Green 'Farrow & Ball' paint obsession....

Bloggers, is it normal to be so obsessed with paint colours? The last photo of the 'green' door illustrates the depths of my obsession. I was driving along a lovely nearby village street with my mum (she was driving-as you know I can't drive, I tried and was truly rubbish) and spotted this beautiful Georgian house painted in the most gorgeous shade of Eggshell green. I made my mum pull over so I could photograph the colour, and then guiltily crept up to the actual door itself with my Farrow & Ball paintchart (which handily I always keep in my handbag for these such occasions) and to my relief made a perfect colour match-'Vert De Terre'-which our staircase is now being painted in as we speak.......by the way, if it was your house I photographed, I hope you don't mind...

I am especially obsessed with old-fashioned, murky greens-I love Farrow & Balls 'Cooking Apple Green'-our kitchen cupboards are painted in this, and 'Arsenic' which our big dresser is painted in. I'm always taking photos of windows and doors painted in lovely colours-'Fortnum and Masons' department store in London is painted in an especially elusive shade of spearminty green-blue, which I suspect is bespoke-and always want to ask the homeowners where they got their paint and what finish it is in! Very sad of me I know... Perhaps I'm in the wrong career...


The first two photos are of my £12 (it was originally £15 but I managed to beat the price down to £12 at the end of the day when they were packing up) Ardingly stool-again in a lovely, shabby pea-green colour which can't be found on the F&B paintchart! I love the cut-out shape on its top-you can see it more clearly in the shadow. It's definitely Eastern-European, about a 100 years old or more, and I love its simple, primitive shape. The men I bought it from had about seven of them, all similar, and I wish I'd bought another! They would make lovely bedside tables, or would look nice by a free-standing Victorian bath piled high with towels...
Right, think I'd better get back to painting the stairs (green of course)...have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend everybody...and let me know if you want any help choosing paint colours!!

Rugs, portraits and Budgie!

Hello Bloggers! Hope you are all enjoying your weekends! Once again, I have claimed my mum's laptop and have at last updated my blog!

Lots has been going on since I last got anywhere near a computer! We are now the owners of an 8 week-old Budgie boy, named in spectacularly unoriginal fashion 'Budgie'!

We didn't set out to acquire a Budgie at all-we were just ambling round a garden centre on a dull Sunday afternoon, and then I spotted him. I have never owned a bird before, (although Tom has) and didn't realise how endearing they are! Already, if I say 'up' to Budgie, he hops onto my finger and sits there quite happily! I'm going to attempt to teach him to talk-and to think I didn't know that Budgies come in such beautiful lilac colours....(I also didn't realise that Budgies are members of the Parrot family-so obvious now I think about it, especially as they are called Parakeets in the States!)

We also went to Ardingly Antique Fair on Tuesday. I have been saving up for it for ages, as it's the only one I'll be able to go to this year (luckily it fell in the Easter school holiday). I bought the little needlepoint Aubusson rug to hide the concrete hearth slab our console table sits on (there used to be a fireplace there). I also bought the two French oil portraits that are in the second photo-mainly because of the frames which are lovely and ornate, and very heavy! I think they date from about 1880 onwards. I also found a lovely shabby green stool, which reminds me of a woodcutters stool out of little Red Riding Hood-for the bargain price of £12! When we got tired later on I sat on it and had a coffee... And last but not least, a huge vintage bird cage for Budgie, because he has already outgrown his current one-I'll show you it when it's ready-it needs cleaning very thoroughly...(there was also this lovely retro chrome Budgie cage that hung on a stand that I liked, complete with one of those elasticated floral covers on the bottom -very Cath Kidston/Vera Duckworth- but Tom took one look at it and said no way-he just didn't appreciate its 'vintageness' and retro charm....

The weather there was gorgeous-I so love looking round, seeing what's there! I always say that if I had the choice between a week abroad or a day at Ardingly, I'd rather go to Ardingly-nothing to do with the fact that I hate flying....

Have a good week ahead everybody!

Hydrangeas and roses....

Hello Bloggers! At last it's Friday! I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Just wanted to show you this lovely bunch of silk hydrangeas, roses and peonies I got for Easter!

It's by Gisela Graham and is hand-tied with raffia and only cost £10 (which I think is quite good from the site www.numberonegiftshop.co.uk in case you are interested).

