*Happy Halloween Weekend*

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I'm a bit late with my Halloween decorating this year but thought I would post a few photos of my decorations that I pop out each year.

Of course every witch needs a dashing hat & I love mine!

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Here is my handmade grubby primitive bat that I made a few years ago he hangs on the mirror the living room & his beady red bead eyes keep an eye on you!

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A pair of tiny witches boots & hat that I made in the same way to the bat, all grubby & primitive & scented with baked apple pie scent!

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My lovely blocks from Birdcages & Butterflies turned to the Autumn side.

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A couple of witches bottles I made with rustic old stained labels next to an old Halloween book of James' from when he was little.

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Some witches jars done in the same way to the bottles above.

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And a handmade sign that I made & yes I do believe ...

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*Happy Halloween Weekend*

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Linking to Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

*Handmade Vintage Tea Set Cake Stands*

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I've added some new cake stands to the boutique.

These are handmade cakes stands by me that I made using pretty vintage china tea plates.

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 The cake stand above is made with 3 different vintage tea plates which compliment each other beautifully.

The bottom plate is a very pale pink with lovely yellow roses & has a scalloped edge & gold trim.

The middle plate is white with yellow roses with a pink tinged edge & has a gold trim & the top plate is a saucer which has pretty pink & yellow flowers with a scalloped edge & gold trim.

This is such a pretty & unique cake stand & perfect for tea parties, special occasions & weddings.

It is £35 & can be found *here*

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This second cake stand is made with 2 vintage tea plates and a tea cup & saucer all from a matching tea set.

The plates are white & have pretty pink & pale yellow flowers.

Each plate has a scalloped edge with a gold trim.

This cake stand is finished with a tea cup & saucer as the top tier ~ perfect to pop sweeties in.

Again this is such a pretty & unique cake stand for sandwiches & delicate cakes & so perfect for tea parties, special occasions & weddings.

It is £40 & can be found *here*

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Hope you like these pretty new cake stands ...

It's White Wednesday at Faded Charm so do pop along & see all the other lovely White Wednesday posts

*Thank You*

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I'm sorry I haven't replied sooner but I've been horribly poorly for the last few days anyhoo I just wanted to say thank you so so much to the overwhelming response to my last post.

You are all so wonderfully kind & I know my Mum couldn't believe how lovely & kind you all were.

If you didn't manage to see her 'first' thank you in the replys I will post it here for you all.

Thank you all so much for those lovely messages, it means a lot to me to know you are keeping me in your prayers and wishing me well.

I have three marvellous daughters of which Alison is the youngest, and they have been fantastic in helping me through this, I dont know what I would have done without them.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart,

Alisons Mam x

So thank you so much to everyone to left messages here & e-mailed also, you are the loveliest sweetest people ever & I really hope that my Mum's story has given some hope to people out there suffering from cancer or are having to go through it with a family member or friend.

Sending you all lots of love & special blessings & hope for people suffering with this terrible illness ~ you can beat it!

♥Thank you to everyone♥

*Wonderful, Wonderful News*

Lovely Photo for White Wednesday ~ Faded Charm

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The photo above is of my lovely Mummy when she was younger, isn't it just adorable?

Look at that wonderful outfit, pose & composition.

I think it is my favourite photo ever.

The pretty white & gold tea set used to belong to my Nana & then my Mum & now belongs to me & I just love it.

The mirror in the background is one that I thrifted & painted so I feel this photo has a little bit of us all.

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Anyhoo onto the wonderful news I want to share ...

My lovely Mummy unfortunately has been very very poorly this year & was diagnosed with lung cancer in April a few days after her 70th birthday.

She has never smoked in her life ~ the cancer was on the outside of her lung which made her very poorly & she couldn't eat or swallow as the tumour was pressing on her esophagus so much.

I think in the end it was probably a blessing it was on the outside as she noticed signs that something was wrong sooner because of it.

 It has been a horrid few months for her since then & she has had 3 months of chemo-therapy & a full month of radio-therapy & also 3 blood transfusions. She lost her hair & had to wear a wig ~ which is fantastic by the way, amazing the quality of them nowadays & it looks just like her own hair!

But on Monday she had an appointment with her consultant & she was told that the therapy had gone really well & that she is now in remission!

Isn't that just wonderful, wonderful news!

My Mum regularly reads my blog & leaves comments so I hope you can all send her a little bit of love today ...

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*Christmas Goodies*

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Well it's that time of year again!

The Vintage Amethyst

Christmas Collection

has arrived!

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I know it may seem a little early to some people but with being an online boutique I tend to have a Christmas deadline of the middle of December just so that I can get all orders out & posted & that they arrive in time for Christmas. 

