Little chest and coffee table: Upcycle project #5 and #6



I posted some of my finds a few days ago and now I've finished their transformations. Firstly, here is my little chest of drawers which I have owned for well over 20 years. I decided it needed a change to fit in with the spare bedroom décor, which is light and airy. 

 

 

 

 

I purchased a new colour from the Annie Sloan Chalk paint range, this time a lilac/grey called Paloma. As usual I gave it two coats, then sanded and waxed with dark beeswax. I kept the original draw handles and I think they are beautiful. This may well be my favourite piece yet. 

 

And here is the coffee table that I bought from a house clearance company near me. 

 

 

I again used Paloma and I think this piece looks fantastic. My sister now has this in her lounge, next to her Chesterfield sofa and topped with a fabulous vintage green reading lamp.

 

 

 

I've been working hard, painting and waxing and sanding and brushing, so watch this space for lots more completed projects, including my retro 1965 dressing table. Eek!

 

 

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Look what I've got my hands on

Here are some of my recent purchases, ready and waiting to be revamped and re-loved. Watch this space for their transformations. I have even bought some new paints to try, blues, lilacs and greys. Can't wait to get my hands dirty.

    Coffee table. From a local house clearance.

 

 

A dresser for my sister's kitchen. Bargain from a local boot sale.

Quirky little table, opens up for use for sewing or storage. Left behind by one of my tenants.

 

Jon's chest of drawers, desperately needing some love. The dresser, not Jon!

 

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The rustic charm of Italy

You may have noticed my absence over the past week...I have been in Italy. We drove all the way from the UK to the Italian Riviera, a total of 1100 miles, across France and through the spectacular Swiss/French mountains down to the coast. Italy was the destination of our honeymoon two years ago and we feel in love with the rustic architecture and relaxed atmosphere.

 

We spent most of our week in Camogli, West along the bay from the 5-star resort of Portofino. Many people choose Portofino over Camogli as it is furnished with sparkling shops, expensive bars and an immaculate harbour. But Camogli, with its slightly faded façade and promenade used by the locals, was less touristy, like a slice of real Italy.

 

Amazing, don't you agree?

 

 

A Mediterranean sunset

 

Night-time Italian hills and Camogli promenade

 

Pastel buildings and boats in the harbour

 

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My bargain retro dresser

Look at what I just purchased for £23 on Ebay. I'm not collecting it for another week so going to have a good think about what to do with it. If you have any ideas, then let me know and watch this space for another upcycled beauty to emerge.

 

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I'm a YAP and proud

Recently I discovered I'm a YAP, a Young Aged Pensioner.  I embrace old age even though I'm only in my 30s. At work my boss jokingly calls me a 'book geek' because my desk is piled high with books (which isn't unreasonable for an English teacher!)  and then I accidently revealed to the office that, 'oh I do love a good puzzle.' My sister teases me and calls me 'square' but secretly I know she's a square too but just doesn't know it yet and then there's my parents, they know full well not to call me after 9pm as I will be in bed, probably with a hot chocolate and a good book, of course.

Other symptoms that led me to being diagnosed as a YAP are:

•  I grow my own vegetables
• I love nothing more than to slip on a crisp, clean pair of PJs - sometimes as soon as I get home from work
• An early night is way better than a late one
• I'm a member of the National Trust
• I have found myself saying, 'that wouldn't have happened in my day'
• I spend more time with my parents than my friends
• Riding on the bus rather than driving into town is such fun
• I help out on the tea stall at my village fete
• I am often the youngest person at events by a long way (such as author talks)
• I am attending a sewing course next month
• Crochet is my new hobby
• The thought of staying out 'til 2am and having a hangover that lasts a week feels me with dread
• I have been listening to Radio 4 for years
• I'd rather own a phonebox than a mobile phone
• Charity shops make me excited
• The WI sounds like the place I want to be

I'd love to know if you are a YAP too like me.

