*Pretty Painted Dresser*

Remember *this post* when I moaned about paint the dining room table & chairs because I had already done the huge job of painting the dresser well I thought I would post a couple of photos of the dresser in it's new colour.

This time I went with Laura Ashley's Pale Linen & I think it is a beautiful colour, it is so matt & deliciously creamy don't you agree? I am really pleased with it & much prefer it to the 'Off White' from Farrow & Ball which I had previously painted it with, which tends to have a slight greenish tinge in some lights which seemed to show more once we had re-decorated the walls in Dulux's Barley White, which is another deliciously cream colour.

But I really do love this colour of the dresser now, it makes me a happy girly ~ oh it's the simple things in life ...

*Film Star! ~ sort of well, not really but the BBC were at my house!*

So following on from *this post* about James being filmed for the BBC art show Imagine, we had the film crew here in our home yesterday!

*eek* It was rather an odd day, for one it was really dark & grey, was it Autumn all ready I thought??? We were up bright, early & chirpy but then for some reason we both became very nervous, ok so yes understandably James would be he was about to be filmed for tv, but I was so nervous too, it was ridiculous! They weren't scheduled to arrive until 11.30am but we were all ready for them and so could only wait & so wait we did. I couldn't really do any work as I share the studio room with James & so all my stock & crafty things are in there too & I couldn't really start to do anything in case they turned up early so we just waited ... nervously. They were also running late at the Gallery & so didn't arrive until after 12pm! I think I was a nervous wreck by that time, I even had to have a few drops of Rescue Remedy to keep me going ~ I wasn't even going to be on tv for goodness sake!!! I think I just hate waiting for things to happen, you know?

Anyhoo they did arrive & after a quick hello from me & a polite 'can I get you any drinks or anything' I had to quietly slip away & let them get on with filming.

I hid downstairs, twittering & blogging as I didn't know what else to do with myself ~ I actually did yesterdays blog post whilst they were upstairs filming!

After a while everything was done & they packed up their things & we gone as quickly as they had arrived in a whirlwind of bags & accessories ... goodness the life of these busy people I would hate it!

James said it went ok, he had to be filmed painting which he didn't mind but also had to talk to the camera & then he became nervous! He said he would be 'horrible on tv' & 'how come your mind goes blank when a camera is looking at you' ~ I don't know but I do know I certainly couldn't do it!!!

The next schedule for filming is set for next week but again at the Gallery.

It is very odd to think that there was a BBC film crew filming in my house yesterday and I was hiding downstairs doing nervous twitter posts & a blog post .... it is probably even more odd to think my husband & our home (well a tiny part of it anyway) will actually be on tv but I don't think that reality has really hit me yet ...

*Oh I do love to be beside the seaside ...*

Seeing as the weather here is grey & horrid today ~ has Autumn arrived early I'm asking myself??? ~ I thought I would post a few beachy photos & remember summer days!

I just love these urchins above, they were in a tub by the sea in St Mawes when we were there in June, you could just leave 50p & take one home with you. I love how they photographed.

A solitary seagull sitting on a cliff-side at Newquay.

Some of the lovely boats at Rock, such a pretty place.

The waves coming in at Newquay.



A finally a photo of St Mawes as we took the ferry over to Falmouth.

Blogged for the Beach Party over at The Shabby Chic Cottage

& for Outdoor Wednesday over at Southern Daydreamer

*Thrifty Glass Treasures*

No luck bargain hunting for me this weekend. I am looking for a small table to paint & pop at the top of the stairs but with a village church fair & a carboot under our belts this weekend I had no luck in finding what I wanted!

I must admit I am incredibly fussy about what I buy at carboots or thrifty sales, I could come home with bags full of pretty china sets but I already have 2 & I really don't know where I would put them.

I do go to fairs & carboots with a couple of things in mind I'm always looking for pretty mirrors ~ I have so many but I can always find a little wall space for another! Chairs are another thing I am looking for, I really want a nice one to go in the bedroom ~ I did have a really sweet little shabby nursery chair but it belonged to my mummy & she wanted it back ~ I only had it under the pretence of either stripping it back or re-painting it & managed to keep it for a few years but hey ho she noticed and wanted it back so now I have a space where it lived. There are a lot of chairs around in bootsales but again I am really fussy about these & won't just buy anything.

