Velvet Brown - Home Accessories

It feels so good to get on top of the spring cleaning.  Last week I decided to attack the kitchen with great success.  I was fed up with all those packets falling out of the cupboard everytime I opened the door so I set about getting myself better organised.  I used these gorgeous new storage jars on my shelves and filled them all with the dry ingredients from all the packets in my cupboard.  They have a wipe off black board label so I can chop and change the contents on a whim if I choose. I just need to get a few more so I can fill up all the shelves and my cupboards will be almost empty!

Spring is a great time to watch the many garden birds which visit our gardens at this time of year.  We both have an array of bird feeders in our gardens and it’s amazing that we’re able to observe so many different species.  On occasions the birds are almost queuing up for their turns on the feeders!  (Hard to believe as one of us has two cats - but thankfully the cats are too slow to pounce.)

We both took part in the RSPB Birdwatch survey earlier this year and the results make interesting reading.  To participate in the survey you have to watch your garden for one hour - what a great way to spend a Sunday morning.  We were both surprised just how many birds drop in over the course of an hour. Click here if you’d like the read the results from the RSPB.�
We both recorded and regularly see groups of Goldfinches in our gardens - there were at least 15 in one feeding session!  If you want to encourage Goldfinches it’s worth having a Niger seed feeder - a special type of feeder with tiny holes to dispense the fine seed.  Another favourite are Sunflower Hearts seeds as these undoubtedly encourage many different finches, blue tits and robins. Bags of sunflower hearts are usually available from good pet food stores and they’re well worth trying.

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Ever been in the situation when you have friends round and the conversation starts to flag.  What you need are talking points.  What do you think of some of these talking points below?  I’m sure there must be something amongst them that would keep the conversation flowing!                   

http://freshome.com

http://cubeme.com

http://freshome.com

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If you’re forever looking for inspiration and ideas for something a little different in your room design, take a look at this selection of interiors.  From elegant to eccentric, weird to wacky, there are some amazing ideas.  The ‘outdoor bedroom pod’ looks inviting, however the ‘coffin beds’ and ‘orange goldfish’ are probably an acquired taste? Let us know your favourite! And what about home accessories inside? Do you like it?

http://epn.dk/

http://epn.dk/

http://www.designflute.com

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It will soon be that time again to drool over the gardens at The Chelsea Flower Show. The Flagship of all gardens shows in the UK. We’ve been going to Chelsea for a number of years and always been lucky with the weather and the crowds. We’ll often save the gardens until late in the day when things are a little bit quieter and you can get a bettter view. The rest of the day can be put aside for shopping, eating and drinking and soaking up the atmosphere and people watching. One of our favourite days out of the year. Here are just a few of the amazing and exciting gardens of recent years.

Most of these designs were shown at Chelsea 2004, 2006 and 2007, also Hampton Court 2007, Ellerslie Flower Show 2005.

Andy Sturgeon Garden Design, Chelsea 2006 // Low allergen garden

Cocoon, by Jack Merlo

Low allergen garden, Lucy Lee, Ellerslie Flower Show 2005, Auckland, New Zealand
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