ted and agnes

delights of show & tell

I picked up a copy of Homes & Antiques this month, I don't know why as its not a mag that I usually even flick through but it called me from the shelf. So imagine my delight as I came across this article.

Our very own Julia at Vintage Heaven. It was lovely to take a proper peek into Julia's lovely home & the photos were great.

I am so glad that people share their homes with all of us, it is such an inspiration & a kick up the rear for me when I'm feeling a bit gloomy about a messy corner or plaster falling off the wall.

I know some may feel it's a bit showy offy but honestly if you think that about people then shame on you look at the delights you are missing. We all take inspiration from different sources so thank goodness for those who open up and share their homes...

And on that note thought you might like to see my new pew...I absolutely love it and its my fave piece of furniture to date and yes I think I am going to show off about it!

So the moral of this post is please keep inviting us into your homes because they are wonderful, inspiring, exciting & they brighten up my day!  

ps... thanks for all your comments regarding the sewing machine I am really grateful and I think I am going to look around for someone I trust to service the old girl before I rush out and buy a new model...will be choosing a random comment on Sunday and then the notebook will be on its way.....
 
 
 

tis a sad day

After 20 years of faithful service, appalling treatment, being carted around the countryside and generally used and abused my wonderful Bernina is just not cutting it anymore.

This delightful workhorse came into my possession whilst at art college and mooning over it for weeks and thinking how on earth can i spend over £900 on a sewing machine when my car at the time cost me £250, it was the little box of feet attached to the back that finally got me.

So I handed over my hard earned pennies...oh the joy....its made so many things over the years and still has many left in her but I just can't get a decent top stitch out of her, no matter how much I tinker.

I am loathed to get her serviced (doing the basic maintenance myself over the years) as so many people I have spoken to have said their Berninas are never the same when returning. All metal, heavy and delightful they certainly don't make these machines like they used too.

So I have decided to buy a new machine basically for top stitching, nothing fancy but a good stitch quality and can cope with regular use. I would be really grateful for your comments on your own experience with today's sewing machines & your preferred models as I haven't a clue where to start and don't have the time to trawl & traipse about trying various models out.

As a thank you I will choose a random post and send you something for helping me out (details later when I've rustled something up).......and so to the bathroom

its almost finished but I just haven't had the time (or the inclination) to strip the toilet cistern & pipes so we will live with them for a bit.

I was browsing through Homebase on a farrow & ball mission when I spotted this fab wallpaper, it reminded me of the lovely wallpaper that I had admired & swooned over that Manda at Treefall Design has on her bedroom wall.

So I am pleased with how it turned out and was hoping it might inspire the boys of the house to spend more time in there washing & perhaps brushing their teeth without me threatening them first....ha no chance!

Inspired with my sort of new bathroom I decided to get busy in the dining room as a new carpet is on its way followed shortly by a church pew (very excited about this addition)

so will have a few more make over photos shortly.....also some exciting news about getting back to work & finally stocking my little store.

Edit ....share your thoughts good & bad about sewing machines and this little lovely could be yours.

will be chosing a random comment a week sunday.... 

  
 

bathroom makeover

The bathroom has been crying out for a splash of paint for ages...must admit its the worst room in the house. In fact its one of the few downfalls of living in an estate owned house that hasn't had any maintenance for probably 300 years (maybe over exgagerating lets say 250 yrs!)

So after looking at it for everyday, pretty much since we moved in (over 7 yrs ago) I have thought to myself this room really needs sorting, that victorian toilet cistern would look lovely stripped & polished and what to do about the bath hmmm

When we first moved in I had to tile the wall to stop it falling into the water everytime we had a bath & a coat of paint but thats about it, I always felt it was a bit of a lost cause and spent as little time as possible in there.

I did contemplate fitting a new suite but I quite like the charm of the old stuff, it's a nightmare to clean and the bath could really do with re enamelling but its the kind of patina you cant recreate (well that's what I'm telling myself).

So last night as you can see I decided NO MORE the bathroom needs a makeover. So I am chipping away at it in the day between am & pm showers n bathtimes & when Violet decides to have a nap....it could take some time. I am very excited about the cistern, under the paint it seems to be cast iron or something similar & the downpipe water thingy looks like it might polish up nicely.

I am going to wallpaper the bath panel as the walls would be impossible to paper, with a few coats of varnish I hope it will be water tight but we'll have to see.

I'll be able to get properly stuck in from Thurs as Keith is back from Holland and can keep an eye on Jinxy so I'll keep you updated of my progress and post some more pics as we go along.

a good day for gems...

