And I know its going to be .... a lovely day

woke up this morning with a bit of a face on if I can be honest.. combination of tiredness.. children's diggy little elbows in my my back ( i know I'll miss them getting in my bed when they get to old or cool enough..!) . and just the thought of getting up, making the breakfasts, doing the pack lunch, shouting like a fishwife all before 8am and that's before even doing the school run.. its the same every day and probably the same for most (if they are being honest!) mums all around the world!!

but on my return from said school run.. I've had a cuppa and a piece of toast,

brown bread buttered hot toast is always a winner ..proper comfort food for me!

put a wash on ( which always makes me feel better.. weird i know but i do love the sound of the washing machine on in the background.. think i feel like I'm getting things done!)

and then received this little beauty in the post.. i was a winner of fee-bees from the lovely http://feebee-loveofvintage.blogspot.com/ mini blog give away..

I'm now the proud owner of this little needle case from Cath Kidston.. its far to sweet to be put away in my sewing box though so think I'll keep it out for now for everyone to admire!!!

thanks fee-bee for running your giveaway and even better for me winning it!!!...

looking out the front window i just loved how the sun was shining on the wall opposite and the pavement.. it just seems to be giving off a lovely hazy and dare i say it... spring like sunshine!!.. so had to take a picture of it ..

the sun just makes everything feel better for a start... ( apart from highlighting the fact my windows are filthy!!! )

and then just before i noticed that my chives that have been outside in their little pot since last summer and i thought would have been killed off in all that snow.. are back!!.. they seem to be growing again.


.which fills me with joy.. i love it when things start growing in the garden again..

so i think what I'm trying to say is.. I started the day with a heavy heart.. but now i feel like maybe its going to be a good day ... and if its not.. then I'll make it into one!!!

Project Dressing Table

i love my bedroom.. its somewhere that i love to be in.. if its a sunny day it gets so much light and then at night it just becomes so cosy that i could quite happily stay in there ..its a hard place to leave.. especially in the mornings after Ive been very happily cosied up in my big ol french antique comfy bed...

i love my vintage trunk that i got from freecycle, which not only looks lovely in my eyes but is also v practical as it holds my guest bed linen

i love the junk shop chair with the beautiful detail on it, and you may be surprised to see i haven't painted the wood.. not like me i know but i think the dark wood works well with the faded fabric on the chair..

i love the fireplace that we found at the top of our road in an alley way, as soon as we carried it in, i knew it had to be pink!!..

however .... there is a little area of my bedroom that is really letting the side down.. its a bit of a blot on the ol landscape of my bedroom and that is the space were my dressing table is...

it just lacks oomph!!..

my dressing table was a junk shop find for £8.. our baby was about a month old when i bought it so it really was a rush job to sand and paint ( even for slapdash sally me..!) i painted it in about 7 seconds flat and didn't even bother to do the inside parts.. that you can actually see, that's how slapdash a job it was!!..

so i know it needs a new coat of paint to freshen it up anyway, and I'm thinking of painting it more of a chalky white instead of the cream that i used..

but its the top of it as well that offends me..




i mean its just soooooooo dull..

(please note the state of my door.. i am planning on replacing all the doors in the house as soon as i have enough pennies!!)

at the minute most of my accessories are in the drawers..

my vintage clutch bags are in one..

my scarfs and belts belong in another

all the hideous hair products that i need to get my hair to actually resemble hair and not a patch of turf !!

and then on the top of the dressing table my big bangles go in the smoked glass vase.. which probably doesn't help because that's quite a dull colour to start with isn't it..

so it is a practical piece of furniture as well ..it holds quite a bit so i know i cant get rid of it ..

i just don't know how to dress it to give it that vintage, glamorous look that i do think it deserves..

you have to admit it does look pretty depressing doesn't it..

i have tried to find images on the Internet for inspiration but the only ones that seem to come up are images of ebay.. that's no help!!!

so I'm asking for your help... this is project dressing table!!!... if you find any images that you may think i could use as inspiration .. or even have any ideas of your own.. could you help me and send to me..

the red carpet

honestly i have received yet another award.. this is what Colin Firth must be feeling like right now!!

only joking.. its so lovely when you get little things like this.. that fellow bloggers actually think what you go on about ( and believe me .. i know how boring i can sound!) is actually worth reading

so thank you Susan from the lovely Susan's Country Dreams blog for passing this award onto me!

so i think i really need to be donning a vintage couture gown .(i would probably need sewing into it!!) putting my feet into a pair of laboutins walking up the red carpet and accepting my award with a large glass of champers..

