my multi-purpose mini guest room # 3

I need to keep all my sewing stuff in here because I have no place else for it.
I have quite a few things - threads, fabric, cross-stitch charts, canvases, ribbons and trims, and lots of unfinished needlepoint.
In my early 20's, I worked in a needlepoint shop in London, and so tried lots of different techniques. I even did lots of extra sewing for the shop in the evenings, in order to save to go travelling.
So, now it's stashed all over this little room.

Ribbons and all kinds of trim are in the Ikea drawers.

I just have to decorate them !

As I'm trying to spend as little money as possible, I used some floating shelves I already had, but added the corbels underneath to make them fit in with the scheme a bit better.

Some cross-stitch charts and sewing magazines are in the box files. I covered these years ago, with photocopies of the fabric in the room.

It still needs a bit of sorting out !

Pandy (my bff) found 4 matching jars, that fit perfectly in my wire rack - they'll be filled up soon enough.

On the table are my favourite peces. 

My Grandmother's sewing box.

Her button box.

Her tin with hooks and clips (written on a very scrappy piece of paper and stuck on).

A dish I love with a little scissor case and wooden needle holder.

I made up the patchwork design on the scissors case, it's on 18 gauge needlepoint canvas, and done with silks, but I didn't do the finishing. We had an amazing lady at the shop who made these up with the tiny piping. She also made up beautiful cushions and eye-glass cases, and worked on soft furnishings for an interior company.

And the reverse.

There are canvases and bigger trims in the baskets under this table. 

This area needs a bit more work, and the sewing machine will probably sit here, or at the end of the bed when I have made a cover for it.

Finally, I managed to find some cheap storage boxes to fit under the bed and hold all my fabrics. Five of them fit perfectly.

So another long, drawn out post, you know I can't do short ones (though I have tried !). 

The guest room is nearly done, just a light fitting to finish (I've been on it for weeks !). A few bits of sewing to do and the Ikea drawers to decorate.

Do you see the coaster on the edge of the table, that's for a glass of water ...............it is a guest room after all  !!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Make it pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Knick of Time Tuesdays @ Knick of Time

What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays @ {Primp}
All Star Block Party @ Full Circle Creations

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Pot Pourri Friday @ 2805

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer

 

mini guest room post #1

I'm making slow progress, because as usual, I'm working on multiple projects (do I repeat myself a lot ? ! ).

The guest room is approx. 6ft x 9ft, so it really is small. It also needs to have a dual purpose, as a guest room/sewing room. Not that I will go in there to sew, but I need a place to store all my sewing stuff.

The guest that stays here the most is Pandy, and I'm pretty spoilt at her place. I get the pink toile bedroom with an en suite ! You can see more pictures of it here in a very early post, as well as other photos of her amazing home.
There is only one bathroom in our house, definitely no chance of an en suite, so I want to make the room as cosy and inviting as possible. Besides, I have that great bed I found here, and it lends itself to a more classic style, much more up Pandy's street.

This is my starting point - an Ikea blanket and two cushions, that were in the sitting room.

I hate blankets just thrown over chairs, but I did this to hide an Ikea bucket chair that seriously needs a makeover (idea already logged for this and added to long list). All three things came from the guest bedroom in my last house. That's the flooring on the right, which we still haven't put down, except in the kitchen - hmmm !!!

I found some remnants of the fabrics, and some other pieces to use. I had covered a headboard in this previously, which unfortunately I no longer own.

There's a large enough piece of this fabric to upholster the seat of a chair I have, and the rest is going to be used in a pelmet.

I love bobble fringe, and the little linen table mat was £1 in a charity shop. I have ideas for all of this, but the first thing on my list was a bed cover. The cream one under the fabric is very old and not particularly nice.

There was nothing in TKMaxx - not that I've got the money anyway. I wanted to put my blanket on the end of the bed, on top of a cream quilt, or something similar. My generous friends - ie Pandy and her mother - bought me a gorgeous duvet set and some extra pillow cases.

Aren't they lovely ! The duvet set is from TKMaxx, and the pillow cases are from The White Company.

I also got a cream bedcover, similar to the white one, but much, much nicer.

There is no photo, because a strange thing happened, and I didn't need it (Pandy's mum was totally cool with this, it was only £5.99 I think).

I was talking to my ex, about the room (he's another old geezer and gets on very well with the current old geezer !), and he told me that he had a bed cover I made !

I couldn't remember making one at all. I even had a whole discussion with Pandy about how I couldn't have made one, because I would have remembered working it all out and sewing it.

The ex old geezer dropped off my lined and inter-lined bed cover with the scalloped edge !!! 

I am 2 years off 50. Actually, make that 1 1/2.

Is it all down hill from now on ? 

The knees are already on the way out. I've just got my first pair of glasses and now my memory ??

I'd remembered covering a headboard, so how on earth could I have forgotten actually making a bedcover.

Well, at least I have it - and it's certainly very Pandy !

And although there are no pics, the black and white check blanket looks great along the end of the bed.

Onwards and upwards. I have a list of about 12 things to do in this room, added to the one thing I have done already - but I will share that with you another time, if I remember !!!

a tale of bedrooms and beds

Whilst trying to finish my unfinished projects, stupidly starting some more and finding places for everything that used to be on the mantle, because of the new mantle in the post below, I have also been trying to sort out our tiny spare room.

