New Chairs from Old

,Here are some before and after photos of my dining room chairs. I'm rather pleased in fact I am chuffed.  Want to have a peak - here goes

Please adjust your head  to view photo or rotate your laptop if using one - i'm still learning remember! A cherry coloured chair with yukky fabric seat.  Not very appealing.  See the bottom of the dresser in the photo - its not quite ready yet.

A chair being painted in the kitchen - see the roses in the background £1.79 from Aldi one climbing and one fragrant tea rose - just waiting for a little bit of sunshine so I can get planting. 

A pair of beauties. I am soooooooo pleased with the new look so much brighter.  After I had painted them I gave them a coat of clear beeswax to protect them a little. The fabric is some I have had about 5 years I bought it in the sale at John Lewis and its perfect.  I do have a few pieces of vintage Sanderson and fancied making them all different but the girl's general opinion was a strong NO and actually I agreed -  they made the right choice. 

Close up of fabric

All in all very pleased - a good job and a cheap one.  Paint free from Annie Sloan and fabric about £9 in sale.  Excellent 4 new chairs for next to nowt.

We had  curry for tea tonight and I did warn everyone if they got any on the chairs there would be trouble with a capital T.

Before I say night night I must tell you a funny that Belle came out with at the tea table.  She saw a man on the road in a small white van carrying a brown book. He visited my immediate neighbour and then a house further down the road. Is that man a preacher she said I asked her why she thought that and she said well  I think that brown book is a bible and well he just looks like a preacher.  I pointed out that he came around once every week.  I know he calls a lot she said.  Belle I explained that is the milkman and he is collecting his money. Oh my goodness I howled with laughter, you know, tears, snorting, struggling to breathe laughter.  As you may  imagine we had a very grand discussion around our tea table pointing out the differences between a preacher and a milkman. Think she watches too many American movies as we don't have preachers in our village just Vicar Margaret, a Methodist Minister oh and a Milkman.  Now have tears rolling down my face. 

Must just show you my hexagon progress before I retire for the night.

All different

Whoops two photos the same

Close up each hex is a different fabric

I can't make my mind up if to make it into a cushion or to carry on to make a small quilt.  Maybe I should stick to a cushion as I have already started (a year ago) a granny flower small quilt but that's hibernating. 

Good night really must go now.

Good night all.



Bake, Chat, Sew

I arose early yesterday morning to make these:-

Yum

I packed my basket

As I was going here:-

Picture from http://www.hopeandelvis.com/

Louise had invited me over for a making day and she had invited others too.  Amongst them was Sally from Red Robin  who I  had chatted  to via Bloggy Land but not in real life.  It was lovely to meet her and we had a super day chatting, sewing, making, sticking and eating CAKE.  Have I told you I love cake and eat it far too often resulting in my body being too big for lots of my clothes.  I also met Louise's mum and we had a wonderful time chatting away as if we had known each other ages.  We also had 'things' in common.  She was from the same area in Sheffield as my Dad, she had my Aunty Ann's book which her friend was in and she even knew K's mum and dad. Isn't it strange how you sometimes have common threads with people you haven't met before.  I didn't take anything with me but I did have it in mind to make some hexagons to make into a cushion and that is what I did.

Hexies in a row

I hexed all morning (to Louise's surprise) and in the afternoon I  decided to undertake some cutting and sticking to make cards using just a small portion of the vast array of vintage bills, letters, wallpaper, books and lots of other scrumptious stuff in the workshop.  This is how they started

Background finished

Lot of papers to choose from

The finished article

Little dollies - one on left just a tadge scary

 A toadstool and a vintage child's shoe from an old catalogue

A lovely relaxing day. Thanks Lou.



Sunshine On My Shoulder Makes Me Happy

Had a lovely day today.  Been to Chesterfield for a potter around with K and then went on to the antiques centre in Bolsover.  A gentle pootling day which was welcome as today would have been Dad's 75th birthday so I had approached it with very mixed feelings - sad that he is not here and happy in that I had a good day which he would have liked.  I bought some pretty spring flowers from the market - cheap as chips - and from the Antiques Centre I got a blue and white striped pudding bowl and a pretty pink rabbit - very spring like. 

Pretty pink bunny

Pretty pink primula

A trio of loveliness - oh and a painted dresser

I am saving the dresser reveal for another day as it needs a bit more attention.  It's looking good though and has already made the room look brighter. 

