With India away at University, She and Eden have swapped bedrooms. Actually the day India got her A level results Eden was in her (much bigger) room measuring up, had made a detailed floor plan and started a Pinterest board of new room ideas!
Eden moved into India's old room a couple of weeks ago and I was left the task of decorating Eden's old room; India's new room in time for her coming home this coming weekend.
Of course, as is usual the budget was non existent, in fact I spent only £12.50 on a new mattress topper, and £14 on a new rug which hasn't arrived yet. Everything else was shopped for from around the house.



The bed is the very first bed we bought for India when she was a toddler, I've simply painted it with a half pot of cream emulsion left over from other projects. Three thick layers, that should knock about and get more interesting as time goes on...lazy shabby chic!

The duvet and pillow case is made from vintage sheets I had in my fabric stash, the welsh woollen blanket is a hand me down from Grandma Margaret, and the cushions are from India's old room.
Oh yes and the walls are painted with two different shades of grey paint left over from other projects, I just mixed them together, luckily there was just enough.



The cross stitch was a 1st Birthday present from Aunty Clare.



Curtains are made from a piece of heavyish cotton I'd been saving for a dress, the loom blanket box is a hand me down from Grandma Alyson, I repainted it with the same paint as the bed and used some vintage fabric from my stash to recover the top. The light shade has also been recovered with some lovely blue vintage fabric that was a gift from a friend, Caroline.

The mirror is from India's old room, the hoops are from my habby drawers and the fabric from my vintage scrap box. I will have to buy a few more hoops to complete this wall, I have plenty of scraps left to fill them though.



There is also a large fabric covered noticeboard that I made for India a while ago. I've hung a few of India's trinkets on that already.



I sent India these photos this morning and she said she loved it! I'm so glad. Thanks to Pinterest and our shared ideas board we managed to communicate at a distance, and I think it will be even better when India comes home and adds her personal touches.

It's been a hectic few weeks, and not showing much sign of slowing down any time soon. I've had very little time out in my shed doing what I love best, and yes I am starting to get rather jumpy!
I'd been promising to decorate the boys bedroom for longer than I care to admit, and when Sid asked me earlier in the summer if I was actually ever going to do it, I was suitably guilty enough to get my paint pots and brushes out.
One of the reasons I was putting it off was knowing how hard it was going to be to cover the very bright colours that were already on the walls. Eden helped me, and I'm so glad she did. The ceiling took 5 coats of paint and the walls took 3. Ernest even came and helped a little.
The whole room was finished on the tightest of budgets. We bought paint from a local discount warehouse, and used pots found in the cellar for accent colours. (I mixed two different shades together.) The curtains were made using fabric from stash (and have yet to be lined.), I scrubbed the shabby old carpet by hand, gave the orange pine bunk beds a couple of coats of egg shell, (also left over paint from the cellar), and then rubbed them down for a budget shabby chic effect, and re purposed an old sheet of chipboard by painting it with left over chalkboard paint and getting Woody to screw it to the wall.
I did buy some new bedding,but also got a lampshade from the charity shop for less than £2.
My favourite part of the room are the Fairy Tales For Hope prints above their book shelves.


You can see Angus is most impressed with the noticeboard!

I have managed to squeeze a little sewing into the spare few minutes here and there ; when your teenage daughter needs something to wear in a hurry for her friends 18th, but has no money, it's time to go stash diving and run something up in a hurry. What better pattern to use than Laurel by Colette? I'd heard great things about this pattern, but honestly never considered making it for myself, it's a style that would simply not suit my curves! I jumped at the chance though to stitch one up for India, and what a great pattern! Goes together fast and easy. India loves it!


I used a piece of green polka dot and stripe satin I'd bought last year in Abakhan, positioning the stripe at the waist. I finished the neckline and sleeves with bias cut from the same fabric.


I'm almost tempted to make myself one with sleeves, and perhaps more shaping at the waist. I particularly love this modifaction, avaiailable as a free download .

Maybe, I'll get time to try it out soon. I hope so.

The teal colourway of my buddies fabric arrived today, and I'm really happy with the way it's turned out. I had it printed on the organic interlock which is so soft. I'm wondering if it's too girly to make pj's for Ernest with. Maybe if I combine it with a stripe/solid...hmm something to ponder on.

I also received a sample of my cut and sew Flossie's Pinafore, and it looks pretty good. Hoping I'll have time to sew that up tomorrow.