When I moved in with the old geezer, his daughter slept in there, in a bunk bed, (she spends three nights a week with us, and  the rest with her mother).

I used the third, and much larger bedroom as an office, store room and work room.

After a couple of  years, we switched rooms. I actually loved my new tiny office ( I painted it all white of course) but it was always completely over crowded.

In her new larger bedroom the old geezer's daughter got this Ikea day bed, which came from her mothers house. At her mother's house she got a new double bed (with me so far ?).

Last year, the old geezer's daughter asked us if she could have a platform bed. The type with a desk underneath.  We found a really good quality one on ebay - hardly used, for a great price.

We put the Ikea bed in the loft.

When we created my studio space I put most of my stuff in there, so that my tiny office could become a small guest room.

Some weeks ago, we brought the Ikea day bed down from the loft.
I actually sorted all of this out and although the room wasn't finished I made up the bed ready for visitors !

THEN, just as I was getting the colours, and ideas sorted in my head - we were asked to return the bed !
The old geezer's daughter's mother was moving, and wanted it back. No problem, it wasn't ours, although luckily she didn't want the mattress, one less expense.

So - plan B. Find a new bed - budget £20 if possible (highly unlikely).

I looked in every charity shop that sells furniture, in the local area.
Ebay didn't have anything I liked.
Then I went to a house clearance place - no single beds. I found a little table for £10 (to hopefully paint and sell on), and while I was paying I thought I'd ask about single bed frames, just in case.

I was told there was one in a store room.

I was shown the bed.

Oh wow.

I tried to look nonplussed.

I asked the price.

£20 !!!

I casually said I'd take it (maybe I could have got it for less, but I was just so ecstatic).

Oh happy happy day !!!!

It's gorgeous, I absolutely love it. It looks Victorian and maybe mahogany but I really have no idea. I am sure it's worth way more than £20 though.
I would never paint it, the wood is just too good. The bars are a little odd, maybe it was adjusted at some time, and the mattress doesn't cover them - but I love the height of the headboard, and I am planning to use a lot of cushions.

And now I have a whole new list of things to do, to finish this room - (as if I didn't have enough already).

I hope you all have a great weekend - Fiona xx

panelled door

We didn't quite manage to finish the kitchen before Christmas, so I'm trying to finish all the little bits off now. Our boiler is now in a cupboard that originally housed the fridge freezer. There was no door atall as the fridge stood in the doorway itself with alot of wasted space behind.

So we had a piece of mdf cut to size, as it is quite a small opening - and then I spent some time considering how to make it look more interesting.

Doors unpainted, no skirting and no laminate floor.

Walls finished here but doors only primed and a dust sheet on new laminate.

I wanted to panel the door and strengthen it, so that we could attach the ikea iron and board holder.

I found some very thin (6mmx92mmx2400mm) pine strips in the local diy store and decided to use the screw holes on the iron holder as a guide for the spacing. That way the screws could be a little bit deeper than the 1/2 inch mdf and use the extra strength of the pine.

I cut two long pieces to run vertically and then six pieces to run horizontally. I used gripper and then small tacks. It took a little while to get the spacing right. I think I was just trying to wing it, but decided on good old fashioned maths, in the end !

I placed the wood about 4mm from the edge all the way around, to accomodate the hinges.

It worked out pretty well and only took about an hour.

Then today I painted a few layers of white.

We also finished the skirting, and the white looks great with the darker laminate floor.

And I looked through a box of old knobs (unwanted items, that I find on decorating jobs), and found the perfect glass knob.

I even left the old paint on it, as I like the idea that someone else used it for years. And best of all, it cost me nothing.

I finished painting the 'boxing in' that covers some pipes that run to the boiler, which is now housed in the cupboard.

I now just have a couple of other small finishes. I need to paint the back door again, and add a draught excluder (and take the plastic off the window that you might have noticed) and fill and touch up the beading that I have run all around the worktop.

And .........................................................................................

tomorrow, there is always tomorrow .............

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playing with displaying !

I can't stop fiddling around with 'stuff'.
I do seem to waste alot of time 'fluffing' and 'primping' when I should be getting on.

But today is a good day, I'm finishing off the kitchen (been in our tiny boiler cupboard painting it out), AND finishing off a little thrifty find, which means 'playing with displaying' !!!

I'd already bought two ikea rails- which at £1.49 each are bargains in themselves.

But the lovely white enamel colander I got in ikea won't fit here so I needed some thing else.

I found this at a charity shop for £3. It's perfect - not only does it have the hooks I need, but I now have another place on which to display stuff.

So three layers of white and a bit of distressing and I'm in love (ok slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean !!!!!!!!)

I just love it all on our white t&g.

The salt box I've had since I was a child, and came from Austria. I thought I might paint it white, but actually I think I'm just going to leave it.

The fish mould £3, mini pie pan 50p and glass plate 50p are all recent charity shop finds.

The pink and white striped jug was my mothers and the other things I've just shifted around from the other shelves I have.

So it's back to the boiler cupboard for me - hoping to show you my finished kitchen soon, although I didn't blog when we started it, eons ago, so there won't be much of a 'before'.

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