The Blogging Conundrum

Like I said, it's late, I'm knackered but today has been awesome! Not only have I celebrated a rather staggering 30 years on earth, but the rascal and I have Ben super duper busy. The matriarch is staying while Maj C is away and we have has a fun packed day. Too tired to do it justice today but I promise (yet again) to fill you in ASAP! The blogging conundrum: too busy blogging to do anything, too busy doing anything to blog. Ah the stresses of  modern day! Sleep tight all, I will be back-with photos and links and new bloggers and tweeters and Facebook pages and stories galore-seriously, it's going to be amazing. 

It's all in the preparation

Well that's what the best procrastinators say and I would class myself as one of the best.

So in short today I've taken the rascal swimming-awesome, celebrated my unbirthday-as Maj C is away on the actual day-I got some lovely stuff (more later), we went to a BBQ in the rain, filled up our neighbours petrol can (we borrowed it for the lawn) and I made some beef wraps-delicious. But in short I have done nothing that I had planned. No painting, no sewing, not even written the blog I promised! But I promise promise promise by the time the week is out there will be some serious progress-I might even finish the towel rail...yeah right!

Ps- I forgot in my haste to do everything except the stuff I was meant to be doing I have found a new obsession. No I take that back, not obsession, more a mini-love affair, yes let's call it that. Obsession is decpupage-life changing, all encompassing, my mini-love affair I fear already may be short lived but at the moment  a big fan: it's vintage birds. All kinds, pictures, stamps, sewn, knitted, painted, things with birds on-even the word bird-love it. If you love birds too please take a look at The Bobbin Bird on The Twitter- it's gorgeous gorgeous stuff.

I will show you the best of my finds on this Vintage Bird Watching weekend on Monday (I hope...)

@rascalandroses Monumental Days

Well, there has been excitement galore at Rascal and Roses HQ in the last 2 days.

Firstly we are now in the twittersphere @rascalandroses and this in itself is pretty amazing, and yes I did it on my own without Maj C's or Girl-About-Town's or even my bro (Web Boy's) help (they are my own personal IT consultants). But readers, this is not the monumental news-guess who my first tweet was from-yes that's right Annie Sloan herself-! it transpires she too is a decoupage fan (I knew I was in good company). Even Maj C was amazed by my web-based success.

Secondly, The Matriarch arrived last night in order to look after The Rascal for me, while I spent the day away from Rascal and Roses HQ at location unknown for my birthday surprise! Well guess what my surprise was? Give up? Ok, I'll tell you then, it was an Annie Sloan workshop at Chalk Interiors, Stamford. It was fantastic, I had a brilliant time and learnt so so much. Thanks mum. I will give you the full low down tomorrow (with pics!) I've gotta rush as Maj C is taking me to dinner-whoop whoop. 

Mod Podge Mad

Ok ok, so some people think I may be a bit fickle. I do not agree, rather I like to think I have an all encompassing personality. Well, perhaps they are right because while only a week ago my new obsession was Pinterest, time has moved on and my new favourite thing in the world is: decoupage. I looooooooooove it. Literally am in love with it. I am waiting for my mod podge to arrive and then I shall be cutting and pasting to my hearts content! Check out my pinterest Mod Podge board-amazeballs. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint verses Decoupage....let the battle commence. I may be slightly delayed now in towel rail reveal, in fact the towel rail my now need to be decoupage. We will see.

My Mod Podge Pinterest Board

We should all sew more

In response to highly unmotivational post yesterday I decided that I would take the opportunity to do something with my evening. And after 4 hours work - well 4 hours which included eating Mj C's delicious chicken fajitas (with homemade tortillas) and shouting at The Apprentice for an hour- the fruits (well fruit) of my labour, voila:

I love the fabric and hot pink colour way. But as you can see my hand sewing needs some considerable work... I don't think I'll be giving up my day job to start a Shabby Chic Heart Accessories Shop in the near future. Stay tunes for mark 2 - it's likely to blow your socks off.

Times flies when....

...you have a baby! Honestly, I cannot believe the last time I posted was Saturday-that was 5 days ago (yes I have baby brain, but I can still count to at least 5)! Ok, so stating the obvious does not really make my point, in those 5 days many many monumental things may have happened. I could have travelled to Australia and back, I could have climbed Everest, I could have swum the Pacific Ocean. But in fact, I have done nothing even remotely that exciting!

Don't get me wrong, we have visited our lovely friends in 'The North' so we did venture across the country-very exciting. And we have seen our brilliant neighbours (2 sets of them) and as Maj C has been home for all 5 days we have spent some much needed family time together. But on the grand scheme of things, not very much has happened. As Maj C points out I have not; done any shopping, any washing, gone running (nor any other form of exercise, as I vowed I would this week), written and posted any christening invites and most importantly of all-I have failed still to complete the (all together  please) TOWEL RAIL.

Clearly, chatting her will not help things, so I must go-I have a busy schedule to maintain-Pinterest and my new favourite programme Cupcake girls awaits while the rascal sleeps, these low-budget-American network-fly-on-the-wall-confectionary-programmes don't watch themselves you know. 

Pinterest

I am addicted to Pinterest. I am literally in love with it. I caution you, enter at your own risk it may take over your life. If I'm honest i don't really understand it, but I love it, so many beautiful things, so little time. That is all- I'm afraid I have to get back to pinning.


