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July 2010 |
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Henny
Penny lives on! Anyone who has been reading this diary
for some time, will have heard about my crazy friend
Annalisa, who took in a stray chicken that followed
her home one day. (Including into the house!) Then
tragedy struck...or rather Mr Fox...the sad news was
broken to poor Annalisa none-too-gently by the window
cleaner.
Much to
Annalisa's joy Henny Penny has been re-born - Henny
PennyII appeared on her drive last week and has taken
up residence under the yew tree. Annalisa definitely
a chicken whisperer... |
| Our favourite pretty floral
tea towels now come in a new print - same style of rosey
floral, but with a heavenly duck-egg blue background.
(They also look lovely mixed with the original print.)
Best of all, we now have then in lovely table cloths
and napkin sets! We will get them photographed and onto
the website just as soon as we can - or come and see
them in the shop - just lovely. |
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I
had a lovely Birthday yesterday. The children bought,
and insisted I wear this badge.....yeah, thanks!
Feels like
it sometimes! |
| Family and friends called
in for afternoon tea which we had on my tiny patio.
I've never been given so many gorgeous flowers - the
house looks and smells like a florists, which is lovely.
When everyone had gone and the children were in bed
I sat outside and drank my sweet little bottle of pink
champagne that I had been given and felt really quite
content.... |
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A
few months ago, I bought a pot of tiny poppy seedlings
from an old man at a car boot sale; they cost 50p.
They grew and grew and now they're flowering. They're
amazing, one minute they look like this......
...then...shazam!
They look like this! A sort of botanical fire-work
display!
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June 2010 |
| Any of you who have been
visiting the shop here for a few years will remember
lovely Janey who helped me out here about 3 or so years
ago. She fitted in so beautifully amongst the girlie
nonsense here - all blonde swishy hair, pretty summer
dresses and a lovely twinkley, bubbley personality....don't
be fooled though, Janey is a former air-hostess who
told some of the filthiest jokes I ever heard (ask her
about the one about the black box on a plane!!) She
also regaled me with screamingly funny stories about
her antics as a "hostie". Anyway, since she
high-tailed it back to Cheshire, Janey has re-married
and started her own business as a wedding planner www.sweetdaysandroses.co.uk
is her lovely website - well worth a look if you are
planning a big day - she has fantastic taste! |
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| Just back from a lovely
buying trip to France. Got some lovely garden furniture
and lots of other bits and pieces, which should be appearing
on the website in the next day or two. One of the brocante
markets I visited was food as well as antiques; as well
as a haul of antiques that day, I came home with this
heavenly heart shaped cheese (delicious) and this bunch
of roses that Madame had picked in her garden that morning.
They were breath-takingly beautiful and filled the whole
house with the smell of old fashioned roses. |
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May 2010 |
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We have quite the nicest elderly couple
who live opposite the shop here. They are unfailingly
patient when delivery drivers hammer on their door at
8.30 in the morning with parcels meant for us and are
always so cheerful and happy to see us. Today they brought
us over a big bunch of gorgeous radishes from their
garden! Heavenly! |
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The cushion fairy blew in yesterday
and left us a beautiful pile of her cushions.
She makes them from original vintage French fabrics
and this lot are particularly lovely. |
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I don't normally like carnations -
they can be a bit petrol station forecourt - but I bought
these last week and they're just heavenly. |
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Period
living have featured our lovely zinc star
shaped bowls in their May issue. They look so
pretty with a few bulbs or spring flowers in. I've
got one planted with some pretty viola's and it looks
heavenly by my kitchen door.
We're also
featured in the new (June) issue of BBC Homes &
Antiques magazine. It's a lovely feature on special
antiques shops with a rather cringe-worthy picture
of yours truly! |
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April 2010 |
pretty things from my garden
this morning...... |
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This is
lovely Emma. Emma has been with us for a few weeks
doing some work experience. If anyone was in doubt
about the state of "youth today" then they
should spend time Emma; she is smart, sassy, intelligent,
hard working and enthusiastic - an all round lovely
person - a real pleasure to be with. She'd like to
be an interiors stylist when she finishes University
and I have no doubt that she will go far. We're going
to really miss her! |
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If
anyone is thinking of planning a party or event outside
in the next week or so - do it. I've just re-turfed
my enitire garden, an event that is likely to ensure
no rain for weeks! My arms are throbbing from lugging
150 rolls of turf yesterday - good for the bingo wings,
but slightly worried I'll end up like Madonna!
