I Love My Home in print...

I'm thrilled that I Love My Home has been featured in MK Pulse magazine as an example of the upcycled goodies available at Afterglow of Olney....

Olney is a lovely town with lots of opportunities for antiqueing, shopping, eating etc and the Cowper and Newton Museum.

I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of Afterglow which features items that are all from local designer/makers and are handmade, vintage or upcycled. So far it has been a great success and has given me even more opportunity to indulge my favourite hobbies of searching out unloved items and then recreating them as lovely home accents. 

Incidentally, the pretty sewing box featured in the article above (and in my last post) has been sold. It's always a lovely feeling when somebody likes an item (and what I've done with it) as much as I do!

Before and after transformations....

I'm not very good at remembering to take 'before' shots of my work so here are a few just to show what can be done with brown furniture...first a pretty little sewing box 

But just look at her now...Paris Grey inside, Bath Stone outside, new (vintage) brass acorn handles and a beautiful botanical Toile de Jouy on the padded lid

next is the Louis cabinet...I think someone had already given this a weird kind of makeover, but with some Old White paint and several layers of crackle glaze, more paint, wax, more wax etc...

now fit to grace a boudoir in a chateau somewhere near you!

and finally, a very plain 1930s sewing box, useful, clean and tidy but  sooooo boring...bring on the paint finish, transfer some vintage images and add a tape measure for good luck and you have...

a sweet little item that's both beautiful and useful (chanelling my inner William Morris once again!)

If you like what you see, the Louis cabinet is in my area at Afterglow of Olney (www.afterglow-originals.com for details) and the two sewing tables will be there soon.

Thanks for looking!

Antique linens and foxgloves........

I've been so busy lately preparing items for the Milton Keynes Vintage Market and the opening of Afterglow of Olney, that I had built up a pile of sewing that I wanted to get on with. So today I spent a happy few hours with my trusty shears and sewing machine making cushions for my own home....

I used some beautiful monogrammed French linens and you may remember the angel image from a previous post. This time I printed it directly onto fabric and appliqued it to a cushion cover -voila!

It's been a beautiful day here so I thought I ought to have some outdoor time too...

The garden is looking stunning at the moment and among the stars are these wonderful foxgloves....

I couldn't resist sharing with you...x

Tomorrow's the BIG DAY!

Last night I attended the preview evening of Afterglow of Olney. I can tell you a great time was had by all and the items on offer are so varied and lovely that you'll be sure to find the perfect gift for anyone 

(or even yourself!)...

Olney is a wonderful shopping destination with a growing reputation for galleries, interior design ideas and gifts. Also there are wonderful antique shops, bistros and delicatessans, and all set in such a pretty location with plenty of parking...

here are a few of the items from I Love My Home

(photographs courtesy of the lovely Sharon Mackenzie)

Afterglow opens tomorrow 14th June 2014...

see more on their website:

www.afterglow-originals.com

See you there!

Something from nothing.....

I never like to throw anything away and my workshop is full of odds and ends waiting to become useful again...

This piece of wood was actually the bottom of an old birdcage which I took apart so that it would fit on the beams in my bedroom (more of that in another post to come). Anyway I looked at it the other day and realised it would stand up on it's own like a little easel so I created a double sided piece of artwork featuring two of my favourite things: angels and 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier.

Angel photo courtesy of Karen at the Graphics Fairy

and I scanned my vintage copy of 'Rebecca' and singed the edges to reflect the ending of the book...

Might not be to everyone's taste but it works beautifully in my newly transformed bedroom...

Latest I Love My Home Collection.....

well, it's nearly that time again...the Milton Keynes Vintage Fair will roll back into town on 7th and 8th June and we'll be there. This time we are one row back from the central entrance of John Lewis, easy to find and right in the thick of it!

And here are just some of the lovely treasures I've been sourcing for you...

what about this stunning trunk in original condition ? these are sooo hard to find now. It is initialed and covered in wonderful labels...

what stories could it tell? Perhaps it went off to boarding school filled with tuck??

At the last show I had a pair of painted and printed suitcases and they were so popular I produced a couple in a similar style...

Here's a lovely wooden rocking horse for some lucky little person

and a doll's cot with angelic decoupage...

How about a vintage sewing box with lovely gold interior trim? I painted this with Autentico Venice paint for a lovely soft vintage look ... come and see what you think...

If you like this style, have a look at the previous post and see other lovelies coming to the Fair with me!

Remember, you don't have to buy - although I can't guarantee you won't be sorely tempted! Just come and say hello and browse the fabulous variety of handmade and vintage goods on offer.

See you there x

I'm loving Angels...

In my last post I featured a beautiful angel print that my friend Deborah already snapped up, well... amongst my hunt for unusual and lovely things for the new I Love My Home collection I found these two lovely old prints

aren't they just beautiful? I'm going to clean and mend their frames and put them back together for the next Vintage Fair at Central Milton Keynes on 7th and 8th June.

