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Passing through the visual merchandising department at Laura Ashley is a feast for the eyes- a creative hub of wonderful styling props; oversized bell jars, vintage books, mountains of paint and stacks of inspirational design and interiors magazine. Here is where to get a sneak insight in to our future window displays (we have a mock display area where the team style up what the windows should look like for our visual merchandisers to use as reference out in the field). When she isn’t out instore installing the latest looks you’ll find Kristen our Visual Merchandising Assistant using her visual talents here at head office.

Fascinated to gain a fly-on-the-wall peak of Kristen’s week – she kindly took some instagram snaps to share with our readers. Take a look at what she got up to…

It was our Graphic Design Manager’s birthday so I made a white chocolate cheesecake and we got some of her favourite retro sweeties to celebrate! The cheesecake recipe is from the Hamlyn Colour Cookbook (200 chocolate recipes) and is one of my absolute favourites.

One of my friends did a candle-making course and gave me this lovely little handmade tea-cup candle which lives on my mantelpiece in my bedroom.

Today we installed our new flagship window scheme at Westfield, featuring Shades of Blue Home collection in the home window and our Flower Market collection for fashion.

This is a new wall display in the fashion department in our Westfield store, it changes by collection every two weeks, today it is showcasing a few items from the Flower Market collection.

Today we were mocking up the new Home window display for stores using the new Darling Buds product, which is a Picnic themed window. It’s still a work-in-progress at this point.

In the visual department we have a photography board where I pin-up photos of all the Laura Ashley windows around the country. I’ve been updating the board today with all the pictures I’ve received from our visual merchandisers of our current windows and the stores are looking beautiful!

We are currently busy selecting fashion product for the next set of windows…

Over the weekend I went to a lovely lifestyle cafe in Balham (South London), Lavish Habit with a friend for brunch. I love this place, love their display of food and cakes, love their lighting display over the till and I even bought one of their shopper bags.

Been anywhere exciting in the last week? Tell us below or tweet us @LauraAshley__

The Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics is almost upon us and events celebrating all things wonderfully British is reaching fever pitch. A very proud British brand ourselves, and with over 50% of our product made here in the UK, we will also be waving our patriotic flag this summer with absolute gusto! Recognising Laura Ashley as one of the great British heritage brands, The Victoria & Albert Museum have curated an absolute corker of an exhibition dedicated to British Design from 1948-2012, featuring a ladies Laura Ashley Victoriana-style printed cotton dress (1972) and a child’s frock and blouse (1983). Sitting alongside is a sample of wallpaper from our 1989 Decorator Collection, marking our shift into home furnishings during the 80’s (the first full Laura Ashley catalogue appeared in 1981).

Having already had the privilege of getting down to the exhibition, it seems us Brits have a lot to be proud of when it comes to innovative design. The exhibition tells the story of British fashion, furniture, fine art, graphic design, pottery, ceramics, architecture and industrial products over the past 60 years. Boasting more than 350 objects this fascinating walk down Brit lane, charts everything from the Queen’s Coronation, David Mellor’s traffic light and Kenneth Grange’s Brownie Vecta camera to the pioneering art of Brit School talents (Damien Hirst/ Richard Slee) and modern technology of James Dyson, Jonathan Ive’s iMAC for Apple, not to mention the engineering of the Concorde! Deep breath.

Traffic Light by David Mellor (1930-2009). As Britain’s road network expanded in the 1960’s, he was commissioned to redesign the national traffic light system. 

‘Brownie Vecta’ camera, Kenneth Grange 1964

‘G-Force’ vacuum cleaner, James Dyson, 1986

Concorde by British Airways

Printed poster for the opening of The National Theatre in 1976. By Tom Philips (b.1938).

Chair Thing self assembly chair. By Peter Murdoch (b.1940)

Our favourite part of the exhibition (during the era of a young Laura Ashley) was centred around 1960’s ‘Swinging London’ with pieces from the likes of Mary Quant aswell as original photography by David Bailey and Terry O’Neil of the iconic Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy. Fashion lovers can also expect some radical fashion including Hussein Chalayan’s Tulle Dress and an Alexander McQueen dress from his Horn of Plenty collection (2009).

