High tea

 Here are some close-ups of my afternoon tea designs, designed for Makower U.K. They include cupcakes, macaroons and chocolate cake in a pleasing pastel colour palette.

Pretty pink and white matching teapot and teacup with a tiny rose print.

Pink flowers mix with pink iced mini cupcakes and Earl Grey tea.

Something sweet to have with your tea.

A mini choice of sweet treats on a double layered cake stand.

A scrumptious slice of chocolate cake, topped with a strawberry.

Sponge cake topped in pink icing and a red cherry.

A mix of cakes, macaroons and foliage on a three tiered cake stand.

Mini Bakewell tarts and bright yellow floral crockery.

Floral teapot and teacup with matching napkin and napkin ring.

A bowl of fresh strawberries with a big slice of sponge cake.

Time for tea

I recently designed this collection for Makower UK called Afternoon Tea. It was so much fun to design and I started out by drawing little sketches of the things I loved that relate to afternoon tea. Pretty flowers and sweet cakes are mixed with floral teacups and teapots. 

The main print in this group includes teapots, teacups and cakes in a soft, sweet colour palette.

A pretty floral is the perfect addition to this collection. It also comes in a blue background and a cream background and makes a great co-ordinate to the main print.

The sweetest cherry print!

Cupakes in a sugary colour palette, covered in sweet icing and sprinkles.

Strawberries on a pretty pink background.

Anyone for tea?!

I fancied a spot of tea this afternoon and decided to brew up the 'tea' I bought in Istanbul. It's actually just pure jasmine buds that have been dried and are sold by the kilo at the spice market.

Jasmine tea is known to have many health benefits including having a calmative effect that soothes the nerves.

I was taken in by their aroma and appearance in the Spice market, but only bought a handful to try out once I was home. 

 I was told by the market vendor I bought them from that I had to soak one bud in a litre of hot water, so that's what I did!

It takes a while for the bud to open, but once it hits the water, the pink colour intensifies.

The tea has a beautifully subtle floral aroma and is the perfect beverage for an afternoon break from work. Now I just need some sweet, juicy baklava to accompany it.....

I love London!

It's always good to have someone to come and stay to remind you of how great your city can be. Last week Tatsuya, a very good friend from Japan came to stay and we had a fab time gallivanting around the city with him. He is an art lover and a foodie, a great combination in a city that has so much of that to offer. Every day was filled with gallery visits and restaurant samplings and we were more than happy to tag along and enjoy it all with him.

I'm embarrassed to say that it's been a long time since I've visited the National Gallery, but going with Tatsuya made it a lot of fun.  I homed in on the fashions from the Renaissance period where there were many beautiful embroideries and vibrant colours. Check out those bright pink tights and cut-out sandals! These were all outfits worn by men.

Food was an important part of Tatsuya's visit and we had a fab brunch at the Shard one morning. The views of London were stunning and it was great to see so much of the city from above. This was followed by a trip to Borough Market, an amazingly vibrant place with so much to see and eat! We managed to sample quite a lot, considering we had just come from brunch at the Shard!

 Afternoon tea in London is a must and we decided on the Wolsely which is reasonably priced and has a great atmosphere. We only managed to get through half of the selection before getting a sugar low and having to stop. We even got to see someone famous - the beautiful actress, Natasha McElhone.

If you're an art lover, no trip to London is complete without a visit to the Tate Modern, an awesome structure on the south bank of the River Thames. It is housed in an old power station that stands proudly in place. Views from the balconies include St Paul's Cathedral across the river.

We had just enough time to whiz around the permanent collection, which always amazes me.

 A quick trot through Chinatown and we saw this pile of bright red lanterns on the footpath.

Tatsuya even had time to pick up a Chinese snack on his way through.

A trip to the Design Museum was interesting. We got to see an exhibition on the architect Louis Kahn.

This was painted on the wall outside the museum.