Home Made Christmas Bunting

I got some white felt off ebay and had a blast using split stitch to draw and rice stitch to trim :) Fun and cute!

I know everyone will be so busy at this time of year getting ready for the big day so I'll wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we'll be seeing you all in 2015!

Best Wishes,

love Samantha and Joyce,

(and Nyah the cat!)

xox

a Teeny Christmas Tour at H for Home

Hi again, I have been busy with Mum, home earlier than expected from hospital and very tired but I have a lovely team of care workers who have been roped into helping me and I've pretty much got a fab support network for Mum and for me. They are a great bunch and really cheerful as well as being excellent at their jobs. My front door has never been so busy!
Just like you all we have had to get our Christmas food in the cupboards, and the pressies and decorations and the Christmas card list, and then adjust to the new routine of a care package, assorted medical equipment and all the new faces.
Phew!
So here are some hopefully half decent pictures of the lounge at present, I'll reveal furniture in full in the New Year as and when it all happens, but so far it looks a lot like this............ :)

The Big Blog Post, involving Lots of Pictures and Mostly Successful Craft and DIY Projects! and not much wordy bits...

So as promised some cheerful completed stuff and hardly any blabbing from me :)

In the event of an emergency start immediate embroidery!
This is a printed cushion from Bianca Green for Society 6, about to get it big style with some stitchin!
#biancagreenart  #society6

'Deer Frida' is finitio!

I am assuming everyone in the world knows that this is of Frida Kahlo right? Ok, so project 2........
remember the idea I had to use my cupboard as an office/craft nook?

Apologies for dark pics but these were all taken late at night after long days at hospital :) xx

The undershelf baskets are actually from my old fridge freezer!
 Re-purposed and hung with large cup hooks from B&Q.
 All shelves are baton fixed, 18mm mdf  under 40 quid
for all materials for shelving including the alcove up next!

A couple more wee bits too......

Same baton fixed technique but hardboard secured underneath to make them appear 'floating'.
I was planning some kind of lighting but as things got sticky this moved
from the Tick List to the Ditch List!

And ending with a Christmas note I didn't think would happen tbh.....

so what's the word count? too many no doubt lol :)

take care

S

The Traditional Pre-Christmas Blog Post but not quite.

You might expect this post to full of gorgeous little ideas and recipes to inspire your Christmas preparations but that just wouldn't be me, would it!

The truth is that my life has gone a little haywire. My lounge makeover has stalled halfway and I'm having to just heave a sigh, draw a deep breath and move along.

Unfortunately my Mum (Joyce) became very ill at the end of October, a massive chest infection which nearly killed her. So everything stopped obviously. She pulled through thankfully but it has been a prolonged hospital stay and as so often happens with Alzheimers sufferers she lost a little bit more of the everyday skills she had had up till then. She is healthy but her mobility has suffered dreadfully. I am just grateful that she is here with me today and still knows me and other family members.

I don't often mention my Mum or her illness in my blog but this has impacted more on me this time because she will now have to live with me permanently. This in itself is no big deal as we have been splitting our time between her home and mine for the last couple of years  as she has needed me 24/7. So while she has been busy getting back to good health I've been trying to pack up nearly 80 years of living into a few boxes that will assimilate into our shared home. This hasn't left a lot of time or energy for decorating! But I'll bet you would feel as I do, that the house can just sit there and wait for a day when the person I love doesn't need me quite so completely 100%.

My Mum has been given a discharge date a few days before Christmas. Once she had passed the danger point it was ok to start planning a celebration so we do have presents for each other and for family and we will have dinner with all the trimmings!

My next trick is to make myself available to the Occupational Therapists and other lovely folks who will make my home a safe place for Mum to live. Including a hospital bed, riser recliner chair and various other massively unattractive large pieces of hospital type equipment that I will be over the moon to have if it makes her life just a fraction easier and more comfortable

It will all be ok, repeat as necessary. In my case hourly at the moment :)

I have occupied myself with a couple of crafty projects, small ones that have distracted me from the trauma and helped me to stay sane! So I will post some of those little bits in the next day or two so come back and have a look . The Tick List has shrunk considerably but there's no telling when or if I'll get the last bits done and I need to find a turkey fairly soon,

Altogether a fairly poor Pre Christmas Blog Post so far.

lots of love,
Samantha
x

Why I should Win A Prize for the Most Awful Blog Post Title

Well,
just see the title above or you could skip back through eighteen months, give or take, of awesome awful blog titles. In which I veer madly between what I think sounds classy and a bit Nigela (when food related!) and the insanely rhymed. Not that I'm worried, the thing is it's my blog to wreck havoc upon the internet and unsuspecting browsers such as yourselves pretty much as I please.

