Sunshine, Garden and a Greenhouse!

Hello!

It seems such a long time since I last sat down with a cup of fruit tea and my lap top to write a blog post. Well actually it has been! I have been absent from blogging for many months and I have really missed writing, planning new posts, taking photos etc. I honestly did not realise how long it had been. Time really does fly when your having fun! My daughter is now 9 months old and growing up far too quickly. I know I am biased but she is so beautiful and lovely. I love how she holds hers arms out towards me for a cuddle or to be picked up and she adores our dog. Well, its finally time to give my little blog some attention.

We have enjoyed some beautiful weather recently, with temperatures reaching mid twenties. I have been busy in the garden, pottering around in the greenhouse, weeding the flower beds and drinking the occasional fruit tea or smoothie in the sunshine.

Enjoying the view from my garden

Some of you may know from reading a previous blog post which can be found here, that my husband and I created our garden from scratch when we moved to Meadow View just over 2 years ago. I love looking back at photographs to see how the garden has grown and changed. My rose arch collapsed in one of the winter storms we experienced. I decided not to replace it, instead, I moved a lilac tree from one of the flower beds which was so overgrown last year that I missed it bloom!

My Lilac Tree

I also had to say goodbye to my greenhouse. I was a little sad as it had been given to me as a present six years ago. I remember feeling so excited to have my own greenhouse. I grew so many things that first year but sadly the winds damaged it that following winter, so it really was so bashed about, the polycarbonate panels  took quite a bashing and the metal frame was bent out of shape.

I knew I would hate being without a greenhouse as I love to grow flowers, salads and vegetables. I get so excited in February when I sow pepper seeds indoors and eagerly anticipate the start of gardening season. I spend winters looking through books, magazines and seed catalogues for ideas and inspiration.

I thoroughly researched greenhouses and the different types you can buy. How I would love a big Victorian one with a dwarf wall. I fear that I would need a much bigger garden! In the end I bought a lovely wooden one by BillyOh. It really is lovely and very sturdy too. Its bigger than my old one which is a plus and I have more shelving space.

I was so pleased to receive a free packet of camomile seeds with an order I had placed with Pai Skincare. Their products are amazing by the way and I love the moisturiser. Here is a picture of my seeds growing

Thanks for taking the time to read. What are you growing this year?

Welcome Baby!

I can not believe that my last post was in July! I have a very good reason as to why I have been absent and such a happy one too. My daughter was born last month! Her name is Claire Elizabeth Sarah. I haven't stopped smiling since the day she was born. She is such a joy and I am treasuring every second of being with her. She is 7 weeks old now and has started smiling. Her whole face lights up when she smiles.

Tiny hand

During my pregnancy I made Claire a few things. 

I made Maggie Rabbit from Alicia Paulson's pattern

A little cardigan that I knitted

A crochet cot sized blanket

A knitted lace blanket that I still need to finish!

The nursery was the last room we decorated and so much fun to do. The walls were covered with wood chip wallpaper which proved a nightmare to scrape off. Underneath the woodchip we found two more layers of wallpaper. 

The wallpaper we discovered in the nursery

The walls were too bad to paint straight on to so we decided to go for wallpaper. I chose a lovely polka dot one from Homebase to create a feature wall. For the other walls I just chose a simple paint-able wallpaper which was quite thick to hide the lumps an bumps. As you can see from the photo above, the carpet that was already down when we moved in needed replacing and skirting board and window sill needed glossing. It took two days for us to decorate her bedroom once we finally got rid of the woodchip!

I had great fun choosing furniture. As it is a small room we opted for a cot bed, nursing chair, baby changing station, chest of drawers, a book case and bedside table. Claire has my night light that I had when I was a little girl. 

My night light from when I was a little girl

The blanket my great aunt made for me when I was a baby

I love being a mum to Claire. I feel so lucky to have her in my life. 

What Home Means

Home to me is a place that reflects upon who I am. It is full of my style and things that I like. It is a place were I can relax and unwind, be myself in. Where ever I go I always know that my home will be there waiting for me to return. It is mine. 

