The final two - and my favourites - in the Grand Shed Project

Last week I shared some of the sheds from the Grand Shed Project - there was somewhere to read, somewhere to party and and indoor garden - today I'm sharing the final two, and I think I've saved the best until last.  Both are ideas that I can't see happening with MOH's shed, which is the traditional shed and despite me having several attempts at tidying and organising, somehow it still gets dishevelled and rummaged through, and he can't find a thing in it.  You'd think the labels on the plastic crates and storage boxes would help, well they would if things were put back in the right one!

1. The Sewing Shack

But anyway, maybe one day I'll have a sewing shed - how fabulous does that sound? And how luxurious?

And it looked so spacious, even with a table, a wardrobe and an easy chair.  Plus some great ideas, look at the front of the wardrobe - or fabric store.

There was a novel storage for wool too, though I'm not sure I can see that catching on in this house. Our wine racks are used for more traditional items.

That quote - I've had a couple of those unique creations!  I'll be getting my sewing machine out again shortly (in case you're wondering I've made little progress with my scrappy quilt and I'm hoping to get back to that soon) as I've plans to make some bunting, much to MOH's dismay and perpetual state of eye-rolling every time I mention it. It's because of this reaction that I'm determined to make some, not that I'm stubborn at all...

I think what really appeals to me about the Sewing Shack is having somewhere that is just dedicated to sewing and crafts. I call our study my craft room, but occasionally MOH makes a bid back for it as a study and a work from home space, which never goes well. 

He thinks it's cluttered (it is - I need a bigger space) and doesn't understand why I need all that junk. That is until he wants a piece of card, a bit of string or whatever and I disappear returning with the said item in hand.  It's organised to me, but just imagine not having to share it with anyone. Pure bliss.  

And I imagine a lot more productive than my current space.  I'll keep dreaming...

2. The Boutique Bedroom

The last shed I'm sharing from this year's Grand Designs Live is a bedroom, and a rather stylish one at that. Totally impractical and without an en-suite I can't see it catching on. But the muted colours of the decor gives plenty of inspiration for the more usual kind of bedrooms. The thing that struck me about this shed as I leaned as far into it as I could, was the amount of texture in a relatively small space.

It was good to see hints of copper still in evidence, with the mirror hanging on the wall and the items on the bedside table. And those dressing gardens would come in handy wouldn't they for the hop up the garden.

There were bookshelves too, and I was pleased to see the title "101 things to do in a shed" which I bought once for MOH - I think I've cleared it out too, as the title was the most interesting thing about the book!  But a shed exhibition without it, it wasn't going to happen was it?

So now you've seen all the sheds, which is your favourite? 

Post Comment Love & Blogger Showcase 2-4 June 2017

Hello there and welcome to another Friday and another #PoCoLo - if you were here last week it was great to see you again. If you're new here this week, then welcome, both Morgan and I are sure you'll find some great posts to read and we encourage you to read and comment on the posts that resonate with you, as it's nice to have some love for our posts isn't it?

It's been a tiring - and aching - week for me, as this week I learnt I'm not cut out to be a labourer. Two days of carrying rubble and other heavy items have left me with tired, aching arms and the 30 day press up challenge I started is quite rightly on hold while my arms recover, which is a shame as I was doing so well. I'd started at twenty press ups and had increased that to around forty within a ten or so days, something I never thought I'd manage.

I celebrated my birthday - thank you for all your kind wishes - and there's a new loo series on the way from the Tandoor Chop House near Charing Cross where we went for dinner.  It was a busy weekend and we had some real successes as well as some challenges, I'm hoping to write another post on that and publish that later today, so I'll save that for then.

The garden is coming on well and we're currently on Cherry-watch, and your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not we'll get to the ripened cherries before the pigeons will - wish us luck! 

Blogger Showcase: Clair from Crohn's in the City

1. Who are you?

I am Clair, a 24 year old from Scotland who is battling with Crohn's Disease, and I blog at Crohn's in the City.

2. How did you discover blogging?

I discovered blogging when trying to learn more about my illness and looking for places to eat (I am a bit of a foodie!)

3. Why did you start blogging?

I started to try and raise awareness about Crohn's. I have also started blogging about experiences to push my own self to venture out and not let Crohn's hold me back.

4. What do you find most challenging?

Getting my blog out there and learning the blogging jargon!

5. What is your favourite topic to write about?

That's the embarrassing situations I end up getting into. I think this would be helpful to other people with Crohn's or Colitis - a bit of light heartedness between all the doom and gloom of the disease.

6. What's your blogging goal?

My main goal for blogging is to raise awareness about IBD.

7. What's your favourite thing about blogging?

Blogging has been great fun for me. My favourite part of it has to be interacting with readers who have Crohn's or know someone affected by it. I have learnt a lot more about the disease through blogging!

8. Have you been to a blogging conference?

Sadly I haven't, but I would love to.

9. What are your 3 best posts?

These would have to be:

1. Crohns & Colitis Awareness week 
2. Feeling the love 
3. Domino's is a no no

10. Describe yourself in three words

Hmmm... happy, sensitive and ill.

