Holidays

This is the first page of my brand new blog! Finally...

I have to give away that I am pretty excited starting up this blog.


I would like to thank my 13-years old son for assisting me doing this (for me not so easy) job.

Please, I'll ask you my apologies for my incorrect writing English sometimes...

I promise to do the best I can to express me in English ( my native language is Dutch).



Because of my summer holidays break, I would like to write you about the things that keep me busy for this days.


My family and I do not go abroad this summer, right now we are enjoying our house and the beautiful region we're living in!


So in the mean time, I like to invite friends and family for a drink or a meal.
That envolves a good table decoration, don't you think?

So I would love to share with you some pictures of my table decoration...

Did you notice the grape vine-leaf decoration?



Well, I'm proud to say that we have our own grape-vine in our garden.
After a few years in a small basin, we planted him 2 years ago against the wall of our oranjerie, and look at him now! Gorgeous, isn't it?!






There are a lot of bunches of grapes. So I hope that we can eat them within 2 months. I will tell you!


Second thing I love to do in summer holidays is to go to a summer party!

A few weeks ago, we went to a party at my sisters and had a wonderful day.
Again, I share with you some pictures! Enjoy!

As we moved into our new home 2 years ago, we want to start the garden landscaping for now.

My husband started this holiday to built an oak construction, so that we can barbecueing even if the weather is not that good. Belgian weather is not that famous, you know!

So this are the things that keep me and my family busy for the last few weeks

Hope you enjoyed ,

Greet

How about Colorful Chalkboard Paint?

Chalkboard paint has been really becoming popular lately.
Although the above is one of my favorite images that illustrate
the use of chalkboard paint, one does not have to go all out
and paint an entire room in chalkboard paint - although this
shows how it really can work. Did you notice that even the
ceiling is painted in chalkboard paint? I thought that was
pretty unique.

Hallways and doors are excellent for painting with
chalkboard paint as well.

How about the front door?

This entry hall is very cleverly done with just the top
of of the room and the ceiling painted with chalkboard
paint. I love the pink/peach juxtaposed against the
dark paint. The beautiful chalk swirls and cursive letters
really do make a big statement.

Painting a teenager's room in chalkboard can
be fun.

And of course, it's absolutely perfect for kid's
or children's rooms.


This is an interesting wall that separates
the kid's beds from the main living space.
By painting the dividing wall with chalkboard
paint, it effectively creates a great play space.

I really thought this was very clever. Ever get
tired of craning your neck at the cookbook while
trying a recipe? Well now you can literally write
the recipe on your kitchen wall. Painting the kitchen
backsplash with chalkboard paint can come out with
unexpected benefits.

Here's a more traditional and rustic kitchen
paired with green chalkboard walls. I adore
the old door used for the pantry.

Isn't this a hoot? Bathroom graffiti is the
way to go.

This post was actually inspired by Hudson Paint. What's
unique about their chalkboard paint is the many bright
colors it comes in (as you can see from the color palette
above.) They give some great tidbits about using chalk-
board paint here.

I think a great point to remember that outside of painting
on a smooth surface, remember that not all chalk is made
equal. Here's a piece of advice from Hudson Paint about
using chalk.

Chalk sticks are not all equal, some are very hard, some
even contain wax or oils which make them difficult to
erase, try different brand for best results.

Some examples and ways to use Hudson paint
from their site. I love how they mixed colors
to make a grid for this mudroom.

A child's room or play room is fantastic for colorful
chalkboard paint. How often have you seen an orange
chalkboard? Pretty fun and cool.

An office is a great place to use chalkboard paint as well.
Here we have an entire wall with a red chalkboard.

This photos is just for fun where a school painted one
of their halls entirely in green chalkboard paint.

Remember the chalkboard paint isn't just for walls, you
can use it on all sorts of mediums such as furniture or even
appliances. I'll have follow posts on this in the future. So
how about it, would you consider using chalkboard paint in
your home?