 The imagery of angels seems to resonate with so many people so I hope my customers will like them...

Goodies galore!

well, we're getting close to the next huge Vintage Fair at Milton Keynes (7th and 8th June so save the date!) and I've been scouring all my usual haunts for lovely and unusual finds to bring you as the new I Love My Home collection. Here are just a few...

I don't normally do artwork because what people like is so subjective but I couldn't resist 'The Gay Photographer' below...

Unfortunately the bright sun today has bleached out my photo, it's much better in reality and I love the fact that the song apparently has an 'imitation banjo accompaniment' whatever that is? I hope other people will see the humour in this too...

then I found this gorgeous print 'Through Faith to Light' which my lovely friend Deborah has already snapped up - clever girl!

Next was 'A Ray of Hope' a fabulous Victorian rendering of a shipwrecked sailor and child waving a tattered Union flag to signal an approaching ship - dramatic stuff. This is a wonderful, large framed and glazed print and I really hope someone will love it...

It wouldn't be a Vintage Fair without a doll's pram and here's a really cute one...

Followed by a pair of gorgeous shabby crates, perfect for storage or as end tables...

and this adorable little suitcase with a wonderful pointsettia interior...

last one for today is this fab metal trunk, sturdy, tidy and great as a coffee table with loads of built in storage...

Loads more to come so keep watching! x

Finishing touches for the living room...

life has been pretty chaotic lately, we have builders knocking down walls, gutting bathrooms etc so everything lies under a thick layer of dust and the furbabies have been shut out of the way which hasn't impressed them at all....

At least we have a fairly functional living room, albeit under a layer of dust, so I've shut myself into my workroom to produce a few finishing touches...

Here are some cushions I made using a Laura Ashley fabric called 'Rockpool'. I cut out the designs and appliqued them onto some thick linen and I'm really liking the result...

What do you think? I like the way they blend in with my artwork and colour scheme. I have a large piece of the co-ordinating wallpaper too so I could make some smaller framed images for the walls...and speaking of coral themed artwork...

I found these prints at good old Ikea and framed them in some very reasonable frames already painted in a lovely greige. They'll add a little colour and pick up the tones of the fireplace bricks, at least until I paint them white (there's an ongoing battle about this between MLH and me because he likes the red brick and I don't!)

BTW I'm loving my new French style louvre shutters - just seen in the background.

Hopefully I'll soon be able to post some before and after shots of the building work. Have a good day :) x

Two little cuties...

How do you like these two little cutie patooties?

A vintage Triang tricycle - hands up if you're old enough to remember these, maybe you even had one (I had a scooter and spent many happy hours scooting up and down the pavement outside the house!)...

... and a darling little doll's pram...look at the curly bits on the handle and different sized wheels...it's so cute.

For the record I loved my doll's pram and I used to push my poor cat up and down the garden in it!

Here's the photographic evidence of me about to commit the terrible deed...

I've looked at this photo hundreds of times and I've only just realised I can see my late Mum's reflection in the window, my goodness this is turning into a trip down memory lane!

Anyway, back to business...these two sweeties will be coming with me to the MK Vintage Fair so come and see them for yourself - and see how I've turned out too - ha ha!

Latest goodies for the Vintage Fair........

Okay, here goes...I finally got round to taking some photos of a few of the items I am taking to the MK Handmade and Vintage Extravaganza on 1st and 2nd March.....it helped that the sun finally came out but I have been very bad at posting photos lately and, in my excitement to get going,  I still forget to take the 'before' shots so apologies!

here are two lovely, stylish storage solutions. I think they'd look great stacked in a corner or at the foot of the bed and they'd be perfect for books, DVDs, linens, out of season clothes etc.

This little pretty is a shabby sewing box with lovely curvy legs...

here's the inside...

and the design on the top...

and next a fabulous old chest for all your treasures...

with a seriously shabbied up interior...

I want to keep this one! a super blanket box on castors. I'm a sucker for stacking boxes full of linens and fabric stashes all over the house - they're just so beautiful!

and here's the design on top - this came out really well....

and now a piece of faded grandeur...a gorgeously ornate table finished in an old white over gilt....

look at the fabulous details, this one is really stunning - again, if I had the space I'd keep it!

and here's a different take on the occasional table, with metal legs and shelves underneath this would fit into most interiors...

and look at this dear little French lustre ware salt pot with a wooden lid - how sweet is this?

finally (for now anyway), is this huge wooden chest. This is a real heavyweight and I haven't decided how to finish it yet. So far all I've done is treat it for woodworm as it has a few old holes. There are no signs of active worm but it's always better to be safe rather than sorry.

here's the inside...it will be a really useful piece of furniture when it's finished so it's back to work for me!

and, of course, while I'm working the furbabies are taking it easy in their French style bed with a toile cushion - spoilt or what?

Do come along to the show on 1st and 2nd March, it's always a wonderful occasion with a great atmosphere and even if you don't buy anything you'll have a lovely time!