A Cottage For Sale........

Hey Bloggettes,

We are chasing a nest! ...... hopes, dreams and ambitions for this coastal cottage for sale.......i close my eyes and i sea ........
A kitchen to laugh in, cry in, share family in, drink tea and friendship in, late night hot drinks in,early morning breakfasts in ,summer bare foot in.......
White on white and a place to while away the hours in,to grow old together in,to be warm,safe and cosy in.......
Lay and listen to waves in...... clean the spirit and body in......
A place to gently rest in, cushions to plump in, soft curtains to waft by sea breeze in.........
Dreaming,wishing,living and praying to him in...........

Fingers are crossed and toes are too! Shabbily Ever After could be shortened to S E A if you sea what i mean?

Good night Bloggettes its time for gentle waves to come and help me to sleep in........

Love Kristina XxX

Rule Britt

Hey Blogettes,

We are feeling very patriotic today at ShabbilyEverAfter.

Early this morning Mr Postie knocked on our door and safely delivered Britt to our door, she had travelled over night from Niki's at www.nostalgia-stonehouse.co.uk

I have wished for one of Niki's beautiful dolls for going on two years but as you know they sell very quickly,well yesterday was my chance and Britt was definitely worth the wait!

We made her feel right at home straight away...she relaxed in her chair with plumped cushions and showed us her lovely bloomers and boots,we were very impressed!

She then showed us how she looked in her lovely vintage straw hat!

We then left her to settle in listening to Vera Lynn as she was tired after her long journey.

The picture below is from Niki's shop as i had seen her looking for a new home yesterday.

The quality of Niki's work is excellent and i am over the moon,Thank You Niki x

Goodbye for now Blogettes Love Kristina XxX

Happy Birthday Lisa

A surprise birthday day at the beach for my sister Lisa
We laughed and played.........
Made a pact to live shabbily ever after
Paddled and splashed.........
Listened to friends playing and singing.......
Stayed at the beach until the end of the day............. we may grow older my sister and i but a day at the beach crosses time and space and we will always remain young here.

Love you sister happy birthday xxx

Happy 4th of july wishes to all our american friends



Love Kristina XxX

Hey Bloggettes,
During the heat wave we have had here in the UK i have not been able to stop myself painting...it is the perfect drying weather and it is so nice to be outside in the fresh air,well fresh unless your using Farrow And Ball paint,i love the finish and the colors but oh lord it is sooooooo strong........

A dirty mirrored shelf from a junk shop.....




A tarnished silver plated cream jug from a junk shop....



Some roses from our garden.......



A dash of Farrow And Ball in Old White gives you....... a fitting throne for the Queen of flowers



Have a wonderful day Bloggettes
Love Kristina XxX

Faux Stone Effect

Hey Bloggettes,
I thought i would try something new today and do a little faux stone effect tutorial for those of you who may be interested and might want to give it a go with something  that you have laying around at home or something you see while out and about but don't like its color.......this is my own method that i found worked well through trial and error.
Look how eager i was setting off on my project and then....oh no.....CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!! is this just me or do you all do the same haha ? answers on a postcard or please leave a comment so i know i'm not the only crazy lady screaming for her trusty camera..
First of all give your chosen item a good coat of white primer.....as you can see my lion was a shiny plastic looking green and he is made of resin.....shiny would be good to bring up here as stone tends to have a dull finish and thats what we will be aiming for here.....

when choosing your paint shades of which you will need two,one a light beige/cream and the other a chalky/antique white and make sure they are MATT and not eggshell,satin or gloss...... when the primer is dry apply two coats of the darker shade to your chosen piece and leave to dry thoroughly .....here you can see lion with two flat coats of the darker shade......
Now you will need your lighter shade,a sponge,a  soft cloth and a paper plate........place some of the lighter paint on the paper plate  and then wet your sponge with water and squeeze out just so it feels slightly damp.

Now  lightly dab the sponge in the paint until covered and then wipe of excess on the edge of the plate...... start to pat lightly all over the your chosen piece and concentrate on the top surface not on the deeper areas of indentation..... 
Take your soft cloth and pat over the wet paint so the paints smudge together and any lines or patches blend together until it looks like the lion here....you will see that as you pat with your soft cloth you will push the lighter paint into deeper holes and crevices giving a really nice peppered  chalky stone effect...
Click on any picture for a close up......if you want to use your piece outside use exterior masonry paint and if your piece is not overly large use tester pots its much cheaper.  

Have a great weekend Bloggettes Love Kristina XxX

I Could Have Danced All Night.....

As i lay tucked up in bed gazing dreamingly at my dressing room a wave of sadness suddenly washed over me......  in the morning it would be gone.....you see this was to be our closet for clothes to hang in rows,a real walk in rose papered 1950's just like in the old movies closet......  

I had begged for this little idea of mine to be brought to life and at last darling smiled and said yes....and i could have danced all night.......
With a cushioned chair and peony....
And with just a cooking apple green dressing table,dressed with vintage lamps.........the possibilities where endless...
I never dreamed there would be so much room inside...."hey i could make this into another room"..........."No babe your clothes?" he said...."oh" i replied
He left me to clean up while he opened a bottle of red...he had worked so hard all weekend and was tired,he would soon be ready for bed and i didn't have long......i set to work and  boy did he get a shock when he came to bed and there at the end of the bed was my beautiful little dressing room shining in the dark.

I lay gazing at my two more dreams that had come true and ticked them from my  list,i had a closet and a dressing room and the most amazing man who always makes my dreams come true.

I shall tell my grand children all about the dressing room i had for one night.."honest i have pictures,see..." and how happy granddad made me and how i could have danced all night.....

Goodnight Bloggettes Love As Always Kristina XxX