Outdoor Entertaining

It's a grey day here in West Wales so I thought I would post about outdoor dining to cheer us all up and to get us ready for entertaining in the fabulous summer weather we are expecting this year.

We all enjoy searching flea markets and charity shops these days for furniture for our homes so why not do the same for our outdoor furniture......

We don't have enough sunshine in this country, why waste our precious time outside with friends and family waiting to but the perfect garden furniture set when you can carry the kitchen table outside and enjoy quality time together.

For special occasions you can really go to town with the decoration with fairy lights,flowers and candles.

or alternatively why not just throw down some cushions and use a couple of pallets as a table and enjoy!

all images from Pinterest

Christmas is coming!

Christmas is coming........ and we are finally out of the recession,

So get spending everyone!!!

Who cares that it's only October and we have the decs out already, we have had a fantastic response form our customers to our choice of decorations this year. 

We have tried to keep them as traditional as possible so that they can be added to your existing collection, no silly colour pallets here!

 There is something here for everyone, I do love to hear people talking about certain decorations reminding them of their Granny's tree etc.

How do you buy at Christmas, do you add to your existing collection or do you go mad and buy new baubles every year??

Massive Fail!

I thought I was going  be so good at keeping up to date with blog posts this year, but oh no! I didn't. Oopsie

I don't know where the time has gone, it's July people! We are half way to Christmas, yes I know the dreaded C word. Sorry I will leave that for another post.

So much has happened over the last few months, we moved, and our new shop is totes amazing. We have loooooads of new stock including the fantastic Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, people in the town of Carmarthen are now officially addicted to transforming their furniture with chalk paint.

Next week I am attending my first Annie Sloan workshop, hopefully I will be good enough to then return home and teach you lot how to paint! This paint is so soooo amazing it does exactly what it says on the tin, it's easy peasy lemon squeasy.

www.anniesloan.com

Another thing I have become addicted to this year include PINTEREST. It was only a matter of time before curiosity got the better of me and I signed upto have a nosey. I loves it, it has to be the best thing invented for some like me, someone who rips pieces out of country living and homes and antiques and pins them to my office pin board, and has even been know to file them, Loser! yes i know. But pinterest allows me to have a virtual board to stick all my inspiration to, I seriously suggest if you love ripping magazines up like me then get pinning.

www.pinterest.com

New Windows!

Research, research, research. Today has been a day spend on the laptop researching window ideas for this year. As an ex-visual assistant for a department store, my shop window is sooooo important to me and fun! No longer do I have to follow designs, I can do what the hell I like with them!!

I  L.O.V.E  love anthropologie, I drool over their website on a daily basis and on my recent trip to N.Y.C  I visited their store. My oh my........ they are out of this world. The planning that must go into these windows  ......I can't even begin to imagine. 

Now I did not think I would be the only person in the world with a love for these windows, but it was not until I googled that I realised how many blogs have found inspiration from their windows and have written about them. If you would like to have a gander at more of their bold and beautiful windows head over to their facebook page.

Thank you anthropologie for giving me enough inspiration for the next year!

xxxx

Goodbye 2011....... Welcome 2012!!

Wow what a year......we opened our shop, won best new business, were nominated for best new wedding business and room dresser, created many vintage weddings this summer, survived our first christmas at the shop, are fast approaching our first year of trading, and had our own little vintage wedding!!!

So what will happen in 2012 ........... well we will be leaving our shop on the 28th February to move in to our brand new shop at 53a King Street, we are excited to be moving onto a street full of other independent retailers like us. 

We will also be exhibiting at Wales' first Vintage wedding fair with Something Kind Cute, we will also have our pop up tea room there. 

We have so much planned for this year ..... our first year of business has been amazing and we can't wait to see what our second brings.  These are just a few of the things I will do this year.....

 I want to blog more, meet other crafters and retail owners.

 Learn what makes good blog so I don't bore you all to death! 

 Get crafting myself, get the sewing machine out! 

Stock work by local artists and crafters. 

Source more vintage stock for the shop. 

Complete my upholstery diploma. 

Ride my bike more. 

Take more photographs. 

Be able employ somebody to help me. 

Keep building the business!

Be less stressed, see my old friends more and not have to cancel at the last minute due to work stuff. 

Happy New Year Everyone 

xxxxxx

Starting a blog is something I have been thinking about for a long time, I don't know what I am going to write or whether any of you will be interested in what I have to say .... only time will tell, here goes............