Shabby Chic Tricks....Kitchen/Dining Area

Please welcome guest blogger Jo-ann Fortune from Vintage Brighton.com who shall be writing two posts for my blog on a subject and style I love. In her first post for my blog Jo-ann shall be offering up cheap and easy tricks to help introduce a sprinkling of shabby chic style into your kitchen and dining area. Keep an eye out for Jo-ann's second post, which covers idea's for your living room and bedroom, and where also there shall be the fantastic opportunity to win a Jan Constantine Love cushion from John Lewis. So Jo-ann, over to you....

TABLE DRESSING....Wipe clean vinyl table cloths are not only practical but can help transform your kitchen or dining area at low cost. Look out for cute dog prints, vintage-feel floral fancies and Fifties' polka dots. And if you need a change of scene, simply swap the skin on your tables 

KITSCH 'N CAKE.... Whether you're queen of the home bake tea party, or just love a shop bought cupcake and cuppa, kitsch crockery is key to the shabby chic look. Collect old and new single colour pieces for a clean look - you can't go wrong with country-cottage white - or go eclectic with mix and match vintage style patterns and prints. Cake stands make the perfect showpiece in your kitchen, and when you're not entertaining can be used to hold sweets, keys or anything else lying around! They also make great jewellery stands.

GROW YOUR OWN.... Even the smallest flat can accommodate a herb box, and the introduction of live greenery in your kitchen will instantly soften a modern-day interior. As a general rule with shabby chic style, think vintage or re-worked rather than new, so dig out distressed plant pots with chipped paint, up-cycle pots with pastel paint testers or drill holes in old tins. You can also use taller retro receptacles as flower vases.

SCREW-ON STYLE.... Add fun shabby chic touches to tired chest of drawers, kitchen units or any old furniture with screw-on door handles. At only a few pounds each, you can try out different designs to help decide which one shall work for you.

 PAINT-BOX PRETTY.... Take a leaf out of Cath Kidston's book and update beaten-up chairs with paint tester pots. Sand down, paint the wood or metal supports in bright colour paints or pretty pastels and use these to inform the colour scheme of your room.            


Thanks Jo-ann for these useful tips and shall look forward to your second post highlighting shabby chic tricks for in the bedroom and living room.


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Disclosure: In return for publishing Jo-ann's  guest posts, I received a shopping voucher for John Lewis.

Tesco Sony Ericsson Mobile Phone Giveaway....

I am reminded in so many ways at how quickly Miss. Poppins is growing up and with her 10th birthday just around the corner, I am constantly amazed at how time has flown since that day on November 5th, 2001, when my little bundle of loveliness came into the world weighing a tiny 5lbs 11ozs. One thing she desperately  wanted to have for her birthday was her ears pierced. I had always had in my mind, she would not be having any ears pierced until she was at least 16. Too harsh? Well we shall wait and see if I give in on that one. When it comes to gadgets, one item that we have briefly talked about her having for her birthday is a mobile phone. I hold my hands up here, I am  possibly  an over protective parent ( who isn't these days ) so her owning one would be very much so I could call her, and her me. Although she is yet to venture too far from the front or back garden on her own, and is at the age where I  know exactly where she is at all times, there may be a time in the distant future ( hopefully when she is about 40 ) where I don't know exactly where she is at all times. When it comes to costs, I think I would opt for a pretty little pay as you go for her as I get very confused about contract deals etc. With all these minutes and texts, would she ( us ) also possibly be faced with extra costs if she went over her limit, which, in these times can really pinch on the ( parent's ) wallet.

So when Tesco Mobile got in contact and introduced me to their newly launched Capped Mobile Phone Tariffs  I was eager to learn more. Basically as the parent of a child/teen with a mobile you can keep the bills under control by....

* Fixing the tariff so you can only use the inclusive minutes, texts and data.
* Therefore one's monthly bill would never be more than the cost of the monthly tariff.
* If you run out during the month, you can just top-up your account using a pay as you go top-up.
* Tesco mobile are the only network to offer this scheme across all handsets, and all price plans.

I have to let you into a little secret here, before Tesco contacted me to introduce me to their new tariffs, and also to offer a fantastic giveaway, I had already known a little about their newly launched capped tariffs. This was all due to this Tesco Mobile Capped Contracts television advert I had watched like a million times. And the reason I watched it so many times was I just loved to see again and again a lovely friend of mine's daughter who is in it. She looks just so cool and trendy, speaks with such a lovely clear and articulate voice and I just love her little giggle at the end when she speaks.

So, to celebrate Tesco Mobile's capped tariff launch, they have very generously offered a fantastic sim free Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Phone with an rrp of around £350 for me to offer as a giveaway on here and which I have to say looks especially FAN-DABY-DOSY!! A wonderful phone, especially for the gamer in you, and with so many features, it looks fabulous too....

