Friday, November 20, 2020

Fireplace Colours, Duck Planters & Craft Fairs

Greetings dear friends & readers & Happy Friday to you all. 

I hope the week has treated you kindly ?



I finally decided on a fireplace colour after much deliberation & changing-of-my-mind  . . . . the colour I have painted it is called Dulux Ngataringa Bay  .  .  .  .  I went with a matt finish paint & tried to pick out one of the paler colours in the wallpaper background.


For the summer months I am able to place my potted plants along the hearth but will shift them once fires begin again.  The vintage fire screen was a $5 purchase from Hospice last winter.


I must confess I am still undecided whether I 💓💓 it or not but I have put my paints & brushes away for now as I am tired of it all. I think I would really like to paint the wooden fire surround but it is native Rimu & I think The Mr would have an apoplectic seizure if I painted it so I have decided not to push my luck as I have gotten away with painting quite a bit of native timber around here lately 😉

The colour is Madame de Pompadour by Vintro Chalk Paints

I removed the half dead maidenhair fern from my duck planter, gave it a scrub, then painted it with a pale pink chalk paint ... I repotted my poor root-bound Peace Lilly & it fits nicely in the duck planter & I am hopeful it will flower again.


For over a year now my lovely green & cream china has been packed away in a banana box - so it was lovely to get it all out, wash it & display again on my antique dresser.



This gorgeous tin sign was gifted to me for my 60th birthday by my lovely friends Sally & Jane ... finally I found a space to hang it up above my dining table.

I was most excited last Tuesday when a new length of oilcloth arrived that I had ordered online from 

This is a matt finish linen blend oilcloth & is fully wipeable

The Owner - Sarah - very kindly sent me free samples of 5 different oilcloths that I saw on her website & liked. This was so helpful & I soon chose the bees as my hope with this dining room was to lighten what is sometimes, a rather dark room.
Sid & I picked a fresh vase of roses from the garden to sit on my new tablecloth 💗



For a long time I have wanted to put together a Spring Tablescape but spring will be finished here in another couple of weeks so perhaps I will aim for this next spring.  In the meantime I finished off a lovely stitchery I had been working on from Jenny of elefantz design's stitchery club that I belonged to.  The pattern is called Nana's Jug of Posies ... but I added the words to the bottom as I had in mind my spring display.

My original intention had been to frame it or make a small cushion but I came across an old embroidery hoop so thought it would fit nicely in this.


I found a length of pink velvet ribbon just the perfect length & tied it to this old chicken mesh frame that was in my sleepout.
I'm delighted with my stitchery & hope to continue working away on some spring-related items.

We still have things to finish in the kitchen & dining area - we are getting our wooden benches sanded & re-polished, a new light fixture & I would like to make some new cushions for my dining area couch ... but Christmas Orders & all it's busy-ness may have to take priority for now.  I shall keep you updated as I progress dear readers.

Last Saturday was the annual Christmas Craft Fair in my small local town.  I have had a stall at this for many years but this is the 2nd year where I have gone along as just a customer.  The sun was shining & the crowds were out.  I especially wanted to buy a dress from my friend Julie of Bo and Co to gift to Juno for Christmas.


I was delighted to choose this gorgeous pink dress with bunnies on it ... I also bought some handmade soaps as I like to gift these with my knitted cotton dishcloths ... I bought some relish (to gift) & some pottery Christmas ornaments to tie onto gifts.


Here is a photo of my friend Julie's stall that I borrowed from the local Craft Fair Facebook Page




I also bought these 3 little perennials for my garden & No Willie ... the ginger cat did not come free with the plants !!! 
(Buy 3 ... get a free cat !!!) 😉


Do you remember back in this post when I made the suitcase planter for my lovely friend Jane's 50th birthday ... well she sent me this photo last night of how it is thriving.    I was rather tempted to reply & say "I'll have it back now thanks" 😉  It looks stunning & I love the colour combination of the petunias 💕

Thank You all So Very Much for your visits here today dear friends,

I hope you have a wonderful weekend - the sun is shining here 💛

Be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0



20 comments:

  1. So many lovely projects. They all look wonderful. The suitcase planter looks fabulous. I don't blame you for thinking you'd like it back. :). I think i will look into oilcloth for my table. Hugs,xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think the fireplace looks really lovely,
    and the colour is just right..and with the
    mirror above, sets it off nicely..
    And..Yes! leave the surround as it is..! :).

    The Jug of Posies look nice to..something
    different, look nicer like that perhaps,
    rather than framed..Nice!
    Like the little pink dress with bunnies on
    it to...!

    Goodness! If bought three plants, and get a free
    cat, was the order of the day..l'd be overrun with
    cats, with the amount of plants l have, and 'NO' cut
    flowers..just plants..HeHe!
    And..the suitcase full of flowers..lovely!

