The chair - all done!

I am loving the fact that we are having a proper summer and I can make lots of mess outside rather than inside! my chair is now all finished - here is how it took shape.....

Painting over the primer in something called something or other sidewalk...

Finished painting - now ready for distressing - despite what some might say, no I didn't just have to talk to it, i did actually have to re-sand it!

The original seat-pad.

My new hand-printed fabric ready to be sewn and staple gunned to the seat-pad.

Firmly stapled in place (don't look on the other side - It is my first time after all...).

Ta daaaaa!
Now to find somewhere to put it.....

Haircut, lunch and walkies...

So today was a nice relaxing day, starting with my first haircut in over two months! Hmm, I think it's O.K, - and btw, I'm allowed to put a poesy photo of me on the blog every so often! Sad thing is that I really am starting to look 40!

Next came lunch with Mandi and Naomi - two former students who have both just graduated - I can't believe that I forgot to take any phots - especially as they both turned up with their degree folios - DUH! Never mind, I will try to get hold of some pics for you at a later date, in the meantime though, it really was great to just catch up with a glass of wine in the sunshine!

What I haven't told you is that besides Ivan (Mr Bicknell), there is another rather lovely chap who takes up quite a lot of my time in the holidays - he has a fabulously glossy coat, big brown eyes a bit of an addiction to tennis balls and always sits when you tell him! 

This is where he has the edge on Ivan (Mr Bicknell) as he NEVER does as he is told! So without further ado - let me introduce you to Bobby - next door's beautiful labrador! 

We are very lucky to live where we do, as you will see walking the dog is quite a pleasurable experience!

Bobby - ready for action!

And ready for his close-up!

I must have walked up these steps a hundred times, but they are a killer and NEVER get any easier!

Top of the steps - known as the hanger...

Rows and rows of herbs.

In need of rain - quite nice not having to squelch through the mud though!

Heading in the right direction.

Just passing by...

A village full of lavender.

The village post box - no office, just the box.

Over the stile.

Give us our daily bread!

Home!

First fun project of the holidays.

When I popped to the dump the other day to get rid of an embarrassingly large amount of recycling, I happened upon this rather handsome chair - Well it certainly has potential and I have been looking for one like this for ages to use up some of the larger pieces of fabric I printed last summer - so for the princely sum of £3 it came home with me - you are about to witness its transformation.....

The chair

And in profile....

The sanding begins - along with a rather lovely "G" that I picked up at T K Max

With a little help from my friends...

Bored already!

Priming - the transformation begins....

When the cat's away 2.....

It can't all be work, work, work, so I headed up to London to see Annie, Ivan's (Mr Bicknell')lovely sister for a bit of relaxation and culture - well I am an art teacher.....

First off is dinner in Newington Green with Annie, her partner Rainer, and Renchi and Nessa, Ivan (Mr Bicknell) and Annie's dad and step mum. Lots of good conversation was had, lovely food was eaten, wine was drunk and I relaxed!

Me, Nessa, Rainer, Annie and Renchi.

The next day was a busy one...

After breakfast with the olds we waved them goodbye and headed over to Hackney to have coffee with Ned, Michelle, Merryn and Ned's mum Bridget. It was Ned's birthday and nice to see him again, what was even nicer though was that Michelle had been super domesticated and made jam with some of the cherries they took home from our house a few months ago - New Cottage Jam, how nice!

Afterwards it was a quick hop over to Chelsea to meet up with our friend and very brilliant painter Diarmuid Kelley - he paints Annie on occasion and today he was being photographed for the catalogue for the one man show he's having in November - it was great being in a "proper" artist's studio drinking tea, flicking through Tatler and watching the artist at work - it has to be said that the photographer wasn't bad either....            

Where it all happens...

Interesting, Annie with a table runner on her head!

Taking instructions...

Initial sketches.

Tomo - the photographer.

The scene perfectly captured.....

Painting.

Next we met up with another friend of Annie's for smoothies in Bethnal Green (glad I've got an Oyster card!)  - Albert is a Spanish artists who collaborates with Annie at the Tate, he is super inspiring and it did cross my mind that I might be able to convince him to come and give at talk at the college. Next was a private view - another colleague and friend of Annie's, Alice Walton who specialises in assemblages and the juxtaposition of found imagery.

On the way to dinner in Hoxton Square we cam e across Squint on Shoreditch High street, lots of my students love this designer and I hadn't previously seen her work in the flesh, so this was a bit of luck....

The next day we headed over to the Southbank - this is, without exception, my favourite part of London - it is definitely worth a visit any time, but in the summer it is particularly brilliant! we actually went to Somerset House first though to see the Martin Margiela exhibit - if you haven't seen it yet - GO! It was SO inspiring and I can see a lot of influences popping up in next term's project briefs!

On the way back to Waterloo I happened upon this exhibit by the Royal festival hall - again, worth a butchers!

House stuff

So Now that the badger proof fence (!) is up, I can turn my attentions to the inside.... Decorating, much easier to do when Ivan (Mr Bicknell) is away as generally he just gets in the way!

So first off is the living room ceiling - this is hideous, it hasn't been touched in the 9 years we have lived in the cottage and I'm not that excited about doing it right now, but the open fire has taken its toll and the colour is revolting, so thanks to back to back Glee, the odd glass of wine and a determined mind, the arduous task went ahead and 48 hours later, yes 48 hours later, I finished!

Nearly empty room....

so much stuff...

Might need to think about thinning things out a bit post painting....

Tools of the trade.

Half way through painting - check out that colour difference, oh I am ashamed, ashamed, ashamed......!

Back to the normal chaos!