Nonnie

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Ooh I've been having a lovely pottering few days. Not only have I been sewing lots but I've been having a major spring clean and move around of bits and bobs in the flat. Above is the new look sideboard. I've gone all neutral apart from the little spash of red on the lampshade. I've really got a thing for cream and white at the moment. A lot of my frames were already either cream or white but those that weren't got a coat of paint. Even the lamp base got painted! My Christmas twigs are still going strong but while I'm in the Cotswolds at the end of the week I think I'll be raiding Mum and Dads garden for some branches with buds to force. Going to need them to hang my Easter decorations on!

The bookshelf has been re-done as well. Absolutely everything came off and went back on again in a totally new way. Only white or pale blue paperbacks were allowed back! Oops, just realised you can see the ugly sofa without covering in this shot. Better get the cover back on quickly.

Ah, that's better. Actually the blanket above is a new purchase. I popped up to the big yellow and blue warehouse yesterday and got some great bits and bobs, this great crochet style blanket being one of them. Oh, and the little cream tea light holders you can see in the first picture. Obligatory tea lights, a new wine rack which was super cheap but very smart and a couple of picture frames. Not entirely sure why I chose half term for a trip to Ikea? It was packed but I knew what I was looking for so whizzed round quickly and was back home in no time.

I love re-arranging objects. I really had fun colour coordinating my books.(a little obsession of mine!) I've been arranging the bookshelves of a certain supermodel lately(sorry, I'm such a show off!) so it was nice to be able to spend time doing my own. Especially as my books and objects are so much nicer!

Well time to get back to it, the hall is still full of clutter that has come out of the sitting room and there's more sewing to be done and orders to be prepared. Not to mention a new website to be worked on. Did I say I was on holiday this week?! x

 

Sunshine and Spring

I'm relieved to say it's been a less stressful week than last. More early nights and less time spent at work. Not a lot to show creatively as it's all going on behind the scenes at the moment. I'm working on a couple of orders and making good progress with the website. Having said that there's still a lot to do on the website. So far I'm just getting there with the overall look and setting up all the different sections of the shop. But I think it's going to take some time to get the shop full, especially as I lot of the items that are going to be in the shop are still just sketches in my note book, or bits of pinned together fabric draped around the flat! But I'm feeling pleased with progress so far. I'd love to think it might be finished before Easter but I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself, expecially as Easter is early.

It's been a gorgeous sunny week here in London. Today the sky is a gorgeous blue, the sun is shining brightly and it's even quite mild. It really lifts the spirits when it's like this. I've had a smile on my face all week. The little pot of cute daffodils Catherine and Hamish bought me last weekend have even brought a little bit of Spring into my Living Room too.

So it's the weekend again. I'm planning a fairly relaxed one, although I'm out tomorrow evening over in High Wycombe. Tomorrow will be spent finishing the orders and doing a bit of pampering before my evening out. There's nothing nicer than spending Saturday afternoon relaxing in the bath and getting ready for a nice evening out. It's just what I need.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. See you again next week. xx

The Tree!

Finally pictures of the tree. It's been kind of a hectic week so finding time to show the pictures has been difficult. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my Sitting Room. It is my favourite room in the house at the moment.

You might spot the glass of sloe gin on the table under the twigs! I've been enjoying a glass most nights this week!

Tomorrow I have a day off work to spend Christmas shopping with my Sister. We're heading into Marlow which is a lovely place to shop, especially just before Christmas. My Brother-in-Law is looking after dear little Hamish so we'll be able to really take our time. But I'll look forward to spending some time with my lovely Nephew when we get back home. I had a chat on the phone with him today. Can hardly believe he is only just two! He was telling me that he was going to the Mum's and Toddlers play group to play with playdough and that Nana and Gramps(my Mum and Dad) were taking him to John Lewis this afternoon. Unbelievably for a two year old he loves going there! I think it's the lure of the great toy department and the lemon drizzle cake and juice that he always gets with Mum. Plus at the moment he is very impressed with the Christmas lights and tree that adorn the shop. He finished the conversation saying "Have a lovely day Aunty Nonnie". Oh he's a little lamb!!

This final picture below is of a gorgeous little berry heart that I received from Joanna of Higgletypigglety. I ordered one of her lovely prints recently as a Christmas present and she popped this and a lovely card in the parcel too. What makes it particularly special is that she made it from berries collected close to Chichester Harbour which is a place that I am very fond of and which she and I often talk about. I really love it and it looks so sweet hanging on the sitting room door.

Now I'm off for dinner at my Managers house who had left our company today. He lives close to the office but has given us all strict instructions not to arrive before 7.15 as he needs time to prepare! All I need now is a bit of a makeup touch-up and I'll be ready to go!

xxx

Before the tree

I'm really stretching out the build up to the tree pictures aren't I? The light in the Sitting Room was so cosy on Saturday though and it was all looking so tidy and lovely that I had to take a few 'before the tree' pictures. I'm really loving my little Sitting Room now that I've got it just as I want it.

