Easter Booty

I had a very successful Easter weekend in Cornwall buying for the website and have spent what seems to be the whole week listing it all. Of course I had to keep some things for myself! This enamel jug is perfect for just outside the bathroom.

and I couldn't resist this French hip bath. I can't decide whether to convert it into a chair with a really nice vintage fabric cushion or whether to use it as a garden planter. What do you think?

And this is my favourite! Now we shall have the aroma of freshly ground coffee each morning as it still works.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Country Living Spring Fair in London. I have been before as it is just such a good day out with so many wonderful things to see (and buy). I was very pleased to see the stalls selling the most were the ones selling authentic vintage items and one man couldn't cope with the long queue of ladies wanting to buy his vintage china.

I bought some trims from two lovely ladies called Miss Rose Sister Violet. I think the spotty one is rather 'Bodeny' and it will look nice attached to a cardigan. The velvet rose one is self adhesive so very easy to attach. The pink corsage goes well with a cardigan and earrings I also bought.

Pousadas and Paintings

I have been neglecting my blog again lately. I could blame it on a long holiday and being away from my computer. Well, we have been away but not for a month! Last week we spent a few days here.

This is the third Pousada we have stayed in. Pousadas are historic buildings in Portugal which have been converted into luxurious hotels whilst retaining much of their original architecture. This was the lounge

and one of the summer houses

Even though it was really warm only these two pigeons were brave enough to venture into the outdoor pool!

Each time I visit Portugal I am amazed at the number of beautiful but derelict houses with 'Vende' just painted on the walls. This was one of them and a peep through the windows revealed the most wonderful tiled floors.

I have been doing lots of buying for and selling on the website lately. These four pictures were bought to sell but have somehow found their way onto my walls!

This is perfect for outside the bathroom

This one is a winner of the Daily Mail International Beauty Competition (no date).

This famous one is G F Watts' Hope which you can read about here. Apparently it is reputed to have been inspirational to Barack Obama which you can read about here.

This one is by one of my favourite artists Jean-Francois Millet and is entitled The Shepherdess.

By the way, is anyone going to, or exhibiting at, the Country Living Spring Fair tomorrow?

Brooches

I have just added a handcrafted brooch cushion to the website and for the photo used some of my old brooches. I used to regularly wear a brooch but don't seem to so much nowadays.

There is a general theme to these four brooches with their anchors. My father, mother and husband were all in the Royal Navy. The middle two are sweetheart brooches; the top one being a marcasite crown and the bottom one is hallmarked 1914 so would have been given to someone at the start of the First World War. The left brooch was my mother's when she was a Wren. I don't know the significance of the enamelled butterfly on the anchor but it is very pretty.

I like the 'R' brooch because it is my initial and the middle brooch is such a pretty mosaic. The brooch on the right I have always treasured despite there being a stone missing - it was on a dress that my mother bought back in the 60s. She thought it was ghastly and as an eight year old I thought it exquisite!

The 'Good Luck' brooch is hall marked 1937 and has small leaves, berries and mistletoe on it so I imagine it was a Chrimstmas present to someone. The bottom brooch is fairly new as I bought it in the 80s as I just loved its Art Nouveau design. The 'Forget Me Not' one is a particular favourite.

Due to a lack of any inspiration for a post I thought I would just take a few photos of some things in my home.

I bought this new about 25 years ago and still love it. When you take off the cover it reveals the pig in bed with the couple.

This hand is my husband's first attempt at making anything at the ceramics class we attend. I thought it would make a good soap dish in the new bathroom.

The loaf of bread in this photo is actually a money box.

I made this lamp a while ago by covering a lampshade and painting and distressing an old wooden lamp base.

This statue was bought about 30 years ago; I think I paid about £2 for him and he is one of my favourite possessions. The shoes were a more recent acquisition.

I bought this picture round about the same time. It is embroidered with gold and silver wire.

The theme of squirrels is echoed in this embroidered fire screen.

I particularly like this art deco vase my godmother gave me many years ago and it looks lovely with a night light inside it.

These two pieces of copper are in the kitchen. The top one is an escargot pan which I bought in France about 5 years ago. It was very black and I didn't know what it was when I bought it.

I love this mirror I bought from an antiques shop which was closing down about 3 years ago.

I thik this will do for now!

Primroses

There is still a lot of snow outside but I bought these primroses yesterday (a bargain at 25p each) to remind me that Spring is on its way.

The Beach This Morning

This was the beach at Lee-on-the-Solent this morning

and the seagulls mugging the ducks!

Raku

First of all, I have been very lax with my posts and I realise it is a whole month since I have written one. It is far too late to wish you all a Merry Christmas but not too late to wish you a very Happy New Year and a successful 2010. Thankyou to all who read my blog, I have made some great new friends here in blogland. And now for something completely different......

A lady across the road from me holds a weekly ceramics class and I have been going for about six weeks. My first attempt was a coil pot which is now in the back of a cupboard! Just before Christmas we did something called Raku which originates in 16th century Japan. I cut out some heart shapes in clay, then a few days later we went along for the firing process. I drew a patttern on the hearts, then painted over with a slip and glaze.

Then they went into the kiln.

I was rather nervous taking them out once they were fired.

They were then plunged into sawdust which was set alight

and came out of the drums looking like this.

The glaze is then peeled off to reveal........

Our bathroom is now almost finished. We knocked a separate toilet and bathroom into one room. It still isn't that big and we toyed with knocking through to one of the bedrooms as well but decided against this. I still have to put a blind up at the window and 'dress' it with some nice bottles etc. as it still looks a bit clinical.