Visiting rights

Round glass vase with green & white roses £99.00

Hello everyone! My apologies for the sporadic blogging over the last week or so, as you can imagine, work has been jolly busy for the last couple of weeks and my spare time, well there hasn't been much spare time, but what little there was, has been nicely spent, watching gentle films or with my head in a novel or in the bath (or both).

I finally finished 'The House at Riverton', which I started ages ago and put to one side as I found other novels that I wanted to read (in a hurry) and have dipped in and out of Riverton over several months. It was one of those books that really didn't grab my attention until I was about half way through it and then (so typical of me) I couldn't put it down.

The photo above, I took yesterday evening of one of my new collection of faux flowers, I adore roses and would be happy to have fresh ones in my house all year round. Sadly the cost of big bunches of fresh roses in the winter is rather high (the big bouquet of roses that I had on my Christmas table was an embarrassing price!), so I decided that I needed to find a source of really convincing and lovely faux flowers. This tapered glass vase with it's collection of big blousey roses will be available in our shop (and online).

Cecily decided to come home for the weekend, so I was delighted to collect her from Hereford train station last night. I thought that she was visiting us so she could be at home with me for Mother's Day until she let slip that all her flat mates had gone away for the weekend and she was feeling a bit lonely ~ oh well, I'm just going to pretend it's because of Mother's Day.

So for all mothers, daughters and even grand-mothers ~ Have a lovely day on Sunday.

Chat soon, Liz

Hot house & Nottinghill

There are some days when things go well; at work I achieve everything on my 'to do' list and then at home, the boiler decides that it will function with the ferocity of a volcano, making our house toasty warm and heavenly to be in... today is such a day.

So, I have decided to treat myself and am now curled up on the sofa with my faithful cat (still doing warthog impressions) on one side of me, a cup of hot chocolate on the other side of me and Nottinghill on the DVD player. And in about an hour and a half, I will be reaching for the tissues... it happens every time and there's no reason to think that this evening's viewing will be any different.

Won't chat for longer tonight.... going to enjoy the 'me' time, chat soon, Liz

Cold Outlook

We came in from work this evening to discover that our central heating boiler has decided to have a little holiday from working. Whether it is entirely defunked or just a part of it has failed, we haven't yet discovered. What I do know is that it is jolly chilly in our home this evening.

My action plan for tonight is to pile on a few more layers (I'm already starting to look like the Michelin man), find a hotwater bottle and snuggle under a quilt on the sofa. The cats hopefully will oblige by curling up with me and providing additional heat. I knew there was a good reason for feeding, brushing and generally caring for them and this is it; they are living, breathing, walking heat sources ~ hooray!

I've telephoned our absolutely brilliant plumbing and heating engineer and he hopes to be able to come and view the dyfunctional contraption on Wednesday. So it looks like it's going to be a couple of cold nights chez moi! Fortunately we have an emersion heater for occasional use for the hot water, so at least I can still have my ritual 'hot and soaky' bath before bed.

Dave, who is happier in cooler weather than I, doesn't seem to be feeling the cold in the house and he's merrily sitting in the dining without the extra padding, hottie or the cats. Shard, our little tortoiseshell cat, is gently snoring as she is curled up next to me, actually it's not so gentle and she is doing a pretty good impression of a warthog.

A regular reader of this blog asked if I would show a picture or two of the inside of my home, so this jolly fuzzy picture is of our kitchen, taken about three years ago before I had made curtains and blinds for the windows. The kitchen units had just been refurbished ~ I had taken off all the doors which were a dark oak colour and painted them with cream paint and finished them with a clear wax to offer them a little protection from splashes etc.

These units have done splendidly for many years, but are now nearing the end of their usefulness and so, I have been exploring new kitchen possiblities (see Cool Kitchen). What I would really like to do is move the cooker to the wall where the table is, move the sink to under the window on the right of the existing cooker space and create a seating area by the two windows on the left and centre of this picture. I dream of opening up the window on far left to create French doors and put some sort of beautiful ironwork verandah and steps down to the garden. I'm jolly good at dreaming up these shemes, but it takes me an age or two to actually put anything into action.

