Its Winter !!… brrrr

Yes I know what you are thinking, has she only just realised? but to be honest we don’t often get a proper Winter in the UK just like we very rarely get proper Summer. With temperatures of  –10 (last night)  and more snow on top of the snow we had the previous weekend  it does very much feels and looks like Winter, I look outside and go brrrr.

Anyway I have bitten by the decorating bug and I am now on a mission to alter our house interior a bit. We have lived here 10 years and we didn’t do anything after that initial paint everywhere, lay new carpets upstairs and lay solid oak floors downstairs. We are due for a bit of updating  and I enjoy designing interiors just as much as designing cards or piecing outfits together.

I also enjoy doing it as cheap as I can because let’s face it  Kelly Hoppen I am not so if it goes wrong I won’t feel the pinch to much if it needs to be changed it.

And as I finish bits I will share them here with you because if you are anything like I am you would love to see ( I am Miss. nosey pants LOL).

Before I show you my first make over in our bedroom I have a little something crafty  to share.

Remember  I told you last week that I was joining my local sewing club? well I did and everyone made me feel so welcome, I loved having a few hours with my sewing machine and I made THIS ..

Squeal, look at this cutie!! Early December I helped Donna one of my downline hold her first craft fair. One of the stalls there was selling these lovely owls in a myriad of fabric and colours, they looked fab and I took a photo of them hoping that I could recreate them, well I did last Thursday with the help of the Petal Cone die from Stampin’Up!!! Yep good ol Petal Cone die. I used the Spice Cake designer fabric, some pumpkin Pie buttons for eyes and pushed some black brads through the button holes for eye balls. I stuffed them before sewing them shut. And to tidy the bottom I have used a  fabric covered circle.

It came together quite quickly and I am sure my next one will be neater.  I am going to attach it to a key ring , is the perfect size to keep in your handbag and make sure you always get your hands on your keys .

Ok so onto my first bedroom makeover, here’s a glimpse of my side of the bed before I got  started.

Before I go anywhere with this I need to point out that I LOVE COLOUR !! the brighter the better but I never felt the urge to live with colour so every room in our house was decorated with creams brows and accented with black or a little punch of colour here and there. Until NOW!! all of a sudden I want colour and I plan on adding more colour to my house. Ok let’s start!!

We moved this bedroom from our old house (I made the headboard 2 years previous) at a cost of £25 (foam is expensive), and the only things we did here was adding colour to the walls and I made the blind and pelmet using a £10 remnant. We also installed built in wardrobes along the full wall  to the left of this picture. Now I do not think this is bad or that there is anything the matter with it. I am a bit bored of it  but I still love the restful feel. Is a nice place to wake up in. However I am ready for a bit of a change and COLOUR!!!  BRIGHT ORANGE to be precise.

I will keep the walls and bedding neutral (I had gorgeous gray shade mixed in paint) and add colour with the Headboard and a few carefully chosen accessories. You can see the fabric I choose to reupholster the headboard  HERE (pic one and 3 shows it up closely).

And before I knew it I have blown my entire budget on the said fabric and two small vintage chandeliers( I bought two of these, made the seller a cheeky offer for the two never thinking he would say yes, but much to my shock  he accepted it). Hopefully they will end up hanging from the ceiling either side of the bed. After my splurges everything else in this room from now on needs to be mucho cheapo or free.

So the mission to work with what I have started. Either side of the bed we have tall Malm chest of drawers to act as bedsides and help with extra storage. From the very day I bought these I wanted to transform them and never did, they are not wood they’re orangey and a bit boring looking very functional though and up until now they blended into my neutral scheme. So  I left them alone, for exactly 11 years (in fact they don’t even make them in this configuration they changed a bit since then, see HERE).

I didn’t want to give them up as they are really solid and 11 years later they still look new, not a chip or scratch on them, nothing. We use them a lot on a daily basis as we store all underwear, nightwear, my one stores all my cosmetics ( I collect perfume and 2 of these drawers are housing my many bottles).  I knew that they would not work with my new scheme so I set about them. Paint was going to sort these babies out once and for all and my boring looking Malm chest went from what you see in the top picture to this….

Hello? can you say L O V E ? I am sooo excited about how brill it turned out, I cannot tell you. Is hard to believe that is the same piece of furniture.

I started by priming the whole lot. I did two coats and I used Homebase’s brand of multipurpose primer. The tin said sand in between layers but I didn’t cos I am lazy like that. I did however applied everything with a foam roller in nice even thin coats and it needed no sanding I know sanding is mainly for the second coat to grip well but it was just fine, I did 2 coats of primer then 2 coats of Dulux eggshell, I had a gray mixed by their mixing service called Urban Obsession. Then I applied an oak coloured wax mixed with black shoe polish (I know). I rubbed it all in left it to dry then buffed( most of the wax comes off then you just repeat until you are happy.  Once I was happy with the distressing side of things I sprayed a clear mat varnish over the fronts and top only, I figured they would get more wear than the sides. 

Next in came the gold baby!! I like the use of shiny metals and mirrors in interiors, they reflect the light and catch the eye. If you know me you know I like a bit of bling. Well I added lots to this cabinet. I bought pretend gold very cheaply here. I can now bling my toes and everything else, I only used 11 sheets for this chest. For the top I masked a border and gilded the centre of it. I think I will have a piece of glass cut for the top maybe.

They were looking pretty good at this stage but not as good as adding the hardware would made them look. As soon as those little pull handles went on I knew I wanted to marry this chest. For £1.20 each they sure added a lot of happy to this woman and this piece of furniture.

So this is it for now lots to do still. I need to finish the other one, repaint the entire room, I plan on stencilling the main wall behind the headboard, hubby needs to sort out electrics for my new chandeliers(they are sooo gorgeous) I think they would contrast nicely in the contemporary setting.

Need to make the new blind,I  bought some good quality cotton cheaply in Boyes’s (£14) and the plan is to stencil that before I make the blind and pelmet.

And of course make the headboard!!>I am planning on this shape what do you think?

The shaping needs to start at the top of the cabinets so this picture made me see that clearly.

 

Lots to do but I expect it will be weeks before it will be done as I am picking up my gorgeous nephew tomorrow after my class so we can spend half term together. I cannot wait although I am hoping I won’t have to drive him home to London by Monday.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, hugs xx

 

 

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