Welcome Home

It is lovely to be away especially in France but we did miss home - son James said he even missed rain. I thought I did till I saw what it was doing to our studio back home

Here is what my darling husband has been coping with in my absence.....a drenched studio, buckets everywhere and everything stuffed anywhere where it won't get wet. The studio situation that has been dire for so long and is now not tolerable.....time to find a new studio.

There have always been problems associated with our studio and some have got worse over the years

• it has always been a bit leaky
• it is shared with our landlords so we have to clear the floor once a month for them to have a meeting
• we have mad neighbours - they believe they own the road (they don't) and don't want anyone parking outside; they have thrown out items left at our door by clients; they block up the fire door; they need to get a life
• the access isn't brilliant especially if you can't park outside, we have to walk through said neighbours garden

So why have we stayed there for 10 years.....it's cheap

Poor Gibson was deeply depressed by the whole thing, desperately trying to paint in these conditions and no news of the new roof - although planning permission has at last come through we have decided to move and hope to have exciting news soon.

So coming home from France felt a bit flat and I had to try and remind myself of why I love home. It wasn't hard. Firstly I adore the light...there is nothing quite like the Scottish light and at this time of year it is so soft and mellow and with the cloud and mists it is heartmelting

Late afternoon

Dawn

Low cloud on Craig Rossie

One of my favourite things about this time of year is to see the tall pink spikes of Willow Herb - the prettiest weed ever. It blushes our drive and all down the edges of the fields with it's delicate pink blossoms that will turn to white cotton wool fluff seed formations soon

our drive

up close

And the food in France is wonderful, all the lovely markets, the fresh bread and lovely cheeses but we do some pretty amazing food here too. We often forget what wonderful raw materials we have to work with and here is a seasonal best...our own Scotch Lamb

this was fresh, light and fabulous with just some garden Rosemary and Granny's Redcurrant jelly to serve

 

At The Coal Face

I am not sure if this is a phrase used the world over, so here it is explained:

Idiom Definitions for 'At the coalface' - If you work at the coalface, you deal with the real problems and issues, rather than sitting in a office discussing things in a detached way.

Is this my excuse for not producing wonderful images of a mural that I should be well on with...hmmmm probably. For those that don't know what I am talking about you can read more here http://decoratescotland.blogspot.com/2011/03/if-i-post-it-here-i-will-have-to-do-it.html. I really have been working at the coalface though ...honest. Almost every single job that we have worked on in the last two weeks has over-run, and that of course pushes other jobs to the side and the poor mural has been the job to suffer.

So you want pictures. OK, OK, here's one of the jobs I have been tackling....it's another matching job

The before - hardboard and pine panelling added round the top of the room. Wooden pelmets too. All need to be matched to the turn of the arts and crafts timber in the room.

Befores

This is a delightfully austere Arts and Crafts home. That sounds like a contradiction in terms. It has austerity about it, the original features are intact, but the owners, with the help of interior designer Iona Drummond Murray have softened it just enough to make it really homely yet not lost a bit of its character. 

So here's half way - this is where the base coat has the figuring (the pattern of the grain)

half way - underglazing

 And this is the finished product

OK...so you know wome of what was painted but...can you tell all of what was painted?? Why did this job over-run? Mainly because the colours were incredibly hard to match to, the wood changed so much from one area to the next.

I will post a bit more about what I have been doing...let me gather my pictures.

 

Shabby Chic Class - the Annie Sloan Paint Experience

We had to postpone our recent Shabby Chic painting class because we were worried that the predicted snow would endanger people travelling big distances. Sadly not everyone can make the new date of Sunday the 27th March 2011, so we have some spaces next Sunday. Why not join us - you can buy a class place on any of the classes by going to our on-line shop and buying here SHOP or you can call me and book over the phone - 07771663015
To help you decide whether this class is for you I thought I would let you see what it's all about.

The Shabby Chic Class teaches you how to paint furniture with quick and easy techniques that make the whole process pleasureable and using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint means none of the nasty stripping and sanding that we all hate. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint can be used over varnish, wax, melamine, old paint, french polish and many other usually difficult to paint surfaces.
We do cover preparation and use of other paints so if you have a can of Farrow and Ball you are desperate to use we will certainly give you all the hints and tips to help you do so.

Shiny Bright and Clean

We start at 10.30 am with a cup of coffee and some introductions  in a clean studio but before long we are grabbing paint brushes and paint and getting messy

Waxing a Sample

Tinting the Decoupage

We produce a series of samples through the day that will help to create fabulous finishes at home. Here are some of the completed finishes

Samples

We have a few examples of finished pieces to share and give ideas. We have a library of books for you to browse at lunch time and get ideas from and Gibson and I are on hand to give tips

A few examples and ideas

Lunch is a deli spread of delicious cured meats, cheeses, salads and fruit and fresh bread from our local award winning bakery Sugar and Spice in Auchterarder.

