GARDEN TIME

                                                                            

Well as I look out the window I am drawn to the May blossom in the sun, there is some warmth in the air at last and there is a hum of insects preparing for Summer. My favourite time of year it's "Beltane" in the Celtic calender.
I have planted sweet peas and runner beans, cosmos and carrots as well as calendular, leeks, rocket and squash. I'm looking forward to eating some of my own home grown vegetables very soon.
Now I'm off to paint a lovely old oval mirror, and then later on down to view at the local auction, to see if I can hunt out any vintage furniture.

Louise

SNOWDROPS

Even though the snowdrops are almost over they are still going strong on Dartmoor, crocuses, daffodils and primroses are all coming through now too. Living near the wildflowers is important to me they are always inspiration.

COUNTRY LIVING CHRISTMAS FAIR

  

                                                                               

Well another Country Living Christmas fair is over for another year, I had a wonderful if not tiring time meeting so many lovely customers, I was working alone this year so I guess that is why it was tiring. Well worth being in the hub of things to see you all. I'd like to say thank you to everyone who came to the stand!                                                 
I have to say it was lovely to get home though,  The next day I found myself in a silver misted autumn landscape where the sky merges with the land in a way only autumn brings, and takeing in the subtle scents of a damp ground I could breath a sigh of relief.
Winter hasn't really set in yet the temperature is still temperate and gentle here I wonder how long it will last, and whether we will be hit harder when the haw frosts freeze us out of our beds.

NEW OUTLET!

We are very excited to announce we have a new spot in the "Vintage Emporium" Ashburton, 18, North Street, Ashburton TQ13 4QD, at the top of the stairs on the right we have a selection of our home wares from the website, So now our local customers can go along and browse and if other customers are in the area it is well worth a visit. Go along and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere have a cup of tea and a piece cake and send us your comments.

FREE TICKETS

As the Country Living Christmas fair is coming up we are offering a pair of free tickets to the Gala evening to the next three customers spending £15 or more on the website. This is offered on a first come first served basis.

The Gala evening at the Country Living fair is held on the Wednesday night 9th November and is a relaxed way of seeing the fair after work from 6.30 to 9pm with a glass of wine.

We have plenty of new stock in so go over and win those tickets.

FINISHED AT LAST

Those of you who are regular readers will know that this chair project has taken me a very long time, I never expected to take so long to make my chair beautiful, I am pleased with the result, So as you can imagine I am relieved it is finished. It is just in time for the country Living Christmas fair we will be at in November.

STILL WORK IN PROGRESS

This work in progress is looking as if it is taking me a very long time, well the truth is I have not been working on this chair as long as it looks, I have done quite a few other projects over the last few months, cupboards and shelves and other chairs.

But here is an update of progress so far, I have stripped down this chair and painted it my favourite colour. I have distressed it with very course sand-paper and cut the shape of the seat in ply wood with a jig saw. I then covered the wood in thick wadding and pinned it down.

Then I went away to Swanage in Dorset (so it is still not finished) but while I was there I found a lovely vintage shop called "SMITHES" that apparently was a drapers some years ago and now it has been turned into quite an emporium of French vintage goodies, I enjoyed finding a lovely enamel bucket and jug for my collection. I will remember the holiday for those and not the steaming hot weather we didn't have.

Hoping to be back soon.

Louise

WORK IN PROGRESS

The blue bells are nearly over, they seem to have been and gone rather quickly this year it is only the beginning of May, the scent of lilac blossom continues to fill the sitting room through the window where the tree grows just outside.

I thought I'd put this beautiful small chair that I found in the recycle yard up as it is now my latest project, the woven seat was completely gone, but the carved back inspired me to renovate it with a cloth and padded seat.

I plan to give it a completely new look, a fresh coat of paint to start with then a new wooden seat covered in wadding and a pretty floral cloth. Lastly a good rub down with sandpaper for the shabby look.

Louise x

HOME AGAIN

It is great to be home from the big smoke, it has taken a while to settle back into country life after being at the Country Living Fair in Islington for a whole week, I have to say i did enjoy it though it was lovely meeting old friends and new, talking to customers who are so supportive to our work and much appreciation for all your continued support. Takings were up for the general climate of things, so thank you to every-one who bought from our stand.