Mary Quant Peachy Sleeveless Dress (1960), Mary Quant Mini Dress (1966), Mary Quant Ankle Boots (1967)

Hussein Chalayan’s Tulle Dress

Alexander McQueen dress from his Horn of Plenty collection (2009)

Ending on a suitably sporty high, we got a good glimpse at a newly commissioned model of Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatics Centre, making us even more enviable that we haven’t been able to secure an Olympic 2012 ticket. What a design!

Tickets to the exhibition are £12. For more information or to book advance tickets visit the V&A website here 

For all those caffeine fiends out there, we hope you are celebrating UK Coffee Week (23-29 April) with some fine fresh roasted cups of coffee. We’ve been doing just that, having just returned from a day at The London Coffee Festival at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. Not too surprisingly we are feeling rather sprightly after sampling a fair share of the latest coffee state of the art! Trust us when we say there is A LOT of different types of coffee including ones mixed with ice cream and honey-comb (our new favourite).

If you fancy taking shield from the rainy weather and are London bound this weekend it is well worth popping down. Head to the coffee Lab to perfect your coffee making skills, enjoy a chocolate or tea tasting workshop or even air your stance on the ethical trade debate.

We’re now feeling well informed on our coffee trivia. Did you know that coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth? And that 70% of the world consumes Arabica coffee which is mild and aromatic, the remaining 30% drink Robusta which is more bitter tasting and has 50% more caffeine? Nor did we.

For us coffee isn’t fully complete without something sweet. You can only imagine our delight when we came across stalls hosted by our friends Hummingbird Bakery and Rococo Chocolates appeasing our sweet side. Not to mention newly discovered gluten free macaroons from On Café in Clapham- we couldn’t resist their mini macaroon selection- the perfect petit four!

We couldn’t possibly talk about coffee, tea and delights without mentioning our latest tea and biscuit range. The Raspberry and Clotted Cream Biscuits have become the press team’s new daily indulgence, teamed with some Jasmine tea to reveal our more healthy side!

Last week our Head of Creative and PR stumbled across a rather curious coffee house, just a stone’s throw away from our up and coming AW12 Press Day venue. Tucked discreetly away on a small back street in London’s West End is the wonderfully unconventional Society Club, run by creative trio Babette, Carrie and Tom, each individually bringing their touch of creative virtuosity to this book shop- come exhibition space- come coffee and cake house.

Sitting in The Society Club is much like enjoying a refuel in a friend’s rather swish sitting room. A long black table runs down the middle of the room, encouraging you to mingle with the other guests or have an insightful natter with the friendly owners. Novelist Tom and former publisher Carrie are only too happy to talk you through their impressive assortment of books, ranging from first edition classics to cult pulp fiction novels, with a sprinkling of modern day favourites. If you are after a new read these two are your absolute go-to for recommendations. We were extra delighted to hear that in addition to their film nights, poetry evenings are also coming into regular fruition over the next couple of months!

We couldn’t possibly sing the praises of our new coffee haunt without mentioning the star canine attractions Fred the red –setter, Modesty the bull dog, Monty the Chihuahua and our favourite silky soft Molly (who sadly lost her eye and can no longer hear).

Attracting a hub of artisans, writers and creatives (Ian Bruce – the lead singer of The Correspondents swung by to say hello whilst we took shop) The Society Club is just the place to rub shoulders with some local West End talent, talk literature, pick up some kitsch collectables, devour some delectable cake (the tasty caramel infused number on offer when we visited was made by Cake Me Baby) and have a cuddle from the resident furry friends…

p.s. Don’t leave without picking up a jar of Babette’s legendary homemade marmalade…

Browse The Society Club blog here 

The clocks have sprung forward, Easter is upon us, so come out of hibernation and get those green fingers going!  Now is the time to get your secateurs sharpened, your gloves on, and start work on your patch, whether you have a country estate, a small urban courtyard or a sunny balcony.  Don’t panic, you’re not on your own; p.s.gardens, based in London, with 30 years combined experience, will offer timely tips and seasonal advice in this, the first of our guest blogs.

Paul Southern, owner and founder of p.s.gardens, James Stimpson and Deborah Rookes can help with your design, landscaping and planting needs.

