White Walls

Remember that blue wall we were going to paint over? Well we painted over it. Two coats of pure brilliant white.

It wasn't that I hated the blue wall, more that I'd been looking at that colour and those little pictures for the last six years and needed a change. And what a difference it makes!

There is so much more light in the room. I changed the lampshades on the bedside table lamps and I love this blue shade against the white wall. It was bought from a company called Mibo about seven years ago. They used to do the most fantastic range of mid-century influenced lamps, wallpaper and cushions but they don't make them anymore, as I discovered when I tried to order another for the other side.

The shelf above the bed is in fact a picture ledge from Ikea. I love the way I can change the prints and pictures depending on my mood and the seasons. Currently, we have a reproduction travel print of Whitby, which used to hang above the fireplace in the living room, a little framed postcard from the National Portrait Gallery (Contemplation by Adele Wagstaff), and a small tile image of the Virgin Mary, bought for a couple of euros from a little shop in Sorrento, Italy on a work trip years ago. No theme, just images I like and colours I am drawn towards. The garland is from littlenestbox on Etsy. I love the colour and geometric shapes against the white, and the juxtaposition of modern neons and older images.

And the best thing about that big, white blank canvas behind the bed? I can do Ways With Bedding! From left to right I give you "pinks", "bright colours" and "blues" or "all white" as we have above. I've had all this bedding and these throws and blankets for a while, nothing is new, but now it all sort of feels new.

So, for the cost of a tin of paint and a picture ledge I feel like I have a whole new bedroom.

The only thing I have found is that, with a white wall, you need to have the right sort of lighting. The nasty energy saving light bulb in the overhead light makes the white look horribly clinical and blue-ish. But thankfully the bedside lamps, and the one of my dressing table, have a nice soft, warm sort of light bulb and so when we spend any length of time in this room (which is basically when we are reading in bed at night) these are the lights we use. And it's very nice.

52 Weeks of Happy....22/52

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.

Joining in with the lovely Jen at little birdie, here are the small things which have brought me happiness this week:

1. I got my reading mojo back! No more magazines in bed at night and instead a pile of books sits on my bedside table. I've recently finished Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon, the eighth in the (excellent) Guido Brunetti series of murder mysteries set in Venice. I always turn to crime fiction when I want comfort reading (that's weird, I know) and this did not disappoint. I've just started reading The Summer Book by Tove Jansson which looks as though it will feed my ongoing fascination with all things Scandinavian.

2. Lunch yesterday and today: wholewheat pitta bread stuffed with houmous, falafel, cucumber and avocado.

3. This subtly beautiful print, which we recently had framed, is perched on the mantle piece in the living room until we decide where to hang it. I asked the framer to use non-reflective glass which only cost £5 more, and I'm so glad I did. We can actually see the print, rather than the reflection from the window!

4. Primulas to brighten up the pots on front steps. Seriously, the front of our house makes me depressed every time I approach it - paint is peeling on the render, the front door, and the garage door and it all looks so shabby and unloved. No-one must ever think our house is unloved!! That actually pains me. So, until we get a warm, dry weekend to tackle the exterior paint jobs, I'll refresh the pots and hope that the brightly coloured flowers draw the eye away from everything else...ingenious, no? 

Have a very happy weekend you lovely lot. After a week of freezing weather, the temperature rose today and the sun has just come out. What a difference. It's like the weather knew it was Friday!

A Stripey Scarf

I feared this scarf (which, to my shame, I started back in January) would not be fit for use until next autumn but, thanks for the unreliable and generally inconvenient British weather, it has kept Bella's neck warm in fluttery snow and icy winds this week.

It was a stash-buster of a scarf made with some lovely soft cashmerino yarn left over from this cushion. Simple (I like simple, especially when it comes to knitting) colourful stripes worked in plain old garter stitch. With every knitting project, I can feel I slowly, slowly, improve a little; my tension is more even, the ends of my rows slightly neater. I will get there!

