My lady is framed at last ...

I shared my delightful lady by the very talented Henry_Raeburn & henry-macbeth-Raeburn & I have been contemplating her frame for a long time.

She does not fit into our lounge with its red wall & black frames with maps & pictures.

However, she is perfectly at home upstairs above my shabby chic desk in my room - a calm, peaceful presence that I rather like.

Perhaps it is her elegant features & the calming colours that is so pleasing?

I always  have great difficulty deciding on pictures to hang at home because I like them to be things that are personal & individual & would rather live with a blank wall than with something that I am not happy with ...

I recently got quite excited at finding a vintage gold frame - truly stunning frame but when I got it home, I found it would swamp my lady.

 

However, getting her downstairs spurred me into action & I decided to take her to a local framer that has done several others of ours at maws-gallery.

After some deliberation & testing many coloured mounts & frames against it, I decided against a gold frame. Instead, I decided on an almost vintage chic one which will be perfectly at home in my calm cream bedroom.

As much as reason said she should be in a traditional black or brown frame, it did not look right & since she is entirely mine, I went with what I liked most; selfish pleasure because she is tucked away upstairs, away from visitors ...

So at last, after several years, my lady is properly framed & elegant once more.

She is back where she belongs above my desk & I think she looks like she is 'home'

Thanks for sharing this journey with me, always pleased to read your comments & to return the visits to your inspirational blogs.

Dee ~♥~

Too good to waste ...

Whilst on a trip down to Dorset to see family on the weekend, I  was told to take what apples were left on the small orchard as they were now falling & with Winter approaching, would only go to waste.

 

I duly picked the remaining ones from the various trees - some small, some large, some sweet, some toe curling tart & brought them back with me.

What to do with them?

 

Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater provided the answer - English Apple Cake

 Do you have post-its sticking out of your favourite recipe books too?

The only change I made was to use organic wholemeal flour ....

English Apple Cake by Nigel Slater (from The Kitchen Diaries)

A slim, moist cake, best served warm, that will keep for a day or two wrapped in foil.

butter -130g
unrefined caster sugar - 130g
'eating apples' - 3
the juice of half a lemon
ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
Demerara sugar - 2 tablespoons
eggs - 2 large
plain flour - 130g
baking powder - a teaspoon
fresh white breadcrumbs - 3 tablespoons
a little extra sugar

Set the oven at 180C / Gas 4. Line the base of a square (I used round) 24cm cake tin about 6cm deep with baking parchment.

Put the butter & caster sugar in a food mixer & beat till light & fluffy. Whilst this is happening, cut the apples into small chunks, removing the cores as you go & dropping the fruit into a bowl with the juice of the half a lemon. (drain) Toss the apples with the cinnamon & Demerara sugar.

Break the eggs, beat them with a fork, then gradually add them to the butter & sugar. Sift the flour & baking powder together & fold them gently into the mixture. Scrape into a lined cake tin. Put the spiced apples on the top of the cake mixture, then scatter with the breadcrumbs & a little more Demerara sugar.

Bake for 55 minutes to an hour. The edges should be browning nicely & the centre firm. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or so before turning out. Eat warm.

Enough for 8

The question now is - a slice with tea or a slice as pudding after supper?

Decisions, decisions, decisions?

Do you use up the free offerings of fruit & vegetables that come your way?
Thanks for stopping by, always lovely to get feedback
Dee ~♥~

Fabulous Tartan / plaid surprise

I have been casting my eye over the stunning tartan that is trending everywhere at the moment in clothes & interiors. Even though I have absolutely no Scottish roots, I still love the classic, timeless look of tartan, especially the more modern colours that are so very cosy for Winter.

Some weeks back, while browsing various interior décor sites for ideas, I saw a competition in Country Homes & Interiors on tartan's & decided on the spur of the moment to enter. We have all done it - entered & thought 'if only ... '

I forgot about it but have still been putting ideas on a pinterest-tartan-interiors board.

Yesterday a courier rang the bell with a parcel. I signed for it - not expecting a parcel - & Ms M (who is visiting from Dorset) & I opened the parcel. I was surprised (having forgotten about the competition because I never win anything) & at first thought  'ooops, did I accidently click BUY on the various tartan fabrics I was watching on Ebay?'

