O I do hate to be beside the Seaside.........

I have left it a while since posting to give more people a chance to bagsy free fabric in the giveaway and I hope to be posting 12 parcels all around the world this week- there's still plenty left if anyone is interested (I need some space but I can't bear to part with things unless they go to someone who really needs them!)

You can probably guess I've been to the sea with the children. It was a long planned break with lots of friends which my little ones love, as they don't get much playtime with other children outside our extended family (they are home schooled and we don't have any near neighbours) but it was a little bit stressful- four small children in a tiny mobile home with no baby gates, cots or husbands around to help (fyi- he was off on a business course- lucky ***!) No computer, video games, dvd's, one small telly, and no transport as I don't drive........... the perfect recipe for quality time you might think and sometimes it was, but with such an age range finding something everyone was happy to do was murder (and I don't use the word lightly!). Our friends were fantastic and squeezed us into their cars and ferried us about and we had lots of fun out (I actually purchased 18 ice-creams one day!) and of course there was lots of yummy chips too!




I saw this dead dogfish in the car park and I thought I was really beautiful-weird I know! What do you think- does it Stink? or is it Stunning- you decide!

I succumbed to a really nasty throat and chest infection on coming home (which really helped me lose my holiday weight!) but before that (spurred on by remembering a customer was dropping off some fabric) I decided to revamp our front porch.

Most English country homes tend to use their back or side doors as there main door, dating back to when farmer came in with their overalls and muddy wellies and would want to leave them somewhere near the door ( or washing machine!) that wouldn't make a mess. We always use our side door but as that part of the house is a really grubby 1970's style extention it's just not an easy part to smarten up, believe me there are somethings beautiful fabric can't cover over! So since our new front door bell was fitted I have had half a mind to get the front door looking nicer. Its not a great porch- it was stuck on to the older part of the building when the house was revamped in the 70's and has brick walls inside and double faded wooden door, the best part is the roof which has thick reclaimed tiles and a large bunch of suculent plants growing on it. Unfortunately I can't seem to get any nice shots because the weather is so rotten at the mo.

For anyone who's interested the floral fabric is Cath Kidston's faded flowers, the cream is discontinues now but its called Rosie by Globaltex, the blinds are mock Swedish blinds which are perfect if you only have half a metre of something that you adore and are sick of making cushions. I cheated by staple-ing the curtains onto the wood of the door as I wanted an instant fix and they are just for show (not very professional I know!) and the bows cover the staples. The other side of the porch is identical but shows the concrete barns as a back drop, which isn't quite so romantic!

But other than its furnishing its a bit plain- my mother has a lovely rose and there is a storage basket too- What do you have in your by your door and if it was just a rarely used door like this what would you add? There 100's of shoes, hats and pushchairs all blocking our other door but I need more ideas for this little space- for decorative things that could go on the floor perhaps? as theres only one tiny shelf higher up. Go on give me some ideas!

And lastly due to my frolics by the seas side I have been tempted to increase my east of India stock and include so sweet wooden boats which I will adding to my shop soon...