After I got back from our little outing I donned my black and white starry pj bottoms, my scruffy purple hoodie and my green crocs - why you may ask - well the sun was shining and it was the ideal opportunity to paint OUTSIDE.  I was looking good - um thats debatable - well its not I looked a state.  Yeah I opened the patio doors and dragged out two of our dining room chairs.  With a splish and splash of Annie Sloan they are looking much better.  Two more to go and then the seats to recover.  It felt really good to be outside and I had a look around the garden and there are lots of signs of new growth.  My clematis Dad gave me is sprouting. honeysuckle growing, ladies mantle poking through and lots more.  There's lots of tidying up to be done - weeds to pull out, dead plants to remove and brambles and nettles to clear.  Hopefully a little more sunshine will inspire me to get going.  Going to watch Marchlands now pips going on Radio 4 for 9 o'clock gonna run through to other room grab remote from Nellie and enjoy.

Ch, Ch, Ch Changes

At last I have camera, lead and hopefully decent photos to show my cabinet makeover.  As I mentioned a long time ago I used the Annie Sloan paint that I bought at Nellie in the Shed in Southwell, Notts.  I must say on first using the paint I was a little bit disappointed.  It took more than one coat and some of the varnish showed through the paint.  I decided that I would e-mail Annie to let her know.  She replied straight away asking for my phone number.  After a few attempts to make contact and another e-mail (little bit stroppy on my part) Annie phoned.  Yeah you heard the actual Annie Sloan phoned me to ask how it had gone with the paint.  She said that it was most unusual for anyone to have problems with the paint and that she had not received one negative comment about it.  I could agree with this as I had Googled to find reviews and I could not find one negative one anywhere - which I told her.  We discussed the piece I had painted, the consistency of the paint etc.  I offered to send her photos of my cabinet but she said it was fine - she trusted me and that as a gesture of goodwill she would send me an alternative tin of paint.  Well I must say I was very pleased as I do have grand plans for this paint (which I did tell her) and want to paint almost all the old furniture in my home.  Dont panic - no antiques or items of great value - mostly Stag Minstrel bought when we got married in 1986 and some other pieces I have picked up along the way.  This is all good solid furniture but very dated. 

Time for photos - baited breath - not my finest point.

The china cabinet before - dark, tired, but a pretty shape with original key and shelves all ready for a coat of paint.  Did I mention it only cost me £10 - whoa that was a happy day.  The man in the local second hand shop thought I was quite crazy as I was so excited about it - I told him I had been looking for one for ages and that I was going to paint it cream and line the back etc he just gave me one of those smiles - you know the one - the oh I have strange one here - smiles.  Any way here is the before -

Don't ask me what happened to the photos I don't know and now I am getting fed up.  They looked find before they were uploaded to my blog and now they look rubbish - whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!.  Do you get the idea though - old cabinet, dark wallpaper on the back, darkish varnished wood.  (it smells a bit inside but hey ho i'm not planning on moving in).  Hold you breath a little now for the afters - hopefully they will be a tadge better than the befores  - fingers and toes crossed. 

Ta Dah

Close up of back - a map of our local area

Me and some pretties

Oh so glad that worked - I must say I love it and have accessorised a little bit but it is not finished.  More stuff to transport. 

The Annie Sloan paint was great I have since painted a small cabinet and it only took two coats, the finish is great and I would recommend it.  I have painted the banister on the stairs oh and the brown leather sofa is now spotted with Old White Annie Sloan paint - I don't really do the protecting everything with drapes thing I just splashed it around - it did come off though The no sanding, no priming, no doing anything apart from painting is great and I am going to go on to paint my dresser next with my free pot.  Thank you Annie I am a convert and LOVE your paint.



Everybody look at me, me!!

Hey check me out!  I've had my hair done.  You like?  I had a lovely day with Sarah, she washed and clipped, crimped and preened, chatted about holidays - Cornwall out of season v the kennels, she gave me snacks and drinks, chatted about girls - not bothered I said I happy single with my family (also I have no bits!).  I had a chat with the Bedlington Terriers nice Chaps they were.  All in all I feel so much better - no more bad hair days for me for a while.  I couldn't understand why mummy laughed though I look rather like the rather swish and swave Poirot.  What do you think?

No more comb overs for a while.

Oh my I have a bob!  Look at my ears.!

Mummy just give me the cheese - pleeeeese.

The Sphinx

Sending you all lots of love - Diane this is for you - my heart shaped patch.

I am not staying here any longer, give me the cheese or I will cry.

Look at my manly chest hairs - ignore the bald patches please.

Any good?  As i'm posting all about me I thought I might tell you about all the names I have.  My mummy will have told you that my name is Dylan but that isn't the only name I go by.  Here are just a few that I get called.  You ready there's a lot.

