Les Jolies Choses : Blog

Our lovely customers

2012-02-02T10:28:00.007Z

Painted coffee table

Painted kitchen table

Accessories from Les Jolies Choses : Lamps, candles & heart frame

Roman blind in Kate Forman fabric made by Pear Tree Designs

We are working on a new page to add to our website on customer testimonials. A big part of the business is focused on our commissions where customers bring in their own furniture to have painted. We would love to share some of these with you & also show you some of our own painted furniture in their new homes.

The photographs above are from Leslies beautiful house, she owns several pieces of our furniture and accessories and they just look gorgeous in her lovely rooms!

New Year at Les Jolies Choses

2012-01-05T13:18:00.003Z

Happy new year to you all from Les Jolies Choses, this will be our 4th anniversary of being in business and we still love it just as much! We look forward to welcoming you to the workshop over the coming months. We plan to stock some lovely new accessories this spring & have lots of commissions lined up already so lots to look forward to!

Christmas opening times

2011-12-20T11:21:00.003Z

We will be closing this Friday for the Christmas break so we wont be open on Saturday for Christmas eve. We still have some nice gift ideas for last minute presents so pop in see us for a browse.

We will be reopening again on Tuesday 3rd January. Thank you so much to all our lovely customers over the year & for your support during our move.

Happy Christmas from all of us at Les Jolies Choses!

Christmas at LJC & Viables

2011-12-06T11:58:00.004Z

We have had a busy few days here at Les Jolies Choses with a few Christmas events. Both our lovely units are cosy & warm & bursting full of Christmassy loveliness! As well as lots of decorations and gift ideas we also have a new selection of doorstops & cushions in the beautiful Vanessa Arbuthnott & Kate Forman fabrics.

Alisons Wonderland, The Parlour Tearooms & also The Butterfly Tree Florist have plently of festive gifts & decorations making Viables Craft Centre a lovely stop for Christmas shopping.

Our new workshop & showroom

2011-11-29T13:52:00.008Z

We have been in our new home for a few weeks now and are just about settled in after our big move. We relocated our showroom to The Old Granary which is currently all dressed up for christmas with lots of gorgeous decorations & gifts. Our workshop at Unit 4 is looking lovely too with our windows filled with twinkling tealights & treasures!

We have lots of beautiful christmas stock & also some unique handmade decorations such as large fabric crackers filled with sweet gifts, handpainted wooden christmas trees & crocheted snowflakes.

This Sunday 4th December we will be open from 10am-4pm along with a few others here at Viables including The Parlour Tearooms & The Butterfly Tree florist for a special christmas shopping day. The miniture railway will be running christmas train rides & there is also an Antique & Collectors fair so lots of lovely things to see & browse!

Dates for your diary : updates on move

2011-10-18T15:13:00.007+01:00

Our move is now due to take place on the 7th November when we will be relocating to The Old Granary & Unit 4. This is a little later than we first thought but not long to wait now!

We also have a couple more dates for your diary for November & December.

Christmas shopping Dates

Thursday 17th November late night opening until 9.00pm
Sunday 4th December 10.00am - 4.00pm

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Our new home : exciting news!

2011-09-26T13:22:00.004+01:00

We are relocating our lovely workshop & showrooms very shortly! We are moving just across the Viables Craft Centre complex to unit 4 & The Old Granary.
We have planned to move in on the 23rd October and are hoping it will take a couple of days to get settled in with all our things. It will be quite a move but we are very excited and are looking forward to our new home. We apologise in advance for any disruption it might cause while visiting us, but it will be well worth the wait! We will keep you posted with lots of news & photos!

Autumn

2011-09-20T11:19:00.004+01:00

Pop in and see us for a cosy browse, we have lots of lovely new things in stock including a large delivery of our favourite candles. Add warmth to your home this autumn with throws and cushions piled high, our handmade cushions are selling well at the moment with several orders placed for custom designs.

Stay in touch as we may have some very exciting news coming soon!

Summer holidays

2011-08-09T10:58:00.003+01:00

Its a little quiet over here at Viables Craft Centre with a few tenants on holiday, the parlour tearoom is currently closed this week so its lovely ladies can have a well derserved break! we are missing our little treats that we often have in the week, especially the gorgeous homemade cakes & yummy pannis & soups.

Deanna at Pear tree designs will be on a break too, so do pop in to see us if you have any enquiries regarding her studio as we will be open as usual throughout the summer.

