An Armoire for my Quilts....

 

I have been looking for a small armoire or wardrobe to display my antique durham quilts in for some time. I finally found one a wee while ago on Ebay for £80 that was close enough to go pick up. Euan and I tweaked it of course.I forgot to take a photo of it before we started but this one is basically the same. Ours had 3 different sized panels in the door and the bottom drawer is not curved like this one.

 

I know its the fashion at the moment to paint furniture but I also love the look of old farmhouse pine. I think it comes from being around my parents stock as I was growing up and helping out in thier architectural salvage and furniture shop...it was all old pitch pine they dipped and stripped...I think its the smell and the soft feel of it after its been bri-waxed. So some of you will probably recoil in horror and think it looked better painted but not me!!! I can always paint it again one day if I change my mind................

We stripped the paint off, sanded it then gave it a coat of Bri-wax. Euan removed the panel inserts in the door, filled the gaps left in the frame and we attached some chicken wire to the back of the door. He made 3 shelves for me to put my quilts on, attached some drawer knobs to the bottom drawer and put some bun feet on the bottom. I am really pleased with it and I think it looks lovely in our living room. There is also still a bit more room in it for one or two more quilts as well.....I always keep an eye out for them.

Molly also loves it. She has a thing for armoires.

Jeanne D'Arc Living and Isla

I have recently discovered Jeanne d'Arc living, a Danish lifestyle magazine which is full of beautiful inspiration. All the pictures are of delightfully shabby rooms things. I think its another style thats lovely to look at but probably really tricky to maintain.......I mean, you get one bright coloured cushion or you leave a mug out that doesnt 'go' and the whole thing is thrown....nobody wants to live under that type of pressure do they?!!!

But beautiful pictures to have in a book on your coffee table.I love the antique dressmakers dummies, the angel wings and the lovely old shoes....I like having old treasures out on display.

All photos by Jeanne d'Arc Living.

In other news, wee Isla was spayed last week and had to wear the traditional plastic lampshade collar.....making her and my life suitably awkward. Poor girl, she looked so uncomfortable in it, she hardly moved her head at all, it was like she was looking up all the time. It was so huge, it reminded me of the Jetsons spaceship....

After a day of her bashing into everything, including me, and knocking over her water a hundred times, I decided to try and make her a 'comfy collar'. I cut a large ring out of some upholstery foam and pulled one leg of a pair of tights(hose) over it to keep it neat and to allow me to secure it with a knot.

It works quite well, she cant get at her stitches and she is much happier. She is such a sweet girl, she jumps up beside me on the sofa and puts her head and front paws in my lap asking for a cuddle when she is a bit sore. We have always called her Isla Bear because we think she has a Polar Bears face.

With Euan still away, I cant leave her home alone to take Molly out for a walk so we can only go for short ones with Isla on the lead so poor Molly is getting rather short changed on her walks this week...........she bears it tolerably well!!! xxx

Happy Valentines Day.........

I hope you all had a nice day yesterday with your loved ones and that you ate as much chocolate as I did...(well you've got to, dont you??) I just wanted to post one of my all time favourite love poems and a absolute classic by E.E cummings.............

I carry your heart.

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in
my heart) I am never without it (anywhere
I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you.

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart..

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart.)

This one reminds me of being a little girl and me and my sister tried to dress up our cats like Brides and Grooms.........

And this one just remind me of my sister because she is unlucky in love..........



Love to all xxx

Armoires filled with lovely things........

Is it wierd to lust after a piece of furniture???
I have a growing collection of beautiful vintage quilts (which I will take some photos of when I can figure out how to best use my fancy camera) and no proper place to put them.
At the moment they are just in piles all over the house and some are even packed away because there is no space........ I long for a beautiful armoire to display them in. But in my small cottage, there isnt really enough space.
Here are some gorgeous pictures of armoires I found, displaying quilts and other lovely things, just the way I would have them.

They dont have to be just for quilts though, I wouldnt mind one in a dining room filled with crockery.....or drinks and glasses like these ones.....





One day, when I get a bigger house....................an armoire will be mine.xx

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and Hogmany and that Santa was good to you! He bought me a fantastic new camera so I can at last take some pictures for the blog -there will be no stopping me now! Here are some pictures that inspired me this year
when it came to decorating our home for Christmas. Best wishes to all for 2012 xx

How funny is this?!!

The Good Wife's Guide (from a 1950s-era home economics manual)

Have dinner ready:
Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready for your husband. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home, and the prospect of a good meal is part of this warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself:
Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

Clear away the clutter:
Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Light a candle. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

Prepare the children:
Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimise all noise:
At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Better yet, have them in bed.

Don’t Complain:
Don't greet him with problems or complaints or complain if he's late for dinner. Just count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day. Speak in a low, soft soothing and pleasant voice.

Listen to him:
You may have a dozen things to tell him - the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first-remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Make the evening his:
Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom.
Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.