12th May 2017
If you follow us over on our social media, you’ll have seen that we recently took a trip to Venice. Having never been before, we weren’t sure what to expect, and as the title of the post suggests- it was way better than we could have ever imagined. If you’ve never been, it’s a must visit destination- around every corner you’ll be getting your camera out your bag and snapping away as it really is the prettiest city ever, the slow decay of the buildings adds to the charm and suddenly you find beauty even where a building elsewhere would look like it needs a good old paint!
Since we visited in early May, we weren’t sure of the weather, and were pleasantly surprised to find it super hot- though towards to evening and especially in the shade, it cooled off, so having a jacket on hand was important. We therefore found a pretty Brother Rabbit William Morris long handled tote bag was a necessity to carry bits and bobs we’d need throughout the day, complimenting our outfits as well as carrying a camera and various bits of shopping we found ourselves doing throughout the day!
The Bridge of Sighs, as photographed below, was built in 1600 by Antonio Contino (his uncle Antonio de Ponte had actually designed the Rialto Bridge.) The enclosed bridge is built from white limestone and if you walk across it (as we did), you’ll be able to see the stone bars across the windows, linking the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the Doge’s Palace interrogation rooms, crossing the Rio di Palazzo. The view from the bridge, looks back over Venice, and was called as such because of Lord Byron given from the Italian, “Ponte dei sospiri” and shows how the view was the last one prisoners would see before being taken to their cells after their interrogation- giving a sigh at their last glance at beautiful Venice.
Below is the view from the Bridge looking out. Interestingly, the famous Casanova himself was one of the only people to escape this prison. His escape is a fun read if you have time to Google it, he used a sharpened an iron bar and through one way or another a few of them escaped via carving holes in the ceilings, he left behind a note, “117th Psalm (Vulgate): “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord”.”
Italy is famous for it’s coffee, so stopping for multiple coffees throughout the day was a necessity! Perhaps there was also a pastry or two involved…
Whilst on a walking tour of the city, the tour guide drew our attention to the wells. There’s many throughout the city and once you’re told to look out for them you’ll notice even more. The wells are in many a courtyard as there was a shortage of drinking water in the city (ironic for a city build on water..) and so there was filtration systems built to catch the rainwater for these communal wells placed in the ‘fields’- what we’d call a square but in days gone by were grassy areas. The rich had their own well, and walking down a narrow street we noticed a private well- also notice how beautiful this staircase is!
These colourful houses caught our attention, the colours in this photo are beautiful!
This photo was taken in the Doge’s Palace- the whole palace is incredibly decorated, from the staircases to the ceilings- the Venetians apparently didn’t do understated! If you have time on your trip in Venice, it’s well worth a visit! Unfortunately on this trip, due to the long wait time, we didn’t get to go to the St Mark’s Basilica- an incredibly stunning cathedral which was built as a resting place for St Mark after they recovered his body from Egypt. On our next trip (we loved it so much we have to go back!) this will definitely be the top of our must do list.
Typical of Italy, the food was amazing, and there was much of it! With bars, restaurants and cafes around every corner there was no shortage of good food- it was so fun to sit and watch them bringing in the beer and bottles into the city via boat- a much more complex operation than our motorways as we watched the delivery men pulling beer barrels off a boat!
Here are a few other photos we wanted to share with you, some are from a gondola ride! What did you love about the city if you’ve visited, if you’ve not, would you love to go? Let us know!
