27.9.13

CHARMINGLY CHINTZ



  It's no secret I adore chintz!  It's everywhere in
Our home, the throws on the sofas, the table cloths,
Bath mats and of course hoards and hoards of
Chintzy china.. Well I do own Chintz 'n' China..
A vintage china hire and event styling company.
I've been busy getting ready for my latest wedding
Showcase at wrest park in Bedfordshire, and as I
Was sorting through I thought what a pretty picture!
So here are some charmingly chintzy shots I took
This morning. I hope you like them!
Please see www.chintznchinavintagehire.co.uk
For further info.

Emma x
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26.9.13

THE SLEEPING GARDEN



 Good afternoon everyone. Well it's neither summer nor autumn and it's the perfic time of
Year to put the garden to bed. I have been enjoying this sunny week happily pottering in the 
Garden of The Haven.
We have a lovely little selection of pumpkin munchkins shown above, they are happily ripening 
Off and will soon be turned into something delicious by Mr C.
And the bumper crop of toms have been fabulous! The allotment bed is still looking good and
The long stem broccoli is coming along a treat, winter potatoes are growing rapidly, and we're 
Looking forward to some lovely winter produce.


Elsewhere in the garden I have started harvesting the seeds
From the poppies, larkspur and hollyhocks and separating 
Scented pelargoniums. I transfer a lot of the seeds into
Labeled envelopes but I also give them all a good shake around 
 as I love a natural cottage garden.


After removing old foxgloves and cornflowers and doing a lot of cutting back, this is the
Perfic time to pop in your spring bulbs! Make sure you follow instructions and dig down deep
Enough so they will be protected from a harsh winter.
I've gone for some of my faves, Angelique tulips... I heart this beautiful little ruffley pink
Tulip, so pretty! And it has a very open, almost rose like appearance.
And some snakes head Fritillarys, which I am planting in the grass near the apple tree.
I'm sure they will look delightful when they pop up in the long grass along with the 
Primroses. Although we are only coming into Autumn, the thought of these little sping
Bulbs is what gets me through winter.

Happy gardening!

Emma x
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25.9.13

MY COLOUR INSPIRATION.


        Gorgeous cottages in Aldeborugh.

  Colour, colour everywhere! 
 One of the most important things I have learnt in the world of interior design is
 How important it is to predict the trends.... And understanding colour is key!
 Seasons will always determine the colour palette! Trick is, getting it just right!
 I take inspiration from everything and I mean everything! I am the crazy paint
 Lady! So when I saw this gorgeous colour combo of the beautiful mint paint
Work on these cottages teamed with the gorgeous reds of the pot plants I
Just had to snap a pic! A perfic example of how warm and cool tones work
Together in harmony. I just love the brightness! 
To create a more serene vibe but with the same effect chose powder blue/greys
And team with splashes of powder pink with a few contrasting pieces in hot pink.
Or to deepen the mind head for midnight blues teamed with black tulip and a hint
Of raspberry burst. All working the glorious hot and cold balance to perfection!
Try it and see where your mind wonders... #lovetocolour 

Emma x
 
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23.9.13

VINTAGE VAN MAKE OVER CONT...


       

    Evening peeps, just a little pic of Hans, our vintage caravan.
    We popped over to Suffolk last weekend to do a little more
    Work. I made some pretty chintzy curtains with Clarke & Clarke
    Fabric & am now making a matching pellmet.
    We covered the table in a cute oil cloth. And we spent the whole
    Wkend painting all the cupboards in my own mixture of Farrow &
    Ball paint, as I couldn't get the pale powder in time, I mixed 
    All white with a tiny bit of Vert de terre and a little of Dix blue
    Until I was happy with the gorgeous mint shade.
    I have taken colour inspiration from our visits to Aldeburgh 
    Where cute cottage doors are painted in all the shades of the
     Sea, and holly hocks and faded hydrangeas in shades of pale
    Pink to deep red dance prettily in the front gardens.
    Next job... Making new seat cushions... 

      Emma x
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19.9.13

COFFEE TABLE READ.



Good evening peeps. I have got the first fire of the season going and have snuggled down
 On the sofa with a good book. My latest coffee table fave and just in time for Xmas! 
Gifts from the garden by Debora Robertson is an absolute joy of a crafty read.
Beautifully illustrated, with clear recipes and wonderfully written. Make some cute Christmas 
Gifts for your friends, from plant based skin care to cute planters and lovely foodie ideas
There is something for everyone.
All the crafts are obviously garden based so this book alone would make a good gift for any
Gardening enthusiast.
This book is wonderful and very different from the usual craft books and if you love your
Garden, home and your craft then make this your new coffee table fave too.

Emma x
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3.9.13

A GIRL NEEDS A ROOM!

A woman and her shed, studio, garden room, summer house, hut.....
The list goes on!
One thing I've come to realise over the years ( with expanding family)
Is how much we still need space. Our own little piece of haven, be it a loft
 Conversion a spare room or the garden shed, A woman has as much the need
Of a shed as any man!
What would you use yours for? 
I decided this year to convert an outbuilding into my very own big girls den!
Much to the envoy of my hubby.. (Don't feel sorry for him, he has a perfectly
Good shed!).
It's nearly finished so I thought I'd share with you a few pics.

Already it is such a restful place! Painted in a chalky white
It is the perfect back drop for all my crafts and vintage finds
And is a perfect place for me to up-cycle furniture, sew,
Paint and even just hang out with the girls.

  Latest project... This gorgeous vintage dresser that I am
Currently working on will live in here. It was in a bad way
Which is why I've painted it this gorgeous pastel pink
(If wood is in good condition with a beautiful grain then I never
Paint it! My fathers a carpenter you see..)
The lovely chintzy paper I've used for the back came from
B & M and cost just £4.99 

  I'm looking forward to doing lots of flower arranging in here
And the place will always be full of blooms..

Hmm now I just need to sneak the nespresso out of
The kitchen, perfic!

Do you have a craft room? I'd love to here about it!

Emma x






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1.9.13

RE-FURB VINTAGE CARAVAN

Hello peeps, as some of you know my hubby and I adore Suffolk and we've had
 A little caravan there for years. Her name is Ellie and she was our perfic little bolt hole...
However 2 kids later and Hound still eager to go on holiday too meant we had to trade
 Ellie in this year for something bigger.
I knew I wanted another vintage van and didn't mind a project..... So meet Hans... Lol


Ok, I can guess what most of you are thinking..... But it's exactly the same
As up cycling in your home. The most important thing when buying a vintage
Van is that it is completely dry! If it isn't then you have restoration work on your
 Hands and that is another story altogether!
Hans is a solid German van measuring 18ft so ooodles of room!
So, all the curtains and pellmet you see here are now gone and I am busy making
New ones with a beautiful roses fabric from Clark and Clark. 
I will make some new kind of design up for the pellmet out of vintage linens from
My linen cupboard and when we next go down we're taking the sewing machine
So I can sew new covers for the seat cushions. 
We've picked Farrow & Ball Pale Powder to paint all the wood work (I'm expecting that to
Take days...) 
So watch this space chaps to see how we get on as I will be posting new photos 
And blogging about the vintage good life!

Emma x

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