We've had a little sort out here and taken down the bedside crib. Ernest has never slept in it for more than the very occasional nap, and it was really just a home for the pump, my knitting and various notebooks, pens and cups of tea.
I had to dig out the old and much used bed guard which though perfectly functional was looking rather sad.



So I made a little slip cover for it, it's quite pretty now.

PS, you can buy the teal Buddies fabric from spoonflower, just click here.

Well, you can now buy them direct from Spoonflower. (At least I have added them to the market place,but I think it might take a short while for them to show up, so it might mean checking back a few times.)

Firstly there is my large scale Grey Dahlia print. This is lovely for home dec, would make great curtains, cushions or blinds.








Secondly there is my small scale Blue Dahlias. A lovely small scale print ideal for childrens clothing, or handbags, I'm planning to make some Christmas ornaments with some of mine.



This fabric used in the outfit below was a mirror repeat, the fabric available to buy is a half step repeat which works better.





Just click on the designs if you'd like to buy. The prints are available in a choice of fabrics, including organic sateen, organic cotton knit, and bamboo. I'd recommend either the upholstery weight or cotton sateen for the Grey Dahlias, and quilting weight or organic cotton knit for the Blue Dahlias, but the choice is yours.
And if anybody does buy either of these, I would love to see what you make from them.
(you can email me direct at jeanette dot archer at gmail dot com )
Maybe this will finally give me the kick up the bum I need to get my sketchbooks out again, and work on that collection of fabrics I've been planning for so long.

...making cushions and getting grumpy!
I think I may have mentioned before how much I dislike making home furnishings. I'm not at all sure why,but I really don't (usually) enjoy it.I think it might be because as the resident seamstress around here,it's one of my chores, y'know?
Anyhow, today I set myself the task of making up lots of cushions in an attempt to cosy up both my lounge and my bedroom ready for the arrival of this baby.
The cushions for the lounge are super simple pillow case style. One thing about having four children that I have learned is that there only lies frustration and anger ahead if I spend too long making something decorative, that they will inevitably end up using in a game of camping or house building,or gawd only knows what...best to keep things simple.
These ones though,I have kept upstairs. The fabrics are some of my faves from Cicada Studio, and I know looking at them while resting after the birth of this baby will both calm and inspire me...poor old Woody on the other hand is bewildered as to why we need "even more" cushions anywhere...I think it's a girl thing!

Just a little bit of nesting, I've a way to go yet before I start getting truly nesty.
This cupboard was given to me by a very dear friend several years ago. She sadly died four years ago from breast cancer, and I miss her still every day.
I've always loved the cupboard,but after a bedroom move about, a couple of years ago I had nowhere for this cupboard to go, so I reluctantly put it in storage in the cellar, where it got rather grubby and sad.
I think it was one of those nights when I couldn't sleep that I remembered the cupboard and thought it'd be great to store the baby's clothes and nappies.
A good clean up, some glue in the joints ( and a bit of reinforcement here and there...thanks Woody! ), a couple of coats of paint, and a rub down with a wire brush, and I have a "shabby chic " style storage cupboard.
I added some Cath Kidston scented drawer liners, and this little hand sewn heart, : voila!! Perfect place to put all the baby things.

Thank you to Anton, wherever you are honey!

I love Spring, today is my first spring baby's birthday. I'm now the mother of a teenager!
Now she's a teenager of course, she doesn't much want to spend the day with me, so is out with a crowd of giggly girls, and I'm left at home doing a spot more spring cleaning.
This time the bathrooms needed an overhaul. The less said about the children's bathroom, the better. Lets just say a strong stomach and a lot of cleaning fluids have been used!
Our bathroom, on the other hand just needed a little spit and polish, some fresh flowers and this pretty new faux blind/pelmet I whipped up out of some gorgeous Cicada Studio fabric.
I actually won this piece of Lily Of The Valley fabric after entering one of Michelle Engel Bencsko's blog give aways some time ago. Such a fresh and pretty fabric too. I'm very tempted to buy a little more for a drip mat, and perhaps a toiletry bag or two....hmmm, I guess now I'm the mother of a teenager that's excuse enough to buy myself new fabrics isn't it? (Who am I kidding, I don't need an excuse! )

But this re upholstered piano stool does look a lot better than it did.