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Vintage outfit? Yes please.

I thought I'd share a few of my favourite picks from a fabulous site that I found called Voutique, which has many stores across the UK. I particularly like this website as it offers a wide range of items from accessories to coats and is reasonable priced.

Let's take a look.

I love this vibrant green. I think a bit of colour and standing out from the crowd is much better than fading into the background! 

 

I really like these beautiful cross necklines and maxi length is ideal for the changeable UK weather. One minute rain, then the next is sun. Here you are ready for both.

 

 

You just can't go wrong with a tan bag.

 

 

This is my favourite of the lot. I adore these colours, particularly the burnt orange. I own a few dresses similar to this with the nipped in waist, fuller skirt and cute pussy bow neck.

 

 

Oh, I can feel a purchase coming on.

 

 

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Two Years of Happiness xx

It's our two year wedding anniversary tomorrow so I thought I'd share some of our wedding pictures. We had a literature theme wedding and it was truly amazing. What do you think of my homemade creations?

 

I loved that our wedding was so personal and even now we often say that there is nothing that we would change about the day. We had the ceremony and the reception in a beautiful boutique hotel called The Rectory, which is in the South Cotswolds. We had the entire place to ourselves and had our close family and friends stay in the 12 rooms which made our day intimate and extra special.

 

 

 

 If you're ever in the area I would urge you to take a visit to The Rectory, maybe for coffee in the lounge or for a magical experience, book one of their individually designed rooms.

 

And of course I can not forget my wonderful husband; this one's for him.

 

 

Here's to many more happy, happy years xx

 

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Utility Bedside Table: Upcycle project #4

Utility furniture was produced during, and shortly after, World War Two. It was commissioned by the government to help deal with the raw material shortage with the main recipients being newly weds or victims of bombing.

At the time, it is said that many people hated the design of Utility furniture. The look was, of course, simple, with straight lines and minimal, in any, features and certainly a stark contrast to the beautifully ornate pieces of the Arts and Crafts movement.

This week I laid my hands on this lovely piece. I was in two minds whether to keep it in its original state as I love to think about the story that it might have behind it. Was it given to wartime newly-weds when they excitedly moved into their first home? Or perhaps it was given to a family who were building up their home again?

 

On the back it has this really cute label.

 

 

As a compromise I decided to retain some of the original wood and do a semi-upcycle! Like my other pieces, I painted the top, sides and legs in two coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint in original. I sanded it down once dry and waxed it with beeswax, which smells amazing. I changed the knob from a standard metal one to a cream and bronze one, which tied in with the paint colour. Finally, I lined the inside cupboard with green and cream striped paper by Emma Bridgewater which, like the Orla Keily paper, is excellent to use because it has a double-sided pattern and is fantastic quality. And used the other side of the paper, a small green and white leaf pattern, for the main shelf. I love the mixture of the old and the new.

 

What do you think?

 

 

This piece of Utility Furniture is re-loved and ready for 21st century living

 

 

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Cycling, it's wheely good

One of the things that I love about summer is the long, warm(er!) days. At Easter Jon and I promised ourselves that we would, at least once, make an effort to both get home early from work so that we could go on an evening bike ride. Despite our optimism and both of us agreeing that, 'how hard can it be to get home from work for 6pm?' we never actually managed it.

So, it is now the summer holidays and that precious thing called Time has slowed down and at our disposal for the next few weeks. We regularly cycle around where we live, luckily it is flat and beautiful and there is, more often than not, a pub at the end of the route (or sometimes at the beginning!)

Yesterday, I ventured out on my own and took the route through our village and across to the lake about 5 minutes ride away.

