Tag: house

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Hall

lizatthebeachhut

There is a little bit of a theme here…

Charmed by a gilded, paint layered wall , coveting midnight adventures inside beautiful prose, lost between the interlaced streets of Old Venice I had never seen but knew in my heart.

And one day I saw it for real. And it was awe inspiring and it made me cry when I left the boat because it was just as it was in the fairy tales and in the otherworld.

Why a place is familiar I don’t have the answer for.

But for now a little Venice lives in our hall…

Using a base of chalk paint, over painted with acrylics, touches of gold, decoupaged with small details, over-painted in areas and even stencilled and printed; the whole piece came together like a giant canvas. From the original thought, the mural took shape and began to grow in size and reality…

and grow

Until it was a whole wall

and crept onto another wall

and grew vines and strange flowers

and after a while it was like it had always been there

The shelves will continue to be tweaked and toyed with

And that’s half the fun!

Harlequins are acrobats are always welcome

Masks or not

And while the music plays,

Something else is going on under the stairs…

A magical feast for the imagination and eyes, for the child in us all, a place for fairytales, vintage toys and favourite old games, best loved children’s books from times past, and dolls houses waiting to be brought to life; inspired by Venetian markets and Victorian Toyshops, a hidden nook under the story stairs awaiting the curious.

Shelves decoupaged in copies of old book covers

A tale of two cities

What’s behind the door?

Circus fabrics and vintage newspaper cuttings line the walls, looked over by Mr Fox

A lifelong project to be added to by the imaginations of any younger guests

A timeless little place

Yesterdays haul at the recycling centre found a tatty metal unidentified thing , possibly part of a discarded garden ornament, a wine rack maybe? Swiftly it was taken to the studio.

Where it was tended to with a little paint, a scrap of wood, and some gorilla glue…

It now has a shelf, decoupaged in earthy textures and patterned papers, finished with a touch of acrylic and varnished

A marvellous and ideally sized new console table .

The stage is set

Let the show begin

xx

Art, Blog story posts, Uncategorized

Let’s paint

lizatthebeachhut

Oops !

A week has just disappeared in a determined burst of creative energy .

and time slipped away in a rainbow

Where was my p.a for all those important decisions?!!

Oh well, best put the best foot forward then …

A new knee might be imminent. And it occurred to me, bending might be tricky, and so numerous painting jobs just had to be done…

From dawn ’til dusk, brushes dipped and swirled and layered their marks.

Repainting shabby corners and battered edges, bumped by puppies and boots; upcycling new treasures found in the recycling shop.

A few gaps for sleeping and eating and cooking for big painty days, big projects and big appetites

Awesome Allan did a fabulous job building our new bookcase, making use of an awkward, half landing corner, which I finished in Farrow and Ball’s smoking room green.

Soon after, and not to be outdone, the bannisters got a freshen -up

As did the kitchen, which as you will all understand was a soup of greasy- teenagery-dog and life back splashes, even after just a year.

And to a little detail… An archway in the hall, printed with diamond chalk paint in musky pink and almost black, accented with a smidge of gold. A little bit Tudory but modern too.

For any younger visitors, a newly painted throne, Bloomsbury style. Acrylic and chalk paint , a touch of gold

Now we need someone that can fit…

Upstairs in the shower room, the mirror has taken on a new design. The theme – men’s vintage pyjamas !

Back to the other bathroom and back to Bloomsbury. A little mirrored cabinet, hand painted in shades of soft grey blues and natural tones.

On the landing, an archway between two sections of corridor, using wood paint and acrylic

And a repaint of the treads and woodwork on the stairs

Which have thankfully withstood a thousand paws and claws

An old lamp upcycled with chalk paint, gold leaf, decoupage papers and marabou

While ornaments shuffled about for their next act,

everyone else stood to attention

Tasks are completed. For today. Everything is shiny once more. I’d like to say I’ll put my brushes away, but you know me….

Let’s get real !!!

Art

Birdcage

lizatthebeachhut
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Take a rusty old birdcage found at the recycling. See it’s potential.

Sand away surface rust and dirt.

Lay a dust sheet under the birdcage. Use hard-wearing spray paint suitable for metal. Leave to dry between coats until both inside and out are covered.

