Lovely Lilacs

Hey there!  A good friend and I went a "pickin" the other day, only this time it was for fresh cut flowers.  In this case, these lovely lilacs located in her yard.  Aren't they pretty?  

 And the scent they are releasing in my home is amazing.  They smell of Spring....

Here's one more look just cause they are so gorgeous.....

Happy Friday Friends!  And thank you to my friend for the lovely lilacs! :)

P.S.  For a vintage jar like this, google images of old labels, print them off and glue them to any old jar.  Voila, instant vintage jar!

No bacon in my pan...

 

The glow of the afternoon sun is warm and wonderful...

With the last few days' "heat wave", the newly planted violets seek my attention 

with small gasps of thirst, and the watering can is always at the ready.

When the three bacon lovers in this family indulged their pork-yearning palates at 

Sunday morning breakfast, I filled my own pan with something - to me - much more palatable...

 ... idly ignoring the need for a proper scrub of both bench and patio... 

Instead I later sat back to enjoy the rays of sun reflected in the windows of the conservatory, 

casting a warm gleam on my little corner of violets, rust, pots and... spring!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Helena

Spring/Summer Mantel/Ledge

Hey friends!  Yep, I'm late to the Spring Mantel party, but better late than never, right?  I decided to decorate our ledge for both Spring and Summer because, let's face it, I don't have time to do it again in a month.  So here it is....

My starting off point was this amazing green colored soda crate that hubby brought home not long ago and I just went crazy for the color!  That crate kinda inspired the rest of the look, with my main color theme being green and white.

I always try to research the things that my hubby brings home, however, I couldn't find much on this crate, or what K.C. Love is.  If anyone knows what it is, do share!  I kinda went with a picnic theme, too, and brought out a couple of picnic baskets from my picnic basket collection.  I love them as much as I love ironstone and bread boards.  They just make me happy and remind me of fun things I get to do with my hubby and kids, past and present.  :)

I picked up this adorable metal green picnic basket not long ago.  I went nuts for the wood handles combined with the green metal.  I've never been a fan of the all metal variety but this one, with the lovely wood handles, was calling my name.  Love it!

For my main piece of art, I decided to make a sign with this wood/metal thing-a-ma-jig hubby found during Christmas.  We don't know what it is.   It started out like this....

But I decided to give it a new look by sanding it down and stenciling some of our favorite things about summer on it with a vintage set of stencils, also from hubby.  So, now it looks like this...

Everything else, I already had around the house.  I pulled out my favorite ironstone pitchers to display because I love the crisp white color and to add a little farmhouse vibe.  The basket vases of faux greenery, I picked up at a yard sale last year.  I gave them height by placing them on alternating maple and walnut wood scraps that I already had and just cut into squares.  

I made the jar candle lanterns with some old jars I had and wire from the hardware store.  I filled them with fragrant lavender and little tea lights.  Rather than hang them on the hooks on our ledge, I hung them above.  I just thought they looked better there.  I'm hoping to find a summery vintage bag to hang from those lower hooks soon.

I'm totally happy about this Spring/Summer look!  I'm loving the green inspired by that wonderful crate!  And because it's finally Spring!

Wishing you all a wonderful Spring!

Porch Project

Hey there!  Did everyone have a nice weekend?  Our weather was gorgeous so we worked on outside projects like pulling weeds and gardening.  I added some lavender to our herb garden and after pulling weeds, discovered that our asparagus is coming up!  This is our first year with asparagus, so we are very excited!  Especially my youngest!
It is in his garden bed along with strawberries that he picked out.

I've also started planning how I'm going to decorate our side porch this year.  I've ordered some fabrics, added a bistro table and worked on this super fun row of hooks, made from vintage faucets.  After seeing a similar version in a gardening catalog, I decided to make my own with things I already had.  The only thing I paid for was 4 cans of spray paint and a dowel rod.  Here's a peek at it on our side porch. 

I thought I'd post a tutorial for it in case anyone wanted to try making their own.  All you need is a few old faucet handles, spray paint, a piece of rustic wood, screws, rubber gaskets and a 5/8 inch dowel rod.

 You can find old faucet handles at flea markets, junk piles, or metal scrap yards.  Just give them a good scrub with a wire brush. 

First thing I did was get all my pieces spray painted.  The dowel I painted oil rubbed bronze, because that's what I had on hand.  Then I spray painted the faucet handles various colors.  After everything dried, I cut the dowel into five 4 inch pieces.

 I used a piece of reclaimed walnut for the back.  After sanding and sealing, I drilled 5 holes all the way through it, also with a 5/8 inch drill bit.

Next, I hammered the cut pieces of dowel rod into each hole, all the way through until flush with the back.

These are what the faucet handles will attach to.  Next, pre-drill a hold for your screw.

Then take your black rubber gasket and slide it over the dowel until it is securely at the base of the dowel.  These are purely for decorative purposes.

Take your completely dry faucet handle and thread a 1 1/2 inch screw and washer through the top.

Repeat with your remaining faucet handles.  I took a little spray paint and touched up each one of the screw heads so they better blended in with the faucet handle.  I also distressed the handles with sandpaper.