Although I do know a lot of shops start stocking Christmas items in September now!

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Anyhoo the Christmas collection is now available & I have some really pretty little festive goodies ...

so for this weeks

Product of the Week

I have choosen these adorable Christmas Tree Decorations ...

A set of 2 pretty red hanging trees made from linen with a pretty embroidered front which is finished with some snowflakes & pretty buttons including some adorable heart shaped buttons.

The trees hang from a pretty red & white gingham hanger & each tree is scented with cinnamon which gives a lovely Christmas aroma.

These are also available in a natural colour too.

Each tree measures 15 cms tall excluding hanger.

They are £6 for a set of 2.

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Find these wonderfully festive cuties

*here*

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To visit the

Christmas Collection

*click here*

*Vintage Fair ~ Photos*

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Following on from the previous post where we picked up the

vintage black & white knitting patterns at the Barnard Castle Vintage Fair

I thought I would share some photos I took.

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Above is this wonderful butterfly mirror.

I nearly bought it but it was £55 & I didn't know where I would put it so thought perhaps £55 was a touch too expensive for something I didn't know where to place, so came away without it.

I do wish I had bought these pretty butterfly doilies though as they were only £4 for the pair ~ I don't know why I didn't get these!!!

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So anyhoo a few photos I snapped whilst we were there.

Look at that eiderdown, I wish I'd bought that now although I didn't even look at the price so have no idea how much it was!

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There's James just in view at the right hand side perusing this stall.

This stall was actually the stall he bought the knitting patterns from ~ out of that knitting pattern book you can just see on the left hand side!

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A couple of the stall holder ladies.

We spoke to the lady in red for a while along with the lady who runs the

Discover Vintage shows, both were ever so lovely & they were telling us they are just about to open a shop in York too!

*Hurray*

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Wonderful clothes, I love that green dress at the front.

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A couple more pretty vintage dresses.

I saw a really cute dress on another rail, which was black with little green apples all over it, it was just adorable but unfortuately too small for me!

*sad face*

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More fab vintage goodies!

Oohh James bought a couple of Blighty magazines from this stall, there were over there on the left just where those mags are but he must have already bought them when I took this photo.

I did try those glasses on too I think!!!!

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Oohh I wish I'd bought that how to ice a cake book now too!

I get a bit overwhelmed when there are so many goodies & tend to come away with nothing as when I'm looking at something, something else grabs my attention & I wander on to that then realise I come out of the whole fair with nothing!!!

I obviously need a longer attention span when vintage shopping!

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And finally a rail of really fab aprons, pinnies & sheets!

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Hope you enjoyed this little sojourn around the vintage fair ...

Oh & talking of vintage fairs

if you are in the York region this Sunday (17th October)

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

 is at

The Hospitium

Museum Gardens

Marygate

York

10.30am~ 4.30am

We are hoping to get to this one too so see you there ...

*Vintage Black & White Knitting Patterns*

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James and I visited the

Discover Vintage Fair on Sunday.

 I didn't buy anything but James bought these fantastic vintage black & white knitting patterns!

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As most of you know I think my husband James is a professional artist & as we both love vintage his paintings reflect this & he paints mainly vintage pulp-imagery ~ like lovely old knitting patterns!!!

We have so many vintage things in our house, loads & loads of old vintage magazines, cigarette cards, gum cards & of course knitting patterns!

His knitting pattern paintings are really popular & really who doesn't love a good old knitting pattern!

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Anyhoo these are the ones he picked up on Sunday.

A Classic V-Neck Sweater

pattern above.

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This one is called

Crazy V Sweater

and a cap to match!

How adorable is this girl in this pattern?

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Oh my goodness does anyone else think this is bonkers???

This is a

Robin pattern ~ Dual Purpose or Fashion

Ok so I think the fashion hat is really quite sweet but the sports hat & gloves ~ that pose!!

Bonkers!

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Now anyone fancy a

Looped Bed-Jacket?

Stylist & cosy!

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Now this one I actually took a fancy too!

Bedcape ~ Spanish Style

Ok so I wouldn't wear it as a bedcape (well I perhaps would!!) but I think it would make a pretty cardigan.

It's when I see things like this that I wish I could knit properly & not only scarves!

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And finally ...

A Film Star's Jumper

As worn by Jean Simmons, the J. Arthur Rank star, in the

'Woman in the Hall'

I would actually like this jumper too!

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Do pop along to James' website to see more of his artwork

there is even a whole collection for knitting pattern paintings!!!

