Memories in my sewing box

May 17, 2016

Recently I gave my old sewing box a new lease of life with some chalk paint spray and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Of course before I could get started I needed to empty it and I was amazed not only at how much stuff I'd managed to cram in it, but also at the memories it contained.

To start with the contents were almost sewing related, although I've no idea why the book labels were in there. I do remember them being a Christmas present a good few years ago from my parents. I also suspect they're so old they've lost their stick!

SCISSORS, PLIERS, ONE PRESS STUD AND BOOK LABELS...

There was a bag of ribbons and cord, that I've accumulated. These have come from a number of places: boxes of chocolates, Easter eggs (yeap the posh sort wrapped in cellophane), shopping bags - yes I'm a one for removing the cord before recycling the paper bags, perfumes and gift sets from places like Jo Malone and Molton Brown. And other ones that I've no idea where they're from, but were too pretty to throw away.

There was a cross stitch project - complete with embroidery hoop - which I haven't made any progress on since I last found it. Looking at it again it would be good to finish this as I'm sure I could find a use for it. It was still in the very old Ideal Home Show plastic bag - so old the show was still sponsored by the Daily Mail.

I found some knitting too. It's very fine wool - perhaps 2 ply - and was I think originally destined to prettify some guest towels. I don't know if I'll finish this, I remember it being fiddly, which is why it probably got put aside.

Then there were some tassels which my mum made for me. I had them hanging from the brass handles on my wardrobe in my previous house. The wardrobes are now long gone, but the tassels survived. There used to be four and when I found them, I wondered what had happened to the other one. It's only now that remember it going to my youngest niece, who like me had a bit of thing for tassels. That's something I'd completely forgotten and I was reminded how things can jog our memories. I doubt she still has the tassel - it probably had a lot of love - but I hope that if she saw these she'd remember.

And towards the bottom a box of stuff. More ribbons, some receipts (?!) and in the blue box a beaded ring, which I really should wear. There was also my non-iPod music player thing, which I haven't used for a very long time, I have an arm strap somewhere and you never know if I were ever to run again this might come in useful.

There was also some craft kits. All seem to be blue-based. The kitten one below is so cute and reminds me of my cat Bob. I still like it and maybe one day I'll take it out of the packet and start to sew it, but I don't think it'd find a place on my walls anymore. Mostly because I don't have enough walls for the pictures I have, so I'd need to be creative and find another use for it. I'm sure it's not beyond my means though.

The kits above I also want to try - but to the uninitiated they look complicated too. They're probably not - or not as complicated as I think anyway.

Only some of these items found themselves back in the revamped sewing box, not because I'm throwing them out, but because I've resolved to keep my current projects there instead.

A new lawn mower and a tidier garden

May 16, 2016

It always amazes me how cutting the grass can instantly make our garden look smarter. This weekend was no different, and it was nice to have some decent weather. We've had lunches in the garden and a barbecue too and as we're hoping to spend much more time in the garden over the next few months, this weekend we set about Operation Garden.

So, instead of sitting and admiring the blue skies and yellow laburnum we got to work.

My greenhouse - at the end of our garden - is getting fuller by the day. This weekend I've planted some spinach, beetroot, runner beans and sweet peas over at the allotment and yet it's still full of tomato, cucumber, lettuce, leeks, sweetcorn, celeriac and chard seedlings.

I'm at the point where my daily ritual includes walking the length of the garden, often in dewy grass, opening the greenhouse and emptying it of seedlings and then doing the reverse in the evenings. And invariably my presence in that part of the garden is quickly followed by pigeons scrambling out of the cherry tree, guiltily.

so the addition to my ritual is checking the cherry tree for cherries. So far there's still cherries, it's a battle you see. Me against the pigeons. Sometimes I win, but more often they do. Although I'm willing to reach a compromise of just having the cherries I can reach.

But anyway, there's cherries in the making.