In this year of pageantry, commemoration and sporting excellence, even if you have just a few pots on the patio, let’s ‘Dig for Victory’ and get growing our very own fruit and veg.  Why not replace some of your seasonal bedding with juicy red tomatoes, frilly green lettuce or rainbow-stemmed chard.  Consider a new planting area by adding a raised bed; constructing this is a reasonably straightforward task – a beautiful and bountiful potager can be created in just a small space with just a few hours of your time.

As with all successful projects, good planning and preparation are essential.  First, select an area of ground or position on the patio where there is plenty of sun and some shelter.  Here, we have created an attractive feature in our client’s back garden – a series of raised beds for vegetable growing and sectioned off decking (creating an added table and seating area)…

Laura Ashley products: Cardboard Bunting, Water Hyacinth Basket, Wooden Needlework Storage Box, Britannia Union Jack Cushion, Dylan Duck Egg Check Cotton Throw. Laura Ashley wellingtons, gardening tool bag and gloves available from Tenax

The beds here have been created with new railway sleepers, but you could also use decking offcuts, edging tiles and many garden centres are now stocking attractive self-assembly kits.

Set of 3 Metal Herb Pots On Tray

Once assembled, the beds can be filled with a mix of multi-compost or well rotted manure and top soil, to produce a balanced planting medium.  The addition of fish, blood and bone, gently forked in, will give suitable nutrients for strong, healthy plants.

Wooden Needlework Storage Box  full of seed packets

Remember to sow or plant a few of each of your table favourites at a time, to avoid a glut.  Follow the instructions on the seed packets regarding spacing and depth, with taller plants at the centre or the back so they don’t cast shade on the lower plants.  Label your rows, otherwise confusion could arise! Ensure any germinating seedlings are kept moist, and remove any weeds and pests (click here to go to the p.s.gardens website for further tips).

Chitted seedling potatoes, ready for planting.

A wigwam of canes at the centre of your bed for growing runner beans (together with fragrant sweet peas to attract pollinating insects), or the architectural form of a globe artichoke, gives great visual impact.  Rocket, radish and salad leaves can be sown now – they are quick and easy to grow.  When the soil has warmed up and the frosts are finished, plant out courgettes, runner beans, French beans.

Here, we have broad beans.  This variety, Aquadulce Claudia, has been overwintered, and can be harvested early in May or June.  Some are dwarfing varieties, and require little or no support.

Companion plants enhance the attractiveness of your veg plot; flowers such as Poached Egg plant attract aphid eating hoverflies, and the onion smell of chives deters carrot root fly. Nasturtiums are attractive and edible, brightening up a salad.

Lastly, the fun bit- decorating your garden with playful outdoor accessories, table wear and a slice of Easter inspired cake!

Floral Printed Glass Jug, Floral Printed Glass Tumbler (Set of 4)

We love these Laura Ashley Canvas Country Wellingtons available from Tenax 

In our next blog: Top tips for your Jubilee and Olympic celebrations in the garden!

Visit p.s.gardens here for more garden ideas and inspiration.

Don’t let your garden be an after thought!

Edinburgh is home to one of our oldest and most impressive flagship stores, housed within the grandeur of a beautiful Grade I listed building on George Street (named in honor of King George III). Also home to an inspirational Laura Ashley design service studio, we have a regular excuse to head north and discover the magic of Scotland’s historical gem. First stop was coffee and catch up with our Scottish Area Manager Sharon Brown (Laura Ashley devotee of almost 10 years) for a quick Q+A…

The Laura Ashley store in Edinburgh

What time of year is best to visit Edinburgh?

The most famous event in the city is the world’s largest festival Fringe in August. The city’s Royal Mile is bursting with crowds of tourists, comedian acts and live street-artists. It is a very vibrant time to visit but not a time to come when you want to avoid lots of people!

The days are longest and the weather is best in June, but you can always expect a little shower in Scotland. My personal favourite is the month of December with the Christmas market on Princess Street and Princess Street Gardens. A wee mulled wine and merry-go-round with a stunning view of the Castle. Christmas is the best time to come for me!

Your favourite place in Edinburgh for a spot of lunch?

