Wednesday 30 May 2012

Brilliant Free Jubilee Bunting


If you're struggling to find inexpensive but gorgeous bunting for the Jubilee Celebrations, then look this way.

Stylist has the perfect answer. 



Simply download their bunting pdf, designed by the very talented Rob Ryan, and attach your chosen number of flags to ribbon or twine.





Easy-peasy, no?
I love the simple design of the bunting.
Very Modern Country.
And so patriotic too!



Do you have any Jubilee plans for the weekend?
I may or may not be having a baby girl...

I wish, I wish, I wish I knew when our little sugarplum was arriving.
All this waiting around is tiring work.
;-)

All images via Stylist

Enter your email address:

to subscribe to Modern Country Style





Monday 28 May 2012

Colour Study: Dulux White

It's always a slippery little monkey deciding 
which white to choose to go with a particular wall colour, 
don't you find? 

Some prefer using off-whites.
Some prefer using a version Pure Brilliant White.


Not me.
No, siree.
My choice is to use Dulux White.
Well, I say 'my choice', what I mean is my mum's!! 
Yes, this is a fantastic tip that has been passed down from mother to daughter 
(as all the best tips are...!)...
and now I can pass it on to you.


I've used it in every room we've decorated to create the connection between spaces that I find makes a home feel so much more of a harmonious whole.

You sometimes have to rummage about a bit on shop shelves 
to avoid the glare of Pure Brilliant White 
and unearth a can of plain old Dulux White 
but the results are well worth it.


It's useful to consider what your chosen 'white' colour will fade to, 
as, unless you like to repaint every year, that faded version will be 
the colour you'll be living with the majority of the time
...and *not* the brand new sparkliness of a fresh coat of gloss.

Pure Brilliant White tends to age to grey.
{a bit too Modern...}
Off-white can age to become rather darker than I personally like.
{a bit too Country}

But Dulux White ages to a lovely, gentle white....
Modern Country Style at it's best:
 contrast and warmth}
Voila...


..and here it is looking rather brighter and newer, 
now that it's been repainted as part of 
our Gorgeous Girls' Bedroom Makeover...


(the two wall colours are Farrow and Ball Hay 
if you'd like to see more images of these colours 
then just click on the links)


Now, if there's anything a girl needs to feel right at home in her bedroom then it has to be a gorgeous bed, right?

Guess what's coming up?


All images: Mine

Enter your email address:

to subscribe to Modern Country Style





Thursday 24 May 2012

Yummy Desert In A Jiffy...



Today, my scrumptiousses, I'm going to share with you one of my favourite ever puddings. Yes, I'm having a one-post break from the Girls' Bedroom extravaganza to join in with lovely Jane from Adventures In Dinner, who has organised this fab 
30 Minute Fixes series:


So here is my desert in a jiffy.
It's yummy. It's easy. It's quick.
{Could life get any better?}


All you need is:

Greek Yogurt
Summer Fruits
Muesli
A glass


This is how you make it:

Dollop a small amount of Greek yogurt into the bottom of your glass.
Add a layer of fruit.
And another layer of yogurt.
Then a sprinkling of muesli.


And you're done.
Now let the scoffing begin...

Of course, you can use a taller glass than I have, 
in which case, simply add more layers.


This is DELICIOUS - and perfect for hot summer nights, like tonight. 
In fact, I'm just going to sit in the garden and eat mine right now...

Care to join me?


{NB: I'm afraid plenty of Greek Yogurt loveliness 
was harmed in the making of this pudding...!}

Now it's your turn... 
what is your perfect 
Desert In A Jiffy?


Enter your email address:

to subscribe to Modern Country Style





Tuesday 22 May 2012

Case Study: Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

After deciding that we were plumping for a pink colour scheme in our girls' bedroom makeover, I began the time-consuming but full-of-pleasure process of narrowing down the perfect pink.

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

And you thought choosing off-white was hard? 
My off-white trials and tribulations have got nothing on picking out pink paint, which seem to fall into two categories: 

too lilac 
or too orange

Aaargh. So annoying. 

Until I found this:

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

Farrow and Ball's Middleton Pink.

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

LOVELY. 
It has just enough warmth to look gentle and girlie 
and just enough coolness to look classic and elegant.
The perfect Modern Country Pink...

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink bedroom

I'm a massive fan of Farrow and Ball's paints. 
Yes, they are more expensive than other paints but I find the quality of colour completely worth the extra pennies. Plus, even the more expensive paints are still relatively cheap in terms of their transformative effects.

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink bedroom
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink bedroom

In full sun, Farrow and Ball's Middleton Pink looks almost white and yet, in the mornings and evenings, it takes on a beautifully warm hue. 
Mellow and gentle and restful.

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

And now, 
*drum roll*
here are the very first sneak-peak photos of how 
Farrow and Ball's Middleton Pink 
looks in our girls' bedroom:

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

Gorgeous, huh?

See how the colour builds up intensity in the shadows?

