latest buys

Thought I would share my latest finds! 

This basket is a beautiful shape, and is currently sat on a table by our front door to hold post.

According to my mother in law it is called a gondola basket, she said she used to have one when she was younger and they were very fashionable!  I think she thought we were a bit strange buying one!

This huge glass bottle was a bottle garden.  Don't think I will be using it for that though.  Its a beautiful green glass in a fantastic round shape.  I would love to use it as a vase for branches like in this image I found on pinterest, but I think we need a bit more space before I do that!

This fantastic circular table has been a real find.  As I explained in my last post, it is the perfect little laptop table for me in the evenings, and during the day it has turned out to be the perfect height for my children to build towers on and put together jigsaws.

These were all bought from GB Antiques Centre in Lancaster, and did not come to very much at all, I think we got a bargain :-)

I'm very happy with our latest additions to our little home!

thinking...

This is where you can normally find me in the evenings.

Note: New small circular 50s table that is a perfect for the computer!

(and maybe a small glass of wine!)

I thought I would write a post about what I am thinking at the moment.

As I think I have explained earlier I have rediscovered my love for Mid Century design, and I have been quietly mulling over the idea of setting up a shop selling up cycled mid century furniture.  Now I have looked into it more I have decided I won't go down this path, well not at the moment anyway!  We really do not have the space needed for this kind of business now, plus I think it would take me a long time to build up stock.  Now when I find any lovely pieces they can be for just me!

While doing research I discovered a few fantastic shops selling mid century furniture, which I have drooled over!  I will do another post with links to share with you these beauties!

I have always been a creative person.  I was always drawing and making when I was a child, which led me to study architecture.  I studied at a College of Art rather than on a course based at a uni as I wanted to be surrounded by creative people.  This was incredibly inspirational, and enjoyable!  However, although I was in this environment, architecture didn't really allow me any time for exploring other creative arts, scrap that it didn't really allow me any time for ANYTHING  else!  So although I enjoyed making models, creating displays and drawings, and designing, it didn't really allow me the luxury of creating just for creating sake.  Pretty soon after leaving college I got married, our little boy arrived and we moved!  So any time or energy for anything other than looking after my family went out of the window!  

Up until recently my life has still just been focused on my family, with the arrival of my daughter, but after she turned 1 I started to crave something for myself, something of me back again, I was not just mummy, however much I love that role, I needed something for just me.  That was partly why I created this blog, to document this journey and help me with the search!

When I discovered the world of blogging, I was instantly drawn to the craft and design blogs.  Here were people doing what I would love to do.  Combining family life with a business creating things that they loved and were so passionate about.  I wanted to be part of that world.  But what would I do?  I needed to find what in this world was my passion, that I could create and enjoy, that would work for us.  

I have revisited lots of the crafts I used to do when I was younger.  My mum tried to teach me how to knit again, I managed a few rows!  I tried sewing again and made a few bits, like some cushions, the taggie blanket and a PE bag for George.  I made a few bits of furniture and revamped some, but none of this got me passionate, itching to do more.

But I think I may have found what I love!  Now I am going to really annoy you now as I am not going to tell you what this is, yet.  Mainly because I want to work on it a bit more before I unveil it.  But my sketchbook is once again constantly by my side!  It feels good to have it around again, and a really good feeling filling it up with sketches of ideas!  Waking up in the middle of the night just to get an idea down on paper!

I love this feeling!  I hope it lasts!

Now to make a few and see if what I am sketching actually is a possibility!  (I had to wait till we got back from being away and to buy a few things before I got going - frustrated doesn't come close!)  

Finally tonight I can get started, it will take a while, but I will enjoy the process, and I promise to show you something when it's ready!

PS. If anyone could recommend a good digital SLR camera i would really appreciate it!!

rocking chair

When we discovered we were expecting our second child I knew I wanted to get some kind of rocking chair to help me through those LONG nights!

We kept an eye on Freecycle, and when a rocking chair was offered we snapped it up with out even seeing it.  

This is the chair after we picked it up.  As you can see it was pretty tired, worn and scratched.  

What was lovely was that the gentleman who we collected it from said that he had bought the chair for his wife when she was expecting their first child.  

The actual cushion pads were in ok condition, it was just the fabric cover that needed to be replaced.  

The wooden frame really needed to be sanded down, and I decided to paint it white.

Now when I chose the fabric to cover the cushions, I was going through a bit of a phase thinking I was going to have another boy, so it was covered in this stripy fabric from Ikea.  I must also add this was the first time I had used a sewing machine since school, and I had never covered cushions before, so the quality is definitely not great!

Once Elsa arrived and I started to sort out her nursery, things took a very definite girly direction!  I think that happens after you have had a boy first, you really embrace the pink and the flowers and all things pretty, well I certainly have!!

So the stripes started to look very out of place.  As a temporary measure I have wrapped the cushions with a sheet and draped over the woolen blanket my grandmother knitted for me when I was a baby.

