Vintage Pleasure

A Little Bit Of Loveliness

That's all it takes.One little bit of loveliness to make my day.

It's All Tif's Fault

Well she's always flaunting her perfect little stools!

 So I found one for myself.Then took a shockingly poor photo of it ,with a flash, at night ,because life is too short for me to wait for the ellusive perfect light at the minute.That original cover is so kitsch, I think.All soft and fake fur like but perfect for the playroom and washable.The most important thing for a soft furnishing to be is washable.It cost me £5 and has been used everyday since.

I knew you'd ask for a close up of the blankets.They spend most of their time wrapped around little girls but when they are not they make the perfect guinea pig bed. Have you seen how cute those IKEA guinea pig softies are? Too cute.

Snuggling Up

As soon as the clocks go back, and autumn is upon us for real, I feel the urge to snuggle up.The early dark nights can be depressing, if you let them, so instead I try to enjoy the good points.Lots of cuddles, wrapped up in blankets drinking hot drinks by the fire.

I'm not the only one who enjoys the blankets. 

 
Stanley was straight on the vintage chenille I used to make Kitty a patchwork blanket.

Even Nell asked for an offcut.

 
Just enough for a little bed.

Aahh... snuggling up.Nothing quite like it.  
 

A Woman's Perogative

So a few months ago I picked up some floor paint on sale.Just enough to do the playroom floor.It's been bare wooden floorboards for well over 18months.It's such a big job to empty that room.The room that contains all my fabric, all my girls art supplies,a big games cupboard,numerous bookcases,a piano, a sofa etc etc etc.The room that would be horrendous to empty.We did get a guy to quote for the job of sanding and painting and the price was okay but I just could not face emptying the room as he insisted.Could not face it.

When I picked up the paint I realised I could do it bit at a time,moving furniture as I went. I did a test patch and loved it. So found a tin of emulsion in the garage to use as a base coat and set to.

 I soon realised that I liked the base colour better. Like I said a woman's perogative to change her mind.Right? I then had to find a way to seal the emulsion because of course I need to be able to clean the floor.I found an ideal floor wax thankfully.

I did a test area of the wax and it seems to be wearing well so hopefully I'll get the rest done soon.Well soonish. It's on my list. My very long list. I bet you have one too? I'd love to know what's on yours? 
 
 

Breakfast Banana Muffins

Having 2 teenagers breakfasts are becoming a challenge.I mean there are so many more important things to do in a morning. Like make-up and hair styles! Lily is actually very good but Maisie.... well lets just say a bucket of water is often very tempting!

I really want them to have a sit down breakfast as I know how good a start to the day that is. But iff they aren't going to sit them I at least want them to eat. So to help the situation I decided to try and find a few healthy 'grab and go'  alternatives. That's where these Breakfast Banana Muffins evolved from.

Breakfast Banana Muffins

1/4 cup wholemeal flour

3/4 cup self-raising flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 tsp baking powder

3 large or 4 medium bananas,mashed

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg

75g (2 1/2 oz) butter,melted

Preparation Mehod

Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Sift together flour,baking powder and salt.

In seperate bowl mix together mashed bananas,sugar,egg and melted butter.

Fold in flour mixture and add oats.

Spoon evenly into 12 paper cases in muffin tin.

Bake for 25-30 mins or until muffins spring back when lightly pressed.

 

Delicious warm.Enjoy as soon as you can!

They will last a few days in an air tight container but definitely better fresh.

Please do share any other tasty, breakfast morsels you think I might be ble to tempt my teenagers with!

 

 

Birthday Blanket

Well I had a whole post written and then Typepad froze again. It's really frustrating and to be honest putting me off posting.I am very tempted to move.

Basically I wanted to show you the patchwork birthday blanket I made for my sister. She's a little colour phobic and I wasn't sure how I would work it with the browns and creams of her lounge.So I added some blue and green from my stash.

I'm not going to risk uploading any more photos to this post but there are a few 'in action' shots in my Flickr photostream

Hopefully I'll be able to resolve the composing a post problem as I have quite a bit to share with you.

Isn't She Gorgeous?

I know I'm biased but she is isn't she?

Finally I can Post

I have been have such issues with Typepad that posting has been impossible.The pages were taking forever to load and then not even properly.So frustrating.

Anyway when I set out to write my post at least a week ago I had a head full of things to say.All witty and entertaining of course. Now? Well my head is empty of everything apart from a post yum-yum and cup of coffee high. So I'll just go straight to the photos.

I am pretty certain the jist of the post was going to be how I like my bedroom to to be my little tranquil haven at the end of an always busy day. It's decorated in much more subdued tones than the rest of the house and is also much more clutter free.

The bed is between two doors.The one you can see leads to the landing. But it's the one on the other side that is one of my favourites parts of the room. As I love the view through into the dressing room.

 I actually just love the fact that I have the luxury of a dressing room really.It was a bedroom but we didn't need it.We did toy with the idea of making an en-suite but if I'm honest I don't like en-suites.I hate lying in bed and hearing...well you know what I mean!

I've uploaded some more detailed photos to my corners set if you want a nosey.
   

Inspired by Pip and Blair

I love it when the little pieces of cyberspace we share collide and spur me on to actually do something. A few months ago the lovely Pip's home was featured in an Australian mag.As luck would have it on of our 'blog fairy godmothers' the lovely Aline was in Australia at the time so I cheekily asked her to pick me up the mag. Which, being the lovely lady she is, she did. Not only the mag but also some sweet little koala bear clips and a boomerang.Oh how my girls love their 'blog fairy godmothers'!

 

When the mag arrived  this photo really took my eye and I realised that I needed more cushions for the playroom sofa.A whole heap of ecclectic cushions in fact.All mixy-matchy and fun.Not too much thought about them all looking right together.So I set to and made a few.

I have admired from afar the 'union jack design fetish' that seems to be everywhere but have never sucuumbed until now.I thrifted a length of unused tea-towel fabric and washed it and washed it and washed it until it had faded slightly. Then I used some of my Prints Charming fabric stash and handstiched on some detail.The intention was to use it to display all the girls collected badges but...well lets just say they don't make for a very comfortable cushion!

Then the lovely Blair blogged about her stash value quilt and I was so taken with the technique.I knew however that it would be a long time before I'll get around to making a whole quilt.So I just made a piece big enough for a large cushion cover.It's backed in a thick cotton waffle that is actually a baby blanket.So combined with the quilted front the cushion is so snuggly.

The other couple of cushions are made from my vintage fabric stash. The sofa looks and feels much more inviting now. It even makes the upholstery look a little more pleasant.The sofa is an Edwardian drop arm one that was a birthday present from my hubby. We are going to have it recovered in a bluey-grey velvet. Umm... I must ask hubby when that will be!

 

On A Quest

I'm on a quest people. Not one of 'the utmost kind' like Tif but still one that's very difficult to achieve.

That is the quest to have a clear kitchen table at all times.

I don't know about yours but mine becomes the dumping ground for anything and everything. Mealtimes come and the 'piles' are shifted to one end to make room for the plates. Well I've had enough.No more.A clear table must be achieved everyday before the evening meal.

There are exceptions to the rule.I would be quite happy for my table to look like this any morning. Memories of a great night with friends where we enjoyed a bbq and stayed outside until the early hors.Hence the pile of blankets!