The Dome is my favourite restaurant, again, especially at Christmas. It is exquisitely decorated and has a wonderful festive feel, this is the place to put you in the festive mood.

We tried the glazed goats cheese topped with red + yellow pepper confit- delicious

Most beautiful spot in Edinburgh?

My favourite place and most beautiful spot is the Castle. It always lifts my spirits when I look up at it from Princes Street. It has such presence and grandeur and the view over the city from the castle’s walls is amazing. No matter how many times you visit the Castle, you will always see something you missed on previous visits. We are really lucky in Edinburgh to also have the beautiful Princes Street Gardens which in the summer and during the festival really comes into it’s own.

The sun setting over the castle- spectacular.

The daffodils in Princes Street Gardens

Where in Edinburgh would you recommend for a spot of culture?

You have to walk down the Royal Mile. It is one long mile of excitement, from one end to the other. Starting at one end you have the delightful Castle, Whiskey Heritage Centre, Museum of Childhood, working down to the Scottish parliament and Holyrood Palace, with lots more in between. The Scottish National Museum is not far from the Royal Mile and you can find National Galleries with world famous art on the Mound. That is a stretch of road between the Royal Mile and Princes Street. It is all in walking distance.

Tell us about the Edinburgh design studio? What is the most interesting project the Design Service has worked on?

The most interesting project has to be the Mansion House Hotel in Elgin, as Ross, our designer, was allowed to let his creative juices flow. This run-down hotel was transformed into an “opulent setting with swags and tails on four poster beds and window treatments adorned with luscious beaded trims” as you can read on their website. The best projects are definitely the ones where there are no barriers put up by the client and anything is possible. You only have to look on trip advisor to see what a difference Laura Ashley has made to this hotel as hotel guests describe the rooms as “breathtaking and out of this world”.

The Design Service Studio in Edinburgh- pop in for a cuppa and chat about your interior dilemmas.

Which interior styles are most popular with our Edinburgh clientele?

Definitely styles with a check or tartan print for upholstery and cushions. We do love our heritage and our clients up here seem to go for the more traditional patterns such as Gosford and Fitzroy. Amethyst is proving really popular as a colour way for lounges whereas duck egg blues still remain a strong favourite for bedroom colours. Our clients love the way Laura Ashley mix and match textures in our furniture with upholstery fabric. They love dark cabinet pieces like the Garrat or the distinctly Scottish Balmoral ranges.

Gosford print bedlinen and fabric. Keynes Check Linen Upholstery Fabric in cranberry

Thank you Sharon x

Whether it is meandering down the royal mile, raiding the artisan boutiques or admiring the spring blooms of the Princes Street Gardens, we couldn’t leave this blog post without mentioning cupcake and tea room Cuckoo’s Bakery. A stone’s throw from the Royal Botanical Gardens, this girly stop-off sells a scrummy menu of freshly hand made cup cakes (we urge you to try the sea salted caramel or raspberry and white chocolate flavour). A big thank you to local Edinburgh fashion blogger Wayward Daughter for recommending this delectable little haunt- we hope to be back again very soon!

Do you live in Edinburgh? Have you visited lately? We’d love to hear all about your favourite places! Post below here or tweet us @LauraAshley__

Laura Ashley has been supporting the amazing work of children’s charity Brainwave for the last two years. Since meeting the wonderful folk at Brainwave and seeing the inspirational work that they do at a charity event attended by the Countess of Wessex last year we felt impelled to dig deeper. We caught up with their Lead Educational Therapist Rebecca on the rewards of having a career with a cause…

Tell us about Brainwave…

Since 1982, Brainwave has worked with families to deliver individual home-based therapy and exercise programmes that help children with disabilities and developmental delay to achieve their potential.

That potential could be anything from a child walking or feeding themselves, to a child counting and forming sentences.  Our attitude is ‘let’s see what can be done’, rather than what cannot.  We employ a range of therapists including occupational therapists, physiotherapists and educationalists, enabling us to take a holistic approach.

We see a child for the first time over two days when we carry out an initial assessment. The parents are present for the whole time and the exercises are taught to them on day two. They then carry out their programme at home on a daily basis.  When they return in 6 months time we are able to review their child’s progress and adapt their exercise sequence accordingly.

