My 50p chest of drawers

Hello lovelies

Sorry it's been so quiet around here recently. I've been busy working on several home-décor projects that are taking longer than anticipated, and I don't like showing you anything that's half-finished. Except for half-finished pieces of cake, because - let's be honest - I can never restrain myself long enough to take a photo when cake is put in front of me; taking a bite definitely comes first!

However, last Saturday morning I started and completed a project that's been on my to-do list for nearly two years. I'm really, really happy with the result, and the people I've shown it to already have all been very impressed- mostly with the fact that it cost me less than £1! 

When we moved into our house we found this chest of drawers squirrelled away in the loft:

Apologies for shoddy photography here- my camera was having a tantrum

For a free chest of drawers, it's certainly not to be sniffed at, but it couldn't have been further from my personal taste if it tried (sorry, 'drawers!). I love old, knocked about, quirky things- a few scuffs here and there makes furniture all the more loved-looking in my opinion- and I thought the plasticky-mdf-ness of these drawers was just... eurgh. But, that said, they're a very handy storage option for our spare room- we keep the bedding for our guest bed in them, plus all our spare blankets (I am a bit of a blanket-buying fiend, and just can't resist a knitted/crocheted charity shop bargain!)

I recently found some vintage maps of Italy from our local flea market for my favourite price of all - FREE! :) Which made me a very happy girl indeed, but even more so when I realised what I could use them for... Introducing, my 50p chest of drawers(!)* 

I particularly like how it looks with the poster I picked up in an antique shop last week - The A-Z of Carnivorous Dinosaurs; our guest room is nothing if not educational :)

*50p was for the PVA glue I used to stick it all together...

P.S. I've entered my post in Faith, Hope and Charity Shopping's cartography-tastic "Ta Da Tuesday"

Staycation Part 2 - Crafty Time

Tom and I are still on staycation (which is certainly my favourite way to spend a Monday!) and I'm feeling very excited about sharing this past weekend's craft projects with you all; after spending three days covered in paint, banana caramel, and loose threads. The banana caramel was due to whipping up an unbelievably decadent banoffee pie; I needed something to fuel my crafting efforts, after all...

I was struck with a lightening bolt of inspiration on Friday night to create another embroidery-hoop picture for our staircase. This time, I made a stack of teacups out of colourful fabric scraps, and outlined them with the same fabric pen I used for my custard cream footstool makeover. 

I'm really pleased with how it came out, and have added it to the pile of pictures to be hung on the wall next to our staircase- in the style of the classic Dulux colour card below. 

Secondly, and even more excitingly(!), I've finally given my craft dresser a long-overdue makeover. I bought this dresser in November last year and, whilst I loved the shape (and the bargainous price), I wasn't a big fan of the weird veneer-brown colour. 

This is what the dresser looked like before...

My dresser pre-makeover. Yes, that's a National Treasure poster. No, I have no shame. Ok, a little shame, and that's why I hide it inside the cupboard...

A work in progress.... Lots and lots of masking tape. 

Are you ready? :) Ta-da!!

I painted the majority of the dresser a beautiful bright blue, and added stripes of white and turquoise on the base of the dresser. What do you think? :)

Katie xx

Staycation Part 1 - Sheffield Park and Gardens

Tom and I are currently on holiday from work (hurrah!) and have decided to save money on a holiday by going on "staycation" instead. We're very lucky that where we live in Lewes is, in our opinion, the perfect spot for a holiday at home. The South Downs are two minutes from our front door, sea-sidey Brighton is only a fifteen minute drive (/train ride- if we fancy a few pints in a sunny pub garden), and there are so many beautiful country houses and parks nearby- ripe for long walks, picnics, and taking a photo or two. 

Staycations have a bit of special meaning for us too (or certainly I like to think so :p) - because when Tom tagged along on a Brighton staycation I organised with some friends that was really the first time we actually spent together and I got a wee bit of a crush on him (I spent the majority of our trip to the Booth Museum trying to work out if he was checking out my bum! Haha) and then, well, here we are now :) 

Lots of laughter, whilst sitting in a boat. On staycation in 2008(!!)

