Chalk Painted bench - June 24th 2015

Hello Friends,

I didn't have to go to work today, but decided that instead of craft I would get up to date on the computer...so I have now (hopefully) caught up with all your blogs as well as downloaded all my photos from last week!

The weather outside is beautiful and I would like to be out in the craft barn - but - (bear with me here!) I have to 'hide' inside from the hens! I haven't gone crazy..one of the neighbours is having a fence replaced and it's a very long area, so I have to keep the hens in their run until they're done. If the girls know I'm home, they'll want to come out and will get quite persistent. Drat that  they had to do it the one day this week I'm home!!!

Anyway.....when we were away last week we had a nice time visiting a couple of  little 'vintage/shabby chic' shops that specialise in selling Annie Sloan paint (you probably know my now that it's my favourite!),...well in short it was everything AS: paint, restored furniture,workshops....! I knew the shops were there, so I'd waited to get my hands on a couple of her new stencils and when I came home I set to work on a few paint projects....

I picked this storage box up really cheaply last week and should have got a couple of them. 

I painted the outside using  AS Old Ochre Chalk Paint, waxed it and then sanded it a little at the edges to reveal some of the wood beneath. This is an ideal size for storing my little pots of AS paint. I then stencilled the hands on the outside using .....

Next for the bench...this bench sits in our porch, it's not meant as a seat (although it can be sat upon) and it was made by my Father in Law to my design about 10 years ago. I use it to display seasonal flowers, Easter, Halloween and Christmas decs etc.

 It needed a paint anyway, so I used the Old Ochre: it only needed one coat and then I used  flower and bird stencils to decorate. I didn't stencil all the seat back as it tends to get hidden by plants and other decorations during the year anyway.

 I also stencilled the flower on the side of the box...

Before I go, I will share a few photos from last week...I'm not going to share too many(if there are  animals and birds in sight, I take hundreds!!!)  and I'll spread them across the next few posts, but on Monday last week we visited two of my favourite places, The Cotswold Falconry Centre (which is where I did my intro to Falconry training day a few years ago) and Batsford Arboretum next door - we are members of a larger Arboretum close to us and we also get entry into Batsford with our membership...and I prefer Batsford ...

Here are some photos of the Birds of Prey...I love them all, but during the displays the vultures are so entertaining, the way they interact with each other, just like a scene from the Jungle Book!

Bald Eagle

Bateleur Eagle

This owl decided to sit on my handbag!

Kestrel

Tom had urged me to book for a refesher session, but I never got around to it - I still got to fly  this adorable little owl though :)

I had to include this shot that Tom took as the owl swooped towards him :)

Vultures, I could watch them all day, they are so comical

Golden Eagle

These are just a few of the photos I took, I'll share some more from the week on Friday...and be warned, there will be more birds..not hawks, but more birds!

Meanwhile thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment, always very much appreciated,

Love and Hugs,

Carole X

WOYWW #304 - Wednesday 2nd April 2015

Hello Friends and WOYWW visitors!

Gosh, 1st April already and I promise not an April Fool insight on here I promise!

Well, it's been a while but I'm back with a WOYWW post! For those of you who don't know what this is, it's that time every week when we get to share what's on our desks courtesy of Julia and Stamping Ground   - click the link to find out all about it!

So what's on my desk this week?

Well, there are some water coloured sketches I've been playing around with for a  special project that I'm working on and will be posted in a few weeks time...and that's all I'm saying at the moment!

The mini album die will be making up the main part of the project...I'm just still deciding what to do with the cover...

 and as well as some CAS cards and Easter cards, my Annie Sloan workbook is tucked behind the art pad....I am a big fan of Annie Sloan chalk paint and 'Annie Sloaning' something is a bit of a buzz phrase in our house...well you can guess why!

Tom(my husband for new visitors) gave me the book one of my Christmas presents; it's  a place to put ideas, cuttings and record projects....

Last week I finally got around to putting photos of my first big furniture upcycle from last summer; an old desk we picked up for very little and I "Annie Sloaned' for use in our little summerhouse that I use as an outside craft area. I was thrilled when Annie looked at the photos on my blog and sent me a message...of course I've put that in there...I was pretty pleased with it for a first attempt at a furniture worker and I really enjoyed it.

Finally a few photos of one of the projects on my desk...a little Easter card. It's tiny, 4x4 inches square and made using kraft card. For the front I die cut a Spellbinders Scalloped Oval die and inked the edges with Shabby Shutters distress ink. I used a cute little die that one of my friends gave me as a birthday present for the images..it's 'Bunny Stuck in a Flower Pot' by Cottage Cutz, but the little bunny on the front is from a little set of bunnies by Impression Obsession and the leaf is from Spellbinders 'Sprigs'.

The main part of the card is inside, where I created a pop up using the bunny die, coloured with Promarkers...just  a bit of fun!

