A few painting projects at home …

I find great pleasure in picking up a paintbrush & taking on a few decor projects; not usually walls but furniture that needs a lift. Before anyone raises the issue, no antique or vintage furniture is painted, just rather ordinary wooden things that have a new lease of life. 

At least a decade ago, I did a few Annie Sloan paint courses to learn the techniques needed to update ordinary but dated furniture & I’m still inclined to personalise & modernise. 

My breaks from tutoring are always a time to catch up with such things & to tick some off my list. 

The gold frame of the Ethiopian crosses was in desperate need of an uplift. It had hung in a different room but was moved around & it did not work any longer. 

I decided on a creamy white paint & it looks better against the handwoven fabric with the brass & silver crosses. The wall it hangs against is a creamy Natural Calico colour so the gold was jarring. 

The cream frame now allows the crosses to take centrepiece with their interesting & unusual designs. 

This tea trolley has had several paint transformations when the living room still had a red wall which has now gone. However,  it is needed in the craft / sewing room upstairs as it was a better height to the one that is  in use because it was just too low & was creaking my back working at it. 

This paint is useful because it has a built in wax. 

It was painted in what I thought would be a browner shade but it turned out a little more grey. However, since everything else is cream in that room, it will be fine & the additional working space the 2 side flaps is useful for projects. 

The third project was to re-wax the top of the conservatory sideboard so it was once again more waterproof. I redid the cream backboards recently in the same brand of paint but in cream & I was impressed with it. 

The conservatory sideboard is used all the time & needs to be robust for drinks, food, cake stands & just about anything else. 

Last week was a hot week & the wax stayed tacky for several days, necessitating polishing it several times to smooth it out while it sets & hardens. 

However, it is once again more waterproof with an even finish which is a job well done.  

It goes well with the cream sideboard back & the slightly darker sides & shelves. 

Three much needed jobs ticked off my list, time well spent on projects I enjoy doing. 

Do you stack similar jobs up to do so when you have everything out it is easier to do? What are you busy with at present? Tell all … 

Thank-you for stopping by, it is always appreciated. 

Dee 🖌️🎨👩‍🎨🖼️

Ready for the coronation of King Charles 111

It has been 71 years since we had a coronation in the United Kingdom. It is such a special occasion even if you are not a royalist because the traditions of the pomp & ceremony date back hundreds of years. 

I gave you a glimpse of the change over of the conservatory sideboard to mark the occasion - it is all things I have used for several royal events - except the 3 new coronation cards. 

The little bunting I made looks just fine hung along the shelves & it can (and will) be used again. 

The front door usually gets something & so at the last minute today, I made some hearts with the fabrics I still had - I should have thought more about how they would hang but they are up & looking rather cheerful I think.

The lounge has some colourful Cath Kidson bunting that has appeared for years. We used it last year on the canal boat, along with the tea towel in the same floral design. We know that King Charles is a lover of flora so it is appropriate 

Several friends will join together tomorrow to watch, the comment, to observe the event - that is always special because it is a national event & I think you take it in more if you are together. 

Last weekend a friend & myself revisted the Monarch's way - a walking route not far from us which charts the escape of King Charles 11 from the troops of Oliver Cromwell in the times we lost our Monarchy after the beheading of Charles1 ... 

The two Priest holes at Boscobel House - King Charles is known to have hidden in one - it must have been cramped because he was 6 foot 2 ... 

The Royal Oak where King Charles 11 spent a night up in the branches, hidden from sight as it was a lot fuller than it is now ... 

I hope you will join us to watch the coronation, do tell me how you found it. Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated. 

Dee 👑🤴👸