Virtual Heaven! ...

This week I wanna share with you a fab discovery.
Virtual Heaven!
A place inside your computer that sells the most divine things.
A place where my virtual basket is so full to bursting it's groaning under the weight of plentiful delights.
This magical virtual land is ...

RE

Here is just a teeny tiny selection of things I have fallen head over heels in love with.
Dreamy sigh ...

What a fab idea, shades to turn your decanters into candle lights ~ just genius!

These are just soooooo uber super dooper cool. A friend pointed out to me that the subject matter on the bowls is rather dark ~ to be honest I hadn't noticed, I just thought they were pretty glass bowls with vintage tattoos etched on  ~ ooops. Still, the dark side, evil and cults aside these are still super lush (to me)!!

I can not tell you how much I am in love with this ...

 

Just OMG! Crowns for your candles, surely everyone needs crowns for candles? I do!!

Now, this is where my wanting turned to "cor blimey, I actually have one of those. Now where did I put it"??? 

These, I have learnt, are vintage Chippendale glass Jugs made by Davidsons of Gateshead c 1930.

Whoop, I only blooming have one ...

 

I bought this beaut for £3.00 at a table top sale, not having a clue I might add of its provenance.  I just loved it's very classic lines and style. No more letting my son use it in the paddling pool to scoop out flies!!!

~ ~ ~

Whilst on the subject of buying something because you love it ~ lady luck has been on my side as I've come up trumps again ~ hurrah!

Last weekend I attended my most fav auction with my lovely and very dear friend. Very annoyingly it was packed with people (like more than ever before) all looking for a bargain. "No, people! Go out and enjoy this very un-British glorious Summer we're having and leave the bargains all for us".  No such luck (I think they were all there in the hope of a free air conditioned room and a comfortable seat for the day). Grrr, these people (tut) put the prices of almost everything up along with a scowl on my face. Part way through the day and my friend and I had been out bid on everything ~ not only new people but new people with money, damn!

As the pictures started to be auctioned off I did the whole "please let me win my most fav thing in all of the sale, I won't be greedy and want for anything else, I really, really love this one thing, like this much (virtual arms stretched to the max).

My plea was answered and as the bidding war began I adopted a stern and determined face (whilst inside thinking Eeek, blimey I'm already over my limit but I am not giving up) and my rival finally admitted defeat. I have to confess pure happiness quickly turned to that panicky feeling that churns around in your tummy as I realised how much I had paid. Oh dear!

Still, here is my most beautiful piece of art ...

It's a watercolour and a glorious one at that.

My friend, slightly amazed at my determination she'd just witnessed suggested we do some research on the artist. I don't do research! I Google and if the answer doesn't come up in the first three lines then search over, I'm done, no info to be found.

Thankfully, she text me the answer that my impatience was unable find ...

This artist is well known and in 1998 one of her watercolours fetched £552.00 at Christies. 

OMG!!! 

What a strike of luck!

I then enthusiastically headed off to Bonham's auction house to get a true and current valuation. It's worth between £200 - £300 in today's market ~ Eek. Just goes to show folks, you never know what you might pick up at an auction.

The thing is I truly love this painting and will never, ever part with it. I bought it because I think it is beautiful and the fact it's worth money is just a happy bonus for me.

Not wishing to brag ... but I also bought an original watercolour that no one wanted (not even the new people) because the guilt frame was damaged. In the interest of shabby chic and trying to embrace the beauty in imperfection as we're all told to do I snapped it up for £6.00.

I have since found out that the artist, Lillian Canning exhibited at The Royal Academy between 1917 - 1936.

This too is currently being valued. 

Once again, a very lucky purchase ~ yay.

~ ~ ~

Oh dear ... a very sad and sorry for itself wall between ours and our neighbours property ...

One very clever husband, tonnes of Cotswold stone and many an evening later and ta dah!

The most beautiful Cotswold Dry Stone Wall.

What a talented chap my husband is xx

 ~ ~ ~

Do you remember when I blogged about redecorating our living room wall here?

We had planned to introduce another colour to the walls but after trying almost every colour known to a tester paint pot we just became more and more confused. We decided to readdress the situ when we were not so bewildered and with fresh eyes.

So ... we are now not so bewildered and we have fresh eyes, or should I say "I" and not "we".

My husband came home from work and casually called to me "Hi, what are you doing?" to which I replied "painting the living room wall black".

Silence ...

Bear with me, I'm really pleased with it. What do you think?

...

This is the wall before I came over all Emo

An attack of Noir ...

This was the point of no return and when I started to doubt my earlier excitement over black paint.

I decided to stop at just painting the chimney breast and did an experiment with gold paste. I used it to highlight the raised floral pattern and initially I LOVED it but when I started to put things back on the shelf and our large mirror up it sadly looked over the top and just too messy/busy.

So out came the black paint once again, a coat was put over the gold paste and it's now a simple black matt finish. 

This is what we decided suited the room better ...

 

As only one side of the chimney breast is a resess we used beading to define an actual fireplace and painted within these two strips.

We are really, really pleased with the effect and the over all look.

It's better than we hoped it would be and finishes our living room walls off perfectly.

I'm keen to add a touch of hot pink to the mantle so am in search of a beautiful delicate rose to display against the harsh black.

 

Eek, I'm looking forward to experimenting with this new colour :)

 

~ ~ ~

Well, until next week. Bye y'all xx

 

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