We now have three main centres around the country and run satellite clinics in Scotland and Ireland. We are an independent charity that receives no government funding, relying on donations to deliver our work. We currently have over 500 children on the programme across all of the centres.

Tell us about your role at Brainwave?

I am the Lead Educational Therapist at Brainwave and specialise in delivering cognitive therapy to the children we see at Brainwave.  I assess their level of understanding as well as their abilities to maintain concentration.  I have a wide range of resources available to me and make suggestions for simple devices that parents can make at home, such as flash cards which may assist their children in recognising colours, shapes or numbers.  I check fundamental skills such as listening, memory, sorting and matching.  With older children, I can assist them in literacy and numeracy as they may well have early gaps in their knowledge which has made further learning challenging.  By breaking each subject down and ascertaining where the sticking points are, I can often help to make reading and numbers more accessible for them.

Rebecca working with flash cards

Children often have cognitive needs alongside physical ones so I will frequently work alongside a physiotherapist to create a holistic programme, so that parents can target all areas within one programme. Each programme is tailored to the individual so much of what we design is according to the age, interests and co-operation of each child! Above all, it is crucial that the activities are meaningful, achievable and fun for the children doing them and for the parents as well.

Rebecca assisting a physiotherapist

Behaviour and communication can be big areas of concern for the parents we see, so I offer help and advice to help combat some of the issues associated with these difficulties.  I observe different behaviours and listen to parents describe the triggers; I can then suggest some strategies which may be useful in either dealing with the behaviours or aid in preventing them in the first place. Photographs, objects and signing can be very powerful communication tools for children with limited verbal skills and I guide parents on this, as appropriate.

Tell us about a typical day at Brainwave…

We start work at 9am each morning and every Monday we have a team meeting first thing.  This enables us to discuss any concerns, upcoming children with particular needs or perhaps equipment issues. We are all given the opportunity to contribute to the meeting.

At 9.30am the families arrive and the therapist assigned to each family will greet them and conduct an informal discussion; if the child has been to us before, we will see how everything has been going and what the family’s current goals are.  If the child is new to us, we will welcome the family and take a detailed history of the child’s birth and post birth information.

At about 10.30am the families are given a coffee break when they have the opportunity to mix with other families in the family area.  Whilst this is taking place, the therapist who has just been speaking with the family hands over to the other therapist working with that family.

At 11am, the therapists (2 per child) collect the family and take them into a therapy room.  We have 4 therapy rooms in our South West Centre, enabling us to see up to 4 children per day. Once the child has had a chance to become familiar with the new room, the therapists get to work assessing the child in terms of their physical, cognitive and sensory needs. If it is a reassessment, the therapists will look at the programme given to them last time and assess the level of progress. If it is the child’s first assessment, we are obviously starting from scratch and provide lots of explanations for the child’s parents, as we work.

A little boy being brushed to enhance his body awareness

At 1pm, the children and their parents have lunch whilst the therapists design their programme (usually with a computer keyboard in one hand and a rushed sandwich in the other!)

At 2pm, the family return from their break and the new exercises are explained to them. This includes the rationale behind each activity.  We also discuss progress and developmental attainment. If it is a reassessment, the exercises will then be taught immediately and captured on DVD.  If the family have never been before they will be staying overnight and the programme will be taught the next day.

At 3pm, it is time for hydrotherapy which most of the children love! Again only one child at a time tends to use the pool, accompanied by two therapists and their parents. There is, of course, always a trained person on the side of the pool in case of an emergency. Our pool in the South West is heated to 36 degrees and is such a fantastic facility. It really helps the children relax and sometimes they can achieve more in here than they can when ‘on land’.

By 4pm, the children are usually out of the pool and dressed. Just time to give out any new equipment and to make a new appointment for them to come back for more! The therapists then have a short while to make some notes ready for the child’s report before going home around 5pm.

Tell us about the most touching/rewarding Brainwave story that you have improved?

