riding away happy

I don't normally go in for competitions because understandably they often don't include us folks across the pond.
However I did enter a great giveaway over at Danielle's blog Silver Pennies.

 Heather who owns the etsy shop Antique Graphique was giving away 25 graphics - and lucky little old me ACTUALLY WON  !!!
Yippee !
So, I looked through absolutely everything - there are two sites, the other one is here - and I've sent off my list. I'm afraid there will be lots of graphic projects in the future !

A big thank you to both Danielle and Heather.

So, it's been a good few days. I found a bargain of a bed (see previous post) and I'm a winner !
I'd definitely be RIDING AWAY HAPPY if I could have that three wheeler above, I'm not very good on a bike !

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On a slightly different note - please go and support Diane at The Checkered Apple. She is having a Patriotic Link Party to celebrate Memorial Day, Flag Day and the Fourth of July.

Now I know, that you all know, that I'm not American, but I wanted to help out a friend, and she is holding this party for a whole month. And most people who visit here are American, so please go and link up your patriotic posts and spread the word.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll join in too - after all, so many of you are using the Union Jack, perhaps I should do something with stars and stripes.

So go now - go create, and pop by Diane's anyway.

Thanks Fiona x

a tale of bedrooms and beds

Whilst trying to finish my unfinished projects, stupidly starting some more and finding places for everything that used to be on the mantle, because of the new mantle in the post below, I have also been trying to sort out our tiny spare room.

When I moved in with the old geezer, his daughter slept in there, in a bunk bed, (she spends three nights a week with us, and  the rest with her mother).

I used the third, and much larger bedroom as an office, store room and work room.

After a couple of  years, we switched rooms. I actually loved my new tiny office ( I painted it all white of course) but it was always completely over crowded.

In her new larger bedroom the old geezer's daughter got this Ikea day bed, which came from her mothers house. At her mother's house she got a new double bed (with me so far ?).

Last year, the old geezer's daughter asked us if she could have a platform bed. The type with a desk underneath.  We found a really good quality one on ebay - hardly used, for a great price.

We put the Ikea bed in the loft.

When we created my studio space I put most of my stuff in there, so that my tiny office could become a small guest room.

Some weeks ago, we brought the Ikea day bed down from the loft.
I actually sorted all of this out and although the room wasn't finished I made up the bed ready for visitors !

THEN, just as I was getting the colours, and ideas sorted in my head - we were asked to return the bed !
The old geezer's daughter's mother was moving, and wanted it back. No problem, it wasn't ours, although luckily she didn't want the mattress, one less expense.

So - plan B. Find a new bed - budget £20 if possible (highly unlikely).

I looked in every charity shop that sells furniture, in the local area.
Ebay didn't have anything I liked.
Then I went to a house clearance place - no single beds. I found a little table for £10 (to hopefully paint and sell on), and while I was paying I thought I'd ask about single bed frames, just in case.

I was told there was one in a store room.

I was shown the bed.

Oh wow.

I tried to look nonplussed.

I asked the price.

£20 !!!

I casually said I'd take it (maybe I could have got it for less, but I was just so ecstatic).

Oh happy happy day !!!!

It's gorgeous, I absolutely love it. It looks Victorian and maybe mahogany but I really have no idea. I am sure it's worth way more than £20 though.
I would never paint it, the wood is just too good. The bars are a little odd, maybe it was adjusted at some time, and the mattress doesn't cover them - but I love the height of the headboard, and I am planning to use a lot of cushions.

And now I have a whole new list of things to do, to finish this room - (as if I didn't have enough already).

I hope you all have a great weekend - Fiona xx

a beach junk mantle

So, I needed to change up the mantle - little Easter chicks couldn't stay there forever.

I put out the frame with the rusty mesh and just layered up driftwood, shells, dried seaweed, and odd finds.

I used a couple of little cloches - I have loads of this seaweed, it's all over the beach.

Job done !

Linking up with

Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer

Saturday Nite Special @ funky junk interiors

decoupaged tray

I've finally finished one of my 'unfinished projects'.

I think one of my favourite crafts is decoupage and I used to do quite a lot.
These are just a few.

I don't remember where the shells came from, but the 'brown' kitchen things were actually from a paper bag.

I sometimes gilded the tops of the insides and the handles, then used a crackle glaze or antiqued them.

I often found the best things to decoupage from wrapping paper, as with these great fruit pictures.
I did a lot of gilding then as well !

As you all know - blogland provides an almost infinite source of things to decoupage and for a long time I had admired the lovely graphics and layering techniques of other bloggers.

When I found this tray for £2, I had the perfect piece to try out my idea. I wanted a tray to look as though I just thrown things on it. Sort of like an in-tray that has stuff waiting to be sorted out !

And it would be so great if I could show you the before shot, but I can't find it anywhere - sorry. The tray was a pale yellow with a floral picture stuck in the middle.

So the after shot - I painted it with a few layers of cream paint, then after sticking everything down and varnishing, I rubbed in raw umber artists oil colour, to age. 

