Stars in Her Eyes

A scrambled post of several topics...
One: a quick reminder that Saturday is the Giant Vintage Rag Market at the Cheese & Grain, Frome. 9am to 3pm. I've sorted out loads of stuff at bargain prices. Hope you can make it as it promises to be a fabulous opportunity to buy some vintage textiles and related items at great prices.

Two: This man, and another one who I shall mention in a moment, have a lot to answer for when it comes to our eldest daughter's exploits! He is one of the reasons that she now lives in New Zealand! He inspired her to study Film Production at uni, and then, with her degree in hand, to pursue her dreams on the other side of the world. But I can't be sad...Just look at that beaming smile...Its not often that one has an opportunity to meet one's heroes in real life...(Actually, doesn't he look a kind, friendly man?)

And this is our daughter's lovely man meeting PJ too. For those who don't know, this is director Peter Jackson - Creator of the epic Lord of the Rings Films.

AND her hero number two, all on the same night! - Sir Ian McKellen.
They had gone to watch Ian McKellen’s one-man show in Wellington, which was to raise funds for the benefit of Christchurch’s earthquake-damaged Isaac Theatre Royal. Afterwards he, and many members of the cast of The Hobbit (and Peter Jackson), who had been in the audience all evening, were happy to meet and chat to fans afterwards. 

Meeting Martin Freeman and Billy Connolly was a bonus! ;-))
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Three: Tomorrow my blog will be 6 years old! Six years ago, our home had just been featured in 25 Beautiful Homes magazine. (Article can be seen on my website under 'press'.)
At that time our kitchen was blue and white. It has had several incarnations since then, but it is now back to blue again - I have gone full circle...Maybe I should just leave things as they are and save myself a whole lot of time and energy?!! Thankfully no money was spent, as I had everything stored away from last time. Actually, I lie! - I bought a (very!) rustic shelf/hook thingy from Trevoole Farm last week, but that is waiting to be fixed to the wall by Hubby. The two red dining chairs will need a re-paint, but otherwise the kitchen is very much how it once was. 

Well, except for a little red in here...

And when you open up some of the cupboards! 

Actually a customer to my shop, who called in last week, said she'd been looking through some old magazines and found our feature in one...and telling me off(!), she asked me why I had changed my kitchen over the years, as she liked it how it was...
'Funny you should say that' I said...
Thanks for your opinion June! :) 

Four: With a busy weekend getting under-way, (my parents are arriving tomorrow), I may not have a chance to be back at my blog until next week. So I'll leave you with some seasonal colour from the flowers blooming in our garden at the moment.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Love Niki x

Wedded Bliss

When I wrote this post last week, I didn't for one moment think that we would be spending the weekend down in Cornwall. Hubby was working away in Germany and I was busy with my shop...but as we chatted each evening when he phoned me from Munich, we thought, 'actually, why shouldn't we?' We both thoroughly enjoyed our last visit to Trevoole Farm, and as this open garden event was going to be offering something extra, we decided to make it possible.

I surfed the web and was able to secure a small cottage for two nights through LateRooms.com , down in Lostwithiel, for myself, hubby, and our youngest daughter. Luckily hubby's flight wasn't delayed on his journey home on Saturday (unlike the 3 hour delay he experienced going out), and I left my shop on time at 4pm and headed home. We both arrived at around the same time - did a quick turnaround, and found ourselves travelling down the M5 by early evening....And by 8.30pm we were sat in a lovely Bistro in Lostwithiel, (having dumped our suitcases at the pretty little cottage first) and enjoyed an evening meal in this quaint Cornish town...with much sighs of relief!

After a good nights sleep we spent the morning walking around Lostwithiel...
Then it was time to head to Trevoole Farm.

As you may have read on the message that Beth asked me to post on my blog, there was a wedding at the Farm on Friday. The marquee was still in place at the top field and visitors on Sunday were allowed to look inside at the beautiful decorations.

The theme was vintage, of course, and an overall colour scheme of green and white ran throughout...

With an abundance of country style flowers and foliage too...

A collection of Trevoole's trademark sofas created a welcoming seating/foyer area inside the marquee...each one dressed in vintage floral cushions and throws.

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A beautiful length of oak panelling (for sale at £200), divided the casual seating area from the more formal dining space. Lace, fabrics and flowers lavishly decorated the partition. Guests could find their places on the button decorated seating plan above.

(Country Living magazine were photographing on the Sunday too - I'm sure it will be a stunning article, as all the hard work had been done for them...They had so many beautiful details to chose from.)

Here we are beyond the oak panels. I'm sure on the day, with lots of vintage china to complete the picture, it would have been even more eye-catching. 

Most of the pieces had a price label (including all the dining chairs that had painstakingly been collected)...BUT....

Everyone had to wait until 3pm! 

By the time 3pm arrived, the marquee was full of eager buyers, many of whom had their eye on several pieces, so it was clear there would be little left at the end of the day. 

We managed to buy several lemonade pitchers, a few china platters, and some silk flowers...which I have put away for an event I am planning for this autumn! ;-))

I'm sure Beth must be very pleased with the amount raised by the sale for charity...I wondered if the marquee itself sold, as it too had a price tag...just a little out of my budget though, at £6,000!

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The rest of the garden, of course, did not fail to impress...I posted lots of photos last year, but will do so again, showing some of my favourite bits...

The wonderful table outside the summer house, overflowing with summery posies on a patchwork of tablecloths. 

We spotted the wedding cakes sitting on the windowsill inside the Farmhouse. Simple and perfect.  

Around the back, in the shady bog garden, I loved the fencing along the board-walk, created from old iron bed heads. 

The sunken patio to the rear of the cottage had been dressed since last year. I'm inspired by all of the textiles that Beth uses in abandon throughout her gardens...there were also china plates hanging on the old stone walls that seem all the more special somehow, because they are outside.

A final tea stop before heading to the potting shed and shepherd's hut near to the exit...

I really could move in here...
Do you think anyone would notice?

Christine was also visiting the open gardens on Sunday. She too always looks like she 'belongs' there and we were able to chat briefly before we headed back to our cosy cottage for our second night. I also met a couple of ladies who read my blog...One had travelled with her husband, all the way from Warwickshire! Trevoole is one of those special places that seems to draw people to it...If you love vintage and 'old style' gardening, I would wholeheartedly recommend a visit to one of the special open days (organised through the National Garden Scheme) should you ever get the chance. (If not, then I hope you enjoyed the photos from our visit.)
Christine suggested we travel back via Chapel Porth...which is what we did for a much enjoyed 'seaside fix'. 

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We're now back home and I am frantically trying to catch up...I have another busy weekend this week too, with lots of visitors coming to stay with us, the Rag Market at Frome on Saturday (still so much I need to get ready for that!!), AND a special family party on Sunday...Phew!
Niki x