A little fresh touch...

So, spring cleaning never hopped, skipped and jumped out of my reach this year, as we travelled to South Africa, and I never got round to doing it. I'm having to play catch up in a big way! The kitchen has been looking a little more shabby than chic of late, so I've had to reach for the old marigolds and cream cleaner in order to get it looking crisper! The 'Deep Clean' soon turned into a little re-decorating too, as the paintwork had suffered the gusto of a toddler hurricane! I'm pleased to say that, a WHOLE bottle of cream cleaner, four scouring sponges and a tidal wave of hot water later, it is now smelling fresh as daisies!

Sleeves rolled up, ready to start...it always gets worse before it gets better!

There is always reward at the end of a big spring clean. This time it was the discovery of a whole set of Jaj Rose Pyrex, which I have been coveting for a while! Found it in a charity shop and paid pennies for it! Happy girl...♥

I can smell the freshness!

The paint is dry...the cooker is clean...

Time for a cuppa...

Well, it feels great! The only thing is...there are many more rooms waiting for the duster...

Blessings
Tania ♥

Nocturnal nesting...

What does a person do when insomnia strikes? A bit of shelf restyling of course! I just couldn't drift off to the land of nod last night! My thoughts just kept running around in circles like a dog chasing it's own tail. So, I figured I may as well tackle the built in kitchen dresser, or hutch as my American friends like to call it. It's been suffering a bit of an identity crisis since we returned from our trip to South Africa. All the wide open space we got used to made me shift gear, from full speed ahead into 'hoarders haven', to 'de-cluttering mode'. I emptied the hutch, and filled it with all the Cream Ware I own, for a cleaner, more grown-up look. However, my colour thirsty eyes soon became bored with it, lovely as it was, and so last night I decided that it was time to re-dress it with all the rainbow lovelies that I possess. So, here are a few pictures of the newly styled dresser...

A touch of florals...

I hot-glued some floral ribbon to the already lace-trimmed shelves...

A few favourite things...

Tins...Pyrex...Flowers...

Enamel plates, and a heart garland...

Some twinkly lights...red, for a warm, fun glow...

Sweet treats...

More tins, with a retro flavour...

So, what does a person do when insomnia strikes again? One writes a blog post of ones first nights sleepless adventures! And now, I shall tip toe off to bed once more, in search of the next train to the elusive Land of Nod...

Night-night!
Tania ♥

Kitchen snaps ♥

Hello my lovelies! I hope life is treating you all kindly? There is not much to report on this side...Sometimes the mundane tasks have to take priority over more exciting ventures of the creative kind. Like, cleaning the oven, degreasing the kitchen, and scrubbing floors! The 'heart of our home' was under a bit of strain, and in serious need of some TLC and de-grubbing! So, needless to say there hasn't been much time for any creative pursuits. But, I did manage to sew this little fella...a cheery little kitchen companion.

Whilst all is spiffy and tidy, I thought I'd take some snaps to share...

Freshly laundered tea towels...

'What's the time, Mr. Wolf?' Dinnertime!!!!

Fresh flowers ♥

Tea break? Don't mind if I do!

Loving paper straws right now...

Tins...and more tins...slightly obsessed with tins...

All fresh...♥

Blessings 

Tania ♥

Home Tour Part 3: My hiding place...

Those of you who have followed our little home tour so far, will know that I've been on a bit of a mission to tackle one room at a time, changing things up a bit, re-organising and having a good old clear out in order to share our 'Home Sweet Home' with you. Today, it's the turn of the master bedroom. This has been the hardest room so far to photograph. I don't know why. Perhaps I find it a little difficult to share my most intimate space with you! This is my hiding place, my retreat. It's where I recharge my batteries, dream sweet dreams, and where my girlie side really come to the foreground. Poor hubby has never (well, almost never!) complained about sleeping in a pink, lace enveloped paradise of femininity! He has threatened to stick some surfing posters on the walls, but so far it's been empty threats! Phew...

Please forgive me if there is a bit of repetition here from a previous post! I did share a little furniture move-around with you a while back, and it might creep in here again. But, I thought I'd be thorough with the new tour! I'm not going to do as much waffling on as in the previous instalments of our home tour. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

A place of rest...

 

A place to read...

 

 

     

A place to reflect...

Somewhere to write...

 

 

It's where my shoes live...an 'oh so happy place'!



 

It's where I play dress up, figuring out my own style, or lack there of!

 

 



 



A place for happy memories...

My veil from our wedding day still hangs happily in a corner of our room!

