*Thank you everyone*

Thank you everyone for all your lovely messages regarding the naughty people who stole my photo!!!

Well I haven't done anything about it yet, I am in two minds to contact them ~ I would like them to know that it is mine and I found them out, but on the other hand I think they would probably just ignore the e-mail so what's the point! Also I'm not that great with confrontation either, even if it is just via e-mail!!

With regards to watermarking the photos I still don't know what to do about this, I didn't really want to watermark all my photos ~ well I never thought I would have the need to, you know.
If I don't decide to watermark them, could I still be able to moan that people are taking them, if anyone does in the future???? *Frown* It's a toughy alright!

I suppose in a way I do feel flattered, but definitely slightly annoyed too!
Ooohhh naughty naughty people!
I have had people copying my style of jewellery before & selling it in the same way, and also I have found someone who even had a very similar website to mine before, and I mean very similar! I have also seen people who have photographed a product in a 'strangely' similar way to mine too ~ now these people I have been outraged by (well for a few minutes anyhoo) but have also put it down to the fact that it could be innocent co-incidence, it could be couldn't it? But with this photo incident obviously it isn't that innocent is it!

Anyhoot, for the time being I think I will take it as a form of flattery!

Have a great weekend everyone, it is lovely and sunny and warm here today ~ very summery (that's why the photo of the lovely bunting ~ now don't you be stealing it now will you! *tee hee*)
so hope the weather is being good to you all too and you have an extra fun weekend.
x

*Should I be flattered?*

Today the oddest thing happened to me, leisurely looking at shabby chic/country style items on e-bay as I often do looking for delights to buy, I came across an e-bay shop that has used this above photo in their shops homepage where you would put your logo. Now the thing is, and some of you may remember if you have good memories that is, is that I used this photo in one of my blog posts last year as it is a photo that I have taken!!! They obviously just did a search on 'google' or some other search engine and found this picture, took a fancy to it and decided to use it as their shops logo picture!

Now this really stunned me, as I didn't know how I felt about it ~ should I be annoyed, should I politely tell them that it belongs to me and that they should have asked permission or should I just let it go and feel flattered?

Now they haven't changed it in anyway, it is just how you see it now ~ they haven't added their shops name or anything to it ... but still I just don't know how I feel about it ~ I feel slightly odd!!!

I know I have used photos that aren't mine on my blog, but they tend to be recipe photos from lovely recipes that I have found or beautiful products that I am in love with & want to share with you all, and I always mention where the recipe or product is from, and on some occasions have asked permission too, so should this be classed as the same thing? I just felt odd about it as they are using it on an e-bay shop.
Obviously I'm not a professional photographer or anything it is just a snippet of a part of our home (well actually that bureau that it is taken on has gone and been replace by a lovely pine dresser painted in a lovely Farrow & Ball cream but this of course is beside the point!!!).

Anyhoo I'm interested to know how would you feel about it and has anything like this happened to you?

*Aubergine & Cous Cous Salad*

This is a recipe from Aprils edition of Good Food magazine.

We tried it at the weekend and it is lovely, it is one of those easy peasy salads that take no time and yummy for summery days and ideal for company coming as it is so easy to prepare and ideal for vegetarians like me!



Good Food say:

A handful of mint leaves really brings this salad alive, veggies will love it, but if you do need some meat lamb cutlets are the perfect addition.

Serves 2

Heat grill to high.

Put the aubergine on a baking sheet, brush with oil and season. Grill for about 15 mins, turning and brushing with more oil halfway, until browned and softened.

Meanwhile, tip the couscous into a large bowl, pour over the stock, then cover and leave for 10 mins. Mix the tomatoes, mint, goat's cheese and remaining oil together. Fluff the couscous up with a fork, then stir in the aubergines, tomato mixture and lemon juice.

Or ... make it with chicken
Omit the cheese, tomatoes and aubergines. Cut 2 chicken breasts into thick strips, toss in the oil, then grill for 8-10 mins until cooked through. Allow to cool. Mix into the couscous with flesh from 2 oranges, a chopped 250g pack beetroot and the mint.