    Well..just gone seven, and still dark over here, another
    lemon tea called for me thinks, must pop into town this
    morning...We're into the second week of lockdown, should
    be lifted on 2nd Dec. Gearing up for Christmas, as long as
    Santa does'nt catch the virus..think he's self isolating
    at the moment...! :)

    Take care everyone..look after yourselves...hope we can
    ALL have a great Christmas at least..! :o).
    Merry Christmas! 🎁 🔔 🎄 🔔 Jingle Bells 🔔🎶

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the fireplace painted with this lovely colour. It looks lovely and summery decorated with your upcycled pots and the plants. Your beautifully stitched spring posies look perfect in the embroidery hoop and how lovely the buzzy bees oilcloth looks covering your table, with the pretty vase of flowers sitting on top. I must say I understand perfectly why you might like that fabulous flower-filled suitcase back. It looks amazing. Enjoy your weekend, lovely Julie. 'Tis sunny here, too. =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. oil cloths! I remember in grade school we had to have them for our desks to art projects. I'm going to look at the link you provided. Always a lovely visit here with you and all the eye candy. Happy Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  5. One thing for sure, the petunias found a lovely place to grow. As lovely as Miss Pippi with her new plants.
    And blue is my favorite color, so the brick work paint is perfect. Sometimes the accent of wood sets off the rest.
    Glad you had a craft sale to attend. All of our Christmas ones are canceled and we are in a state of curfew for 21
    days. Me, I just run into and out of the grocery and stay away from the rest. Beautiful bouquet to see.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Lynn. Yes the suitcase sure does look amazing ... I am so pleased for Jane that it grew so well. I don't blame you not wanting to frequent the stores with the curfew on Lynn ... I felt like that when we were in lockdown - best to try to just stay away. Take care of yourself & Precious xx

      Delete
  6. You have a wonderful eye for detail Julie. So many lovely projects and fabulous things to drool over!! Now talking about drool that incredible chandelier with the tea cups that I noticed in your previous post (sorry I missed posting there too many distractions in this household at present...tch!!). Perhaps I should start commenting what I don't like on this post rather than all the things I do like......mmmmmm.... nope can't find any :-).....keep well Amanda x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello Julie. So much lovliness to comment on! I like very much the colour you chose for your surround - very smart. Beautiful China display and I too have done that sweet jug stitchery of Jenny's although not the applique. Great collection of gifts from your Christmas fair - sadly no Christmas fairs here this year - and the suitcase looks stunning. Enjoy your weekend. xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Always look forward to your videos. I just love chalk paint. 🥰

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fireplace looks so different now Julie but very pretty and light. I hope Juno loves her dress and it was such a busy craft fair. We are very lucky here in NZ. Keep up the blogs xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. The fireplace color is lovely--and I vote with the Mister not to paint the native wood. ;)
    So many pretty things here--the Peace Lily in the beautified planter, your China display, the bouquet on your fresh oilcloth cover, the Spring stitchery, the pink dress you bought, etc., etc.!

    ReplyDelete
  11. so much loveliness and great ideas here..... we have trouble getting our peace lily to flower...
    Hugz

    ReplyDelete
  12. a wonderful post, love your creativity, it's just awesome
    WOW vintage crockery envy, just gorgeous with it taking pride of place on your antique dresser, so unique & very beautifully simple
    thanx for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your lovely comment Selina. The green coloured vintage china is mostly all collected in my op shop travels. The casserole dishes & the 2 big serving plates belonged to my husbands late Mother but all the rest is just op shop finds. I'm always looking for anything in that colour to catch my eye.

      Delete
  13. Wonderful post Julie, your fireplace looks amazing, mmm might be best to leave the wood untouched! 😀 your spring sewing is lovely and the bees tablecloth is beautiful. Love the flowers. I can understand you wanting the suitcase back, the petunias are so pretty. Lovely purchases from the market, three plants and a free tinger cat gave me a good giggle 🐈🐈

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your fireplace looks nice and refreshed and the natural wood makes a nice contrast, your friends suitcase is spectacular, what a brilliant present. Your vintage china collection is lovely too.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The fireplace looks lovely Julie, I think I need to buy some more chalk paint, as I love what you did with your duck planter. I love your oilcloth, and your china is gorgeous. Have a great week, we have pouring rain atm and I think some dust is coming😞 Chris xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello beautiful Julie! I love your oilcloth! That's gorgeous! I think the color you chose for the fireplace is perfect! It's light and fresh! Yes, best not to paint that lovely wood (I've painted almost all of our wood except the floors LOL!). God bless you, friend!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I don't know how I missed this post Julie. The fire place looks very nice. Sometimes you just have to live with a colour to decide if its right or not. Your cream/green china is gorgeous and I do love your bee oil cloth and your stitched vase of flowers is beautiful. Lovely buys at the market. I can,see why you were tempted to wish the planter back again lol!

    ReplyDelete
  18. The fireplace looks fabulous Julie, how long will you last NOT painting the native timber surround!!The suitcase with the flowers in looks wonderful, fabulous idea. I do love the oilcloth, have saved the website on favourites for future reference.

    ReplyDelete

Hello, & thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts - I read and appreciate each and every one of your comments :-)
I always prefer to reply to your comments by email unless you are a no-reply-blogger in which case I will reply to your comments in this section here. Thanks so much for stopping by to read & comment on my blog x0x