As you may know I am a keen bargain hunter and with all this talk of money saving, to be in with the opportunity of winning this magnificent phone, I would like to know what is the best money saving tip, big or small that you have learn't down the years from your own family, something that you shall indeed pass down to your own children one day. I often find the best money saving tips come from years gone by, what our grandparents and great grandparents did to save on those hard earned pennies. I would really love you to share any of your money saving tips with me, and in a weeks time I shall ask the man of the house ( to make things all fair and equal ) to have a read of them and choose the most original/funniest etc to be the winner. I shall contact you for an address, forward onto Tesco Mobile and they shall then send you out your phone. It would indeed make a fantastic Christmas present too, if you could bare to part with it.

Closing Date is Friday 4th November

Terms & conditions: Open to UK residents only. There is no cash alternative, and only one entry per person.

Good Luck....

Well done to Helen whose old fashioned, seasonal, money saving tips, including not writing recipients names on envelopes, and carefully unwrapping presents at Christmas to re-use wrapping paper  inspired my husband so much. So, well done Helen, and hope you enjoy your new mobile phone. 

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Disclosure: In way of thanks for highlighting tesco mobile's new capped tariff I received a Tesco voucher for publishing this post. 

Feather & Black....

I really enjoy browsing catalogues for inspiration and it was lovely to receive the new A/W 2011 catalogue from Feather & Black, which showcases some of their wonderful bedroom ideas. As well as their gorgeous and oh so adorable children's bedroom furniture  they have also introduced six exceptional new bedroom collections and which I have to say I just love the new children's Charlotte range, never mind Miss. Poppins sleeping in there, I want to!!

As we are in the throws of doing a little re decoration in our own home sweet home bedroom, I need all the inspiration I can get, and I have to say it does not get any more inspiring than their new Loire range, and which, inspired by vintage chic, combines french heritage, with superior quality oak and time-honored artisanship. I mean who wouldn't want to sleep here....

Or perhaps their Avignon range, a hand carved, and sustainably sourced french inspired design. I just love the calm, peaceful almost seaside inspired look of this bedroom....

I don't really *do* dark furniture per say, but am rather taken with the grandeur of the Ashby range....

I think my all time favourite is the Rossetti range, I just love the delicately curved iron and it has a lovely feminine touch....I am allowed quite a lot of freedom when it comes to decorating our bedroom, though I must resist the urge to go TOO girly, I guess there is only a certain amount of florals a man can take ;)

 You can order the latest catalogue yourself here it really is quite lovely to flick through and also offers up to 30% off many of their items, I am getting lots of inspiration for my own bedroom ideas, and I can't wait to share with you our new *shabby chic/floral/vintage/* style bedroom.

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Feather & Black....

With the refurbishment of our home sweet home moving forward, the time has come to start decking out the children's attic bedrooms with some proper storage and furniture. They both have wallpaper in their rooms, and I really love the shabby chic/vintage look. It has to be said there is a wonderful range of children's bedroom furniture over at Feather & Black and was certainly worth a browse I thought.

Being attic bedrooms, I really want to portray a lovely, homely country style to their rooms and I guess not many four year old boys have a pretty chandelier fitting in their room, but yes, in mine they do. When he gets a little older he may take umbrage to it, but for now I can assure you it is staying. So, when I browsed what Feather & Black have to offer in their children's bedroom department for inspiration, I was greeted with some lovely products, and the high quality just shines through in my opinion....

Gorgeous Bedside table that would be lovely for Miss. Poppins....

Oh and the lovely sky blue version for Master Popps....

They could even have the chic bedside lamps on them for some country charm....

A adore Feather & Black's antique style iron beds....

And their adorable shelves would sit right at home. One for Master Poppins....

And for Little Miss....

Also, my studious Miss. Poppins would work happily away at this sweet desk and chair....

Hmmmm I think Master P would happily play away on one of these for the time being....

So, I am having a very enjoyable time searching out some pretty, pretty things. Yes, even for the boys room ;) There really are so many places to find idea's and inspiration for children's rooms, however,  Feather & Black who also have 34 stores nationwide, is certainly worth a visit. Some stores even have their own clearance section with end of line items available at much reduced prices.

I really enjoy doing up the kid's rooms, it is one of my favourite places to let my creative spirit free and indulge my love of shabby chic/vintage etc etc. I shall share with you very soon their rooms after my little makeovers, and, being the nosy sort, I would love know what your children's rooms are like....

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Are You And Money At One....

Can I ask you a personal question?

Well, what could be more personal than talking about money and finances, and what your relationship is like with money. Do you work well together ? Do you get on, are you good at saving your pennies.