View from the cafe

 

 I stopped for a latte at the lakeside café and sat a wrote a to-do list for our upcoming holiday (I write lists for everything) Then, I jumped on my bike feeling rather pleased with myself that my hobby is free, minus the coffees, cakes and lunches that are consumed en-route, and surely I must burn at least a few calories along the way. I also think that cycling is how travel is meant to be and I like that it is how many people got from A to B before the invention of cars and trains. Cycling is better than walking because you can, quite simply, go further. Unlike a polluting, cumbersome car, my bike is quiet, pollution free and can fit down little grass tracks which allow me to spot the most amazing wild creatures like hares and deer. If you haven't cycled in a while, I urge you to jump back on. After all, you never forget how to ride a bike.

 

                                 

Do you like my bike flowers that I bought from Bath Vintage Market?

 

 

 

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Yummy Breakfast Cookies

Yesterday's winter-like Sunday meant that I found myself in the mood for a bit of baking. I haven't baked much recently so it was fab to get back into the swing of things.

I have an amazing recipe book from Abel and Cole. It's amazing because it is mostly full of vegetarian recipes and I have made four of the recipes so far and every single one of them has been a success. Yesterday I thought I'd try to make the Breakfast Cookies, which was listed under the carrot section!

I have been looking for a cereal bar that isn't full of sugar my hunt has been a complete failure so I decided to give these a go. They are packed with carrots (odd you may think, but it really works), jumbo oats, nuts, dried fruit and honey. I used all organic ingredients, used less sugar than the recipe stated, used rye flour (less gluten than plain flour) and also added banana, pumpkin seeds and the wonder ingredient, flax seed.

 

If you fancy giving them a go yourself them here is the recipe, courtesy of Abel and Cole of course.

They really are yummy, sort of chewy with the honey and raisins and crunchy with the nuts and toasted corner bits (which are my favourite!)

 

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A bathroom cabinet: Upcycle project #3

I couldn't believe my luck last week when I found this in one of my local charity shops. I bought it for the princely sum for £4.

 

I have been looking for a cabinet like this for a while but most of them on Ebay have already been upcycled (and selling for about £35+) or they are just ridiculously expensive.

 

Firstly, I painted the entire cabinet with 3 coats of Annie Sloane Chalk paint (see previous blog post for link) It was quite fiddly however I found that it was very easy to remove any excess paint from the glass mirror with a cotton bud and a cloth.

 

I then bought some beautiful Orla Keily wrapping paper which I planned to use on the inside of the cabinet. This paper is really good to use as it is thick, excellent quality and also has a different print on each side. I needed 2 sheets of paper however I have quite a bit left which I can use on other projects.

 

Here is the inside starting to take shape.

 

 

To attach the paper to the inside I carefully measured the paper and then cut to the correct measurements. It then simply slotted into the back of the cabinet. I also put some craft glue onto the paper so that it stuck nicely to the wood.

 

Here is the inside of the cabinet completely finished and attached to our bathroom wall after a lot of drilling!

 

 

Finally, to finish off the look, I waxed the entire cabinet with clear beeswax. I then changed the knobs from old bronze ones to lovely blue and pinks ones.

 

And, here is the finished article. All for under £20. A bargain, don't you think?  

 

 

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How does your garden grow?

This year is the first year that I have got round to finally growing my own salad and veg.

I started off with spinach, basil, lettuce, peppers and courgettes. This is how my lettuces started. 

 

 

After a few weeks I transferred them to grow bags outside of the greenhouse. The lettuces looked like little lettuce hedgerows as I had sown the seeds a bit too close together so I had to split them up. Also it is surprising how many lettuces you get from half a packet of seeds.

 

 

Here are the little lettucy delights a few weeks ago.

 

 

I have had to water them religiously every evening as the soon wilt and die if not. My poor spinach seeds did not make it and hardly grew but I did read that it is notoriously difficult to grow so don't feel too much of a failure.  

 

 Then this week, I discovered this little green pepper growing. How cute is he?!

 

 

It's been so rewarding and it lovely to water them every evening as the sun goes down. It's even nicer to know that what we are eating has not been covered in pesticides and is, more or less, free.




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