So, no pics or decor updates, I haven't even had time to rejig image sizes on the last post! I am however planning a massive blog post title using many capital letters, rhymed and spreading across over three lines of text!

Till Then :)

How my Lounge Looks At Present

No words, just is.

A long slog and how its going....

The tick list....
Ceiling - done.
Coving - done.
Walls - done.
Window frames - done.
Doors - done.
Skirting - done.
Me - done for....lol!

Feeling very lowercase at the moment  hence my post title. Lots more still to do, list below....
Build display shelves in alcove.
Lay/clean carpet.
Upstyle table.
Re-upholster dining chairs.
Make 2 sets of curtains.
Assemble art for a gallery wall.
Upstyle mid century sideboard.
Make slipcover for corner sofa and footstool.
Make about 50 multi coloured mini pompoms ;).
Decoupage and paint 5 large storage boxes and magazine boxes (similar to those in the attached pics but 3 times bigger!!).
Build then paint and wax a desk and shelving in office nook.
Make an origami cushion.

Everything still going on! I'm getting to it a bit at a time.
Baby steps!
In the meantime here are some pics of a couple of completed little jobs :).
I upstyled my curtain poles filials and rings which were plain white, from Argos Value range using the decoupage technique, patterns come from napkins bought from ebay. Using this cheap and versatile method I also started upstyling my existing storage boxes from bland to bold.
Take care.
Samantha
x

Decoupaged Trinket Box for a Little Girl

This is a little gift I've made for a young lady I know. All the buttons and the box itself is from The Works, they have a brilliant craft section which is super cheap  and the napkins are from ebay! It took about 3 hours from start to finish and I'm very pleased with the results. Let's hope it pleases our pretty princess for her birthday ;)

Mini Project! The Banishment of Brown Continues!

A wee makeover.

I was so fed up with my faux brown leather place mats, they were just so worn out but a little decoupage magic worked wonders! A base coat then some white emulsion and I was ready to mash the browns away! I used some vintage napkins bought from ebay for £2.99 for 20. With pva adhesive and a pair of scissors it really only took a few relaxing, crafty hours to transform the drab browns to a pretty, fresh set of Scandi inspired place mats featuring these awesome little birds! Two coats of clear satin varnish is enough to seal and protect (they are wipeable, but NOT soakable!!!) and I am a happy chick! ;)

They all looked just like this - Yuck! :(

Just one finishing touch to complete and that will be to line the inside
of the napkin rings and the back of the place mats with some
 fine brightly coloured felt, probably hot pink or orange! :)

B4 Blues :(

Well, here it is in all its beige blandness, the next room on the diy hit list.

 Feast your eyes folks because this is a sight that in a few short weeks will no longer blight your eyes.

 I tried to count back to the last time I decorated this room and it was around a decade ago.

 I guess what with working full time and then my caring responsibilities for my mum Joyce it just got put further and further down the list of things to do. 

But, now I care full time instead and I have 8 hours a week to myself to get it done!

Tough call.

 I am only one person here so don't expect miracles, and don't forget the fact that I have an exceptionally challenging budget, equalling next to zero!

 I won't be doing any structural work so all the walls will still be here when I've done ;). This is purely a paint plaster and fill job but hopefully done with a little style and a whole lot of savvy.

So onto explaining the pics below....read on!

THE BIG ALCOVE - this holds my dining table set, bought second hand
 with two folding chairs for £75! Bargain!
 It extends and would easily seat 8! Expect to see a makeover!
 It's solid teak G Plan Mid Century and matches the furniture in the next pic.

BIG CLUTTER - Eekk not much to say, the side board is also G Plan and has
some glass fronted shelves (not in pic) that go with it,
this was free from my Dad's neighbour to him and when my Dad passed away it became mine.
Again expect a sympathic upstyle!

Where we sit, massive comfy brown leather, I'm planning to give this a little up-do too!

Lastly, the unpainted interior of the built in cupboard in the far corner of the living room.
 Its large enough to turn into a small home office/craft/art room,
but so far has been used as a generally unloved dumping space :(

Another shot of the interior!
Spot the Christmas paper and some bent wood chairs I can't bear to chuck,
I'll re-use them promise!

