A touch of Valentine Red

On the table.


In the living room.

In the dinning room.

In the bedroom.

In the kitchen!

In the garden.

In your heart.

Happy Saint Valentine's week.

Shelly.

(pictures 2-6 Country Living March 2011)

January Reasons to be Cheerful....

You can make a hearty bowl of soup, how about French Onion with cheesy bread topping?





You can still have a cosy twinkling corner for the dark evenings.

You can have flowering spring bulbs in the kitchen.

It won't be long till the snowdrops are in full bloom.

You can dream about and plan your summer holiday... French farmhouse anyone?

and best of all, if your as blessed as I am, you could welcome to world this little pink petal.

Born the day after my birthday my beautiful new Granddaughter joins our family, where she will be much loved by many.

January blessings indeed... what are your reasons to be cheerful in January?

Shelly.

(some images from Period Ideas and Country Living magazines)

Clean and Simple

When the mood takes you there is just no stopping!

I am of course talking about Cleaning.

Once all the Christmas and Birthday things were gone all I wanted to do was clean the house from top to bottom.




And then one thing led to another.... I thought the bedroom walls needed a bit of a freshen up so I persuaded my hubby to give them a coat of paint, which meant emptying the room out, which led to dismantling wardrobes which led to sorting out all our clothes..... it was unstoppable!!!

It was just what a I needed.... clean as a new pin, sorted, clutter free, simplified!

A good beginning for a grey and rainy January.

Shelly

It arrived in the post...

Isn't it great when lovely things arrive by post!


While I had some time off last week I caught up with lot's of things I was meaning to get round too and this included getting on line and ordering some things I had been dreaming of being the proud owner of.


These Vicky Archer books arrived and I love them, the photographs are wonderful and these books have pride of place on my coffee table.



MY FRENCH LIFE.

FRENCH ESSENCE.

I first came across these books on the 'my french country home' blog.

There is a link to Amazon on the side bar if you want to browse the books.

This also arrived this week.

A beautiful Christmas craft kit from Alica at Posie Gets Cozy.

And last to arrive was my order from The White Company of my favorite Christmas candle 'Winter'. I am addicted to its scent filling my home.

It's felt like Christmas every day especially as it has been so cold here and the postman has arrived each snowy and frosty morning with my wonderful parcels.

Shelly.

Home again.

From this......
To this......

Getting ready for this.....

(this picture from 25 Beautiful Homes)

Shelly.

Cream of the Crop

Cream Roses with Autumn Berries.

Cream of Clocks.

Curls of Cream.

Creamy Cupcake.

.

Cream of Squash.

All these things around my house make me smile like the

' Cat that got the Cream'

Shelly x

House of Drawers

I live in a house of drawers!

I seem to have more drawers than most people I know!

I love them because they allow me to store my things in groups and match the drawer to the size of the object to be placed in it.

I have 2 of these 9 drawer oak chests with iron work handles, I love them because they fit all the CD's and DVD's in so the 'clutter' is hidden away.

I also keep candles, linens, pens and stationary in them.

This is a mini set of drawers that I keep cards and writing paper in, it stands on top of one of the oak chests.

More tiny drawsers bought just because I love them.

Kitchen drawers, keeping all the utensils dust free and out of site.

I even have just the right size drawer in my bedroom for my make up.

There are more but I think I am becoming a drawer bore.

So more drawers less clutter, more drawers more organised, more drawers easier to sort and tidy,

More drawers more room to show the pretty things.

I rest my case on behalf of the humble drawer.

Hope your having a good week?

The drawer lady!

Oh you pretty things!

Sometimes you just have to take time to look at the pretty things.

Going away for a few days, traveling North to Lancashire where I was born.

Back next week.

Shelly.

Home is where the heart is.

Dream House = New England style double fronted clapboard house, painted white with shutters at the windows, light filled rooms painted in pale colours, a touch of Shabby Chic, a touch of New England Shaker, a little Colonial and a lot of love.

Real House = Smallish brick built, not a lot of outside style, no shutters, some light filled rooms, pale colours in some rooms (they just do not work in the grey English light of my living room!)a touch of Shabby Chic, a little English Colonial, a touch of New England Shaker and a lot of love.

Light fills the dinning area but the sitting room needs warmer colours.

The upstairs rooms have my favorite colours, whites, creams, and pale mink browns.

We don't always get what we wish for but this house has been a place of laughter and tears, joy and sorrows, celebration and comfort, parties and a solitary refuge, a platform to launch from and a blanket to snuggle in.

It is without doubt a home where many a heart is.


Shelly x