24th June 2018
It’s hard to drive around California on a road trip without feeling like you’re in some sort of Hollywood film. From singing Phantom Planet’s ‘California’ down the coastal Pacific Coast Highway to saying every palm tree being shadowed by the sunset looks like The Eagles ‘Hotel California’ album cover. There’s few places as represented in the media and in movies than California and Hollywood, so driving round and discovering new and exciting places was something we were so excited to do – so we thought we’d share the highlight reel of our adventures with you and, of course, how we used our William Morris tote bags during our holiday.
We flew into San Francisco and spent a few days in the area, walking the Golden Gate Bridge and exploring the Red Wood Trees just above the city. We were so lucky to have such beautiful weather – in the past when we’ve been we’ve experienced the ‘June Gloom’ so we were excited to miss that! Whilst on the ground it was very hot, walking over the Golden Gate you get caught in the wind from the bay and it becomes quite cold so we packed some jumpers in our bag (and some snacks too – what’s better than a snack break with a view!)
We spent some time driving down along the coast paddling in the ocean, taking Pacific Coast Highway down to the Big Sur – it’s an incredible 655.8 mile drive in total down the Californian coast which takes you through various counties and shows various parts of the rugged coast, beautiful beaches and even redwood forests. Whichever portion of the road you drive, whether you choose to do it all in an epic road trip or just parts, you’ll see some amazing sights so remember to plan in some time for stops along the way to get out the car and marvel at the view and take a walk down the beaches when you can. We usually go to Whole Foods Market and get one of their salads and take it for a picnic along the way in our Morris tote bags so that we can enjoy the view. We didn’t manage to visit this time due to work being done on the road and also time restrictions, but we’d fully recommend visiting Nepenthe restaurant which, sitting on top of the Santa Lucia mountains, has the most incredible panoramic views over the rugged coast – with the ocean going on for miles in every direction and the sun sparkling on the water, it’s easy to see why movie stars for years have been attracted to the spot. The restaurant was opened in 1949 on land purchased from Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth (who had the intention to have the property as a vacation home.) The restaurant was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protege Rowan Maiden and it was his vision that the restaurant sat in the landscape without interrupting the beauty of the coast. Over the years, creatives of every type have flocked to the restaurant and Nepenthe became a central part of the community – the name Nepenthe is actually a reference to Homer’s Odyssey – taking the name of the drug which banished trouble and grief from the consumers mind. There’s been some impressive Hollywood names from the glamorous era including Joan Baez, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who ate at the restaurant regularly whilst shooting the 1965 film ‘The Sandpiper’ in the Big Sur. As we sat looking out over the view, eating a generous portion of fish and chips, it wasn’t hard to see why it’s remained such a popular haunt for so many – from Hollywood stars to tourists alike.
Make sure to read our next blog to find out what else we got up to on our trip – including National Parks Sequoia and Yosemite and to keep up with our adventures, be sure to follow our Instagram!
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Posted in News by Laura
The table is all set for a festive weekend dinner party 🎄 We used our William Morris Mallow design, doesn’t it look so perfect this time of year ✨ Featuring our latest floral arrangement 🌿✨
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #christmastablesetting #christmastablescape #mallow #floraltable #floraltablescape #flowerarrangement
If you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift that will be used year-round, our kitchen sets of tea towels, aprons and ovengloves are sure to be a winner! 🌿
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #williammorrisfabricdesigns #interiordesign #ovenglove #ovengloves #christmasgifts #stockingideas #morris #strawberrythief
Have you had any festive table set ups yet? 🎄 This was our table last year for Christmas Day and our Strawberry Thief in Red has seen a lot of use throughout the year too at many a celebration 🌿 Isn’t it amazing how many events happen around the dining table- we may as well make it as pretty as possible! 🤍
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#williammorris #morris #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabric #strawberrythief #redstrawberrythief #christmastable #festivetablescape #tablescape #tablestyling #floraltable #florals
A pink and white Christmas theme on the table today with Charlotte Rose 🌹 It matches perfectly with our Nutcracker theme flower arrangement 🤍🩰
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#christmastable #christmastablesetting #christmastablescape #tablescape #frenchflorals #laurasbeau #floraldesign #floraltable #floraltablecloth
Did you know we offer a gift wrap service? 🎁 If you’ve got a loved one you’d like to send a floral gift to this year, you can send it straight to their door all wrapped with a note written by the Laura’s Beau elves 🎄🤶🏻 It’s an option on our website only and you can check the gift wrap box at checkout to write your gift tag that we will hand write for you (we also won’t include a reciept or anything of course, but will email it to you instead ✨) Are you giving any William Morris floral goodies to your friends and family this year? 🤍
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #morrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #strawberrythief #christmasgiftguide #christmasgifts #floralgift #myfloralhome #myfloraltable #floraltablescape #christmastablesetting
Anyone else started on the mince pies this weekend? 🥧 We’ve been feeling rather festive the last week or so, are you all in the festive spirit yet or waiting until December? 🎄
📸 features our William Morris Brother Rabbit blue design 🤍