*Busy Busy Bee*

Eeek, it has been busy busy here this last week, so I must apologise for the lack of posts lately!
I've been busy today catching up on orders from the website so if you have ordered items within the last week (and I know lots of you have) your items have been posted out to you today, so I am finally all up to date with orders being packed up and sent off with the postman.
Thank you to you all for keeping me as busy as a buzzy bee!

Well I am sorry to hear that some of you around the country have had a rainy holiday weekend, it was lovely and sunny here but today the rain has made its way here and it has been miserable and grey! I really hope you all managed to have a fun weekend despite the weather trying its best to ruin it.

Over here in Vintage Amethyst land, we decided to do a spot of decorating, so we now have a lovely fresh living room. I love decorating but I have been trying to shop for lots of lovely new accessories to adorn the new room with and find it difficult to find something when I have something specific in mind! I am looking for a new lamp but haven't found what I want yet, so the search still continues. I did pick up some lovely grey cushions from Homebase though when we weren't looking for those, we had gone for some Farrow & Ball eggshell which we didn't end up getting as they didn't have the colour we wanted, so perhaps if I try not to think about the lamp I want, it may turn up somewhere unexpected! I am also on the hunt for some 'vintage' glass candle holders so a bit of thifting will have to be done this week too!

Wish me luck with my homeware hunting and I hope the rest of the week is good to you all.
x

*Enjoy your Day*

Well it is Bank Holiday Monday again so I hope lots of you are out for the day enjoying the sunshine.
I hope trips to the seaside and picnics are on the agenda.

Enjoy your day whatever you are doing.

*Eeek it's my turn*

I've been tagged by the lovely Catherine from Mollycupcakes, thank you sweet pea.

So here we go ...

What was I doing 10 years ago 1998: Well sadly I was suffering badly with depression & agoraphobia which it just horrid but it got me into crafting as I couldn't work and so I think I am where I am today with my own little business because of this!

What are the 5 things on my to-do-list for today (not in any particular order): Eeek, well we are in the middle of decorating the living room, (I'm taking a well earned break at the mo!!!) so number 1. finish painting my tables & things (all the wooden items are getting a make-over too to match the new colour scheme, this happens a lot! No. 2 make the house look respectable again. No.3 Put the rubbish out. No.4 Clean the bathroom. No. 5 Sit down with a big glass of wine with James & our friend who is coming over tonight! Eeek do you think I will get it all done!?! Well I could just skip straight to no. 5 if I'm pushed for time!

Snacks I enjoy: Chocolate. Biscuits. (of course!!!) Yogurt. Apples. Satsumas.

Things I would do if I where a billionare: Oh my goodness I don't even know, this is so hard ... Give to more to more charities. Have a lovely country home. Buy all my family lovely homes & cars. Visit it all the places in the world that I would love to go. Learn to drive (yep that's right I don't drive, I did learn but didn't go in for my test as I went off to college and have never got around to doing it again!!!) Collect Art (well James is an artist so it is a natural thing to do really and something we can't really afford to do at the moment.)

Eeek, I'm sure I will think of much more interesting things to do once this is posted!!!

Places I've lived: Darlington (where I live!) Nottingham when at University & Seaton in Devon for a very very short time working at Haven!!!!

I'm not sure I can find another 6 people to pass this on to, so if you haven't done it already and you would love to I'm passing this on to you!

*Pink Chalk Heart-shaped Tags*

These cute pink chalk tags are now available to buy in my shop.

They come as a set of 4 and each heart is gently distressed to add to that wonderful shabby chic charm and hangs from a length of white string.

I think they are adorable for a tea party or dinner parties using all your pretty china ... wrap around napkins or tie to chairs and add your guests name on to let them know where they are placed, or perhaps use them as a pretty tag to add to a special gift.

Find them *here*

The lovely Catherine from Mollycupcakes has already bought a set to pop on her fair stall to pop her prices on!

I also have some cute pink & blue heart chalkboards that will be coming very soon to the shop so keep a look out for them too!
x

*Shabby Chic*

The style started in Great Britain and evokes the type of decoration found in large country houses where there are worn and faded old chintz sofas and curtains, old paintwork and unassuming 'good' taste. The end result of shabby chic is to achieve an elegant overall effect, as opposed to the sentimentally cute Pop-Victorian. Neither is it an expression of caring for the environment through recycling, even though recycling old furniture and fabrics is an important aspect of it.

