It's so bitterly cold outside but oh so bright and light inside. So light actually that I could shoot the photos in this post using just 100 iso. Now this is super geeky and I'll not go deep into this subject but I'm super excited about that as my study is always really dark.

I received a copy of Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo and Julia Denos today. I'm in love with it, I don't think love is something that describes my sensation about this book enough so I guess I'm utterly in love with this book. The illustrations are so pretty, so Audrey, and the story (about Audrey's life) is wonderful. Wonderful!! It's for all ages, it's for all true Audrey fans.

Buy (and support me) on Amazon.co.uk
Buy (and support me) on Amazon.com

At long last I have a new crochet project for you.

You can find all the old ones here at the same place where you can buy the yarn I use for all of my crochet projects.

Use Annell Cotton 8 with a 3.5 mm needle to make it extra tight.

Start: ch 40 + 3 for the first dc.

Start row one with double crochets working into the chain.

Work single crochets in row two, repeat this until you have a total of 29 rows (so 15 dc rows and 14 sc rows), cast off with a sl st.

hdc all the way round in a different colour, cast of with a sl st

That's all!

I used colours 32 and 79. You can machine wash the dishcloths on low and high heat as the yarn is 100% cotton

Stitches I used (and in Dutch):

ch=chain (NL lossen of ketting)
dc=double crochet (NL stokje)
sc=single crochet (NL halve vaste)
sl st=slip stitch (NL vasten)
hdc=half double crochet (NL half stokje)

It's not all flowery white with pink rooms and daisies all day in my life. I do have other hobbies and interest. I've read all Alain de Botton's books with great interest, I watch a massive amount of films (hence my late nights), I like art, architecture and I'm a big lover of folk music.

My favourite artists are Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn and Karine Polwart, Karine actually so much that I now master the Scottish language fluently.

I also like to spend time at concerts and plays. Last summer I booked tickets to see Johnny Flynn play in November 2011 but the date got pushed to January 2012. So there I sat front row in St Mary's Church in Ashford Kent a week ago Saturday listing to Johnny Flynn.

He just stood there on his own with his guitar being absolutely amazing. I'm so glad that I've experienced this very intimate concert with him. The acoustics were amazing especially when he had us all sing along to Tickle me Pink, it was just so special.

Thank you Johnny.

Remember the good old days when we bloggers had music swaps? Is anyone out there up for one of those again? I'd love to arrange a swap.

Night, night see you in the morning x

This is the vegetable rack I've bought in Whitstable last weekend.

I couldn't resist consulting Google to find other Tala vegetable racks. I only found one other, in green on eBay, for too much money in a rather poor condition. So I feel lucky that I had this one for just £14 in fire engine red, fire engine red people!!

I actually does store fruit and veg now and hangs just of the left side of the archway in the new part of the kitchen what used to be the sunroom, are you still with me?

Did you see the photo of this wall in yesterdays post, with the bare white walls? It needed a repeat of wallpaper just like I have on the other side of the kitchen (featured here on lovely Will's blog). So when I got home late last night Bo surprised me and wallpapered the wall. Never let a man go who surprises you with something like that, never!

The doors are painted as well. I was going to not paint them, I was going to paint them blue and now they are white and I'm still not convinced if they will stay white. We need to complete the rest of this part of the kitchen. Boy, do I need a good name for this room as "This Part of The Kitchen" doesn't flow so nice does it?

We were in the UK the past few days.

I had tickets to see Johnny Flynn perform in Ashford last November but as Johnny was in a play the concert got rescheduled to the 21st. Quite good as I also had tickets for the Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibit in The National Gallery in London on the 22nd. So we combined the two and it turned out to be a great weekend.

We had a good old day to explore Whitstable for the very first time and we loved it. There's such a crafty scene going on there with many arts & crafts shops on Oxford Street and High Street but also lots of brocante all along Oxford Street.

We visited the 'Seaside Brocante Fair' in St Mary's Hall. It's on every Saturday and vendors sell pretty brocante. It's not that big, as I hoped it would be, but lovely nonetheless. I bought a brilliant vegetable rack and an enamel bucket.

Park on Shaftesbury Road and walk through a small alley straight to St Mary's and Oxford street.

I'm going to tell you more about that wall and the vegetable rack tomorrow as it will transform overnight.

I've fallen in love with Whitstable with her beautiful concept shops like Frank, the seaside huts, Whitstable Castle where I had a lovely spot of hot chocolate and all the beautiful brocante shops on every corner. I can highly recommend to drive there in a car with a big boot.

As promised today is the day that I announce the winners of the Sew What Your Love Giveaway.

The winner of the book is jen@thecottagenest

The winner of the downloadable patterns is Stefania

Congratulations and thank to all of you for participating and talking about the book. It means the world to us.

Tanya is hosting another great giveaway on her blog.

***

Also a thank you for all your sweet comments on yesterdays post. I feel fine!! I can't hardly believe it but I don't have any pain. We buried Annabelle in the garden and the other two still look happy and healthy.

