Friday 24 February 2012

SNOWDROPS








Well, we are coming to the end of February next week and we simply couldn't move on without a little nod to the lovely Snowdrop!


As I was searching for a bit of colour the other day I remembered the little patch of Snowdrops we have in the cottage garden. It's quite sad actually because I seldom visit this bit of the garden as over the last few years it has become a storage ground for the builders, my lovely pond has been replaced by a huge mound of stone and the whole area resembles some kind of bomb site!


I think at some point in the coming months I will do a post and take a few photographs so we can do a before and after! 


Anyway, as a homage to the Snowdrop our wallpaper is changing and I have taken a few photos to inspire you for the weekend!







The little snowdrop vase above has been in our family for as long as I can remember, as a child I used to collect snowdrops from the garden for my mum, I also remember buying her bunches of snowdrops from a local florist...that's something I haven't seen for years!



There are lots of Snowdrop gardens to visit around the country, Hodstock Priory in Nottinghamshire has five acres of formal gardens and 12 acres of Snowdrop covered woodland...I think I might try and fit in a visit before they disappear! X



Thursday 23 February 2012

BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES!!








A quick product alert!


I bought this journal the other week from Paperchase I have a bit of a 'thing' for note books, I actually buy them even though I don't need them and although this sounds weird I often keep them for years before I use them! 
As you can imagine I have quite a stash!!


My friend Lorna has this very same illness we decided some years ago that it was probably called 'only child syndrome', her husband Rob actually wrote in one of her note books once and nearly tipped her over the edge!! HOW VERY DARE HE!!


Anyway, I just couldn't resist these beautiful butterflies!! X





LOVELY HELLEBORES








The weather has been awful here for days, grey sky, rain and mist rolling over the top of the moor, so in need of a bit of colour I threw on my wellies and ventured into the garden. 
Obviously there isn't too much going on outside at present a few bulbs reluctantly peeping their heads through the soil here and there and obviously the 'crazy' little snowdrops who love a bit of cold!!

I headed off to a little spot in the garden where the Hellebores grow, and never to disappoint there they were, their hardy little flowery faces nodding in the wind. 
There are so many varieties of Hellebore and I'm not even sure what type mine are, but the damson coloured flowers are there year after year.

They are most deffinately an outside plant but at this time of year I often buy a new plant just to keep inside the house for a couple of weeks and when it's time and you can really tell when it's time I pop it back outside into the garden.

So, in need of the colour I decided to cut one of the flowers and put it in this lovely vase, I actually bought this vase at this time last year in Le Marais and knew it would be perfect for a Hellebore bloom!





I took this photograph last year on the same trip to Paris, unfortunately I only had my phone to take a picture with so my mission is to go back and take one with the SLR! 
Lovely Hellebores in pots!

And just for you Lesley if you're reading..."Oooooh I love Paris!!!" X




Wednesday 22 February 2012

JANET'S RAG RUG!









Being a designer means that you seem to attract similar like minded people as friends and you become a magnet for 'designer types' !


These 'designer types' always have a new idea or a new project that they are working on and in this section of the blog we are going to show you what they have been up to! 
A showcase for us to champion their talents and creativity!


It appears that there are craft classes popping up all over the country, everything from 'knit and natter' to quilting, rag rugging and stained glass making to name but a few. 
A friend of ours decided to join one of these very classes, two hours a week on a Friday afternoon and only £8.00 a year to learn a craft and drink tea! Perfect!!


So, Janet wanted to make a rag rug! Most people undertaking a new skill or craft would probably start on a small scale but not Janet she had a very specific mission to replace the old rug in her lovely bathroom, the thing was that this rug measured 115cm x 160cm...and so the labour of love began!...


Janet's rag rug...it started it's life back in September 2011 and this basket is where it lives until it is completed and reaches its final destination on the bathroom floor!


The hessian areas are the bits that need to be completed...


It all starts here with hessian which you can get for about £2.50 a meter from a fent shop or local market. To calculate how much hessian you need decide on your finished size of rag rug and then add about 5cm all the way around for turning and finishing.


Then your chosen colours of scrap fabrics, these can be old t-shirts, scarves or basically any old clothes or fabric that is non fraying.
Then all you do is chop them up into strips 2cm x 6.5cm and then you are ready to go! 
Oh, and you will need one of these... 'Rag Rugger' tools.


The technique is quite simple, you push the tip of the tool through the hessian
and clip it to one of your strips...

Then you pull the strip back through the loop of hessian and centralise it, this process is repeated in lines around your rug.



The picture below shows what the reverse of the rag rug should look like!


So, we will end this post with a picture of this lovely rag rug now it has been thrown into the limelight the pressure is on for Janet to push on and complete
it...don't worry though we are going to keep an eye on its progress and report back on how it is coming along!!! X

JANET'S LOVELY RAG RUG!



GREY - GET THE LOOK









Sometimes it helps when things are put together for you so we thought that we would bring all the information together from our 'Going All Dutch' post and help you to recreate the look for yourself!

One of the hardest things is deciding on the right colours and the right finish so we have chosen a palette from Farrow & Ball

Farrow & Ball paints are perfect to recreate this grey colour scheme, the paints are manufactured using quality and naturally occurring pigments that  give a real depth to the overall finish, their paints still contain chalk, Lime Putty and Clay and are also eco friendly.

*CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

SHOPPING LIST:


1. Candle sticks - by Little Red Heart available from Not On The Highstreet.com

2. lighting - Chandelier - India Jane . Rustic lantern - Re-found Objects

3. Throws - Bronte
4. Furniture & general accessories - Eastburn Country Furniture

5. Floor tiles - Fired Earth

6. Paint - Farrow & Ball

*CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE




Happy decorating! X