And there we have it, dull isn't it. Uninspiring and worn. Frankly I feel depressed......I wonder why?

BUT Chin Up! IT'S ALL GOING TO CHANGE!!!!! 

Exciting!

I'll keep you all posted, and remember the competition? Well all you have to do to win a  piece of hand made Wall Art is FOLLOW this little blog :) or like and share on FACEBOOK.

I better get started, take care till next time,

Samantha

x

WIP's.....Stuff to Do, Idle Hands and paint Colour Choices!

Well I'm in the middle of it at the minute. Not one but three Mini-Projects started and not finished. You can have a look if you like :).
I'm pleased at the progress on the wall art and the accessories for my Home. The Stag is rapidly becoming my favorite although I'm looking forward to finishing the pretty little Russian Dolls!

I'm posting before pics tomorrow of my next room to be re-vamped. I need to do a little upload and edit before you folks can have a look. I can't wait to get stuck in and finish this room. Boy I am fed UP with the room as it stands. I think we all get that way though. And its a cheap idea to re-jig furniture in your room to create a fresh look!

This time however it's only a complete redecoration that will cut the cloth here at H is for Home! Lol.

So until tomorrow have a lovely night. Hope you enjoy the pics
;).
Love
Samantha
x

My 18 months are Up! It's only 2/3rd's Done! I'm just going to have to Knuckle Down and Get It Sorted! Christmas is Coming!

Panic stations!

I've passed my self- imposed deadline, I'm buggered!!

BUT I have given myself a reprieve! Aha!

Therefore I officially extend my DIY deadline for another 6 months (to be reviewed on completion of said 6 month period (my very own get out of jail card)!).

I think I'm pretty lucky to have gotten this far if you ask me, as you know its all on my tod and combined with my caring responsibilities for Mum it makes for pretty hectic around Home most days.
Although I think my posts don't reflect that when I read them. I guess I'm good at looking on the bright side and making the most of what you get!

I'm really just hoping to get the lounge done before Christmas so that Mum and I can spend our day relaxing somewhere cosy and heartfelt, filled with the joy of the season ;). It's a way off, yet it will just fly in over the next few months. Don't mean to scare you all! LOL. Realistically, I'm hoping to achieve that much before the year is out. Wish me luck, pray for me and cross your fingers :)

So less gabbing on here and more action in the house.

Before pics of the lounge space and furniture, as promised, coming soon, I have bought some cheapy accessories for the lounge, generally just buying them as I find them and stashing them away until they are needed. It saves pounds in the long run and if you are buying clearance aisle goodies then you just know that you won't see them ever again at that price! Keep a £20 maximum out in your head while you do this though, it means you won't get carried away with your precious cash flow. And remember only £20 for the month! It's worked for me!

Also the other thing is to remember that thrifty shopping for second hand furniture is often times a waiting game, DON'T pay over the odds when you know that you will find something very similar at a later date for a better price. With older, unfashionable pieces time is often on your side because they are tougher to sell and this makes them cheaper too. Just try and use a little imagination.
INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE!

A basic rule for wooden goods.....check for little groups of neat holes and if you find them it means that the piece has had woodworm at some stage, if it has fresh wood dust they may still be active and need treated or else you may end up infecting other pieces in your home, so check first!

Well enough of that I need a bath and a change of clothes before I go any further today! Phew, what a wordy post!
................. and don't forget the Competition,the prize is going to look so lovely, it's coming together in an awesome way!

I hope you have an awesome day!

love
S
x

Just a little clue on what is up for Grabs in our 'Like&Share' Comp! :)

Here is a wee look at the vintage style decorative object I am making for the blatant blog promo that is my 'Like&Share' comp!

You might be able to tell that it is a chalkboard style wall plaque with a copper nail string art heart...try saying that after a few merlots! 

It's looking pretty sweet so far and we have the addition of some handmade ceramic embossed hearts yet to be incorporated into the design. Lastly it will be framed and then it will be ready to hang somewhere fabulous in your very own home!

And of course the inspiration for it all.......Home Is Where the Heart Is!

I'm making two, one for me and one for you, but as the winner you will have your pick of which one you might want! I'll tell you more on where mine will be on show here at home later in the blog.

So all you have to do is either 'Like' us on Facebook, link on the right of the blog, or simply 'Follow' us direct, here on Bloglovin' ;) 

The competition starts now pretty much and it will end on the 9th September at 9pm when I'll announce the winner!

So like, share and follow! What are you waiting for :)

Good Luck,

Samantha

x