I'll be away for the weekend so you'll see me back Tuesday.

Thank you for reading xox

Today was a bad day.

When I woke up in the morning and looked out of the kitchen doors to check on the chicken, Annabelle (one of the chicken) was laying down in the middle of the coop with her head down and her bum up. It looked quite odd so I went outside to check on her, she was having it rough.

Yesterday I was driving and eating liquorice and all of a sudden I had part of my tooth in my liquorice. I phoned my dentist and she could see me today. So I left the chicken at 12:00 hoping Annabelle would be fine by the time I got back.

When my dentist looked at my tooth she was rather in a state of shock and told me she had to get it out completely as there was an infection in my root canal, she could do that next week. I told her to do it straight away - you can better get over and done with these things. So after quite a lot of injections she started to yank and it didn't work, so she yanked some more and more and more and it felt like she was yanking out my entire skull. After 15 minutes the tooth was out and part of my skull with it. Now I have to walk around with a tooth out for 6 whole weeks and look like a pirate, aye ...

When I drove back home, my mouth stiff and blood dripping, I got home to find Annabelle dead, stone dead. With the stiff blood dripping mouth I had to get Annabelle out of the coop and the coop cleaned so that her two sisters could remain happy.

I do feel better now and my mouth and tooth are not aching so I'll be fine, the chicken will be fine.

It's such a shame she died just 3 days after we've revamped their coop because the chicken will be photo models next week.

Even Boo did a coop quality inspection while the ladies were on the move.

There was nothing wrong they all looked beautiful, big, fluffy, good colour and sheen.

RIP Annabelle we sort of loved you.

The Pinks

Wall
Colour number: S 1010-Y90R Natural Colour System 2nd Edition
Paint used: Histor wall paint Satin

Chest of drawers
Colour number: S 1030-R10B Violier Histor Collection 2
Paint used: Sigma Coatings S2U Nova Satin

The Outdoors

All walls and woodwork

Colour number: FB approx 2004 / PPG: FB approx (Farrow & Ball Slipper Satin 2004)
Paint used: Sigma Coatings Torno Semi-Gloss

The Whites

For all interior woodwork (windows, closets etc.)
Colour number: FB approx 2005 / PPG: FB approx (Farrow & Ball All White 2005)
Paint used: Sigma Coatings S2U Nova Satin

For all interior walls (that are white)
Colour number: RAL 9010 Pure White
Paint used: Histor wall paint Satin

Bare in mind that what you are about to read is how I like to work, I can't claim it's the best way to do it. I'm convinced you should always ask information and guidance at your local paint/D.I.Y. shop. I write this post as I'm often asked what my routine is and as I like to share that with you I'll dedicate this post to the subject. I hope it will satisfy your needs ;o)

I know that the following contents applies for Europe but I'm not sure if it will work elsewhere. WILL YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

The image below shows a chart of the tools I use. Each tool is numbered so if I write; "use 1 and 8", it will refer to this chart.

If I use acrylic paint (water based) I use felt paint rollers if I use turpentine paint (oil based) I use foam paint rollers.

For surface cleaning I use hot water with a drop of ammonium.

I use disposable paint brushes as I can't be bothered to clean them (the only really bad thing I do for the environment beside being human)

Water Based vs Oil Based

I have a really simple rule for that: use water based paint for everything that you don't walk on and use oil based paint for everything you do walk on. Water based paint is perfect for furniture, woodwork etc.. as it dries super fast. It's also much better to use indoors as it doesn't smell and it's not so toxic. Oil based paint is much more durable and hard wearing. Experts say that it should be used to paint outdoors but I don't agree. If you get a good water based paint it will last outdoors.

So water based paint wins.

Paint

Don't go for cheap - DO NOT EVER! Cheap paint will take many, many coats and will be in the long run very expensive. Settle with a quality paint brand and good tools as it will make your life easier. I only use paint from SIGMA COATINGS - not worldwide available. I'll get it mixed in any colour I fancy.

The Magic of Colour Numbers

If you go to your local D.I.Y. shop, where they have a paint mixing station, they can mix any colour you desire using any brand of paint you desire. I use SIGMA paint but I want a Farrow & Ball colour, it's possible as all colours carry a colour number. For example; Farrow & Ball All White 2005 carries universal number: FB approx 2005. If my paint guy exactly types this in his mixing station computer he'll get All White by Farrow & Ball and can mix it with anything, even wall paint.

So you need to know colour numbers and you need to know brands.

RAL Numbers

There's another way to get the right colour and that's using RAL numbers. RAL numbers are brandless set colours. RAL number 9010 is the most used RAL number for white, I use it a lot. The same counts for RAL numbers, you can take them to your mixing guy and tell him you want RAL number .... mixed in your desired paint.

Brandless Mysterious Numbers

Take them to your mixing guy and let him find it, he will, he'll only needs a bit of encouraging.