So here it is the spare room, the new project. As you can see rather a dumping ground for stuff that I keep intending to sort but just seem to keep shutting the door on! So I decided whilst I am feeling okay and haven't much in common with a beached whale yet I must crack on....First job is to sort & store away all  my bits which I hope to get on with this week. More to come......

Had a change about in the main bedroom, I seem to sleep better for a while if I move stuff about so here is the new set up. I am thinking of wallpapering one of the walls with some vintage paper I picked up recently but it may have to wait until more pressing jobs have been taken care of.

Had a great finds day today on the way to collect a cot thanks to Freecycle, which needs a good scrub and a lick of paint ready for pride of place in the nursery...have allsorts of ideas for bumpers & quilts,

We spotted a random boot fair and nipped in on the way back and managed to snaffle these gems

Two lovely oval mirrors in great condition, and these rather divine wooden candlesticks.....and the best find of the day this yummy eiderdown and its green......hoo blimin rah

Already washed and drying nicely ready to take pride on place at the end of the bed.... I just missed a slightly smaller one but the way I see it there's someone else out there chuffed at their haul.

Then to top off the day my youngest (aged 7 I might add) went for a 10mile walk up a mountain and brought his Mum & bean these wonderful flowers...thank you rom pom Tom XX

 

Kitchen pics as promised......

Several people have asked me for some pics of the kitchen so here they are...its hard to believe that just a few months back there was a 6ft hole rather than a floor (fixing the flood problem) and after losing the entire ground floor last July it seems like a lifetime to get sorted and it really still is a work in progress.

This is the view into the pantry and I was lucky enough to recieve a 1930's kitchen cabinet from freecycle which I want to paint but the orange has really grown on me...so that project is on hold for the mo

I've been a bit slack this week on all fronts, its always difficult to get things done when you are tripping over children but I haven't been able to get into the groove....I have a coat project on the go, all cut out waiting to be sewed up with its delicious liberty lining fabric and I am knitting a little cardi (red with pink ribbing) to go with my liberty night attire....that seems to be coming along faster than anything else. I blame Grey's Anatomy I stumbled across series 1 & 2 on demand and have been glued to the TV ever since...and then there's the hero's DVD and of course my regular helpings of Buffy the Vampire Slayer....I would just like to say at this point that I am not a complete tv addict in fact I dont watch much at all but I do like a good american drama (sitcoms to be avoided at all costs)....

I have also been walking again this week averaging about 4 miles a day & yesterday we hiked the children to the next village for a play in the park pinic & a bus ride back. I did plan to photograph the whole event but forgot the camera! Dizzy woman that I am...I was then treated to a lovely piece of homemade Tiffin, a chat, cuppa and a lovely cuddle with a friends ickle new small who is almost 12wks now. He has grown so big and it just makes you realise how time just gallops off and before you know it those little bundles of joy have grown up in a blink...happy days

Books, bits & stuff

One of the best things about working in a library is that I can get my mitts on a whole wonderful range of books……try before I buy so to speak. As many of you no doubt share the same addiction for buying and stashing books, leaving our shelves bulging and our purse somewhat short, will have experienced the disappointment of some books not being quite what we expected. So I am working through my books 'wanted' list by ordering at the library and then deciding whether it would be a good purchase or not. These are my latest acquisitions and I shall be giving them a quick review here over the following weeks.

This cupboard has been my latest project…It did house my fabric stash but after moving the bedrooms about I now have a bigger one for fabric and decided to bring it downstairs into the kitchen, a quick lick of 'slipper satin' by farrow and ball, slosh of blackboard paint and some creative chalk work. I have filled the inside with allsorts of stuff including my sacks of bread flour which have caused a storage dilemma for sometime. My other project for now is my crochet blanket which is nice to work on in the evenings when it gets a bit nippy as its just getting long enough to cover my knees…having to tighten our belts this year so I am trying to use up some of my yarn stash before buying anymore!!!

I have been drooling over Jane Brocket's fab socks in her book, they are so fine, looking particularly good with gold high heels (although tend to side with Jane on the Birkenstock front). I wish I could get to grips with those little needles. Sandra (Jenny Scott's sister) at Beckside Yarns in Clapham, the little village I live in is really helpful and has said she will help whenever I need it. This is really generous of her and to be honest what more could I want, a waterfall outside my house and a fabulous yarn shop 2 mins from my door with a really helpful owner! Bliss but I am afraid the ball of sock yarn keeps being buried at the bottom of the stash so maybe when it's the last ball left alone and sad I will give it a go!!!