I can't ever have real flowers because Spider tries to chew them and always knocks them over in his haste. I end up with water everywhere! Plus these last forever and are quite colourful, yet still faded and vintagey looking!

They're on the table in my bedroom window, and have already been knocked over twice! Still, I never stay cross with Spider for long....

Enjoy your Friday everyone!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Bloggers! Hope you all have a lovely Easter weekend!
Just thought you might like to see how my cats are spending their Easter weekend-toasting themselves on the hot radiator.... well, it has been snowing here (for all of five minutes but still, I found it quite exciting-snow at Easter!!!).....
Hope your weather isn't quite as bad-it felt almost Christmassy here yesterday!

As you can see, I still cannot restore my blog properly, and get the comments back on-I am going to ask the I.T. technician at school if he can help! So, I'll just carry on blogging away to myself (it's weird not knowing if anyone is out there!!) whenever I can hijack a computer!!!! I really miss having access to my own computer and being able to blog regularly! So once again my apologies for not not visiting you all regularly like I used to, but I'll try and post a blog-post each week at school.

My poor camellias got a bit battered yesterday in the 'snow-blizzard' but they're hanging on for dear life! I love camellias, they're so colourful when the rest of the garden is still all grim and wintry! I've got seven different varieties in my garden, along with pink peonies they're my favourite flowers.

Enjoy your Easter weekend everybody! xx

Mohair dogs...and blog casuality..

Hi Bloggers! Hope you are enjoying your weekend! I am going on a school residential trip tomorrow for a week and am in the middle of packing-lots of thermals!!
Just wanted to show you a present I got for Tom! In the second photo you can see a card I recently gave Tom. And on it is an old mohair terrier, which he always said he wished was his! Well, I managed to track one down for him on Ebay, and I made him shut his eyes and hung it on his arm. He was so shocked when he saw it-he said he thought I'd bought him a walking stick, which I'd hung on his arm!! Nearly all his mohair is worn away, but he still has his glass eyes and a wonky nose!!

As you may have noticed, I have suffered a blog casuality! I was trying to change my blog template and nearly lost the whole blog! Not a good idea for someone who hasn't even mastered adding proper links in yet! It still isn't fixed properly, all my settings are gone and the comments link has totally vanished! I've tried to get them back, by going into the dashboard and selecting the right comment choices but they're still not appearing!! I wonder if anyone else has had this problem recently? When I get back, I will see if I can salvage my blog, I'm even having problems logging in, it keeps saying my browser functionality is disabled?!! Whatever that means? It has definitely gone beyond my IT capabilities.....

Anyway, enjoy your weekends, I will see you all when I get back! xx

Happy Valentine's Day..

Velvety chairs...

Getting cosy...spotty dressing gown...

My favourite wall-lights..

Vintage Noddy egg cups...

I just wanted to show you a Christmas present I found for my sister Kate-vintage Noddy 1950's wooden egg cups!!

Pretty bathroom...

Hello Bloggers! A few photos of my mums bathroom..

Etched window..

Just thought you might like to see the shabby old window Tom bought me at Ardingly last week. It's made of oak with lovely etched glass-it looks as though it came from above a Parisian bistro (or at least that's what I like to imagine...) It was only £20 and the light blue paint perfectly matches the French shutters below it! The cloche sits on the conservatory dresser, it's wedged underneath so the cats don't knock it off! It was a TK Maxx bargain (wonder why it's called TJ Maxx in the States?) and was £7!

Books in my kitchen..

My favourite sights of Florence...and Home Sweet Home!

It's good to be home...we had a lovely, but very exhausting time in Florence! We were very unlucky with the weather-it poured down with rain the whole time we were there! In fact, it was so cold, that on the first day, we went straight off to the market and bought sheepskin mittens, scarves and berets to wear! And would you believe it, my mum, sister and I were sooo cold that we each bought quilted Puffa coats to wear-a bargain from a cheap shop for 7 Euros each!! I did not take mine off the entire trip-so much for being elegantly dressed in Florence lol!!!