I decided to put some of my unsold cushions on the sofa to add a splash more colour. There's a major red, white and blue theme going on in here now and even the Christmas decorations coordinate with everything else. I actually decided that apart from the tree itself, I'd quite like to keep everything as it is in the new year, meaning keeping up the twigs and decorations and the bunting below. Or maybe that's a bit silly. Perhaps I'll just keep the bunting and mix some daffodils or tulips in with the twigs on the 6th January. I always love that, don't you? Going to buy some spring flowers as soon as the tree comes down. Makes it seem a little more bearable. But I shouldn't be talking about that yet, Christmas is still two weeks away. Two weeks today!

Last night I got all my remaining parcels of orders wrapped up and ready to go. So those of you who ordered cards and decorations should have them in time for Christmas. I even finished all my Christmas cards and parcelled up the one present I have to post away. Very organised! And feeling a little bit virtuous!! I think I deserve a night of doing nothing but watching TV and sipping sloe gin this evening! I'll probably need that after braving the post office queue at lunchtime.

Did anyone see Nigella last night. Gosh, I'm sad that series has come to an end. Going to have to get the book. I'm absolutely dreaming of the chocolate and pistachio fudge she made last night! I was even thinking about it on the bus this morning. Some of that is definitely going to get made at the weekend.

I hope wherever you are today it's as perfect as here in London. Very cold and crisp with stunning blue sky and sunshine. Really lifts the spirits after the gloom of the last few days. Have a lovely day and I'll see you again tomorrow. x

Starting to decorate.

This weekend I had a lovely calm and relaxing time at home. It felt like the first in weeks. The flat was a bit of a tip so I concentrated on getting it sorted and starting to get the Christmassy feel going. I had planned on getting my tree on Saturday but woke to heavy rain so not idea for carrying a Christmas tree down the street! So instead I braved the weather to go to the garden shop in the middle of Kew to at least reserve and pay for the tree. I was determined I was going to get the size I wanted this year after ending up with one which was far too big last year due to being determined to be traditional and leave it to the last minute. So I ordered the tree and went home to get some other Christmassy things out.

I still had the lovely twigs left that I took to the fair last week and a few of my felt decorations so I decided to set these up with some of my red boxes and a cute little wooden tree I've had for a few years.

The little table I've put it on is normally my sewing table but as I'm not planning on doing a whole lot of sewing for the next few weeks I thought I turn it into a display table. If I get the urge to sew I can always use the kitchen table.

I added a couple of tealight holders for a bit of candle light under the twigs.

What with all the tidying it's starting to look rather festive. Yesterday I picked up the tree. It's looking really cute. Pictures of that and my now very cosy looking sitting room later in the week. x

Little Boxes

I love boxes, containers and tins and I'm not sure if I've every shown you these three favourites.

The red box is lovely, really battered with chippy paint and a slightly rough interior. I spotted it one day when I was in Cornwall and new I had to have it. I definitely have a love of anything red and this cheerful box was just calling out to me from the shop window amongst all the other slightly dull contents.

Initially I was slightly tempted to repaint it but luckily I have resisted. I like seeing the old paint and the roughness of it all.

This tin is an ebay find and is one of the tins I use to store my collection of ribbons. I love the bright, slightly clashy flowers. It always sits on top of the red box and I think it's a lovely contrast.

Another old favourite is this old toffee tin.

I really can't remember where this tin came from as I've had it years. Actually I think it was the first tin I ever bought. For a long time it was my sewing tin. That really shows how long I've had it if that was the purpose it once served. I can't remember back to a time when all my sewing things would fit into a small tin. My 'sewing things' now live in almost every area of the flat, from cupboards to drawers and from boxes to tins. Not to mention table tops and currently all over one of the sofas!

The Christmas production line is coming along nicely and as I write the sofa is covered in little felt hearts, stars and angels. A lot of what I'm doing is being hand stitched and I'm loving my evenings at the moment sitting on the sofa, glass of wine on the table, stitching away with a bit of TV on.

In honour of the fact that I'm starting to feel quite Christmassy now I've decided to change the look of the blog again as I was getting a little bored of the pine cones. I thought it was time for a splash of red.

Finally, to those of you waiting for either orders, or giveaways, everything is parcelled up and will be posted out tomorrow.

It's a gorgeous sun-shiny but very cold day today here in London. Hope the sun is shining where you are today. xx

The view from the sofa

As I sat curled up on the sofa last night I started to quite admire the view I could see. I've been working pretty hard in the last couple of weeks getting the flat starting to look something how I would like it. I'm starting to like what I see. I've got into a routine of lighting lots of tea lights and candles on the sideboard as soon as I get in at night. In the absense of a real fire it really makes the place so cosy and warm.