The early forms of shabby chic were rather grand but the style has evolved taking inspiration from many forms of decoration. These range from 18th century Swedish painted decoration, the French Chateau as well as the American Shakers where simplicity and plainness was essential.
Shabby chic is mainly popular in interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.

Shabby chic items are often heavily painted with many layers showing through obviously worn areas. The style is imitated in Faux Painting using glaze or by painting then rubbing and sanding away the top coat to show the wood or base coats. Fabrics tend to be cottons and linens, with linen being particularly popular, inspired by old French linens. Whites and worn or bleached out pastels are favorite colours. Fabric is often stained with tea to give it the look of old fabric. Bleached and faded are terms often applied to the style.

The term was coined by The World of Interiors magazine in the 1980s and has since been used as a name for a US company founded by Rachel Ashwell.

***

Designer Rachel Ashwell, founder of Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic, created the brand that is synonymous with her design sense and lifestyle. Rachel based the brand on the aesthetics of beauty, comfort and function. The company was founded in 1989 with the opening of the original store in Santa Monica, CA, which sold Rachel's washable slipcovered furniture and fabulous flea market finds.

Born and raised in England, Rachel Ashwell was already an innovative commercial and print stylist when the birth of her first child led to her original design concept. "I needed a versatile home that could handle children and a busy lifestyle," Rachel says. "The answer came to me in the form of slipcovers. They could be easily washed and gave a warm, open feel to the rooms." Her friends soon wanted their own set of Rachel-designed slipcovers.

Complementing the growth of the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic brand was the publication of Rachel’s first design book, 'Shabby Chic' in 1996, with followed by four more books on home design, gift giving and parties. In Fall 1999, 'Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell' television series premiered on the E! Channel and Style Network.

***

Doesn't there seem to be a lot of info out there that it was Rachel Ashwell that coined the phrase 'Shabby Chic' but as this article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia states it was in fact a magazine in the 80's but I suppose Rachel Ashwell could have been the one who was writing for The World of Interiors, I'm not entirely sure, but obviously Rachel Ashwell was incredibly clever and registered it as a trade mark, although going by her website I think she has trademarked her name too!!!

*Five Years Old*

Vintage Amethyst is 5 years old this month & I can hardly believe it!!!

It all started out in May 2003 with me selling handmade 'Crystal Healing' jewellery which I sold on e-bay!

I had little pamphlets that I sent along with the little tissue wrapped jewellery which explained all about crystals and the specific crystal in that piece along with a short explanation of Reiki as each piece of jewellery was charged with Reiki by me.

The first name I thought of for my little endeavour was 'Vintage Amethyst' no other name was contemplated at all.

I have loved it ever since!

I had my first logo on that pamphlet too, which is why you see lots of Vintage Amethyst logos above, I have had a few over the 5 years but unfortunately that first logo has gone.

The first one you see above is my first ever website logo, I started my first website in November 2003 and I loved it, it was soooooo cute!

The jewellery had changed then, gone was the 'Crystal Healing' jewellery (although I did contemplate another website dedicated specificallyfor this type of jewellery for a time) along came a more pretty delicate look, I loved doing the 'Crystal Healing' jewellery and it was very popular but I did feel like a change of direction and so I followed my heart.

I wanted to sell my handmade jewellery along with lots of lovely vintage pretties on that first website but I eventually decided upon just selling jewellery, although I did sell a lot of Shabby Chic & Vintage style things alongside my jewellery on e-bay which I really enjoyed.

Along the way I spent time at Craft Fairs selling jewellery which was lovely but I really did want to move more into the 'shabby country' style homewares again as I think that is where my heart is happiest, however much I loved making jewellery and so I decided to concentrate on the website and move more into homewares. Again I had to follow my heart.

How strange it is to think that my little endeavour all those years ago has lead me to where I am with Vintage Amethyst at the moment. I wonder where it will lead in the future?

All I know is I love doing what I do, I am happy, all is good, oh and I will always follow my heart.

