Truly Stylish Tapas Tasting

I flew off to Espagna with a huge spring in my step in the knowledge that there was an abundance of work to be done following cuvcuv's Big News!

Luckily, it was far too hot to do anything but sit at my computer in the afternoons in the muggy city of Valladolid yet relished the thought of taking a stroll down the river when tasks were accomplished to reward ourselves with a couple of tapas and a vino rosado.

I've been frequenting Valladolid since my sister moved there six years ago and I still can not believe how cheap it is for the most delicious food! from 1 euro to 4 euros for haute cuisine and you are literally in shock when its time to pay........!!! 

sliced gherkins filled with tuna topped with roasted pepper & an olive

lemon stuffed olives with pickled anchovies

chopped pepper & onion filled mussels

Russian salad on a big 'prawn' cracker!

oops! all 5 varieties of croquetas scoffed! langoustine, black pudding, goats cheese, jamon & chorizo  

the biggest freshest perfectly cooked squid rings

incredibly tasty seafood salad & tortilla

  

octopus, guerkin, sweet peppers & olives

vino rosado perfecto 

chipies - lightly deep fried squid n a hot chilli oil - to die for!

My sister lives in a great Spanish city where 'fashion tapas' is all the rage! There are two bars that I love to frequent  that serve up the most exquisite tiny plate food for very little dinero!

fashion tapas!

amazing shredded fish 'Angulas' translated as eels in Spanish but they're not actually!!

octopus

veal in a sweet sauce wrapped in courgette - unbelievable!

can you believe this is savoury?!!

I loved totting up how much the bill would have come to in London.......and I'm not kidding when I say sometimes it was ten times as much!!!

big news!

Happiness in the cuvcuv house is......

........finally being able to place orders with Lana and the factory in Yogyakarta!

I'm ecstatic that everything is now actually happening
I have been working so hard on the monster plan and through all the stress, blood, sweat and tears.......
someone is taking me seriously and I finally have the support necessary to launch

I cant believe it!

I've been imagining the feeling I'd have when I can push the button on production, book my flight to Indonesia to discuss what's next, plan my India trip to rediscover the bangle makers I found in a remote village in Rajasthan and as tears filled my eyes in Kings Cross St Pancras station at 11am on 5th July 2013, it hit me that when you challenge yourself to make something happen, your dreams really can come true.

As we conducted our meeting in a faux English garden setting sat in deck chairs, drinking tea, it became apparent that cuvcuv was about to be catapulted into its next development stage of life and as my heart pumped......my smile just got wider and wider! 

I've had my cuvcuv since I was born, I still have it...........I dont know what I'd do without it. It's the most personal item I have and that's why my company has taken it's name. It's not childish or silly but loved and cherished, incredibly soft still but now rather ripped, it's organic. 

I aspire to make cuvcuv global and to be in many many people's lives! 

Revolution Viv - I love you!

"The fight is no longer between the classes or between rich and poor but between the idiots and the eco-conscious"

love the strikingly bright colours

slouchy light and comfy

beautiful and sparkly

A VERY belated Clerkenwell Design Show shout out!

One of my favourite shows to go to is at the Farmiloe Building in Clerkenwell, its just such a fabulous building! Unfortunately I didnt have my partner in crime Polly Granville this time......boooo! so I didnt ponder and pontificate over extremely moderrrn furniture design that seems usually slightly too high brow for me, which was a shame as actually these guys know what they are talking about, have such skill and are hugely passionate about shape and form, structure and sculpture of their latest newby.
Clerkenwell Design Show is by far one of the more intriguing shows I've been to in my career and being fairly new and getting better for innovation every time, is a real buzz for me! 

So, ahem, a couple of gems came my way that I'd like to tell you about! 
Tom Housden at Hand and Eye Studios......such beautiful lighting! a really well curated and presented stand - with many different finishes, I particularly liked the terracotta with the organic dipping into the glaze.........

Think I just fell in love with the simple shapes yet potent colour palette and beautiful architecture of style - me thinks a project with them would suit cuvcuv - watch this space!