It is quite tricky to pick one thing as there have been so many over the years and every day is so different. However, one thing that sticks in my mind is working with a child called Ben who has great difficulties in concentrating.  I was doing an assessment with him whilst he was sitting at a table and his parents were watching closely.  We did activities such as matching, listening to instructions and hand function tasks.  None of the activities I tried worked and Ben appeared not to understand what was being asked of him; consequently he was not able to achieve any of it, which was quite frustrating for all of us. Sometimes combining movement with focused work can make a difference and help children to pay attention. With that in mind, I changed rooms and asked Ben to lie on his tummy over a large peanut ball.  I rocked him backwards and forward quickly providing some vigorous movement. I then tried exactly the same tasks as Ben had been presented with at the table. Ben was lying right over the ball with his head facing downwards and his hands on the floor for support. This time, Ben was more interested and was able to pay attention. He was able to do everything that was asked of him and I would not have known that had I not thought to try these things over the ball.  His parents were present and so pleased and surprised with what Ben could achieve given the right opportunities. The key feedback was that the ball and the movement had given Ben’s body an increased sense of body awareness which had enabled him to concentrate more easily. It just goes to show how important the learning environment and physical positioning can be for optimal learning.

Ben on the ball with Rebecca’s colleague

How did you come to work for Brainwave and what drew you to work for them?

I trained as a teacher and have always known that I have wanted to work with children. However, I have to say that it was by accident that I got into working with children with special needs! After qualifying, I did some supply teaching for an agency and I remember them phoning me one day to see if I worked in special schools. Having only had experience in mainstream classrooms, I told them no, but I did say to call me if they were stuck. Well, they did ring me back as they could not find anyone else to fill in so I went along to the school not knowing what to expect. To be honest, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and it was absolute mayhem! Despite this, I really enjoyed it and actually ended up working in this school for 2 years. I worked in one of the autistic units as an assistant rather than a teacher as it was a brilliant way to become more experienced. Although it was never meant to be permanent, I loved the fact that it was different from the mainstream and in many ways it was more relaxed allowing you to go with the needs and current interests of the child rather than being governed by the tight restraints of the curriculum. I then started to look for a job that would enable me to use my teaching skills but would also let me be creative and work under my own initiative. I read the advert for Brainwave and it seemed perfect! I still remember walking through the door for my interview and noticing the welcoming atmosphere. Everyone was so friendly and it was completely about the child rather than facts and figures.

I have now worked for the Brainwave South West Centre for just over 8 years and it is still so rewarding and varied. Every day is different and you get to meet some fantastic children and such inspirational parents.

We understand that The Countess of Wessex is a patron of Brainwave. How has her work helped Brainwave?

The Countess of Wessex first became involved with Brainwave when she opened our hydrotherapy pool in June of 2002. This was part of a visit she was making to Somerset in line with her official duties but she did express great interest in the work of Brainwave.  She then agreed to become President of the Charity and took up the official position in February 2003. Since that time she has visited all three Brainwave Centres, hosted various receptions at Buckingham Palace and other venues and has appeared in a DVD featuring the work of Brainwave.

The Countess has met many families who have been following the Brainwave Programme over the years and her natural charm and personality has made her extremely popular with all the children she has come across during her visits to Brainwave.  In addition, the publicity she has attracted for the charity has certainly raised the profile of Brainwave and as we approach the 10^th Anniversary of her becoming our President we look forward to working with her in the coming years.

How have Laura Ashley helped Brainwave in the past?

Over the last 2 years Laura Ashley has been amazingly generous donating stock and buying samples they no longer require, to Brainwave.  We have 21 charity shops across the South West of the UK and these fantastic quality donations have created great sales for us, and also give our stores and store staff a real buzz. When the Laura Ashley stock arrives our footfall increases noticeably! This has been a really fantastic inspiration.

Laura Ashley has also helped raise Brainwave’s profile amongst its customers via Laura Ashley’s Twitter account.  When the singer and X-Factor runner up Olly Murs (a Brainwave Patron) broadcast a special BBC appeal last summer Laura Ashley tweeted about this to all their followers.

You can still see the BBC Lifeline Appeal video with Olly Murs here

How can our readers help support Brainwave’s work?

Readers can help in a variety of ways, through our shops or making financial donations. We have twenty one charity shops across the South West and good quality donations are always very welcome.  Please see the list of our shops here 

Of course readers may be interested in browsing our shops too to see what we have on offer.