Visit him

*here*

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A White Wednesday post for WW at Faded Charm

*Vintage Style Wooden Union Jack Bunting*

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This weeks product of the week is this fantastic

Vintage Style

Wooden Union Jack Flag Bunting

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A wonderful vintage style wooden bunting featuring the popular Union Jack motif invoking memories of old fashion street parties.

The bunting is made to look old & retro in style & would look lovely hung in the garden in summer time although equally fun strung up in the house.

The bunting features 12 rustic style pennants each 14cms high hanging from thick rustic twine.

I also think this would make a fantastic Christmas decor idea too if you don't particularly like the traditional Christmas look & like a more unique vintage style to your Christmas decor.

The bunting costs £15.

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Find this fab bunting

*here*



*Beechenhill Farm Wedding Venue*

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Remember this lovely wedding post ~ A Vintage Style Wedding

Well the place where it was held is called

Beechenhill Farm.

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Beechenhill Farm is nestled in the Staffordshire Peak District, & looks south over the Manifold Valley, right beside the beautiful Dovedale gorge.

They offer exclusive use of Beechenhill Farm for your wedding weekend & believe in lovely relaxed weddings in a beautiful farm setting.

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Weddings are held in the haybarn.

Up the oak staircase, the first floor has a glass-fronted gallery overlooking the ground floor and a high roofed, beamed Hayloft where most ceremonies take place.

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They don't provide set menus but so long as you want generous flavours and locally produced foods, they can help.

They work with four local caterers who specialise in local food.

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As mentioned beforehand Beechenhill Farm provides relaxed setting for your day & the surroundings provide a beautiful setting to wedding photos.

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To visit the

Beechenhill Farm website for lots more information about holding a wedding

*click here*

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Photos used with permission from Beechenhill Farm

*Vintage Fairs ~ this weekend!*

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There are a few Vintage Fairs this weekend if you live in the Durham area.

Firstly on Saturday 9th October

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

is visiting Durham.

It will be held at the

Durham Students Union

Dunelm House

Durham

11am-4pm.

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On Sunday 10th of October

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

will be at Newcastle.

It is being held at

Northumbria University Students Union

2 Sandyford Road

Newcastle

11am-4pm

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Also on Sunday 10th October

Discover Vintage

is holding a new vintage fair in

Barnard Castle.

The fair is being held at

Witham Hall

Market Place

Barnard Castle

10am-4pm.

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Happy vintage hunting if you visit any of these fairs ...

*A Sneak Peek*

 

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I thought I would give you a sneak peek

into what coming to the boutique very soon!

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*Christmas Goodies*

Above are some really lovely linen Christmas Trees which are delicously scented with spicy cinnamon & finished with embroidery & pretty buttons.

These will be available to buy in a sets of 2 & will also come in Christmassy red too.

Also show above is a pretty white zinc hanging heart which will also come in a set of 2 & also available will be these cute Christmas trees too, below.

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There will be lots more pretty

Festive Goodies

available to buy & I will let you all know when the Christmas collection has arrived in the boutique ...

Lovely Whites for White Wednesday at Faded Charm

*Time for Pumpkins*

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Well it is October so Pumpkins & Gourds are gracing the shops.

I must admit I haven't seen any pumpkins yet but I have bought some gourds for decoration like I do every year. They do give a lovely Autumnal feel to the house.
I must get my dried mini-pumpkins out sometime soon too.
I do love this photo from the
Martha Stewart
website with all the different colours & types.
Ooohhh it is so Autumnal.
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I am on the lookout for little white pumpkins this year, like I have been for the last few years to no avail!
The US always seem to have the lovely white pumpkins & they look so sweet & would of course fit perfectly into my decor!
*giggle*
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For pumpkin eating this is what Martha advises although I'm sure this is much more relevant to the US readers as we don't seem to get a good long pumpkin season here in the UK & they tend to be sold for Halloween decor, anyhoo ...
Pumpkin Basics

In Season: Pumpkins begin to ripen in September. Because they store well, pumpkins are available all through the fall and winter.
What to Look For: Make sure to choose a variety of pumpkin that's intended for cooking, rather than for decoration. The ubiquitous field pumpkin -- the kind most commonly used to carve jack-o'-lanterns - has watery, stringy flesh and is not recommended for eating. Sugar pumpkins and cheese pumpkins are two widely available varieties that are good for cooking and baking, thanks to their dense, sweet flesh.
How to Store: Pumpkins keep well at room temperature for up to a month. Stored in a cool cellar or refrigerator, they can last up to three months. Once cut, pumpkin pieces should be wrapped tightly and refrigerated. Use cut pumpkin within five days.
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 Are you buying any pumpkins or gourds this Autumn to eat or to decorate with?

