Antique Sheet Music Flourishes

Wednesday 19 December 2012

PAINTED FURNITURE

I completed my first furniture painting project for my bedroom recently to match my new French bed.  The pine storage cabinet looked a bit out of place against the beautiful cream bed so it was time for a revamp.  The cabinet was sanded to provide a key for the paint then covered with two base coats before proceeding to paint in two top coats of "Farrow and Ball"  "New White" in eggshell finish.  The handles were sprayed with black satin paint and I have to say it does look rather smart and fits into my cream and black scheme.
My Boudior

I am very pleased with the finished result and now intend to complete the wardrobe doors and blanket chest in the same colour to complete the look.

READY FOR CHRISTMAS

I decided it was time to decorate my Christmas tree last weekend and  I was also inspired to trim up with some home made decorations.  I sprayed some twigs with silver spray paint then dug out those odd baubles that had the paint peeling away.  These were sprayed with black spray paint then threaded with silver tinsel and displayed on the newly invigorated twigs.  They are displayed in a clear vase lined with tinsel and now form the centre piece on my dining table.  Not bad for a few hours work.


Sunday 9 December 2012

FRENCH BED

Well I have finally purchased a very much desired French bed after months of research on the internet.  I finally settled for "Antoinette" in "Parisienne Cream" from Newton's Furniture in Devon, whose   furniture is used frequently on the ITV programme "60 Minute Makeover", so I took time out to view their website www.newtonsfurniture.co.uk.  If you love French furniture you will fall in love with their site immediately as I did and it was my lucky day   because the beds were in the sale,   this was an offer I could not resist and proceeded to place my order.   Each item of furniture from Newtons is hand-made to order and finished in your selected choice from Boudoir Black, Gold Leaf, Parisienne Cream, Silver Leaf or French White.  They also manufacture a range of furniture to complete a set with Wardrobes, drawers, bedside cabinets, dressing tables, mirrored screen, Chateau Chaise and a Chateau armchair.   I am highly delighted with my purchase which has now prompted me to begin matching up some of my furniture and paintwork to blend in by painting them in "New White" by "Farrow & Ball".  I will drop by at a future date to let you see the finished product.

Sunday 18 November 2012

HAT BOX PROJECT

I have been passing the time over the last couple of weeks revitalising some of my hat boxes which were looking a little shabby and past their best.
BEFORE

I decided to spray them with black spray paint then downloaded and printed some pictures of  Audrey Hepburn and Marylin Monroe plus other miscellaneous photos that I thought would be suitable for decoupage.

BOX BEING SPRAYED

Below are a selection of pictures taken from magazines and the internet.

I have kept a set of templates which can be photocopied and used again at a future date.

When the hat boxes were  covered sufficiently with spray the next stage was  to paste the decoupage prints to the top and sides of the box. I finished with a coat of clear varnish to protect them.

Below the finished product.

I have now started box number three to complete the set.  Feeling inspired why not decorate some boxes to give Christmas gifts in which can then be utilised afterwards for storage.


  


Sunday 11 November 2012

MIRROR REVAMP

After
Transforming furniture with spray paint

Winter is almost upon us and it is time to start the winter projects indoors.  My latest and much awaited project is the transformation of my bedroom dressing mirror.  The orange pine did not fit into my bedroom scheme or match with any of the furniture.  I dismantled the whole piece and removed the mirror from the frame before giving it a light sanding down, then finished with several thin coats of black satin spray.  The whole project was completed over the course of two weekends and now fits nicely into my scheme.

Before


Starting    
the transformation

 
Finished
Product



Not bad for a few hours work.

Can't wait to get started on my next project, my hat boxes, which are to be sprayed black and decoupaged, watch this space.













Saturday 25 August 2012

Summer Projects

I have been very busy over the summer months completing long overdue projects at the front of the property.  For some time I have been trying to locate a window company that would place PVC inserts into the existing original bay window of my Victorian property and finally found someone that was happy to take on the work at reasonable cost in comparison to some previous quotations received, and so work commenced in June to update the battered window frames and cracked panes of glass and I have to say I am thrilled with the finished product thanks to "The Great Big Window Company" from my home town of Doncaster.
Attic and Bay window before

If you look closely at the above picture the secondary double glazing in the bay window is damaged and the window frames on both windows are deteriorating badly and in need of painting.
After
After

Once work on the window fitting was complete and weather permitting of course I then hired a painter/decorator to spruce up the window frames and sills to blend in with the new windows, what a result, as good as new.

To complete the look at the front of the property I then decided to revamp the garden and to remove the old cracked paving slabs and replace them with a gravel pathway beneath the bay window.  The plan was to recycle the gravel by using to cover the newly laid liner on  the pathway and then to fill the plant borders to assist in keeping the soil moist.  The final stage was to dig the garden over and lay a new liner which would have a deep cover of plum slate.
1 tonne of gravel rear of property
Garden before
Pathway before
Pathway after



Looking good



Dad in action laying slate


The finished product
Thanks to my dad's hard work the slate was moved from the back of the property to the front in a couple of hours and it has totally transformed the look of the garden and saved me a lot of repetitive gardening.  The plum slate blends in nicely with most of the plants in the front garden which are mainly lavender, plum and white shades.  Now I can concentrate on my planting and colour scheming next year to bring it all together.