Sunny days & new stock

2011-08-02T10:41:00.005+01:00

There are a few lovely new things in, the sweetest little bureau, just the right size for a laptop, we were rather tempted to take it home ourselves! We also have some beautiful candles sticks, a pretty basket that we have stuffed full of fresh lavender plants, & some more nice pieces. We have also just placed a large order from one of our favourite suppliers so thats rather exciting too!

Summer news

2011-07-19T14:30:00.002+01:00

We have lots of lovely commissions that we are working on over the summer, we have just finished a gorgeous bureau, and now working on another very similar one. The finished effect looks really nice with the inside compartments painted in a contrasting colour.

We have also been busy with our soft furnishings, & have recently completed some beautiful cushion covers for a customer in one of Vannessa Arbuthnotts new fabric designs.

We can have cushions & doorstops made to order in any of the fabrics we carry. Deanna at Pear Tree Designs (Unit 27 at Viables) also stocks a huge range of beautiful fabrics so its well worth popping in to see her to browse through her pattern books too.

Things are always changing at the workshop with new stock, projects & commissions, so do come visit us anytime Monday - Saturday 10-4pm, we would love to see you!

Garden accessories

2011-06-22T11:03:00.004+01:00

Although its a little wet & windy this month you can still brighten up the garden with lovely seasonal plants & accessories. We have filled some of our containers with pretty pink geraniums to add some colour to our outdoor display.

We have some nice wire baskets with terracotta pots in stock which look lovely planted up, we also have some wooden step ladders, 2 of them are waiting to be painted and are a nice way to display pots & accessories in the garden. The photo above shows one of our ladders from last season.

Pear tree designs

2011-06-07T13:29:00.003+01:00

The lovely Deanna of Pear tree designs is opening her studio shortly at Viables Craft Centre. You may remember the gorgeous sofa (pictured) that she upholsetered for us last year. As well as upholstery Deanna also specialises in interior design & soft furnishings, & can source & supply furniture & fabrics.

Deanna is currently settling into her pretty new studio (Unit 27) & will be open regulary soon Monday - Friday 11.00am - 4.00pm with occasional saturdays. You can contact her at peartree.designs@btinternet.com

A few updates

2011-05-31T12:15:00.004+01:00

We are busy working on lots of lovely commissions, they will look gorgeous transformed so will post a few photos soon. There are a few new home accessories in stock, including some lovely pitchers & jugs, lots of pretty coasters, jars, picture frames & napkin holders.

Remember to also check our twitter for lots of little short updates of news!

Paper weights

2011-05-17T11:30:00.006+01:00

As well as our fabric doorstops we now have these sweet little paper weights made in a selection of Kate Forman & Vanessa Arbuthnott fabrics. These are perfect for the summer months while you're relaxing & dining outdoors as they can keep your magazines, papers & napkins etc all in place & look lovely too!

A few more

2011-05-17T11:28:00.003+01:00

Just showing off a few more of our new clocks! We have a couple of little mantel clocks too which are really sweet.

New clocks

2011-05-17T10:21:00.005+01:00

These are a few of our lovely new clocks that we have in the workshop. There are several different designs & sizes in stock & are all equally pretty! We think they would make a lovely addition to kitchens or conservatorys or even bedrooms as they have a very gentle clock sound.

New additions

2011-05-14T12:41:00.007+01:00

We love these beautiful new canvases that have just arrived & hope you do too! They are part of our recent additions to the workshop, along with lots of lovely new clocks. We will be posting lots more photos of some of our new things!

New stock & news

2011-05-10T12:53:00.005+01:00

We have had a big delivery of gorgeous new stock! Included are lots of picture frames with heart shaped apertures, napkin holders, decorative hearts, wire pot holders, heart baskets & lots more loveliness. Photos will follow soon..

Also we have a few one off pieces recently acquired such as a vintage apple basket, painted trays, small painted shelves & more.

Just a quick note, there will be some internal building work starting shortly on the Barn here at Viables which is opposite our unit. This wont affect us being open at all and we will be here as usual! There is still plenty of parking available too.

Holiday opening hours

2011-04-26T11:39:00.007+01:00

Just a little note to say we will be closed this friday & the following monday for the royal wedding & may bank holiday. We hope you have a lovely time over the weekend and look forward to seeing you soon!

The Avington Brocante

2011-04-26T10:38:00.003+01:00

On Thursday 26th May we will be exhibiting at the lovely Avington Brocante at Avington Park, near Winchester. The event is organised by Chloe Antiques & is supporting Naomi House. Click on the postcard above or read below for all the information :

"This country house fair will be a lovely day out for anyone interested in beautiful things for their house & garden.

