A Birthday and Emmetts

Hello everyone and thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post.

I've been busy out and about these last couple of weeks and the highlight was my daughters 20th Birthday and a day out which included a trip to Emmetts, a National Trust garden high up in the  Weald of Kent near Chartwell, Churchill's former home.

It was a gloriously sunny day with blue sky, and even though the bluebells were barely out there were plenty of colourful blooms. The magnolias and camellias were beautiful and in full flower, and other blossom trees were flowering as were a few early rhodedendrons and azaleas.

The Birthday Girl!

Since our sunny day out the bluebells have come on and are now almost fully out in the woods nearby.

I've been very busy with The Loft Room since I last posted, and have been making a few new things for my space there.

I've made some vintage floral linen bags which I've lined with red polka dot fabric.

 I've hand embroidered some little key fobs

And I've hand stitched some little lavender sachets..... this one from vintage feedsacks

This one hand embroidered with a little Kensitas silk flower on it sent to me by a lovely FB friend Jayne. Between 1933 and 1934 Kensitas included a silk flower with each pack of cigarettes and they are now very collectable. Jayne thought of me as she had one with a Gillyflower on it, the old fashioned name for pinks, which is where I got my name from (as well as being a Gilly!) and she very kindly sent me that flower along with some others. I made this for her as a thankyou.

Vintage barkcloth lavender sachet....

And another vintage feedsack lavender filled sachet.

 I've also set up a Blog for The Loft Room where we can post about our courses, fairs, events and new makes, so do pop over and check it out here and if you'd like to follow what we're up to then you can follow us on Bloglovin' or by email notification.

We are also on Facebook here, so please come and check out our page and give us a like!

It's in its infancy at the moment so a bit short on photos and a bit rough around the edges, but it would be lovely to have some familiar and friendly faces as followers!

I still haven't got round to catching up with you all on your blogs so please forgive me for my absence.

Hope this horrible weather clears up for the Bank Holiday weekend, its pouring with rain here as I type, and dark, cold and miserable.

 Have a great weekend whatever the weather!

A Spring Outing and other stuff

Thankyou for all your comments and best wishes on my last post, it's good to be back even though I am still far, far behind with catching up with you all.

Hope you're all enjoying this gorgeous Spring weather! 

There's lots happening in the garden now, and today I've had a great day out with my daughter who is fresh back from a long weekend in Paris! Paris in the Springtime, how wonderful!! Next time she visits her friend there I think I shall tag along ;)

Today we visited Scotney Castle in Lamberhurst, Kent, a National Trust property and only 10 minutes away from us. Rather than tour the house on such a sunny day,  we wandered around the gardens and grounds and down to the old, ruined original building. 

My daughter took all of these photos on her iPhone and has taken some lovely shots with the ancient buildings reflected in the moat.

we loved this colour blue on the garden door with the red camellia!

steps up from the sunken quarry garden, made where they quarried out the stone to build the new and much large Scotney Castle in the 1830s.

camellias in bloom

the original medieval castle, mostly in ruins, but partly intact and there are still a few rooms to explore, and a story of a priest who hid undiscovered in the Priests hole whilst the house was searched!

Years ago, way before our daughter was born, we saw a Shakespeare play here one summers evening with the backdrop of the ruined castle......so atmospheric!

Such a great place to visit!

Back to the Loft Room tomorrow all day, and hoping to finish a glass cabinet that I started painting on Tuesday in Annie Sloan "Provence", a gorgeous turquoisy teal colour! Just sanding, distressing and waxing tomorrow so should have some photos to share in my next post.

I have a few items of vintage furniture already in the shop that I've painted recently, including this oak wheelback chair that had seen better days, but with a bit of glueing and a coat or two of my own colour mixed from Annie Sloan Original, Duck Egg and Louis Blue its looking much better.

Enjoy the rest of the Easter holidays and hopefully lots more sunny days!