Well, I'm headed off to the kitchen, a top-up is needed in my hotwater bottle and hooray, Dave is rattling around in there (perhaps tea is on the way), chat soon, Liz
P.S. It's now Tuesday morning and I've woken up to find our house is toasty warm! The boiler has either sorted out its little problem or come back from its holiday... we'll see what it decides to do this evening!

Old Friends, New Friends

Hooray, our friends Jane & Dave came to stay with us this evening. Jane is one of my oldest friends (oldest in length of time, not age!), our boys played together when they were little. We've had a gentle evening together, we walked down to our shop and I showed them around, we've eaten a lovely meal and caught up with what's going on in each other's lives. They have sensibly headed off to bed and my Dave and I are having just one more cuppa before we head up the stairs too. I love having friends come to stay, it's so nice to have more people padding around the house, which does occasionally take on the appearance of a ghost town.

We have also made new friends too... the letter that I received during the week was to tell us that Pretty Practicals will be featured in The Guardian Interiors Directory 2008 which will be in this Saturday's paper and will also be online at their online directory from Saturday onwards. They also sent me a sticker for our shop window saying 'Featured in ... etc' (I have a sticker! I have a sticker!). Poor old Dave has heard nothing else since I got the letter; I must have sung my sticker song at least 50 times ~ yes, I do get amused easily by little things.

So first thing tomorrow, I will be trundling along to our local newsagent (which is also my favourite sweetie shop) to get a copy of the paper and search for our entry amongst the independent retailers listed.

Well, it's time for bed, chat soon, Liz

Star Gazers

Do you ever get those days that start out as one thing and somehow evolve into something entirely different?
Dave and I are working on new publicity material to take to the Homebuilding and Renovating Show at the NEC and I wanted to take some new photographs, so... off I went to my friend's shop to buy some fresh flowers for the photos. Most days this task would take me about 8 minutes (Rhayader is not a very big place and it only takes a matter of minutes to walk from one end to the next). Half an hour and a cup of tea or two later, I left her shop with a bunch of flowers for my task.

I set up the scene that I wanted to photograph and merrily snapped away...

then I realised that actually the flowers were stunning and ended up taking lots of pictures of them instead of the whole scene and by the time I had finished the light had faded too much to take more.

I thought that I would share some of the flowers pics with you; so here they are on the floor in a loose bunch,
and on a silk covered gilt chair (nice contrasts of colours and textures)
and in a cream enamel trug.

Well, not the photographic results that I needed from the day, but I certainly enjoyed the half an hour or so that I spent appreciating these gorgeous stargazer lilies and what's more, the shop smells wonderful!

Chat soon, Liz

Super kids!

I found this picture of Cecily today; good grief I miss her since she left home!

I spoke to Alec this evening too; we have arranged to go and see Hayseed Dixie together in March which should be great fun. If you haven't heard of them, there are a few video clips of them on youtube.

I am so proud to have two beautiful, intelligent and happy children; I must have done a thing or two right over the last 25 years. Good grief, it really is that long! Alec will be 25 next month ~ now I feel old.

Work has been busy again today and just as I was leaving to come home, I noticed a letter that came in the second post (remember second deliveries? we still get them occasionally) that was full of good news. I can't tell you about the contents yet... but I will at the weekend.

Well I need to finish off a couple of bits for work, so I'll go and make a cuppa first, chat soon, Liz

Introducing....

New Country Quilts

For at least the last three months on this blog, I have been rattling on about my new site and how it is nearly ready, well...

... at last, after months (and months) in development, I am able to tentatively introduce to you, our new website specialising in quilts and bedding.

At this initial stage, it is only complete for those with Internet Explorer 7, so if your computer uses a different browser, you won't see it as we intend it to be seen (or maybe it won't show on your screen at all).

We invite you to have a little look and would love any feedback that you offer, especially if you find a problem (or if you really love it!). Dave will now start work on it so that it can be seen on other browsers.

So this is what it should look like...

and here's the link to our new site newcountryquilts.co.uk

I'm off to celebrate and say thank you to Dave for his continued hard work for Pretty Practicals. Chat soon, Liz

Cool kitchen

This gorgeous kitchen storage unit was created by one of our new furniture suppliers... and I want one for my kitchen. I would also need a kitchen large enough to put it in, but that is beside the point! Our hotpotch of kitchen units have served the house well for many years, but they are almost at the end of their functional life and are decidedly wobbly in a couple of places. The brochures of this company arrived on my desk this week and have certainly given me some food for thought (sorry about the pun!).

