On the 3rd Day of Christmas....

My Santa gave to me:

Gorgeous papers from 2 collections that I love. The film strip paper is Shimelle's Goodfield paper and the floral one is Basic Grey Spice Market. Thank you Santa :)

Advent Time - Yay!

It's that time of the year again and my advent swap parcel looks so festive. Thank you very much Santa Sandra for going to so much effort. It looks beautiful:

How cute is the little buckle? It works too and I am under strict instructions to reseal it each day to discourage poking and cheating :)

Day 1: I was very spoilt with ginger chocolates (my favourites), a stitch-able journalling sheet, white pen, very pretty advent calendar card and a sheet of real cork just the right thickness for die cutting. I've never seen these before and am going to love using it all - thank you Santa

Day 2: Gorgeously wrapped in kraft coloured tissue paper with snowflakes and a curly red Santa boot

Inside: Basic Grey Spice Market paper and a MME paper with frames all over the back that I already have plans for. I am loving my presents - thank you.

The Roaring Twenties by the sea...

The theme of this year's scrapbooking retreat was the glamorous 1920's. Cue lots of beads, feathers, glamorous accessories and a few glamorous layouts and classes too. Ali did a gilding class that had most of us wondering how much of our home and furnishings could be turned gold before Christmas. We completed 3 challenges, a quiz, bingo night and a thread catcher class over the weekend (a thread catcher being a little fabric bucket attached to a weighted pin cushion to use with a sewing machine for those who are wondering). 

 

The mystery kit challenge featured Simple Stories "Legacy" papers which I have to admit are not my thing at all. They contain yellow and brown together and are very muted but hey, it wouldn't be a challenge if they were easy to work with. The rules are no added embellishments apart from the lace and dots in the kit (but when I got home I added some bunting and a kraft coloured background!)

The "Upstairs Downstairs" challenge was to scrap opposites. Some layouts were light and dark or busy with white space or floral and patterned and some used photos of opposites. Here is my super keen, all weather sporty golfer... and the other one who less keen!

Friday night was party night. Everyone dressed up and got into the 1920's spirit. 

Yet Another Paint Related Post...

This time using Grand Illusions Vintage Paints.
Similar in concept to the Annie Sloan, these paints require no primer and no sanding. Just paint and go. Well paint and wait really....but definitely no fiddly bits and not too much prep.

DD chose colour 25 "Charleston Vintage." Personally, I thought it looked a little dark but she was very decisive. "It's just more me," she explained and who can argue with that? Plus, once again, we already own something so hideous that no iffy colour choice can make it any worse.

Here is the before photo:

Note the attractive fake knot effect and overall faux pine sheen. 
Ignore the handles though because they're staying. Ten new handles cost far too much to replace but I did remove the backing on some to tone them down a bit.

The paint is much thinner than Annie Sloan so goes on very easily but is more prone to drips. The colour changes as it dries in a very alarming way. After the first coat it looked just awful and very patchy but the second coat gave a uniform, flat colour and fewer visible brush strokes than Annie Sloan paint. I guess it depends on what sort of look you're after and whether you use a brush or a roller.

I preferred the final stage with this paint: using clear varnish as opposed to waxing but only because I am never sure if I am applying Annie Sloan wax correctly. Water based varnish allows you to feel certain that the entire surface is covered properly and it requires no buffing of course.

Here is the finished chest of drawers back in DD's room:

Actually, I think she was right to go a bit bolder with the colour. Maybe I should leave all my paint shade dilemmas to her in future!

The Grey Blues

Who knew finding the perfect shade of grey paint could be so difficult?

I have been driving myself potty with tester pots. It started with boxing in the ugly pipes in the downstairs loo. This left a lot of bare MDF and made the rest of the room look a bit shabby in comparison. A grey makeover is planned but grey is tricky!

It is a pretty small room so there is some concern it could end up looking like a Bat Cave if we go too dark. Too green and it looks a bit like a hospital period drama. Too blue - ditto. I don't like lilac much so I don't want lilac tones but I don't want it too cold either. You can see where this is going can't you?

