Decisions decisions!

Decisions decisions .......We live in a lovely bungalow in a very pretty little village with trees and shrubs everywhere -

its full of lovely people, the school is in the next village and the city is only 5 miles away. Wherever you are in our home you can hear birdsong - my friend is very clever and can tell me the type of bird just from hearing their songs but not me I'm not that good - anyway the reason I am dribbling on is...we need more space. I can hear my Mum saying well we lived in a smaller place than this when you were we little and we managed very well - what do you need more space for - it will only be more to clean....I know Mum I know but we just do need more space...these days most homes have more than one bathroom  (she lives in a bungalow on her own and she has two loos)

 there are four of us and someone always wants to go when someone is in the shower....I feel I am waffling here so I will push on - it became a case of move or extend..well when we bought this place I remember pulling up outside and thinking we cant afford that - from the outside it looked lovely - once we got through the door I realised why it was within our price range - to cut a long story short - we have absolutely gutted the place...lets just say the bathroom shower curtain hid the hole in the bath and even the two bottles of bleach that we used on day one of living here still didn't sort things out enough. The cupboard doors that fell off whenever you tried to open them wasn't funny. So room by room - we worked our way through.  Dad was alive then and being a builder and stonemason by hand not to mention a fab all around diy-er - he was a God send!  Everywhere I look I can see him - feel his love......could we move - absolutely not - we looked but just didn't see anything that we liked better than here.

SO.....
plans were drawn up and planning permission sought - it was granted in Sept of last year but we didn't want builders working through the winter months so we decided to save a bit more and wait - well we are ready - very scared but ready.  Hubby's job was under redundancy 2 years ago so he took another position with same company hundreds of miles away for less money - I am so proud of him as he has worked his way back up and passed where he was before. The fear is always there though...so we have been deliberating for the last few months but we have chatted long and hard about it - he is 37 so we still have hopefully plenty of time to enjoy it

WE...
are going to extend the side of our bungalow into the side garden - it will house a 21 ft 9 by 12 ft 2 kitchen/family room. After that our existing kitchen is going to have both walls taken down and one built in the middle making my daughters bedroom and wait for it ...my craft room much bigger (YAY!!!) and then if we are still hanging in there - knock through from our bedroom to the integral double garage and steal a 1/4 of it for our en suite shower room.  The dust and the dirt will absolutely drive me crazy I know it will but I sooooo hope it will all be worth it.

I am busy looking for inspiration for the kitchen - I can see farrow and ball pain being used by the gallon, definitely yearn for some Cath Kidston fabrics and totally love the country family kitchen look with a big table and chairs at one end where the children can do their homework as I prepare the evening meal!! Idyllic - in reality we will only have money left for beaks on toast and the children will be sat arguing about whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher!!!!  To start me off though here are some piccies that I have been putting in my favourites folder - I am sorry I don't know where they came from - I have been building my collection for quite some time

Love the lightness - definitely has to be a hand painted farrow and ball finish I think - we have found someone who makes their own kitchens - he is very reasonable I am told (price wise) - will take quite a bit longer than normal as he has been poorly and just does a bit now to keep his hand in - I don't mind - it will take a couple of months before the extension is ready - I have said I will paint it myself to keep the costs down -

 am I MAD????

Totally love the style and again the hand painted finish!

Would love an aga - just because it looks nice - don't have a clue how they work but to be honest Father in Law gave us a brand new cooker that goes in a oven housing - its in the garage waiting to go in its rightful home!

Have noticed a lot of the kitchens I like are light blue - very clean looking!

Totally love the light in here - we were going to have bi-fold doors all along one end but the builder has suggested it may not be such a good idea as it means a lot of weight on one runner - suggested we go with  large double doors and then a long window at either side - what do you think???

Definitely have floor to ceiling cupboards on my want list - one for the oven and at least one maybe a couple for pantry/crockery and pans etc and for brush/ mop and hoover etc then have a vision of a large island so Hubby and I can work alongside cooking without getting in each others way!

Like the painted finish alongside the stained wood - lovely effect!

I am a total lover of all things purple - wonder if its got anything to do with Cadburys Dairy Milk wrappers - anyway when I saw thing I just thought OMG WOW!!!!!  I love it!!!!  but could I live with it???  I think so!!!

What I liked about this one - was the mixture of painted and wood again and like the lantern plus look above the cooker - the metal hooks on the wall - very useful - like it - like it!!!

