![]()
Turning to the dark side as we build up for Halloween
As we head towards Halloween, I start to feel a real association with rich and vibrant colours – that only the month of October and the celebration of Halloween can bring. I find I use more accessories, with throws and candles being an absolute must. For this table setting I focused on my ever-growing love of our hedgerows, drawing inspiration from all the ferns that are starting to turn from…
![]()
Autumn Magazineing part Deux (it sounds more stylish)
A double date with two timber framed Suffolk gems. Naomi Jones (https://www.naomijoneshomes.com/) and Rob Sanderson (https://robertsandersonphotographer.com/) and the very important Assistant stylist roamed the hill-less Suffolk countryside to track down these absolute beauties. This was a two day shoot of country home drooling (mainly me) and historical joy (mainly Rob “Where’s Rob?” …”Examining the markings on the beams in the hallway…again…”) and impeccable styling (Naomi “Is anyone going to do…
![]()
Creating an Autumn feel in your home
As we head into Autumn, I definitely notice a difference in the colours of flowers I use in my arrangements. I start to step away from the delicate, pastel colours of Summer and move towards the rich, vibrant colours of Autumn. If I had to choose my favourite Autumn flowers, it would be the hydrangea, dahlia, berries and grasses – don’t make me choose though! I love using them to create…
![]()
Autumn Magazineing
Yes it’s definitely a verb. It’s officially no going back Autumn. Time to embrace the change, wrap up warm (then unwrap cold) and channel the beautiful Autumnal colours and simply glorious sunlight. Thank goodness both houses for our shoot were close by (I get slightly twitchy when I have to travel further than the postbox at the end of our lane) and that the sun shone in extremis for both…
![]()
Pickled Pear Recipe
Ingredients 20 conference pears 1lt white wine vinegar/ delicious cider vinegar ½lt water 500g caster sugar 3 star anise 1 large stick cinnamon, broken into three 1tbsp allspice berries Zest of a lemon cut into curls with a potato peeler. ½tsp cloves 1dsp juniper berries 3 sprigs rosemary (optional – my rosemary died this summer so mine is rosemary free!) You’ll Also Need: 2 x 1½lt Kilner jars or 5/6…
![]()
Just a little bit of multi tasking and upcycling
Around this year I start to dry lots of hydrangeas, as I love using them throughout the Autumn and Winter months for styling and adding to floral arrangements. I recently wrote a blog on what I’ve learnt along the way when it comes to drying hydrangeas https://www.myenglishcountrycottage.co.uk/heavenly-hydrangea/and after a weekend in the garden, I discovered another way of ‘drying hydrangeas’ which is a little more pleasing to the eye. The…
![]()
Heavenly Hydrangea
While I adore fresh flowers, I’m also a huge fan of dried flowers too. My absolute favourite has to be the hydrangea and I have built up quite a collection over the years – in fact I’m drying some as I type. They are so useful as we head into the Autumn and Winter months as are also the perfect accessory to decorate with at Christmas. They definitely are my ‘go to’…
![]()
The power of scent
One of the things I love about arranging flowers is their ability to be used to help set a scene or evoke a memory. For example, I always think of my mother in law whenever I smell geraniums, as she has them scattered throughout her house. Also, a yellow rose with it’s lemony smell will always remind me of my mum. I was recently reminded of the power of scents when…
![]()
Marr House Farm
Their English Country Cottages The very moment the previous owner opened the large oak door, I know it would be ours. Lisa Johnson-Richards The main part of this beautiful cottage is Georgian, dating back to 1710. Originally owned by the Crown it was bought by Sir Henry Vane the Elder, (a Member of Parliament and an advisor to Charles I household) who in 1626 purchased nearby Raby Castle, Barnard Castle…
![]()
The Old Hall Cottage
Their English Country Cottages I loved the symmetry of the property with the large entrance vestibule in the middle. It was just as I had drawn houses as a child. Tanya Muller Tanya – a senior University lecturer in Childhood Studies and Special Educational Needs lives in this beautiful cottage with her husband ( an RHS qualified gardener), their teenage son, dogs Fergus (a cockapoo) Charlie (A King Charles spaniel)…
![]()
The Maltings
Their English Country Cottages After viewing 47 houses, The Maltings was the one and only house which we both left and said “this is the one!”. Benjamin Gibbons Benjamin Gibbons, his fiance Luke and their two dogs Darwin & Atlas live in this incredible ‘cottage’ – ok I am stretching the term but it is thatched and it looks a bit cottagey? This incredible building is called The Maltings, and…
![]()
Welcome To My English Country Cottage
In May 2020 our little thatched cottage was featured in Period Living Magazine. It was the culmination of 7 years of creating a family home with my “effortless rural style” – I have taken this as a positive comment on my interior design style rather than a reference to the lack of housekeeping, muddy wellies and occasional strange smell and have created a website to write about interiors, gardening, recipes…
Protected: Changing colours with the changing of the Seasons
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