For me, money goes through my hands like water, I should appreciate it much more. I know deep down I should be popping my spare pennies in a little money pot and look forward to watching those pennies grow and prosper, to be spent on a rainy day. Though I am very much a live for the day kind of girl, retirement and having funds to spend when I am old and grey seems such a long, long way away. Though know it shall be here before I know it. So, for me I spend for the now, I shop to my hearts content ( though not my husband's) and I would certainly have me down as somewhat of a shopoholic. I think credit cards can have their place, if used carefully, wisely and with the respect they deserve. When I worked as cabin crew, I ended up being grounded, along with other crew members in Tenerife, one of the aircraft tyre's needed repairing and we ended up in Tenerife for a couple of days whilst the aeroplane was being fixed. My trusty credit card came in useful when stuck abroad, with no cash so to speak of. Amongst my own local supermarket, when one can get lots of lovely local produce, I like to shop with Tesco, and they even have their own Tesco Credit Card and I think as long as one goes in with ones eyes wide open, and a good financial head on ones shoulders, credit cards can be used wisely.

As for me....well I could have the shopping personality to get myself in a little trouble ;0) I mean look at this photograph of my kitchen table with some of my shopping on, not all bought in one go, I must say.

And how many Cath Kidston crush mugs do I really need....

There are more in cupboards, *embarrassed icon*

Blogging I have found to be very influential, and perhaps some of us shopping fans can be quite influenced by each other's pretty buys, I know I can be, I may even be saving money in my own way if I didn't read so many pretty blogs where shopping is shared, I am sooooooo easily led, and I lOVE pretty things in my home.

So would you own up, are you good with money. I am a nosy olde sort and would love to know if any of you are as norty as I am with those pretty pieces of paper one can hand over at something called a till point, and in exchange get something ever so pretty handed over in return....

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Stuck For Idea's On A Present....

With my daughters birthday coming up on bonfire night, I have to start thinking about what to get her as a little present, and I have to say, I am really stuck. Yes I have asked her what she would like and her response is, I would like....a surprise. Sheesh no help there then. So I popped online at Tesco for some inspiration on children's gifts  Luckily there is a half price sale on many of their toys and I found one or too that may be suitable. Miss Poppins, even at 8, is still a fan of disney princess  and barbie dolls but if she is happy then I am, I think I played with dolls until....;0)

 She doesn't own a mobile telephone, a DS wotsit, or any other gadgetry things and doesn't really show much interest in them anyway. She loves to draw, paint, create, write ( she is a brilliant, poetic writer, being a fluent reader when she was 5, her love of words is astonishing ) even at this tender age I do think writing is something that may develop and who knows I could have an aspiring author on my hands. One gift that I truly think would be perfect for her and I had I not be sent it by the team over at  The Great Toy Guide for her and I to review, I would certainly would have had it on my birthday list for her.

It truly is a wonderful crafty item for any creative child, and soooooooooooo pretty to look at too. Please feel free to keep a look out on the Great Toy Guide for our review, which shall be posted shortly.
So, off to search for some more inspirations I can see me at this rate leaving it all very last minute but if you have any suggestions on what present an 8 nearly 9 year old  could receive that would make her eyes shine and her face light up. A bit like shen her little brother got his tardis, boy, he could barely take it in, that he had his very own tardis to play with, he was ecstatic. And I so would love to see her face light up with joy the same way when she unwraps her gift from us.

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Birthday Party Season....

Well they are barely back at school, and already, we have a pile of birthday party invitations. Party season has well and truly begun in the Poppins household I can tell you. We have a busy couple of months ahead of us, infact I think I may plan ahead and get a party drawer, a drawer packed full of little cards and presents so I am not always running to the toy shops 10 minutes before the party starts.

Not too long until my very special daughter turns 9. Nearly 9 years old! My 51b 110zs baby, and already, she wants to talk party plans. My goodness can a girl not wait. So with forward planning and all that, Miss. Poppins and I have decided for a simple, at home party with her closest friends, and maybe, maybe, if her poor old mum is up to it, a sleepover. The party food has already been decided upon, and yes you guessed it, it is the one and only perfect party sleepover food, a....

Pizza Delivery Service  I shall be calling before the day to see if I can get a special birthday menu or indeed any special discount :0) Am I the only one who cannot just have one piece of pizza, so think we better order plenty.

Every year I say I am going to bake a cake, every year I go out and buy a cake ;0) I have to say, I have been very happy with many shop bought cakes, mind you I am of course a lover of all things cake related.

As for party bags, well I do normally make/sew my own and pop some pretties in. Is 9 too old for a party bag....I don't think so. I am an adult and I still offer out my hand to receive my party bag at the end of grown up parties, of course all I get is a handshake, and maybe a kiss on the cheek. I don't think any of us grow old of party bags :0)

Apparently I am to be in charge of the music. I have no idea what party music 9 year old girls are into these days, I better do my homework methinks on that one ( or you can tell me) . So, if you have some of your own party planning to be getting on with, good luck, have fun, and please save me a piece of cake won't you....

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