Here comes the summer!!

Can you believe this gorgeous sunshine we're having here at the moment? 

 Such lovely balmy weather. 

This is Montgomery Town Hall all decorated out for the Charleston Evening tonight. 

Doesn't it look brilliant?  Broad Street was buzzing behind me when i took this photo, it was really warm, the Checkers had opened it's doors and people were arriving to dine for the evening and the Castle Kitchen was just starting to serve their evening food and had their tables and chairs out on the pavement, it was so nice.

The Town Hall is such a lovely building and it's nice to see it being used.  Gav and i had our wedding reception and evening party here (lovely memories).  This is the downstairspart of the building , needs some work, but it's ok.  Pippa, Louise et al have done a fabulous job doing it all up for the party.

This is the upstairs, sorry the photo isn't good, but i took it just before the party started and I was in a bit of a rush, but it gives the idea.

INDIGO MOON

More moving around in the shop.  We were offered a dresser unit by one of our "new" neighbours a few weeks ago.  We thought it would create more space for our Christmas stock so set about shifting things around (hence my chronic bad back at the moment!). 

Bare walls at Indigo Moon, awaiting dresser

It;s a great big thing and Gav got a friend to help him to collect it and move it into the shop thankfully.  It was huge and has very dark wood and as we don't have time to paint it, i've partly covered the back panels and shelves with some pretty wrapping paper to lighten it up a bit.

...and squeezed some other bits of furniture around it.

Anyway have a look around the re-organised Indigo Moon and see the 'new' cupboard filled up

(Lizzie gets in on everything, she loves the shop)

My kitchen looks like a warehouse at the moment so these pretty flowers are a welcome sight.  I got them from Tesco's (Shhhhh...thats a swear word around these parts!!)

 I've just got to show you these.  It's my vintage apron collection.  The fabrics are amazing, some of them are home made and some of them are commercially made, but they're all pretty unique.  I'm not sure what i'll do with them yet, I may package them and put them in the shop, but i just love them and are loathe to part with them.

 LIZZIE

Poor Lizzie, she's looking a bit sorry for herself in this photo!

She was spayed on Wednesday and also had to have a cyst removed from the top of her head, bless her, when they cut the cyst it was bigger than they thought and she has a load of stitches.  Nicci's calling her Frankenstein. 

 ...i love this greeny/bluey colour, i think some of our furniture in the shop should be painted in this.  Here are a few gorgeous images i found on the internet (sorry i can't name the sites they're from, but none of them are mine).

 OK...i know it's not blue, but i love these.

It's nice also to hear that my dear friend Annie's daughter is on the mend now.  They've all been in my thoughts and i'm so glad things are better for them.

"The summer night is like a perfection of thought"

 ~Wallace Stevens

Rest, Relaxation and Sundays

I love Sunday nights! 

I love closing the shop at 5pm (4pm in the depths of winter), walking the dog, chatting with Gav and then retiring to the living room with nice food. TV, a glass (or two) of wine and looking forward to a fab day off tomorrow. 

Despite our holiday being spoilt last week, we did manage to relax for the last few days at home. We didn't open the shop until Saturday and then it was only half a day today before a day off. tomorrow  There's something so nice about working for yourself, i never get that "Ugh" feeling about going back to work or what's commonly known as that "Monday morning feeling"!  He he!

So... tomorrow we're off up to Denbighshire to look at carpets.  We're ready to swap some rooms over and need an "Art Deco" carpet, should be fun finding something suitable, then maybe a nice lunch out and a visit to Hobbycraft for some supplies.

These are some brooches i made last week from felt and fabric and a few watercolours!

Some more colours waiting to be done

I love this card and brooch, i bought them from the Zani Lady's Wearhouse in Ludlow and they're by the fabulous Viv Sliwka of Hens Teeth Art.....have a look at her blog she creates such gorgeous things.  This brooch looks gorgeous on my lovely new coat.