It's often a race against time to get finished for 4.30pm but we usually make it. Then you have a chance to buy paints and waxes, varnishes and brushes. If you have to rush away we now have our online shop so we can ship things to you but if want to save the postage costs allow a little time to pick your paints either at lunchtime or at the end of the day.

Then I just look forward to hearing success stories and receiving pictures of the pretty things you all create. Like Val's projects here that she sent me pictures of this week -

She has done wonderful things since her class and revamped lots of pieces that would have been destined for the dump as well as completing a number of commissions for family and friends. She like so many is a bit addicted to painting now!

So if you would like to turn trash into treasure or personalise some of the pieces that lie in your garage waiting for a new lease of life...even if you would like to start a small business painting pieces of furniture come and join us and learn how!

Cait Whitson
Carte Blanche Decorative Painters
http://decoratescotland.com
01738587600
 

All About Me

Those that know me well, know that I am not really very good at being a girl, certainly not one for spending time on my appearance, but last week I surpassed myself.

At the beginning of the week I had a text from my hairdresser, 1/2 price on cut and colour....well, too good to miss. I have started going to a hairdresser in Auchterarder called Deja http://www.dejahairandbeauty.co.uk/team.php. This new salon is situated in our old premises and it is really very strange having my hair cut there, but I am delighted that Jade McDonald is making a success of her new business there.

Deja Hair and Beauty

So Wednesday I was cut and coloured and I have short hair and highlights that you can see this time (last time I went so subtle you didn't notice them).

Thursday morning I headed off to Glasgow to see my old pal and occassional painting partner Emma Hardie. Emma and I met 25 years ago at Leonard Pardon's School of Specialist Decoration. After leaving we kept in touch occasionally painting together when either of us needed an extra pair of hands. Emma was always the most positive person I knew. Where I would go to a client on completion of a painting project and wracked with doubt in my ability say "is it alright? I hope you like it....do say if there's anything you aren't sure about", then undercharge and apologise for wanting paid; Emma would bound into the room telling the client "isn't it gorgeous....I just love it, it has transformed your home" she would charge her worth, and bounce out with cheque in hand.
All the time that we were in London, unbeknownst to me Emma was actually very ill with ME and eventually working with paints and toxins, her body become oversensitised to the paint products she had an horrendous physical breakdown and later on her recovery had to think about a total career change.
Never one to do things by halves Emma trained at Champneys in aromatherapy, health and beauty in 1994 and went on to research the factual science behind natural cell healing.
Long story short she got FAMOUS in the beauty world (you have to read Vogue and Cosmo and the like to really know about these things) ....she got famous for being the best of course.

Emma Hardie

She treats the likes of Sophie Dahl, is written up and about all over the press and her own range of products "Emma Hardie Amazing Face" are one of the top selling new ranges at Space NK -Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm was hailed Best Cleanser at the 2010 Cosmopolitan Beauty Awards in June, she has dvd and she is about to launch on QVC.

On tour to promote her products Emma has been in Scotland offering treatments at Space NK teaching you how to use her products and giving treatments.  We were meeting for lunch and because her schedule was so crippling...and I still had Christmas money to spend, I booked a treatment. Space NK have a promotion where you pay £30 and £25 is redeemable against product.....thus getting my poor damaged and frail skin inspected and treated by a world respected beautician and giving me extra time with my lovely friend.

Emma's very grown up products

Oh goodness.....Em's products are soooooo wonderful. I have had such horrendous problems with my skin and 5 days later and I have no discomfort, the nasty hard carapace-like layer on parts of my face has broken down and is disappearing WOW. I bought her special cloths and her award winning cleanser. While waiting for our lunch I was offered a free make-over by Adele in SpaceNK. My makeup buying process is normally to hover in Boots hoping someone will help me, to try lots of things on the back of my hand (why I'm not sure) and then leave with yet another mascara. Adele just did fantastic things, she gave me a completely natural look and it stayed on my face all day....while I didn't buy anything then and there I will be back, it was a lovely experience and definitely the way to buy makeup...knowing that it will work.

She may be famous my old friend, and fearfuly growed up with products and packaging and photocalls and all but she's still just Em-Pem, bubbly and positive and it was wonderful to see her. I had also forgotten how good it is to spend time with a really positive, determined, entrepreneurial female friend......I miss her!!! She'll be back in Scotland soon so look out for her appearances at Space NK in the future.

http://www.emmahardie.com/