 

 

The princess (and her pea!) have finally found a home to rest!

 

 

 

 A place for favourite things...

Some thrifted treasures...

Our retreat...

 

So, a quick look into our 'Home Sweet Home'! I hope you enjoyed having a nosey-around! Until next time!

 

Blessings, Tania ♥♥♥



 

 

Home Tour Part 2: Wash Day...

Hello my lovelies! Welcome to the mad house! Yes, while the children are on holiday it is a little crazy around here...mind you, it always is! But, I have managed to play house, indulge in a little homemaking, and we are all set for part 2 in our Home Tour. Today it is the turn of the smallest room in our house, the laundry room. Although it is tiny, I have again snapped away, and have quite a bit to share! The challenge with this room has always been to keep it tidy and organised, as there is always a neverending pile of washing to be done, as you can imagine in a household with three children! Now, this little room has also lacked personality, as I've never made an effort to dress it up a little. It was bland and messy, but hopefully now that I've dolled it up it will encourage me to keep on top of the laundry! So, here we go. Come on in...

Getting organised...

The first thing that I needed to think about, was storage. Pretty storage of course! Like any laundry room, ours is full of bottles of cleaning liquids, detergents, soap, dust cloths, polish, brushes etc. I made a list of possible storage solutions, and gathered and re-cycled what I had around the house to serve this purpose.

Re-purposed Jars, Tins, Bottles, and Boxes...
I had this large glass jar to store cookies in, but as I have quite a selection of cake tins, I thought this would come in more handy as a laundry detergent jar. I love clear glass jars! The 1930's wooden scoop was a little purchase from the Ramsey 1940's weekend.

This lavender bottle from Lille in France, we have used for many years at the breakfast table for orange juice. Now it stores fabric conditioner! The old sand bucket and Kilner jar now houses my pegs.

 One can never have enough pretty jars and bottles! The tiny jam jar is now used for essential oil, and the re-cycled peanut jar is ready for storing clothes labels for school uniform.

Dressed up jars are sitting prettily on the shelf...

More jars for storing bits and bobs, such as picture hooks and curtain hooks...all neatly organised!

Storage for shoe polish...a pretty tin perhaps?

An old colander to hold dust cloths?

Old glass jelly mould turned soap dish...



I have a pine shelf which I thrifted from a charity shop quite some time ago, but I never knew where to put it. It was a bargain at the time, with no real purpose. Well, I've managed to get rid of the ugly orange pine that it was by painting it white, and distressing it. It now sits on the wall in the laundry, holding pretties that I have collected.

The fork and spoon that I have added as decoration belongs to hubby. He had these as a child. I thought that they looked nicer on here than tucked away in a box in the loft! 

A few pretties...
A pretty collected silver spoon...

Old jelly mould and tiny cup and saucer...

Vintage hankies...

Window treatment...
The window looked a little sad and forlorn, and needed a little something. In my opinion, if anything needs 'a little something', one can never go wrong with lace, lace, and more lace! I had a little lace table cloth which happened to be the exact width of the window. So, I chopped it in half, hemmed it and voila...a feminine touch and more privacy! There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than sunlight peeking through a lace curtain!

I also tried my hand at starching a lace doily and turning it into a bowl. I was quite pleased with the result!

A few rustic touches here and there...
A vintage washboard...
I have always wanted a vintage washboard for the laundry room, so I was a woman on a mission when I attended the 1940's event this past weekend! And I was not disappointed. I found this on one of the stalls, and was tickled pink!

I used to work at Harrods in the Toy Department. One day, whilst browsing in the store during my lunch break, I spotted this quirky door knob hanger in one of the displays. After a little discussion with the department manager, I managed to convince him to sell it to me! We had to decide on a price, as the item wasn't meant for sale. In the end, I think I got it for a song! Well, it is a very practical item for the laundry room, as there is always something that needs to be hung up out of the way!

The plate above is one that I altered by adding transfers and buttons.

Before...



After...

And finally, no room is complete without a little art...not even the laundry room...
I printed off some vintage images, which I then glued onto chip board that I cut to size. (I do love playing with the power tools...the jigsaw especially!) I distressed the images a little for an older look, and popped them up on the wall. Some are a little cheeky...

And so, another room is organised...for now...

Let's just hope I can stay on top of the washing now. After all, this little plaque that hangs in the laundry is so near the truth, I hope that I can steer away from it and that service will improve! I need to nurture a love for ironing...

Thank you for visiting and staying a little while. I hope your home is a happy one wherever you are!

Blessings, Tania ♥♥♥