whoops....not quite managed to post everyday......but then again i am so busy...saturday i was knee deep (not literally...but it makes it sound like i was very busy !!) in concrete having the fireplace put in, which looks fantastic, i cannot wait to share it on here...and i equally cannot wait to have our first real fire, which we have to wait a week to do so, which will be nice as that will coincide with the putting up off the christmas tree !!!!

oh.......... and sunday i was knee deep in paint...as i will be again today !!! but i shall leave you today with some of my new makes.......some are already on folksy...some have sold....and some shall be put on folksy sometime this week !!!!

i am so exited..........i shall tell you for why !!!!
last year this is what the lounge looked like..............please note: horrid gas fire ( sorry if i offend anyone who has one, and loves it ) and the horrid textured wallpaper....when we moved in almost 3 years ago we decided just to paint over it for now....well for now came to an end 4 weeks ago, i was eating my breakfast one morning and decided i can no longer live with this wallpaper or that gas fire.................so after hastily eating my porridge (still in my p.j.s) i decided to strip the walls........ i rang my other half at 3pm (still in my p.j.s) and told him of my adventures with a fish slice....(yes a fish slice makes a great wallpaper stripper) and i have arranged for someone to take out the gas fire......... after the shock...he was very happy with the hard work i had done (well so he says)........
so this is what it looks like for now............................................................................but come this weekend the fire place is going to be put in, we have a bought a lovely original cast iron fireplace and surround which matches the house perfectly our house was built in 1900, we know this has the house has a plaque on the front that says 'clarence villas 1900' this is very handy to know when you are putting original features back into a property, we are lucky as most of the house hasn't been changed over the last 100 years, we still have all the original doors and the fireplaces upstairs, and the original skirting boards.......the fireplaces upstairs are what did it for me with this house !
and walls are going to be painted.....more shelfs are going up....and ornaments and mirrors are being moved around........

and as you can see in the above pic..........fabrics and a box of tricks have arrived from cath k.......(please note matilda the whippet has to sniff and inspect anything and everything that comes into the house) yes i shall be making new curtains for the lounge...that will be sometime next week, when all the painting has finished........

we also had a very successful visit to ikea....we purchased a new rug, lots of cushion pads, new throws... well really too many things to name.......new pics of these when they are all in situ !!

p.s. did i mention i am very exited !!!!!!!!

wow... that was a long unintended blog break............thankyou for your comments, can't really say alot about the troubling circumstances on here....they are kinda still there.......but things are definately looking more rosy !!! it is a case of just ignoring it !!

st. ives was a tonic as always...and the fact that a cath kidston has taken up a residency there....well so much the better..............

tomorrow i will post more pics....as i literally am out the door on the way to ikea......... and yikes december 1st already....where might i ask has this year gone ???

i have so much to share....and i have made a promise to myself that i will post everyday this december......i will be back with ikea purchases, and tales of renovations...oh and some of my crafting.........

cornwall is calling...................

tomorrow i will be taking in in this view... i think my most favourite view in the world, and i shall be revelling in the delights that is st.ives.........
a whole week to be spent in my spiritual home....and it really doesn't hurt that there is a cath kidston shop there !!!
to be truthful with you my dear readers....never have i needed this break more than i do now.....
i know i am not a great regular blogger but i have found it so difficult to craft and be myself just recently...this is down to a huge stress that has been put on my family and our home.........
but fingers crossed it will all be over soon...........
and i shall see you soon with tales of st ives !!

a much wanted kitchen table.............

well this is the tale of the much wanted kitchen table............for some years now (6 yrs to be exact, and how fast they seem to have passed !!) i have wanted an old farmhouse kitchen table.. i have looked and seen and have been rather shocked at how much they seem to go for.......me being an old hat vintage buyer ( since the late 80's when vintage cost pennies) i begrudge paying too much for an item when i know that i can get it cheaper if you look hard enough........i kept holding out for a reasonable priced one....yes i had looked on ebay many times over the years and yes there have been bargains, but they have been many miles away and would have cost a small fortune in petrol.................

so little did i know on a warm sunny sunday morning....a few fields away from my house sat my new table.......yes.....a carboot sale....i try and get to them has often has possible, but it takes some effort on our part, you see me and man are night owls by nature, so early mornings are usually a no-no for us.......yes in the week the daily grind forces us up........but the weekends are for us...we can potter about at our own pace....so why oh why are carboots so early in the morning ???? an afternoon one would be excellent for us....but alas there are no such things ........

anyway getting back to the table.......after 1/2 hr of pushing and shoving, not by me might i add, and lots of lovely little buys...... i spotted it dirty, worn out and covered in old tools, i didn't want to appear too eager... i asked the man.... is this table for sale ? his reply...what this old thing.....yes i sweetly replied.....well i only chucked it in the back off the van to display these tools on it, but i guess i can sell it, if you want it..........not wanting to sound too crazy, i calmly said how much do you want for it ? gimme a fiver he said and it's yours..........and this is what i love about vintage buying........ a bargain !!
after getting the above table home............it was sanded by me for 5 hours....yes a real labour of love....and a very good workout !!!! we then went to homebase and got another bargain.... i originally wanted 'dix blue' eggshell by craig and rose....but i picked up an 1/2 price laura ashley eggshell paint in 'eau de nil', which i much prefered......bargains all around............

so that is the tale of my much wanted table................and the moral of this story is 'never give up the hunt'

SALE...........

pink melrose cushion £5-

vintage fabric cushion £4-

blue melrose cushion £5-

just a quick post today.............i have decided to have a good clearout of old stock.......i have so much i haven't put onto my website...etsy or folksy.....items that i have made and taken along to craft fairs etc.......that have stayed bagged up for sometime now.....so out it comes......and on sale it goes...so grab a bargain and keep checking my folksy page for bargains this week..........
www.folksy.com/shops/blossomdesign

blue melrose and aqua corduroy cushion £5-

tomorrow i will return with tales of a farmhouse kitchen table...............and more sale goods !!

(please note.............whilst writing this post the pink and blue melrose cushion have sold)

a normal day resumes...........................

peace at last...................the children are back at school and college.....and a more normal routine can be put back into practice.......don't get me wrong i love the school holidays and i love having the children at home....we get up to some great adventures.......but i also love getting back into the swing of things.......

i have done so much over these 7 weeks........vintage buying.........camping.......lots of days out......harvesting our vegetables........so much fun.......this i will be enlighting you with over the next few days !!

today i shall start with our little harvest....seriously this was very exiting for us......from the little patch we have...it really seemed like an abundance of veges and they all tasted so good.........

please note........new vintage tablecloth and new plate..... i buy alot of vintage ware but don't always get round to sharing any images of my purchases on here.......i must make more of an effort........really... i hear you say !!!!!

on a final note...this is a proud mother moment....a big whoop for my eldest who got an.......A* two A's and a B in her AS levels.........