Thank you so much for stopping by, it's so nice to be sharing my desk again!

Love and Hugs

Carole X

WOYWW - Wednesday 16th July 2014

Hello WOYWWers and regular blog friends!

I've haven't shared my WOYWW desk for a few weeks, but now I'm back and I'm revisiting my outside craft space for those of you who have either popped by before or are my blog friends.

First of all however, if you don't know about WOYWW, it's when we all get the chance to share our desks (and have a snoop around others!), it happens every Wednesday and all happens courtesy of Julia over at Stamping Ground   - click the link for full deets...

As some of you know I am a lucky gal and have both a craft room indoors and the use of a little summer house in the garden, where I decided that I would keep all my art parts, paints etc. I picked up a really old and sad looking desk for very little in an antiques/second hand shop and painted it up with chalk paint, which I then waxed. A little photo reminder is below...

We spent last Saturday doing some clearing up in the craft barn (as I have renamed it!), getting rid of rubbish and tidying up so that we could move the desk into it's rightful place...

 I painted the old chair too, but forgot to take 'before' photos... for first time visitors, the prim style hens were painted on there because we keep pet hens and I am just 'hen' mad!

In the little basket on the desk are some mdf parts to make a clock....that will be my first project in here...

 These are the shelves...I painted one of them to match the colour theme, the other still has to be painted (when I get the time and before Summer is out!). I've got all my little paint pots on one set of shelves and art parts on the others..together with boxes and cardboard I've collected to use in projects.

That's the story so far...except for.... when I went out to take these photos this morning a beautiful Peacock Butterfly was on the inside window behind the desk.I guess it may have got in there when the doors were open yesterday. I tried to take a photo of it, but it was right in the sun and to be honest, I was more concerned about opening the window and setting it free...and what a beautiful sight that was! I had to coax it  a little before it spread it's gorgeous wings and fluttered off into the breeze to enjoy the flowers as it should. As I didn't take a photo and wanted to remember it when I looked back on this post, I borrowed one from google...

Thanks for stopping by today...I'll get around some of you later, promise!

Finally....Thank you so much to all my blog friends for your comments here and over on Sam Poole's blog yesterday. I have to say that it's the first card I have made in a long time that I haven't been sure about! I was probably a bit out of my comfort zone with the colours and I think that in a few weeks I will make a similar card but very toned down and see if I like it better! 

Love and Hugs,

Carole X

WOYWW 264 - Wednesday 25th June 2014

Good Morning Friends,

Thank you so much to those of you who for popped over and leaving comments on Sam's blog yesterday...so appreciated! Glad you liked the candles...we did actually sit outside and have it all on the table on Sunday evening! If you'd like to look the link is http://www.creative-studios.co.uk/oh-those-summer-lights


WOYWW 264

I'm back with my desk after being awol from WOYWW for a few weeks..for anyone who doesn't know what WOYWW is all about, click the link and head on over to  Stamping Ground, where the wonderful Julia will let you know what it's all about. I was sorry to hear that Julia has been poorly, so sending a big hug and well wishes!

This week isn't so much what's on my desk, but my desk...and believe me you will never see it this clear again!

Some  of you know that I am lucky enough to have use of our old summer house as a little second art room and a few weeks ago, I posted on here that I had bought a very old desk,  which I intended to up cycle  and use in said little art room in the garden.

This is the desk when I bought it for a very small amount in a local antique shop:

As you can see it was pretty old and sad looking :(

This was it last month when I started off by sanding it and given it one coat of paint. I had to work on it in the garden, so have been extra pleased with the good weather we've been having recently :)

I used an oak wood stain for the desk top and Annie Sloan Chalk paint in 'Original' for the desk itself.

I wanted the drawers to contrast to the creamy colour so I used ........After painting, I waxed with  Annie Sloan clear wax and then sanded away some of the paint. I've never done this on such a big piece of furniture before so I didn't distress too much (though more than the photos show!!!). I may go back in and do a little more.

After the first waxing, I added some  dark wax...this was the scary bit: the clear wax goes on quite dark but dries light, the dark wax is very dark! I rubbed it in and then went back with another coat of light wax. I used a round wax brush which was brilliant to use, but still hard work. When the wax was dry, I wiped all over with a soft cloth. I also waxed the top of the desk.

Here's my desk from the side with the old chair that I also recently painted. Now we have to clear our some items that have found there way into the little summerhouse and get  into it's new home (below). Had it been just a little smaller, I think it would have found it's way into the house, but it's just a little too big for the space we have.

Well for a first project of this type I was pleased with the result and I am sure it will be with me for many years to come...if I decided to shabby chic a bit more, I'll post pictures!

Thank you so much for stopping by - I'll look forward to visiting your desks today,

Love and Hugs,
Carole  X