*Pink BBQ*

Well as some of you wanted to know what my pink BBQ looked like, so here it is! Well the first isn't actually mine of course, but very similar indeed, but seeing as I didn't get a good photo of it with its grill on and yummy food cooking I thought I would post this one so you get an idea of how they look in all their loveliness!

Here as you see below flaming quite wildly just after James had lit it, is my little cutie of a bbq ~ I love it!!! I think we may be getting another one in baby blue too hopefully as they are just too cute to resist!

His & hers BBQ's whatever next!

*well the sign says it all ...*

Well the weather last week was just beautiful wasn't it, so of course it was definitely BBQ time at the weekend! We kept our fingers crossed that the weather would stay lovely on Saturday and we certainly weren't let down. Hurray!

Sitting outside for a full evening was so lovely, it seemed to wipe from our memories the snow & hailstones we had just over a month ago! Listening to blackbirds singing, sipping wine, giggling with friends & filling our tummy's with delicious food was an absolute joy, and just what was needed after all that cold weather.

Of course I have a pink BBQ, would you really expect anything else?
Unfortunately I forgot to take any good photos ~ mmmmm perhaps the wine & giggling may have had something to do with that!
It is one of those cutie little pink bucket BBQs, have you seen them? ~ they are adorable. They are so perfect for smaller spaces & ideal to take along on picnics and they cook exceedingly well!

Lets keep our fingers crossed for more lovely 'Pimms type' weather so there will be lots more delicious evenings spent outside.
(Mmmmmm Pimms!)
Toodle-oo for now lovelies.
x

*Chocolate Cake with Raspberries in Framboise Cream*

After looking for inspiration for a chocolate cake for James birthday I came across this recipe and absolutely loved the look of this cake! Now this cake isn't for James as he doesn't particularly like berries and especially when they would be spoiling a perfectly good chocolate cake for him but I loved the look of this and thought I must save it for another day!

***

Addictive, decadent and rich – nothing to detract from the pure chocolate taste – complemented by the raspberries and liqueur – this chocolate cake is indeed to die for!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs – separated carefully
125g caster sugar
125g dark chocolate- coarsely grated
50ml dark rum
600ml double cream
3 tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp framboise (raspberry liqueur)
and raspberries


Pre-heat the oven to 180C, 350F, gas mark 5
Line 3 x 20cm (8”) sandwich tins with buttered parchment paper
Beat egg yolks and sugar until the mixture makes a thick trail. This is best done in an electric mixer.
Gently melt the chocolate with the rum in a double boiler, taking care that no water or steam can get into the chocolate – keep the water level and the temperature both low.
Start to whisk the whites with the salt to stiff peaks.
When the yolks are ready, transfer to a wide bowl and fold in the molten chocolate (using a balloon whisk or spatula)
Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites and whisk the rest back to stiff peaks. Carefully fold these in as well.
Pour into the 3 tins, dividing the mix evenly between them.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 to 17 minutes until well risen and as firm in the middle as at the sides. The mixture will have shrunk slightly from the edge of the tin and have a cracked appearance. Don’t worry - this is how it is meant to be.
Spread baking parchment onto 2 wire cooling racks, sprinkle with caster sugar, and then turn the cakes out onto the trays. Carefully remove the lining parchment and lay a clean tea towel lightly over the cakes. Leave to become quite cold when the tops will have settled and the cakes can be handled.
Whisk the cream, sugar and raspberry liqueur together until stiff. Reserve a few raspberries to decorate the top and fold the rest into the cream.
Use to sandwich the 3 layers together.
Arrange a little pile of raspberries in the centre with some tiny mint leaves and give the cake a light dusting of icing sugar.

Recipe from *The Chocolate Trading Co*

*Pink Teapots & Birthday Cake*

Well seeing as James' birthday fell on Bank Holiday Monday this year we knew everywhere would be pretty busy but decided we still would have a day out and decided on Helmsley as this is one of our favourite places, a wonderful town nestling on the edge of the North York Moors in Ryedale, which is filled with the prettiest houses & cottages ~ so off we headed!

