More Sprucing...

More little piccies of my home-improvements. I'm sure no-one is really interested in how I decorate my home... but I am just so pleased with all the little touches I have added in the recent weeks.

A little while ago, I had to re-paint the top of my jewellery chest - I had ruined it with nail-polish remover by accident! Unfortunately, the unit is not white, but more of a winter-white sort of tone - so I couldn't match the colour. Never mind, thought I... and went ahead with white gloss and gold-coloured rubbing wax. I did go over-board with the gold - but I did want quite a heavy-handed feel to it really :)

I also bought the little round mirror - quite a bargain at £10. Hubby was pleased, as he thought I wanted a full-length mirror at quite a high price... I hadn't the heart to tell him that I plan on him buying one of those after Christmas :)

I also did something I thought I would never do at all... I got rid of my sleigh-bed. I had wanted one for so many years, and last month I gave mine to my eldest daughter. I now have a much smaller white metal-framed bed that fits my small bedroom much better. I have hanging in my bedroom a picture my mum gave to me - but it had a pine frame, so I painted the picture-frame white and used the gold-rub on that... and found some more words for the wall too...

I bought some dark purple rugs for the sides of the bed (to cover up where my daughter burned the carpet with hair straighteners! - cheaper than a whole new carpet), new bedside cabinets (which I have to find new handles for), gave away a large wardrobe, and invested a little money in a thin, tall set of drawers.

It's all been done on a budget really... finding cheap alternatives for the expensive design items I originally wanted... up-cycling old furniture, and plain old elbow grease for cleaning carpets and walls.

I had an orangey-pine shelf that I up-cycled... giving it the white gloss and gold-wax treatment. I'm pleased with how it's turned out - though I am in the process of making three little boxes for the middle shelf instead of the wicker basket that sits there at the moment.

I added little hooks to the underside so I could hang little odds and ends from them.

I had generously been given some curtains that matched perfectly with my flowers that I've had for about twelve years (on top of the tall chest of drawers)... and found a matching lampshade for just £4.

The candles on top of the chest of drawers are from a set of three that includes the one I placed on the top of the re-vamped shelves - they were an extragavance - battery powered and remote controlled, they cost me £10. The third candle I placed in a half-birdcage - it's quite effective and pretty.

So... that's how I've been spending the weeks running up til Christmas... I've had a lot of spare time with all the present-buying, wrapping, and tree-decorating already done.

Tomorrow I decorate the cake... scrumptious!

Sprucing...

I have been sort-of decorating... not the full-on wallpapering and painting the walls sort of decorating, but more of a 'shjuzzing up' sort of thing. Sprucing up my home. Eight years I've been in my little home... and it's finally beginning to feel like it's all mine :)

I found a temporary frame for the little embroidery that my Nan had done...

Ideally, I'd like one a bit thinner and longer... but this was a little charity shop find that will do very nicely for now. In the same charity shop I found a perfect little cushion and cover in a gorgeous deep red - brand new for just £2.50... bargain!

I found something I always wanted for my home too... words. I wanted to paint words on the wall, going around an inner corner of the front room... but never found anywhere that would lend me an overhead-projector to get the writing perfect... then I came across some word stickers that were almost exactly what I wanted!

Of course, when I had the original idea, we had a moderately sized television that sat nicely in a wooden cupboard... now I have a monster on the wall... but then, I suppose that Hubby has to have some things his own way in his home :)

I've done loads more... just little things to make this house feel like it's my 'forever home'. I loved my old house - though I only lived in it for about ten years, and didn't think I'd ever really love the home I have now. But things change... and though my house is a concrete little end-of terrace box on a council street, I feel like I am home.