Post Of The Month Club: August

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

It's here!

Post of the Month Club

for August :)

Yea!

Come on in

It wouldn't be the same without you

[pinterest]

Around here

Trees are drooping with apples

Blackberries are ripe for the picking
Days are getting shorter

Where are we going this month?

It's a little more personal for me this time

Here, have a seat at my table...

I saved a spot for you :)
[pinterest]

Have you noticed anything about the photos, as a clue?
No?

Hmm, what about my party dress?

Too much?
[pinterest]

Okay, this has to give it away...

The party favors :)
[pinterest]

So for me, September will be about doing 

A CLEANSE*

No dairy. No sugar. No alcohol. Gluten-free. 21 Days.

{yikes!}

Proof that you can find an adventure as close as your kitchen

Nervous - yes

 Challenging - yes

Curious - YES!

Feeling 'clean' inside & out
[pinterest]

Most of all, I want to see how I feel after 21 days

What I learn in the process

* I'll be following The Clean Program by Dr Junger, made famous by Gwyneth Paltrow 
(I'm receiving no compensation for blogging about it)

Tell me, do you have any adventures next month?

***

Alrighty then

To our meet & greet

* Bloggers, just link up your best post of the month *

And see, you've already done the work

* Share the love by dropping by a few other blogs and say 'hi',
if you can *

* Would you like to add my button to your lovely sidebar or post so more can join the fun? *

Yep, we'll do this the last day of each month

* Don't forget to become a follower here too *

Don't be shy
Jump in :)

Happy September Blogging, you nutritious cauliflower, you

Veranda's House of Windsor

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the official unveiling of Windsor Smith's latest project. Windsor is one of my very favourite designers (and if you know me, that's a big call), and she's really outdone herself here. In conjunction with Veranda magazine, and assisted by a few of her fabulous designer friends, Windsor has designed the most amazing property - complete with designer stables, gravel entryway, master suite; the ultimate fantasy home. What I wouldn't give to have been there in person at the grand opening....but instead, I'll be content with living vicariously through those who were...

master suite

master bath/dressing room. 

sensational eat-in kitchen

...and those stables - I could move in quite happily

Kathryn Ireland fabrics and design....love

his and her sinks

family room/den

it's all in the details

how's this for a nursery?

white, serene....and very relaxed for such a grand home

What I really love about this house is its relaxed feel. I know it's a luxurious, high-end designer home, but it really has warmth and charm. The emphasis is on family (ok, albeit a very well-off family), but nonetheless, I think that Windsor's vision of creating a home that brings people together has been achieved in spectacular fashion. The full reveal will feature in the October issue of Veranda magazine, but in the meantime, check out the website for a few snippets, and a look at the floorplan - love. You can also visit the blogs of those lucky enough to have seen it first-hand...beyond jealous.



Images courtesy of these very lucky bloggers:


http://www.cococozy.com/2011/07/house-of-windsor-spectacular-show-house.html
http://www.sabinavavra.com/uncategorized/house-of-windsor-part-1-of-2
http://caribbeanlivingblog.com/2011/07/27/sizzling-showhouse-%E2%80%93-house-of-windsor-part-2/

Custom prints....you choose the colour

Finding artwork to suit your style and colour scheme can be tricky. Often, you'll fall in love with a piece, but the colours don't work, or the size is wrong....you know how it goes. I've just finished some prints for a client, who requested I match them to a paint colour - Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue. Of course, the colours may not be exactly the same, but I have to say, I really like the way these have turned out....soft, pretty and in a lovely, green/blue hue:

'Sea Coral II in Woodlawn'

prints now for sale here on Etsy

'Sea Coral IV'

prints now for sale here on Etsy

'Sea Fan in Woodlawn'

prints now for sale here on Etsy

Coincidentally, I was also commissioned to paint some of my ginger jars in a very similar colour, and it's a nice change, in place of the usual blue and white:

'Ginger Jar in Silver Sage'
210mm x 297mm (8" x 11")
prints for sale on Etsy

So, if you're looking for artwork, and you'd like to have a piece custom-designed in a particular colour or size, I'd love to hear from you.

Catch you soon,

 

Althorp House & Princess Diana

Althorp House, Northamptonshire

A girlfriend of mine just returned with rave reviews from the Spencer family home,

but I had to hurry if I was to visit this famous estate

before it closed to the public for the season
So off I went!

