*Valentines Giveaway ... Hint!*

Thank you to everyone who has entered the Vintage Amethyst Valentines Giveaway, there is still plenty of time yet until the closing date so if you haven't entered yet pop along & join in for a chance to win the goodies show above!

For those you haven't found the the butterfly heart yet, here is a little hint ...

*Look at the bigger picture ... tick, tock, tick tock*

To enter visit the giveaway page *here*

*Oh my ...*

Everyday would be a super-duper happy day if I owned these pretties ...

*Deliciously Easy Chocolate Croissants*

For our wedding anniversary breakfast on Christmas Eve I made these delicious chocolate croissants from one of Nigella's recipes!
I posted about it last spring & it took me until December to try them!!!

They were sooooo easy to make & took no time at all to do & they tasted scrummy-licious!
James was getting a bit twitchy as I took this photo as he wanted to eat them so badly, but don't worry we soon devoured them after the camera snapped.
We even had enough left over for a Christmas Day breakfast too without any effort (apart from warming them up) & so could get straight down to the business of opening pressies! *tee hee*

Here is the recipe again ~ it is really easy so if you haven't tried it before I'm sure you won't be disappointed

INGREDIENTS

1 x 375g packet ready-rolled butter puff pastry
1 x 100g dark chocolate bar (minimum 70% cocoa solids) or best-quality milk chocolate bar for children
1 egg, beaten

Serving Size : Makes 12

METHOD

1.Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Unfurl the sheet of pastry and then cut it into six squares.
2.Cut each square diagonally to give 2 triangles (they will appear quite small). Put the triangle with the wider part facing you, and the point away from you.
3.Break off small pieces of chocolate (approx. 1cm) to place on the pastry triangles, about 2cm up from the wide end nearest you.
4.Then carefully roll from that chocolate-loaded end towards the point of the triangle.
5.You should now have something resembling a straight croissant. Seal it slightly with your fingertips and curl it around into a crescent.
6.Place the 12 chocolate croissants on a lined but not buttered baking tray and paint with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden and puffy and exuberantly, if miniaturely, croissant-like.

*Vintage Amethyst ~ Valentines Giveaway*

I am having a Valentines Giveaway over on the Vintage Amethyst website.

All you have to do is find a little pink heart that is hidden somewhere on the website & you are then entered into the giveaway to win this pretty set of goodies above.

The set consists of one of the pretty wooden hanging birdies, a heart shaped candle holder & a set of the new pink lavender scented hearts.

Pop on over to the Win page for more details & how to enter.

*click here*

*please do not enter the giveaway on the blog I am only accepting entries by e-mail*

Good Luck

*Love, Love, Love ...*

I have some more lovely new products that have just come in.
I am super in love with these pretty pink hearts!

This is a set of 2 hearts which are filled with lavender infused beads for a wonderful aroma & they are hand decorated with a pretty crochet white heart.

They are £8 for the pair & can be found *here*

I am also loving this new set of 'love blocks' I have.

Pretty vintage style wooden blocks with the word love on the front.

Each block measures 8cms & so is a lovely big size & of course they can be displayed in many ways.

These are £15 & can be found *here*

Here are some more pretty love hearts.

These are in a natural colouring & are made from linen & come in a set of 2 hearts.

They are scented as the pink ones are with lavender infused beads for a long lasting scent.

Each heart is hand decorated one with pretty white crochet heart & the other with pretty ribbon 'rope' calligraphy.

They are £8 for the pair & can be found *here*

And finally for the New Year I have some new style 'LOVE' letters.

I have changed the style from the old set & these as you can see are in capitals but are still as lovely in their antique white which is slight distressed for a lovely soft Shabby Chic vintage feel.

These are £20 for the set & can be found *here*

***

Hope you love these new pretties as much as I do ...

*A Self-Portrait Collection*

Last night we travelled up a foggy motorway to Durham to attend the preview night of The Ruth Borchard Collection.

'The collection of 100 British self-portraits founded by Ruth Borchard represents a remarkable historical archive, evoking the atmosphere of the London art world from c1920-1970.'



'Comprising of works by a wide spectrum of artists, such as Raymond Coxon, Ithell Colquhoun, Euan Uglow and Tom McGuiness, many kinds of artistic influences are represented. Art school academicism, Camden Town, Expressionism, the Euston Road School and Kitchen Sink are all evident in this very diverse collection.'



I managed to capture a few shots of the collection later on in the night when the gallery was less busy.



I found the work incredibly interesting & I don't think I had prepared myself for the quality of work in a way.

I also hadn't really prepared myself for how haunting the exhibition would be. The majority of these artists have now died & it was so moving to see them at a certain point in their life.
Their faces staring out at me.
People with a past & also a future, it did make you think about your own past & future in a way ...

It was a wonderful collection & if you are interested in art & find the exhibition near you I would certainly recommend a visit.

*Home Sweet Home Signs*

At Vintage Amethyst I have lots of pretty 'Home Sweet Home' items which are just pefect for gifts especially new home gifts for loved ones.