Waiting
at home for the electricty man to come and do something
or other to my meter today - excellent work avoidance
- have planted out two trays of Nicotania, (white
and lime green)put my tumbling tomato's in the window
box and pricked out a million seedlings!
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| We've got our own Facebook
page now - so if you'd like to read even more demented
ramblings from yours truly, do join us! X |
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This has
just come in - fresh from a brocante in France. The
sweetest little childs dressing table complete with
mirror and real marble top - so adorable!
We've also
now got a good supply of original vintage
French jam jars - I know quite a few of you were
waiting for these to come in - so snap them up while
stocks last! |
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We just added a link to our lovely
new range of sofas, armchairs
and footstools. I'm really pleased with the way
it looks, some of the styles are the same, but we've
also added some new ones and just made some improvements
here and there. |
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Too late...someone bought it! |
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I'm so in love with this little vintage
quilt. The rosy print is just heavenly...someone
had better buy it soon, or it's coming home with me! |
Jeggings. What the HECK is
that all about??!!!.......... |
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We have a chair in the sitting
room that the children all love and fight to sit in,
mainly due to its close proximity to the television,
but also because it's so comfortable and slouchy with
its big feather cushions. I couldn't resist taking
this picture of Felix the other night - he's taller
than me now and full of teenage attitude - so it really
made me chuckle to see him curled up in the chair,
surrounded by floral cushions and cuddled under a
rosy eiderdown. Poor Felix, he puts up with a lot
in a house full of girls! |
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February 2010 |
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Charbonnel & Walker English rose
& violet creams make me happy. Very happy. |
I've just
been faffing about in the shop doing an Easter tree
and these vintage paper lanterns positively made me
chuckle with delight! I think they're from around
the 1950's, I found them at an antique fair. They're
hand painted and come in the most gorgeous colours
- pink, pale blue, yellow and green - there are only
5 of them, so not really enough to put them up on
the website, but if you want any just contact us at
the shop - they're £4 each. They look just dreamy
on an Easter tree! |
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We had a lovely half term week at our
house in Norfolk.
It was flaming freezing, but so lovely to get away to
the land of Big Skies, it's so restful and inspiring
- and the house is as warm as toast. Felix was away
skiing with the school, so the girls and I got to do
all the daft girlie things that we love to do when Felix
isn't around! The school holidays are all fully booked
there now, but there is some availability outside the
school holidays and I can't recommend a bit of sea air
highly enough - it's good for the soul! |
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January 2010 |
Happy
new year! I know it's nearly half way through the
month, but this is the first time I've had time to
sit down and write anything here! My excuse is that
I've moved house. Can I recommend that none of you
ever attempts to move two weeks before Christmas?
Actually, I don't recommend moving at all, it's a
hideous business. That said, we're in now and
it's great! Having been a country girl for the last
15 years, I'm back being a townie! M&S food hall
is my corner shop and the girls have timed us; it
takes 4 minutes to walk to Claire Accessories - their
favorite shop in the whole-wide-world!
So having
dealt with builders and renovations on the house,
the run-up to Christmas in the shop and on-line, (by
far our busiest time) moving into the house and the
run-up to Christmas at home, the holiday itself was
spent mostly with us in our PJ's watching DVD's and
eating unhealthy food... with the occasional sojourn
down to the river to throw stale cakes at the ducks
when the inactivity got too much!
I've done
a couple of pictures of the house. I'm in love with
white at the moment. I've spent a lot of time with
my nose buried in Atlanta Bartlett's lovely book "At
home with white" for inspiration - in fact
I've done the whole house in Farrow & Ball "All
white" which is virtually pure white and I find
it so up-lifting!
