MIAM

MIAM

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Cabinet Reshuffle

Well finally it's done.  My £20 tatty yew veneered cupboard has been sugar soaped, sanded, primed, painted, distressed and now it's ready for it's big reveal.  Remember how it used to look ?

  
and here it is now!

Yeah I know what you're thinking, you liked it better before, right? 
 But seriously, it was quite scratched and shabby.
I have to say it's turned out a lot better than I thought it wouldI'm no Emma Kate  but her sound advice produced such great results I think I might attempt this again. My total spend on this project after the initial outlay was £3 for some sandpaper,  I already had primer and half a tin of Farrow & Ball eggshell which I decided to use in the spirit of Make Do & Mend.  It seemed daft to spend out on paint for such an inexpensive piece.   Of course it did help that we've had great weather lately and I could paint outside so drying time and the whiff factor was minimal.  

(On closer inspection I think the drawers may need a smidge more distress treatment)

Once I lined the base and shelf with a wallpaper 'sample' I was ready to fill it with seldom used crockery (you know the sort) and thereby restore order in my kitchen cabinets which until now had been stuffed to the gunwales and in desperate need of reorganisation.
 



I'm thinking this shelf which I bought about twenty years ago could look good on the wall above it and there should be just enough paint left.  It could be my next project...?

  
Here in the South East the weather continues to be scorching although I was working over the weekend and since then I have totally lost my voice and developed a streaming cold!  I've been feeling somewhat 'bleugh' of late and apologise for not getting round to see you all lately, something I hope to remedy soon.  Never mind, I'm determined to make the most of this fine spell and hope it continues till next weekend when I'll be off to the Ruby Wedding celebrations of my aunt and uncle.  For the occasion I have splashed out £5 on a new frock from Dr Barnado's which I'm rather bloody pleased with, especially as I was in a tearing hurry to get back to the car before the parking ticket expired. From grabbing it off the rail, trying it on, wondering if it made my arse look big and listening to an old lady telling me it was 'made for you, dear' must have taken five minutes tops. I'll show it to you soon as currently it's languishing in a three foot pile of ironing! 

I'm linking this post to Magpie Monday and Knick of Time
 Hope the sun is shining where you are.

xx



 

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Tarted up Tat

I'm back today with a couple of upcycled items. I wish there were tales of wild weekends or frenzied chazzing but since my last post it's been strictly work and mundane matters.

Both of these ideas were nicked from other bloggers and I'm hoping that by reading this I may inspire one of you in turn, to have a go at tarting up something. Blogging is so great for sharing ideasdontcha find?




Take one bog standard table lamp with a smattering of insect poo  (gather some wonderful inspiration here and here)





Throw some pretty fabric and pom-poms at it, et voila!
 I have to admit that after searching chazza's fruitlessly for weeks for suitable floral fabric, I gave in and bought it in C & H. Not quite the thrifty approach I normally like to employ but I was just too darned impatient to wait any longer. The bias binding which hides the joins was knocking around in my sewing basket.  It was still a makeover for under a fiver and I like it so much more than before.   

My next recycle is an old garden sieve as I'd seen this fab idea here.  Again, I looked for months in junk shops and auctions to no avail, but then I came across this one at a 'vintage' garden furniture place nearby and couldn't resist.  It wasn't a bargain, although I did manage to knock them down a couple of quid.   I think it looks lovely framing this pink diascia on the front of my house, plus it hides the ugly air brick without preventing ventilation. What do you reckon?

   
I'm linking this post to Junkin' Joe before catching up with last week's episode of The Returned.  Are any of you watching ?  I'm hooked.

A bientot.

Monday 1 July 2013

June Scavenger Hunt


I know you're all dying to see my photo's for this month's Scavenger Hunt, (some of which I took on holiday in Croatia) so wait no longer!


Purple



Sixty



Little




Eyes




Animal


Architectural detail



Ring






Light




Rooftops



Ice cream




Tombstone



Art



I haven't looked at the other entries yet so it will be interesting to see the different interpretations of the subjects. Do drop by Greenthumb's blog to have a squizz at this great photo challenge and why not take part next month?  The July list has now been posted so there's a whole month to get your pics.



My garden is looking at it's prettiest now and I have been out there a lot weeding, titifying and taking a few snaps.




I thought the world was going to end today when Google Reader bowed out, but as it happens nothing seems to have changed here and it appears I can still keep tabs on you all in the same old way.  Hurrah!  (Joanna Lumley's not the only one who's a techno thickie.)

Ta ra. xx