Because we're now basically a middle-aged couple with matching argyle jumpers (I wish- Tom won't let me buy them) we recently joined the National Trust. Originally, we'd decided not to, because the membership fees are rather expensive, but yesterday I discovered in you sign up online with a direct debit you can save 25%. I bet Mrs Thrifty would be proud :)  And, because I'm not actually middle-aged yet, I still qualify as a "youth"; which makes me very happy.

Today was our first outing as National Trust members and we decided to head up the road to Sheffield Park and Gardens. Neither of us had been there before; despite the fact that it's only a 20 minute drive from our house. The gardens are really beautiful- almost more of a "woodland" vibe, rather than planted regiments of flower beds- with plenty of little patches of wild flowers, and some seriously tall trees. We saw countless butterflies, ducks and geese, and I witnessed a rather intimate moment between two dragonflies... 

The best bit was getting to take some photographs- something I've been neglecting recently, and I personally feel that photographic evidence from our days out makes them feel a little bit more special. Here are a few of my favourite shots;

Apparently this is what pine cones look like before they go brown and spikey and get covered in PVA and glitter by toddlers for cheap Christmas decorations.

Tom looking very proud of the scotch eggs he made from scratch :)

And finally- I felt like a bit of a perve taking this shot, but seriously- aren't you glad "dragonfly-style" isn't a physical option for humans?!

Have you ever been on staycation? Are you a member of the National Trust, or do you have any other favourite green spaces?

Custard Cream Footstool

A few weeks ago, the lovely Alice and I took Fran on a surprise outing for her birthday. We organised a car-boot scavenger hunt, combining two of Fran's favourite things- car-boot sales and lists! Although Fran and I (Team Fox) lost to Team Badger we still had a brilliant time- and managed to pick up a few brilliant bargains too! 

My hands-down winner for the day was a really cute footstool for THREE ENGLISH POUNDS! The most exciting part for me was I've had a makeover project on the back burner for ages; just waiting for the perfect footstool to try it on! 

Clutching my bargain footstool; whilst rummaging for plastic dinosaurs

Having finally gotten my crafting mojo back, it was time to try and create my own pocket-money version of this blow-the-budget original. 

The "before" shots:

Alice was the one who realised the original footstool cover was attached with velcro- which certainly made re-covering it a lot easier. For the biscuit design on the top, I copied this free-hand illustration; I liked the fact that it's not symmetrical. 

Ok, here goes- the "after" shots (eep!). Please excuse terrible photo quality. 

It's far from perfect, despite my best sewing efforts, but I had a lot of fun making it :) Now I need to find a round footstool for £2.50 so I can make a Jammy Dodger....

My first blog award!

I am very excited to report I've received my first ever blog award! I've been nominated for the Liebster award by the lovely Laura from Wrapped Up In Rainbows :) It's given me a warm, fuzzy feeling in my belly- like I've eaten hot candyfloss :p

Here's a description of the award (taken from Laura's page):
The Liebster award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

The rules for receiving this award
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs

11 Things About Me
1. I have man-sized (size 9) feet that are both a curse (no pretty shoes) and a blessing (I haven't spent approximately a billion pounds on pretty shoes)
2. I sing loudly and badly in the shower, without shame.
3. I don't wear make-up, except for concealer- and only then if I have a spot on my face that's so big I know people will spend the day talking to it instead of me.
4. I used to be so shy that I blushed when I had to answer the register in school.
5. I'm very proud and grateful to have achieved my ambition of owning my own house- something I've wanted since I was five years old and making mood-boards from pictures of furniture I'd ripped from the Argos catalogue.
6. I am afraid of ghost train rides- the cheesier they are the more scared I become.
7. I've only fought with my little brother once in 22 years- and it was over Wensleydale cheese.
8. I once accidentally flashed three people my left boob.
9. I've been a vegetarian for 13 years.
10. I used to be in a cover band.
11. I have two birth marks; one on my left wrist, and one on my left ankle.

Laura's Questions
1. If you were a Superhero, what would your superpower be?
Funnily enough, I was actually thinking about this earlier today! I would like to be able to move things with my mind- just like Matilda! And (if it's not cheating) it would include being able to move my own body so I could fly. Does that count as two?
2. What is your favourite film?
Hmmm... this is such a tricky question! The first film that springs to mind for me is The Princess Bride. Partly for sentimental reasons; it's a very nostalgic film for me as I've watched it countless times with the girl I count as my sister.