Sunday 13 May 2012

A Sunday afternoon project

After
For weeks now I have been purchasing items to put together a picnic basket.   I have had the basket for  some years and decided that I could put it to better use.   I had a remnant of ticking fabric  stored away in a cupboard and thought this would be ideal to line the inside of the picnic basket.  Yesterday I purchased some green lace from the market to use as ties to hold items in place.  In total it took a couple of hours to complete the transformation, all we need now is some nice weather so that I can put it to good use.
Before
Preparing to line inside of
basket


Saturday 21 April 2012

French Style Furniture

Baroque French Bed £900.00
French Rococo Furniture

If you are a fan of French Style Furniture there are many sites on the web to explore.  I have visited a selection just to see what is out there and to compare prices according to your budget.

There are also many sites specialising in Vintage style home accessories selling items such as photo frames, wall plaques, lighting and basketware for every room in the home, a good site to visit for such accessories is www.dibor.co.uk. or Melody Maison.

For quality furniture visit:
www.sweetpeaandwillow.com
www.frenchrococofurniture.co.uk
www.melodymaison.com

Good luck with your search.

Classical White Rococo Bed by Sweet Pea And Willow
£1,185.00

Classical white Alexa
Carved double Armoire
£1,345.00
Sweet Pea and Willow
Double door Armoire
Antique White & Silver
£900.00
French Rococo Furniture  










Looking for French Style Chairs
'Louis' style Cream
Occasional Chair £239.95
Melody Maison





Grand Louis £129.99
Dunelm

Thursday 29 March 2012

Bath Spa - A World Heritage City    

I have recently returned from a short stay in Bath Spa, what an amazing place.   The surrounding seven hills and the Bath Abbey towers certainly create a stunning impression on arrival.  Bath is compact and easily accessible, I managed to shop and visit some of the main sites in one day.  

Bath is famous for its Roman Baths, romantic riverside and elegant Georgian architecture, and boasts some of the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in Europe. The Royal Crescent, the Circus, the Abbey, the Pump Room and the Assembly Rooms are all essential places to visit.  


If you enjoy visiting art galleries or museums, there are as many as seventeen and the Victoria Art Gallery hosts one of the best programmes of temporary exhibitions in the region. Other galleries hold collections including East Asian Art, sculpture and ceramics. Bath's museums cover subjects as diverse as costume and antique books and  the Jane Austen Centre tells the tale of the city's most famous resident.  



There are a vast selection of restaurants including Thai, Nepalese, French, Italian/Sardinian and Moroccan to name a few.  I decided to sample the Moroccan cuisine at "Cafe Du Globe & Restaurant" which I highly recommend.  


If you are planning a long weekend away and would like to soak up some amazing architecture and sites then why not plan a trip to Bath Spa, you will be pleasantly surprised.   Fortunately for me I have a friend already residing in this beautiful city and can visit whenever I need a quick get away.




Tuesday 28 February 2012

Decorating 1950's Style

COLOURS    
The three main colour trends in the 19 50s were pastel, modern and Scandinavian and the most popular pastel  colours were  pink, turquoise, mint green, pale yellow and blue. Modern colours were clean and bright and included vibrant yellow, electric blue, orange, red, black and white. The desired result with a modern colour scheme was to create a marked contrast between colours . The Scandinavian colour scheme was sophisticated and heavily influenced by nature. The Scandinavian colour palette included shades of brown, cream, grey and green. For the first time ever in the 1950s  paint colours were available in any possible hue.  Black, white and red  were also a very popular colour scheme. 
FABRICS      
Bold designs such as stars, stripes, checks and polka dots came into vogue alongside atomic graphics inspired by space and science like planets and galaxies . All these designs  were printed on wallpaper, tablecloths, curtains and furniture fabrics. Fabrics with fruit, flowers and abstract designs were also very common. A heavy, tight-woven cotton fabric called “bark cloth” became available in a range of modern designs but also incorporating floral and tropical prints, and was used for furnishings like curtains, drapery and upholstery.
FURNITURE   
Furniture styles ranged  from comfortable upholstered traditional furniture to Scandinavian with light-coloured woods and clean lines, to  organic shapes or space age. Chrome and vinyl chairs paired with chrome-legged tables with Formica tops were both fashionable and durable. Laminated plywood furniture with very clean lines, bent into comfortable curved furniture (known now as “Eames” style, because of the remarkable influence of designer Charles Eames with his revolutionary designs). With an emphasis on entertaining home bars also  became an important feature in the decoration scheme . Home owners now had a lot more leisure time, necessitating picnic and outdoor furniture as well as grills and all the accessories to accompany it.
FLOORING         
 In the 1950s linoleum flooring was restyled by manufacturers like Armstrong and became more colorful and dynamic. It was manufactured in bright, trendy colours and patterns and was promoted for use in nearly every room in the house. Linoleum tiles were placed into patterns by alternating colours - Black and white and red and white checkered floors became very popular and hardwood was still a popular choice for a flooring material.   Wall to wall carpet was something new and became available in a wide range of colours and textures.
DECOR ACCESSORIES   
Atomic age motifs were printed on glassware and fabrics, there were sunburst and atomic clocks made of metal and wood. Plastic was used as a material for accessories for the first time.  A 19 50s kitchen was filled with chrome appliances, pastel plastic, enamel or stainless steel canisters and bread bins. Colourful Melamine and melmac dishware and bowls, as well as Tupperware storage containers became very fashionable and lamps were no longer just for practical purposes, but became interior decorating statements with dynamic shapes that were sculptural, as well as geometric and abstract.  These lamps were topped with fiberglass parchment or fabric shades in solids, atomic or geometric patterns.