You can read more of the interview on Mindful Mum.

IO_PRGirl xx

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You can read the feature below.

Thank you Mother & Baby for featuring our beloved founder.

IO_PRGirl xx

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It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday here in the UK. My mother is the woman who, on International Women’s Day last week, I said is the woman who most inspires me. As a mother myself now, I often have to laugh at how things have now come full circle. I remember as a small child loving to play with my mother’s make-up. I put her bright red lipstick on my lips and cheeks, bright blue eye shadow on my eyes and sprayed Charlie perfume all over my neck and hair. I had endless hours of fun by myself or with my best friends at her make-up table. However, I always flatly denied, of course, that it was me who had created the huge mess. I’m not sure how convincing I was seeing that I was her only daughter and my brothers had zero interest in dressing up, plus I was covered with make-up and reeked of her perfume.

These days, the shoe is firmly on the other foot and I sometimes find my lipsticks broken off, eye shadows all mixed up (very annoying), perfume bottles open etc. As tradition holds, my daughter flatly denies any knowledge of who has played with my make-up while at the same time her face and hands are covered with it all.

My mother has to laugh at this and gives me a knowing smile. This is just one of many examples of how we’ve come full circle. I look forward to sharing moments like this as a grandmother myself when my daughter becomes a mother.

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating the bond between mothers and daughters in our new shoot this week. Our gorgeous pairs are wearing pieces from our SS12 365 collection, illustrating that you can enjoy great style at every age. You can see all the images and what they wore here.

For those of you who are in the UK, I hope you’ll have a happy Mother’s Day on Sunday together with your family, Baukjen.

P.s. This is one of my favourite photos of my mother. She is sitting in the garden, heavily pregnant with me, enjoying a cup of tea. For those that know me, they know this could have been me sitting there.

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I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our lovely IO team who have made the past year such a pleasure! Also big thanks to our suppliers who help us do what we love. Without everyone’s input, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

There are many new and exciting things happening in 2012, so please keep returning to see what we have in store. But for now, please enjoy the holidays and have a happy and healthy 2012!

Baukjen X

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We really enjoyed ourselves, so thank you Mr Porter for a great night!

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Recently we went for dinner at the new home of our friends, Caroline and Robert. We were quite excited to finally see their new place as it’s been a labour of love for them the past 20 months. They bought an old vicarage in London which needed a complete overhaul. Caroline is a fabulous interior designer and so we were looking forward to seeing the end result after hearing so much about it. Over the years, Caroline has designed various gorgeous projects around the world so we knew that their new home would be special. Caroline loves contemporary glamour and their new home lived up to this. To say we were quiet when we walked in is an understatement (the photos give an idea but being there was something else). Every detail had been thought through. Geoff and I loved it and would have moved in with the kids overnight if we could have! Geoff and I bought and renovated our home (also one which needed a complete overhaul) a few years ago and remember all the work and time it took. The evening at Caroline and Robert’s was lovely – Geoff and I walked through their house admiring everything Caroline had done, we had great food and wine, and on the drive home Geoff and I wondered if they would be up for a house sitting when they’re away on holiday. Anyone who is interested in getting in to contact with Caroline, you can email her on caroline@diamondinteriordesign.co.uk – Thanks Caroline and Robert for a lovely evening and do let us know when you’re off on holiday! x

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 Baukjen here. Recently we were treated to lunch at “Dinner”, a new Heston Blumenthal restaurant in the London Mandarin Oriental. We arrived at 12.30 and left around 4.30 – a long lunch! What a treat, the food was absolutely amazing. Everyone ordered different things so we tried lots of the dishes. We enjoyed delicious wines and afterwards went for a long walk in Hyde Park. A perfect way to end the week.  

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We spent last weekend with friends in the New Forest where they have a second home. We went for walks in the forest where horses roam freely. There were lots of foals which we all loved seeing (we even encountered foals standing in the middle of the road a couple of times). We also went for a long walk on the very quiet beaches. We visited quaint old villages and the kids did some horse riding. The weather continuously went from one extreme to the other, gorgeous sunshine one hour followed by a downpour the next. We all caught some sun as well as got absolutely soaked. It is an absolutely beautiful area, one we will definitely come back to. Our friends thoroughly spoiled us with delicious food, drinks and spending time together. All in all, when it was Sunday evening, nobody wanted to go home.

A big thank you to our friends X

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Good friends of ours started dating when they were 17. Now, 25 years later, they are happily married with four children. To celebrate their 25 years together they invited friends to join them in Tuscany, Italy last weekend. So we took a few days off and had a four day mini break.

When we arrived in Pisa, we hired a Cabrio car which was perfect as we had great weather and the roof top down all days. The first day we spent roaming through Lucca. Throughout the trip we used the TripAdvisor mobile app endlessly to find great restaurants and places to visit. On our first night, via the app, we found a fabulous restaurant in Lucca. Excellent food and fabulous service. We enjoyed a bottle of wine called “Sebastiano” which we couldn’t resist as our second son is called Sebastian. The next day we drove the wine and olive oil route through Northern Tuscany. We got lost endlessly but it was only for the good as it is such a beautiful area and we ended up in beautiful villages where it felt like time had stood still.

In the evening the first party of our friends took place. It was very relaxed and great fun seeing people we know from our university days but also friends from London now. The dress code was informal so I wore a cream bohemian dress. All was good until just after 1am when someone bumped into me and a very large glass of red wine went all over my dress. Miraculously, we’ve managed to get the stains out.

The following day a group of us went to the seaside town called Forte dei Marmi. We strolled through the markets and shopping area and then had a late lunch on the beach. It is so gorgeous there, it was difficult to leave but we had to get back to the hotel in time for the second party – a more formal one where the dress code was black tie.

In the evening we all went to our friends’ party which they hosted outside the gorgeous villa they were staying in. We were all spoilt, drinks by the pool followed by a delicious dinner, dancing and fireworks. It was a fantastic night for everyone.

The next day we had a few hours in Lucca and then drove back to Pisa for our flight back home.

Even though we were only away for four days, it felt like a week holiday.

Thank you to our friends for getting us all together and letting us join in your celebrations (and spoiling us all). Here’s to your next 25 years, may they be as happy as the past.

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Tomorrow the Royal Wedding will take place. I remember the day Lady Diana (as she was called then) and Prince Charles got married. I was a little girl at the time and my friends and I were all very excited. We were all totally in awe of Lady Diana and this was a fairytale wedding. We bought a cake (their faces were on the icing), mugs and coins. On the day itself we were glued to the TV and loved every moment. It was 1981 and the other excitement of that year was the Simon & Garfunkel concert in Central Park, New York. My family played their music endlessly and to date I wish I had been there.

When my husband (Geoff) and I married, he surprised me during the ceremony by singing a song from this concert knowing it was one of my favourites; Bridge over Troubled Water. He is not an accomplished singer but there wasn’t a dry eye in the house at the end of the song. Decades later, Simon & Garfunkel visited London and did a concert in Hyde Park that Geoff and I went to; we loved every second of it.

1981, though so many years ago, was a special one.

Let’s hope 2011 is a special year too. We all wish the royal couple lots of happiness and all the best for the future.

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