Our Anniversary Trip to Scotland: Part 1

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted. We went on an anniversary trip the end of April - last year was our 35th but it was all about our daughter's wedding last year. We opted to wait until this year to take a trip and decided on Scotland! Since I have a ton of pictures, I am going to break this down into 3 posts.

We began our trip in England so we could visit Bramhall and Bramall Hall and Beatrix Potter's farm so we flew into Manchester on a Monday. We rented a car and off we went! (Bruce did a good job driving on the "wrong" side of the road).

Remember: drive on the left!

We started off driving to Chester for our first night (Bramall Hall wasn't opened on Monday so we knew we needed something to do that day). We stayed at Chester House Guest House, a really nice B&B.  Loved our room and Ray was a super host!

The town has lots of Tudor style buildings. It was fun to walk around.

We saw this wonderful old cathedral. 

Check out this door - very Lord of the Rings looking, don't you think?

Oh my the ceiling! Stunning! (oops, not supposed to take pictures inside) 😳

We spied some gargoyles too - this one looks like a dog.

There's an old Roman wall around the old part of town. We saw this bridge while walking on the wall. Isn't it just so cool?

The next morning, we headed back toward Manchester/Stockport and went to a really cool old mill that is being used as artists studios - Vernon Mill Art Studios.

We met up with a friend of our neighbor's at the farm, Lindi Kerwin, and she gave us a tour of the mill. We were a little silly. 

Lindi was super fun. I really enjoyed seeing her art and getting to know her.

From there, we headed to Bramhall and Bramall Hall. (They dropped the "h" from the Hall's name as it is closer to the original spelling of the family name). 

 Bruce asked if we got a discount on our tickets since our last name is Bramhall. "No", Mr. Ticket Man said without cracking a smile. LOL, we thought it was funny even if he did not. We posed in front.

Stained glass with family crest - the Bramall's are the lions and the Davenport's (family the Bramall's married into) are the chevrons.

 This room was awesome. It had painted tapestries on the walls and that ceiling, oh my! If I remember correctly, this room dates to the 1500's.

One of the bedrooms.

Another bedroom - this was the "Master" and more Victorian in style.

The housekeeper's room:

The kitchen:

The house was first mentioned in 1033. Wow. You could see different time periods from medieval to Victorian. Unfortunately, it was raining and we got there with only an hour before closing so we weren't able to wander outside. But the house was spectacular! And with that, I'll close for this post.

Hey! If you've stuck with me, congratulations. I will post the 2nd part next week - it will cover the Lake District/Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm and our first day in Scotland.

Welcome to the Tin Roof Studio - Final Reveal

Hello friends! I've been busy painting and creating. I'm hard at work but it's what I love to do and it's so satisfying to see the paintings come to life under my paintbrush.

Easter weekend, I finally got around to taking photos of the studio. It's done for now. We still want to add a bathroom onto it but it is ready for me to paint in!

Please come in and take a look around. (Warning: Lots of Photos)
As you come in the door and look to the right, you'll see my easel set up in the windows.

The light is amazing!

My small drafting table sits on the other side of the window on the right along with the crib springs that have been repurposed to hold paint tubes and the metal rack shelf unit Bruce built for me.

Not sure what I'm going to put in the small buckets - I mostly use long-handled brushes and they don't fit too well. But I'll find the perfect things eventually.

My books that inspire along with supplies are on my metal rack shelf unit.

Next is the back wall - the door with stuff in front of it will eventually be the bathroom door.

The red shelf unit is the one my neighbor put on the curb to throw away. A new coat of paint along with tightening up the screws and it's as good as new. I haven't decided yet what to put on it.

The red shelf unit, lockers, and canvas storage table all sit on the back wall along with some other treasures. Moonbeam, the unicorn, graces the wall along with a clock.

The globe was a Canton find...I have plans to paint it and do something cool with it. Also, a magazine rack (also rescued from the neighbor's trash) turned on its side, on top of the large canvas holder, holds small canvases.

The lockers may be one of my favorite pieces. I love the patina on it and it is great for storage.

Then onto the left wall. You will notice the double doors that lead to the breezeway of the barn.

Bruce replaced the old rotted floor and poured concrete in the gap between the studio floor and the wood floor of the breezeway. (on a side note, there was a possum living under the floor. Removing him was exciting but we did manage to get him out without him or us getting hurt).

My worktable, acrylic paints and chicken feeder light sit on this side.

This game board is part of my inspiration wall - I love it for the bright colors. I only have a couple of things here but eventually I'll add more pieces.

 The worktable is such a great spot to work on smaller projects, like my Christmas ornaments.

The small metal shelves are perfect for holding bottles of acrylic paints. (side note - I found 2 more shelves at Good Will that are the exact same...they've just been painted).

 The old gate is now my photo backdrop

I'm glad I talked Bruce into leaving the center beam exposed. A good clean up was all it needed and adds so much character.

Lights and a ceiling fan make sure the space is always well lit and comfortable.

And that brings us back to the front.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of Tin Roof Studio. I am ready to set up and paint in here. Bruce will be lucky to drag me out or get me back to the city. 😀 I can't tell you how thrilled and pleased I am with my new space. It is a dream come true.

 BEFORE: (You've come a long way, baby)

AFTER:

A big thank you to Bruce for coming up with the idea of making this a studio and all of his hard work getting it all done. And to Jay, Barry, Paul, and Simon for your help at various stages. We couldn't have done it without you!

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Vintage Charm