Dangers of city centre working!

Bad, bad, bad- Accesorize sale one lunchtime last week. So cheap I couldn't say no. Great blue and actually enamelled metal. This is the danger of working in the city centre....

Mirror, Mirror

Happy weekend! Its sunny in my hall now the big tree outside the lounge window has been cut down. So much more light. So to celebrate- an excuse to photograph my 'lolipop' mirror as Finn calls it!

A dusty corner....

This is my working corner- basically the laptop perched on the corner of the table! Its in the old part of the house, which is now an open plan dining room which leads into the new kitchen/living area. I would like to spend more time in this corner but alas work, kids and other general stuff keep me away....

Etched Door Panels

We re-did the glass panels in our hall door as they were just mis matched ripple glass when we moved in. First I searched around Glasgow's west end to find a style I liked. In Dowanhill I fell in love with the top picture glass design. This is the door to a very grand Victorian house and as our turn of the century semi is a bit more modest we scaled down the design and Richard from RDW Glass hand etched the panels. When He came to take some pictures for his website a year on we still hadn't painted the door. I am mortified to say that it was only done about 6 months ago. Needless to say we love the door now, its such a simple elegant design. True art noveau style which fits perfectly with the house stained glass and simple woodwork.

Searching for Denise Grunstein

While we are on favourites, this is my absolute favourite photographic image. I saw it a few years ago in a magazine and have been trying to track one down ever since. It is by Denise Grunstein and was part of a special art event that Ikea held. So if you ever see one, or hear of one for sale- you know where I am....

Neutral agates and Dinosaur Designs

This is my favourite necklace. Its faceted agate stones on a heavy silver chain. Totally unusual and I have no idea where or when it was made. My husband and I saw it in a shop in Byres Road, Glasgow when we were Christmas shopping a few years ago. I loved it but it was sooo expensive. Anyway David secretly bought it for me. I was delighted but before I could go back and find out more about it, the shop closed down. So none the wiser I have been adding to my neutral jewellery ever since. The bangle is one of a series I have from Dinosaur Designs,www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au/ , an Australian company that make amazing jewellery and home wares from resin. They mimic natural stone and I wish they were for sale over here!

Watching the Waverley

Saturday In Glasgow was glorious weather. A long time ago, before kids we used to go on an annual trip on the Waverley paddle steamer. Quite a West coast institution, the last ocean going paddle steamer. Really these trips 'doon the watter' were  an excuse to have a wee drink and get sunburnt. Anyway in these changed days we took the kids to the Renfrew ferry to watch it going by. Needless to say small one slept through it all! We then moved onto the Botanic Gardens for a picnic and a wander round the glasshouses. In its own way quite a traditional Glasgow Saturday!

A little bit of Florence

When I was pregnant with bubba number two this was my project. We wanted a small table for the hall, just a drawer, a cupboard, not too big, not too small. We looked and looked and found nothing....until this horror came along.....

Believe it or not it was just right. Soooo a lot of hard sanding later, often very early on weekend morning (I couldn't sleep) and a lot, a lot of white paint later we ended up with the version shown in our hall. I found some nice glass handles and thought well its ok but something was missing....

So I was clearing out a cupboard and came across some samples of Florence Broadhurst 'Aubrey' fabric. At one time I had hoped to cover my Ercol chair in them, but unfortunately at £50 a metre it did not come to pass. Previously I had sewn some together to make a cushion, and luckily they fitted perfectly under the glass top- so what do you think? I think its just right.

Woodland Charm

Home to Perth at the weekend as at my future sister in laws hen do. Had a lovely time and the boys seemed to report back unscathed from the Inverness stag. On the Sunday in between torrential showers, my folks and the kids went for a woodland walk. It was sooo wet but just nice to get out in a break in the showers. The falls were amazing and much more impressive than this picture shows!

This post is also an excuse to show my 'woodland charms' bracelet bought in Boo Vake (an amazing shop). Yet another birthday present to self. I am having a bit of a jewellary fest at the moment but luckily I got some lovely pieces from family and friends too. So thank you.

Slowly but surely I am getting the hang of the iphone and may yet manage some photo apps, anything to help improve my snaps!

Slow Sunday morning craft and play!

We had a lovely Sunday morning. We have all been a bit under the weather this weekend. Finn was up sick last night so was feeling quite sorry for himself this morning. So we all stayed in our PJ's most of the morning making the first of my craft kit (for children!) owls. Nevie played happily at our feet.