Some people choose to become a Guardian to one of our children and sponsor them for as long as they remain on programme. The cost of a Guardianship for one child for twelve months of their Brainwave Therapy is £3,500. This can be extremely rewarding and a strong relationship is often formed between the parents and the Guardian, unless of course the Guardian wishes to remain anonymous to the family.

We have a website: www.brainwave.org.uk with a fundraising section and that gives further details of how people can help.

We frequently use the term ‘The School of Life’ to describe our own lives as one long journey of new findings, relationships and discoveries so we have to commend the concept of turning this into a destination as something really rather clever. Partnered with some fresh branding, cosy atmosphere and some other curious attendees ‘The School of Life’ in North London makes for a fun and thought provoking evening…

Whether you want to increase your confidence, realise your potential, invigorate your life, be a better friend or simply meet some new people ‘The School Of Life’ has it covered. This is just the place to boost your motivation and re-energise your 2012 resolutions.

Feeling a little inquisitive about the ‘How To Have Better Conversations’ workshop, we curiously took to class one Thursday evening.  Kicking off with the history of conversations from the wit and propriety of the eighteenth century to the reserved, cool rationality of the Victorian period, the class led us to our modern day quest for quality, honest and insightful conversation. We think it is safe to say we have all been subject to some superficial chat in our time?

This class got us asking how our conversations vary depending on whom we are conversing with (do you speak differently to your boss as opposed to your peers?) to the importance of silence in conversations. Silence in conversations doesn’t have to be awkward! It can even add value…

“However lively your patter, however focused your charm, occasional air pockets within a conversation are unavoidable” Catherine Blythe

Not too surprisingly, ‘How To Have Better Conversations’ was also a chance to practice our confab skills on the other guests (the class was punctuated with one-on-one break off discussions- not as scary as it sounds we promise). Everyone had a personal reason for why they were there.

We don’t want to give too much away so we will leave you with this… How can we improve the quality of our conversations? How can we deal with difficult ones and most excitingly, how can we turn them into a potentially life changing adventure? Enjoy a fun evening and a delectable spread whilst seeking the answers to your inner conversational conundrums at ‘The School of Life’…

p.s. Don’t leave without visiting their shop of colourful insightful books!

To view ‘The School of Life’ menu of classes click here

Afternoon tea has a bit of a haughty reputation hasn’t it?  The thought of the British tradition instantly conjures up images of impeccably dressed ladies daintily lifting china cups to their painted lips, gloved pinky standing to attention.  A tray of beautiful pastries, stunning cakes and gorgeous tea pots and strainers adorning a lace clothed table before an eye watering bill appears, placed by a snooty waiter.  £50 for tea and cake can often seem a little pricey in the current economic climate!  Well, I’m here to show you that this doesn’t have to be the case…

My first destination is the ever stylish Cafe 21 located within the Fenwicks department store in the heart of Newcastle.  Upon discovering they provided afternoon tea I half expected the price to be a bit of a whopper.  After all, the Cafe 21 restaurant down on the river has quite a pricey menu on offer (but utterly delicious may I add!).  When I did some further research I was pleasantly surprised, good old Terry Laybourne was offering a mouth watering afternoon tea for the measly price of £17 per couple.  I had to try this out!

What a bargain!  The sandwiches were fresh and delicious, adorable dinky scones served still warm from the oven and a stunning array of cakes which tasted as good as they looked.  My only problem was when it came to deciding who got which cake.  Things could have turned a little nasty if the macaroon (see top image) was claimed but thankfully I won!  Fabulous service, delicious local teas and a bustling atmosphere.  A wonderful treat after a day attacking the Newcastle high street.

Delving further into finding more pocket friendly ways to spend an afternoon I came across Beamish Hall Hotel. Those of you familiar with the North will recognise this as the hotel attached to the famous Beamish open air museum and the super adorable owl sanctuary.  To top it all off, Beamish Hall offers a heaving afternoon tea for the sum of £15 per couple.  What a way to spend a day!