A very popular item at the moment are these incredibly pretty 'Home Sweet Home' hanging signs.
This is a lovely vintage style sign which is painted a chalky antique white & slightly distressed for a shabby chic aged look.
Two little birdies sit aside a heart at the top ~ so sweet.
These are everyones favourite at the moment & I'm not surprised as they are so adorable & sweet.
They cost £6 each & can be found *here*



This lovely 'Home Sweet Home' hanging heart above is one of our newest items.
This sweet heart is made from pure linen & is decorated with beautiful embroidery featuring a home & the words 'home sweet home'.
These cost £8 each & can be found *here*



Another new pretty are these 'Home Sweet Home' signs.
The sign is made from ivory linen & is decorated with pretty applique & embroidery.
They cost £6.50 & can be found *here*



An old favourite is this scented 'Home Sweet Home' hanging heart.
This is a pretty heart made from linen and scented with lavender infused beads to give a long lasting scent. The heart features ivory embroidery with the words 'Home Sweet Home' which also features two pretty mother of pearl heart buttons.
These are £6 each & can be found *here*



Another Vintage Amethyst favourite are these apple coloured 'Home Sweet Home' large hanging hearts like the natural coloured one above these are £8.00 & can be found *here*

***

So the next time you need a new home gift you certainly know where to come!

*Pretty Weddings Ideas*

I know lots of you out there buy from Vintage Amethyst for your wedding decor & a lot of people buy their wedding gifts from Vintage Amethyst too as we do have lots of lovely pretty items that are just perfect for weddings.

Since New Year I've had lots of wedding orders, obviously I think from November onwards people are trying to concentrate on Christmas & then their is a rush after New Year to get those wedding ideas back on track ~ also I've heard a lot of people get engaged over the Christmas New Year period so I think newly engaged couples want to get straight on with planning the wedding in January. James and I not only got married on Christmas Eve but James proposed to me on Christmas Day the year before so I know all about that!

The rose garlands shown above are a very popular wedding table decoration, they are so pretty & romantic who could resist them!
They cost £10 each & so are a perfect pocket friendly way to make a pretty inpact on your wedding tables find them *here*.
They are also available in pink *here*.



These pretty cream rosebud hearts are another favourite with brides for their wedding day decor & these are a very popular gift idea for the special couple.
They cost only £6 each & so are completely penny friendly ~ you can find them *here*.
These are also available in pink too find them *here*.



Another popular wedding idea are these pretty silver hearts. They are just perfect for table decoration but I also know a lot of brides buy them as for their favours too.
They cost £6 & are a lovely wedding gift idea too
Find the dimpled ones *here* and the plain silver ones *here*.



Over the weekend these lovely vintage style birdcages have been a hit for couples buying for their wedding day ~ I have nearly sold out now but will be getting more in stock very soon!
These cost £20 each & can be found *here*.



There are lots more pretty wedding day ideas at Vintage Amethyst & I have just got some lovely new items like these pretty love hearts above which will be available very soon ...

*My Husbands New Book!*

My husband James as most of you know is an artist & he has just had his first book published!
The book is called 'Ex Post Facto' & based upon his latest series of works by the same name.

It is very exciting, especially as photos of mine are featured in the book too! *giggle*



This is the inside of the book & this is one of my favourite paintings that he has recently done ~ I just love it, sooooo 50's & voluptuous!

He also discusses his influences & main aims behind the collection of works ~ see look that is one of my photos there below!!! *tee hee*



The book arrived on Tuesday & it was all very exciting, although we have seen it in different forms so many times that it is hard to see it as a book at all now, but it is lovely. It was late in arriving due to printing but it is here now.

I took photos of him as he signed the first batch before taking to the gallery ~ well I am a proud wifey! *giggle*



You can take a peek at more of his work & take a peek inside his book by visiting his website *here*.

*Well it's back to normal then ...*

*Happy New Year Everyone*
I hope everyone had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year.

We were going to go up to Allendale to see the Pagan ceremony where they have a procession through the town & 45 tar barrel carriers carry flaming tar upon their heads in whisky barrels & then pour them on the fire at midnight, but unfortunately the weather here is really bad so we didn't get there. The forecast was for more heavy snow & severe frosts so we didn't dare make the hour drive up there. People were also stranded on a road nearby for 5 hours & had to be helicopter lifted out so it really is a good job we didn't go! So we stayed at home drank bubbly, I'm afraid the Champagne drinking started at 6pm here ~ well we had to console ourselves that we couldn't make our trip didn't we! *giggle* & made some delicious food to fill our tummies.

We still have snow & it just keeps falling too! We have had snow for nearly 3 weeks now, it did get warmer for a few days & the huge amount we had did clear for one day last week but it was still incredibly icy (as I know from falling over outside the house ~ darn you sneaky black ice!) then more snow arrived & keeps coming! Ooohhh and the cold *squeek*.

All the Christmas decorations have been packed away, I like to do this on New Years day to be honest as I hate the decorations hanging about. I like to start New Year all clean & fresh ... and so normality reigns again & it's back to work ~ although it takes a bit of getting into after a break doesn't it? Yesterday & today I'm moving at a much slower speed than I was in December but luckily I'm not quite as crazy busy as then so at least that's something!
Anyhoo hope the new year has started well for everyone & that it continues to be a wonderfully happy year ...