( or what I'll really do.. is stick on my 99p brand new Jasper Conran pjs from the charity shop .. snaffle on the Chinese takeaway that we've just ordered.. have a vodka and coke.. and watch the last of the David Tenant Dr Whos.. sob .. Matt Smith who now plays him is just to twitty for me!!) )

FRIDAYS FROCKS

This is the outfit i wore on my day out on Wednesday,

i love this little dress.. its an ebay buy.. vintage Betty Barclay.. £3.99

theres so much that i love about this dress, the little lace stand up coller, the frill detail that is on the front and back, and the tiny floral pattern..

i wore my charity shop cord jacket £5.99

a scarf from the charity shop that kept me nice and warm.. 99p

my battered brogues from Primark.. ( so comfy but so heels are wreaked . need to get a new pair really ..


i wear them with everything) £13

my navy blue bag from the charity shop 99p

i would normally wear a brighter colour pair of tights like dark pink or red with this outfit but they had ladders in so i just put a pair of navy tights on but still looked effective!

stylish...moi!!

well lissylou from the delightful lissylou and the 2 little boys blog has awarded me this blog award.. for being stylish.. haha.. if you could see me now in my long socks .. grotty jeans and the cardi i wear for bed on.. i dont think you would put me and stylish in the same sentance !!. anyways thanks love for thinking of me .

here are the rules that come with it.. ( you see theres always a catch!!)

1.Thank and link back to the person who awarded you.

2.Share 7 things about yourself

3.Award 15 bloggers
4.Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

7 things about me

1.I get really bad headaches when i eat fudge, shortbread or pork pies!!...

i know it sounds a bit mad doesn't it.. but even the smell of shortbread sets me off with a headache..not sure why!!

2. Ive been with the hubby for coming up to eight years and we have only ever been to the pictures once together.. that's right...once!!.. i hate the pictures.. i hate the fact i have to sit there the whole time.. i like to get up and have a walk about ..and i hate the fact I'm always cold wherever i sit once I'm in there.. oh and the film we did get to see when we went.. Narnia!!

3. i once did a carboot were i made the grand total of £7...it wasn't even enough to cover the pitch which was £8!..it was a horrendous day that .. it was raining and i had to stand under a plastic sheet never again i said!!

4. my ideal saturday when i was a kid wasnt going to meet my friends at the local shopping centre to hang out.. it was going to our corner shop,buying a can of cherry coke, a bag of crisps and a mars bar ( you could get a lot out of a pound back in 93!!) and then watching a black and white film all afternoon... i loved it.. i used to sip my cherry coke out of a vintage shot glass from a set we had to make me feel sophisticated and also to make it last longer!!

5. me and the hubby are currently going through a Dr Who phase... we have lent all the DVDs from my nephew from when David tenant was the Dr and are making our way through them each night.. i tell you its crazy in our house, we have become a little bit obsessed talking about them like its real..!!!..

6.i am a real nosey parker.. if i walk past or we are driving past peoples homes and their curtains are open with the light on .. i always look in.. i think that's why i love blogging and reading peoples blogs becasue i just love nosing around peoples home.. i should be an estate agent really shouldn't i !!!

7.i had an imaginary friend called Michael Charm when i was little..he was so real to me that i used to make my mum set a place for him at the table.. it makes me laugh now.. i mean were did i get the name Michael Charm from!!!

now i am suppose to then award 15 other bloggers which i think is an awful lot and I'm sure most of you had it anyways so I'm going to do what I've done in the past and say that any of you lovely ladies who read my blog be sure to take the award for yourself and let us know some things about you... they have to be a whole lot more interesting than mine anyways !!!