Photos from Hudson Paint, Apartment Therapy,
Style-Files, BHG.com, Lowes and JeanierHoades.com

That's All Folks

Well, that's all from me this week. I am taking an early mark and heading away for a few days. I'd just like to thank the Skirted Girls again for having me over at their table this week. I really did have such a wonderful time. Thank you also for all of the beautiful comments you have left me this week too. You are all very, very kind. Looking forward to being back here next Tuesday. Have a great weekend!!

Image via Lolitas blog

Blue & White Lamp Heaven

I am so excited to say that we finally have some beautiful blue and white lamps available at Black & Spiro. As you can see above the girls have just unpacked them this morning and they are about to be put into the shop. We have some white crackle lamps and some really great orange lamps available too. Oh, and we also have some more new blue and white ginger jars which just came in this morning as well...just in case anyone is interested!!

Talking Around The Skirted Round Table

A huge thank you to Linda, Megan & Joni for inviting me to their Skirted Round Table for a chat. I had a fantastic time talking with you all yesterday. If anyone is interested in hearing our discussion click HERE to be directed over to The Skirted Round Table.

Vintage Chairs

Sorry about the terrible photos however, I just had to snap a few shots of these pretty chairs I recently had recovered for one of my clients. They were her mother's chairs which we have worked into her lounge room scheme. We covered them in a black and white ticking and had box pleated skirts put around the base of them. I wanted to keep the timber frame in it's original condition so as to show the age of the chairs.

Black Walls...Black Rooms...Punk, Goth or Glam with an Edge?

A couple years ago, I started getting into black walls and

black rooms...I even painted my guest bathroom black.
This was after I lost the battle at home to paint the guest
bedroom black. Granted, it's not the usual color to paint
a bedroom or any room for that matter - but black as a
room color can definitely work. Take the above room for
instance, who would ever think of pairing this ornate bed
with black lacquered walls? But it works and to me it's
glam and chic with an edge.

Here's a room where the black bed frame blends into the
black walls and ceiling. It's actually pretty neat. Even the
bench, rug and door frame is painted black. The gray flooring
and white bedding give some contrast to an otherwise very
black room.

This room is painted all black except for the window frames.
The white desk and white bed linens help temper this space.

Black textured wallpaper on one wall can make quite a
statement without painting the entire room black.

Black and bright yellow. You can also pair black with
other bright colors where it can really make a color pop.

Metallics will always look good against black.

This is Jennifer's bedroom (Made by Girl). She makes
fantastic stationary and we share a common penchant
for the union jack. Isn't her bedroom cool?

This kitchen is from Domino magazine. I don't know
about you but I don't see many kitchen walls and ceilings
painted black - but this really seems to work. Painting
kitchen walls and cabinets with chalkboard paint has also
been popular lately. You can achieve a similar affect with it
and have the benefit of being able to use the wall as a
chalkboard - pretty nifty if you ask me.

Black can make instantly create the "cool" factor
in any room. It can also make a room feel cozy
like this great lounging space where the wall
disappears into the ceiling.

Sky blue with black and white - black
and be a great neutral color.

This photo by Ted Yearwood showcases
an all black bathroom - even the door
is black.

The black marble and crystal scones in this
bathroom really make for a swanky and high
end bathroom. Can't forget the lacquered walls
for some shine and glam.

I just love how smooth and shiny the black
walls are in this bathroom. The single yellow
chair in this room really creates visual interest.

My Favorite and My Best has a great post on the

black rooms and walls in her home. Definitely

check it out.

What do you think of painting a room black?
Would you dare?

A big thank you to Terri Sapienza for featuring

this post in the Washington Post Home section.

Friday Flowers

Here are some beautiful tulips which I just arranged in a vintage jug for the shop. I love this little corner in the shop at the moment and these fresh tulips fit right in. I hope you have a great weekend. See you next time!

xx

Anna