 Yum - scrum - love the above - not sure how I would feel as time went on about the colour but love the style of the units especially the large one on the left hand side and think I have to have a butler sink

really love the large unit at the back of the room 

 and the unit above too

love the soft chocolate and the duck egg blue combination!

Just like ours Grandma's used to have - that is what appeals to me!

Cath Kidston Sew Book and Shed Envy!!!

A few piccies to share with you today - this is Toby - I am brand new to sewing - really not sure which way is which but enjoying the journey - MOST OF THE TIME!!!  Well I traced this lettle fella from this Cath Kidston Book- and sat all day attaching my tracing to various bits of fabric and then cutting out and sewing - I am really chuffed with how he has turned out - havent got any further though as in I havent attached him to anything other than my scanner that sits on my desk at work in my office - he sits there and makes me smile when I look across - I wonder if visitors to our office puzzle over why this crazy lady has him sitting peeking out the scanner - but hey do I care - he makes me smile and that is what matters!!!!!

 Ok on to my table now I hope you will bear with me - this is what it looked like a couple of weeks ago - along with the accompanying chairs. Here's me thinking I will take before and after pictures...oops nope I have just gone to view my piccies and  have realised I have taken the before of the table....

and an after of the chair so am slapping my wrists and promise when I get a mo I will take a follow up of the table but until then - here is the chair

I have gone with Culprinol Garden Shades - Lavender and Country Cream. I have done the garden bench that sits at the front of our home and the table and one chair out the back - still no I am not going to count how many more chairs I have to do - need some better weather before I pick my paint brush up again - would love to do the garden shed too - have serious garden shed envy after seeing some of these........

this ladys blog is here



Then I found these on the google

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1258/1024431969_ab0c388b00.jpg

http://www.barbarabutler.com/linpha/albums/Garden%20Shed/Garden%20Shed%20side.jpg

then onto one of most favourites - you will need to click on the link but it is sooooo worth it - shed envy - whoa - where do I start

http://birdiebluesky.blogspot.com/2011/05/loft.html

Did you visit - did you - wasnt it just soooo worth it!!!!

Look what I have been up to!

I made this little gift bag from a scrap of Laura ashleys red gingham - I think red gingham is my most fav fabric - EVER!!! Just seeing it makes me feel happy and girly inside. I borrowed a yo yo maker from a friend and that is how I have made the flower for this bag - thought it was so easy and really effective I have been a bought a couple now in different sizes, however the heart one I was loaned is a different story altogether - suffice to say not a success story! The circular box that I have sat it on to pose for this piccie was a pressie from my friend Lisa as part of my birthday pressie - dont think she had heard of Cath Kidston before she met me, lol! when she handed it to me she said I think its like that Cath Kidston person makes! It is beautiful - another feel good jewel amongst my treasures!

Next and before you say it - I know I am a little premature but wait....


it was a challenge set me by my elder sister who I have to say I am very very proud of - she suffers terribly with MS, but she has managed to do a b tech in arts recently and the stuff she has produced is fabulous.  ANway as I say I went to visit one day and she gave me a pressie - the tree below except it was falling to pieces and looked very sorry for itself and she said do something with that - well the top was missing for a start - it no longer came to a conical end - just stopped halfway across as if someone had cut the end off...I have to admit to being rather intimidated for a while - it sat in a box on my desk for a couple of months - then one day I got the gusto and went for it - here is the result

I have just been surfing the tinternet and found this

Isn't it totally awesome - my little princess would absolutely love to play in this - if I win the lottery I am heading over to here to buy one...until then it will have to be sheets and a clothes horse!


For the little man in my life -

Have popped it on my dream wish list for him - just here


now on my dream list for me - here are some fabrics from clarke and clarke - they are their part of their new release - dont know if they have hit the shops yet???

here they are - put to good use

wouldnt you just love this to drive around in????

Back soon with more tales and piccies - ttfn xxx

Do you want to help a very worthwhile charity and ....Do you like Cath Kidston!!!!!!

If you head on over to this ladies wonderful blog - she is holding a charity raffle with all proceeds going to Alzheimers Charity - a very worthwhile one I bet you agree. 


The fab prizes are Cath Kidston - ....

My absolute favourite!!!!!!!  What a wonderful lady - she does all sorts for Charity!  Have only just discovered her blog but am loving it!