Entertainment abounds

Liz's image of Collier Campbell fabric called Folk Dance

This week everything is happening! It's Wimbledon, Glastonbury, Nelson Mandela's 80th birthday celebrations (none of which I am attending), it's also Hard Rock Calling at the weekend, which I am going to!

I am leaving Dave here to hold the fort, whilst I take Cecily off to London for the weekend to spend a couple of nights in a hotel and the day times in Hyde Park listening to an amazing array of artists perform.

A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to get tickets to Live 8 and Dave and I had an incredible weekend away and I danced until my feet ached and then danced some more. This time, Cecily and I will be bopping away for two days to the music of (amongst others) The Charlatans, Sheryl Crow, KT Tunstall, The Bangles, The Stranglers and The Police.

Now the time is almost here, I am getting very excited. Cecily has a good camera on her phone, so I will ask her to take lots of photos and post them once I get back. Whatever you are doing this weekend, I hope you have a good time.

Chat soon, Liz

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Beautiful Photos by Paul Willetts

Oh and another week slips away! Where does the time go?

For the last couple of days Cecily has had a friend to stay with us, so she has been busy showing him the local area, in particular they went to the Elan Valley. Paul was really keen to go and visit our local beauty spot as he is a photographer.

For such a young man (he's in his early twenties) he has travelled extensively, taking his camera with him and I am so impressed with his photographic skills, I wanted to let everyone know about his website.
You need to click on the right hand side of each image to bring the next in the series.

The title of this blog is a link to his colour photograph showcase and some of his black and white images can been seen at Paul Willetts black and white photos

Paul can arrange for any of his photographs to be printed (some of them as really big images), framed or provided as block canvas prints. His contact details are on his site.

Can I suggest that you make a cuppa, sit down with your pc and take a lovely break whilst Paul's amazing imagery whisks you off to other places?

Chat soon, Liz
All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

CATALOGUE AMENDMENT

Page 11, FRENCH STYLE CRACKLE GLAZE DISPLAY CABINET Item number FN009, should read 120 cms high.

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

High Rise Flowers

A little while ago (only a few blog entries back), I told you about the three tier planter that I had chosen lots of plants for and promised a photo of it planted up. Well here it is... I shall take progress pictures throughout the summer.

Seeing this image makes me realise just how many weeds there are in the front garden, so I am off to clear the gravel of greenery... chat soon, Liz
All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Pretty Practicals in the Press

This month some of our items have been featured in the glossy monthly magazines.
Pretty Practicals image

• Period Ideas have focused on pretty florals and chose the Florist wall clock and our Katie padded hangers.
Suppliers image
• Ideal Home magazine showed our cream vintage style display shelves in a get the look feature. And the good news is that they are actually £99.00 not £120.00 as shown in the magazine.

Suppliers image

There are two more items due to be featured in magazines this month, but as they are not on the shop shelves yet, I will wait until they are published to tell you about them.

Hope you've had a good weekend, chat soon, Liz
All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Country Chic accessories

I just love it when our weekly delivery is chock-a-block full of my favourite accessories like this painted metal jug and this week has been a bonanza week for me!
The jugs are back in stock, as are some really pretty little French style coasters. We have been waiting for ages for some cream pierced metal serviette holders and they arrived too - yippee.

Dave has excelled himself in his work on our new look website, I would love to be able to show you, but sadly it has to stay under wraps until it is completed.

Anyway, it has to be a quick blog entry this evening as The Apprentice final is on any minute, so I need to make tea and settle on the sofa,
chat soon, Liz

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Painted furniture, painted bedroom

Hooray, Cecily will be back home from university, for the summer holidays, in just 10 days time! I can hardly wait to see her again and I can't wait to show her the makeover I have done on her bedroom.

Having finally finished painting and decorating her bedroom (which seemed to grow bigger and bigger each time I went in there to do a bit more), I decided it was time to tackle the furnishings, so...
Out with the old bed and tatty furniture that she opted for (or put up with) whilst at school, because I have bought her some lovely painted bedroom furniture from our shop including a French bed (a kingsize so she can stretch out as much as she likes) and new bedside tables.
She's going to sleep in crisp white cotton bedlinen and I've found some really cutesy rose print pyjamas for her. Coo, I love being the clucking mother hen!
Pyjamas available shortly at New Country Quilts
Her bright pink Cecily Rose chair will remain as she got that only for Christmas this year, but I haven't added any other bright pink accessories as I think those finishing touches need to be her choice once she is home.



Well, it's late and it's as dry as a desert in here, so I'm headed off to the kitchen once again, chat soon, Liz

All images and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.

Flying visit

Phew! What a mad dash last weekend was... I drove to my mother's house on Friday for the evening (and stayed overnight), so that I could see my little brother and his family. They were visiting my mum for three days on their way to holiday in the sunshine. It's been about 18 months since I last saw my brother (at the memorial service for my father) and I'm unlikely to see him again for a while as he lives in America with his wife and children. It was lovely to see them all again and his children, whom I haven't seen for 6 years, have grown into beautiful, bright and happy people.

Saturday lunchtime I headed back home again via the large garden centre in Hereford. Here I spent a pleasant hour selecting dozens of annuals to plant into a 3 tier jardiniere in our front garden. For my birthday early this year, I asked for gardening tokens, so this lovely shopping spree was actually my birthday present from mum and my sister. Once the plants are all in situ I will take some pictures.


Since I got back from my jolly, Dave and I have been working together again on the new look website... I hate that it takes so long from 'can we make it do this or that?' to the finished product, but continue to be amazed that Dave will merrily work away, creating a page, changing things as I request them and not grizzle at my inability to be decisive about layout, colours etc.

I am really pleased that I have found some lovely quilt designs to add to our growing collection at New Country Quilts (our specialist quilt and bedlinen website) and some gorgeous blankets and throws which have now arrived with us. In the next day or so I will get my camera out and get snapping, so that I can put them on the website.

Thursday this week sees the start of Big Brother season, okay now I have a problem... do I admit that I actually do watch BB or do I pretend that I don't and have to keep a secret all summer? Hmm, looks like I've let the cat out of the bag already. That said, I promise I won't prattle on about it for the next few weeks.

Well, I'm off to carry on adding items into the database of the new website, it's a long, slow task but a great opportunity to review everything we sell and remind myself of how much I like them. And I think probably a cuppa is well overdue, chat soon, Liz
All images copyright of image owners and text copyright Pretty Practicals 2006 - 2008 except where stated.