Now for paper mache birds. You will need modroc plaster bandages, water, scissors, wire, newspaper, card, masking tape and a glue gun. (or you could just buy ready made model birds! )

Scrunching up a body from newspaper, attach a similar ball for the head with masking tape. Form a beak using tape too. Push wire through the body and out the other side to form legs, twisting the feet into however many toes you need.

Multi task building up layers of soaked modroc on your model, whilst simultaneously cuddling guinea pigs.

Some areas of your model might need tiny pieces of modroc.

Leave to dry and then begin layering coloured tissue paper with a mix of 50%water/50% pva brushed both under and over each layer)

Add more layers whilst learning your choir lines!

Paint details and textures with acrylic paint.

Don’t forget the feet!

Add lights and leaves to your birdcage.

Add feathers and more detail.

Leave to dry.

Add loops for hanging.

Glaze with modpodge varnish

Be unique.

If you can get your birds to stay in their cage please do put them there, sometimes though, they might just find their way back out again…

Caught you!

Not you as well. !!

Your birds will work equally well in and on your cage, lit up with your fairy lights.

Experiment with lights and greenery. Keeping any naked flame or hot bulbs away from plastic and paper.

Just don’t paper mache your guinea pigs xx

Happy Making!!

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Eat and bathe

lizatthebeachhut

Thank you for your patience of late. The mantra, eat * sleep * paint * repeat has played on a permanent loop for months. How did Summer arrive with such abandon? Rationing food supplies in favour of chalky, vintage colours, we have begun the transformation of this lovely house; a little faded in her glamour but still quite beautiful.

The first space to get a makeover was the kitchen. All else was chaos, but we could eat and have a space to get our minds clear for two minutes! Like the Forth Road bridge, it is very probable that once the house is complete, this room will need re-doing as it has taken knocks already from mucky workmen and a variety of renovation dirt! The floor is also on the list for the lottery win.

A much longed for bird-watching window, waiting for it’s new Morris blind.

Ah the joy of unpacking life’s luxuries and finding them!

Roses in one of the vintage French jugs on the kitchen windowsill.

Thanks to several bird feeders outside, washing up is a pleasure.

Finally gifts from Christmas past have made their way home

An improved, bright and functional kitchen space with lots of potential. Once the other rooms downstairs are finished too, there will be a dining room leading off this space and plates in plate cupboards and not cardboard boxes!

This is the bathroom, which already had a big personality and just required a re-paint and the addition of a long sleeper shelf, with filigree brackets for storage.

Plants and old glass bottles have settled well into corners in here, and echo the green of the huge trees outside.

Finished off with a hand-painted mural of wisteria and roses around the window.

Now, what to decorate next?

xxx

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Mopsie and Living rooms

lizatthebeachhut

Many years ago, a very young Liz at the Beach Hut, had a Mopsie. Who had a little herb garden at the back of their cottage. In this garden were scents of wild garlic and herbs, mossy stones, exotic ferns poking out of crevices and shady corners where interesting wildflowers and fairies hid. Every visit would find a little girl also hiding there.

The first time we saw this house, it was the secret garden that did it for me. Instantly it felt like home. An old stone wall, probably an outhouse or stable in years gone by when the building was first built 300 years ago, encloses a scruffy little hotch-potch patch, perfect for alpines, a rampant rose and a variety of herbs. It is a place to plonk ourselves in the morning with coffee, and at night with something stronger. It is far from finished, but houses an old Belfast sink and a variety of bird perching- platforms and old lanterns: rich, dense greenery and pops of colour from surprise species of flowers, which suddenly reveal themselves with each new change in the weather. This space is a little sanctuary, welcome to our Mopsie Garden.

Every corner has a little bit of fairytale.

We even have our very own grape vine creeping in from next door!

A perfect spot for tea

Whatever you make it in!

Of course, at this time of year, even on the sunniest of days, our natural instinct is to make plans for Autumn days to come. And ever since we moved into this home, our biggest challenge has been how to create a cosy living space in time for this winter, complete the required damp proofing, and finish all the decorative challenges afterwards.

Living Room

One of the original features was the fireplace, with a pretty nice wood burning fire already there. The doors open out so it feels like an open fire which I prefer on cold winter nights and of course, Christmas Eve.

You will be pleased to note I haven’t zoomed in on the spiders in this window seat, choosing to appreciate it’s merits from afar!!