Dyl
Dilly
Dyl Pickle
Dylster

Muss
Mussy
Mussy Muss Muss
Mussymoomoo
Moo Moo

William

Stink
Stinky

I think I also get called some that a dog is not allowed to repeat.  They're the ones when I have been rolling in poo, getting under feet of people carrying huge piles of washing (its a sign you know, it means they are going OUTSIDE) and when I have taken a shoe and hidden it especially when its a school shoe and the lift has arrived.

All in all I love my names and yes I do answer to them all.  The only name I am not keen on is my real name, you know, the Kennel Club name, the posh silly name that never ever gets used.  Do you want to know what it is?  Get ready you will laugh your socks off, my owners do.  I will reveal it after my last photo. 

This is my I have now had enough now face.

 

The big reveal my real name, my posh name, my kennel club name is:-

JUNGLE BOOK ERIC CANTONA

Have your socks come off yet.  Good night

Love Dyl X

Mummy says she takes no responsibility for the above name it was the fault of my breeders, lovely, lovely people but a man mad about Manchester United and a lady in love with all things Disney.  Oh me Oh my!  Eric Cantona is rather handsome tho, at least I didn't get called Rooney Tinkerbell that would have been too much for me to bear.

A Make Over

This is going to be about a makeover.  Not a cabinet makeover but a makeover of a different kind.  Tomorrow is a big day for Dylan our dog.  It's doggy haircut day.  I have to whisper this as Dyl doesn't like having his hair done.  A day at the salon is not his cup of tea.  He is more a rolling around in fox poo kind of dog - good job we love him - he really does stink.  Actually he isn't that bad.  He is however desparate for a haircut.  He is long overdue and has lovely flowing locks but in amongst those luscious locks are BIG LUGS.  We try to comb him but he resists in a most polite manner with a deep growl and he will have none of it. 

Here he is in with all his lovely locks.




Look at those lovely locks




Here we have the spike.




The comb over




The middle parting - very fetching it shows off his white flash

 He really is a super dog and we all love him to bits.  Call back tomorrow to see the after - his appointment is at 9 am sharp.  I am sure he will have a lovely chat about holidays, girlfriends, going out etc and I bet he will have a latte or espresso whilst he is under the dryer.  I can't wait to see him with his new hair cut.  Actually we will all laugh at him lots and lots we always do when he has had his haircut because he looks really funny.  The groomer has just called actually whilst i'm blogging  to check his appointment time.  Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the big reveal. 

Yee Hah

 Lovely  K has just trawled through the photos and found the before photo. Oh yeah!! Check back later and I can do a before and after post properly with photos and everything.

If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again and if that doesn't work let someone else do it!  LOL.

My Nan Lily had that quote on her toilet roll holder in her outside toilet (she didn't have one inside) and it was a long time before I got it!!  No toilet inside and no bathroom either - you just can't imagine that can you. How times have changed.

Whoops

Last night I sat down with my laptop all ready to post about my cabinet make over with the Annie Sloan paint.  I wrote the first paragraph, then I attempted to find the before photo - no luck.  Not on K's camera, not saved on laptop, not on Nelly's camera, not on K's work camera.  I became thoroughly grumpy and gave in. So hopefully later I will post the after  photo and you will all have to use your fabulous imaginations for the before photo. 

I think I may have to save up and get a camera all of my own. I do find it the hardest part of blogging - the photo bit.  I either forget to take it out with me or take photos and lose them or take them in the wrong resolution so they take aggggggggggggges to download.  It's definately something I need to work on as I have loads to say and lots of things to blog about but a post without a picture isn't the same.  Any hints or tips would be gratefully received. 

Book Club

Wednesday this week was Book Club night.  Several friends get together once every 6 weeks or so.  The person hosting the event chooses the book.  We then read and review.  Sometimes we don't all get around to reading the book but that's ok.  Other times when we have all read the book we remember to actually discuss it - we sometimes spend at least 5 minutes doing this.  It's all good fun and not taken too seriously.  This time it was the turn of my friend S.  The book she chose was Mr Chartwell  by Rebecca Hunt and Mr Chartwell is her first novel.  Rebecca happens to be my friend S's DIL.  How exciting.  Rebecca began the book without telling any one she was writing and she wrote it when she got home from work.  S is obviously very proud quite rightly.  This week the book has been published in Italy and in America I believe she has sold it around the world. 

Rebecca was kind enough to sign our copies and mine is taking pride of place on my coffee table.  Here is a link to a review from the Telegraph.  I now have to confess I haven't read it yet.  I've not been in a reading mood - I am reading another book but s-l-o-w-l-y without much enthusiasm.  I did however listen to the story on Radio 4 when it was Book at Bedtime and it was very interesting.  I am going to savour this book when I am back into reading mode.

Sorry not a good image borrowed from Amazon