FRIDAYS FROCKS

this weeks Friday frock is almost a cross between nautical and school girl!!

so this is an eBay number .. grand total of £6.99 .. i actually stayed up past my bedtime to put a last minute bid in on this... i wasn't let anyone else have it!!..

i love the little white coller and the blue ribbon bow..the ribbon is actually attached at the back .. good quality you see.. these days that ribbon would be hanging on for dear life..ready to fall off the minute you look at it!

it came with its very own vintage skinny belt to..

i love red and blue ..its always a winner i think..

i wear my vintage wool blazer over this ..

i love this ... its very school girlish i think and as our school never had blazers for the girls until i left ( so not fair!) I'm reliving the school days again in this one!! this is another ebay find and this was £4.99... love the back of it as well... so well made..

and the red piping detail and the buttons..what is not to like about this jacket.. !!

now the shoes.. well these are actually from OFFICE..i know get me shopping in real peoples shops.. i got them in the sale.. £25 ...eeek i know a lot of money for me to pay for something but i just loved them.. i thought they were sooo retro and cute looking and think that i will get my wear out of them ..now when its cold with thick tights..but then come the summer, shorts and a stripy t-shirt.. think 1950s nautical so i think just this once im allowed to pay over a tenner for something don't you!!!

best thing about these shoes is.. they are called.... Benny four eyes... haha how good is that name!!

add my vintage bracelet that came from the charity shop for 50p..i did have a navy and white one as well but i cant find that any were. I love the way it clips open at the side when you want to put it on,

must have a good look round for the navy and white one to as it would look great on my other arm!!

then all topped off with hair in a messy beehive and the new red lippy

that my mum gave me.. she never wore it so brand new.. so rimmel lippy for free.. thanks mum!

so there you have it.. a cross between sailor girl and school girl!!...

all things white and beautiful...

oldest boy went back to school today.. so that meant me and the baby could have a mooch around the charity shops.. my favourite charity shop (aka the one that the people who work in it don't actually think they are working in Selfridges and hike the prices up and up but actually keep it at charity shop prices!!) was closed .. this has happened a few times over the past few weeks..fuming as they do tend to get proper little treasures in there..

so I had to make do with the others which arn't so good...but I did find a few things so was rather happy about that..

first off this lovely table cloth..

it was the blue stripe that caught my eye at first .. it was underneath some really naff faded kids curtains.. ( not even shabby chic but just shabby!) so I dived in and pulled out this wonder!..

its not only got the blue stripe but then a floral design that's been sewn on in between the squares.. lovely..

then I found this little candle pot holder..


it smells gorgeous and look who its by ... Sophie Conran.. posh ey!!..


shes obviously not someone whose things I could afford to buy at full price so this was a nice little bonus ..

I've popped this on my hallway cupboard so you get a nice whiff when you walk in through the front door!!

then these two sweet little cups and saucers..only 99p for the pair so I had to get them!..


they are really delicate and the pattern that's on them reminds me almost of a cabbage leaf.. not sure who these are made by as there is no name but that doesn't really matter to me.. as long as I like it that's all I usually care about ( unless I know I can flog it on ebay for about £15 more than I paid for .. heartless me.... well maybe!!)..I thought they would be lovely with a tea light popped in.. perfect size !

got me thinking then with my two little white purchases about the other white things in my life!!.. and you know I hardly own anything that's just plain white!!

my mum gave me these cups when I bought my first house.. she bought them when she was about 21 and living in Germany were my dad had been posted when he was in the RAF, I love these, but am frightened to use them as I would hate to break them ( she gave me the saucers to match and I broke one..sssh don't tell her!) so I tend not to use them but I just like seeing them when I open my dresser door .. v stylish don't you think!!

here's the bottom ... bet theres not a lot of things that get made in West Germany now!!

these are Royal Doulton. now get me I am so posh!!..



I think they are really unusual. quite squat arnt they in shape.. I'm not sure what they are meant for.. I think maybe they would be nice with a very rich chocolate pudding in.. served after a grown up dinner for two.!

I saw these in a box in a charity shop for 10p each.. didn't have any money on me (not even 10p!) and when I went back for them they had gone.. the next week my mum presented them to me.. she knows my taste that woman!!..

then there would have to be a jug of some sort involved !! .. this one is from the charity shop..again I love the shape of it..it should be filled with wild daises shouldn't it.. cant wait for the summer!

the lovely white lantern I bought from IKEA .. it looks lovely when its giving off the candle light ..