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When my decorator, Alan was sanding
the floor in the big upstairs sitting room, he told
me he found hundreds and hundreds of dressmakers pins
between the floor boards. Now our Alan is a keen local
historian, so encouraged by him I looked up the house
in the on-line 1901 census and, much to my delight,
during that time the house was lived in by three unmarried
sisters who were all dressmakers! I love it! Especially
when you imagine the sort of flouncey, bustley dresses
they would have made! Lovely! |
Christmas
has arrived in the shop and here on the website. It's
taken months of sourcing, searching, deliberating,
planning, photographing and arranging. Poor Piers,
who creates all the loveliness on this website, spent
last weekend slumped in a chair with a twitch like
Herbert Lom in the Pink Panther after the marathon
task of creating the huge Christmas section!
It was a
fantastic weekend in the shop, always a lovely, social
event - it was so lovely to see so many loyal customers
and friendly faces! Annie and I had throbbing feet
by the end, but it was great fun. We couldn't have
done it without our gorgeous little tribe of "Elfettes"
- Beth, Amy, Sophie and Evie - thank you SO much! |
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I'm
so thrilled with the way everything looks - both website
and shop - I think it's our prettiest selection yet.
I absolutely love the glass heart tree decorations
with spots
and roses -
they look so enchanting with the
rose bud hearts and pomanders.....only
42 more sleeps to go!
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October 2009 |
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The
Christmas stock has been arriving here over the last
few weeks and the piles of boxes in the office are
getting higher and higher! One more delivery and we
won't be able to get out of the office door! Just
hope we don't clear it all away after Christmas and
find a trapped and forgotten FedEx man behind one
of the boxes....
If you're
on our post mailing list, you should be receiving
your invitation to our Christmas preview weekend next
week (Post Office willing) I'm SO pleased with this
years Christmas stock, we've got some really gorgeous
things (sneaky preview here!) Preview weekend is as
follows;
Friday 6th
November 10am - 7pm
Saturday
7th November 10am - 4pm
Sunday 8th
November 10am - 4pm
It's always
a fun weekend and there'll be cake.....
If you're
on our e-mail list and can't make it to the shop,
we'll be sending an email out the minute the Christmas
stock goes live on the website! |
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September 2009 |
I've
been so busy since the end of the school holidays
getting organised for Christmas in the shop, that
I haven't had much time for writing here. That, and
the fact that my dipstick son managed to download
a virus onto my laptop that wiped out everything...including
the software I use to do my diary!
I found
this piece of mirror recently at an antique fair.
The gorgeous curling leaves and berries etched into
the glass caught my eye. Then I realised that the
initials entwined were my initials...AK! I tried to
look really nonchalant as I asked the price, and when
the lady replied with an incredibly reasonable price
I nearly threw the notes at her in my rush to buy
it! I then scuttled off with it clutchd to my chest
cackling at my good fortune! I just LOVE it! |
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July 2009 |
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We've had a new sign made for outside
the shop and I'm SO thrilled with it! I know....I'm
easily pleased. We've had a lovely young girl on work
experience with us this week - gorgeous Amy - and when
we haven't been sending her to the post office in Monsoon
rain storms - she's been helping Annie to do some lovely
displays around the shop, and it all looks as pretty
as a picture! |
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June 2009 |
I can't
believe it. Felix, (in the middle) who it seems like
two minutes ago was my little baby boy, turned thirteen
this weekend...I know! I hardly look old enough! (Shudup!)
We've had a fun but exhausting weekend, with a pile
of his friends all camping in the garden and eating
me out of house and home. It never ceases to amaze
me that boys of this age can eat three times their
own body weight in the space of 24 hours and yet they're
still all lankey legs and squeaky voices. Bless 'em.
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I have to confess to being
more than a little bit giddy with excitement when I
first saw these original vintage sleeping
bags....actually I nearly had to breath into a paper
bag! I've had a few of these lovely old 1950's sleeping
bags pass through my hands before; (In fact two have
passed into my hands and stayed there - the girls use
them when they have sleepovers!) but not many and I've
never seen a pair before and these are a particularly
pretty design. |
Laura Long
makes hand-made dollies and fairies on a fairy tale
theme, using vintage fabrics, knitting and embroidery.