Thirty dealers are gathering together to offer decorative antiques, furniture, accessories, textiles and garden ware, all freshly sourced for this special event.

The fair is set at Avington Park, a beautiful and historic house in lovely surroundings - the perfect place to arrange to meet your friends."

Thursday 26th May 2011
9.30am - 4.30pm
Entrance fee £5.00
Refresments available
tel : 01985 213077

Easter news & new furniture

2011-04-12T12:12:00.006+01:00

We had a delivery of new pieces to the workshop recently including a gorgeous french pew bench that we managed to squeeze up our tiny stairs! We also some really sweet little cane chairs, and a few more things such as a coffee table & sideboard that we are storing for the moment. We will photograph them for you to see as soon as we can.

Easter is nearly here & we will be closed on the following days :

Friday 22nd &
Monday 25th.

We hope you have a lovely Easter weekend & look forward to seeing you again soon!

April showers

2011-04-05T11:01:00.007+01:00

A rather blustery wet day here at the workshop! We have some beautiful new lamps & Kate Forman shades in, and are expecting some new pieces of furniture in soon too.

We have a couple of really lovely fairs coming up in May that we will be exhibiting at, we are just waiting for a few more details from one so we can share them with you! Our first confirmed fair is the WellBeing Charity Garden & Gift Fair on the 5th May. This is held at Home Farm Barn in Farleigh Wallop, Basingstoke. We have exhibited here for a couple of years now and it is really worth a visit, the event is packed full of gorgeous stalls for the home & garden & has excellent produce & specialist nursery stalls. There are also lunch & light refreshments available.
Home Farm Barn is set amoungst the beautful grounds of Farleigh House, and with your entrance ticket you are welcome to explore the private garden of the house by kind permission of the Earl & Countess of Portsmouth. Entrance is £5 (concessions £4 & children free) & the event runs from 9.30am-3.30pm.

Mothering Sunday

2011-03-29T10:50:00.000+01:00

Its Mothers day this Sunday, and we have a lovely range of smaller items that are really nice to give as gifts such as candles, vintage tea cups, tea light holders, coasters & painted trays. We also have a brilliant selection of ribbons & accessories to package your gift. You can also wander over to Alisons Wonderland here at Viables where you can find a gorgeous range of handmade cards perfect for mothers day as they can be personalised too.

Stitched with love...

2011-03-22T13:25:00.000Z

A few of our lovely cushions that we photographed last week. We can have cushions made to order is any size using a range of beautiful fabrics. We are also busy stitching some little lavender hearts which are one of our best sellers, brilliant as gifts or for mothers day!

Spring stock

2011-03-15T12:06:00.000Z

Giving you a little peek at some of our new stock for the spring, do pop in for a browse if you live close by. If you havent visited us before we are situated in the pretty grounds of Viables Craft Centre, Basingstoke. The little road where you drive in is lined with bright yellow daffodils this month to welcome you, and the Parlour Tearoom is open Tuesday - Saturday so you can treat yourself to tea & cake while you're here too!

Spring at Les Jolies Choses

2011-03-15T10:35:00.000Z

We have been enjoying the beautiful sunshine here these last too weeks & have had some lovely new additions to the workshop! We have been busy taking lots of photographs of everything to share with you & I will post a couple for you now. Over the next few months we will also be making some improvements to our website, so keep checking back and get in touch with any feedback you might have!

Hand drawn designs

2011-01-25T14:17:00.000Z

We are really pleased to welcome Iona to our little team here, she joined us last year and brought a new skill with her, beautiful freehand drawing & painting. She has painted a mirror for us that sits above our counter and she has also been commissed to paint onto furniture too. We can now offer our customers personalised hand drawn designs.

Soft furnishings & upholstery

2011-01-25T13:33:00.000Z

To complement our painted furniture we have some lovely soft furnishings such as cushions & doorstops made & these look lovely alongside the chalky Farrow and Ball colours we use on the furniture. We also occasionally have items such armchairs, sofas and chairs reupholstered for the shop & for customers. We use fabrics by Kate Forman & Vannessa Arbuthnott, and keep the sample books in the workshop for customers to browse through. Customers can also bring in their own fabric to be used for a project.

We Thought we would share a few of the gorgeous things we have had made. All of our soft furnishings and upholstery are either done by us or by lovely talented friends that we work closely with, everything is made locally to a design specification.

Vanessa Arbuthnott

2011-01-25T13:16:00.000Z

We love Vanessa Arbuthnotts beautiful designs and use her fabric here at Les Jolies Choses for our soft furnishings and upholstery. You can browse her fabric collections on her newly designed website : http://www.vanessaarbuthnottfabrics.co.uk/shop/collections and also order samples if you have a project in mind.

