Retro Re-cover

I have just finished covering our dining chairs. I picked this bargain of a dining set up a couple of years ago from eBay. Think I paid a grand sum of £10 for 6 chairs and £10 for the table which extends to seat 8 people. They aren't actually a matching set but I don't think that is obvious (not that it would bother me anyway).

The chairs originally had a rather fetching pink velvet fabric on Typical of their era. I covered them with cheap cord at first until I found the right fabric to do the job properly.

I managed to lay my hands on some lovely authentic African batik. Just what I wanted! Here is the result.

Pallet Wood Upcycle.

The pallet wood decking area in our garden is finally complete!

I just love pallet wood. We were very lucky (and unlucky) to have a building site near to our house. They were happy to let us have some old pallets. Steve's dad also donated some from his business. www.gee-tee.co.uk We used the biggest pallets as a base and then arranged the slats in intersting colour combinations.

Steve put in a huge amount of man power and we are really pleased with the result. A hard part was breaking the pallets down. Those things are really built to last! I can tell you first-hand how difficult it is to pull the giant nails out. It was really worth it though. Best of all, the wood was free!

It isn't as uniform as manufactured decking but I think it is much more interesting and beautiful. We used yacht varnish to bring out the colour, then I ran up a sail for shade on my sewing machine which I fixed to a frame made by Steve.

We have also created a pallet wood wall in our upstairs bathroom. Pics to follow when complete.

Go Go Gorillas.

For those of you who don't already know, Norwich has been taken over by a band of brightly painted gorillas both large and small. BBC News - Norwich Go Go Gorillas 'life-size' art-trail revealed www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-23029545
This follows on from the huge success of the Go Elephants project back in 2008.  The project is raising money for the charities Born Free and Break. For more info, please visit www.gogogorillas.co.uk

There is a map of the trail so that you can go Gorilla spotting. If you do, watch out for the Sprowston High School gorilla which I painted with a group of my students.

Here is a pic of Rufus and I posing with the gorilla which is in a shop front on London Street.

There are some amazing designs on the trail. Well worth a look.

Foxy Loxy.

So, I finally finished the baby's room. Ivor celebrated by spending his first night in there alone after being camped out in our room for the past 5 months. (I have been very lazy about moving him out as I like to feed him in bed at night while I doze off.)  I first intended for the mural to go around the entire room but decided to just work in the corner of the room for now until Ivor moves to a bed. The cot would hide it. Watch this space for a continuation of the foxy world at a later date.

I am really pleased with the ombre drawers. Just a tester pot of coloured emulsion with more white paint added for each drawer. Easy peasy.

The vintage phone on the floor was mine as a child. So retro! Must also thank my lovely friend Michaela for the gorgeous needle felted leaf bunting hanging on the cot. www.misschaelaboo.blogspot.com. I've got a pic Michaela took a few months ago here which shows it in detail.

Fledgling Blog!

I've finally done it! For the past couple of years I kept saying that I would start a blog all about the stuff that I make and do.  I have been a bit too busy doing the actual making (and having children) to get around to the blogging. I've probably been spending a bit too much time on Pinterest too. That site is a bit addictive but a great source of inspiration for me. So anyway, I will try to get all of my pics together to make this a diary of my creative side. 

One of my quilts.