I love the letters on a couple of the handles.

I love the way it turned out.  It is the perfect thing to hold towels this summer that my kids use for swimming, instead of dropping them on the porch into a pile.

And my gardening tools will also look lovely there.  Then I can just grab them on my way out the door to work in the garden.

What do you think?  I love the little bit of cheerful color it adds to the side porch.  I attached it to the house with a couple of large screws.  I hope my instructions aren't confusing.  As always, if you have questions, please don't hesitate to email me!

Stay tuned for the rest of the porch update for Spring/Summer!

Lunch on the lawn...

 

This past weekend offered glorious summer temperatures here in the South West UK. Everywhere, the sound of flip flops and lawn mowers enhanced the summery feel, and on Sunday, the boys and I decided to have lunch in the garden. As the young family members had spent the morning playing football, I did not bother with any fancy table settings for them...

 

... but after they had finished and I saw the small table there in the shade...

 

... a little tired and in need of some TLC...

 

... it seemed to be cajoling me to dress it up and make it feel pretty for a moment...

 

So, inspired by a few small Indian wooden stamps I picked up in London last week...

... I dug out my old wooden stamps bought in Turkey 

(some still with traces of paint after I used them for card making)...

... and let their oriental feel set the tone for the table décor...

(Yes, I know I have mixed very different Asian details here, such as the old Turkish book pages wrapped around the violet and the onions, mixed with East Asian chop sticks... oh, and yes, Moroccan style lanterns which obviously do not belong on that continent at all! Ah well, we will have to adopt a rather liberal view on theme loyalty here, I think...!)

 

As I was playing around with these - in my opinion - rather beautiful wooden stamps, another idea was born. I hope I will be able to show you some results of that idea in a few weeks. I just need to find the material and...ah, yes, the t-i-m-e....

Wishing you all a really lovely week!

Helena

Counting sheep...

It is the first few trembling minutes of Sunday here in the Swenglish house. We are trying to remind ourselves to forward the clocks in the house before we go to bed, and we are pulling funny faces in front of the mirror as we hope to spot a modest tan after today's summer experience.

Except for the golden light from a few candles, the house mostly rests in darkness now, and the photos bear that grainy, sleepy quality I wish I had the skills to avoid...

On the sofa where my favourite curling-up corner can be found (I can see through the dining area and into the garden from here), rests an inviting lambskin. Given the glorious temperatures today (+19-20!), this ought to be put away until next winter, but I am hesitating. I tell myself that the evenings might still be cold, and surely its cosy appeal can fight off the deceptive summer vibes and allow for it to linger a little longer...?

Yes, here we are, finally arrived at the theme of this blog post. 

The clue is in the "baah".

Bath is a very hilly city, and just outside the city, the countryside continues 

this up-y-down-y trend, however here painted in green, 

with a scattering of woolly wonders.

But, hang on a minute, could this be the world's cheekiest lamb? Let's zoom in for a second...

Yes, definitely! The little lamb is clearly sticking its tongue out at its mum, behind her back! 

Tss, tss, caught on camera, my woolly friend!

I know I risk some of my readers falling asleep during this blog post...  

... but I just could not resist introducing you to these sweet little fleecy friends, 

posing so kindly for me the other day...

To those of you who have managed to stay awake all the way through this post,

I wish you a  lovely Sunday and hope it brings you stunning weather and 

lots of fun and play!

Helena

Ps. A special hello to those of you who may have found your way here from lovely Annalisa at The Apple Market, who wrote a blog post about The Swenglish Home a few days ago. It was an honour to be featured in your blog, Annalisa, and thank you for all of your kind words!

City life...

 

Dear readers,

I had hoped to show you some new decorating ideas that have been brewing in my head for a while, but as I have not yet had the time to transfer my ideas into my hands, today's blog post will feature some photos from a stroll around Bath about a month ago.

The Royal Crescent, Bath, UK

We live only 16 km (10 miles) outside of this stunning Roman city, yet I go in much too seldom!

Pulteney Bridge , Bath, UK

Wherever you turn your head, your eyes are invited to feast on stunning architecture, glorious views and inviting little shops and restaurants. The sand-coloured Bath Stone seems to enhance the majestic lines of some of Bath's many impressive buildings.

Bath is also know for its thermal baths, and the new Thermal Spa is a stone's throw away from the Roman Baths (whose oldest parts date back to 60-70 AD!), as is the 200-year old Royal Mineral Water Hospital, today known as the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases. 

Tempted to move here? Well, be prepared to cough up a substantial amount of Sterling, as Bath is allegedly second only to London as for sigh-worthy property price tags.

And just as you are strolling around, enjoying the hilly, green views, 

you may just spot an unexpected palm tree or two!

And here and there you may see a cheerful, seasonal window display, as for example in this oh-so-lovely interior cum clothes shop cum café, where I have been known to dribble and drool over an armchair or two. 

I think my next post might have a bit of a sheepish tone to it, so welcome to join me and some woolly wonders next time.

Thank you for visiting and a special thank you to those of you taking the time to leave such kind comments. I appreciate every word!

Helena