Why I ♥ The Library....

Happy Reading :)

X

There Is No Place Like....

Well home is where I am sanding, priming, painting, crafting, generally prettying things up. Like decoupaging the lovely home letters using pretty CK napkins I got sent from Little Gem's World in a swap.

Some of you who have been following my blog may know that we are refurbishing our home. We have had a loft conversion and knocked and built walls, you know the usual. We are coming up to the year mark since building work began and we haven't yet one room that is fully decorated. Hey ho is a FUN little journey :)

One room that we are concentrating on for now is the kitchen diner, we bought our ADEL white IKEA kitchen months ago and is only half way through being fitted. The wooden tops, again yet to be fitted, have their original plastic wrapping on them too. Mmmmm I bet you can only imagine the nagging Mr. Poppins gets.

So much so that bless him he was up well past his bedtime, must have gone to bed around 3 or 4 last night building me a false chimney breast.





I know doesn't look much, but when it is all finished, the chimney hood is fitted etc and the little shelf is up to display my pretties, well, I bet it shall look lovely :)

I have also had a little re-think for the decorating scheme in the kitchen diner, I originally was doing it all in LAs ERIN in chalk pink, now I have decided to do the ERIN in our bedroom. Mr. Poppins loves pink, well he shall do :~)

And as I have the curtains, wallpaper etc Mr. Poppins shall be pleased I don't have to buy anything new :)

What made me have a little re-think was finding these. Well in fact two pairs of these.





I bought these pretty curtains years ago from the M&S sale for a bargain, they were a bargain when they had the ticketed £5.00 on each pair, one is floor length and one is sill length. Though when Mr. Poppins and I got to the till they were even cheaper, so a really pretty find :)





Anyway I knew that a designer was involved in the Vintage Shabby Chic range at M&S and I was also considering chopping them for crafts etc as they were not being used, in perfect condition and really are pretty. So I asked my lovely friends at the SC Cafe what they would do and it was then when I did a little research on the www that I realised it was RACHEL ASHWELL who designed them for M&S. Mmmmmm think no chopping there then ;~)


So I have now decided as they really are Shabby Chicy, to have the floor length pair in the dining area of our kitchen and the sill ones in the kitchen area. I also have some pink spot prettiness going on and the two work really well together.


One of my makeovers of an Ebay bought for £10.00 butchers trolley.





I used F&Bs POINTING in water based eggshell and covered the top in some Globaltex fabric, I have the pretty and very CK esque pink spotty oilcloth though that is being kept for the dinning table, when it eventually gets put together and shall use some of that for more protection. Though I do think the fabric looks nice for now.





I have also begun prettying up my again Ebay, bought dresser. It was a very orangey pine and now having done the top in the same F&B POINTING is looking very shabby chic. I really don't know what to do with the bottom, to paint it all, or to leave the top part unpainted and waxed. Mmmmm decisions decisions.


I think it is begging for my pretties to be displayed on it.





Well I best get on with some more Shabbying, they won't do themselves, though ocassionally I wish they would :~)

Happy Shabby Chicing :)

X

Sweetest Little Sewing Kit....

I wonder, have any of you ventured into the sales lately. Have to say I don't really jump for joy with the sales these days, I don't do crowds and never seem to see anything that really catches my eye. Though when I saw this beautiful little sewing case with some treats inside in Monsoon, I had to have it, especially as it was half price. It really is the sweetest little sewing case I have ever seen. Is meant for children but, well, I am a little girl at heart, does that count ;~)





It even comes with some cute Handmade with love for you labels.





So Miss. Poppins didn't feel left out, I treated her to a beautiful outfit that was half price. Monsoon really is a favourite of mine, though alas only in the sales, as I think is rather a luxury for me to shop there regularly.





And Master Poppins shall look a very smart boy on his 3rd birthday in his half price Next outfit, of course I shall swap the white linen shirt for a pretty pink one :)





And although not a sale purchase, one I was very happy with.





I was also happy with a felt corsage I made, I really enjoyed making it. There is nothing like a big, colourful corsage to cheer one up on these rainy days.





