A busy little bee!

Time has just flown in for me this summer, as I have been a busy little bee. Things are picking up for me at the shop and so there has been a lot of making, painting and planting going on.

vintage style bunting.

hand painted scrubbing brushes.

slightly mad looking rabbit cake to make, for a certain someone's 11th birthday.

hanging baskets to plant.

furniture to paint.

cotton bunting in various colourways.

Bespoke bunting for a wedding.

The 'Tweed' family rabbits.

Decoupaged nest of tables.

A One Direction movie to watch, and photographs to be taken with cardboard cutouts, of Lois's favourite boys.

So you see,a busy bee. I do hope I will be forgiven for not posting?

Then on Saturday, there was 'the wedding', which has been taking up a lot of my time too.

It was a lovely wedding, the couple Leigh and Stuart, had very clear ideas of what they wanted, something vintage, something fun and something different. As usual my photographing was forgotten about until the last minute, and so some of the details were missed, but you will get an idea of what it was like at least.

The venue was a lovely old stone barn in the middle of the countryside called Breckenhill. 

Romance was definitely in the air.

Everything was so well thought out, with lots of  items homemade by the bride, such as the order of service.

Beautiful blue hydrangea in an old cart.

The bride broke with tradition and sported a top hat!

vintage details.

My lovely Lois in her high heels, and me in my 1940's get up, ready to serve the vintage tea, which was lovingly prepared by the Bride's mother, Kathleen, and mother-in-law Kathy. Friends also chipped in with their delicious scones and traybakes, and the staff from Nanabelle's Vintage Tearoom, served the team with great style. I loved the friendly message on the blackboard too!

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A very poor picture of the Bride's bouquet.

More vintage details.

The seating plan, pretty plates on an old stepladder.

There were 8 deep window ledges, which we decorated with various vintage themes.

The tables set for tea. Each table had a classic book as it's name, and a romantic quote from each book was printed unto parchment and glued unto the table centre, which then had bunting attached, made with little mini books and hearts. It is difficult to get the detail with my camera.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the day, and there were loads of games to play and things to do. I wish the happy couple every happiness.

I hope to be back to blogging once a week from now on , and I have a lot of catching up to do, to see how busy you have all been. Much love, Linda x

Happy Holiday

Thank you all for your kind messages on my last post, we had a wonderful holiday.Our little dog Sparky, came on holiday with us this year. It was a long drive, but he was really well behaved, and when we reached our destination, he jumped out of the car and trotted off to the cottage, as if to say "this is it, I have arrived!"

Jingle, our guinea pig, came along too, he had a wonderful time eating all the clover he could. I must say it was lovely for us to have our pets with us instead of leaving the dog at kennels (which he hates), and trying to find a volunteer for the guinea pig and goldfish. We now have a new addition to the menagerie, a dwarf rabbit called Chester.

Isn't he lovely. Lois got him for her birthday, and we picked him up when we got back from Kerry.

We stayed here, one of 3 cottages, although it was more like a barn conversion, light and airy. The views were wonderful, and it was so peaceful even though we were only 10 minutes drive from the local town, Kenmare. Check it out here.

We had chickens roaming around and we were able to collect eggs every day. The owners of the cottages, Anne and Patrick, were so friendly and kind, and we really enjoyed watching the daily routine of farm life.
Kenmare was a vibrant, colourful little town, with a great choice in restaurants, shops and bars, and the locals were really friendly. There was a Food Festival , the weekend we arrived, which made the town have a great little buzz, and of course there was a lot of yummy stuff to eat.

 I loved the way the stalls were all the same. In true Irish laid back style, nothing much got going till lunchtime.

 We were so fortunate with the weather, it was fantastic! The last time I was in Kerry it was misty and wet and I didn't see any scenery at all.

 The Boathouse Restaurant, a lovely place to whittle away a few hours.

I understand how people get sentimental about Ireland, it really is a beautiful country.

I couldn't resist putting this one in, the camera went off by accident and caught my mad curly hair.I hope I haven't ranted on too much, but I know a lot of you have a soft spot for Ireland, and I thought you might enjoy the photos.Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and thank you so much for stopping by, love Linda.x.

Leave of Absense

A new rose for me  this year called Blue Moon, isn't she gorgeous?

My dear friends, I was quite horrified when I viewed my blog and saw how long it is since I last posted.
There are not enough hours in the day for me at the moment. The weather has been absolutely glorious and the garden is looking lovely.

We are off for a week's holiday tomorrow, to County Kerry. We will be staying in a cottage on a farm, and the dog and guinea pig are coming too! I am so looking forward to a rest and change of scene. I won't be taking the computer with me, but hope to catch up with you on my return.

Hoping you all have a wonderful week, with much love, Linda xx.

An Angel is coming to tea.

If I was entertaining Angels, this is the linen I would use. I received these delectables in the post yesterday from Lynn at Sea Angels blog. She is an incredibly talented lady and seems able to work in lots of different mediums. The teacup banner is on linen, part printed and part appliqued, it has machine and hand sewing on it as well, and is so gorgeous when viewed up close.

She sent it so beautifully wrapped and I meant to let you see it, but I had no battery in the camera, and I am afraid that I just could not wait to see what was inside.

 I wish you could see the detail on this little tag, it looks as if it is iced and has glitter and vintage lace, just delightful. I think this cupcake banner is adorable too. I can feel a kitchen makeover coming on, in honour of my new lovely linens!

This little parcel completely made my day,and to top it off, it was a beautiful day and I have lilacs on my table, smelling heavenly. The Angels have indeed visited me. Thank you Lynn, you amaze me!

To visit Lynn's lovely blog click here or visit her Etsy store here.

Today is also a beautiful day. I'm off to the dentist, but once that's out of the way, I can have some fun making things. I painted some brushes for the shop (I must be mad), and am doing some more today, as well as making some bunting. Thank you for your visit, it is much appreciated. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, with love, Linda xx.