The day was glorious and we had a lovely drive over there but unfortunately when we got there it was absolutely jam packed with people!!! We couldn't find anywhere to park all the parking was full and people were actually waiting to park, and we thought it was pointless sitting in the car for an hour waiting for a space on such a hot and sunny day, so we decided just to head off again! Boo!

We thought about going elsewhere but decided everywhere else was bound to be just as busy, we thought about finding somewhere lovely to have lunch, but we decided to head home and have a late lunch outside in the sunshine!
James and I are very lucky as we both work from home, James as an artist and obviously I have Vintage Amethyst, so not having the Bank Holiday as a day out isn't really a problem for us as we can generally have a day out whenever we wish, we just decided to pop out somewhere nice as it was James' birthday and the weather was lovely ~ I know we are very lucky to both work from home!
So anyhoo with our thoughts full of a delicious lunch & wine ~ well it was James' birthday after all, we took a scenic route home through lots of delightfully pretty villages, choosing which houses we wanted to move into.

Once home again I threw our blue polka dot table cloth over the garden table, popped a baguette in the oven to warm up, filled our pink teapot with a bottle of Rosé, popped two wine glasses outside, lit a tea light & popped it in a homemade candle holder, then filled our baguettes up ~ Bacon & Bree for James & cranberry & Bree for me.

So with the sun shining, the wine flowing (albeit from a pink teapot) Nick Drake softly singing in the background we finished our perfect lunch off with a slice of birthday cake! Yum!

Perfick, just Perfick as Pop Larkin would say!

*The Winner*

Thank you to everyone who posted a message to enter the 100th Post Giveaway, and using a random number generator, the number picked was number 7, and so the person who won was the lovely *Tracy from Pink Purl*

*Congratulations Sweet Pea*

As soon as I receive your address I will be sending the little bundle over to Norway!!!

Love Alison x

*Pink Giveaway*

Today is the last day for my 100th Post Pink Giveaway!

I will draw a winner tonight and announce it tomorrow, so anyone else who want to be entered please do so today *here*

*Good Luck Everyone*

*Birthday Boy*

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear James
Happy Birthday to you ....


***

Yay, it's my lovely husbands birthday today! Happy Birthday!!!!
And this is his birthday cake that I made for him, it's chocolate & carob.
I'm afraid we were very naughty & indulgent this morning and had birthday cake for breakfast!
We should probably be supervised by an adult at all times!!!






Eeek, I better dash as we are off out for the day, have a lovely May Day Bank Holiday Monday everyone!
x

*Market Day at Middleton*

Last Sunday was the start of the monthly Farmers Market at Middleton-in-Teesdale and so we decided to pop along even though the weather was horrible and miserable, so we picked up a friend on the way and went along.

It was lovely as there was this old style stall with the lady in the above picture she was plucking a chicken by hand (eek) but there were the cutest little chicks running around at her feet, they were sooooo sweet, we just stood and watched them for ages! I'm afraid I didn't get a very good photo of them though as they was a lot of people about, but you can just about see them in this photo below.



There were lots of food stalls of course and the boys got a big sausage sandwich each, and whilst they munched on those we decided what lovely food goodies we were going to buy!
There was a lovely singing group too all dressed out in medieval dress and singing beautiful medieval songs, and there was another group of teenagers all dressed up too but we didn't see what they were doing.



This stall above was The Moody Baker, which was the stall I was next to last year when I did the market as a one off, anyway we got some delicious things from here ~ a really yummy leak & stilton pie and some millionaires shortbread which had Green & Blacks chocolate on top! Mmmmmm!



We also got some chocolate cakes from this stall above but I took a photo of these strawberry mouse cakes as they looked so adorable.

We also bought some home-made organic soups from another of the stalls too, I got Cauliflower Cheese (which apparently is made with Crunchy Honey Mustard from *Chainbridge Honey Farm*) and James decided on Cream of Mushroom & Juniper! You can visit the Weardale Organic Soup Co. website *here*

Whilst in Middleton we also visited a nice little second hand shop which had some lovely old kitchenalia, and I bought a stack of old Homes & Antiques magazines for £2.50!

We then had a wander through the church yard where I took lots of photos which I won't bore you with and then back to the car but not to go home, no .... we then drove on to Alston in Cumbria but I think I will have to save that trip and photos for another post!