Feeling the need to do something, I headed back down the garden armed with a saw and loppers. The fatsia was encroaching over the grass too much, and was almost reaching the middle of our garden. So a trim was needed. It's quite therapeutic pruning, and this is the pile of trimmings.

And thankfully there still is some fatsia left too. I'd plans to cut many of our plants this weekend, but these were scuppered by a quickly full green bin and not much room in our compost bin. Plans were soon remade for next weekend. And to order another green bin from the council.

With the fatsia trimmings in the green bin, MOH unpacked the new lawn mower and started to set it up.

Leaving him to it I tackled the overgrown bed alongside the patio. The forget-me-nots had gone on a rampage and were in danger of overtaking just about everything, including the alliums that are in bud and the black grass that was supposed to keep them down.

Along with the bulb foliage they were creating the perfect snail hotel. I couldn't believe how many were on this pot when I pulled it out. I don't mind snails, obviously I'm not keen on them munching my plants but they don't make me squeamish, not like slugs. [shiver]

Having tackled the snails and the forget-me-nots, next up was the Chilean potato plant. Many years ago I brought a cutting home from my dad's garden. I planted it, forgot about it and never really thought too much about it. In the last two years though it's really grown and each May we have an abundance of these pretty flowers.

The only trouble is that most of the pruning needs to be done about seven foot up. So out came the ladder, up I went wobbling and down came the canopy that had started to develop, making space for my sweet peas.

By now the lawn mower was assembled. Oil was going in and next up was the petrol. Can you see the contentment on his face? This face is the product of intensive research online about lawn mowers and which suited him and our garden best.

Back on the patio I was pleased to see my Gertrude Jekyll rose in bud. It was my fourth wedding anniversary present from MOH and the first few years it did well, then not so much. Last year I moved it alongside the patio, but clearly at the wrong time of year as there were no flowers at all last year.

Which makes this photo very special.

4TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY PRESENT: GERTRUDE JEKYLL ROSE

I'm hoping that our patio will be filled of these pretty pink roses where we'll be able to enjoy them. And I expect to have a well kept lawn too. That's only right, yes?

* Collaborative post

The Arc: a green and modern home

May 10, 2016

It seems ages since I went along to the Ideal Home Show, perhaps because since then I've also been to Grand Designs Live. What that means is I've quite a bit to share with you from both of those shows.

One of the highlights of the Ideal Home Show for me is always a look inside The Houses, and this year was no different. Instead of sharing all of them today I'm just sharing pictures from one of the most unusually shaped houses I've seen there, The Arc.

It had two levels although I don't seem to have captured both so you can see that clearly - obviously I was going for the arty shots! The Arc buildings are constructed of individual modules that can be put together in whatever arrangement you choose.

There's door modules, wall and roof modules, window sections and glazed or solid ends. It seems the possibilities are endless, it's also an easy way to enjoy a low-carbon lifestyle. Each unit is handcrafted using natural and low-impact materials. They also look pretty funky too.

The interior was styled by items from BoConcept in a neutral palette of greys, white and green and some warmer caramel. I liked the curved shape to the shower, but wondered how practical that would be.

I liked how there was a multitude of textures, the sleek barrel shaped walls, rugs and throws. I also think it'd be great to have so much light in a house.

I'm not so sure about having all those people milling about outside while I'm eating though!

The textures continued into the bedroom with a herringbone style quilt. And despite it being a barrel or arc-shaped house, there was still room for a cosy corner.

But the one thing that I could quite easily have taken away with me was the rug above, made from hide and sewn into a patchwork round shape it was gorgeous. The lesson for me from this house was texture, something that I think we could probably all think more about and add into our rooms.

Sitting here in my kitchen, I'm looking around and seeing mainly shiny surfaces - the gloss kitchen units, the quartz worktop, the glass table and the plastic of my Eames chairs (which I really must show you in more detail) but nothing really textured or softer. Hmmn, I'll have to work on that I think!

What do you think of the Arc house, is it the type of house you could imagine living in? Or, like me, is there inspiration in the interiors?