Recently I’ve been…

Growing some tomato seedlings. I was a bit late putting these in and have just spent the weekend re-planting them into separate pots, so fingers crossed they now have the space to grow. As a completely novice gardener (one who has just killed another house plant) I'm thrilled to have made it this far!

Making this Japanese bound notebook at a craft fair. Bookbinding isn't one of those crafts I've been desperate to try, but this really was great fun to make the hour long workshop just disappeared. I’m saving it for some extra special note writing.

Arranging our new rug and coffee table. The rug is a new purchase from ikea, a bargain compared to a very similar one I liked elsewhere. The coffee table is a vintage trunk my parents' recently turfed out of their attic, which brings some much needed character to our living room. Once we've sorted a few finishing touches, cushions and pictures on the walls, I'll show you the full effect.

Loving this new two tone lamp from Lane, which I won in Lou from Little Green Shed's competition. It's the Brighton and Mr David colour way and has cheered up the blank canvas that is my craft room – a space that has been very neglected since we moved in last year.  

What have you been doing?


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Crochet Toothless from How to train your Dragon

The lovable Toothless, more friendly pet than fearsome dragon, is the undoubted heart stealer of the How to train your dragon films. After spotting this free pattern for a crochet toothless on ravelry, I knew I'd have to make him for my boyfriend, who as it happens was in need of a doorstop for his office...
The pattern was easy to follow and several of the tips from my top tips for amigurumi crochet beginners post came in handy. Making the toes and wings involved a few stitches that were new to me but youtube helped out - I think his troublesome toes are now my favourite part, they're really cute! The pattern calls for needlefelted eyes, but as I had the perfect bright green wool already in my stash I made some crochet ones. I simply hooked a magic circle for the pupil, a magic circle with a second round of dcs and tcs to get the eye shape and then sewed onto his head.
To turn him into a doorstop I filled his tummy with a few pennies to make him a bit heavier before stuffing and sewing together. He's doing a grand job as a doorstop - although I moved him onto a table to get better light for these photographs (and so you couldn't tell that I hadn't hoovered yet, blogging > housework)!

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INSPIRED BY | THE BLUE TIT

We’re back on feathers in my monthly ‘inspired by’ series, with possibly my favourite bird – the blue tit. “Why favourite, you ask?” Simple, their cheerful blue and yellow colouring! It’s no coincidence that our living room features this exact colour scheme, where the accessories below would look right at home...
 

Hand sewn blue tit glasses case | Dear Emma Designs
Needle felt blue tit kit | Hawthorn handmade | Etsy

Blue tit tweed bird sculpture | The Cotton Potter | Etsy
Blue tit and blossom tea towel | Kate Slater | Not on the high street
Which is your favourite?


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A bank holiday visit to Nymans

We spent the last sunny bank holiday Monday visiting Nymans,a National Trust house and gardens in West Sussex. Wandering down forget-me-not lined paths, admiring tulips and wisteria, and peeking through the windows of the part-ruined house was a pretty great way to celebrate the day off work.

I took along my new 50mm / f1.8 lens for its first outing and after a bit of trial and error I'm really pleased with some of the pictures. It has captured the magical light that morning perfectly and creates a dreamy background blur. I found the fixed 50mm a bit of a challenge at first (and kept trying to zoom in/out) but you get used moving your feet rather than the camera after a while!
Here are some of my favourites:

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DIY painted bedside table makeover

These two bargain bedside tables (thanks, ebay) were in desperate need of a revamp to fit our bedroom decor, so over Easter weekend (and then some) I brightened them up with a lick of white and yellow homemade chalk paint (find the recipe below). 
I say, 'over Easter weekend'... you know those projects that take so much longer than you expect. Yeah, this was one of those. Despite starting them over Easter it took another two weekends before I had finished them!
But it was all worth it as I'm really happy with the result. To get the chalk paint effect I mixed 1/2 cup of Plaster of Paris with 1/4 cup of water and mixed then added this to 1 & 1/2 cups of paint. I guessed the paint quantity, as didn't want to ruin my measuring jug! Just add more plaster or more water if the consistency is wrong, it should be on the thicker side of paint, but not so much that it's difficult to paint with.

The paint used is dulux matt in white chiffon and lemon tropics. We had the white left over from painting the walls and I just brought two tester pots of the yellow.
Although the chalk paint recipe meant no sanding or priming which was great, it still took four coats to cover the dark wood. I might experiment with a different recipe next time as I know some should only require one coat, and I've already got two more projects in mind! 
It's also the first time I've waxed painted furniture, but as these will get a lot of use I decided it was definitely worth the extra effort. I used rustoleum painted furniture wax, but would only recommend using this on pale colours. I read a few reviews before purchasing and it seems to leave white streaks on darker colous - I think stains might be better when sealing darker paint. Luckily there are no streaks here.

I love the finished look and it's so nice not to have everything on the floor next to the bed, no more half falling out when trying to snooze my alarm in the mornings!

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Recently I’ve been

Starting a new knitting project with Wool and the Gang* I’m only 6 rows in at the moment but am already loving the wool and colour. I’ve been doing lots of crochet recently so it’s a happy change to pick up some knitting each evening.

Enjoying a delicious afternoon tea at Avisford Park Hotel in Arundel, as a birthday treat from the boyfriend. We ate it all and washed down with plenty of tea -  a wonderful way to spend the afternoon! No dinner needed either which was a nice added bonus.

Reading a new book; after finishing Don’t Tell a few weeks ago I’ve not had time to pick up a new read. But with a few free hours this weekend I’ve dived into The King’s Curse. 

Loving this silver floral patterned tin, which a friend gave to me for my birthday, she always find the best stuff in antique shops so I’m thrilled she decided to use some of her skills for me. 

What have you been up to?
*item sent for the purpose of a review.

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