I always see people with arms full of goodies but I am a savvy thrifty shopper & only really buy something if I really need it or if it is just too pretty to pass & I know I can pop it somewhere.

These pretties are something I bought whilst in Cornwall in June.
I love these vintage glass candlesticks. I have a pair that my mum found for me in the living room on the fireplace & I love them. This one I found in a charity shop for £1 so I had to have it!
They are really similar in style to some that Laura Ashley have been selling this year but for a lot more & they don't have that lovely softness that vintage ones do.

Another bargain I managed to pick up in the same shop in Cornwall is this teeny glass dish ~ now normally I wouldn't have bought it as I'm not a huge glass dish fan, I do like glass bonbon jars & glass cakestands but glass dishes don't really do it for me (see I told you I'm fussy!) but this one is so small & was a bargainlicious 25p so of course I didn't pass up a bargain like that!

So the hunt still goes on for a small table for the corner at the top of the stairs & for a pretty chair for the bedroom ...

Blogged for *Today's Thrifty Treasures hosted by the lovely Rhonda at Southern Hospitality*

*Cupcakes & Cakestands*

Well lovelies these wonderfully adorable Strawberry & Cream cupcakes are finally here.
A very cute set of 3 cupcakes, each cupcake is beautifully handmade using felt & looks completely yummy scrummy, I could just eat them all up ~ well apart from the fact I can't obviously but hey-ho that helps with the waist-line anyhoo!
A wonderful birthday gift idea for a special girly girl.
They cost £12.00 for the set of 3 & can be found *here*



Another cutie patootie new arrival are these pretty cake stands.
A 2 tier stand which features a pretty bird & butterfly pattern around the sides & is finished with a heart detail at the top ~ just so lovely & ideal with the adorable set of cupcakes for a pretty display or fill with scrumptious 'real' cupcakes for tea-parties, birthdays or weddings.
The stand costs £12.00 & can be found *here*

*It's the BBC baby, the BBC! ...*

*eek* I've been sitting on something very exciting for a while now but as it is happening today I thought I would share it with you all.

Currently, at this very moment my wonderful husband James is being filmed for the BBC art show Imagine which has recently been show on BBC on a Tuesday night.


*Squeal* how exciting is that? The BBC approached the gallery that James exhibits in wanting to do a programme about the Own Art Scheme as they are so successful & they wanted an artist that undertakes commissions to be involved in the show ~ enter stage right, James!


Filming is happening at the gallery today when James meets the man who is commissioning a portrait but even more bizarrely exciting is the fact that the BBC will be filming here at our house next week!!! They are wanting to film James painting in his studio and as he works from home, they will be here ~ the BBC filming in my home, really how totally weird is that?

More filming will then be done at the beginning of September when the portrait is finished & is handed over to the owner.


***


The painting above is a very recent one of James', it is my current favourite! I just love it! It looks like an vintage postcard but is actually taken from a 50's glamour magazine cover.
The photo below is one of the gallery windows that I took yesterday announcing James' new collection of work. It must be terribly odd to have your name appear so largely in a window!


*Eeek* I can't wait for him to come home again & tell me all about it! I did want to be there but was informed kindly that I couldn't watch him being filmed as I would just make him laugh ~ we do tend to be like naughty school children most of the time so I think it was probably for the best ...

*Inspirational Homes & Ideas*

Ok so you all know I love looking at gorgeous magazine photos for inspiration, don't we all? ... but I wanted to keep all the wonderful inspirational homes I find in one place for easy viewing ~ a little bit like a scrap book so I have decided to start another blog called Vintage Amethyst Inspirational Homes & Ideas.

So every time I come across a beautiful room, cute idea etc. whilst browsing I will pop it over on Inspirational Homes & Ideas where they will all be categorized into rooms etc. so if we are ever looking for some yummy inspiration for a certain room it is easy to find.

So here is the linky if you want to pop along & take a peek, it also has it's own button over there on the right hand side too ...

*Cutie Pie Cupcakes*

Don't you just love love love these? I do!

They are just the cutest cupcakes ever & I don't have to worry about my waistline either!

I bought these the other day and I just love them so much that I am going to stock them in the shop. They just look soooooo yummy scrummy delicious.

They are being handmade now so I will let you all know when they arrive ...