Bella likes it, although I had to bribe her with marshmallows to get her to pose for some photos, and in the interests of fairness I now feel that Angus must have a new scarf too. I have lots of this yarn left in blue, red, purple, grey and white, certainly enough for a boy-flavoured scarf, but I will put that on hold for now and have one ready for him next autumn. Perhaps  he can wear it when he starts school in September. Gulp.

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The knitty gritty:

The yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, pricey stuff but glorious to work with, knitted on 4 mm needles. 

I cast on 30 stitches then changed colour every 14 rows. I used 7 colours (cream, red, pink, yellow, green, blue and purple) in 34 stripes, and the scarf measures 147 cm or 58 inches long.

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Thank you for such kind words about the yellow bathroom - I am so glad you like it too! For those who did not love the yellow, we have just painted over a blue wall in our bedroom and made it white, so I will have that to share with you soon as well. Then no more DIY posts, I promise. Also, hello new followers. It is lovely to have you here and you are very welcome.

A Jolly Yellow Spring-Time Bathroom

A spring-time theme seems a bit like wishful thinking at the moment, since it's snowed on and off all day and a biting, icy wind blows, but hey ho. The first thing I should mention is that our family bathroom is small. Not small and perfectly formed, just very, very small, as you can see from the picture above. You can't quite stretch out your arms and touch all four walls but you almost can.  But, you work with what you have. 

Also, it's north facing so while it has a large window and lots of light, it's a very cold sort of light. And what I do just LOVE about this yellow paint is the warmth it gives the room. Honestly, I walk into this room and I smile and feel like spring is coming. As I leave the room I go to turn the light off then realise that, no, the light is not on, it's just so BRIGHT in this room! I guess you love it or hate it. I love it.

We only painted the room; the flooring, bath, sink, toilet and mirrored cupboard stayed put as they are only six years old and don't need changing. About a year ago I bought the print below from Lou, of little green shed blog's etsy shop. It is rather appropriately called "Spring Flowers". 

I was drawn to the cheerful colours and shapes in the print, and that print and the striped washcloth in the photo below formed the basis for the colours in the bathroom, a sort of faded vintage palate of yellows, blues, pinks, whites and greens.

Yellow on the walls, white and blue/green in the tiles, and everything else here and there in towels, shower curtains, cups, that sort of thing. I finally hung two gorgeous little vintage mirrors a friend gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago, in a gloomy corner to bounce some light around.

I bought new shower curtains (from here) and love the way they bring the colours together. 

I am completely in love with this gorgeous new butterfly-pattered towel (from here). They were too expensive to splash out on new bath towels so I made do with the ones we had and treated myself to a hand towel. The storage unit next to the sink is a Kartell Componibili unit bought from here about six years ago at about a two thirds of the price they are currently selling them at! I love it so much and would like to use it as a bedside table but the top is not big enough for a lamp, alarm clock, book, glass of water and all the other clutter that I "need" beside my bed.

A new tumbler for toothbrushes and some plants add...well, nothing really, but I enjoyed buying them and arranging them.

So there you have it. One sunshine-yellow bathroom. My Dad said "well, it's a good thing it's in the bathroom because you wouldn't want it in any other room, would you?". Mum said "Gosh, it's very jolly!" I like to think of it as "daffodil" yellow. And John? He does not particularly love it but he tolerates it, bless him, probably rather like the way he tolerates me and my decorating whims.

