Not Going Out

This is the perfect kit for all of you out there who duck out of those after work drinks. Rebel an stay in.

People Tree Robe £35.00

Cashmere Socks £27.00

People Tree Pj`s £55.00

Christmas Shopping Event at The Cove, Dartmouth Wednesday 7th December 2011

Come down to The Cove on Wednesday 7th December for an after hours Christmas shopping extravaganza. Both myself and jewellery designer Helen Butler will be in residence for the course of the evening .  Not only will we be dishing out free rocket fuel and mini cakes but a fleet of glamorous beauty gurus will be on hand to offer advice and mini treatments. I will be offering one off discounts on selected items plus some new stock to cast your greedy gaze over. We will be throwing open the doors from 5.00pm.

The Cove, 4-5 Hauley Road, Dartmouth, TQ6 9AA - 01803 833 623

Candlelit Dartmouth 2nd & 3rd December 2011

Can you believe that its nearly December already..in Dartmouth the start of December can only mean one thing, window wars and Candleit Dartmouth. This will be the last candlelit Dartmouth so come on down for late night shopping, Santa arriving by boat, the magical lantern procession ( which has now moved to Saturday, please take note) and most importantly free food and drink.

Christmas Gift Guide

Just a few of my edited suggestions of how to impress your loved ones with a well chosen gift from Starburst Boutique.

Russian Doll Scarf £69.00

Miller Harris Candle £35.00

Long Wool Socks £18.00 /Fair isle Cashmere £27.00

Alexa Earrings £35.00

Lucky Wishbone Necklace £50.00

Miller Harris

I don't think I have been so excited by a delivery for a very long time. This week it was with utter abandoned self indulgent joy that I ripped open a couple of boxes of beautiful Miller Harris fragrances and candles.  Creator Lyn Harris is the real deal having trained in Grasse in the South of France. She creates this utter beautifulness at her HQ in Notting Hill and for a mere £8k will create your very own bespoke fragrance. I fists saw Miller Harris in Space NK in the early 2000`s and it was with a stroke of luck that my then flatmate Kitten got her first work placement job doing there PR with the swanky agency they used up west! Ha! Ha! what a vision she was when she appeared at the door clutching a load of Miller Harris goodies which we where to "test" in the name of research. So there we where freezing cold, sometimes in darkness with the leckie metre fast running out but happy in the knowledge that we where the freshest smelling students in the east end of London.

Miller Harris In Store

Those looking for a decent gift will be pleased to know that prices start at £10.00 for the mini candle which make jolly good stocking fillers if I do say so myself.

Jane Birkins L`Air de Rein

Citron Mini Candle

Thats Entertainment - Drinks Table

Rita Konig`s Drinks Table

As its getting near Christmas and for the first time ever I'm doing a very grown up thing and cooking the family Christmas dinner I thought it was a good time to re-ignite my interest in creating a drinks table. Rita Konig who I'm so into I'm almost her stalker reignited my interest when I saw pictures of hers in her NY Times column. Growing up my mum had one on a beautiful marble top sewing table she got in France.  It was momentarily dismantled when she lost her confidence  after a daft neighbour declared it "Ostentatious" ( stupid old bat) but it was soon re-instated bigger and even better before with antique decanters and glasses. It feels very grown up to have a drinks tray, terribly cocktails at six darling and sweeping bias cut gowns so I'm working on mine right now.

An image from Domino magazine

The good thing about it is you can put so much more on it than booze.  My grandfather left me an ancient bottle of Drambuie with a hand written label ( inscribed by his fair hand)which is as touching as it is beautiful. This will take pride of place alongside an antique decanter and some new updates which include two beautiful cocktail glasses from Distinctly Living a bargain at £20.00, an Anthropologie cocktail napkin and speckled tumblers and also an ice bucket. Like Rita I'm going to keep the mixers, mini pretzels and olives separately in a mesh basket kindly donated to me by the people at Commerce.



For quite some time I have also had my eye on the engraved tumblers from Ben Pentreath`s utterly beautiful shop.  Can this man do no wrong.  You will all be bored to tears with pictures of my new drinks table once it is completed.

Telegraph Shop Awards

Its that time of year again. The Telegraph are holding there annual Small Shop Awards so you too can big up that tiny independent retailer that makes your world a happier place. Please vote for Starburst! all you have to do is log online and submit your entry form at the Telegraph . Thank you to those lovely people that made the effort last year to vote for us. You will now go to heaven.

New In..Scarves

Freshly delivered yesterday. Lots of lovely scarves!  Just look at these beauties.  One for your Christmas list...

MIH Jeans..New In

Come on down to Starburst to check out the latest drop from super cool British Jeans brand Made in Heaven. New for A/W 11 is the London Jean in fine black cord..you too can prowl around with all the grace of a panther..

Date fo The Diary..Christmas Shopping Event

Starburst Boutique is joining forces with The Cove to host a Christmas Shopping Event between 5.00pm and 7.30pm on Wednesday 7th December 2011..stay tuned for more details

Orla Kiely for People Tree

Queen of Retro print Orla Kiely has produced a rather quirky capsule collection for People Tree, check out the Teapot print dress and striped hand knit cardigan...in-store now

Staverton Bridge Nursery

About a month ago a rather cool flyer was placed carefully though my door alerting me to a rather stylish new Nursery just outside of Totnes. Even though it was only a few weeks old Staverton Bridge Nursery already had a rusitcly glamorous cafe and randomly placed still life's dotted about creating an personal and unique atmosphere.  If you hate the mega chain garden centres filled with naff greeting cards and faux rustic bird baths you will love this place for its gentle simplicity.

Birdy Love - Angela Harding

More Birdy Love courtesy of Angela Harding at Ainscough Gallery. Somehow this lovely pic found its way home to my house

Saveurs

Before making the heroic journey to update this very blog I thought I better re-fuel with a jumbo French coffee from the delightful Saveurs in Dartmouth. On entering the building I found mad cap owner Julian standing under a giant tarantula.   Well worth a visit if you love real French Bread and Cakes.

Starburst is on Facebook!

I have succumbed to the evil charms of Facebook. Starburst Boutique now has a page which I don't really understand and I should update more often. Please log on and like my page so I don't feel a complete billy no mates.

Electronic Sheep - an Explosion of Colour and Print

This should brighten up winter mornings! Just landed are the very wearable and rather stylish wool scarfs from the Irish design duo known as Electronic Sheep.  For A/W 11 the pair where inspired by an idle life spent in splendour - sounds good to me.

My Friends Brogues

I got sent this picture today. I just loved the combo of old shoes, new striped laces and oriental carpet. Chic!

The Italian Job

One of the consolations of watching your friends climb up the fashion career ladder and earn six figure sums while you scrap around being self employed is the fact that unlike them you are not tied to 10 days holiday a year..or holiday forms. With this in mind I allowed myself to be whisked off to a dot in the med otherwise known as Isola Di S.Pietro. A lovely time was had by all, please enjoy these pics especially if you are in rainy old England

Hotel Hieracon

Mr Sandman bring me a dream

Beachbar Girin featuring King Limbo

Special thanks to Limbo at Beachbar Girin for feeding me his salad lunches, much needed drinks on the rocks and ice creams and also for providing general entertainment. A shout out must also go to the elegant Hotel Hieracon for looking after us so well .Hotel Hieracon is a lovely old building filled with antique chandeliers and pretty Chinese cabinets and has a rather grand  French Colonial air about it. Check it out on my link.