Her work is obviously becoming very collectable, judging
by the speed our first order from her sold out. It's
not difficult to see why, everything is so beautifully
made and special and would make a lovely keepsake
gift - the sort of thing you keep to pass on to your
children. New from her are these "Three
Blind Mice" They are adorabley sweet and
just make me smile every time I look at them! |
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As well as Country Living, we're also
in the new issue of English Home, (June/July). The pictures
were taken a couple of summers ago and I can't believe
how much younger the girls look! Mind you, they probably
say the same about their Mother! |
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May 2009 |
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I'm fed up. It's the childrens' holidays,
which I love, and I've got a rotten stinking sore throat.
This
however, never fails to cheer me up! I defy anyone to
listen to this and not laugh......Oh lordy...Sing it
baby... |
Our seaside
house in Norfolk is featured in the May issue of Country
Living Magazine! Lovely, lovely Hester Page who is
the Homes Editor on CL spent a few days at the house
in May last year with photographer Charlie Colmer
and had gloriously hot sunny weather - the results
are 8 pages of gorgeous pictures - do have a look!
The picture opposite shows the beach with Cromer pier
in the distance. |
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I'm so in love with this mirror!
Believe me, if I could find a spot for it, it would
be coming home to live with me! The colour is so perfect
and the paint is so beautifully aged and matt. In fact,
everything about it is perfect. I would put little glasses
with tea-lights in them on the five little plinths around
the edge of the mirror - pure romance! |
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March 2009 |
There aren't
many things quite as nice as cats paws are there?
Particularly our little ginge' Poppy's. Hers look
like baked beans! She's a madam though, She nestles
in all the flowery-ness of the sofa cushions and snoozes
all day; only to venture outside when the rain stops
so she doesn't get her baked beans wet. To be let
out, she sits on the mat by the door and miaows imperiously
at passers by until they open the door for her and
when they do, she stands and sniffs the air, checks
for signs of rain/dogs/other yobbish village cats
before slowly sauntering out, tail up like flag pole.
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We've just had a lovely new card printed
for Spring. It is just like a vintage post card on the
back, so you can use it as a pretty card to send to
a friend - or just pin it on your notice board! Do let
us know if you would like one, and we'll send you one
for free! Better still, come and pick one up from the
shop. Now that all the decorating is finished, it looks
SO pretty in here and we've got lots of lovely new things! |
| Sad news; RIP Henny Penny!
Poor Annalisa rang today to say that her beloved Henny
Penny had met a chilly end, probably at the hands of
Mr Fox. Worst still, the news was broken to her by the
window cleaner yelling "Yer 'en's dead!" through
the window at her! Poor Annalisa is heart-broken. I
have prescribed new shoes, handbags and chocolate to
help with the grief. |
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January 2009 |
Huge apologies
if you've visited the shop this week and found us
closed, but we've had the decorators in. It's all
done now and we're open again as normal. It looks
lovely - all fresh and clean and sparkley! Do come
and see if you're in the area! It's the office's turn
next. I'm dreading it; it's not the tidiest of places
at the best of times, so the thought of moving everything
just makes my heart sink. Half tempted to chuck a
dust sheet over mine and Annie's desks and tell him
to paint the bits that show! |
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It's Friday night, and Flora has her
best friend Georgia staying over. I've just been up
to say goodnight and they've pushed the beds together
and are watching a film with Poppy the cat sitting between
them watching avidly too! SO sweet! |
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December 2008 |
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I was thrilled to discover that we had been included in this great new book. It's an absolute bible for the dedicated internet shopper, with some brilliant website finds, all in sections such as fashion, interiors, children etc. It even has practical information like how to order a new tax disk on-line. |
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October 2008 |
My diary entries have been a bit thin on the ground for the last few weeks, but it's just been SO busy! We finally got our Christmas section done on-line and in the shop - behind the scenes, it's taken months of sourcing, searching, buying, styling, photographing and arranging, (not to mention many long hours of website sourcery from Piers) but we finally did it! It's our biggest selection yet and we're thrilled with the way it looks. Thank you so much to everyone for all the kind comments, calls and emails we've had saying you love it too! (One lady today said that whenever she feels down, she has a look at this website to cheer herself up!) We had such a great preview weekend in the shop, Annie, myself and the gorgeous "Elfette's" (Beth, Jenny and Fran)worked our little socks off, but had a great time with much laughter.