Breakfast in Bed

At about seven this morning I opened my eyes to find Angus standing by my side of the bed, hair sticking up in all directions, staring at me, clutching his bunny. I smiled (it was after seven, after all) and moved over to make room for him. I tried for a sleepy cuddle but he was chatty and wide awake and demanded the light be switched on. Then Bella came wandering through, remembering that it was Mother's Day and that there were cards and presents hidden under the bed for me. A new cookery book was duly unwrapped and admired then John took the kids downstairs. There followed loud whispering and clanking and then they all appeared with a breakfast tray for me. Toast and marmalade, a cup of tea, flowers in a little vase (stolen straight off the mantle piece in the living room), and some paper flowers Bella had made. I had about ten minutes to myself before the kids got bored and got into bed with me. Bella wanted help with her story writing (she starts a new one each day and they usually involve mermaids, dragons and princesses and end with a wedding) and Angus wanted my phone so that he could to watch the Gangnam Style video, his current obsession. 

It was lovely. I can't remember the last time that John wasn't working on Mother's Day, or when I ever had breakfast in bed in the last six years. It made up for the last few years when I had to put up with everyone else's facebook updates of their own fabulous Mother's Day activities while I was home alone with two small kids and no help. So yes, I did enjoy it, and yes, I think I earned it too. I'm sure next year John will be working again and it will be just the three of us.

Then there was a trip to B&Q for plumbing bits and bobs (no idea - some kind of pipe, maybe?), monolithic BLTs for lunch, baking, a birthday party, some DIY, just your normal stay-at-home Sunday activites. Also, it's freezing! We've had a little snow and an icy wind has been blowing all day.

Also, something else occurred to me today... I have been watching Bella grow up ever so fast since she started school and sometimes it alarms me and other times I could not be more proud of her. But this year, this year Bella owned Mother's Day. I don't know if they'd been prepping her at school or what, but she was full of helpful suggestions; flowers, breakfast in bed, handmade gifts, a card, a drawing. And I did think that this growing up lark could work out quite well after all.

52 Weeks of Happy...21/52

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.

I little late this week - it's been so busy! But a good, productive sort of busy. Joining in with the lovely Jen at little birdie, I give you this week's happy* things:

1. Tulips. My favourite flower, these always make me ridiculously happy.

2. New fabrics on the wall. 

3. Saturday morning breakfasts. Today: wholewheat blueberry pancakes with berry jam and greek yogurt.

4. A NEW DISHWASHER!!! Our old one broke just before Christmas and, finally, a new one was installed this week. It's not the prettiest photo, but boy it makes me happy!

5. A sneaky fifth - my lovely Mum, who went back home today after a week long visit. It was a treat to see her for so long and she was a HUGE help; painting, cooking, ironing, playing, reading stories, more painting, and just generally being amazing.

I hope you are all well. It's so cold and grey here today, it's been half raining and half sleeting all afternoon. Very depressing. I tried to take some photos of the new white wall in the bedroom but it was just so gloomy, every thing looked grainy and washed out. I'll try again tomorrow.

*Happy, yes, but not very well photographed. Sorry. I blame the endlessly cloudy weather.

Works in Progress

The thing about decorating that I really don't like is the muddle. Not the dust, that is easily wiped up, but it's the displacement of everything that irritates me. The entire contents of the bathroom are on the landing and in our bedroom. I can't get to the trunk that stores bed linen because on top of it sits a box of plastic bath toys, a set of bathroom scales and a twelve pack of loo roll.  Things that would normally be in our bedroom are downstairs. Pictures are propped up on the floor against walls. The hoover is currently in Bella's bedroom for some reason. When I come upstairs with a basket of dry washing to put away, I find I have no-where to put down the basket. Nothing is to hand or where you want it to be.

It is annoying.

But we are getting there, in fact I'd go so far as to say that the worst is over. The bathroom is now painted (bright yellow! - be nice when I show you photos) and usable. Our bedroom wall has gone from blue to white. My mum has been an absolute gem and has proved herself to be rather handy with a paintbrush. Things are starting to go back to their normal places and order is slowly being restored. Pictures have been collected from the framers and many trips have been made to the DIY shop. Tomorrow, pictures will be hung and flowers planted. Over the weekend I will catch up with lots and lots of blog reading and take some photos. But right now, I have a date with cup of tea, a rocky road and some knitting.