I also really loved the painted glass shop signs that were to be seen everywhere-the one above Coronas Cafe was one of my favourites. The little 3-wheeler yellow car was one of our jokes when we were there- we kept on seeing it everywhere, and because I can't drive, my sister was saying it would be the ideal car for me being battery powered! Everytime we saw it, she'd exclaim "Oh look, there's Sophie's Car!!!!"

Sadly, not all of my photos came out-I am not skilled at using the flash on my digital camera, so that explains the lack of photos of the more 'traditional' touristy sights of Florence-but I figured you've all probably seen photos of inside the Duomo et al before!! I was really disappointed that my night-time shots of the river didn't come out-it was sooo beautiful, even in the rain!!

p.s. this is just a note to Margaret from Australia who emailed me asking for photos of the Practical Magic style kitchen featured in the January 2000 edition of Victoria magazine! Unfortunately, I don't have a scanner else I would scan and send them to you-can anyone else help? Also Margaret, you didn't include an email address so I couldn't email you back! I have one photo on my blog of the actual Practical Magic kitchen sent to me by Genevieve, wasn't sure if you saw that? Hope that helps!

Bye-bye Tom!!!

Bits on my dressing table and 'must have' items!!

Addicted to lace....

Creepy cats and sleepy cats....

The Green Door and Autumn changes...

The Virginia Creeper (at least, I think that's what it is) is just turning a beautiful, purple-red colour, and the last few apples on my tree have become a gorgeous rosy, scarlet red.

By the way, the last photo taken in my conservatory shows off the new cat flap. Yes-that miniature green door is in fact a fully working, hinged cat-flap!! Tom made it with some wood leftover from when he was making the kitchen; it even has skirting boards (baseboards?) with a tiny mouse-hole cut in!! It had to be up that high because of the damp-proof course, hence the little ledge, and there is a step on the other side too, so they can clamber down.

Enjoy your Sunday Bloggers!

I'm so grit-full.....grits and gifts from the USA!

Halloween decorations..

Chandeliers in my home...

Would you like that well-done or medium rare?

WARNING!!!!! The following blog post contains images that some may find severely disturbing...

Yes, in direct contrast to my last sugary post, these photos are altogether of a more 'disturbing' nature. I am merely sharing with you the sight that I witnessed this morning, when I went downstairs to make my morning cup of tea, and am not condoning his shameful behaviour in any shape or form.

There sat my cat in the frying pan, looking it has to be said, rather comfortable and pleased with himself!

Bloggers, let me assure you this is not a regular occurrence in my household. This is, as far as I know, the first and only time I hope to come across this spectacle. I cannot and do not want to imagine why exactly he took it upon himself to sit in a cold, and highly uncomfortable frying pan. But, being the prepared blogger that I now am, my camera was on-hand with batteries charged, and I must confess I clicked away for a good few minutes before I shooed him out!!! I just couldn't stop myself...

Now, I realise that some of you may be so traumatised by this very unhygienic sight that you disown me and my blog altogether. But, just to reassure you, I did throw away the pan (which was a well past it's sell-by date Teflon affair ) and firmly chastise Spider. Not that he seemed too bothered. Maybe, he was deliberately trying to scupper my new plans to learn how to cook? He does know me rather too well .....

See you again soon...please?

Don't tell me to get out, or I'll stick my tongue out at you!!

Polly and Michelle's yellow rose-themed blog day...

For hands that don't do dishes...dishwasher transfers..

The latest home decorating project...

Good morning Bloggers! Bet you are all glad it's the weekend!
Just thought I'd show you the new home of my favourite CK cushions! Which brings us nicely onto the topic of our new home project (and it's a big one!!)- the hallway!!

Yes-at long last we are tackling our hideous hallway!! Actually, it's not hideous at all, but it is hideous because of a legacy 'kindly' left behind by the previous occupants of our house- a sludgy, spinach-green carpet that unfortunately also extends into our dining-room. So now you know why you've never seen my hallway or dining-room before... I wince every time I step into our hallway, and every time somebody pays us a visit, I quickly tell them that the carpet was not my choice!!!!

An angel at my table...

Hello Bloggers! Hope you have all had a good week so far!
I've had a very manic day today, and I still feel slightly crazed and confused even after several cups of tea!

Retro coffee machine..

Cats in bed....

Wedding ring quilts..

New kitchen.....part one...

Sorry Bloggers...me again! I don't think I've ever managed 3 posts in one day before...but I've lots to catch you up on!!