11. Are you a tea and biscuits or coffee and cake person?

Can I be awkward and go for coffee with biscuits?

12. What's your perfect night out?

A perfect night out for me (when not flaring) would be a few cocktails, a little bit of dancing and ending the night with a take away for the walk home - simple pleasures!

13. Your perfect night in?

That would have to include fresh jammies, a Netflix account and the biggest pizza I could find.

14. What would your OH say is your best quality?

I think my best quality would be that I am funny, but not sure my other half would 100% agree.

Thanks Clair, coffee and biscuits is fine - please do grab your "I was featured on #PoCoLo" badge.  If you're reading this wondering how you can be featured, please get in touch.

Connect with Clair here:

Facebook  -  Instagram  -  Twitter  -  

An InLinkz Link-up

My new favourite place for a cuppa

Last week I shared details of my garden's two "problem areas" and the advice I received from ITV's Katie Rushworth on how to transform them.  I was keen to get started and the sleepers for problem area #1 arrived on schedule, so over the weekend and with help from my SIL and her husband, we were able to crack on.

The results are amazing.  But let's start at the beginning.

We opted for brown softwood sleepers, ordering pre-cut lengths following my sleeper masterplan. We ordered them online Sunday evening, confirmed everything first thing Monday morning and could have had them delivered Tuesday morning, although we delayed delivery until the Thursday. 

We used londonsleepers.com, a company MOH found on the Internet and were seriously impressed with them. They were helpful, had personality, confirmed the delivery by phone the day before, arrived when they said they would and the driver helped MOH carry the larger lengths through the house without being asked. Ths isn't a sponsored post, but they were so good that they deserve the credit and this recommendation if you're thinking of buying some sleepers.  Seriously.

With the cut ends treated and the dramas of Saturday out of the way (more on those tomorrow), Sunday was sleeper installation day, and thankfully it was sunny. The first job saw my BIL disappear up the lilac tree and lassoe the stray branches that I couldn't reach last summer. They were pruned, brought down safely and chopped and into our green bins in double quick time, and there was an immediate 'thank you' called out over the fence from our neighbour.

The tree is a much better shape now and should be more manageable, and I think we've also bought ourselves more sun onto the stone circle. I can't say for sure though as it's currently still the temporary store for our bricks and 'spare soil' but soon hopefully they'll be replaced with the sun loungers and I'll be relaxing, cocktail in hand...

But first sleepers. Our garden was a hive of activity, and both MOH and I really appreciated the extra help throughout the day.  The inner edges of the sleepers were wrapped in a damp-proof membrane to help protect them from moisture, and then they were laid.

We quickly discovered that my problem solving skills are way better than my maths skills, and that 1.3 and 1.7 equals 3 and not 2 as per my plan. That meant we were two metres of sleepers short.  Whoops!

With the help of some 'spare' wood, some quick thinking and some jiggery-pokery we were able to rearrange the sleepers to meet my approval and follow the outline of my plan. For a time it was like a giant-sized game of Jenga and a jigsaw puzzle combined, and the outcome works just as well. 

And with all that brain power used up, there was only one thing for it.  

YES, A TEA BREAK!

Shortly after the tea rain stopped play, but that was no bad thing as it'd been pretty full on all day working on both the sleepers and the gabion baskets (that update will follow soon), but once the rain had stopped I popped out to get some pictures. 

Don't they look great? 

I'm especially pleased at how they corner my plants which I'd planted there tentatively in the hope they wouldn't be in the way, and how they hug the step in the path without needing to be cut further. Part of the maths might have let me down, but the measurements and overall concept - or design - was sound.

On Monday MOH and I were back out there laying membrane and using up the last of our slate mountain, and I think it makes all the difference. We still need to get more slate, but that's for another time, this weekend just gone it was good to celebrate emptying a tonne bag and reclaiming part of our stone circle (those cocktails just got a bit closer!)

There was also time to empty the greenhouse of some of the bedding plants I've been raising since miniature plug plant size, and as the petunias were starting to flower they were the first choice. And the ice plant succulent which has got a little top heavy (and already had babies) also has a new home.  

Since this photo I've also added some begonias, sunflowers, angel wings, aquilegias (or columbines) and some herbs. I've also realised that this corner is likely to feature plenty more times here on the blog in suitably arty shots - you have been warned - because this is my new favourite place to have a cuppa.

Transformed in a day!

Looking back over the years and the times we've tried to make this part of our garden work, neither of us can quite believe how quickly this transformation happened, and how effective it is.  

The before photo, really was as bad as it looks; pots were congregating there, the beds had no edging so the soil was all over the path, and the plants looked lost.  

BEFORE

In the after photo, taken Sunday evening, the transformation is already apparent. Even without the slate to the right of this photo, and the 'spare' soil added to the bed to raise the planting level, and the additional planting it's easy to see how the angular lines improve the space isn't it?

AND AFTER. TRANSFORMED!

Phew, I think we've cracked it and removed this problem area from our garden for good. I think it's only going to get better as it matures, and the sleepers were so easy to lay (even with my maths mishap) that I'm wondering why we've not done it before!