One of the benefits of coming to London for the show is that our parents live in London, as well as Amelia, so it is a great opportunity to see them and catch up, we do like an excuse to get together when we can.

Coming back to the Magnolia and blossom is especially nice, and seeing that spring is well under way now gives me great pleasure in being in Devon. Looking forward to lilac blossom.

With Love Louise

COUNTRY LIVING SPRING FAIR

It is that time of year that I begin to think I must do the the Country Living Fair, even though I said last year I would not do it again I find myself planning another trip to London to show at the fair on the 23rd of March for five long days. I must be a sucker for punishment, but I have signed the dotted line and will be there with new and exciting stock, for all to see.

I have been "making do and mending" for months now and would like somewhere to sell my goods, so here goes.

I will be offering a free ticket for the Wednesday gala evening soon on this blog, so stay in touch if you would like one.

Louise

GOING INSIDE

Well as the wind howls outside and autumn turns itself into winter, all the apples have gone and the wood pile tumbles from the shed, I'm preparing for more time inside. I have made my bedroom more inviting and found myself sorting clothes going through those summer things I just won't wear for months. I always feel a kind of sadness saying good-bye to summer.

Today I have been creating my new jewellery range for the Christmas season, the best selling season for me, earrings and bracelets make such good presents, it is also surprising how many people treat themselves to a new necklace to wear at Christmas. I always think it is our gathering instinct that sets in, all part of the harvest festival celebrations, stocking up for the lean months of winter. I guess there are good things about winter after all.

Louise x

APPLES FALLING

Apples are falling, it is the abundant time of year when the apples fall, and there is so much fruit I can't keep up with all the cooking, there are still butterflies around as well, I was walking on the cliffs yesterday and caught sight of a red admiral on the blackberries, they always remind me of my childhood, my father is a naturalist and taught us all the names of the butterflies and birds as children.

It also feels like a very creative time of year and I have been painting and drawing this comes in waves and feels a bit like surfing there is a feeling of having to ride the waves when they come and making the most of them. I wonder why creativity is such an illusive thing, just when you think you have hold of it, the waves calm and the mist falls and there is a quietness uncannily like inertia , a tide ebbing and all goes quiet. I do not look forward to winter and have been lapping up this balmy autumn weather, long may it last.

Louise x

GIVE AWAY AGAIN

Apologies for not blogging for so long, summer is always filled with such abundance, I spend most of the time outside. But now I'm sitting at the computer the rain is falling like monsoon outside and the apples are falling from the tree, there are a few last roses bent double with the weight of the rain on their petals, and it look like summer is over.

I had no takers for my offer of a give away pair of earrings when ordering off my website (last entry in June) So, inspired by my sister, http://www.101birdtales.blogspot.com/ I'm giving away the earrings to the first person who comments on this entry. I love the idea of some one having a nice surprise when they receive them in the post. They are made with love and go out with abundance.

Louise x

Give away

I am at last doing my first give away, a beautiful pair of hand-made turquoise and silver earrings will be yours if you are the first person to purchase items worth £20 from the vintage inspiration website. This is in celebration of adding a new category to the website "Paintings" this has taken the place of chickens and is a mixture of my own work and others, it is an exciting new venture I have been planning for a while.

We have also had a revamp of the website and the way it works, in essence it is the same but it should be easier to use. please let me know what you think, it would be very helpful to get feedback from some of you. looking forward to hearing from you.

Louise x

Buttons

I was reaching for my sewing tin and my button box fell crashing to the floor, much to my dismay, buttons everywhere and as I reached for something to pick them up into I saw what a great site they were and couldn't help taking a picture.

APPLE BLOSSOM

Any-one who has not experienced apple blossom first hand is really missing one of Gods many gifts, I have a small apple tree in my garden and it is now covered in beautiful pink clusters of blossom, the forget-me-nots are also out underneath and I peer out of my window each morning and thank God for the beauty of spring.

Even though it is still so cold the spring flowers are here in abundance, the bluebells have begun to appear with campions and stitchwort and many hedge rows are a mass of colour. When I leave the house in the morning a cloud of heady lilac scent catches in the air and sends me off for the day feeling light hearted and glad.