I am now the proud owner of wall cupboards... I have been patiently waiting for these for just under a year, so please excuse my understandable excitement over these finished works of art...lol!!!



It looks so different from the oak kitchen that was there when we moved in. The dark oak made the kitchen look very gloomy, so the light green painted cupboards make a huge difference.

Right, I've bored you enough today bloggers...have a wonderful week!!!

New kitchen...part two

I have kitchen cupboards-yay!!!
As you can see, the paint is hardly dry and already I'm taking photographs of everything! But, I so love this built-in larder cupboard! It has folding back doors with piano hinges, so you can fold these doors right back if you want to display everything that's in the cupboards. Don't think I'll be doing that for a while...

What a pick me up....

My blogging friend Polly sent me a gorgeous parcel from America and to my excitement it arrived today! Polly knows from my previous posts that I love the colour aqua, and came across a beautiful vintage jewellery box that is almost exactly the same colour as my french chandelier!

Staying in bed....

It's Friday again Bloggers...and I'm ill! I have that scratchy sore throat, pounding headache and earache!
It's typical because the weather forecast for this weekend is 'welcome back summer!!' Did we ever have a summer here in the U.K.? If we did, it bypassed me!

Dreaming of Holland....

Good morning everybody! Hope you are all having a lovely week!
The first two photos are of a little vintage toy shop I fell in love with. It looked like something out of an Enid Blyton book! Those gingham curtains! The jar of sweets in the window and the wicker baskets! I'm dying to go back again!!


The next photo is of a typically Dutch antique shop, I just loved the way it's painted, and the cafe curtains on the top windows.

Apples, roses, spiders and worms....

Isn't it funny how many of us have said how tricky we find the word verifications found on some blogs! Some of them, I am sure are physically impossible to figure out! It's crazy! Those grey fuzzy ones are migraine inducing too! Maybe we can complain about them on health grounds...

Lastly, thought I'd show you the new present my mum gave me-it's the cute Laura Ashley apple doorstop! I love it-although it's quite a departure from their recent trends of late. I love the green polka-dot fabric worm sticking out of the apple-a nice finishing touch I thought...

Frogs, cats and robots....

Pastel-coloured houses....

Hi everybody, hope you are all having a lovely weekend! I have spent lots of time today in the garden, so I thought it would be fun to show you yet another 'before and after' shot! This time, it's the garden shed!

When we moved into our house, everywhere was totally immaculate, but just not to our taste. For some reason, I really hated the colour of the wooden shed! That horrible orange-coloured woodstain clashed with the green shutters. So, one sunny Sunday, we repainted it with a tin of masonry paint leftover from when we painted the exterior of my first little lilac house (the one in the previous post)

Greens...

Have you noticed the abundance of greens that there were in my old house? Downstairs every room was a different shade of green. Just like Fortnum & Masons.....

Breakfast at Fortnums...

Laura Ashley lampshade....

Hello everybody! Hope you are all having a good week so far!

Just wanted to show you my new Laura Ashley lampshade! It's the one in the first two photos, and I love it! It is made of a gorgeous champagne coloured pleated chiffon, with black velvet ribbon trim, and black velvet polka-dots! It's much nicer in person (can a lampshade be a person?) and it looks really 'vintagey' and a bit Parisian, I think! I always think Laura Ashley sell lovely lampshades though, does anyone else agree? Do they sell them in the States, I wonder?

I will probably get a new lampbase for it in time, but I'll wait till I see the perfect one! It's from the new Autumn/Winter catalogue, and I had to order it because already they were sold out and had none in stock! Maybe it's going to be a best-seller!!

The third photo shows one of my dining-room wall lights. I have these in the alcoves around my chimneybreast. Underneath is a sample of wallpaper I have been deliberating about for over a year! My plan is to just wallpaper either the chimneybreast, or the alcoves in it! But, I just can't decide whether to or not, which is most unlike me! It's a beautiful archive wallpaper by Zoffany called 'Nostell Priory'. It's an exact copy of one found in the stately home called 'Nostell Priory', and it's very 'chinoiserie' in style. It comes in several beautiful colours, but I prefer the pale green version. It has gorgeous peonies and branches all over it. So until I decide, the sample can stay there.. Funnily