Posted in William Morris by Laura
For the keen baker or chef, a beautiful oven glove is such a perfect Christmas gift 🫶🏻🎄 This is our beautiful William Morris Daisy design ✨
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Black Friday Giveaway! ✨ We thought we’d do a fun little giveaway of a bundle of half metres of our licensed William Morris fabrics to celebrate there being 20% off our entire website for Black Friday! 🤎 Whether you want to win them to create some beautiful crafts or to give to your favourite quilter and crafter this Christmas, we hope you enter! 🎄
To enter, just:
- make sure you’re following us
- like this post
- tag everyone you think would love this prize (every comment is an entry)
- for an extra entry, share on your stories
Winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday 4th December so be quick to enter! 🫶🏻
What’s included; a half metre of Blue Strawberry Thief, Pimpernel Green, Willow Bough blue, Sweet Briar, Brother Rabbit blue and Daisy, all cotton fabric 🪡🧵
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We made these little Christmas trees using our Morris fabrics a few years ago and this year altered them from a garland to ornaments for our tree 🎄 Aren’t they so cute, they add so much colour ✨
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How to fold our favourite napkin fold of the year- a Christmas tree! 🎄 Super easy but super effective, we love putting it on the plates to lay the table with some little chocolate coins slotted in as if they’re baubles! 🎄✨ Will you try this napkin fold? ✨
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Can’t stop posting this Christmas table set up 🎄 Christmas table florals have our heart! 🫶🏻
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#flowerarranging #yorkshirebusiness #williammorris #williammorrisdesign #mallow #flowersmakethehome #florals #christmasflorals #christmastable
Free gift wrap? Oh go on then! 🎁 From now until Christmas, if you message us immediately after ordering with your order number and your gift wrap message (optional!) we will wrap your order for free ✨ We just want to make Christmas as easy as possible for everyone so if you find wrapping a faff, want us to write the tag to keep secret Santa a suprise or you’d like to send the gift straight to your loved one, we’re here to help 🎄 From our website straight under the tree, spend more time enjoying Christmas and less trying to find the sellotape 👏🏼
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Did you know all our fabrics are printed in the UK and all our products manufactured in the UK too? 🇬🇧 We hope you enjoy shopping small this Christmas 🎄✨
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We think you’d be very popular if you made one of these beautiful Morris advent calendars for your loved ones! 🫶🏻 So easy to make, let us know if you would like a tutorial on how to make your own using our Morris fabric🎄
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Isn’t this time of year so beautiful, we love our candle table floral arrangement, perfect for dressing up for dinner or down for hot chocolates! ☕️🍫
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#williammorris #floraltable #floraltablescape #florals #myfloraldays
We love the idea of setting the table with a little stocking gift hanging from everyone’s chair ✨
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We absolutely love setting the table this time of year, aren’t Christmas tablescapes so magical ✨ This central floral arrangement is the star of the show this week 🫶🏻🕯️ Anyone want a tutorial on how to fold these Christmas tree napkins? 🎄
On the table; William Morris Mallow Wine pvc fabric and matching napkins ✨
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Beautiful Strawberry Thief ovengloves are back in stock! 🍓 A perfect Christmas gift, remember you can always gift wrap your items at checkout to make Christmas a little easier, then either send it to yourself or we’ll write the tag with your message and send it straight to your loved one 🥰
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#christmasgift #christmasgifts #shopsmall #shopsmallbusiness #independant #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #strawberrythief #ovengloves
Christmas tablescapes are a go! ✨ Our Brother Rabbit blue pvc fabric and napkins are on the table and look so beautiful paired with our dressed up garland! 🎄 If you’re planning your Christmas table, remember there’s 20% off everything right now with code: floralfriday at checkout 🌿
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #florals #floraldesign #morris #preraphaelite #christmastable #christmastablescape
Every Morris lovers best friend needs one of our new beautiful dog bandanas! 🐾 Hand made in Yorkshire, aren’t they adorable! 🐕🦺
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Beautiful Willow Bough, one of our all time fave Morris designs 🌿 The matching set is a beautiful Christmas gift to brighten up their home all year! 🫧 20% off now for Black Friday too if you use code; floralfriday 🌷
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Yippee it’s here! ✨ Use code: FLORALFRIDAY at checkout on our website only for 20% off everything - including sale items! 🫧
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Get ready for flower arranging class with us 🌷 Our beautiful Willow Bough William Morris pvc apron is perfect to protect your outfit from splashes when cooking, crafting or cutting your stems! 🌿🫶🏻
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We couldn’t resist another pic of our bonfire night set up! 🫶🏻 our PVC fabric is such a popular option for the table as it’s wipe clean, so any spills can just be quickly fixed 🫧 We wouldn’t reccomend lighting sparklers in the house or over your tablecloth though! 🙃
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🎆 Take 15% off our whole website for 48 hours only using code: BONFIRE at checkout 🔥 (we’ve also launched gift sets including half metre gift sets for the quilters and crafters in your life, you get a half metre free when you purchase the set and they come gift wrapped… this is is soft launching Christmas Incase everyone says we’re too early.. but also our Christmas trees are already up so we’re ready to talk about it when you are? Let us know?) 🎄
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Had to video us cutting beautiful William Morris Willow Bough today, this heavyweight fabric is off to be made into curtains, it’ll look so stunning! 🫶🏻 If you’d like a free sample just let us know ☺️
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #preraphaelite #floraldesign #fabrics #curtainfabric #ukbusiness