The lovely cushion was a present from a friend, and the painted  roses chest of drawers was from 

GB Antiques on a previous visit.  

I will do another post about this place as we visited last weekend and I picked up a few lovely pieces, and took some photos while we were there to illustrate what an Aladdin's cave it is!

When I have the time I would really love to recover the cushions, possibly in this gorgeous fabric from 

Ink and Spindle.

Birch Forest in Robins Egg

Apologies for the poor photographs again!  But here it is. 

It really has been the perfect nursing chair.  The perfect height, really comfy, and has seen me through A LOT of nights! 

(My daughter didn't think it would be a good idea to sleep through the night till she was 14 months!)

If anyone could recommend a good camera I would really appreciate it.  

I have persuaded hubby a camera would be a fantastic birthday present! 

I am thinking some kind of digital SLR but I really have no clue so any help would be appreciated!!

Thank you!

birthday boy!

Today my beautiful boy is 4!

This is an image of the card I made for him.
It has turned into a bit of a tradition in our house for me to make birthday cards with the number made up of images of that year.  I really love the evenings looking through all our photos (believe me it takes a LONG LONG time looking through hundreds of photos!)  Remembering all the good times, laughter, mischief, and mayhem!  It always amazes me how much they have grown up in just 1 year.  They will be really lovely to keep and look back on when they are much older, and I will really enjoy his 18th birthday card when I think I will have to use images from all his cards, not just that year!

George has had a wonderful day.  His big present from us was a trampoline, nothing to do with trying to tire him out so he actually sleeps!  He loved it though and was out there first thing this morning in his pjs!

His party was at a soft play centre near us.  We have been to so many of these, but he loves them, they do everything apart from the cake for you, and the mess is not at our house, wins all round!!

We then spent a glorious afternoon having water pistol fights in the garden!

I can not believe my little boy is 4!

Happy birthday my beautiful boy :)

touches of yellow

As you can probably guess from my blog, I love yellow.  

I am coming out of my "beige phase" and starting to embrace colour again.  (To recap I spent my teens in the 90s and really feel for me that era was full of beige, hiding away from any colour or pattern.  When studying architecture I really embraced the minimal, white aesthetic, with touches of raw materials, but again I shied away from colour)

Now I am not saying I would paint every room in my house a different colour, I am definitely no Zandra Rhodes, but I feel touches of colour can really enhance, enliven and evoke different emotions.

I prefer the more mustard yellows rather than neon yellows, but 

for me yellow is just happy.  

Whenever I see it, it makes me smile :-)

I thought I would record some of my favourite images that I have found on Pinterest this week.

Mini Moderns fantastic Festival porcelain set, due to be released soon. I can't wait!!!

This image is from a Danish Artist's Flat from the blog, My Scandinavian Retreat

This image is pinned from Louise Rastall's Blog
From a sneak peak at the little Greene Paint Company's new paint colours

This beautiful group of chairs was pinned from Nathan Michael and The Archive

I love the yellow chair, I want a yellow chair!
This image was pinned from MidCenturyHome

This image was pinned from erigutt photostream on Flickr

This image was pinned from retromoderni.blospot.com

These Fabulous shoes, which I would never be able to walk in, are pinned from Next

This sliding barn door certainly makes a statement, pinned from apartment therapy

What are your favourite colours?  

How does yellow make you feel?  

How do you feel about colour in design?

Would love to know!

beautiful bags

Spot Saddle Bag, Cath Kidson

I thought I would show you a bag from another prominent British designer, Cath Kidson.

Now I am not the biggest fan of her floral bags, but this spot print bag is perfect!  I love the colours, and who doesn't love polka dots!

It is big enough to hold all my crap, sorry, vitally important items!  It is made of oilcloth with beautiful contrasting leather trims, which means the inevitable porridge, yoghurt, and countless and probably unmentionable spills can easily be wiped away!  I love in the blurb it describes it as having, "plentiful pockets" - a girl can never have to many pockets!  The adjustable strap again would allow me to wear it across my body, leaving my hands free to grab escaping children!

Lovely simple design with a fun twist with the spots!

(By the way my mention of Burberry last time didn't work :-(  )

end of an era!

Today was my little boy's last day at Nursery!  

George ready for his last day!

George ready for his first day back in September!

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone, and how in September he will be starting SCHOOL!  

I am so proud of how well he adapted to nursery and how much he has learnt, grown and enjoyed this year, especially as he still isn't 4 yet.  

It will be a shock for us all in September, going to nursery in the afternoons meant our mornings were generally relaxed, eating breakfast slowly, getting ourselves ready slowly! 

 In September we will all have to be out of the door by 8.20! 

Wish me luck! 

ooh and another reason I am so proud of him today, we went to the dentist.  The first time George went he was very nervous and wouldn't let the dentist anywhere near him.  Today he was really looking forward to going, practically skipped into the dentists room, LOVED the ride on the chair, and was quite happy to let the dentist look in his mouth and count his teeth!  

He does not take after me in this!!