Trust me, every colour is mixable as long as you have a colour number.

Stages of Painting

There are 4 stages (phases) in painting:

1. sanding
2. priming
3. sanding
4. painting

This is my pantry/broom closet in 4 stages.

Sometimes you need two or even three coats of paint and you'll have to repeat the sanding/painting stages for as long as it will do the trick. In the end I painted my closet two times.

Paint Technique

I apply the paint with a paint brush (5/6) on to the object that needs painting and roll the paint out with a paint roller (7/8). I never dip the paint roller in a bucket of paint I just use it to even the paint out.

When I paint floors I do the same thing only I put the paint roller on a broomstick (1) and even the paint out like I'm mopping the floor.

Next post will be about the numbers I use in my home, hopefully online tomorrow. Please ask me anything so I can answer your questions in my second paint guide.

How was your weekend? Mine was hard work, but fun.

On Friday afternoon I hung out with Anki and Mus at Piet's place in Eindhoven. Anki bought a watch and I bought mugs and drank lots of tea.

On Saturday and Sunday we worked in the garden and in the boot room and now at 0:45 on Monday morning I'm pooped and should bathe and sleep.

I'll catch up later today as I have things to show and tell.

Night night x

Just before Christmas 2010 Tanya Whelan of Grand Revival Design contacted me if I was willing to help photograph and style her first sewing book Sew What You Love and also if she could use my home as a set for her book. I've known Tanya for years through blogging and as I love her designs and aesthetic I replied with a firm yes. Tanya and her family are American expats living in the south of Belgium so a 2 hour trip to my home (twice) was actually doable and fun as we could meet.

Working with Tanya is a delight as we share the same taste and ideas. Things moved fast and swiftly and with lots of fun. She has a great eye for beautiful things, she works hard and is a total no-bullshit person. I feel very privileged to work and be friends with someone like her.

After months of waiting (on my side, while Tanya did the hard work) I finally have a copy of her beautiful book in my hands, I love it and I know you'll love it too. It's perfect for beginners as the instructions are so well written and so clear, you can't go wrong. The projects in Sew What You Love are very diverse so there's something there for everyone. As an extra bonus you'll recognize a lot of my home in this book.

I'm allowed to give a signed copy (by Tanya and yours truly) to one of you. And a second price of a free downloadable Grand Revival Design pattern. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog and next Thursday, January 19th) I'll draw the winners.

If you go over to Tanya's blog you'll find an interview with me and other great giveaways.

Thanks for participating xox

This giveaway is now closed. You can find the winners here.

It's done, horrible task one is over. Now we have horrible task two waiting ahead of us and that's the roof.

You can read all about my basement studio/shop over at IKEA Live. The lightning in the photos is a bit odd but you have to remember it's a cave, a pretty white cave nonetheless.

I often get the question if there's something fundamentally wrong with my husband Bo as he likes the colour pink. I find that a rather scary question as it shows that society believes pink is a colour just for the female specious. Oddly enough way, way back boys were associated with the colour pink as it stood for a strong, powerful colour and girls were associated to the colour blue as it stood for pale and serene. Also way, way back a boy was not called a boy (as servants were called boy) but they were called 'gay boys'. Oh my!! Now that will shake the socks right off all those men who are scared of the colour pink just because they are told they should be scared of it by society a.k.a. dimwitted parents and other men.

It's a beautiful colour equally for male and female.

I have a very lovely 'gay boy' and there's nothing wrong with him. He is actually a rather fascinating person. He's musical, artistic, creative and the owner of a pair of golden hands.

It was quite challenging to decorate a room in "Yvestown Style" around all his art projects and black and brown stuff but I quite feel accomplished and so does he. There's even the odd pink bookcase, basket and flowers in there, oh yes!!

And when I have one of my black days I totally match this room of the house.

Over the weekend I'm going to spend a whole post on paint. So please bare with me as I'll get all your paint questions answered.

There's an archway in my kitchen that leads to the hideous sun room that the previous owners build in the seventies. The archway was once a door but I thought an archway would be much cooler as the sun room could become part of the kitchen.

It took us a while but we are finally realizing this plan.

Step one: we've bought some old doors and Bo is turning them into a pantry. I'm going to paint them in the same shade of blue as the toilet door to add some colour to all the white. I love popping colours.

I love these doors, I even love them as they are now.

Step two: all that window will go and they will be replaced by those doors that lean against the wall. There's also a cute little window there, ready to be fitted next to the pantry. Our carpenter made them so I can open them to the outside, and as the walls will be massive, I'll have this amazing big windowsill where I can grow my herbs. And each room, of course, needs a princess light, it just does - don't know why it's there.

Oh the thought of this boot room to be finished, the little porch that will lead straight into the garden .... oh spring!

But all in good time.

I can't wait to show you my brand spanking new studio but I've promised IKEA LIVE the premier, hopefully they'll publish it after the weekend.

Have a good one and thank you for making this first week of my new blog so fun for me.