Are you coming...

...this weekend? We're all ready and the showroom looks as pretty as a picture.

Go on, bunk off tomorrow and come! Or be sensible and come with your mates over the weekend. Come by car, bicycle, bus, hang-glider or space-hopper, just make sure you come! See you here!

We're nearly there...

...with preparations for next weekends Open Weekend. It's looking lovely and summery in here, even if it is raining cats and dogs outside as I write this. We're really looking forward to seeing our customers old and new.

Opening times are as last time; Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
The tea room opens at 11am for delicious proper cream teas and on Sunday it's Open Gardens in the village. Do come, it'll be fun!

I'm very pleased...

...with this.

I saw it done at The Hampton Court Flower show; blackberry grown as a climber round a door. Our teeny town garden is walled on three sides, and the end wall is very tall. To break it up a bit, I added this tatty old door in between the shed and the weeny vegetable patch. I planted the blackberry last year and it's doing really well - nearly at the top already. It's covered in lovely kind of dog rose flower that will then turn into blackberries - marvellous! I've just planted another one on the other side and hope it catches up.

I'm also pleased with this...

...one of our distressed wooden planters that found its way home. I put a lavender in it and I think it looks lovely. Bit of cheeky photo-bombing there by our extremely naughty kitten Boo. Just one ear, half a beady eye and a tail. Probably on her way to rip a bin-bag open and then do a poo in a plant pot.

we had a...

...great time at The first Doddington Does Vintage Fair last weekend. If you've never been to Doddington hall near Lincoln, it SO worth a visit. The Elizabethan house and gardens are just amazing and there's a fantastic farm shop and cafe. The thing about Doddington is, it's all so nicely done. Anyway, this was there first Vinatge fair and they did it with usual aplomb. There were lots of vintage clothing stalls, as well and homeware, a super-cool DJ playing vintage style sounds - even a gorgeous vintage ice-cream van selling delicious ice-cream. I tried to take some pictures of our stand, but like a berk, had the wrong lense on my camera - hence a selection of close-ups!

Anyway next stop, our Summer Open Weekend! 21st -23rd June. Lots of buying trips planned between now and then, so there will be lots to see. We'd LOVE it if you would share our event on your face book page https://www.facebook.com/DecorativeCountryLiving?fref=ts   ...share the  love!

Save the date...

...for our summer open weekend.

There's more information on our events page, but it's going to be such a fun weekend. Lovely Sue will be doing tea's and homemade cakes in the church school room again. Jenny the florist will be open selling her stunning flowers and arrangements and the Sunday is Open Gardens day in the village where we can all indulge our inner nosiness and wander round someone else's beautiful English country garden without fear of arrest!
You can wander round here too - we'll be full of gorgeous vintage stock as always, this time hopefully without the snow!
Please say you'll come!


Also, we're going to be here...

It's their first one, but it sounds fun. Lots going on and if you haven't been to Doddington before you must -  it's absolutely wonderful. Do come and say hello to us on our stall...you can bring us gifts of gin if you like! 

Have you discovered...

..Pinterest yet? It's a big deal in the USA, and seems to be gaining momentum over here now - especially as the official UK version was launched last week. Basically it's one big, ginormous on-line scrap book, where you can search for images or add or "pin" images of your own on to boards to make virtual mood boards or scrap books. It's huge fun and incredibly absorbing - the whole site is just full of gorgeous images - great if you are working on a project and need some inspiration. I've been helping a friend with a bedroom scheme, so I search "grey linen bedroom" and hey-presto, it gave me dozens of fabulous images that really helped pull the whole thing together. It's great for wedding, party, garden ideas too.
You can follow us on Pinterest, just type us into the search bar.

WARNING: Can cause extreme time loss. You allow yourself  5 minutes to have a quick browse, and next time you turn round, it's 3 hours later, the dinner's boiled dry, the children have passed out due to hunger and the dog's done a poo on the door mat.

I love this...

...Angela in London, one of our lovely customers emailed us this picture this week. She'd just taken delivery of the heavenly pink chest that she bought from us and decided to take a picture to show us it in place, in her daughters bedroom, when Saffron her rather magnificent cat decided to get in on the action. Adorable. I love all the other items Angela's used to accessorise too.
We LOVE seeing pictures of things that we've sold in place in their new homes. Do you have any that you could send us? We thought it would be fun to start a gallery. Just email us a snap - doesn't have to be David Baily quality.