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisdesigns #morrisdesign #brotherrabbit #floraldesign #christmastablesetting #christmastablescape #floraltablescape
To brighten up the kitchen with florals, we love hanging our William Morris tea towels on hooks, over the oven door or kitchen sink 🌿 An easy way to add a pop of colour or design ✨ They’re a great Christmas gift this year and come in a whole range of Morris designs to suit everyone’s kitchens 🎁
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #floraldesigns #teatowel #christmasgiftideas #christmasgiftguide #floralgiftideas #willowbough #willowboughgreen
Use Code: BF15 for 15% at checkout until Monday 27th at midnight 🌛 Happy Shopping ✨ (valid on our website only; www.laurasbeau.co.uk 🌿
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#laurasbeau #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabrics #morris #preraphaelite #floralinteriors #preraphaelite #upholsteryfabric #curtainfabric #blackfriday2023
🎄 A Christmas table set up using our Red Strawberry Thief licensed William Morris design ✨ We love how perfect it is dressed up for Christmas but can be used all year round accessorised for all the seasons 🌿
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#christmas #christmastable #christmastablecloth #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #williammorrisdesign #strawberrythief #preraphaelite
Our virtual craft market is now live! ✨ Only on our Etsy page, you can now shop a limited range different sizes of our licensed William Morris fabrics as offcuts and also, some craft bundles🧵And there is also a pretty fabulous Black Friday deal on everything on our Etsy at the moment! 🌿We`re always working to be more sustainable (you can read more about what we do on our blog) and offcuts is a great way for us to reduce waste - some are larger pieces that are various widths and lengths and some are bundles of fabric offcuts. ✨ Accurate measurements are in the listing, and you`ll find the full market under a tab on our Etsy. The bundles are brilliant gifts for crafters, quilters and those who you know would like to try a whole range of William Morris fabrics 🎁
We`ll keep this tab updated as and when we have fabric ready so keep checking back! Remember, we do sell all our fabric by the half metre if you find a new fave in a bundle 🤍
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#etsy #fabriccrafts #sewers #quilters #fabricbundle #craftmarket #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabrics #floralfabric #fabricstack #fabricstash
Used for a very special engagement tablescape this past weekend was our timelessly beautiful Charlotte Rose! 🥂💍✨ It’s actually a design from our French archive, we absolutely love it ☺️ If you’re starting your Christmas shopping it’s a wonderful gift idea for them to love using all year round on their table 🥂
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#tablescape #tabledecor #engagement #frenchfloral #frenchflorals #floraltable #florals #floraldesign
A wonderful addition to the table, our placemats, available in a range of licensed William Morris designs, set the scene for a whole range of celebrations sat around the table 🥂
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #fabrics #williammorrisfabric #willowbough #tablescape #myfloraltable #floraltable #preraphaelite #williammorrisdesigns
These green tones together are so lovely 🌿 Can you name all of these licensed William Morris designs? Which is your favourite? ✨ If you’d like a sample of any just let us know ☺️
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #preraphaelite #preraphaelites #fabricstash #fabricstack #ukfabric #ukfabricshop #floralfabrics
Autumn tablescapes always brighten the home up this time of year ✨ This is our William Morris Compton design, always super popular it’s got the most beautiful colours within it ✨
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #morrisfabric #compton #autumntablescape #tablescape #floraltable #myfloralhome #floraltablescape
🎃 Just a little pup in his pumpkin outfit to deliver a Halloween treat for you! Get 15% off our website with code: Halloween 👻 His little Strawberry Thief bandana is so easy to make from our fabric and always looks so cute on him, we need to make him one in every design! ✨ (discount code can be used only on our website until Sunday at midnight!) 🎃
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#halloweendog #halloweendogsofinstagram #halloweendogcostume #labrador #labradorpuppy #labpuppy #williammorrisfabric #williammorris #morris #preraphaelite #strawberrythief
Functional + stylish, a tea towel thrown over the cooker or sink really does brighten up the kitchen - bringing some florals inside the home! ✨ This is our licensed William Morris Sweet Briar design, we absolutely love this delicate design with soft pink flowers 🌷
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #sweetbriar #teatowelsofinstagram #teatowel #floralfabric #floralfabrics #florals #myfloralhome #preraphaelite #morris #morrisfabric #onlinefabric #fabricdestashuk
A fabric stack full of William Morris licensed designs, which is your favourite? ✨
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabric #fabricdestashuk #fabricshop #fabricseller #fabricstack #strawberrythief
Sitting at the table to admire our latest floral arrangement creation with a cuppa! ☕️ Don’t these colours look absolutely wonderful with our beautiful licensed William Morris design Compton 🧡
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabrics #fabricdestashuk #floralfabric #floralfabrics #compton #preraphaelite #tablescape #flowerarrangement #floraltable #flowerarranging #myfloraldays
Back in stock- wonderful Golden Lily pvc fabric 🤩 Its a wipe clean material, so is absolutely perfect for the dining table 🍴 Available by the half metre in length, its 140cm wide, so fits most tables, an easy option whilst not compromising on beautiful William Morris florals! 💐
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #morris #morrisfloral #floraltable #pvcfabric #oilclothfabric #floralfabric #florals #tablescape #tablescapeflorals #preraphaelite #fabrics #onlinefabric
Can’t forget your Strawberry Thief tote if you’re off to the shops! 🛍️
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisdesigns #strawberrythief #france #totebag #totebags #floraltote