Coming home with me this year is one of the gorgeous, great big metal stars we comissioned. I'm going to stand it on the mantle shelf and drape fairy lights on it, and then after Christmas I think I'll hang it in the childrens' playroom...well Felix thinks he's such a star anyway... |
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September 2008 |
| It's Saturday night and the children and their friends have spent all afternoon making a den in the garden. They then lit it with loads of torches, candles and lanterns and are now having pizzas and jacket potatoes out there - whilst telling ghost stories of course! So sweet! |
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So many of you have been emailing and ringing to ask about Christmas, so I thought I'd give you a little tiny sneak preview of what's to come! We've got so many lovely things this year - our nicest yet I think. Our special preview weekend will be Friday 7th, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th November. If you haven't already done so, do add your email address to our mailing list and we'll email you on the day with a link staright to all the gorgeousness!
For those who are local, do come and join us at the shop that weekend, we've got big plans to show off all the decorations and gifts and there'll be mulled wine and mince pie's! Come and be inspired! |
Have you noticed how many blackberries there have been this year? The hedgrows around here have been absolutely laden with fruit - it must have been just the right conditions for them....lots of rain! We made some lovely blackberry jam - I thought I'd use some of the gorgeous old 1920's French confiture jars I found in France and vintage style jam jars - fill them with the jam, top them with a circle of pretty vintage fabric and use them as thank you gifts. |
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August 2008 |
| Well, we're back from France! We had an amazing time. The children swam in the pool and the river endlessly, and I managed to sniff out some lovely things for this site! It's all being shipped back in October, so keep an eye out! |
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The children have just come back from a wonderful trip to New York and Long Island - staying with their fabulous Aunt Alex and Uncle Shaheen. I just love this picture because of the look of sheer adulation on Brenda the Basset hound's face - Bren' and Delphi are life long friends!
Next stop France! Watch this space - yours truly will be on the hunt for lots of gorgeous things for this site! |
Most couples, when they get to my parents' ages, think about joining their local bowls club or maybe take up flower arranging for the local church; not mine - they've just bought THIS!...
They were at the house in Norfolk, went for a walk with the dog and came back with a duck egg blue, vintage VW Camper! Honestly, I can't turn my back on them for a minute! Still I'm not complaining, think of the Decorative Country Living photo shoots we can do in it, and next summer... Glastonbury here we come! |
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July 2008 |
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Annie's been modeling our lovely new silk flower corsages for us. I can't show you the next image on the camera as it wouldn't be right and fitting for this website! Annie's hand gesture suggests that she would like two sugars in her tea......charming! |
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I wish you could smell these.... I've got one pot by my kitchen door that I planted with three or four sweet pea plants back in the Spring; and for the last few weeks I have been picking heavenly little bunches like this every few days. They smell incredible and look so pretty in a wine glass! |
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June 2008 |
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This really made us laugh....the other day
my gorgeous friend Karen came to the shop with her little boy
Finley. While he was here, he picked up one of our little hand
knitted egg cosies and became very excited by it and
badgered Karen until she bought him one, but wouldn't explain
why. When he got home he apparently raced up stairs to show
Karen the reason he had to have one.....a bobble hat
for his favourite emu called Anakin! A perfect fit! |
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May 2008 |
| My new pride and
joy!It's called a "Flying Pigeon" and is made by
the official bike makers of China. They only make two styles;
one for men and this only for ladies. The ladies design is
essential as it doesn't have a central cross bar, which means
you can ride it wearing a dress. The chain guard is also important
so as not to get said dress caught in the chain! I shall be
riding her to work this summer.....don't be impressed...it's
only a mile! |
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| Had
some fun this week on a photo shoot for this website using
this gorgeous car. Sadly it's not mine. It belongs
to lovely Bob - an old family friend. It's a 1960's Austin
Healey and is just SO pretty it made the perfect back drop
for some of our new spring/summer stock (coming soon!). Bob's
selling it and I would LOVE to own it......just not sure where
my three children, assorted friends, kit bags, various items
of antique furniture and everything else that I seem to cart
around on a daily basis would fit in! Sigh... |
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Don't
know about anyone else, but I was really ready for this long
weekend!
