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Jo Linney's avatar

This is definitely not cheating. I wouldn’t have been able to read it otherwise. Charleston has been on my most visit list. I must get around it. You have inspired me to start my list thank you Lindsey 😘

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

Those lists seem to get longer and longer Jo! I wish there were more days in the week to do all these things and a helicopter to get about would be nice. 🤣

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Kim Houssenloge (Mak)'s avatar

I loved hearing that story, Lindsey. I’d never heard of Charleston before. To be honest I thought I was opening up a video of you and Michael dancing to the Charleston! Haha What a beautiful job you did on those stairs. Jane is a very lucky ducky. 💓💓💓

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Andrea Rayner's avatar

Gosh, I LOVE those stairs! And you would have loved the Gardening Bohemia exhibition too. Can you believe I've never been to Charleston?

I too had the Jocasta Innes books and sponged the bathroom at our previous cottage!

I have in my possession a sort-of love letter from David Garnett to my grandmother ...

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

Oh how wonderful, Andrea - I hope you are not going to keep the letter a secret forever! It seems everyone had the Jocasta Innes books and tried their hand at sponging - I feel the need to do a bit of rag-rolling now!

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Gina Ferrari's avatar

That is absolutely wonderful Lindsey. You are so clever. I used to have those Jocasta Innes booked too and every wall in my then house was sponged and stencilled. I still have a blanket box that houses my yarn that is painted and stencilled too!

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

Oh, I forgot about sponging! I wanted to do everything from painting the floor, the ceiling, trompe l’oeil on the walls, the lot. I think if we lived in the same house it would be a riot!

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Annie Graves's avatar

Fabulous, Lindsey. Absolutely beautiful. Such talent.

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

You are very kind, Annie, thank you. I have been saying for at least ten years I need to paint my stairs - I still have one very lonely hare!

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Francesca Bossert's avatar

Gosh, you are SO talented, what a beautiful job you did. As I said when I shared your post, I had those Jocasta Innes books, and probably still do. I love this boho/funky style, far more than my husband does, sadly, so we compromise!

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

You are very kind Francesca, thank you. My husband isn't fond of all my 'clutter' but I think he's fed up with complaining about it now and just lets me get on with it! Sadly I culled my Jocasta Innes books a couple of years ago as I hadn't used them for so many years, if I ever need to marble my walls I will ask you to dig yours out! 🤣

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Anne Wareham's avatar

Jocasta Innes and Charleston were such a big part of my life. Paint Magic had informed how I decorated my large London terrace house - but I was feeling at a loss at the prospect of moving to a shabby country cottage.

A visit to Charleston (37 years ago) told me that the joy of a nondescript house is that you don't need to pay any respect to past style or era. Freedom! And that applied too to the garden.

I've had fun, great fun as a result.

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Lynn Tammadge's avatar

A beautiful post, I love this kind of art and work, just gorgeous. And thanks for mentioning me! 😊❤️

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

My pleasure Lynn and thank you!

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Meryl Ceirios Williams's avatar

How amazingly talented is our Lindsey! I’m also a great fan of the Charleston & Bloomsbury set. Love, love these stairs and to know that they were all painted freehand is beyond my comprehension. If I’d been let loose on this project, each step would have an elephant’s backside on it as it’s the only thing I can draw freehand!!!! 🤣❤️

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

You are kind and very funny - I'm sure even an elephant backside staircase would look good in the right setting! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed painting these and now I'm looking at what I can get my hands on in here - Michael is despairing! 🤣 Thank you Meryl. x

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Susan Mee's avatar

Oh my goodness Lindsey, what a lady of many talents you are. Do you take commissions? 🤣🤣 Love Charleston & the Bloomsbury set. I’m sure your friend Jane & her family feel very happy every time they use those beautiful stairs. I did go through a phase of painting everything myself - although I wasn’t clever enough to paint freehand like you but used stencils. I seem to have lost the knack but you’ve got me motivated to try again!

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

Thank you Susan you are very kind. I love anything painted - I painted a huge cockerel on my kitchen wall when we moved here and have always regretted painting over it when we changed the rooms around. I would love to know if you do tackle something else, the great thing with paint is you can always paint over it, it's not like knocking a wall down! Be brave! 🤣

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Juliet Wilson's avatar

The painted stairs are beautiful! Also I think it's absolutely fine to recycle an old blog post.

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Lindsey Dickson's avatar

Oh thank you so much, Juliet, it has been bothering me so I am very grateful to you for commenting. Have a very, very nice day. x

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