Usually any changes to the decor at our home take a long time in the planning; I like to mull over ideas for quite some time before putting anything into action and when it comes to making structural changes (like replacing the kitchen) the planning process can take up to a couple of years. Afterall, if we are going to have a major upheaval at home, I want to be sure that I have got it right.

It's been a busy day and I still have lots to do, so I'm off to make a cuppa, chat soon, Liz

Happy Valentines Day

Whilst Dave & I opt not to celebrate Valentines Day, I hope that all of you who do, have enjoyed a great day with your loved one.

Love and its many symbols must be uppermost in people's minds today, as several heart shape accessories and scented hearts have been ordered from our website ~ so tomorrow will be filled gorgeous aroma as we parcel up the orders.

Enjoy what's left of the day, chat soon, Liz

Sleeping Beauty

I'm not sure whether Sleeping Beauty would have got out of bed at all, if she had woken up in this gorgeous setting!

I love this bedlinen, the combination of little pintucks, the gathered frill and the crisp whiteness of the pure cotton is just delightful.

This week I have been selecting the furniture and accessories that we will be taking to the NEC with us in April. It has made me realise just how many items we have that are 'my favourite'. Dave has been brilliant at helping me focus and take items off my (rather endless) list of 'I want to include this'; we can't take everything afterall.

Our new website (the 'much discussed, but no sign of it yet' website) is so very nearly ready to show you that I could burst with pride. It has been designed to sit side by side with Pretty Practicals. We gave it yet another test run this afternoon and then spotted a minor change that is needed on it, so Dave is sorting that out as I type. Our new site offers a range of quilts, blankets, cushions, duvet covers, pillow cases in lots of different styles and to suit a range of budgets. Dave has worked incredibly hard to produce a lovely website and I am very pleased with the results, so drop back in tomorrow to see the launch date.

I'm off to create something in the kitchen (yes another cup of tea, but I was trying not to admit it), chat soon, LIz

The meaning of...

Dave was reminded of a valuable lesson today... when this girlie goes to a shop that sells clothes and the sign says 25% off all clothes, it means that I can buy 25% more clothes.

So there we were (having just popped into Sainsburys to use the loo on the way home) standing only feet away from the clothes rails and I really didn't go there with the intention of looking, but while we were there and given that we live at least an hour from any major town, it would have been silly not to look, wouldn't it?

I found a gorgeous brown suede jacket (25% off the price remember!) and then felt the need to find a pretty blouse to go with it. Some new undies (always essential) and a replacement dressing gown for the shameful thing that has been masquerading as an item of clothing for the last couple of months (somehow there are no sadder items of clothes than a dressing gown that has had it).

Dave became a walking trolley (as we hadn't intended shopping, we hadn't got one on the way in) and slowly I saw the will to continue drain away from him. So feeling sorry for him, I announced that was probably enough choosing and that I was ready to go... to the changing room to try everything on. Dave, who is the most patient person that I have ever met, smiled (weakly) and off we went to the changing rooms.

This, as everyone knows, can be a danger moment for relationships. Does he be honest and tell me that I look fat or awful or frumpy in the top I have selected? Or does he say it looks great and then take the flack when we get home and I try it on again only to realise that I look fat or awful or frumpy? Dave, ever tactful, suggested I try a different design top which might be more flattering (10 out of 10 for excellent argument avoidance). He wandered off to look at more manly things than the gawdy pink kids clothes that were all around the changing rooms, each time he just about reached the DVD section, I called him back for his opinion of the next thing that I had tried on.

Trying on finished, we headed for the checkouts, but then I spotted the accessory stand and oh, I might as well have a new necklace to go with my new outfit and that of course meant that I needed new earrings too...

... it's a good job that he loves me so much!
Chat soon, Liz

Cutting remarks!

Gosh, so much has happened since my 100th blog and I have been rushing around happy as can be.

Yesterday I had a funny five minutes and decided to have my hair cut short. After 15 years with long tresses (varying between almost waist length and shoulder length), I now have what feels like a short back and sides. My hairdresser is incredibly sweet and was delighted to be able to do something more than 'just a trim', but it is much, much shorter than I had envisaged it would be when I walked into the salon. I guess I will get used to feeling bald and cold and anyway, my hair grows like weeds (especially in the spring and summer), so it won't be long before my neat and tidy haircut resembles my usual 'through the hedge backwards' look.