I shall leave you with a photograph of Miss. and Master Poppins' lunch. The pretty plates and egg cups looked so sweet, I had to take a photograph. As any blogger knows, a camera is always close to hand, even when littlies are doing something they shouldn't, like painting pink gloss on clean patio door windows.





Mmmmm think I would rather look at their lunch ;~)





Happy shopping, making, thrifting, holidaying :)


X

Shabby Chicness And Two Lovely Parcels....

So the holidays are upon us and I have two children to entertain, keep motivated, relax with, play with, and have fun with so I am afraid blogging is not high up there on my priorities at the moment. I do love visiting though and seeing what you are all up to.

Prepared as ever I was up past midnight making fabric hearts on the Thursday for Miss. Poppins to take in for her teachers the following day. Her and a couple of pals were moved into the above class for the last six weeks of term hence me having to make four, two for her previous teachers and two for her new ones. Miss. Poppins choose the fabric that she thought the individual teacher would like which actually was a great help as I can take hours to chose fabric for my makes.




I also handed in a couple of my orders to some delighted mummy's. They were really pleased with what I had made and it is so nice for Miss. Poppins to see her own mummy's handiwork in her friends' bedrooms when she goes for play dates.











One of the jobs I wanted to do over the summer holiday was to go to a lavender farm and pick my very own lavender. I like to be able to see, touch, smell and sometimes even taste the lavender I use in my makes, so we decided to head off on Sunday and visit one.

So maybe it wasn't so much of a farm and the lavender was very wild and free but I was told to help myself and there no charge.





There was also a charming shabby chic shop, well not so much a shop more a more a beautiful room, in a barn, in a farm, next to a pretty teashop, in a field of lavender, surrounded by beautiful cows :)

When I had picked the Lavender I wanted amongst the bees, I decided to have a little browse. I walked into the most delightful little place selling handmade shabby chicy lovelies and beautifully made over furniture for a very reasonable price. The lady who makes everything was really friendly. We had a nice chat about all things shabby chic and she said she felt happier to sell her wares at a reasonable price, than keep holding onto stock that is over priced etc.








The basket on top of the dresser took my eye.





Swoon.











I loved the cushion,I think was £12.00 feather filled and a bargain.





Of course I couldn't help but buy a couple of pretties.


The most gorgeous 40 x 40 cms cushion with a duck feather filled inner cushion, a bargainastic £8.00, I adore the floral fabric and the back is in a pink gingham.








A gorgeous CK strawberry patchwork 30 x 30 cms cushion again with a duck feather filled inner cushion. The back was pretty LA pink spot.





A wonderful, and had to have lined laundry bag, 45cms x 40cms too nice for my laundry. It is beautifully made and what a price, £4.00. A really gorgeous fabric. The background is more yellowy than creamy as it looks in the photograph.





Vintage tablecloth lavender filled pillows.








Master Poppins' favourite lullaby is Twinkle Twinkle, and I thought this pretty little hanging sign would look so sweet on the back of his bedroom door, when he gets one. A door not a bedroom that is :~)




So all in all a very inspirational day out.


Talking of inspiration, I recieved two very lovely and inspirational parcels from LACE HEARTS and SEW HOT MITMOT


Mitmot had asked me a little while ago to help her trial out a couple of her handmade pretties for the children's market. Of course , how could I refuse. Though she is very norty sending me all these lovelies too.





How wonderful are these for Miss. and Master Poppins, they had great fun wearing them
for Mimots marketing photographs.








There were a couple of lovely surprise pretties for me to trial too, the prettiest wrist cuff and a gorgeous vintage fabric cupcake brooch.








Thank you so much Mitmot you are very kind and generous and I shall so enjoy wearing your pretties with pride.


I also got my lovely Spots and Stripes swap from Lace Hearts, I adored everything and was a beautiful, generous, special and thoughtful swap.























Thank you so much Lacey, a wonderful swap and I am so looking forward to putting your lovelies to good use.


So I am now thinking of some lovely crafting, playing, making, doing, baking ideas for my two for the holidays and am having much inspiration from my friends at the SC Cafe who have some wonderful suggestions for keeping everyone busy and happy :)


Hope you are having a nice week :)

Take care

X