Frustratingly, almost as soon as painting was allowed, damp proofing began, rendering the space unusable for weeks, with various jobs slotted in as things dried and were cleaned. New dado rails, shelves, some skirting boards, painting, wallpapering, a lot of bleaching and cleaning and a room began to emerge. The floors however, took a lot longer, as the carpet store decided to cancel the order due to stock issues. …… ((((BREATHE)))))))

Cushions were made for the window from Ikea blankets

Max decided the window seat was his!

And finally after our recent travels to Greece.. the carpet fitters arrived! Ahhhh!!! that lovely smell of new carpets! Especially after standing on carpet grippers and chasing moths out with the old ones!

I can’t tell you how long I have coveted my new sofa and how long it has sat in plastic, waiting to be unwrapped!!!

Ta Dah!!

And finally, after what has felt like an absolute age, some of the furniture is starting to find it’s place at last! We actually have a living room!

Things that have been tripping us up look and seem to fit just right. Of course we will jiggle things about..

Change the odd rug or cushion, but that’s half the fun.

At least we can read a book and get a seat. (This one is a love seat for the more amorous guests)

A place to sew or listen to music.

Soooooo looking forward now to a cooler night so we can light a fire!

How long do you think this will be pet free?

A few of the textures, colours and patterns from the living room.

Maybe, one of these days, there might be time for five minutes off?

Maybe not ! xxxx

Lots of love, Liz at the Beach Hut xxx

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Chez Nous

lizatthebeachhut

 

Once upon a time there was a little girl who dreamed of living in a white cottage by the sea….

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(Not in the sea)

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It just had to be magical .

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An old boat fashioned into a hut? . A perfect childhood den..

 

So, fast forward forty (odd) .. actually very odd years…but that’s another story…Wigwams in the garden/ hide outs in-between sheds/ childhood bedrooms designed and redesigned for a (usually- bored parent)  /numerous crazy junk-filled student flats/ an escaped marital castle. a temporary refuge and our hug house which help put us back together again…..but still, this little dream of a little blue and white house remained..

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My small person and I kept feeding the plan, despite massive hurdles. It had to have no stairs, and be a place of sanctuary . Where flowers grew, and the kettle was on.

 

We imagined…..

A seasidey, comfortable little house where people would feel at home, hydraengas in the garden and shells around the edges, inspired by trips to France and Greece and a love of deep Blue from iconic paintings and seaside holidays, ( So much so that my daughter has blue as her middle name.)

Image result for ultramarine blueI knew all our years of looking would be worth it. The ingredients were coming together  and we had faith in finding our home.  We knew it was here.

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As you already know, we spent a long time over the last year doing the groundwork, the garden, the inside etc. Finally, this week, we managed to get the walls done and it was like coming home..

…Can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, and the mess was worth it. !

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We were lucky to have the best village painter and the weather held out so we got the job done in two days. Finally the whole picture came together .

Day one.

 

Day two.

So.. here is our home…Image result for heart

 

And the stripey detail drainpipes..

And the funky tattoo doorstep with the fishermen donated by the other beach hut lady.

And the beach blue windows..

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And the additional path colours.. Which will be a lifelong project I think. A bit like the forth road bridge…

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And the fab shipwreck wood half gate which will keep our neighbour’s little dog from escaping when we pup sit… ( It is a work in progress as it needed to go up before the rain hit… )… Another masterpiece from my dustbin- cover-upper-erer…

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And the beach…( which will be a long term working painting given the temperamental nature of my joints and the weather here!)

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That’s Molly giving it the once over… Again, it needs another coat.. not least because of the er.. snow affect my lovely painter accidently added in a mini blizzard. But also it will have more detail in it as time goes by…

Hope you like it. Think my six year old self would be quite pleased, given how many small people have congregated here this Summer!Image result for lifebuoy

I can feel the weather and my body getting less adaptable already, so I am grateful for these last few months of long sunshiney days. If I have had an ounce of energy it has gone into making what we have here, chipping away until each piece is done. It has been done on a shoestring, it hurts, its frustrating, but for now the biggest things are complete. You need the patience of a saint to build something yourself, and the skin of a rhino to throw off your critics….My rhino skills are sadly lacking but the positive comments and new friends made over the fence have more than made up for that.

Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not possible xx

Big love, Kettle’s onImage result for vintage kettles on

Love Liz

And six year old Liz xxx

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