We have put together a little recap of some of our latest vintage stock that is featured in our online Etsy shop.

 

Autumn is an inspiring season, we love seeing the first signs of leaves turning golden, apple picking and catching the last glimpse of the sun before the short wintery days. At Yard Of Bleu we have some gorgeous vintage home wares that is perfect for autumn interiors, we are all about the soft natural tones, still life drawings and simply antique glass ware.

 Add some rustic vintage home wares to your interior decor to create a cosy feel.

 

 

 

October's hand picked vintage.

 

 

 

 Head over to Yard Of Bleu Etsy shop to see all the deets!

www.yardofbleu.etsy.com

 

Upholstery Update :: First Client

A couple of weeks ago I got my first ever upholstery client, I was really excited that someone would want me to upholster their chair. When I first saw the chair I knew it was going to look amazing, a dainty antique Louis 14th, already painted in Annie Sloan old white and upholstered in a emerald green velvet which sagged in the middle, probably from years of  someone sitting reading in a corner somewhere ( it looked like that kind of a chair...cosy).

 

 

As this was the first chair I have attempted to upholster outside of college I thought it would be nice to show (my right arm) Jamie, what I have been getting up to, as I was working through the process it was lovely to get an extra pair of hands and work together to make this chair perfect, and I believe I may have passed on the upholstery bug (Jamie didn't want to come up for air) as it's quite catching once you see one through you want to start another.

 

My client chose a beautiful wide striped linen fabric, which had tones of charcoal greys and natural linens, yes it was gorgeous .

 

fabric by Annie Sloan.

 

 

 

 

 

The transformation of the chair was breath taking, I love upholstering antique chairs that no one would look twice at, and after a bit of love the finished results are so worth it. 

 

Oh and one more thing the little heart was made with some leftover material from the chair as a little thank you gift to my client for picking me to upholster their chair. A great way to use any scrapes of material you have leftover and looks cute hanging on a handle to, and the best thing is there easy peasy to make.

 



The little farmhouse dresser....

 

Don't you love it when you see country farmhouse kitchens full of charm and character...little wooden breakfast stools, the big island in the middle, baskets of potatoes and vegetables resting on the table, the muddy wellies by the back door and that rocking chair in the corner, but you may not have the room for the island or a big farmhouse table in your kitchen but you may have room for a small dresser that you can feel with all your lovely things and create a country farmhouse feel in your home.

 

A friend of mine was redecorating and had a old dresser sitting in her garden ready to be thrown out, when I spotted it sitting there I couldn't help ask if I could take it home with me and she was more than happy to see the dresser out of her garden.

 

when I got this dresser home and started to have a look at the small details I couldn't believe how cute this dresser was, I love the panelling at the back of the dresser and the matching carved details at the top and bottom.

 

Before pic.... yep kind of gross and dated.

 

 

 

After pic ... ta-daa!!

 

 

A bit of love and yes it looks a lot different, I painted the dresser in Annie Sloan - french linen, a new favourite of mine, I also got rid of the glass panels and replaced with chicken wire to bring it up to date and created that farmhouse feel, I distressed the edges and finished with Annie Sloan clear wax.

 

I really was surprised how good the dresser looked, the chicken wire really has made all the difference. The best thing about having a dresser is you can display all your lovely kitchen ware, recipe books and linens in one place and it brings a personal touch to your kitchen instead of hiding your stuff behind cupboard doors you should display the things you love.

 

 

 

 

 

The dresser is filled with all my vintage home wares from my online shop so if there is anything that caught your eye then make sure you take a look.

 

www.yardofbleu.etsy.com

 

 

 

Upholstery update :: sky blues the limit

when you start with a chair that looks like it’s been kept in a skip for the last 20 odd years its exciting knowing that you are going to bring this poor little chair back to life and by the time your done with it, it’s going to be a complete head turner.

I took this pic after I stripped it down, originally it was upholstered in red velvet with brass studs, making this chair look OTT and tacky as the wooden frame is already elaborate enough, I wanted to make this chair look elegant and more simple.

 

I got to learn how to button this term which was really interesting, working out the dimensions for the diamonds and covering buttons by hand is a lot harder then I imagined and the little arms can be fiddly to, but the end result is worth every minute as I’ve fallen completely in love and this will be a hard one to let go.

 

 

I painted this chair in Paris Grey - Annie Sloan {new addiction} I sanded the edges, I think this also helps bring out the beautiful detail that’s in the wooden frame and I decided to go for natural linen in sky blue.

I think this chair would look amazing in a bedroom or if you had a walk-in wardrobe you could have this chair to sit and try on all your beloved shoe collection. {I think Carrie would approve} yep I think I've found the perfect excuse ladies for us to own a chair like this.

Giving your books the perfect ending ...

 

pic was sourced from www.bookabookshop.co.uk

Inspiring hand crafted hare bookends by Carol Ridler painted in Farrow and Ball with two beautiful shades to choose from - Charleston Grey and Downpipe.I do think this pair of little hare's are stunning and any shelve would look super chic with this style bookends sitting nicely against your beloved collection , so today I got excited when I came across these vintage nautical bookends, I decided to take some inspiration and create a chic rustic look, painting them in Annie Sloan - Paris Grey and giving them a distressed finish and adding natural twine bows to give some charm... tadaah!

Grey Love

Having been inspired by grey interiors {from my last post} this week I made it my top priority to work on a few projects using grey as my main colour scheme, I came across this amazing vintage cupboard with gorgeous column details which I knew was going to look amazing painted and also this big chest of drawers with the original key lock features which I fell in love with.  



Painted in Annie Sloan - Paris Grey and finished in Clear wax.

Painted in Annie Sloan - Paris Grey and finshed in clear wax .

 

 

I'm really pleased with the way they both turned out. next time I will take a before shot so you can see the transformation from start to finish.

 

Dreamy Greys & Pale Shades

 

 

Living with light and natural shades, adding a relaxed feel to your home is the key to beautiful interiors and I feel that chalky shades of grey and pastel touches are the way to go.

 

This week I have been looking into grey interiors, and to be honest with you I can’t get enough.... I love absolutely anything and everything in grey and it’s amazing how calm and dreamy it can make a room look. I’ve search the web high and low for some inspiration for my up and coming projects. Enjoy!

 

 



I love these charcoal walls with  stone painted furniture, odd chairs and cage lighting, to me this is perfect. Also some of my favourite things are the little touches that seem to make all the difference, silver antique finds like this adorable jug is simply stunning.
Photos are sources mainly from Pinterest

 

 

A girl can only dream of having a lining canapé draped over the bed....this is magic and I love the chipped painted furniture against the soft knitted blankets and natural linen.
Photos are sources mainly from Pinterest