gillyflower: April 2012

Saturday, 28 April 2012

A Feast of Fabrics

The wet Spring days were forgotten for a moment this week when these beautiful fabrics arrived on my doorstep one happy happy morning :)

( Surely I couldn't have ordered all this in a week? I reckon I must shop in my sleep ;0 )

Some lovely soft washed japanese linen

a pretty vintage sheet

some pretty co-ordinated cotton fat quarters

But best of all...................

this lovely bundle of vintage fabric from the lovely Jennie at sosorosey

If you are a lover of vintage fabrics like me, you'll find it hard to visit Jennie's Etsy shop and come away empty handed.

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I'm off to play with some of this lovely fabric now!

Have a great weekend everyone!

PS sorry if links not working but am on laptop and can't work out how to highlight, copy and paste url's - I need a good old-fashioned (!) mouse!

Updated: Links now sorted I think, back on the good old PC with my trusty mouse!

Tuesday, 24 April 2012

Spring Flowers and Cushions

A few spring photos of the garden from last week when the sun was out for a while.

I have more flowers out now which I hope to capture the next time the sun comes out.

Ha!

Could be June at this rate!

So for those of you in the UK (and indeed anywhere else!) currently suffering under the miserable, dark, gloomy grey skies, persistent heavy rain and the chillyness that goes with all of that,

and which depressingly seems to be our set weather pattern for the foreseeable future,

I thought these photos might help bring a little sunshine into your day.

and a few photos of some springlike floral cushions

What was it we used to chant as a child?

"rain, rain go away

come again another day"

and then I had to google it as I couldnt rememebr the rest, which goes.......

"Little Johnny wants to play;
Rain, rain go to Spain,
Never show your face again!"

Apparently the origins of this rhyme date back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 and are connected with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The attempt by the Spanish failed not only due to the swiftness of the English fleet in their smaller ships, but also due to the stormy weather scattering the Spanish ships, hence the ryhme!

For the full story have a look at this link!

Friday, 20 April 2012

A Birthday and other things

It feels like it's been busy this past week

Bella's 17th Birthday last weekend

( 17 presents here!)

early(ish for a teenager!) morning tea and biscuits in bed along with the present unwrapping

balloons

a birthday cake - cake decorating is not my strong point so I kept it simple!

celebratory drinks, a family birthday tea, a meal out with friends......

and the highlight for Bella......

her first driving lesson!!!!!!!

I know you saw lots of photos of my "sanctuary" in my last post, but bear with me here as I must just share a recent eBay purchase with you vintage lovers out there - a vintage pale pink checked chenille bed cover!

I am so happy with this pretty addition to my room!

And speaking of pretty, a new book full of prettiness.....

Rachel Ashwell's "Shabby Chic Inspirations" - if you love shabby chic style then you will love this book.

It is full of gorgeous shabby vintage interiors, including photos of her own homes and those of others, "home" being the common thread that unites these interesting, unique and varied shabby chic interiors and the people who live in them. Amongst the interiors photographed are Rachel's idyllic "Prairie" property in the US, her laid back beach house, both of which are full of faded beauty; Sharon and Ozzie Osbourne's house; a quirky houseboat and other fascinating homes full of vintage and pre-loved objects.

If you love old and faded textiles, chipped and painted furniture, and real homes that reflect the inhabitants tastes and personalities, then you will love this book.

You can visit Rachel Ashwell on Facebook and she also has a blog.