AN IMPROMPTU WHITE WEDNESDAY

WHITE WEDNESDAY was near and dear to my heart, but as I suspect many participants did I ran out of fresh things to show you. Alas, I have zhushed things about and have a few images to share. Totally random shots taken throughout the land of Sweet Pea.

PS~~I am totally pouting as Mr. SP passed through the California wine country today on his way to Portland Oregon...

Happy WHITE WEDNESDAY! Go HERE to see all the other participants and thanks as always to KATHLEEN for being the brainchild behind this.

Time for a Change

Except for the Mora clock, the room above has pretty much looked this way since the day we moved into our house almost ten years ago. I have grown tired of the darkness of the red, the abundance of accessories and the “woody” feel of the space. Thus, I have come to the conclusion it is time for a change.

My plan is to begin by adding a new wall color, lighter curtains – probably panels - and updated pillows. I want to remove some of the accessories to allow the room to breathe and add a fun rug for softness. My goal is to reuse most of the furnishings and some of accessories in order to keep costs to a minimum.

Here is a quick tour of the room as it looks today:

While our house was being built, my husband found the oak doors at a local antique shop. We quickly changed our plans to accommodate them in lieu of the standard pocket doors we had planned. (These obviously will stay.)

My grandmother had a terrific sense of style both in the way she dressed and how she decorated her home. The carved African heads were purchased by her on an African safari and the brass candle sticks (seen in the first picture above) came from a trip to Greece.

I also inherited her sewing box (above) which she had painted by Minnesota artist Enid Grindland in the traditional Norwegian style of Rosemaling. The plate between the windows (below) was a special Christmas present also created by the same artist. I consider both these pieces treasures as they belonged to my Grandmother and are part of my Norwegian heritage.

The furniture is a set – two chairs and a sofa - I refinished when my husband and I were first married. My in-laws had it in their basement but had no room for it in their house. I do not plan to have these pieces reupholstered as the fabric is still in great shape and the cost of this little room redo would skyrocket.

This quarter sawn oak table was found at a flea market my husband and I used to visit every Sunday when we were first married. It was one of those spur of the moment purchases which at the time was probably not very smart - we had little money, no real furniture, etc. – but turned out to be something I am so glad we did. Can you guess what it is?

An antique game table! It is such a fun piece and although we have not used it for its intended purpose since moving here (hard to move with so much other furniture in the way) we have played many a card game on it in previous houses. This too will stay.

On the “probably will be replaced at some point list” is the Bob Timberlake coffee table. I would like to find something more in keeping with the eclectic style and feeling of the rest of the room.

The skirted table will have a fabric change at the very least and most likely will be gone completely. (I never realized how much this fabric looks like my living room curtain fabric!)  I am thinking about a smaller more modern table to add a little twist to this room. (Let me know if you have any ideas.)

I like the size of the mirror and how it looks hanging above the game table but I am not so sure about the gold finish. This was an Ethan Allen floor sample so I am not opposed to painting it. I will have to wait on see on this idea until the rest of the room comes together.

So there you have it. My “red room” which I no longer want to be red! I will be heading to the paint store this week for the first step in this transformation.

I have not even begun to look at fabric for pillows and curtains, rugs or additional furnishings. I know this is probably not the best way to approach a room transformation - most designers will tell you to have a plan in place before you begin. I am just going to “wing it” and change things one at a time and see what develops! Sounds like fun doesn’t it?

More Birthday Treats!

Found on a quick visit to our local charity shop, teacups and a lovely pastel coloured stripey sheet! Then more birthday presents - a 1930's needlework magazine with some fantastic illustrations from Harriet and some beautiful vintage fabric from Janet which led us to emit textile firework noises - oooh aaarggh oh!
(Cherry said that we sound like we're watching fireworks when we're looking at fabric and yarn, the loudest day was Colinette yarn delivery day!)
Then I found this bread 'birthday cake' when I went to feed the chickens, it was from Lisa and David.
I started to make a collage using the teacup pincushion which lovely Beth illustrated for Oh Comely magazine for inspiration...
Here's the original illustration which she very kindly gave to me for my birthday accompanied by some very lovely Aspall's Cyder!
What a great way to spend the Bank Holiday! Thank you all again, Nic x

YOU HAD ME AT HELLO

Besides being immersed for almost two weeks in the best antiques and junque you can lay your eyes on, Texas Antique Week is all about the fabulous people you meet. I am so lucky to have met some of the most talented and inspiring bloggers out there. Many of them are now true friends and even though we only see each other in Texas, we chat often and share our lives via text, emails and phone conversations.

I love it when bloggers stop by my booth and introduce themselves.

Sweet SUSIE HARRIS stopped by last show and was nice enough to let me borrow this pic of she and I.

Me on the left, Susie on the right.

Then of course there is my bestie TERESA CANO aka Garden Antiques Vintage.

Sweet T and moi.

Last show we were graced with a booth from GINA GALVIN of Peacock Park Designs and JO PACKHAM of Where Women Create.


Gina and Jo.

I was so happy to meet JODIE LEJEUNE aka Everything Vintage and ANGELIQUE aka Six In One Hand.

Jodie and Angelique.

