What could be more shoestring than winning something for free!  Here at Blackbirds, we were lucky enough to be the recent winners of this Ekobo large salad serving dish and serving spoons from @wintersmoon [see www.wintersmoon.co.uk ] Given a choice of colours, the bright yellow looks most at home on the sideboard in our sunny dining room, and the stone coloured servers offer a nice contrast.  As it happens, we have also bought a number of things from @wintersmoon which will feature either in our upcoming book, Mid-Century Modern on a Shoestring, and/or on our Instagram posts. They're a lovely small business, run by Julia ( no sponsoring going on here, just for the record!) selling a charming range of handmade, vintage and contemporary items with an emphasis on eclectic and ethical . They are based in Chichester, and whilst they have an online shop, you can also pop in to see them if you are local as they have an 'open studio' a couple of times a week.  Last but not least, most of their stuff is highly compatible with a mid-century modern interior, as this photo hopefully demonstrates.

Where did June go? I somehow missed a June post. it was a busy month, but at least we managed to make progress on our mid-century modern makeover of 'Blackbirds' and finally completed the main room in the house, the upstairs lounge. The photo above is a pre-makeover throwback, so the walls are now sporting a fabulous 'Portland Stone' from the Little Greene paint company, but the Habitat  'Spectrum' clock (its design based on  cuisinaire rods) still features prominently, as do the series of framed railway luggage labels! You'll have to look out for @blackbirdsandme instagram posts to steal some sneak peeks:  it will be presented in all its glory in 'Mid-Century Modern on a Shoestring', the book I'm working on.  More details coming soon.