Anyway..... 17 paint samples later and some have been instantly discounted. Dulux Grey Steel 2 is definitely veering into Bat Cave territory. Porcelain Doll is pretty but pale. It feels like a waste to spend all that time covering up the white paint with a slightly creamier white paint. Lots of samples are more greige and they seem to work. Grey - Beige. Perfect!

Five shades of greige currently occupy the wall. They are painted onto A4 paper and blu-tacked up so I can add comments to them at various times of the day. There is no clear winner as yet. Polished Pebble was leading but, since I changed the light bulb for a brighter LED one, it's all up in the air again. Thimble Case is edging into the lead now... I think.... maybe. I am boring myself with the indecision. Please somebody just confiscate my colour cards!

The playroom is going much better. I completed one project this week with no such messing around. Coral Flair looked gorgeous in the Dulux colour book, I convinced DS it was hardly pink at all (it isn't - it is a really beautiful coral) and painted a huge backdrop for the kid's pictures all in one day. I really love it - the room was a bit cold and boxy before so a splash of colour is perfect.

I am now trying to decide on a nice complimentary teal colour for the other end of the room. Dulux Teal Tension is nice but a bit dark. Blue Hawaiian 2 is also lovely - a lot like Teal Tension except fractionally less green.....still a bit dark though. Maybe I should get 17 samples, blu-tack them all to the wall and rate them out of 10 at varying times of the day as the light changes? Or maybe I should just stick pins in the Dulux book and let fate decide?

In the Garden 2014....

A little annual update on the garden:
This time last year, I started to take a keener interest in our garden so I thought it might be nice to keep track of how it flourishes. Flourishes might be a bit strong. Doesn't wilt is more what I'm aiming for.

This time last year, the Magnolia tree was in full bloom but this year the flowers are long gone. It is still looking good though:

The Red Robin was growing well and continues to resist dying. This is good. I am not actually sure it has grown much though. Many of our neighbours have the same shrub so I think this must mean it likes the soil. I shall have to stick with it:

Not everything has been so successful though. Laurels are supposed to love chalky soil but are really not taking off. Hebes, which apparently tolerate anything, are looking a bit leggy and grim and there's an Rosa Alba in there too but it is getting prickly rather than big:

I planted lilacs only last year following my chalky soil guide and they seem to be coming along well. The dogwood went in the year before and looks healthy but not much bigger. I have no idea how fast these things grow:

 The clematis, which last year were too skinny to even photograph, have been making valiant efforts. I just don't think they can withstand the unique snail-exposed position combo that my garden offers them:

We have such ugly fences and I really wanted to cover them ASAP. Even ivy doesn't seem to grow. I am pondering getting Russian Vine (mile-a-minute vine) which I don't much like the look of but am desperate now for something to take off.

The front garden is a similar mixed bag although all of the good bits were here when we arrived so I am not sure how much credit I can take for them. The Calla Lily has gone totally mad. It must like wet winters:

The Acer Tree is as beautiful as ever. I just love it and leave it well alone. The bluebells are back and (my own addition) two wallflowers grew. That's 2 out of all the seeds I planted last year but I don't care, they look really lovely and must be very hardy indeed!

I don't think the roses are quite so happy though. Normally they grow all summer long but a lot of them seem to look a bit manky this year (a technical gardening term indicating either pest or disease). One of them looks fine but the rest seem a funny shape.
So that's the garden for this year and I shall leave you with a shot of happy wildlife out enjoying my front drive this morning:

Since ladybirds are lucky, I am taking this as a doubly good omen for the year ahead!

Annie Sloan Addict....

With half a can of Annie Sloan "Old White" left over from my fireplace and a chest of drawers kindly donated, I am up-cycling again.
Honestly, it is so easy. No sanding. No prepping. Just painting!

For an impatient up-cycler like myself this is totally ideal. I hate sanding. I'm not that keen on priming either but this was completed in just one afternoon. I waxed it the next day and buffed it the day after and it is being used already.

The obligatory before and after shot

The ceramic knobs are a bit of an eBay bargain. I went for mismatched not with any great design statement in mind but because I liked all of them and couldn’t decide.

I am eyeing up more furniture to paint. I don’t think I own anything that wouldn’t be vastly improved by a coat of Chalk Paint and the addition of ceramic knobs!!