The Spencer dynasty has lived at Althorp for twenty generations
Not a museum, this house is has been occupied uninterrupted by a family since 1522,
making this house a home

Covering 14,000 acres of beautiful countryside in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, and Norfolk,

the estate includes cottages, farms, woodlands, and even villages

Charles, 9th Earl Spencer (Princess Diana's brother) lives there today

Oaks & sheep line the driveway

Making their fortune as sheep farmers since pre-Tudor times,

the Spencer estate leases much of its land for farming today

In many cases, the same family has farmed the same land for generations

As you could imagine, the Althorp House holds many stories

including courtly balls, a secret marriage (1755), a small pox victim (19th cent), and 

royal overnight guests including William of Orange (1695), 

Queen Mary and King George V (1913)

One guide assured me there are no ghosts or secret passageways, 
but I was always on the lookout for a trapdoor or hidden panel :)

Prince William Room & Marlborough Room

Exploring the nineteen rooms and a few private apartments,

I found the house to be large and grand (as expected)

with an accumulation of countless portraits,

artwork, antique furniture, and books that spans the generations

Althorp Stables

The stables hold an award-winning exhibition celebrating the life of Diana, Princess of Wales

including the famous bridal gown, her childhood letters and artifacts, 

and details of her charity work

My favorite part was seeing some of her dresses displayed next to

photographs of her wearing them

She was definitely an amazing person with all she accomplished
What a difference one person can make
(and how adorable are her two sons?!)

A Sad Day: At rest on island, September 6th 1997

I saw a visitor leave flowers here...

Located beside lake

Although the 2011 summer open days have almost past, 

there are opportunities to rent out the house for a wedding or special occasion(!)

or visit when it is open next time (the more economical choice):

Althorp Garden Art Weekend (Sept 3-4)

Winter Warmers at Althorp (Nov 25-27)

It was definitely an unforgettable day
Thank you for coming along :)

***

Time for another Post Of The Month Club day - yea! 

It is a great way for you to promote your best work

and meet other fantastic bloggers

Join me Wednesday, August 31st

Yep, right here :)

Ooh, wouldn't this button look lovely on your sidebar?

You can grab the code from my sidebar :)

All bloggers are welcome to join

It wouldn't be the same without you!

(more details here)

Exterior photos: by me
Interior photos: Althorp 
Content: Althorp, Wiki

 

House of Turquoise feature

House of Turquoise is one of my daily must-reads. Without fail, Erin manages to find the most spectacular homes from around the world, and they all feature one of my very favourite colours - turquoise. So you can imagine my excitement this morning when I woke to find her latest post:

My Sea Fan Series in Turquoise

as seen in the Stately Homes by the Sea Designer Show House

room designed by the very talented Lauren Guarcello of Porter Design Company

Thanks so much Erin, you've made my day! You can see the whole post here.

Blogging Tips Series: Increasing Comments On Your Blog

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Bloggers love to receive comments, don't we?

It provides the fuel to keep us posting

Motivating. Validating. Connecting.

Here are a few ideas to keep the love comments flowing...

Heartfelt comments
[via Pinterest]

GIVE THE BOOT TO THE CAPTCHA

Deactivate the 'captcha' in your comment section - you know, that warped text of nonsense words used to ensure a real person is writing a comment? You'll notice the well-followed blogs do not use them. They are not user friendly.

[sample captcha]

Many people read blogs from different devices such as smartphones and iPads, on which can be cumbersome to write (or see) the captcha. It takes time, and simply is an extra hoop to jump through.

Do not fear inappropriate comments. Although I receive them occasionally, I just delete them. Plus, you can reactivate the captcha feature anytime you rethink your decision to eliminate it. All comments will continue to land in your inbox, so nothing will sneak in under the radar. Really, just try it.

Loads of comments
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COMMENT BACK

Ideally, comment back on other bloggers' posts if they comment on yours

I think it increases blog loyalty and forms connections

{However, I must say life often gets this in the way, 

preventing me from doing this as often as I'd like}

Cute comments
[via Pinterest]

COMMENT PLACEMENT

Personally I like when a comment box is not isolated from its post

I have a very small memory and appreciate being able to refer back to the post

while writing a comment

Flowery comments
[via Pinterest]

INVITE DISCUSSION AND OPINIONS

End your post with a question

This gives a clear message to your readers that you would like their input

What suggestions would you add?
(that's a 'ending your post with a question' question)

I really would like to know ;)

****************

Coming Wednesday, August 31st
Hope you will join in the fun!





Details here

More Blogging Tips:

Increasing Blog Traffic (here)
Photo Editing (coming soon)

Spring it on

It's cold and rainy here in Brisbane this morning, and just between you and me, I'm completely over winter. So, if I can't hurry Spring, I can at least indulge in a little virtual daydreaming, courtesy of Sig Bergamin.

I feel better already.....