*Pretty Home Letters*

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I thought I would start a new little feature on the blog called

Product of the Week.

I will post about a certain goody from the Vintage Amethyst boutique each week hopefully on a Monday!

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So with this being the first week where to start?

Well home is often the best place to start from so here we are some pretty white

HOME LETTERS

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This is an adorable set of smaller wooden standing letters.
The larger sets of letters are so poplular that I thought I would add another smaller set too.

These letters are made from light wood which is carved & painted white.

The letters can be placed standing on shelves, dressers, fireplaces etc. or alternatively can be hung on the wall as there are hanging hooks on the reverse of each letter.

These are ideal for a small corner of the home too as they could be hung spelling HOME downwards as well as across.

Perfect for any home whatever your style & such an adorable gift idea.

Each letter stands 15cms high & they are £12.00 per set.

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Find these pretty

HOME LETTERS

*here*

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*Sophisticated Neutrals*

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I took the Perfect Palette test over on the Martha Stewart website for a bit of fun & it turned out pretty accurate really.

I am ...

Sophisticated Neutrals

A serene and versatile palette is perfect for you.

You should look to soft grays and putty tones - even a diluted violet would suit you and your rooms. These tones also make it easy to quickly alternate furniture and accessories.

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Quite amazing really considering we are decorating the hallway & I choose Farrow & Balls

Cornforth White & it is a really lovely soft grey & I am repainting the radiator cover in Putty!!!

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These rooms are from the

Sophisticated Neutrals Gallery & are very me.

I noticed it also mentioned in the description that these 'tones make it easy to quickly alternate furniture and accessories' which I am always doing really & did a little change about this morning!

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Try the Perfect Palette Test

*here*

*So Long Summer ...*

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Oh goodness can you believe it, October already!!!!

I was still lamenting summer being over only days ago & now September is over!!!

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I thought as it is the last time I will be able to do it I would post some summer photos from our garden.

We only have a teeny tiny outside space as we live in the centre of town & everyone in town has teeny tiny spaces here in the centre, even the huge enormous Victorian town houses round the corner that are 3 story with what seems to be be hundreds of huge rooms only have teen tiny outside spaces so I shouldn't really  complain, we are not the only ones.

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Anyhoo above is one of the lovely large wicker hearts from the boutique alongside my pretty stone butterfly with a pot of purple pansies all sitting on my wonderful vintage ladders which have been stripped & look fantastic.

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Pretty washing hanging on the washing line on a summers day.

Aaahhh I so miss hanging washing out when it gets to winter time, don't you?

It doesn't seem as fresh does it, not like it does when it has been hung outside all day.

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Our garden gate with a pretty heart hook & garden sign both from the boutique.

The gate got a fresh look this summer from a creamy soft green to this stoney colour which is Bone from

Farrow & Ball.

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A little corner of the garden (the garden is teeny but is bigger than this corner thank goodness!). We have used Ikea's decking tiles which incidentially only seemed to be around for a few weeks so I'm glad we bought them when we did!

The table & chairs were another thing that got a fresh coat of paint this summer.

I painted them in Lime White from Farrow & Ball.

The table cloth was a peice of polka dot oilcloth from Dunelm Mill, you can buy it *here* & it is available in other colours too!

On top of the table is a pretty flask which I have had for years. I thought it looked sweet there.

Hung on the wall is one of the Chalkboard Shelves I sell but it was damaged so I thought I would pop it ouside & I think it looks fab there.

I've hung some big iron keys & a little cream enamel watering can from the hooks & popped a heart detail jam jar candle holder on the top with a white washed willow heart.

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This is something that I am soooooo glad I bought!

It's one of those old fashioned fly curtains to keep the pesky flying bugs out!

I like to have the back door open all the time in the summer but the problem with this is that flies pop in all the time & wizz about which of course is so annoying!

So I thought at the start of summer I'm getting a fly curtain this year & lo & behold I found these cuties on Amazon! I hadn't realised before they did them in such sweet colours but they do! I went for a mixure of pastel colours but you could have got them in 2 colours only too.

So ice-creamy don't you think?

And the best thing ever ... it actually worked!!!!!

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Anyhoo I hope you've enjoyed this little sneak peek into summer here in our teen tiny garden.

I wish I'd took some photos of our willow tree & reclaimed railway sleeper bench now looking back but I didn't.

Next year though I must remember to take more summer time photos to look back on over the winter months.

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So, so long summer it's been good knowing you, do come again very soon won't you ...

A Show & Tell Friday Post ~ Visit My Romantic Home for lots more lovely Show & Tell Posts