Lovely new things

2011-01-25T12:37:00.000Z

We have finally finished unpacking and finding new homes for all our gorgeous new stock. Last week was a busy week with nearly everything arriving on the same day, after many trips up and down our little staircase we are all restocked with lovely things! Some of our beautiful candle pots have sold out already!

For the spring we have a variety of glass t light holders which look so pretty lit up and give your home & garden a little sparkle and warmth. Some of the larger t light holders also work well as vases and you can display small posys of flowers in them too.

We have a nice range of new candles in delicious scents, lots of the tin candles which are popular and last really well, and also some nice rustic style ones that are new for us.

Theres many more new things to see and browse so pop in and visit us anytime. Our opening hours are Monday - Saturday 10am-4pm and we are closed on a Sunday.

Happy new year from Les Jolies Choses

2011-01-11T11:09:00.000Z

We are enjoying being back in the workshop again and hope you all had a lovely Christmas and new year. We have ordered lots of lovely new stock so that should be arriving very soon!

Christmas greetings

2010-12-21T14:30:00.001Z

A big thank you to all our lovely customers who have visited us for christmas gifts & goodies recently, despite the snow and cold weather! We still have some beautiful baubles & gift ideas for any last minute shopping you need to do. Our brand new tearoom here at Viables Craft Centre is serving scrummy tea & cakes this week, and The Butterfly Tree florist are full of gorgeous decorations, floral gifts and christmas trees making Viables a quiet haven for shoppers not wanting to join the rush of the town centre.

Our last day open before Christmas is Thursday 23rd and we will be here until 6.30pm. We will then reopen on Tuesday 4th January 2011

Gillian, Hannah, and Iona would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year.

Les Jolies Choses photo album

2010-06-02T12:18:00.000+01:00

Dont forget you can also browse through our online photo album over at Flickr. We try to keep it updated with photos of the workshop, commissions and other lovely things :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/les-jolies-choses/

New additions to the shop

2010-06-02T11:19:00.000+01:00

We have recently had a delivery at the workshop of some lovely new things, cupboards, stools, chairs and more. Will post a few photographs soon for you to see or come in and visit!

Cracking Antiques

2010-05-12T13:14:00.000+01:00

We have been following this great show on BBC 2 on Wednesday nights. Tonight is the final episode but you can catch up on BBC iplayer. If you havent seen Cracking Antiques, the show takes antiques off their pedestals, and shows you how they can be more affordable, stylish, and better made than what the high street has to offer. We couldnt agree more!

Planting ideas

2010-04-28T11:40:00.000+01:00

We have some lovely pots & planters in stock and also accessories like miniature topiary stands & rusty crowns that look great sat in pots of herbs and seasonal plants

Finishing touches

2010-04-28T11:22:00.000+01:00

Just something small like a pretty handle can really add detail to a piece of furniture. We have a range of glass knobs that look lovely on cupboards & drawers. We have added them to several of our recent commissions and they work really well on our painted furniture.

Telephone seat

2010-04-28T11:07:00.000+01:00

Just wanted a share a recent finished commission with you, this lovely pine telephone seat painted in Farrow & Balls matchstick. The seat pad was upholstered in Kate Formans green ticking fabric.

Thrive show : Plant a difference

2010-04-10T13:05:00.000+01:00

We are at the Thrive Plant Swap launch event today at Beech Hill, Reading, so come along and say hello if you are around! There will be lots of great stalls & plants, and the event helps support Thrive : http://thrive.org.uk/default.aspx

Spring at Les Jolies Choses

2010-04-10T11:41:00.000+01:00

We are enjoying this weeks sun here at the workshop, lots of new things in too! More furniture, accessories and lovely garden items. Pop in for a browse.

Happy new year!

2010-01-02T12:42:00.000Z

We would like to wish you a very happy new year and look forward to seeing you soon when the workshop opens again on January 4th.

Merry Christmas from Les Jolies Choses

2009-12-16T12:14:00.001Z

I would like to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our visitors, both to the website & those of you who have been to my workshop & showrooms.

We still have lovely Christmas goodies to buy for you, your home, & your family and friends.

Mirror commission

2009-10-25T22:46:00.000Z

A before & after of a recent commission to paint this lovely mirror.

Our new blog

2009-10-18T22:38:00.001+01:00

We have just created a blog to keep you updated with news, projects, events and fun at Les Jolies Choses! We would love your feedback so please feel free to leave a comment or send an email anytime.