Touring Charleston

During my recent trip down south, I was fortunate to spend a day walking around Charleston. Although I had visited Charleston as a college student, I was eager to see the city again through a new perspective. Instead of taking a guided tour, I decided to explore on my own. I made a stop at the Calhoun Mansion (pictured below), the largest privately owned house in the city. There is a fee for entering the house, but admission is free to the fantastic gardens leading to the museum shop around back. The gift shop clerk was helpful in steering me down several alleys not typically travelled by tourists. As someone who loves details, Charleston was the perfect place for me.

Notice how the ivy has been clipped around the windows and the small door underneath this staircase.

If only I could have seen what was behind these wonderful doors!

Loved this beautiful greenhouse. I don't know any flowers who wouldn't be happy living here.
Of course, no visit to Charleston would be complete without pictures of beautiful houses.

MODERN TECHNOLOGY......good when it works, rubbish when it doesn't.....

This is to inform you that the laptop belonging to Jackie has been taken ill and rushed to the Computer Hospital. Everything possible is being done to get said computer up on it's feet again. There will be further bulletins as we get more news.

Comments on other blogs may be few and far between for a few days as Jackie only has access to her daughters computer and said daughter keeps snatching it away !!!!

I have nothing more to say at this time.........hopefully, there will be a new post soon.

More information when we get it.!!!!!!!

This is Jackie, reporting from England, BBC News.

Recover a Vintage Stool

Several years ago I purchased this little vintage foot stool on Ebay. Though I loved the lines, I wasn't too crazy about the brown needlepoint cover. Last month I completed a slip cover project for a client and fell in love with the Zebra fabric she choose. As luck would have it there was a small piece of fabric left over - perfectly sized for my stool.

Recovering this stool was an easy process. Simply take off the stool cover by removing the small tacks with a hammer, pliers and a puddy knife. Use the old cover as a pattern to cut out your new cover. Since I was using upholstery tacks, I made my pattern about a 1/2 inch bigger on all sides than the original. This gave me some fabric to fold under for a nice finished edge.

Center the fabric on the stool. Place one tack in the middle of each side of the stool, folding the fabric under 1/2" and pulling tight. Work from the center out, trying to evenly space the upholstery tacks, until you reach the corners.

Fold the corners neatly and tack in place. You are done!

I love how this new fabric looks. Such a change from the old. If only I was brave enough to tackle the chair I have had for twenty years that needs upholstering!

Summer Drive

This is one of my favorite fields in the valley. I drove by it on my way up to a nearby lake this morning. It's very peaceful out here.

Less than a minute after taking this picture however, I was harassed by a few wasps. I decided to jump back in the car to get away from them but unfortunately, they jumped in with me.

Better yet, they were in my pants leg. Knowing the inevitable, I swatted at them. I felt the sting and that's when I jumped out of the car and pulled down my pants. In fact, I went further than that and took them off altogether.

Standing in the middle of the road with no pants on, I realized yet another luxury of living in the country. You may take your pants off anywhere you like without much fear that there will be witnesses.

Here's a familiar scene around here. The orchards are almost ready to harvest. The white boxes you see stacked will soon be filled with several varieties of ripe pears and apples. And you'll be glad to know that during this stop, I managed to keep my pants on.

TAGGED........

I've been tagged by Lori at Wildflowers to do the following:

1. Open the 4th file where I store my pictures.

2. Pick out the 4th photo and publish it to my blog.

3. Explain a bit about it.

4. Pass challenge on to 4 other blogs.

Well....here it is in all it's glory..... and isn't it a coincidence that it's happens to be a photograph of a flower and it was Lori from Wildflowers who tagged me ?
A photograph that I took of my Oak leafed Hydrangea.......' hydrangea quereifola 'flemygea' SNOWQUEEN !!!!!! How about that then......even the Latin name, although there are probably some experts out there that will tell me I'm wrong but, I think that's it's name !!!!! Apologies if it's wrong, but I know that the oak leafed part is right.
We put this in our garden about 10years ago. We found this wonderful Hosta Nursery (long gone now, unfortunately) when we were taking our son to his University. We stopped on the way back and bought loads of Hostas, which are still prolific and MASSIVE in our garden. We did buy so many, that I gave my friends some, and they are all thriving and look magnificent. What a shame that Nursery isn't there anymore, as I certainly think that they knew a lot about Hostas (and Hydrangeas). Looking around, I came across this little Hydrangea and bought it. Well, I think that it is my favourite plant in the garden. It is covered in these beautiful white flowers that (at this moment) turn to palest pink and then green. Every year, I think that I will cut some and dry them off, but I can't bring myself to do it , so magnificent are they, in the garden. Also, my son got married last October and my daughter-in-law had hydrangeas in her bouquet so this hydrangea always reminds me of that special day.
Right, well my next job is to pass the baton onto 4 other blogs so here goes:

1. Green and Pretty

2. Life with Lia

3. Being Ruby

4. Dumbwit tellher
O.K......my job is done, mission accomplished. Thanks to Lori, for tagging me and because of which, brought back a few old memories.

