G-Plan meets Cath Kidston

Looking for nursery furniture I was pleased when my neighbours had a garage sale and I picked up this retro G-Plan dressing table for £15!

It was tough carrying down the road! We had to keep stopping every four steps and waving to the traffic. It’s solid teak and a good quality piece. Interesting that you can still bag a bargain if you want modern retro. 1950’s domestic furniture may still conjure up bleak images for the generation that witnessed it first hand. I know for a fact that my mum can’t stand utilitarian furniture. It apparently represents mass production and the bland suburban pre-feminist ideals of the mid 20th century. I think the baby boomer generation do prefer either historic styles (pre 1930) or ultra modern furniture. Us 21st century girls perhaps look at this style afresh and see that it’s actually really useful.

 I love the geometric simplicity of it and decided that it will be great for a child bedroom as it’s low and good on storage space. I really don’t normally go in for the whole princess pink idea for girls and I definitely will be avoiding the whole fairytale “everything will be perfect” stories as she grows up. However…

I did have some girly Laura Ashley fabric that I made cot bumpers with and so I thought I’d follow suit with the furniture.

After removing the handles I sanded the whole thing down and wiped off the dust. Then I applied two coats of Wilkes primer undercoat in Brilliant White. It took a couple of hours to dry. I followed this with a coat of Wilkes satin wood and metal paint in Brilliant White. Then I put a top coat of Dulux gloss wood and metal paint in Fantasia which took off the harsh white glare and gives it a little  blush.

For the top drawers I applied a layer of PVA glue and attached some Cath Kidston fabric in the pink & green old english rose. It is a heavy twill and so once the PVA had dried underneath I gave it another coat to seal the fabric.

I found these lovely pink and cream ceramic rose handles in Homebase and I really love them on the bottom drawers.

I still haven’t decided on handles for the top four small drawer. I have the original wood handles which I will paint to match but I really want some new ones. Laura Ashley have a nice range of acrylic clear handles.

 

 

 

 

Now I just need to decorate the nursery! The brown carpet has to go and the beige walls need an injection of colour. It definitely won’t be pink so I think neutrals will work for the walls and flooring. Any ideas gratefully received!

Green Day

Everywhere is starting to look lush again and the fields are turning from the dull brown of winter into the gorgeous limes of spring. With green on the brain I finished a couple of new handbags and have put them up in the shop. Everything I make is either a one-off or a limited edition so I can’t guarantee how long they will be available!

The Julia bag is so named in homage to Julie Andrews as the material reminds me of the clothes Maria makes for those noisy kids in the Sound of Music! It’s lined with a green/pink striped cotton and the bow at the front is just for decoration. It measures about 14″ by 8″ although the amount of material used is about three-fold the width! I made the strap long enough to go on the shoulder. I think it’s pretty and would go with nude heels or an outfit with green accents.

This green rose bag is made with Cath Kidston cotton twill and I really love this one. The colours pop and are so fresh for the summer. With this being Jubilee year and all that I am predicting all things retro to be worth investing in. Kidston has a range of Diamond Jubilee products out now which I recon will be a collectable for the future.

I have never been one for buying things to stay in the box but I do think her Pearly Queen bag is one to hang on to.

Rosettes

Wow what a difference a little more light makes! At our 6am feed time we get the sun nearly coming up over the hill. It makes getting out of bed a whole lot easier. With the flush of warmer weather we decided to refresh the conservatory. It’s really just a small extension which needs a splash of paint. The tomato plants from last summer have left not so lovely green marks on the walls. It will also make a good spot for my sewing machine so I can keep an eye on the garden. Not that I’m obsessed with plants or anything but I bought another white Jasmine which has begun to flower on the windowsil and the entire house smells divine. Not entirely sure that it should be indoors but it’s here to stay.

On Sunday I was playing around with some ideas for garlands to add some colour. With Cath Kidston oilcloth in the old english rose pattern I made a few rosettes. I sewed on some random buttons and attached the rosettes onto a plait of cotton fabrics. The idea works quite nicely as the oilcloth will stand its ground when the room gets humid. I’m going to work on a longer one that will go over the french doors. 

When I went out to feed the chickens this morning it was promising to see a few buds on the branches of the hazel tree. Still looks a bit bare though so I decorated… I may just make some more and leave them in the garden until the blossom comes out!

I recently discovered a fab book called The Liberty Book Of Home Sewing. I am hooked already as it is great for people like me who have far too much fabric stashed into corners at home in need of ideas. It would be great to use all the Liberty prints that they suggest in the book but the designs and ideas will work with an array of other pretty prints. I particularly like the book covers and kimono pattern.