- although it looks a bit ghostly here !

this teeny weeny enamel candle holder that I bought from the charity shop a few weeks ago. it was covered in bits of tinsel and plastic berries .. I ripped them off and was left with the plain but ever so cute number!!

and then as I'm clutching at straws here now!.. another of my coffee jars that Ive recycled.. with a white ribbon tied around filled with all the ends of burnt out candles..

so there you go.. very few plain white objects to be found in this house.. I never realised how colourful I actually was!!!..

on the up

oldest boy has been off sick with a stomach bug so we've been confined to the house.. which has meant lots of snuggles on the sofa and staying in our pjs all day.. ( any excuse for me .. i would wear pjs all the time if i could.. so comfy!)

so Ive not been able to get out and rectify the lack of charity shop goodness that's not been coming my way!..( see previous post!)

anyways i was having a bit of a sort out yesterday and found some pics that needed going up on the walls that Ive had for ages, which have either in the past been taken down as something else was going in their place or id bought and just not put up...

so i gave the hubby about 4 mins after he got in from work to have a bite to eat and then i went and got all the necessary bits and bobs that you need to put things up on walls..( does anyone else know the different between a nail and a screw.. i don't .. id use anything..which is why I'm not allowed to do any the jobby jobs like that!)

so i find this little poster that id got free from a magazine last year.. its very much like the "keep calm" posters ..


id forgotten i even had it and there it was sat in drawer looking at me.. i found this frame and plonked it in and i think it looks OK ... i was going to put right next to my Keep Calm picture but i thought it might lose the effectiveness somewhat so Ive put it above the computer desk..so when I'm washing up i can see it and maybe encourage me to keep on washing every single pot the hubby insists on using when he cooks!!!

Ive had this sweet little picture for about 3 years but Ive never put it up before.. i found a space for it and i think it looks perfect there..

i don't know if you can see the little white gate in the pic but its soo sweet and looks like beyond that gate is the most loveliest country cottage... well i can daydream cant i!

we put up the bath pictures i talked about in my previous post..




i honestly think they were made for that bit of wall there.. Ive wanted something there for ages but wasn't sure if a little shelf or something but the pics just fit the space don't they.. i did run past the hubby the idea of me painting the side of our bath in the style of the pics.. he said not to think about it unless i wanted it to look like a child had done it... he does have a point here!

Ive had these two pics for ages and they have been in loads of different places but for a while have been living in a drawer.. the pic that they are next to has always been a bit off centre because i just put it up were some previous pics had been and used the nails that were still in the wall !!..behind this pic there are holes and pencil lines to mark out hanging out the previous pics so its hiding a multitude of sins really.. so because it is off centre it actually frees up room for the two pics to go in..

i love this corner now as i think with the hanging birds it looks really cheerful and bright...

i was given this picture by a family friend who paints the most amazing pictures..

well i actually chose this one.. he does amazing country kitchen scenes and boats and lighthouses.. but i just really liked this one.. he didn't want me to have this one as it was one that he'd done years ago and was never happy with.. but i love it. i love the lupins in the corner and the little lace curtains at the window..

Ive kept the frame dark for now i might paint it but i actually think the darkness brings out the colours more in the pic...

this corner is fast becoming mummy's corner isn't it..
(really must buy some pollyfilla to fill in all the holes in my walls..they are everywere!!)

well to be fair the whole house really is my tastes..but in a house were you are outnumbered .. 3 boys to me.. well i have to stand up for myself otherwise it would be a huge telly on the wall and a football table in place of a dining table!!!

put the home letters up over the doorway.. it looks a bit pants in the pic like they are to small for the space but they look really cute in real life!!..

now these little pics have been every were.. i even put them on ebay but no one wanted them so they have been in hiding for ages and ages..

well I'm very proud to say i put these two up myself i just hammered some tacks in the wall because they are only light ..had to do it a few times as they weren't straight and then were not exactly in line with each other but hey just call me bob the builder!!

aww i found these two pics of our boys when they were both only a couple of months old..

so these have gone up to.. so when they are both being little tinkers I'll just look at these and remember how they were amazing baby's!!!

so for now i think that's mostly everything i wanted going up.. i do fear that if i put much more up on the walls the house will cave in!!!