Play Time...

Yesterday was such a fun day...

Three

lovely

ladies came for lunch at The Stone House...

These cheerful and unashamedly brash dahlia flowers graced the kitchen table, whilst the four of us sat sipping teas and coffees, eating lunch, and chatting non-stop.

The homemade fruit cake seemed to go down well, thankfully...

And I was showered with gifts...

and pretty posies.

One of the guests decided she 'needed' to stay ;-))

Isn't she lovely? Michele kindly agreed to sell her to me and she's settled in nicely with my French boudoir doll as company.

***

Its funny when friends come to visit...they notice things around your home that you take for granted because you see them everyday...

This morning I started looking around our home with fresh eyes...

This chandelier in our kitchen is practical, hanging above the dinner table, but it is rather boring...

So I thought I might try to jazz it up a bit...and vintage china cups were going to provide the embellishment.

I have collected an assortment of cups over many years.

They were always a useful item to have in store as a last minute gift. They often proved themselves as ideal 'thank you' tokens to offer to my daughter's teachers at the end of school term time, being used to hold chocolates, homemade candles, or used as bulb plant pots, for example.

Anyway, getting back to the chandelier...

I used vintage seam binding to tie on the assorted tea cups, looping them through their handles and over the curves of the light fitting...

Hmmmm...I looked at the finished creation from all angles...

Upwards...

Downwards...

From underneath...

From the right...

And from the left...

But I just wasn't sure that I liked it....
So for now the cups have been taken down and have all gone back to their original storage places again!

Aw well, I tried, but just wasn't convinced...

But that's the fun of decorating a home, isn't it?...trial and error and sometimes things work out well...
Other times, not so well!

***

And whilst I'm talking about cups, I thought I'd show you this little beauty that I found on a recent buying trip...Its a little Victorian souvenir cup, made in Germany.

If I'm being honest, I wouldn't normally have been seduced by such a gaudy trinket, but on close inspection I noticed the words on the front; they read 'A present from Aberyswith' - (LOVE the spelling incidentally...I wonder why its spelt differently today? Or perhaps it was just a mistake by the painter?)

As regular visitors to my blog may know, Aberystwyth has become a special place in our hearts, as it is home to someone cherished by us.

It stands in the window catching the light amongst my other little cups, each with their loving sentiments hand painted across the front.

And whilst I'm here talking about recent finds, another was this lovely framed embroidery. The red roof of the little cottage made this a must-buy for me. It stands in the kitchen looking very at home...

This old wartime poster...

Gorgeous hand painted shoe stretchers...

I haven't seen any as pretty as these in a long time, so am thrilled to make them mine.

And this sweet little purse made from two polished limpet shells, hinged together and with a fine chain handle.

I've snuck them in amongst the vintage shoes in the glazed cabinet on our landing...

"Of course dear hubby, I've had all these things for years...haven't you noticed them before?"

...wonder if I shall be discovered?! Teehee...

And just when I thought that the charity shops around here were a lost cause for turning up pretty vintage pieces...I found this beautiful plate languishing on one of the shelves inside 'Sue Ryder'.

Dainty hand painted violets on an aqua green background, with a back stamp of 'Limoges - France'. Yippee!

I think its sad how most charity shops these days are trying to be just like all the other shops on the high street...all colour coordinated and tastefully arranged...Give me the grottier ones where you have the chance to have a good old rummage any day! ;-))

This tiny mossware pot has several chips, but still has lots of charm. It just fits inside my violets inspired cabinet. Again, hopefully unnoticed by hubby dearest...chortle, chortle!

(Don't worry, nothing broke the bank! - I am a very good girl really!

;-))

Hope you are having a fun weekend,

Niki x