I've got a very special Birthday boy coming over tomorrow with his Mummy and later on(when he finishes work) his Daddy too. It was Hamish's second Birthday yesterday and stupidly I didn't book the day of work in time so missed out on the Birthday lunch they had with my Mum and Dad. So instead they're having a trip to Kew tomorrow. So tonight I'll be wrapping the Fireman Sam set and other goodies, baking fairy buns(with candles) and blowing up balloons! We're going to go into Kew Gardens which he will love as we can go to see the ducks and swans on the lake and there is tons of room for him to run around. I suspect my Sister will like the gift shop the best, which really is lovely. I spent ages in there the other week!

Sunday will be spent going to see Stardust and hopefully getting on with some sewing. I now have a nice long break until my next fair so plenty of time to get creative.

Have a lovely weekend everyone. See you next week. xx

A Favourite Corner

I thought I'd share a tiny little corner of my home today. My bedside shelf to be precise. It's funny isn't it that when you take photos of where you live you really start to see it in a different way. You really see it. Looking at the photo above I like what I see but I do wonder if it is the bedside of a 35 year old woman or that of a child! We're contemplating moving at the moment and I do have a longing to create a slightly new look. Something a little more subdued and mature perhaps? But I do like my little bedside and the things that are sitting there. It's probably the real me. There's a very simple collage that I made as well as a card I made for George last Valentines. Sitting next to them is the sweet little Angel I bought from Carolyn last year and a gorgeous decorated box from my clever Sis. I must show you all what lives in that box one day. Another of her fabulous creations! Next to the box is a dear little china posy which I've written about before which used to belong to my Grandma. Finally there's my Crabtree and Evelyn rose handcream and a good old Cath Kidston spotty mug full of lovely tea. You'll also be able to spot my bed head which is covered with a lovely paisley eiderdown and another of Catherine's creations which is a gorgeous little bag embroidered with my initial. Above that is another of my heart collages.

All in all a nice bedside although I'm not so keen on the rest of the room. We live in a fairly modern and featureless rented place and I dream of a bit of character and curtains as the landlord has installed rather unattractive wood venetian blinds. I have a dream in my head of how our bedroom will look one day. You will of course see the results when it happens. I might add that George's side is not nearly so attractive. Piles of books and yachting magazines spilling over in a precarious manner are not my idea of a pretty corner of the home but it is his home as well as mine so I can't be too fussy!

Grandma's Chair

Just a quick post today to show you all that I have been a little bit creative lately and not just spending all my time on the water!

Sadly, about four and a half years ago, my two remaining Grandparents died within a month of each other. I miss them both very much, especially as George and I now spend so much time down on Chichester Harbour which is where they used to live, but I am lucky enough to have some lovely reminders of them in my home. One of the items I was lucky enough to have from their house was a sweet little nursing chair. Unfortunately though it wasn't covered in the most attractive of fabrics and it was looking a little tired and unloved.

I'm rather embarrassed to say that it has sat in this state for quite some time with just a piece of fabric over it to make it look a little better. For quite some time now I've been trying to decide what to do with it and finally the other week I managed to get hold of a large piece of free remnant fabric from work in a lovely soft green. Now green isn't really a colour I use a lot of. The flat is fairly neutral as it's rented and I've used lots of red and blue in all the rooms because I had my cornishware and red enamel collection, and in such a small space I feel it's better to keep the same theme throughout. But in the hall where the chair lives, there was no blue, just the red and white rug. So I decided to introduce the green to the hall by making a slip cover for the chair.

I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. This is only the second loose cover I've ever made so it's not perfect. I'm definitely not going to show you a close up of the corner joins! But it's not so bad. I already had the lovely checked and floral cushion from Louise Loves and I think it finishes it off nicely. It's a lovely spot to sit while chatting on the phone.

George has been cooking!

No, not my George. This George!

OK, so perhaps cooking is a bit of an exageration. More, making a cappucino (We're very sophisticated on our boat!). Don't you think he's clever? Of course he had to concentrate very hard so as not to spill boiling water on himself, hence the very serious expression.

We had a lovely afternoon pottering and getting jobs done as it was too windy to sail. I scrubbed all the decks which was very satisfying, although I managed to bump my shin on a corner so now have a huge bruise which is slowly turning a very nice shade of purple!

On Saturday we had a very relaxing day in Kew. We wandered to the shops where I was bought these gorgeous tulips. :-) We played tennis. (I won!) We made delicious food and watched a lot of rugby, and I started consulting my inspiration files and books for Easter ideas. I have a few lovely ideas in my head. Now I've got to start making.

I was also sorting and photographing some new vintage things for the shop that arrived last week. I'm particularly in love with these two pretty plates.

I should be adding these and a few more bits and pieces later in the week.

Well after such a lovely weekend, I'm full of energy and enthusiasm for the week ahead. It's going to be March on Thursday! Spring will soon be here! If that's not something to feel happy about on a Monday morning then I don't know what is.

Have a lovely day. XX