and head on over to Re Funk Your Junk for some serious furniture therapy!

Hmmm, I feel another purchase coming on!

All images Re Funk Your Junk

A little delayed (22 days to be precise!)

.....A new year, a new business, a (fairly) new and most definitely crazy dog and a new blog!! 

Welcome to An Hour From Eight!

2009 was full of change for me (and Steve), and after a year of reading so many fantastic blogs out there, I've taken the plunge and decided to join you all. I really hope you enjoy my daily ramblings and that you are as inspired by my posts as I am constantly by yours!

So here's to a wonderful year, lots of exciting times ahead and hopefully making lots of friends in the process. 

Love Alexis.x