I
LOVE blossom, and I've decorated the house with big jugs of
it, plus little bowls with roses on the table.
I'm
having a slightly hard time convincing the children that the
Easter Bunny really exsists - the girls are ok, but Felix
is sceptical to say the least! It might have been the sight
of me hurtling round the garden in my pyjamas with an armful
of eggs when I thought he wasn't looking!
Friends
and family are coming for a big lazy lunch today then a snooze
for me on the sofa while everyone washes up....I hope!
Happy Easter! |
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| Ooops! How did THAT happen? Four of the new Caroline Zoob china cups seem to have followed me home from the shop! I just love the shape of these big, wide cups, they're so huggable and because they're bone china, they're lovely to drink from. I seem to have two ivory and two rose patterned and they look lovely on my shelf! I'm hoping more from this gorgeous range will follow! |
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| How could these adorable little roses fail to lift your spirits? Even though it's Monday morning and I've gots LOADS of work to do, I've just spent five minutes gazing at them! Right, must get on... |
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There was much excitement in the office when our new Bags for Life arrived this week! In France, they are way ahead of us on this one and everyone there uses shopping bags instead of carrier bags. I keep mine folded in my handbag and use it for trips to the local shop or farm shop. |
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February 2008 |
Having eaten lunch outside in the sunshine last week in Norfolk, this week's freeze has been a bit of a shock. It's SO beautiful though. The girls and I went for a walk after school today and I took these pictures - everything looked as though it had been dipped in icing sugar - so magical. Home to snuggle under an eiderdown and eat homemade chicken soup! |
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Kitty's been modelling for us again. These lovely hand-knitted hat and scarf sets are so perfect on her. She has the sweetest old-fashioned look and those beautiful, clear blue eyes. |
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January 2008 |
| I had to share this with you. This original antique quilt is my Christmas present to myself! It's Welsh, late 19th Century; duck egg blue on one side and creamy pink on the other with the most beautiful design of roses and delicate flowers. It cost more money than I care to admit, but it's in mint condition - absolutely perfect and I ADORE it! I have it thrown over the sofa and it makes me happy everytime I look at it! |
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We had a last fling in Norfolk this weekend, before the children went back to school. We stopped on the way and went ice-skating in Sandringham Park, which was so beautiful. We had tea and cakes there afterwards and I managed to successfully convince the children that the Queen had made the cakes herself! I rather like the image of dear old Queenie busy in the kitchens with a pinny and crown!
The beach was stunning this weekend. Flipping freezing, but stunning!We did lots of brisk, bracing walking! The house was lovely and warm though - just what we all needed to beat the end of holiday blues! |
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Happy New Year! Well, we're back after the Christmas break and thanks to all our lovely customers we had our best year ever at Decorative Country Living! So a HUGE thank you to all of you who have supported us and for all the lovely, encouraging emails we get.
Now we're back, I'm brimming with new ideas and will be off buying lots of lovely new stock over the next month; vintage and antique items from France, as well as new items - home made or sourced from all over the world.
So do keep dropping by!... |
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December 2007 |
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We have a house guest this weekend. She's called Lily, she's 12 weeks old and when she's not tiddling on the floor and chewing the childrens' toys, she's scooting round the garden in frenzied circles with legs and ears flying, before collapsing on the sofa for a well earned sleep! |
| I love it when, at this time of year, you find a single rose blooming bravely on a bush that you thought had long gone to sleep. I found this lovely the other day - I picked it and put it in a little jug on the mantle-piece and it really lifted my spirits! |
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We've done it!
We've been sourcing and ordering Christmas stock since July and now I'm just home from the shop, having put the finishing touches to all the displays and decorations. I'm so pleased with everything - it looks like a perfect, festive winter wonderland!
We hope you like the on-line selection. We think we've got something for everyone, from tradiional red, white and gold, to shimmering silvers and whites.
Coming home with me this Christmas will be...
The zinc lanterns with cutouts of birds; they cast the loveliest shadows when a candle is lit inside...
The gorgeous, hand-painted glass tree decorations...
And one of the frosted birch wreaths!