In my home and garden

The best thing about moving into a place that needed work doing to it meant that I could change things to my taste. I didn't have to put up with the brittle wallpaper, thread bare carpets, an old and battered kitchen, no garden. I could see passed all these things and know that I could create my dream home. 

I enjoy decorating my home with floral displays and pretty accessories

Okay, so I might not have the roses growing over the front door (yet!), I may not have the converted barn as a craft room, nor the sea view I yearn for but I do have everything else I want and could possibly need. Most importantly my home is filled with memories and loved ones. 

I like to collect mementos from days out, holidays and walks in the countryside. Wild flowers fill jugs and picture frames of my favourite places hang on the wall 

I feel so lucky that I have such a wonderful view to wake up to every morning. In the warmer months I enjoy a cup of tea on the patio overlooking the meadows. It is quiet and peaceful, only bird song can be heard. It is these simple pleasures that should not be taken for granted. 

A nesting box can be found hidden amongst the clematis in the garden 

The Month of June

For me, June is about saying goodbye to Spring for another year and welcoming Summer with open arms.

Summer skies 

The days are long and warm and it feels so nice to feel the sun on my face. I can have the doors and windows open wide, I can step into the garden without putting on an extra layer. I can enjoy leisurely strolls across the meadows.

The Meadow

It is also the time of year where the garden starts to bloom. Flowers emerge into a beautiful array of colour. 

Red Hot Pokers

Rose

Chives

Pansy

The first crops of home grown vegetables and salads are ripe for the picking. Nothing tastes better than those tender lettuce leaves in a salad. Dining outside underneath the patio table parasol just makes this month even more lovely. 

Sunny days

Pressing Flowers Part 2

A week ago I pressed some flowers in a press I purchased from Laura Ashley. You can read about it here. Well today I could not wait any longer so I had a look! Much to my delight the tiny flowers I had pressed between the sheets of blotting paper were perfectly pressed.

Getting ready to open the flower press. Isn't the press pretty?

Beautifully pressed flowers!

If you like flowers, I highly recommend treating yourself to this lovely flower press. It preserves flowers beautifully. I picked little flowers, petals and leaves to press and left them for a week. I would leave larger flowers a little longer.

As I write this post, we have been issued a weather warning for thunderstorms, expected later this afternoon. Perfect time to spend that time playing around with ideas on how to use these pressed flowers. As for now, I shall make the most of the nice weather and pick more flowers from the garden and meadow so I can press some more!

Furniture Makeover!

For a while now I have been in two minds whether or not to paint some wooden furniture. I have been looking at Pinterest and Instagram as a source of inspiration and often wondered if it really is that simple to give furniture a new lease of life.

The bookcase I wanted to paint

I had three particular items in mind. First one was a huge mirror hanging on the wall in the hallway. I loved the size of the mirror but I wasn't keen on the orange pine frame. Next was my dining room table and chairs. I couldn't help but think they may look nicer painted cream. The final item was a bookcase I found and bought in an antique shop for just £10. Like the mirror, this was also orange pine. I have nothing against orange pine but it didn't match with the rest of my light pine furniture. 

I decided to go for it! I bought some runs of Rust-Oleum chalk paint in white and cream. I wanted to paint the mirror white to match the walls in the hallway. I began with the mirror. 

I used masking tape to protect the mirror edges

As It was raining, my husband carried the mirror (it's very heavy!) into the garage for me and I began the makeover. I used masking tape to protect the mirror edges as I painted the frame. I cleaned the frame with sugar soap before painting. I applied two coats of paint before lightly sanding it and then finished it with the wax. I must admit I was pretty surprised at how easy and quick the whole process was! Why had I not done this before?! 

The finished mirror hanging in the hallway

I couldn't wait to get started on the table and chairs. I decided to paint the chairs and table legs cream but keep the table top pine. I had actually seen a table like this that I wanted to save up for! Again I was very happy with the results. 

