Linaloo

Rustic headboard

Our bedroom is a bit of an eclectic mish mash of furniture. I'm quite alright with that but I had been looking for a solid headboard for while but couldn't find anything to fit the bill for a reasonable price. Even lots of thrifting failed to yield something the right size. Finally this summer I asked my husband if he could make one for me and he agreed. Quite readily in fact. (If I sound surprised it's because I was, he's a pretty handy guy but also very busy at work these days).

So I showed him these fabulous detailed plans put together by Ana White, whose blog I have followed for the last year or so. $60 worth of lumber from the hardware store and a few hours of cutting, assembling and painting later - we had this:  
I love it!  I haven't mentioned it to him yet, but I'd quite like one of these next.

The doily duvet cover was of couse, made especially for me, by those lovely people at Ikea!

PS Worth mentioning that we ended up cutting about 5 inches off the legs as it was just too tall for the proportions of our room.

The Royal Visit

 
I refer not to the recent visit to Canada by Will and Kate, but to my lovely Mum, who arrives this week from the UK. Because every Mum deserves a little a bit of red carpet treatment, preparations have been underway this past week to add some finishing touches to our rather bland guest room. It went from drab to fab with a few small changes. The addition of a headboard (our old black one spray painted white), a few new cushions, a cute matryoshka bedside carafe, a framed photograph and hey presto, a room fit for a Queen!

Practical making: a bedskirt

 
Not the sexiest title for a blog post, nor the most riveting of subjects for that matter, but I do love a bit of practical making.  It seems the homemaker in me is always slightly smug and pleased with herself when she's able to put her sewing skills to practical use. (Although this project barely counts as sewing, as it involved just 2 little seams).

Our old bedskirt ripped ages ago and I have have been on the hunt for a replacement for while.  I've had a hard time even finding something suitable and I couldn't bring myself to spend a small fortune on one.  I knew I could probably make one but the thought of the amount of time it would take for the tedious measuring and accurate assembly of something for the bottom of my bed put me off until I happened upon this simple solution here. With a little bit of measuring, cutting of a flat sheet that has never been used, some joining, hemming and saftey pinning to the box spring and hey presto!  A practial, cheap and easy fix in just over an hour!  Admittedly white is probably not the most practical colour and I will likely end up changing it for a natural linen shade eventually, but it's certainly better than seeing all the dust bunnies lurking underneath the bed! 
I am so easily pleased.

Doily addict

Along with vintage buttons and sheets,  I have amassed quite a sizeable collection of doilies through thrifting and swaps (thank you Imene!).  They’re prized possessions and only a few of them have actually ever been used.

Until now.

Claudia recently posted about this simple but perfect tutorial  which, when I read, made me drop everything I was doing and run for my doilies immediately. It was one of those mad multi tasking moments which involved a glue gun, surfing in the net, cooking dinner and helping children with homework all at the same time... it was just like a primal urge and I couldn’t stop myself from making them right there and then.

  

I can't tell you how pretty these looked last night on my mantlepiece.

If doilies were a drug then this little project was a perfect quick fix to feed my habit.

Spring flowers

This was supposed to be a craft project for my children.  Inspired by this and this,  I came up with this version of a spring tree using some twigs from our back yard, paper from the recycle box, vintage buttons and my trusty glue gun. But I'm an impatient person, so I did it before they got home from school instead.   
There goes my mother of the year award I guess. 
They didn't seem to mind too much, bless 'em.

I need a holiday!

What I miss about England.

Family and friends.
Long muddy walks in the country.
A proper Sunday roast made by my Mum.
Pubs.
Fish and chips.
Good telly.

We had a great trip back home, not relaxing in the slightest as we were way too busy trying to cram in visits to all our family and friends. Didn't manage to see everyone on the list, but had fun trying.

The downside is we're all exhausted but thankfully have a few more days left to recover before routine reigns once more!

Happy new year to you all!

It's here!

-29C with the wind chill yesterday. A bit of a rude awakening! 10cm of snow and warmer today.

Life in the 'burbs :: a delicate balance

Some might argue that life in the suburbs is the best of both worlds; a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll. Despite living in a city (once or twice) I've always been a country girl at heart and sometimes can't help but think that surburbia is no man's land, neither here nor there, the worst of both worlds. The solution? A house in the country and a pied-a-terre in town perhaps?   May be not in our budget just yet. How about Saturday downtown for brunch with a long lost friend and Sunday in the garden?

 

 

 

 

 

  That'll do nicely.

Quiet

The house is quiet, our lovely friends have left. I'm missing them already. I'm trying to enjoy a moment of calm. I have a doll's quilt to finish for this swap, a schooliform and other supplies for Ruby starting school (that's all I can say about that without tearing up, really must get a grip). Tommy is also starting a new pre Kindergarten next week and my work hours will soon be increasing (ever so slightly) so chaos will undoubtedly resume shortly . 

On another note, a big thank you to Lisa.  Not only did she pass on an award a while back, but she also sent me these goodies (wool and pillowcases) as part of a little thrifty swap we did.  Thanks Lisa! 

Happy Monday

Happy birthday Bethan, my niece, who is 8 today.
Happy bonfire night to everyone in the UK.
Happy Monday to everyone else.

Just wanted to show you a new favourite "corner of my home". Come and have a look.

First, there's some new art from Jen at Swallowfield, lovely isn't it?

Then there's this pretty rick-rack/patchwork cushion I sewed this weekend. I love the cheerful fabric - a pillowcase thrifted this summer. I've never done a rick rack trim before but I like it, simple and cute.

Put it all together and it looks like this.

A quiet, sunny spot in my kitchen, great for reading and enjoying the garden. Now, if only I could make up my mind about those curtains!