We're particularly pleased with the Christmas home page this year. |
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October 2007 |
I've been so busy since I got back from France, buying and preparing for Christmas. I'm really pleased with everything we've found - so this Christmas promises to be a special one! Quite a few of you have been emailing to ask when you can start buying for Christmas, and if you are on our post mailing list, you will be receiving a card through your door any day now (postmen willing!)
Our special Christmas preview weekend will be Friday 2nd November - Sunday 4th November. We're open until 7pm on the Friday, so do come along if you can, it's a wonderful festive, social evening and we have lovely home-made mulled wine and mince-pies. All the Christmas stock will be available to buy on-line on that Friday (2nd), for those who can't make it in person. |
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September 2007 |
We're back from France. We had such a lovely summer bowling around the country roads in the old 2CV, much to the bewilderment of the locals! Monsieur Didier who lives opposite and wears faded blue overalls, an ancient black beret and a permanent roll-up on his bottom lip, just looked on with a benign smile as we rattled out of our gates with the children squealing and laughing on the back seat - anyone who's ever ridden in a 2CV will know that the slightest bump causes the passengers to bounce up and down so much that their head hits the roof! The children thought it was hilarious!
Naturally I found the time to pick up a few lovelies for this website! It's all being shipped and should be here in a few weeks.
The house there is being featured in October's Ideal Home magazine - and here's a link to the website!
Back to work now, and we're gearing up for Christmas! Don't forget, if you haven't already added your name to our on-line mailing list to do so, so that we can email you a sneak preview of the gorgeous new Christmas stock in a few weeks time.... |
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July 2007 |
As promised, a link to our house in Norfolk.
If you like the Decorative Country Living style, then you'll love this house. And it's the perfect Enid Blyton, classic English seaside location: rockpools... crabbing... cliffside walks... lashings of ginger beer...
Click on the "Beach" image. |
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I came over all "arty" on the beach in Norfolk this weekend
I just love the colours and textures of the sea, sand sun-bleached wood and stone. There's something incredibly beautiful about the light in Norfolk too.... |
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We just LOVE these pretty floral cushions. We've all taken some home here! They're so great to sit for picnics, cricket matches and summer concerts or they make great chair seat cushions. The print is SO pretty - just the right soft, faded colours and rosey gorgeous design. It's sports day next week - I think I'll take some to sit on....or hide behind when it's the Mother's race....Felix still hasn't forgiven me for embarrassing him last year!
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June 2007 |
| Household shopping tip!: Tesco Rose Petal fabric softener - makes your clothes smell of roses! GORGEOUS! |
Things we like about June........
Frothy Cow Parsley and poppies
Summer dresses and cardies
New Pirates of The Caribbean
Roses and peonies in the garden
Darcy Bussell on tv. She's beautiful, super-stylish, smart and talented - a national treasure - Dame Darcy please! |
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Kitty and her Mummy came into the shop today and fell in love with this little vintage 1950's dress. She looked so heart-meltingly gorgeous in it that her Mummy had to buy it! She looks exactly like a Mabel Lucie Attwell drawing!
SO sweet and old fashioned! |
| I LOVE Atlanta Bartlett's new book, At Home With White. It's really inspired me. I want to paint my whole house different shades of white now. We did just that in the house in Norfolk (link to the house for rent coming soon...I promise!) and it's just so soft and restful. I can't stop buying lovely, simple white china too. If no-one buys this oversized vintage dairy jug soon, it's coming home with me! |
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| UPDATE: The morning after posting this picture of the jug, I arrived at work to find the phone ringing. On the line was one of our really lovely, regular customers saying she was so sorry, but she HAD to have that jug and she'd been awake all night thinking about it! I LOVE our customers! They're all as mad as ME! |
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May 2007 |
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Things we like about May....
Everything's green again!
The birds are in full song.
Fresh, English-grown Asparagus.
GORGEOUS lilac. |
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Just had to take this picture. Three year old Freya came into the shop on Saturday with her mummy and tried on one of the lovely childrens' vintage straw hats. She looked so perfect in it with her little French bob. She's so adorable! As is her big sister Milly and their friend Kitty. Three of the best dessed little girls you could ever wish to meet! |
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We're SO please with our new Jewellery and Vintage Clothing section on the website! My favourite things are the amazing little baby bonnets from Provençe (beautifully modelled by gorgeous baby Phoebe!) and the blue spotty "Doris Day" dress...oh, and I wish someone I know would get married so I could wear the the dreamy blue forget-me-not cocktail hat! |
Just back from gorgeous France. Spent a week searching out special things for the shop and site.....ok, so some of the time I drank wine and ate lots of really nice food!