My 'new' table and chairs

I painted the bookcase cream too and once again it surprised me how quick it was to paint the item. 

The bookcase afterwards

I am thrilled with the results! I certaintly have caught the painting bug. Next on my list is my dresser. Watch this space! 

Have you given furniture a new lease of life with chalk paint? I would love to see pictures if you have. 

Pressing Flowers

When I was a little girl I used to spend hours picking baskets of flowers from the hedgerows during walks in the countryside. I also loved to walk around the garden collecting as many different types of flowers that I could find. Afterwards I would press them between pages of a heavy book or in a flower press. 

Most often these flowers lay forgotten about until one day I would come across them. I would then make cards and pictures for family. 

As I got older, my love for flowers only grew. I love having a garden and house full of flowers. 

I was delighted to discover a pretty wooden flower press from Laura Ashley and promptly ordered myself one. I could not wait for it to arrive! 

It did arrive quickly, so I chose some little flowers to press. You place them between pieces of blotting paper and cardboard and leave the flowers in the press for about a week. Larger flowers will take longer. 

I have a few ideas about what I would like to make with my pressed flowers. I've seen such pretty arrangements that have made a lovely framed picture. 

Bathroom Makeover

I knew the bathroom needed working on as soon as I saw the avacado suite! It wasn't just about the colour either, the bath was in poor condition and was very deep and narrow. The pink and white patterned tiles were not to my taste and the room felt cold, dark and small. Unfortunately I do not have any before pictures of the bathroom!

We had several quotes to fit a new bathroom suite but all designers insisted it was not possible for us to tile the walls ourselves. Apparently it needed doing as soon as the old suite was taken out. We wanted to keep costs down so in the end bought a white suite from the DIY store and found a local plummer to fit it for us. 

It took 2 days in total and then we could get working on tiling. I say we but I mean my husband!

The work begins! I chose big cream tiles to make the room brighter

 I chose big cream tiles for the bathroom so the room would look nice and bright.

Keeping the décor natural meant that I could have a variety of colourful accsesories and change them as often as I wished. I have several sets of bath mats, towels and flannels. At the moment mauve is my favourite as it's soft and gentle looking and very Spring like.  

 

I picked some Cows Parsley but it did not last long in the bathroom. It looked really pretty though!

I think my husband did a fantastic job of the tiles, considering he had never done anything like this before.

The little jug is from B&Q! At only £4 I think it was a bargain.

The bathroom feels really nice now and it is so nice to unwind in the bath after a long busy day with a few candles lit.

Garden Days

I love this time of the year when the garden springs to life after a long winter. The nights are getting lighter, it's warm enough to enjoy drinks outside on the patio and the doors can be left wide open!

Feels lovely to be outside again!

As you know from my previous post, I did not have much of a garden last year so it was lovely to see buds appearing on the trees and new shoots growing on shrubs.

I could not wait to get started sowing seeds in the greenhouse.  I would like more colour in the flower beds so I decided to grow a variety of flowers as well as salad and vegetables.

Isn't is lovely to see the greenhouse being used again after the winter?

This year, I treated myself to a potting bench! I have wanted one for a while now and thought it would be ever so useful. I was right! It has handy hooks on one side, which is perfect for keeping my gardening tools organised. No more excuses for loosing my dibber and plant labels!

My potting bench. My lovely friend Rachael from Sew, Ray, Me sent me these little seed packets that she made. How cute are they?!

I found the little cream watering can in a local antique shop a few years ago. Its perfect for giving seeds a drop of water when they have just been planted. The flower pot, seed tin, paper pot maker and fork were from Sainsurys. I just love the garden accessories they have on sale at the moment, 

I've been busy planting up some pots for the patio too. My husband and I both enjoy relaxing with a drink on the patio in the warmer evenings in front of the log burner. 

I would love to hear about what you are growing in the garden this year. Isn't it exciting when seedlings begin to germinate?! Hopefully we shall have some nice warm weather to help everything grow.