We've been spring cleaning the garden today...can you do that? Well, anyway we have had a jolly good tidy up out there and planted lots of veggie seeds. Of course there's lots more that needs doing , that's the thing about gardens...
While tidying up I noticed how sad and ugly my old peg bag was looking,so whipped this one up out of some Boden fabric, lined with canvas and one of the kids plastic coat hangers.
I have an urge to go out and buy co ordinating plastic pegs, but that's a bit silly considering I already have about a million pegs isn't it?
Now I just need some pretty fabric to make a new parasol cover for the garden table.....

I decided after my big clear up the other day that my bed linen was all looking a bit tired and needed freshening up for Spring, so today I went shopping for new pillows and bought some plain fresh white cotton bed linen, that somehow wasn't quite enough though,so I whizzed up these pillow cases from some retro style cotton I had in my stash, plus some lovely silk cushion covers, also from stash.
Now I just want to go to bed!

(photos are not great, it's getting dark here already.)

Well very nearly! A few bits of touching up to do,and flooring to finish,but it's a whole lot better than it was.
This pic was taken from the dining room,so you can see the archway.
I'll be honest the paint job on the cupboards isn't as good as I'd hoped,but I think I can live with it.

Note the lightshade in drawing room fabric to match the dining room curtains. I just need to make a new tea cosy and oven mitt,possibly an apron too.

Bought more trim,and now it's finished.

Loving the fit of my spoonflower skirt,I thought I'd make another with this Ikea cotton print.
I used a different finish and trim on the pockets this time.



This ribbon was found in a bargain bin in Hobbycraft,sadly there isn't enough left to trim the hem of the skirt,but I'm going to pop in there tomorrow to see if I can find some more.

This skirt is a bargain all in all, the cotton was only £1.59 a metre,and I used about 2 1/2 metres,and the ribbon was £1.99 for three reels.

I am so pleased with this,made with my spoonflower fabric from a Japanese pattern.
The pockets are trimmed with satin bias binding,and the hem is trimmed with grossgrain ribbon.

Now do i make a new cover for my little craft ironing board too?

I finally got around to making the curtains for the dining room today. I started decorating the dining room a few weeks ago during half term,but I still haven't finished.The skirting boards still need another coat of paint,and the floor needs new edging.
The curtains can be ticked off my to do list now though.

I used the gorgeous Drawing Room fabrics by Anna Maria Horner. I just love the sketchbook fabric.

And yes,that's my washing hanging out in the garden...just pretend you can't see it!

I hate curtain making,and consequently all those making curtain calculations and rules just will not stick in my brain,so I prefer the "start cutting and sewing and see what happens method",which has always served me pretty well thank you very much.
I'm decorating the boys room this holiday and they need new curtains.I was going to make blinds,but Woody pointed out to me how irritated I get just straightening the one roman blind in Edens room,after she's opened it in a totally haphazzard way.The boys room has a huge bay window and I had planned to make four roman blinds each in a different colour (Minna twill from Ikea)....hmmm,he definately had a point!
In the spirit of recycling,I took down the current curtains,washed them,and cut the useful fabric (dark blue) out to use again. Then I cut out enough orange and enough green twill to make them long enough for the window...probably,I haven't actually measured them yet,but I have enough twill to add more if needed,I'm thinking red...
Finally,getting to the point,yesterday I tootled off to JL to buy some curtain tape,I didn't know what kind,but knew I'd know when I saw it,but I couldn't find it,so after a good 5 mins of looking I found an assisstant,who informed me that they keep the curtain tape under the counter...??
She wanted to know what kind I wanted,and was not impressed when I said I didn't know,but I'd know it when I saw it...which I did! Then she wanted to know how much I needed...hmmm good question! I hadn't even measured the window or the curtains I'd cut out. I pondered for a second and she started doing that horrible curtain stuff.."how many drops do you have?"...what does that mean? (And please don't tell me,I don't want to know!),that was when I explained to her that I am a "cut and sew kinda make it up as you go along kinda gal",and oh boy,I was not prepared for her reaction!!
Instead of admiring my cavalier and I like to think creative (!) curtain making method, she actually rolled her eyes at me and laughed! Not a cheery laugh either, a sneery laugh!
I admit I felt hurt,and wanted to blurt out something like "hey,ok I don't really know what I'm doing with curtain making,but see this outfit I'm wearing,I made 90% of it,I can too sew..so there!!!"...instead,I just mumbled something about my methods working for me in the past,paid for my tape,and shuffled out of the store feeling fed up.
(Oh and incase you are wondering I bought waaay too much tape,but it's better to have too much than too little isn't it?)

To cheer myself up when I got home,I started work on an Amy Butler tunic.



Awful pic,and it's not quite finished yet either.