Always a pleasure to see HEATHER BULLARD in Texas.


Heather and moi.

Oh lawdy there's the divine MISS DEB aka Talking Trash looking fabulous.


Teresa's blogger party is the happening place to rub elbows with some fabulous bloggers.


Theresa aka Time Worn Interiors, moi, Jo Packham, and Lauri from Chippys. Theresa and Lauri are my besties for sure.

Here's sweet ANNE aka Fiona and Twig with TOT and Deb.



And then there's delightful ROBIN BROWN aka Magnolia Pearl... She's just the yummiest.


Me and Robin.

And now for the name dropping...

I don't always get a pic with all the fab bloggers that I see but here's a list of some of them that I've been blessed to meet...

DEB FROM CURIOUS SOFA

ELIZABETH FROM ELIZABETH HOUSE

CAROLYN WESTBROOK FROM CAROLYN WESTBROOK HOME

CAROL FROM RAISED IN COTTON

KIM HOEGGER FROM KIM HOEGGER HOME

MARLA FROM MATILDAS MOUSE

COREY AMARO

POLLY FROM COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS

ZITA FROM MLLE MAGPIE

JEANINE FROM CHIPPY SHABBY

REBECCA ERSFELD FROM REBECCA ERSFELD FOR VINTAGE LIVING

RACHEL ASHWELL

LISA FROM LA RUSTIQUE MARKET

GALE FROM WIZARD OF ONCE WAS

Now I have probably forgotten someone, so please forgive me if I did. The blogger party is such a blur that it is next to impossible to remember everyone. The wine doesn't help either...

If you are coming to Marburger and/or the blogger party please be sure to say hello. I would love to meet you...

Country Crafts from the Studio of Halfpenny Home!

Visitors to Halfpenny Home have been inspired by some of the many craft titles that CICO books have produced. In particular, the Cabbages & Roses Home Made Vintage has sparked lots of creative makes at the studio in recent months.

Imagine then, how excited we were when CICO asked us to write a craft book for them! CICO are part of Ryland Peters and Small and produce beautiful craft books with lavish photography. As you can see, we've been enjoying just a small selection of these! Our book is going to be produced under CICO's Green Home series, which sits perfectly with the ethos of Halfpenny Home!

We have been asked to produce 35 projects with step by step instructions. We are very privileged to be working alongside a really great photographer, Gavin Kingcome (www.gavinkingcome.com), who has provided the photography for a number of the River Cottage Handbooks.

It's been a really brilliant excuse to play with lots of creative supplies and we have also asked some Halfpenny Home friends to help us. Laura, who makes soap and Sam, who every summer becomes Peg the Dyer at Kentwell Hall, Long Melford (www.kentwell.co.uk)

So thank you to all our Halfpenny Home friends and followers for all your enthusiasm, inspiration and support.

Nic & Jacqui x

Birthday blog!

It was my birthday yesterday and all week everyone has been popping into Halfpenny Home to wish me a happy birthday and they have all been so kind and generous. I have met so many new people since the shop opened and as we all know they are all so clever and creative. See the lovely pictures below that Jacqui has printed onto canvas and mounted on frames and the pretty 'handbag' card, she knows how much I love an Efes (turkish beer) also!
Michelle, one of the 'Sew and Crow' ladies bought me this tiny sewing machine that has it's own little carry case. Love the fact that it is called Essex, Michelle and I are both from Essex.
This beautiful knitted necklace and cuff set were made by the wonderful Jane Southgate and I thought Lily and Cherry were going to explode waiting for me to open the parcel that they came in. They also presented me with the retro mug that has 'a balanced diet is a piece of cake in each hand' embazoned on it.
My good friend Kay who has just tackled the tricky task of shortening the sleeves on her denim jacket made us some millionaire's shortbread with rosemary and seasalt. As you can see the container is empty, it was delicious!
Here are they all are, thank you everyone for making it a really lovely day!
Maria M finally caught up with me this morning and presented me with the Aspall's and the fantastic card with balls of yarn, thank you. Nic x

A Long Overdue Thank You

I have been back from vacation for a week and I am still playing catch up. I won’t bore you with my to do list but it is suffice to say as much as I am trying to cross things off, it does not seem to be getting any shorter. One of the things I meant to do pre-vacation was thank two lovely bloggers.

Before I headed south for a much needed break, I received a wonderful package in the mail. A few weeks earlier I was the winner of a giveaway on Kat’s blog Low Tide High Style.

Even though I was expecting the package I was beyond excited when it arrived. You see I won a painting by Trish from The Old Post Road.

I have been a follower of both Kat’s and Trish’s blogs for quite some time and had always admired Trish’s work. When I saw Kat was offering one of Trish’s paintings as a giveaway I was thrilled and of course very hopeful. Imagine my delight when I found out I had won this pretty zinnia painting!

It has found a home in my basement just outside the guest bedroom door. (The lighting was not good so I could not photograph it in place.) It is such a happy picture and will be the perfect welcome for friends and family who come to visit.

Thank you ladies! I hope you will forgive my long overdue thank you.


Here is a small sampling of Trish’s “art that inspires.” To see more, click HERE