Christmas present...

...stop press!! my lovely friend Linda has just emailed me to say her Siamese cat Florence has had FIVE Christmas kittens this afternoon - now that's what I call a Christmas present!

Wintry poems...

I shared a couple of my favourite poems the other day and I was inspired to add some images to them...

The image below came via Greige interiors website which I follow and love...

hope you enjoy...

Oh Christmas Tree....

...now I have a blog I have a chance to share my Christmas tree with others! I always have a white dove at the top and, although you can never see him, nestled inside the branches is a tiny white cherub which is all I have left of my childhood Christmas ornaments. One of my very few Christmas traditions is to always make sure he is near the top of the tree. The little sign says 'may your Christmas be bright and full of delight' and Father Christmas is at the base of the tree...

...and just because I love vintage, here is a sepia version of the photo....

Merry Christmas one and all!

I love this time of year...

...I know it's easy to get fed up with the cold/rain/wind etc but I love the fact that the world is slowing down and going to sleep ready for next Spring. It reminds me to slow down too and notice what's around me. The other day I drove through the woods and saw herds of beautiful deer cropping the frosty grass and, in the midst of them, a fox trotting along purposefully. I love living in the country and seeing the seasons change - it feeds the soul...

Here are two of my favourite poems which make me think of walking in the woods at this time:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost

keep warm!

a little teaser....

I often forget to take 'before' photos, so here's my next project in its raw state. It doesn't look much at the moment but I think it'll look spectacular when it's finished and given a little of the 'I Love My Home' magic! 'After' pics coming soon....

If you like what you see.....

If you would like to discuss or buy anything you've seen on the blog please email me at  kerry.ellins@btinternet.com

At the moment I do not offer a delivery service but I Love My Home is easily accessible from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire and collection can be arranged to suit your needs. And, after all, you will have something unique to take home with you!

Just go to the 'What's in Stock' button on the right of this page ->

Christmas is coming...

...I picked up this really nasty, dirty, gloss painted doll's bed and wardrobe not sure I could really do anything with them, but - thanks to the Graphics Fairy - 

...here they are!  So cute and ready for some lucky little child's Christmas stocking

...then I got in the Christmas mood and made these decorations from bits and pieces I had...

...then I got REALLY in the mood and went back to my childhood with glitter and glue...

..at least it's a good way to use up old pot pourri cones that have lost their scent! See you soon

The 'Suzanne' cupboard....

...named in honour of Suzanne Hearts'n'Kisses (check her out on Facebook) who found this lovely cupboard and knew it had my name on it!

I used crackle glaze and lots of clear, dark and then clear again wax to bring out the crackles and grain 

and added a French gilt handle that I salvaged off something else and knew would come in handy!

here it is halfway through and here's a detail of the top complete with crackles

(I'm in love with crackle glaze!)

and here it is before I started, looking a bit sad ...

Hope you like it! Let me know

Ready for the next project...

.... well, here we go, my contract has finished in London, MLH starts a new job in January and I have cleared the decks for my next big project. I have chosen to give up my therapy business of twenty-something years and to concentrate on making more of I Love My Home. I don't make plans, partly because they never seem to turn out the way I expected and partly because I like the spontaneity that life brings, so I don't know how it will develop yet - but that's the exciting part!

Last week I looked at a 16th Century farmhouse for sale. This is it, I thought, perfect timing for a new start. Holes in the thatched roof and rotting timbers were a slight concern (!) but when I saw the two inglenook fireplaces and vaulted, beamed ceilings I could see the bares bones of a beautiful home. It was very dirty and neglected and I know it would have been a money pit but I was still disappointed when the estate agent told me an offer had been accepted and it was off the market - booooo! I'll just have to keep the faith and hope my house is out there somewhere waiting for me to love it and make it beautiful...

Just between us - and don't tell anyone I showed you - here are a couple of sneaky pics of the farmhouse...

given some love and care, these could be gorgeous!

Hey ho - I'll keep looking...

Counting the days....

....my contract in London will finish soon and I will miss working in the heart of things, walking through the parks, past Buckingham Palace and into Westminster. I WON'T miss the tube trains, the bewildered tourists and being tired all the time! However, I've met some lovely people and feel really grateful for the opportunity - something I didn't think I get again at my age! It's also been a great insight into what MLH does in his work and proved to us that we can work really well together and have fun doing it.

Soon I will be able to concentrate fully on I Love My Home and producing more lovely, unique accents and furnishings for the home and I can hardly wait. I've got lots of projects lined up so keep watching and I'll keep blogging!

All the info...

...I got this really cool banner made to use at the vintage fairs. It's got loads of info and a QR code on it!

MK Handmade and Vintage Fair....

... wow what a great couple of days, loads of fun with the girls, huge thanks to MLH (My Lovely Husband) who provided muscle, sales technique, driving, a sense of humour and a great line in lattes.
We virtually sold out of all the furniture we took and people were almost mugging me for the vintage printers' trays I took as an afterthought - only one left! As ever, hard work but tons of fun, and a great boost to my confidence that people like my ideas enough to part with hard cash for them!