Plans for our jolly to the NEC are shaping up, although in my usual impatient manner, I wish we could get quotes, catalogues, printing etc done in about half the time that they will actually take. My impatience I realise, comes from my excitment about and enthusiasm for Pretty Practicals and I wouldn't change that for the world.

Everything came to a grinding halt for 80 minutes yesterday (twice) whilst I caught up with the 6 nations matches on the telly. Once again my sister was in attendance at the Wales game (she went to Twickenham last weekend and Cardiff this weekend ) grrr, how envious am I? Dave is not a great rugby fan, actually he goes to the dining room 'to watch paint drying' whilst I am perched on the edge of the sofa, cheering and clapping at the television. Another of our differences that we celebrate.... still, I run off to find something (anything) else to do whenever a Star Wars film appears on our screen ~ I guess we all have something we aren't so keen on.

And finally, the sun has arrived in Rhayader heralding the arrival of spring (maybe). The nights are still bitterly cold and the mornings have offered a crisp white cover across the countryside, like starched linen bedsheets, which have been slowly washed away by the warming glow of the tentative rays of sunshine. By mid afternoon, the sky has been deep blue, my spirits have been lifted and we have even ventured outside to drink in the sunshine and a cup of tea.
Here's a picture I took outside our unit on Friday afternoon, the sun lighting up the bark and branches of these tall pine trees which have loomed over us all winter... it makes me realise how lovely they will look by high summer.


It's my turn to put the kettle on... chat soon, Liz

AND THE WINNER IS....

... and the winner of my first give away is Tricia at Raindrops!

Congratulations!

Please email me your postal address and I will pop the little collection of hearts in the post.

100th blog Giveaway

Ooh this is exciting... to celebrate my 100th blog entry I am doing my first giveaway! To be included in the draw, just leave a little comment and I will pick the winner's name at random late in the evening of 10th February, so that this little collection of hearts might be with you in time for Valentine's Day.

It's been another great day at work ~ I am so lucky to be able to work doing something I love and with the man I love ~ every day brings new joys and challenges.

I have found the correct link to a bit of info about our stand at the NEC, so here it is... Restoration Pavillion and I have sprung into action with planning and organising and things now seem well under control. Dave has finished creating our new logo which can be seen as our blog picture and will be on the front page of the website shortly.

Louise (of Louise Loves) popped in to see us today; she makes the most gorgeous cushions and things from vintage fabrics and creates her own design fabrics. If you haven't discovered her lovely website yet, it really is worth a view.

And finally, I just wanted to share this picture with you. These beautiful blooms will be cheering up my house for some time ...

... and I like them so much that I have popped them onto the website homepage for a little while. Amazingly, these are faux flowers ~ haven't things moved on since the days of garish coloured plastic tulips? Well, I can hear Dave in the kitchen, so there must be some tea on the way!

Chat soon, Liz

And whiskers on kittens...

I've had a busy but fulfilling couple of days. Yesterday I went to a trade show to source some new items. In particular I was searching for items made in the UK and am pleased to have found a small business based about 30 miles from our shop and another not too far away... I'll show you more when the goodies arrive with us.

In the meantime, I thought that I would show you a few of my favourite things in the shop this week.
This painted metal tealight holder is covered with pretty pink roses and has clear droplets hanging from it. The tealight is very pretty, it has the palest blue glass with a scallop shaped top and it nestles in the centre of the holder.
Pastel Rose Hanging Lantern £29.99

This gorgeous painted wooden birdhouse is so cute!

This etched mirror wall sconce reflects the light around your room. On a wall in the shop, it is catching the early spring light and looks just beautiful. I love this picture that I took in our bathroom (my favourite room in the house) because it not only shows the wall sconce, but also captures the beauty of the huge palm that we have in the bathroom.
Etched mirror wall sconce £16.50

Well, my next blog is number 100 and I gather that it is customary to do something special to mark the occasion, so I shall go and put the kettle on and have a little think.
Chat soon, Liz

Divided loyalties

6 Nations starts...

And I am busy watching...

Oh yes!

But when Wales and England play each other, who do I support?