Jan May

My mosaic of Heligan Gardens This poem by Kipling has long been my favourite.  I'm not a keen gardener (unless sitting in the garden with glass of wine, watching hubby cutting the grass counts!).  There's just something about this poem that leaves me nostalgic, and wistful of an England of yesteryear that I never knew.  Where everyone had manners, it was sunny all the time, and they all sat in the shade drinking tea and eating cucumber sandwiches.  We'll skip quickly over the fact that if I did exist in those days, I would probably have been a lowly housemaid - with one afternoon off a month, and hands and knees raw from scrubbing the stone floors.  The England of this poem is naive, polite and kind.  It's full of old-fashioned charm, and reminds me wholly of my Great-Uncle Dave who was head gardener at Dartington Hall in Devon many, many years ago.  It must have been written at about the same time he himself was starting out as a 'prentice...

Having just read today's blog by Sew, Vintage, So fun! it was just too hard to resist doing the same.... 1. My favorite color is   cerise (and duck egg blue)   .  2. My travel destination of choice is   Thailand . 3. My favorite food is   Thai Green Curry (What..... I'm only allowed one!) . 4. My happy place is   snuggled up on the sofa with my hubby and dog 5. My favorite saying is "Everyone has to believe in something.... I believe I'll have another glass of wine" .   6. My dirty little secret is   - I couldn't possibly say.  I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you. 7. Something friends might say about me is that I  -am bubbly and smiley, impossibly silly when drunk - with a tendancy to balance spoon on nose and arf like a seal.

Don't you think these buttons are cute? Patchwork printed fabric to cover the buttons, and tiny pink ribbon bows in the centres. I always wondered how such tiny bows were made - thanks to Pinterest I can do them. Simply use a fork to wind the ribbon around, then tie a knot between the centre prong. Ta da - a perfect little bow slides off.

Here at Chez May, we're not ashamed to admit we are totally addicted to car boot sales. Luckily there's lots of them at this time of the year in Cornwall. Unfortunately the weather has meant that most of the recent ones have been a washout. We started hunting for bargains three years ago when we had to leave our home abroad and return to the UK suddenly due to poorly parents. Leaving everything behind, we returned with what we could fit in a rather small car. So, we had a few clothes and a computer each. Since then, we have managed to furnish our home here just about entirely from car boot sales, charity shops and eBay. I'm quite particular, albeit in a quirky way. I've found so many gorgeous pieces of art, fabulous household bargains, together with brilliant jewellery finds and designer clothing steals. Running seriously out of room now, so focusing on pretty fabric finds and unusual bits and pieces. Came home rather pleased with today's purchases. Do you li...

I'm delighted and excited to be involved (in a very small way) with a brand new website for creative young people:- Write it, Draw it, Show it  A special place where young people are able to showcase their talents in a safe and secure environment.  Whatever their creative side; be it writing, poetry, art, craft, design, handicrafts, photography, sewing..... you name it - it can be included here.  To give you a little more information, here is the Who, Why and How direct from the site - About Write it Draw It Show It   is a showcase website designed for children to submit their creative work. A concept by two mums who had run out of space to hang up pictures around the home and had a draw filled with A4 paper, with their children’s stories on, never seeing the light of day. Now, with a little guidance from parents, kids can email stories, interviews, articles, art work and reviews to Write It Draw It Show It and beam with pride as th...