A Swiss Chalet, Isis Ceramics, and the Norwegian Red Knit Hat

On this post- the pretty Swiss chalet of UK designer Emma Sims Hilditch, my estate sale find and its connection to Juliska, and the Norwegian red hat movement.

Welcome to the weekend post where Elizabeth, Juliet and I share what’s new, fun, and on our radars.

How was your week? We had some lovely sunny days. I’ve been enjoying the birds in our fountain and little daffodils we planted are emerging! I have been making plans for the yard and thinking about what to replace and refresh out there. I am excited to spend more time outdoors. The sunny days have been a healing balm right now. Luckily the weather should be good for a walk and a Valentine’s day picnic with Max!

Deborah Sears, Isis Ceramics and Juliska

Last week I shared my plate I found from an estate sale for $11 that I hung on my wall. It had some hard to read markings, but looked like some Juliska pieces I own. It did say Oxford England and handpainted, unlike Juliska. Thanks to a reader Jane, she recognized it as a rare Deborah Sears pottery piece! Turns out my plate goes for near $200 online and people collect her pieces!

Deborah is the founder of ISIS Ceramics in an old sheep barn in Oxfordshire, England. She has collected 17th century delftware and created a style is based on her English Delft pieces and techniques from the 1600’s. You can visit her studio and even take a tour and meet Deborah and even have tea after on their beautiful dishes, in the village of Horton-cum-Studley. Wouldn’t that be fun? There is no link to buy anything, on their site but you can custom order. She has made a special collection for King Charles and his home at Highgrove. I began looking for her pieces on Ebay and Etsy. I just bought this ginger jar I found on Etsy from the UK….

Deborah did a collaboration with Juliska called Country Estate that comes in a few colors and beautiful pieces you may be familiar with.

So fun to find out more about a piece you have found! Thank you Jane, though I may end up having a new addiction! More about Deborah and how she accidentally became a collector and artisan on this article in Homes & Antiques.

Emma Sims Hilditch’s Swiss Chalet

I adore Switzerland and dove into this mountain home of Emma Sims Hilditch, an English designer. Emma is head of a powerhouse decorating firm in the UK, but comes across as someone who just loves home. She though has an amazing eye, and quite a resume. She began as a set designer for Ridley Scott and found her way into interiors. Her husband owns Neptune, a home furnishings company.

What I loved about this tour was her thoughtful keeping of the Swiss style and heritage. She brought in a lot of light, and pretty art, much by her daughter. I especially adore the large terrace and the chest she uses out there to entertain….

Emma has quite an inspiring portfolio on her website (pics below), and you can see her Cotswolds home she’s lived in 30 years on this tour, and more here on The English Home.

Emma also has a new book out.

The Red Hat Resistance

Thursday I met up with a friend who found me on Instagram. We had lost touch and I was so glad we reconnected. Carolyn is a talented knitter and often wears her own gorgeous sweaters. We both feel the same way about what is happening in America, and she surprised me with a beautiful red resistance hat she knit!

If you are unfamiliar, this movement began with a knitting store, Needle and Skein in Minnesota where a huge amount of the population has Norwegian roots. The owner and her knitting group wanted a way to support the community during the ICE occupation. The red hat was a symbol of resistance for Norwegians during WWII, to keep up morale and hope during the Nazi occupation, until they were banned. Mishaal the owner and her employee Paul Neary created the pattern that has become the “Melt the ICE” hat, a red beanie-shaped cap topped with a braided tassel.

Since making the pattern available for $5, the shop has raised nearly $650,000. They have donate to two local nonprofits focused on rent and other supports for immigrants in the community.

Carolyn and I were chatting about the hat when a man came over and asked, ‘Is that an ICE Out hat?’ He said he was from Vermont and had been wanting his wife to make him one, but most places there are sold out of red yarn! I guess I was lucky. Carolyn had her own stash of yarns and my hat is particularly beautiful wool!

The Norwegian based The Red Hat Company is also joining this movement inspired by the Norwegian tradition of knitting. My own sister in law Line, is Norwegian and has knitted some beautiful things and a sweater for my boys when they were small.

The owner of the Red Hat company is calling for February 26th to be a worldwide day of resistance by wearing these red caps inspired by his grandmother’s stories and knitting…

If you or someone you know is a knitter, the Melt the Ice pattern is available here for $5. Great article on NPR on how people worldwide are joining in solidarity through these knit hats and how much they are raising, in some cases $50k a day just through donations. Wearing one of these hats is a symbol of solidarity. Some are knitting together in community when many of us feel lost on how to help. Video on the knitting shop on CBS and Needle and Skein’s Instagram here.

If you haven’t done Scott Galloway’s Resist and Unsubscribe movement yet, go to this page to see the companies we can leave to start a movement in this nation that actually impacts Trump and his cronies upholding him.

Other cool things…

Annie of Most Lovely Things had a cute tutorial on how to wrap those small flowers from the grocery in fabric for Valentine’s tables. I riffed off that and used some cut pieces of toile fabric for bows on little Trader Joe’s flowers for the neighbors. I think just the little bows in rough edged toile elevated them a little! I took these pics Friday night, so they don’t show as well, but hopefully you get the idea.

The Buddhist monks completed their 2,400 mile journey from Texas to Washington D.C. this week. Their daily posts have been so uplifting. It was a joy to see the hundreds and later thousands of people line up to see them, thank them, bring their children and often hand them flowers. The message of peace, unity, and love was hugely resonating in these times. Their dog Aloka, the peace dog has his own Facebook with more than a million followers!

For those of you who loved my leopard Cynthia flats from Marion Parke shoes, they are 20% off this weekend along with all their gorgeous shoes. Use code EXTRADAY.

I tried Roz haircare this week for the first time as I am no longer buying Bumble and Bumble, and so far, I am loving it.

I used the Air Thickening Spray on my fine hair, and the Evergreen Styling Creme on my ends and my front pieces. My hair looked like I had just gotten it done! It was also fuller without feeling heavy. I loved how these products are in metal containers and the creme even has a painter key to squeeze the tube. The spray also has a heat protectant and can be used on dry hair too as a texturizer. Roz hair products are made in California and clean, healthy, and sustainable. There is a Mini Essentials Kit that has the shampoo, conditioner and hair milk I would like to try as well.

If you missed the last post, I shared fun Valentine ideas, estate sale finds, and Mikel Welch’s Cotswolds inspired home.

Happy Valentines weekend!

Kim

Please stop by Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs for more good things…

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