Inside Out

Yay, we have some summer here in the UK, at least a whole weeks worth so far! It takes a lot to get me out of the house, so when I venture forth I like to take a few luxuries with me, even if its only into my own garden.  I have a lot of old furniture thats been used as props for photos, or projects and such. Some of it ends up in the garden shed as we can't bear to part with it, one such item being a single wooden bed that I bought on e-bay.

This was such a good purchase as it's assembled in minutes, just slotting pieces of wood together and laying the slats down, when it's taken apart it hardly takes up any space. And so, we set it up in a cool spot in the garden.

cushions and scarves are from Van Asch

We had some old foam in the shed as well so used that as the mattress and then took a lovely Kantha quilt and cushions out from the house.

Another old prop was the screen which I use as backdrops in photos, painting it different colours, this one has some stencilling on that I did a while back. 

I also made a wig-wam for myself, to keep the sun off and for my blind cat Coco to get cool in. I started off by pegging Kantha quilts to the washing line and then giving structure with bamboo poles and bits of wood we had lying around.  We keep a couple of old rugs in the shed as well for a ground covering.

By the evening we had got quite into the spirit of things, and took some chairs out to the paddock at the end of the garden.  To add to the fun my other half took some light shades out and hung them in the trees.

There are alpacas at the bottom of the garden, I think you can just see them, they are very curious creatures. We sat and watched them from our garden palace.

Another favourite spot for us is the lavender farm at Hitchin. We took half the house with us and bought food from their cafe as they do such nice platters.

All these items are from Holy Cow Home 

enormous bag from The Future Kept

All items from Holy Cow Home

cushions from Van Asch, quilt mug and plates from Holy Cow Home

At Hitchen Lavender you pay 4.50 each to go into the lavender fields and pick your own, the sound of buzzing bees is hypnotic. 

There are open air film showings in August so we shall hopefully return, maybe for my birthday.

Have a lovely time wherever you are. 

Styling The Season for May

So many flowers to choose from in the garden at the moment, and also in the hedgerow.  For styling my home with nature I chose to revamp my previous wreath with lilacs and clematis. Its above the bed so that I catch wafts of lilac scent.

Another addition to my room is a beautiful piece of original art from an artist called Anne Marie Butlin.  Her painting of apple blossom touched my heart and so, I hope to feature her in a future blog.

To find out more about Anne Marie Butlin you can find her facebook page here

I found this artist through facebook originally and took the opportunity to visit her during Crouch End Open Studios week.

As an ex-Crouch Ender I felt a soft spot for this lady and her lovely family.  Her studio at the bottom of the garden is gorgeous and oh how I would love to have a whole wall full of her work.

My painting is oil on linen. Im going to try it in a few different rooms but for now its by my bedside and Im totally in love with it. 

Romance and Roses

This week I have seen a few themes running with my friends on Instagram, so I have decided to join in with these fun photo stylings and thought I would share them here as well.

"Capture By Lucy" has a great blog and feed on Instagram, she runs a few photo challenges like Capturing Colour. Just follow the hashtags. 

This week her Capturing Colour theme is Pink, whilst over at Lobster and Swan blog they are Styling The Seasons, with February being Romance. 

Another Instagram challenge came from Fabulous Thrifted Finds, their theme being glass, so to kill three birds with one stone I played with all these ideas. 

My motivation levels have been very low during January so this was just the kick up the proverbials that I needed to get styling and snapping. 

paper weight a rose in glass from Aylesbury Antique Market

a collection of my own vintage items which is my idea of Romance

this chair has just been finished, painted and upholstered by myself.

I chose Travel for my romance theme, the idea of being dashed off to Paris for Valentines would be my perfect date. 

As my latest chair makeover is quite romantic I have included this in the pics, the fabric is from great Facebook friend Betty Zee who does fab things with fabric, and the paintwork is from the usual source, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Ive recently been indulging my collection of needlepoint cushions too with several more being finished just now for inclusion in photos soon. 

To find me on instagram go to http://instagram.com/janiceissitt_life_style/

and if you like a good blog then check outhttp://capturebylucy.com and http://lobsterandswan.com


This heart box is very old, it's a watch box which belonged to my Dad. Styled pink and romantic and glass for all the themes. 

Ive had these shoes for years, the postcard came from Instgram seller Half Moon Hobo

thrifted 50s frosted glassware, 

Thanks for popping by, and don't forget to check us Instagrammers out. See you all soon.

A little p.s. just adding a few more pics as Ive also joined with  Emily Quinton for Floral Friday Competition.