*Wake me up before you go go ...*

Ok so a lot of fun was had dressing up on Saturday! James & our friend Paul dressed up as the Wham boys ~ nice! James is the one below & Paul is stood up. They both have hiddeous wigs & loads of fake tan on their faces which is why they look soooooo orange, oh & it made them lovely & blotchy too!
Here they both are before we set off! Look at those fab t-shirts though, you can actually buy them from E-bay!!! Took us a bit of time to find white trousers though but managed to get some in the sale at Matalan! They also managed to find some gorgeous (read hideous) deck shoes too ~ see evidence below!



Here is myself & James ~ yes just look at those lovely lace footless tights!!! £2 in Primark so go & grab yourself a pair!
I had a huge skirt on which had loads of netting underneath so I pinned a black flower brooch on at one side to show off a bit of the lovely netting. Unfortunately as my whole outfit is black it doesn't show up very well on photos. I had loads of black jelly armbands on above my gorgeous lace gloves ~ lovely to make your arms look even more stumpy & fat!
Don't ask why I am doing a strange pouty kissy face on this photo I just look like I have a piggy face ~ but believe me this was the best of a bad bunch of photos of me as they all seemed to be blury, James' photographing skills seem to need working on ...

*I made it through the wilderness ...*

Somehow I made it through
Didn't know how lost I was
Until I found you ...

***
We are off to an 80's theme party tomorrow night at a friends! *Yay* ~ I love love love fancy dress! Don't ask why I just do! Any chance I get to dress up I will! Love it!

Can you guess who my inspiration for my fancy dress is ...
(furthermore can you believe I have bought a pair of lace fingerless gloves ~ what did we ever do without E-bay???)

*Thrifty Treasures Doubled*

I absolutely love this thrify find, a very adorable Bon Bon Jar.
I found it last year in a charity shop for £1.99, so of course I had to have it. It sits here on our fireplace next to our thrifty find mirror which I painted & aged to make it look beautiful again.

The mirror I picked up at a carboot a few years ago for £8 ~ I didn't even haggle I just wanted it and thought £8 was really reasonable so it came home with me. We used to have the mirror in our bedroom but when we redecorated the living room it wanted a more delicate mirror than the one that was there so it came down-stairs & now lives here propped up against the wall on top of the fireplace.

Last year though I found an exact same mirror at another carboot for £5 so of course I had to have that one too! I am ashamed to say though that I have had this one for nearly a year now & I still haven't got around to painting it, it is still sat in our attic ~ I must get around to it soon.

And strangely whilst out thrifting the other day I found another Bon Bon Jar exactly the same ~ well nearly my original one has a bluish tint to it and the new one is clear glass, I obviously had to have that one too but it didn't have a price on & so I was rather dubious but I took it to the counter & the lady asked for a £1 for it ~ a £1 people!!!

I do love pretty bargain-licious thrifty finds!

Blogged for Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

*Grilled Veg & Goats Cheese*

In the new copy of Ideal Home Magazine they have this recipe Grilled Veg & Goats Cheese, it sounded delicious & just what I love to eat being vegetarian and so we tried it on Friday night!

It was absolutely delicious, we both just loved it. The only thing that I changed was adding avacado as we had some & I didn't have any baby leeks in & so I just added some chopped up avacado to the grilled veg instead & it was yummy! Oh & I reduced all the veg in half as there was only 2 of us.


So here is the how to:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1tbsp Olive Oil ~ although I just drizzled it in and didn't bother to measure any!

200g baby leeks, sliced lengthways into four

2 red peppers cut into strips

2 courgettes sliced

2 yellow peppers cut into strips

330g cherry tomatoes

1tbsp chopped fresh basil ~ again I didn't bother to measure this and just tore some up & popped it in.

400g goats cheese cut into 8 rounds

1tbsp balsamic vinegar ~ again didn't bother to measure this out!

Rocket

What to do

Preheat oven to 220 degrees c/Gas Mark 7

Rub a little oil onto a ribbed griddle pan with kitchen paper.

Season the veg & cook for 4-5 mins per side until soft.

Arrange in an oven proof dish, drizzle with a little more oil & scatter over the basil.

Place cheese on the veg & bake for 15 mins.

Drizzle with the vinegar & serve with rocket & crusty bread.

It was really yummy & quick to do, great if you have guests coming over. I think I will certainly do this for friends.

Sorry no photo & only one from the magazine but I never remember to take a photo of food just as it is served, too quick to get it in our tummies!