When I return in the late afternoon I sit on the door step in the evening sun with a cup of tea and drink in the perfume of spring. Here is a poem I wrote one May.

SPIRIT OF MAY

She stepped into my garden

wet in her lush green mantle

Glistening dew dipped dancer

The morning light in her cheeks

Nut-brown bare stripped branches

Rise to her wakening whisper

Silence broken only by the cuckoo's call

Disguised in blossom and bluebell dusted

pink budded and beautiful breasted

For she will quicken earth spent muses

And bring away the frozen child

And the windfall day all warm and breathless

Gathered up and neatly nested

Garlands of grace from her extended

She lays the green fern feathered way

That heaven falls on earth.

Louise x

BEAUTIFUL FAIR

well I have to say the "Vintage and Hand-made Fair" was probably the most beautiful fair I have been to, all the stalls were made out in such good taste, they all looked fab, it was great to be part of it. My sister Amanda and I traveled up together the night before and stayed with friends in Glastonbury on Friday night, it was still an hour and a half's drive from there, but arriving in Chipping Sodbury was a lovely surprise, we found ourselves in a proper old market town with the widest streets and beautiful old architecture.

The fair was very successful and every one was very friendly, a big thank you to Jayne and Michelle for organising the whole thing and making it so easy to do, the organisation was excellent and the cakes fantastic, but what really stood out was the quality of the hand-made goods, they seemed to be outstanding to me perhaps I am bias? but all in all a fabulous do.

Louise x

MAKING HEARTS

The "Vintage and Hand-Made" fair is almost upon us (May 1st) and I am busy making up new bracelets and earrings in lovely spring and summer colours. Today it is so beautiful I just can't keep myself inside, so I'm sitting outside in my lovely spring garden stitching boiled wool hearts, ready to fill with french lavender.

I have to keep myself from gardening, there is such a strong impulse to pull up the dandelions as I pass them to the house, but they are saved by the hearts, until next week anyway.

I am looking forward to meeting new blogging friends on Saturday and seeing the beautiful hand made stuff that has been made by everyone.

I know my sister Amanda has been locked in her garden studio the last 2 weeks making up a multitude of her floral bags ready for Saturday too, everything from purses to huge holiday bags.

Must get on with the stitching.

Louise x

Sweet Peas

Here I am on a wednesday morning admiring the growth of my sweet peas, they really have grown into plants ready for going out into the garden, as it is now April I can't believe how time has gone, there are primroses abundance in the garden now and grape hyacinths, and the tulips have just come out this week end, colour beginning to come back into life.

Next they will have to be hardened off, which means acclimatising them to out side temperatures during the day, so today they will have their first peek out side, and bask in this beautiful weather we've been enjoying

Then as soon as I get a chance I will be digging in the dirt and planting my sweet pea filled toilet rolls in the ground, so easy to do, I won't have to disturb the roots and that will give them the best chance, as long as we don't get a very late frost, which of course is always possible, gardeners nightmare.

At Easter I went to visit my daughter in Wales, she lives near Carmarthen where they have a great car boot sale on at the week end, I must say I found some lovely new bits and pieces of china and things for the web-site, as well as enjoying seeing my Grandchildren with mountains of chocolate eggs.

Return to the Country

Hooray! I'm back to the mud and rain from the concrete jungle, damp air, forsythia blossom and muddy cat paw prints all over the clean washing. I did enjoy my city living for the week, but I am very happy to be home. The spring is in its happy creation all over the garden and I am in mine.

It was very nice to meet some blogging Friends and to put some faces to the inquiries I receive, we put on a good show and had many appreciative comments about the look of the stand, so thank you all our customers for supporting our venture. The china seemed to fly of the shelves and earrings were very popular too. Amanda's bags went down well and Amelia's glass cupboard much commented on, in fact we could have sold it 20 times over if we had a supply.

I feel the spring fair is generally much more of a creative fair than the Christmas one, where there is endless Christmas decorations made in China.

Janet Bolton had her stand with her awe inspiring hand stitched pictures, if you haven't seen her work I thoroughly recommend it.

Sadly this will probably be our last stand at Country Living Islington, costs have risen so much it is becoming unviable financially, however we will be doing small one day fairs across the country so stay in touch and news of where and when will be posted.

Louise x