Aaaaaas yoooooouuuu wiiiiiiiiiisssssssshhhhhhh <3

3. What did you want to grow up to be when you were younger?
Lots of different things; and I still haven't stopped changing my mind on What I Want To Be When I Grow Up. I wanted to be a vet, a primary school teacher, and an interior designer (not all at once!)
4. If you were sent to a desert island with only 3 items, what would they be?
I'm trying to work out if this is meant to be a "Wiiiiilllllsoooonnnnnn!" kind of situation, or a desert-island holiday. First scenario items would be; solar powered trucker radio thingamagig and instructions, penknife, and some flares (solar, not corduroy). Second scenario items; my boyfriend (I know, bleaurgh! :p), my kindle, and a solar-powered freezer full of water and white Magnums.

5. What would your perfect day consist of?
A lazy Sunday revolving around food; a snuggly lie-in followed by stacks of pancakes, an hour or two reading a good book and drinking tea on the sofa, an afternoon roast at the pub with friends, and a cosy evening watching a film, scoffing chocolate and sewing something pretty.
6. What is the silliest thing you can remember doing?
Going on a midnight "night mission" around Chichester with my two best friends from school- dressed in hats, coats and shoes we'd pinched from the hallway cupboards. We filmed the whole thing too; so I own hand-cam shots of our best ninja moves and all three of us hiding behind one lamppost.
7. Which blog do you spend most time reading?
When I first discovered Matsutake and Color Me Katie I read their entire post archives over the space of a few days. I now wait eagerly for any new posts like they're a shiny new toy on Christmas morning.
8. Do you have any bad habits?
Whilst I don't actually bite my nails regularly, if one of them breaks I'll bite it off rather than finding the nail clippers. I know; shameful and gross.
9. If you could have a dinner party with any 5 people, dead or alive, who would you pick?
I'd invite my (deceased) paternal grandparents, whom I never really got to meet, my Dad, my brother, and my Dad's sister.
10. Who is your idol? Famous or not.
I don't think I "idolise" anyone; but I love Kirstie Allsopp and Nigella Lawson because they are both beautiful, busty brunettes who are paid to do the things I would love to do for a living (sewing, snooping round other peoples' houses, hanging out with Phil Spencer, and sneaking brownies from the fridge at 3am in a negligee that shows off a rather amazing cleavage).

I'm positively green-eyed with envy that Kirstie gets paid to hang out with Phil AND snoop round people's houses.

11. In 10 years what 3 things do you hope to have achieved?
In ten years' time I would like to:
- Be a few rungs up the career ladder of my dreams.
- Have figured out the career of my dreams
- Have some small people living in our house I can dress up as pirates, build a tree-house for in the garden, and bake dinosaur cookies with.

The blogs I'm nominating are:
Make, Bake & Sew - enviously delicious baking
Alicestronaut - lover of fictional maps and wearer of superhero tights
Doll Doll Dolly - rock chick capable of some serious crafting
Fran Swaine - well-worded tips and tricks for anyone who uses the internet
Hello Dodo - photos of pigeons and beautiful Brighton-themed goodies
Pleasing to a mollbird - alliteration abounds, with witticisms galore
The Happy Caravan - exciting before-and-after pics of lovingly restored caravans
Charismagick - This lucky lady has met Jamie Oliver, Bill Bailey and Dylan Moran!
Curtains for the window in my head - consistently interesting posts, and excellent hair
Sparkle Girl Jen - retro comics, delicious baking, and sunny Canadian adventures
Lyndsey Smith Painting - wonderfully detailed hand-painted pictures; I've got this one of my favourite local cafe on my fridge

My 11 Questions:
1. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
2. Do you have any songs that always cheers you up?
3. If you had to lose one of your senses, which one would you choose?
4. Have you got any piercings?
5. Do you know all the moves to the Steps cover of Tragedy?
6. What is your favourite cake?
7. Do you have a go-to joke if people ask you to tell one?
8. Have you ever been in the media (TV, radio, newspapers etc.)?
9. What's your proudest achievement to date?
10. If you had to change your name to something else, what would you choose?
11. If you could switch places with someone for a day, who would you choose and why?

Obviously, don't feel like you have to stick to the rules about this :)

However, I would highly recommend having a peep at any/all of the blogs above for some entertaining, inspiring, and downright beautiful content.

Katie xx