This tea was a little more luxurious and traditional compared to the slick and trendy Cafe 21.  We were given a choice of sandwiches and teas before being presented with a groaning three tiered tray of delights.  Make sure you’re hungry before tackling this one.  The sandwiches alone are three slices deep and filled to the brim.  My fiancées eyes were alight with delight as he plowed his way through this impressive selection.  The scones came ready filled with jam, cream and a sliver of strawberry, which was a nice change.  The cakes and pastries were delectable; a lemon tart topped with cream and a juicy blackberry (my personal favorite) closely followed by a mammoth cream horn.  I’m not ashamed to say I couldn’t finish my portion of the treats, however a very friendly staff member offered to box them up for my supper.  I kindly accepted and stashed my doggy bag in the car before going to visit some super cute baby owls…

So there you have it.  Afternoon Tea doesn’t have to be reserved for the privileged, nor does it have to cost the earth.  Do a little bit of digging and you too can find some super bargains and while away the afternoon dreamily drinking tea and gazing out of the window at rolling lush countryside.

To visit Katie Cakes blog click here

Why not be extra thrifty and host your very own afternoon tea? Browse here for our very own range of Laura Ashley cake stands and accessories

Ever wondered what a week in the life of one of our fashion designers looks like? Michelle our Design Assistant gives you an insider look at her week in pictures…

Welcome to my week in pictures. We are really busy this week researching and designing our last stories for Autumn/Winter 2012…

Archive Jumpers: We have been searching for inspiration for our upcoming Archive collection and this week received a big box full of old 1980′s fairisle jumpers. It’s thrilling to see old designs and then bring them back to life again.

Vintage shop reports: We called in some old Laura Ashley shop reports from our archive in Wales. There are some beautifully presented books full of pictures of our old stores way back in the 70′s & 80′s – it is always so fascinating to go back in time and see what people used to buy from Laura Ashley. It is also an invaluable source of design inspiration for new collections (taking something old and reinventing it for today). It’s strange to think that our designs will be archived there one day too!

Choosing AW12 colours: We have been researching new colours and inspirations for our AW12 collections very closely. Don’t want to give too much away but there are some stunning colour and print ideas in development!

Peppermint Tea & Mug: My favourite mug: the girls at work bought me this initial mug for my birthday last year. I love the vintage style lettering. I also have a new addiction to peppermint tea for a little pick-me-up while I am working.

Illustration for Laura Ashley website. It’s nice to mix things up every now and then. I work closely with our web team when it comes to providing trend/outfit information- we are just launching our Emporium story so I was asked to do some illustrations that could be worked into the online page designs. I love the chance to be extra creative!

The illustration on the right is of our popular Spot Print Silk Dress (from our Emporium collection).

The jumper: After the chilly days we have been having I chose my Laura Ashley cable knit sweater to wear layered up over a vintage dress. We have designed lots of cosy pieces this season and the jumper is definitely having a revival at the moment: so easy to throw on over dresses or jeans. Look out for some of our looser easy fit shapes as these are really key for the next few seasons…

Shop Laura Ashley knitwear here

Packed Lunch: I am making an extra effort to add variety to my weekday packed lunches at work, I would recommend some baked omelettes with salad (super quick and easy)!

Sketching: The majority of my time this week has been spent sketching; we are in the process of signing off our new styles so we can put the garments into work and then see them finally made up for our selection meetings. We have a lot of sketching to do, so its heads down and pencil in hand for the best part of the week…

Saturday, Venn Street Market:  We have a beautiful little food market that comes to Venn Street in my local area of Clapham (South London) on a Saturday. They sell all fresh produce and the most amazing cakes and chocolate brownies I’ve ever tasted.

Visit the artisan producers of Venn Street Market including Borough Market favourite cheese-mongers Borough Cheese Co and Gastronomica.

Battersea Park: This is my favourite place in London, it is so big and full of random interesting sculptures, little flower gardens and pathways – you can get lost in there for hours. There is always such a buzz – full of people walking, playing and exercising.

Amazing Super Salad and lunch with a friend- I met my friend for lunch on Sunday, we had a little walk around Northcote Road (Clapham Junction) and stopped at Gail’s for a bite to eat.

I had a little Giant Couscous and roast vegetable salad, mmm.