My Pinterest

Mixing Annie Sloan colours

For those of you that are wondering whether Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is for you, let me show you what sold it for me. Well, as you all know, the towel rail is still standing in the potting shed I waxed, but I did manage to find the perfect example of why Chalk Paint is amazing. As you can see you only need a colour base plus a white and you can get soooooo many variations. This is why I love it! Back to that waxing...maybe after a quick coffee.

Ps-who likes my new shed? I adore it, Maj C says I need to paint it back brown when we move again next year, we'll see. Oh and by the way, this is not Annie Sloan Chalk Paint-it's Cuprinal Seagrass-£12 a can from B&Q and took me and the Matriarch only 2 hours to do, and with The Rascal in the Baby Bjorn to boot-I would fully encourage the painting of sheds to cheer up grumpy gardens. 

Beautiful shabby chic paint

I've been buying paint to enhance my life, or as Mj C insists, spending money to bankrupt him! Either way, who cares I have 2 new Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colours and they are gorgeous- duck egg blue (the classic) and country grey (so classy). But what a palava, it's hard choosing colour, seriously hard.  I definitely want red and the orange, they are beautiful, but I think I'd better wait until Maj C is away again before I get those.

While i was searching for some colour inspiration (sat on my bottom watching the Apprentice) I came across another amazing blog, The Purple Painted Lady. She is fab and again her advice brilliant for newbies to the sport of furniture resurrection. As you can see below she has some lovely examples of not only the colours, but also the difference between clear wax and dark wax. Take a look, she's very clever. This link pretty much answers any questions you'd ever have about ASCP?

The Purple Painted Lady: Questions often asked

Happy painting bloggers, I'll see you on the other side.

Shabby chic Cupboard Upcycled

The towel rail is still drying in the shed, but while we wait I thought I'd show you another little project. This was Indian wood and very dark-lovely, but not really in keeping with anything else we had. So, many moons ago I painted this white, I used satin wood and it was emotional indeed. Needless to say it also looked a mess-very few people can paint in bright white effectively, I am not one of them. However, since I bought my ASCP I thought, why not? Lets just try and see and here are the results. I used one coat of Provence and Old White, then aged (using fine sand paper) and the used 2 coats of wax. Hey presto, perfect for all my pretty crockery.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Rutland

So, the key enabler to my vintage furniture addiction is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I am new to the craze, but an utter convert. In the name of research I spent all of The Rascal's nap time googling-rather than doing housework-luckily Major C is familiar with my weakness for shabby chic and my inability to do housework at the best of times! Anyway, while I searched I came across an awesome blog: Chic Mouldings, it has brilliant hints, tips and a very thorough review of ASCP - go and look its brill! 

Chic Mouldings Blog- ASCP

Newly motivated, I am making a trip into Oakham today to get some new colours and a new wax brush. Then I reckon my towel rail might get finished, fingers crossed. 

Vintage furniture prepare to be transformed

Today I managed to persuade Major C to take me to a fab place in Stamford, Lincolnshire in order to curb my shabby chic and vintage furniture addiction. I have a need to paint! It's very exciting. I got some vintage crates which are going to make amazing trays once they are cleaned up, a pretty side table and a dressing table. This week is going to be fun, think I need some new colours though-I'm thinking some green in my life is needed! 

Half way through Shabby Chic towel rail

I know, i know, where is the towel rail? Well: taadaa! First coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint almost complete. This is a mix of Provence and Old White-mixing colours is super easy to blend (see stick in tray) and it doesn't seem to have effected application at all (see paintbrush).  One more coat and a clear wax and we'll be done! Unfortunately had to stop to feed the rascal but I should have finished product by tomorrow. 

Delay to towel rail (stand alone) reveal

Now I am afraid there has been a delay in proceedings due to the lovely whether we had yesterday.

Maj C decided yesterday would be the day to make our triumphant return to the big smoke and a debut visit for The Rascal and Stanley the spaniel. We visited girl-about-town sister in law, who as usual, had organised a fabulous daytime exclusion. So we ambled into town, With the suns on our faces until we reached our destination-one of the best views of the Capital and it was free, there will be a prize for the first person who can work out where we are. Needless to say we had a wonderful time, thanks girl-about-town it was super fun.

I know the excitement is palpable; is the towel rail done? Or perhaps more accurately, has work on the handrail even started yet? Those that know me, could probably hazard a guess, but for the rest of you I'm just going to keep you guessing, stay tuned folks. 

Towel rail before

I didn't want you all to be going out of your minds as to what the towel rail (stand alone) might look like pre-upcycle, let alone after my handiwork, so I've decided I'm going to show you the before pic, this way you can prepare yourself fully for the imminent makeover.

I know, pretty fricking exciting eh?

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! Today's mainly been spent taking the lovely Matilda swimming (best activity of the week by miles) and buying lots of furniture for me to upcycle. I have an addiction to painting things, I love it. The problem is, when you live on an Army camp and can't paint your own walls you crave for something else- I've found it- everything else! Stay posted and you can see my efforts, I reckon by Sunday object 1 will be complete. I know the anticipation...I don't want to spoil the anticipation but I'm rubbish with surprises so I'll tell you what it is: it's a stand alone towel rail- I know you're excited, I can tell.