Paint it black ....

Noo I'm not going into a depression ...... well I wasn't until I tried to log into my internet banking tonight !    My bank in its wisdom has introduced a secure key (compulsory) and the bliddy thing froze on my first attempt ..... trying to get through on the telephone to speak to a human being for assistance was another challenge and now I sit waiting impatiently for a time delay to come to an end so that it will power off and I can start all over again :-(   Fast losing the will to live!!

Anyhow back to the real intention of this post

Having sprayed the frames on my Vetrianno prints I got a little spray can happy

These four black & white prints were in one of the very first editions of BBC Homes & Antiques magazine many years ago .... they have been hanging on my landing in gold frames and how I wish I had painted them ages ago ... the black frame makes them stand out brilliantly.

My lovely Rosa Bonheur print from 1891 entitled Patient has received a fresh coat of black paint on the frame. This was acquired at an auction a few years back ..... nobody else bid so I came home with her for around a tenner!

Another auction lot that nobody else wanted .....this is by Arthur J Elsley and is called As Good As Ever ..... it is from a series of pictures made for a Bovril advertising campaign and is dated 1912 .... the black paint agains sets of the print beautifully.

I was using my old cast iron patio table to spray them on as it is due for a new coat of paint ....I had intended to use a gunmetal green but I overshot with some of the black spray paint and suddenly realised that I quite liked the black. Upshot is I sprayed the top of the table and the back of one of the chairs to get a fuller effect and will be off tomorrow to purchase some more cans.

It's a cat's life ......

I've always maintained that I'm coming back in the next life as a tom cat ..... what a life he does lead eating and sleeping then more eating and sleeping ....

Oliver conked out in the heat this afternoon

I've been a bit of a slack blogger again and although I have been reading everyone's posts and leaving the odd comment here and there I just haven't found the motivation to post myself.  Is it just me or do you find that real life gets in the way sometimes and there just aren't enough hours in the day?

We've been trying to spruce up the hall, stairs and landing a bit with a coat of paint but that has to be restricted to the weekends when there are no little people here ... the emulsion is all done and I'm trying to keep up with the glossing but with 6 doors and a wooden staircase it's a long job.  The smell of the paint this weekend mixed with the heat was unbearable.  I found some Jack Vettriano prints in the charity shop some time back but the frames were ugly so they have been given a simple spray of black paint and now they have a new home on the stair well.

Crafting has been continuing and I've been finishing some orders received through my Folksy shop and via the recent V & H fairs that I have been part of .... here are some finished pieces

A blue themed single patchwork quilt in a mix of vintage Laura Ashley fabrics matched with some contemporary cottons from Patch Fabric & Haberdashery

alphabet letter cushion for a Christening gift

 hand stitched hexagon patchwork quilt to take to the next Vintage & Handmade Fair in Olney

to decorate a new born's bedroom

some peg bags for a special lady who has embarked on a new venture here

The first batch of Gooseberry Jam has been made ..... my gooseberry bushes were transferred from my dad's allotment to the bottom of my garden some 15 years ago when he had to give it up following a stroke.  They still bear some lovely fruit every year (apart from the time my OH was let loose with some secateurs that is)

A smidgeon of bargain hunting has been going on but my car booting forays have been cut short by babysitting duties and the lousy weather we were experiencing up till yesterday.  I did manage to find these ....

The cutest miniature sewing machine ...... it has been handmade and is actually musical and when wound it plays a tune, the little treddle goes up and down and the little cotton reel turns ...... how could I resist???  It only stands around 6 inches high and the detail is just perfect.

A vintage hexagon sewing box containing vintage hexagons that someone had started to work on .... maybe I'll get around to finishing them.

Back to the fairs ..... on 9th July at a new venue in Olney, Ann & Trevor are organising another of their fantastic vintage & handmade fairs.  If you are in the area please do pop along ... there will be loads of vintage goodies on sale, some lovely sellers (most of whom as lovely bloggers too) and naturally oodles of tea and homemade cakes.  Olney itelf is a lovely market town with lots of history, shopping & antiques.