{quotable thursdays/garden study}

Hello dear blogland!
I know I've fallen behind on blogging recently. But there's been lots of stuff going on in my life and this weekend marks 2 years since I moved into Chota House! It's been an exciting two years, making this little home my own.
My garden study is now almost done, with replacement light fixtures and some artwork and plants... I've come a long way!
So today's blog will look at the improvements done in the study. What I love most about my study is that all year round I still feel like I've brought the outdoors inside...and that relationship to flowers and birds and plants is calming!

{wild things}

Even on the darkest winter day, the place feels light and I have never had to put the lights on in the day....

{I collected ferns from a nearby walk & pressed them}

{plenty of entertainment for Simla, who watches the birds from the window}

{light and airy, the outside feels like it's inside!}

Before I moved in, the previous owners had done the extension and used it as a breakfast room. The red and stripes was a theme throughout the house (not particularly to my taste!):

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

The red carried from the kitchen to the study, something I quickly changed with a few coats of paint!

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

{AFTER}

& those sconces, they really had to go!

{oh dear! are we in a bad hotel from the 90s??}

{after = antique brass sconces + picture frames}

It's now simply a lovely place to work, that ties in with the garden theme outside...

How I feel at home! and what a productive space it's been!!

xo

L

{quotable thursdays}

Happy Thursday!
August is looking a bit busy for me--no summer vacation, but two book manuscripts due...my own and a textbook I'm co-editing.
So, remember ladies & gents, before embarking on any project, build up your strength with tea:

{first tea}

& then remember that often, for the creative juices to work, you sometimes need to stop thinking and let go for a bit: 

{let go}

Easier said than done, especially when you've got deadlines. And...it's so very easy to procrastinate when you've got writing to do...but the best advice is also just to sit down and get a start. and most importantly, remember that there will be edits, and more edits, and more edits.

On another note, I painted the shed, the garden seat and the kitchen door on the weekend. The best thing about painting is it has an immediate result--unlike a book which can take you years to write and you feel like you're never going to see the end of it(!)

What do you think of the new paint colour??? It's Cuprinol's muted clay

{relaxing with my new patio furniture, a cup of tea & a cat!}

{the garden seat (which came with the house)}

 The fence needs painting, & I want to put some grass down, but that's for another summer!

{kitchen barn door}

xo,
L

{quotable thursdays}

Hello Blogland! Thursday again, already?!
I spent my last weekend like a maniac--I painted the exterior of the house, the guest bedroom and the kitchen! phew! I was inspired because my middle sister is coming this weekend with her two kids!!!
I haven't seen her or them in over three years. Super super super excited!!!!
She is an amazing woman--a graduate of Oxford and Cambridge, she's often on the news because of her research on refugees and displaced youth, she is successful in her career but still manages to make homemade cookies for her children. I live in awe. But she's also super down to earth and I can't wait to just catch up!
So today, a quote about the people in our lives that make us feel good:

{feed your soul}

In case you're interested, a couple of pics of my painting transformations, but stay tuned for a proper blog dedicated to the renos!
The exterior:

The guest bedroom:

{BEFORE}

... & now that's the last of the dreaded wallpaper in the house-GONE!

{AFTER}

 et, la cuisine:

xo,
L

{musings from the little red book-pillows & paint accents}

This post will be the last on the little red book for a while, as the book is now packed. But today, we're looking at pillows & paint accents. Many of these things are DIY:

#1: funky pillow additions:

These little additions can be done in a variety of materials. The simplest would be done in felt, but you can also get this great stuff to iron on to material so that it sticks, doesn't fray and doesn't require a huge amount of sewing/finishing the ends.

Some inspirations: 

{bold mix of colours & patterns with appliqué pillows}

{LOVE addition}

{bright paint colours with bright patterns & anchor & turtle pillows}

{absolutely LOVE the silhouettes}

{more LOVE}

{why not add some pompoms?}

{mix}

{here are some already made}

#2 Paint accents: 

I think that some of these embellishments or decal-type things can look over done. But I do think that if done properly, they can still look really cool. 

some inspiration:

{this is wallpaper but with such a big design, you could easily use cut outs}

{some birdies}

{peacocks}

{antler cut out}

{just a square of wallpaper}

{one wall with a punch of colour}

{neat palette}

{colour inspiration}

{some unusual colours}

{pretty pastels}

{pretty colours}

now back to packing, 

xo

L