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink in our girls' bedroom!

It's able to look ethereally pale:

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

But still manages to hold it's own against the white ceiling:

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

As dusk draws in, Middleton Pink takes on a cooler tone, but is still definitely pink:

Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink walls

When choosing Farrow and Ball paints for children's rooms, it's well worth choosing their Modern Emulsion. The Estate Emulsion does give a chalkier, matter finish but I've found that it doesn't stand up as well to the extreme wear and tear that children's rooms receive. 
{Well, our children's rooms, at least!!}

With Modern Emulsion, the finish is still very matte but is wipeable. I save the Estate Emulsion for areas with lower traffic {and fewer sticky fingers!}.

If you liked this post, have you seen my other favourite paint Case Studies?


You're in for a treat!

Next up, I'm sharing my all-time favourite white for woodwork.


Images via: Farrow and Ball, unknown, Yvestown, Peter Scott Interior Desgn, 
Razmataz, American Girl In Chelsea, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine

Enter your email address:

to subscribe to Modern Country Style





Friday 18 May 2012

Girls' Bedrooms: Pink Perfection

Tell me.
Did you know it was coming?
We had a whole load of brightly coloured girls' bedrooms (here).
Then I shared lots more girls' bedrooms with neutral colour schemes (here). 
Both those posts (full of glorious images though they were) left me yearning for more.

I want both.
The cool, calm restfulness of neutrals 
but the personality of colour.

This is my solution:
Pink......


....but not, not, not any old pink.
Nooooo.....



I want it to look:
Gorgeous. Girlie. Graceful.


Hang on a second.
With the vast array of pinks out there, 
who could do all the donkey-work for you 
and narrow down to the perfect pink?

Me????
You cheeky monkey.
;-)
But seeing as it's you...
.....go on then....

Have a wonderfully restful weekend 
and I'll see you on Monday 
with my favourite ever pink...

and the beginnings of our room reveal!!
Wooooh!


Images: Mesa De Juegos, Ana Coredeiro, Ana Cordeiro, unknown

Enter your email address:

to subscribe to Modern Country Style





Wednesday 16 May 2012

Girls' Bedrooms: Colour Schemes: Neutrals


Don't the colour schemes in these girls' bedrooms
look completely serene and gorgeous?
Neutral havens of calm and gentleness.


I love them....


but only on the pages of a magazine.
{Shock, horror...}


Yes, looking at these beautiful images made me decide that I definitely 
prefer children's rooms to have a little bit more personality.
Not as much as last week's BRIGHTS post.
{after all, they're not called BEDrooms for nothing}
but I think I need a little bit more...


...more something...


But what could that be?
Find out this Friday....
when I'll be sharing my ideal colour scheme 
for a gorgeous girls' bedroom.

And, in the meantime, did you see this over on Modern Country Style's Facebook, when we were chatting over How Thin Is Too Thin? after my post on Kate Middleton's gorgeous teal dress.


Images via Decorpad, unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown
(If you know where these are from then please let me know so I can credit them properly.)

Enter your email address:

to subscribe to Modern Country Style





Monday 14 May 2012

Kate Middleton in Turquoise Dress

Speaking of all things girlie and beautiful, 
let's talk Kate Middleton,
the Duchess of Cambridge.

{I wonder if we'll ever stop calling her 'Kate Middleton' now that she's married?}


How's does this gorgeous turquoise dress rank on your to-die-for list?
I'd say it's pretty dang high up on mine.


Total teal lushability.


Kate Middleton wore this incredible dress to the London Olympic Gala Concert. 
She was by FAR the best dressed lady of the night.

Lady of the night?
That came out all wrong.
;-)


She could not look less 'lady of the night' if she tried, could she?
All the details, down to Kate's beautiful up-do and Jimmy Choo's are just perfection.


But it's Kate Middleton's sparkle-studded turquoise dress that she wore to the Royal Albert Hall event that hits all the right spots for me.


It's delightful.
Detailed.
Dignified.



Now that I'm towards the end of of my pregnancy, I can't help my mind drifting towards non-maternity clothes. They all look so beautiful, soft and so non-stretching-over-a-massive-bump. I have clothes-envy wherever I look...


On the catwalk, this Jenny Packham dress looked more like this:


Kate Middleton has changed little details to make it more in keeping with the future queen of England.
And I much prefer her more modest version. Do you?


I'd say this little number would go down a treat as a leaving-hospital outfit for me.

Let's take a look at how that might pan out...


Yup, I can just imagine Kate Middleton reaching into the car to swing out the baby car seat!! I think it might just work.

Ahem....
Stop your sniggering...


Hopefully, by Wednesday, I'll have snapped out of my Kate Middleton reverie and be ready to talk Girl's Bedrooms: Neutrals...

Wish me luck!

{And if you're desperate for more Kate Middleton gorgeousness, then check out these posts: 

Enter your email address:

to subscribe to Modern Country Style





Related Posts with Thumbnails
 
01 09 10