The plain postcards on the right are from Knick of Time Interiors  

The letter and the french postcard are from the The Graphics Fairy 

The stamps are real - my brother and I collected them for a while. Not that we had a clue what we were doing, so hopefully they're not worth anything.

The keys and coins are  photocopies of actual items I have. The keys I have been collecting to frame, and the coins are not old - just left over from trips abroad. I simply laid them in the old geezer's printer and photocopied them. 

I love the folds in the letter, that make it look more 3-dimensional.

I blame the cutting out of that key, on my failing eye-sight - I've been in denial for about 6 months.

The reason why this remained unfinished for so long was because it went wrong the first time around. 

I was impatient and glued everything down at the same time, and of course it all puckered up.

So I had to glue all the larger pieces down separately and leave each one to dry properly.

Patience is a virtue (it's just not a virtue I possess !).

Linking up with

Brag Monday @ The Graphics Fairy

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Knick of Time Tuesdays @ Knick of Time

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays @ {Primp}

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer

the thrice painted cloakroom !

So carrying on from the last post, this is the smallest room, and possibly a tiny bit smaller because I have painted it so often !

(sorry, it's a photo from a photo)

First time around, I just painted it in colours I had left over from the rest of the house. The red was much closer to the blind than in the picture, then there were two blues (used in the bunting in the boys room) and a gold (which I also used in the master suite and en suite, and living room).
The original client had chosen 7 silks (the two blues, deep red, gold, a very old gold, sage green and mushroom) from this company and we based the house on those. Although we added pink for the daughter's bedroom and the basecoats and woodwork were all cream.

My new client wanted it updated and we went back and forth with ideas.
Because my client is quite quirky, he took me up on the idea of scrabble letters. This came to me because of the light switches - they are flat metal plates with uneven edges and painted with a dry brush effect.

I know it looks like I'VE done them, but they can actually be bought like this, as well as a number of other finishes.

So, we chose some fun words, in different languages and I did a deep background to match the blind, so that the 'scrabble letters' would pop. I also graduated the colour slightly, painting a darker shade at the bottom and lighter at the top.

You can see the light switch just above the 'F' of Foo (for the Foo Fighters). There is also OCD Rules, because he is seriously obsessive and compulsive about tidiness and cleanliness (not a bad thing in a man, I hear you say).

I don't think my client ever really loved this room. Personally I wanted to do scrabble words everywhere -  mirror, wash basin, hand-towel, taps and tiles all in different languages. I think it would have been more fun.

So, I did the scrabble cloakroom last summer and last week I went back and below is the third incarnation.

All the hardware, light switches and curtain poles are from the Jim Lawrence, the same place that the original silk colours came from.

Better ? I guess it's nice and bright and fresh, and it suits my client much more.
He has quite a few 'delicate' pieces in his home, that I thought his daughter may have chosen, but the choices were all his !

Sometime I may go back to change more things or do touch-ups. Luckily I'm able to leave some of my paints there, in the old bread oven. If air-tight, they last for years.

Hopefully, my client won't be inclined to take up bread-making.

the metamorphosis of a house

I have worked on this house three times now for two owners.

It's in the countryside near a pretty little village called Hurstpierpoint.

The original house is a tiny cottage built in 1789 and hidden behind the section on the right - you can just see the stepping stones that go to the front door.

I originally decorated the house from top to bottom about 10 years ago ( just the glory bit, not the base coats and woodwork etc.). 

About 18 months ago those clients sold the house and last summer I was asked by the new owner to change a few things.

Harry's old bedroom was to become a guest room, so I needed to paint out the bunting I had done. Luckily I managed to touch up the colourwash without having to paint the whole room again before doing a freehand design.

The before -

And after -

The bedroom as Harry had it - I didn't paint the furniture.

Before

The new seating area for guests (the throw and the cushion belongs on the bed. I need to tell you this because I know my client wouldn't like the idea that I photographed this room with something out of place !).

After

This is the only other part of the room, that I put decoration on.

The room is in the original part of the house from 1789 - hence the beams.

Before

The new bed is here now and the owner decided to keep 'Harry' written on the wall above the bed.

After

It's just such a lovely room.

I also needed to take out this very individual coat of arms in the living room and replace it with something completely different.

I actually learnt Latin at school, but it was my worst subject - I just didn't get it at all. I made up the words with help from the internet, but have no idea if it really makes sense or not .

Painting over this was hard - I stood with the brush in my hand for what seemed like ages because I just felt bad covering it up !

But of course I did and this is the result.

I based my design on the damask type sofas.

The whole point of this post was to tell you that I was asked back this week to change this piece AGAIN.

My client didn't like the central shape and wanted it extended over the arches a bit more.

In the picture below the Persian type symmetrical shape has gone.

And  the new extended ends !

It does work better like this, but I didn't like admitting it to the client !

He told me men are always right !

Not only was I asked to change this, but I was also asked to change the downstairs cloakroom completely (which will be it's third metamorphosis).

I told my client that he just feels sorry for me and wants to give me stuff to do - he denied it !!

However, I'm sure you've had enough and I'm all posted out, so I'll show you that next time - I'll leave you with a few more pictures of his home.

Enjoy your week - Fiona xx