Thankfully we found the note from Country Homes & Interiors advising of my win & including the ready made curtains & two cushion covers.

I am so happy with the unexpected win that I am still grinning like a Cheshire cat & will soon be unveiling the new Winter look thanks to this fabulous prize. 

Thank you so much Country Homes & Interiors - Winter has just become a whole lot brighter & my home a whole lot trendier!

Have you ever won anything unexpectedly? Please visit again soon to see the Tartan update!

Dee ~♥~

Birmingham ....

Hi my lovely followers - always pleased to log on & see who has visited & left me some comments.

On my way back from  London I have to change trains in Birmingham for home & being the second largest city, it is always a favourite place.

Early morning, prefect time to get the camera out again as the city comes to life & before it is filled with people ...

As much as I love people, I just don't like photos where there are too many random people distracting from the view. Who else is like this?

Coffee time first then off to enjoy some familiar sights

Iconic symbols of commercialism & religion meet at the Bull_Ring,_Birmingham

The very modern Selfridges_Building,_Birmingham

The Birmingham Bull "At the main entrance to the west building stands The Guardian, a 2.2-metre (7 ft 3 in) tall bronze sculpture of a turning bull. It was created by Laurence Broderick^[38] and has become a very popular photographic feature for visitors to Birmingham"

Nelson standing tall

We will fight for the right to be FREE -

The juxtaposition between the shiny commercial Selfridge Bull ring on the left & St_Martin_in_the_Bull_Ring church on the right

The beautiful Birmingham Town Hall in early morning light - the fountains switched off so the reflections are particularly beautiful ....

Queen Victoria looking rather disapproving over the City

My day started ....

and ended with a train trip ...

On my familiar trip home I could sit back, enjoy the lovely rural scenery & some of the pretty stations - knowing that as much as I enjoy the bustle of London & Birmingham, the rurals of Shropshire are what energises me ...

Thank you for reading my blog - I hope you have enjoyed the visit too ...

Dee ~♥~

The joys of Annie Sloan chalk paints

Like many others, I have an eclectic side. I like to mix old & new, vintage with modern high street, IKEA (yes .....) with Royal Worcester to make my home my own!

I confess that I am not afraid to get out the paint to change & modernise items so that they fit in with what we already have at home. 

These are some of my painting efforts:

When I bought this original Lloyd loom chair for my bedroom, it was a vile, dated dusty pink colour so I  used  Farrow & Ball paint to freshen it up but I found that without lots of prep of the surfaces, the results were disappointing & the paints took a long time to dry & had strong smells.

A pink Lloyd Loom chair refurbished with Farrow & Ball cream paint

ikea-hacks - a dark dated chest of drawers, 2 vintage headboards & an Ikea pine cupboard were all repainted for our spare bedroom. They are all various ages yet once updated they sit comfortably together to create a calm environment.

Some time back, I had been seeing lots of reports of Annie Sloan chalk paint on various blogs & it seemed like a dream - no prep necessary & it covers all surfaces - that sounded too good to be true.  However, it took sometime to find a local stockist in Shropshire but once one opened in Shrewsbury, it unlocked a new world.

I bought my first tin of Annie Sloan & read up on the technique needed but I remained sceptical about the hype - my desk was my first effort.

my-space - my vintage ladies desk where I do my writing ...

emperor-silk-time-for-my-desk

a-very-elegant-graphite-mirror was our next project with my daughter for her bedroom

However, the teacher in me always wants to know more - to try the more difficult finishes that give the 'French looking' results I want so I have become impatient with my efforts ...

As luck would have it, some facebook networking revealed a new, local supplier at maws craft centre - the stunning  Belle Maison Vintage shop BelleMaisonVintage on facebook. Her work is simply stunning - really inspirational painting & techniques so I knew I had to visit.

She is confident in all the techniques she uses & will be offering lessons in Annie Sloan painting soon. I will be there ....

In the meantime, I am enjoying another new-bust I found at her shop

It goes perfectly with my current lovely lady - what do you think?

So I am hoping to perfect some new techniques so that I can progress to the finishes I want which appeals to my creative side. I know in the meantime I will be sourcing some things I want to paint.

Are you a painter? Do you customise things? Please share a link to your projects!

Thanks for stopping by, always pleased to welcome you to my blog & home!

Dee ~♥~