Shabby Brocante storage crate...

I love these wooden crates, they're great for stacking and storing and the possibilities for transforming them are endless. In a previous post I showed you how I 'shabbied' and 'Frenchied' some to use in my kitchen to store boring things like kitchen roll. They're really decorative and, if you're listening William Morris, they're useful AND beautiful - just what I Love My Home is all about! So here's the original crate...

halfway through the transformation...

and the finished article...now I've seen this on screen, I'm going to distress the lettering a little - the paint looks too fresh to me!

in this detail you can see the ribbons, heart buttons and a piece of stamped vintage silk ribbon I used...

and here's a later photo showing the crate with a little more distressing and, underneath, it's sister which I covered in paper for a different look...

and for fans of the furbabies, here's what they were doing whilst I was making pretty things...

Nice life huh?

London's Tower Bridge opens just for me!

well ok, that might be a slight exaggeration :)

A dear friend took me on a cruise along the Thames on a fabulous 

paddle cruiser and all the traffic had to stop on this iconic bridge while it was raised to let our boat pass underneath. What a privilege!

when we returned it was dark so all the buildings (including the Shard on the left) were illuminated...

apologies for the blurry photos, they were taken on my phone on a very wobbly boat but I thought they were worth sharing anyway..

Hope you like!

The 'Violette' box.....

I picked up this rather ugly box last week  mainly because it had a large top surface which I thought would take a graphic nicely...

here's the boring inside.......

...and here's the new outside. I'd decided, on a whim, to paint the inside violet and it started a whole theme. So I painted the design on the top....

a bit more detail...

and here's the inside in pretty violet with a lovely label from Karen over at the Graphics Fairy....

here's a close up of the pretty perfume label 'Parma Violets' from Grasse - perfect!

But it didn't stop there...I was on a floral theme by now and pulled out this little chest that I've been meaning to transform for ages - pretty dull right?

but look what some paint and wax and a graphic from lovely Karen over at the Graphics Fairy can do!

here's a shot of the lid, the label worked perfectly with the color and finish...

and why stop there? I added another little rose in a heart with a butterfly inside for a little surprise when you open the lid!

Hope you've enjoyed my floral themed post! Thanks for looking x

Excellent relationship advice.....

One of my favourite sayings is 'it's better to marry the 

right person at the wrong time than to marry the 

wrong person at the right time'. Don't fool yourself - 

you know, deep down, whether it's right or not.

I'm sharing this article I found because I think it hits 

the nail on the head, (and for 'marry' read 'whatever 

works for you'). 

Marcus Geduld, Teacher for 25 years; student for longer.

4100 votes by Mermer Ree, Kuldeep Kapade, Jane Huang, (more)

1. Marry your best friend.

I am truly amazed that I have the most successful marriage of all my friends -- going strong after fifteen years. Most of my friends are amazed, too, because, growing up, I was the geek who couldn't get a girlfriend. I had almost no relationships until I was in my mid twenties. I got married at 29. I'm now 45 and still deeply in love. Meanwhile, I have seen so many of my friends get divorces and/or grind their teeth through loveless, combative relationships.

What I've noticed about these people is that, 90% of the time, (a) they got married really young and (b) they mistakenly thought that long-term romances work best when when they're based entirely on lust and trivial shared tastes (e.g. "We both like the same bands.")

Sometimes, I hear people say things like, "I've been dating this guy for a year. We get along okay, but sometimes I think about leaving... How do I know if he's 'the one'?" This makes me really sad, because it's SO obvious to me that my wife is 'the one.' Why? Because she's my best friend. Whenever anything good or bad happens to me, she's the person I want to tell! When I need advice, she's the person I run to! When I need to laugh, she's the person I joke around with!

If you don't KNOW that the other person is 'the one,' he's not (or she's not). And though it SUCKS to be alone -- believe me, I know. I was alone for YEARS -- it's better than settling. DON'T settle. You'll STILL be alone. It is very possible to be alone while being in a relationship. Many people are.

(Let me be really clear about what I mean by "don't settle." I don't mean "look for someone who is perfect." No one is perfect. I mean that if you feel luke-warm about someone, he's not the one. If the person you're with makes you continually unhappy, she's not the one. Don't settle for THAT because "it beats being alone." It doesn't. You evolved to think it does. Your brain will continually tell you that it does. It doesn't.)

The other sad thing I hear is "Bill is my best friend. We have so much in common. He's always there for me. We talk for hours. I completely trust him and we have the exact same sense of humor ... but ... I don't know ... the spark isn't there..." 

When I hear this, I don't say anything, because it's none of my business, but I want to scream "GET OVER THIS 'SPARK' THING! STOP BELIEVING IN HOLLYWOOD VISIONS OF CATCHING SOMEONE'S EYE ACROSS A CROWDED ROOM! Jesus Christ! You found someone you connect with on SO many levels, and you're not getting down on your knees and proposing?!? Do you think you're going to find 30 more people like that in your life?!?" 

The "spark" doesn't last, anyway. I'm not saying that sex dies or anything. I'm just saying that incredibly exciting, new romance feeling inevitably fades. But, if you're lucky, what comes next is much, much better. You spend years in that loving, warm place with the person you know you want to grow old with. And if you have good communication with someone, the spark can come later, even if it's not there at first. 

Lots of people seem to learn this after a long time and a lot of pain. They marry the "bad boy" or the "hot chick" instead of their best friends, because doing so is more exciting. Then those marriages -- which are based on nothing -- fail. Sometimes, if these people are lucky, they later marry those best friends who they should have married in the first place. If they're unlucky, they can't, because the best friends have moved on.

Vintage as Therapy!

I feel I'm finally get a little strength and movement in my broken elbow - well it's only been three and a half months :(  So today I went a little bit mad and got back into my workroom...