This is my favourite shop, in our little local town, owned by Therese. She's so lovely and wonderfully French and sings like a bird! |
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| This is my haul from Therese's shop...coming soon! |
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| I picked these in the garden this morning...Aquilegia "Nora Barlow". Not quite the glamorous name it deserves, but I can't resist that lime and pink colour combination! |
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Now, I'll be honest. When I ordered this Alyssa body lotion, I did so because I liked the pretty box and it smelled nice! So I felt it my duty, once it had arrived and was in the shop looking pretty, to take some home and try it. It's completely fantastic! I tried the Intensive body lotion, which has an all important sun-screen in it. The lovely warm, comforting smell lasts all day and is wonderfully moisturising without being greasy.
I can now bare my post-winter legs with a little more confidence - especially now my new season's Havaiana flip flops have come from www.flipflopflo.com.
Off to France next week on a buying trip - yipee! Can't wait to trawl those Brocante markets to find more gorgeous things for this website! |
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April 2007 |
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Things we like about April...
The choc-fest that is Easter!
Making crispy cakes out of all the left over Easter eggs!
Baby the cat's had her kittens...sweeeeet!
Sunny days out. |
More fun in Norfolk over the Easter Holidays!
This picture makes me smile, because I know that about 3 seconds after I took it, Delphi, (second from right) fell in the sea and got completely soaked! Didn't matter - the sun was shining and we all had a great time. Back to work for a rest! |
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Baby's kittens....Four little bundles of heart-melting gorgeous-ness! Candida, (creator of lavender bags and all things lovely at Decorative Country Living) says they were a sod to photograph as they wouldn't stay still for more than a nano-second!
All together now...Sweeeeeeeet! |
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Now, no one could call me a domestic goddess, but I do LOVE the new cleaning products we've just brought in from Denmark. The children's bath time in our house can leave the bath looking like a hippo's watering hole, but armed with my Maison Belle Bath Cleaner, I soon have it sparkling! The best thing is the smell though - all these products are scented with essential oils. I've never been a big fan of those synthetic, bleachy smelling cleaning sprays so the gorgeous scent of lavender and mint essential oils is a real treat!
Annie took home the cucumber scented All Purpose Spring Clean spray from the same range and she loves it too!
I'm thinking of getting one of those aprons with the frills over the shoulders....... |
| We've just had a lovely new postcard printed. It has all our contact details, opening times etc on the back but can also be sent as a postcard - do email us if you would like us to send you one for free! |
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Just back from a lovely weekend of prodding things in rock pools, catching crabs and general sea-side fun in Norfolk!
Link to the house there coming soon! |
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March 2007 |
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Things We Like About March...
Vases of
hyacinths
Boingy lambs in the fields
It's nearly flip-flop time again!
The urge to clean windows and clear out cupboards!
Mother's Day, with those lovely home-made cards
Blossom on trees |
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I just had to share these with you...Pink suede shoes,
purchased on a recent buying trip to Copenhagen. (It was work...honest!).
The heavenly colour of the lining makes them even more gorgeous and
as if they weren't gorgeous enough - they have those divine marcasite
buckles! I might just put them on a shelf and adore them. Actually,
they got their first outing last week on the Decorative Country Living
outing to see Dolly Parton in Newcastle! What an amazingly little pint-sized
songster she is! We clapped along to "Nine to Five", warbled
along to "Jolene", and swayed, teary eyed, to "I Will
Always Love You". Pure cheese - but we loved it! |
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Annie and I both took home a heart bird
feeder. I hung mine in the fig tree outside the sitting room window.
It took a while; at first my flock of little wild birds seemed to prefer
the old nut and seed feeders, but finally, after a few days they plucked
up the courage to have a go at the apple on the hanging heart, and
now they are all fighting to have a go - swinging on it and pecking
the apple. I'll try a fat-ball on it next I think.... |
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