On a Roll

Next bit of DIY whatnot comes in the shape of this tray thingy. Again, this was thrifted years ago and has been too ugly to use, but in the back of my mind I knew it could be saved somehow, and with recent dabbles with paintbrushes already fresh on my mind it wasn't long before Mod Podge showed up to join in the party.

With some undercoat and leftover wallpaper and a little bit of Mod Podge thrown in for good measure it took less than half an hour and we had yet another Orla-fied item ready to use. In fact, I am hinting for breakfast in bed just to make use of this item...









And if it's any consolation, I'm getting as bored as you are with the incessant Orla Kiely references in my house. But what to do. She's ace.

Mod Podge + Orla Kiely

I have used this combination before to produce some nice results, but using leftover wallpaper on a dull piece of furniture really is a great way to make something a feature rather than an eye sore.

*** *** ***

Blue & Yellow

Ignoring for a while the debris and destruction that awaited my return yesterday (can I just say, again, that three males in one house - albeit, or perhaps because, two of them are mini-men - come second only in line to forces of nature and acts of God in their destructive ability and devastation-causing ways. Dust, crunchy carpets, smelly bedsheets, a film of smeared grease over the kitchen, the smell of a byre and two children who hadn't been bathed in TEN days... OH. MY.), I want to ignore the immense amount of work I have done on my return and the mountain-load left to tackle (I am so tired) and instead do that squinting-eye thing I do to focus my mojo on the positive, pretty things in life. Play along and pretend dirty windows are de rigeur OK? OK. This vintage, kick ass plate was gifted to me by a sister I have never met in the flesh but who, on occasions too numerous to count, sends me the most amazing things to make me happy. Her thoughfulness never fails to hit it's mark, and I was once again reeling and agog at the most beautiful, delicate gift I had ever received.

It's aqua, it's vintage, it's ceramic and it's a stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of pretty that had an immediate impact on not only my mood but the course of decor choices in my kitchen!





Sure, we have blue in my kitchen - aqua, duck-egg, creams and whites - but never coupled with yellow. And that one little detail made my heart pitter-patter and I was smitten with the combination. Aqua and yellow.... oh yes.



So I've been shoe-horning little bits of yellow in here and there in the intention of carrying this combo through.





It's even affecting my thrifting!







Not that I'm complaing one little bit.

*** *** ***

One Day My Prints Will Come...

Honestly, my jokes don't get a lot better than that, so just humour me, OK?

A few new prints and posters and what-have-you that have found their way into our home these last few weeks...













And whilst this one isn't new to us, it is the first time we have found a space for it.



Love it.

*** *** ***

Some WIPs*

Inspired by these colours...



Crazy enough to go back to crochet...



Masochistic enough to make granny squares for yet another crochet 'thing' that will probably end up disappointing me. Again. Because, even though I want to, I can't crochet and I don't really like crocheted things all that much. This might be the one that changes all that.



Some embroidery...



And I daresay various things on sticks, various things scribbled down on my 'To Do' board and preparation for a few other projects on the go at the same time. Just a few.

What are your WIPs??


* works in progress

*** *** ***

Décor

Over the past few years I've grown some very firm ideas about décor, which have grown organically without any contrivance. Like with most things deemed 'artistic' or even deemed matters of 'taste', it takes a while to find your groove, doesn't it?

You start off liking everything, or nothing, like a bird in an aviary without a song of your own, and eventually after being submerged in ideas or influences you begin to notice the notes that do it for you, the tone that you like, the rhythm that makes your heart beat a bit faster and, without trying and without really knowing how, you have a song of your own.

My song resides firmly in mid-century modern, which is probably a bit of a cliché, but unashamedly so, since it is an authentic love. When I see items from that era they have to power to take my breathe away and to make my heart beat a little faster. I love the lines, the angles, the colours - it's all so beautiful.

Part of my particular song is also deeply embedded in thrift culture. This is convenient for me due to the fact that, as someone who hasn't got two brass pennies to rub together, I would not be able to furnish my house if I didn't thrift! But more than that, it is something I actively choose.

I remember one crafty lady (in a good way!) commenting somewhere years ago that when it came to retro items she couldn't see the point in buying new things styled to look old when you could get the real thing instead. And that makes perfect sense to me - part of the reason I thrift is to get the real thing. And that's not a perfect art, because the nature of thrift is sporadic - the art of thrifting is a lesson in patience, an acceptance of luck or fate.

In my whole house, apart from wallpaper and paint (and admittedly a generous collection of indie handmade prints), I can think of only two things that have not been thrifted, and one of those was a gift. All the nick-nacks, ornaments, furniture, and what-have-you have all resulted from a moment of bliss at a charity shop - moments where the treasure hunting has resulted in a punch-the-fist-in-the-air type score.

It is in this way that home décor can be raised from pastiche to genuine eclectic style. I don't know if our home would ever be regarding as 'stylish' or 'tasteful' by anyone else, but the fact that we now have corners in our home that sing my song is making 'home' somewhere I'd rather be than anywhere else.

And if I ever get The Sofa of My Dreams to be part of that song? Oh that would be good too.

*** *** ***

Our New Room :: The Artwork

Ever since we started working on building this new room I have been squirreling away works of art, prints and inspirational things that I hope will motivate and beautify in equal measure.

As well as the standard 'educational' posters we have, I also have plans of adding some of my own work to the walls in this space, to hopefully compliment the prints I already have.







It's been fun finding beautiful, handmade things for our new room. I can't wait to get them framed and up on the walls!



It has been such a long wait...