This mirror is one of the few things I chose to keep when my Mum died and I've always love the design but not the colour. It's only some kind of resin so I wasn't worried about ruining some Renaissance masterpiece as I started to paint!

I dabbed it on anyhow and added some water and PVA glue to the mix, then dried it super fast with my hairdryer to create a few cracks and make it look aged, added some clear and dark wax and bingo!

here it is on my matching French Rococo bed. This bed was my first auction buy and painting project from years ago and I still love it!

Anyway, I was so impressed with myself that I got the sewing machine out and made this ticking apron for my friend Helen who's a chef. It has her initials on it but I couldn't figure out how to flip the photo - doh!

 All in all, I'm rather pleased with myself! Maybe we should have 'Vintage' on the NHS as physical and mental therapy?

Beautiful Edinburgh........

.....thought you might enjoy a few atmospheric photos of my recent trip to Edinburgh, starting with the fabulous castle looming out of the fog high above the city.........

the beautiful Gothic architecture is a feature of the city.....

.....the castle was built on an extinct volcano making it both impressive and almost impossible to besiege....

...it overshadows everything in this city of tall, thin buildings...

...and here is the story of 'Greyfriars Bobby' the Skye Terrier who kept a vigil at his master's grave...

...immortalised in a statue outside the pub bearing his name...and also, I believe, by a certain Mr W. Disney.....

Greyfriars Kirkyard (Churchyard) is a wonderful collection of monuments and mausoleums (mausolea?) remembering the great and good of Edinburgh society, with stories of those lost at sea, victims of disease or lost in infancy. It also contains 'mortsafes' which are iron enclosures where coffins could be stored until decomposition had set in and rendered the bodies useless to grave robbers who would sell fresh corpses to anatomists for dissection!

Finally, where would we be without a bit of 'vintage'?

Here is a beautiful medieval door that I couldn't resist...

thanks for joining me on my trip to Edinburgh....see you soon!

Handmade and Vintage Fair.....

Wow, another fun filled, action packed weekend at the Milton Keynes Handmade and Vintage Fair!  We set up on Friday night after the shoppers had gone home.......

...and worked from 9am to 7pm on Saturday and 10.30am to 5pm on Sunday, then took any remaining stock home. Tired out and eating my dinner by 8.30pm, bed by 10pm! MLH did all the driving and lifting and then went straight back to work on Monday morning poor thing!

We had a really successful time, selling most of our stock, with customers buying consistently throughout the two days - no quiet patches. In fact we had to restock on Sunday morning to fill the gaps! It was great therapy for me to be back with the girls, Sharon from Shabby Polka Dots, Suzanne from Hearts n Kisses, Diane from Teatotal Handmade and Katie from Katiekid - much more fun that physio and far less painful.... thanks girls.

Check out their websites for some great items.

latest makeover.....

i bought this little chest years ago because i liked the shape, gilding and detailing but the colour really never went with my scheme, and then a couple of bits fell off so i decided the time was right for a makeover........

so out came the 'old white' ASCP and some crackle glaze...

and a lovely image from the Graphics Fairy - thanks once again Karen, what would we do without you?

i used the freezer paper method to transfer: printing in reverse on the paper mounted on card and then burnishing the image onto a slightly damp surface. i did this in a post about a deco sewing box a couple of posts ago if you want to see more details.

after a light distressing and some dark wax, here she is...

ta dah!

a much better match for my colour scheme and seen here on my new linen knole sofa - loving it!

it's my vintage birthday!

well, it's been an eventful few years with lots of change and challenges but i've made it through to another birthday! my 55th - boooo! 

ageing sucks but it's better than the alternative and after my recent experiences i'm glad to be as fit as i am (which is not very, but improving). i can't wait to be able to get back to yoga and nordic walking and just ordinary things like housework - well, maybe not housework......

here's my favourite card of the day...

and here's my present!

i know some women want jewellery but i couldn't resist this...

with all it's shabby detail...

and room for my lovely old books....

and my quilts - lovely.......!

have a lovely day everyone, and even if it's not your birthday, every day's a special day if you choose it to be! i've just reread this and it sounds sooooo cheesy but i think you know what i'm trying to say - attitude is everything x

why i'm thankful....

for the less squeamish amongst you, here are the latest 'snaps' (oooh poor choice of wording perhaps....) of my shattered elbow

i am still unable to do much but....

i have started to take more control and...

found myself a very good physiotherapist who holds out more hope for my recovery than the surgeons do.....

so...yes it's painful and tedious but i feel lucky to have these options to choose from...

...and a positive mental attitude is everything in life...

so i am practicing 'reframing' - taking negative thoughts and turning them into positives...

...not always easy to find the positives but...

i have had wonderful support from my husband and his parents, and friends have been amazingly supportive both emotionally and practically - both so important....

here is more reframing to keep me in practice.....

have a happy, healthy day and be thankful!

Thought for the day...

...being housebound has given me a new perspective on my husband's life as he leaves each day for his commute into London, especially as he returns each evening to cook, clean and do all the things i would normally have done.

we both like inspirational quotes so i often text or email a little thought to him to let him know i am thinking of him and appreciating his efforts... 

today i collected lots of quotes and folded them into an old preserving jar with the label 'thought for the day'...

as he leaves each morning he can choose a thought...it will be interesting to see if they are relevant to the day ahead...

btw, i photographed the jar against an artwork/pin board i am working on to use in my work room. it's based on one of my favourite books: 'Rebecca'

Good advice to remember...

i haven't posted much lately as i still can't work due to my injuries so i'm surfing a lot (and i mean a lot!). i found this lovely piece on facebook and felt that a lot of it spoke to me at the moment...does it speak to you too?



Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. 

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.



12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget. 

27. What other people think of you is none of your business. 

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come...

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."