style at home | london style & design

A few more photos of my shoot for Style at Home in London with Debbie Travis & Erin McLaughlin. . .

After we were finished shooting, and said our goodbyes, Erin & I had a relaxing dinner at a bustling London restaurant.  And it was there that I had a pivotal British moment!  I tried my first Pimm’s. . . . yummy delicious!  Many thanks to Erin McLaughlin for the impromptu portrait of me!  I am usually on the other side of the camera.

I was surprised to learn that Pimm’s is hard to find in the United States.  And so the find-the-Pimm’s-saga started. . .  I checked my local ABC store and they told me that all the state liquor stores in each state carry the same items and no Pimm’s in North Carolina.  I looked into ordering some online but the shipping was pretty expensive.  Then we called liquor stores all up and down the eastern seaboard while driving to our assignment in Kennebunk, Maine (see post).  Finally we had success in Virginia and then scored a couple more bottles in New Hampshire.

No one panic –  I don’t have a drinking problem – the bottles are lined up in my pantry either awaiting a summer party or a really cool shoot!

style at home | debbie travis’ london

We were so excited to have the opportunity to travel to London with Style at Home editor Erin McLaughlin to shoot Debbie Travisfor the magazine!  I remember Debbie from her original TV show The Painted House so it was pretty fun to show up at her London townhouse and her greet us with her sparkly smile.  Of course since The Painted House, Debbie has gone on to do many amazing things from more television shows, producing, creating her own licensed products for various companies and winning lots of awards.  She is now restoring a property in Tuscany and even holds a girl’s getaway.

We spent two wonderful days with Debbie, one photographing her delightful townhouse and one exploring the inspiring design stores about London.  Debbie was kind enough to shuttle us around the windy London streets in her car.  She knows the neighbourhoods like a pro – I was glad I wasn’t driving!

I was wowed by the Designer’s Guild – so many beautiful patterns and colours, gorgeous furniture and accessories everywhere you look!  What a treat to be there with Debbie and Erin both. . .  After a lovely lunch and a trip to Portobello Road it was a wrap.  Just one more thing to do – get a photo with Debbie for my mum!

And off Erin and I went to get some Pimm’s (more about that tomorrow).  Read more about Debbie’s London here.

for the love of… london

Sometimes when I am working on location, I just take my iPhone to capture the ambience instead of my very heavy camera.  Sometimes I reget not having my “real” camera but sometimes it just helps me to feel free and unencumbered.  I try out a lot of photo apps for iPhone and while in London last year, I had some fun with Pocketbooth.  This app mimics a photobooth by taking a photo every so many seconds so it is a challenge in public places to get what you want.  Probably people thought I was a bit mad running around with my iPhone at arm’s length to get the photos on time.

So hope you enjoy a little bit of London from my rambles around the city . . . I know I loved every minute of wandering around Bloomsbury, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace & eating some great fish and chips and drinking some more you guessed it . . . Pimm’s!

for the love of… london