I had a "treat" day in Ludlow and got this necklace too, very difficult as there were so many pretty colours to choose from.

All my love to Annie and M, thinking of you

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

- Dr. Seuss

Thoughts for Annie...

 "The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around....

Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing".

- Larry Dossey

My thoughts are with my very dear friend Annie and her family, for her beautiful daughter, who's very poorly at the moment. 

To be, or not be on holiday!!!

Well...we're back from our hols early, can't believe it, we were so looking forward to a nice peaceful relaxing break.  We'd worked so hard through the summer with very little time off and very little help, that we were on the point of exhaustion, practically limping to the finishing post, so to speak!   As a result all we wanted was some peace and quiet, just walks on the beach, and quiet meals in with nice bottles of wine, the TV and a good book or two.

However, as you can see from the photograph above it was not to be, thanks to the greedy owners who took our money and then arranged to have solar panels fitted three days into our holiday!!!  The cottage is actually an upside down design, so the big window you can see on the top floor was the living room and the work was right over our heads.  So much for a bit of Rest and Relaxation eh? 

This was funny before the hammering and drilling started.  This photo's been on my blog before in January when Lizzie was just a puppy.  Again the chickens kept her entertained for hours.

They'd come right up to the window and Lizzie wouldn't move or make a sound for ages, she'd just stare at them.

Anyway, enough of that, we're home safe and resting and relaxing here now.

Thought i might show you some of our new purchases for Indigo Moon.  We got thes tables in Leominster last week whilst we were there visiting with my lovely in-laws.  This table is painted in a gorgous off white and hand decorated with lovely blue flowers.

It's also functional as storage

and this one also painted and a gorgeous piece of fabric placed under the glass, it's really pretty.

 this one, a painted and decoupaged vintage (possibly sixties) coffee table 

 

and some pictures of Indigo Moon, we're planning a change around

next week, before the Christmas trade starts 

We bought these gorgeous 1920(ish) units for the shop.  They came from an old department store in Whitby and this one was delivered last week (the other one arrives next week).

They'll look fab together in the shop and i can't wait for the other one to arrive.  We had fun and games when this one was delivered last week, we'd taken all the measurements of the area it was to go in the shop, not thinking to measure the actual doorway into the shop!!!!  When it arrived it was out on the street for most of the day whilst Gav had to take it apart and re-assemble it inside.  You can probably guess it wasn't easy, things made in the 1920's were built to last, at least he'll be prepared when the next one arrives!

I'd forgotten about this when we arrived back from our "cut short" holiday this morning.  The delivery we received just before we went away left all over our kitchen.  We were so tired at the time we only had the energy to check it all, but not clear it all away.  Masses of boxes everywhere at the moment and a few more deliveries next week too, ready for the Christmas trade.

Gavin, Lizzie and my father-in-law last week enjoying a walk in the evening sunshine

and beautiful Lizzie, she's growing bigger everyday and getting more adorable by the minute.  She's established herself well in the family now, everyone loves her, she's an amazing sock thief, they just appear in her bed, i've no idea how and where she finds them.

My gorgeous girl, look at that pose

In the Finals

Sooooooo excited to be in the finals for the CPS Artisan Search 2012.  Thanks to all the team at CPS and congratulations and good luck to all the other finalists.

I packaged up all three pieces of artwork today and sent them off to the CPS Office, i really do hope they arrive in one piece and on time.

Wish me Luck!

Make a Wish and Give it Wings....

...dream of bright and beautiful things,
dance through all the fun filled hours

and don't forget to smell the flowers,

share some love and birthday cake,

all lifes joys are yours to take

and when the evening comes to view

Thank your lucky stars you're you

Happy 19th Birthday

to my Gorgeous, Special, baby girl
"Nicci"

Have a fabulous wonderful day

Love you loads

X X X X X X X X X X X X

“The old believe everything;

the middle aged suspect everything:

the young know everything.”

Oscar Wilde