           
The other stand-out for me was a bunny chair and reindeer chair in the Detention Centre - I know, so great! Merve Kahraman 

Funny how researching her she studied Industrial design when wow! I thought she was some mad anachist who played around with humour and satire - or maybe I'm missing the point! either way she captured my imagination and made me wonder why! 

And finally, Sampling is a company from Latvia and fuse contrasting fabrics to create very simple and beautiful products. I just absolutely love the knitted woolly element with the wood, so soft and in very muted colours of grey and blue...CUTE!  

Thank you Miss Moss for the introduction of this brand, Samuji, not only do I love the style of the simple fashion pieces, and the fantastic model but wow! check out the amazing use of  splodgy paint graphics .......totally awesome and makes the photography look so elegant!! teehee! did, I just write 'awesome'??!! 

I think I am slightly delirious..........and the reason being is that upon the 7 o'clock chime of Lambeth Town Hall bells this evening, the monster mission was accomplished! I have finally finished my Business Plan for cuvcuv, the brand, and I now cant wait to approach the right people for investment......I feel so ready - armed with passion, commitment and a whole lot of determination! I just need to print and proof read and bind by Friday! Its been a hellova journey......and by no means over yet...

Which means I'm back into the swing of relaying lots more news and chewing the cultural cud and hope you continue to travel with me on my quest to get cuvcuv up and running this Autumn! 

Relax, sit back and enjoy a celebratory ditty from Steve Miller Band xx

New finds

I went along to Home - Pulse this week, the Home & Gift Fair held at Earls Court and found these interesting...

Just Trade - co-founder Laura Cave set up the company in 2006 based on providing a route to market for Zoe Creations, a jewellery project based in the shanty towns of Lima, Peru. 

They work together to create ranges that are commercial for the European market and help and develop the skills of the artisans. Its just great that the creativity of two worlds come together to make such beautiful product. 

These bird necklaces are so sweet and carved out of a nut! The collection derives from a collaboration with a bunch of guys in Ecuador - The Sosote Fair Trade Project. Read about it briefly below and their website. Very clever and such detail. What a celebration of traditional art fused with contemporary design!

The boys select a Tagua nut which is as close to the desired finished shape as possible, the nut is then formed using a variety of sanding processes and polished to achieve a smooth surface.  The eyes are made by drilling into the nut and filling the hole with ground up Tagua shell, then sealed with varnish.

I was then treated to a cleansing wash sampled on my hand from Ruby Red. I chatted to Mike, the co-owner, and what a lovely chap he is! We were both extolling the virtues of travelling to South East Asia as they, like me, took time out to enjoy the other side of the world for 18 months and it too was fruitful for them! 

All their products are made from plant ingredients, free from harsh chemicals, SLS, parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals, synthetic perfumes and dyes and are never tested on Animals - sounds good to me!
This body cleanser left my skin so soft and contains Lime, Mandarin, Coriander and Cedarwood. Loved the fact they they have incorporated coriander - a very Eastern influence. I've found my love and use of coriander has grown ten fold since experiencing it so much in Asian dishes.....yummy!!

And finally, the very wonderfully quirky and of-the-now, Andrea Garland. Her website is so lively, it makes ya wanna buy it alllll! 

The scents are so delightful, chamomile and oak, palma rosa, rosehip and lavender, lemon balm and cedar wood - a veritable aromotherapy feast!



Her Beauty Products are all handmade from scratch, in Hackney, London. All her ingredients are natural, sourced from ethical suppliers and as many as possible are organic. 

Her packaging design is very unique in that there are watercolour paintings to appreciate on every product and her clever use of vintage tins and glass containers allows for a more ethical and green approach to skincare. 

She has even included lip balm filled jewellery!

Annnnnd, they offer a refill service to ensure your packaging is continually re-used. Get in!!

It was so refreshing to get an organic and natural brand experience that supports the environment, the natural world and us as human beings! Hear hear to sustainability!

I've only just discovered.....

Niddle Noddle........thanks to Kickcan and Conkers whose blog I love!

They are based in London, an online retailer of fashion, homeware and kids and are right up my street! sharing a very similar ethos to cuvcuv - many distinctive and unique, exclusive finds for people to love and enjoy. Something a bit different, offering both vintage and new! Check out the cutest bunting - would look great on my stall!