Jackie

Mary Paulsen Folk Art Garden

I have just returned from a vacation down south and wanted to share the story of a remarkable woman. During my trip, I visited Mary's Gone Wild, the visionary folk art garden, doll baby village and bottle house of Mary Paulsen of Holden Beach, North Carolina. Mary creates bright colored paintings on the reverse side of old glass windows as well as other recyled goods. By purchasing Mary's art and leaving donations, visitor's to Mary's Garden have helped to feed tens of thousands of hungry children since 1996. Above is a picture of the outside of Mary's studio and below are photos of the inside, including her whimsical paintings. Notice the floor and ceiling treatments. Not a surface goes untouched.Mary recently completed the bottle house pictured below. She has saved thousands of pounds of trash from the local landfill by recycling unwanted goods into bright and happy "make you smile art."

The house is made completely out of bottles and includes her paintings for windows. The floor is painted and the inside is furnished with pieces that Mary has embellished.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Mary while she was working on her latest creation. She is deeply religious, friendly and was happy to answer all my questions. I am so glad I stopped by!

MORE TEA VICAR ?.................

Ahhhhh..........that age old English tradition of afternoon tea...........

.......isn't it awkward, when you've just moved in and your furniture hasn't arrived, but you made sure that you packed the tea things in the car so that you could have a cuppa as soon as you moved in?...........trouble is, the table hasn't arrived so, what better place to keep the teapot but on your head !!!!!!!!! and , of course, the tea drinking professional doesn't have just one cup ( photograph, courtesy of Rodney Smith)................No self-respecting, gentile Englishwomen would have just one teapot........

.........here's the quintessential afternoon tea....the cream tea.......a .freshly brewed pot of tea, just baked, warm scones, strawberry jam, thick, thick, clotted cream and a skirt with an elasticated waist !!!!!!!........


............ not many of you out there will know about the finer points of making a pot of tea......above is the tower infusing method.....this tradition has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries !!!!!!!! Oh, at last, the furniture's arrived.......



............builders have great big mugs for their tea but, the ladies would have these lovely pink cups and saucers for their Darjeeling........


..............a big comfy sofa, cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches with the crusts cut off, french fancies,walnut cake, scones and tea.......twenty minutes to let it go down and then a glass of champagne........ I'll meet you there in an hour......... does anyone know how to play the harp ?

.........do you have a pair of kid leather gloves ? It is a pre requisite of the tea procedure....

.......... this is tea at The Connaught in London...or you could go to The Ritz, The Dorchester and many , many more..........

..........take care not to sit on the antique Royal Worcester china.......the maid must have left it there.......she will be getting her cards at the end of the week !!!!!!!...........

.....I quite often have my tea break sitting on mattresses, in a fairy queen outfit, in the middle of a forest with the teacup on my head, don't you ??!!! ( another great photo from Rodney Smith ) Anyone got a ciggie. I think that would finsh this photograph...I'm on the phone to Rodney as we speak !!!!! !!!!!

.........the posh tea drinkers choice...Earl Grey.....not my favourite, actually, although, I have been known to partake from time to time........

......... handmade teabags !!!!!!! I wonder what they bring to the table.......do you think that the tea will taste better.......perhaps they are like Cuban cigars........rolled on the thighs of dusky maidens !!!!!!!

....cakes and sandwiches in an English garden.......and, tea poured out of a retro teapot.........

.....well, there you are vicar......take your pick out of that little lot !!!!!!

Jackie

LAVENDER and OLD LACE..........

Come with me through this lovely distressed door to a wonderful world of interiors....well, I think so anyway!!!!

Lace, satin, chandelier, flowers........a world of shabby chic delights.

Old rose pink, iron bed and beaded fringed lampshade.......

.........lets just pop outside for a moment, it's a lovely day and I've just made a cake (kitchen coming up in a minute)...sit down, I'll be out in a moment.

.........I have just picked this larkspur from the garden....I tend to grow flowers that match my decor perfectly !!!!!!

Here we are in the kitchen....see I told you that I grow my flowers to match...pink roses to match the food mixer !!!!!!!.........

and the plates............

...............and the fridge !!!!!!!

................excuse me a moment, I'm just going to make melon vodka.......we can have some on the porch later...as you all know, I'm not much of a drinker, so I'll probably abstain !!!!!!!! NOT

.............. Won't be a sec..I'm on my way with the cake....I made a few more things while I was at it.. .......

..........shall we sit here instead ? There's a lovely view from here.......

...( don't think that I like this but it comes with the house!!!!) I can always take it to the charity shop...I'm sure one of you out there will take it off of my hands.

.......lovely that you came round...I'm off for a long soak in the tub !!!!

Jackie