Transformation Thursday...Admiring the original features (ahem).

This is less about transformation, and more a look at some of the original features. These were not so expertly put in about 30 years ago in our house!Here's a peek at the hallway, it was pretty special when we first viewed the house. The lovely previous owner had a phone table in an alcove, which Nick likened to 'Faulty Towers'. This might not have been such a crazy analogy, judging by the crazy placement, and installment of light fixtures and plug sockets everywhere. Progress is being made, we ripped out fake wood paneling straight away, as well as a fake arch and folding doors. We are now prepping to paint, and eventually the red carpet will come up as we have parquet throughout, hurrah!

Foxy Little Corner

We've moved from a new build town house, to a 1950's two storey house. Previously, our living room was on the first floor, with kitchen on the ground floor. This was fine before children, however became totally impractical! It's great now for the children to be able to play downstairs, while I cook and can keep an eye on them(vaguely). There are several little corners downstairs, which I can't help but fill. Here's one that Scarlett named 'Fox Corner', a little reading nook.

'Jumping Fox' relief print, by HelloDODO, £5

Hand stitched Fox cushion, from £28, Lettie belle

Black and Orange

Halloween is just around the corner, which involves a very specific colourway! Here is a selection of black and orange products (from our favourite independent shops), which are fabulous all year round.

Owl Cushion, by Lucie Sheridan, £26 from Hunkydory Home

Suede soled Baby shoes, Foxes, £16 from Poco Nido

Orange, spotty super hero baby gro by Beau Loves, £21.99 from We Love Squirrels

'Line Up' orange felt print by Corby Tindersticks, £18 from Sisters Guild

Introducing Transformation Thursday.....The Playroom

'Transformation Thursday' is a new series which will show how we've changed areas in our new house, as we go along. The title may be a touch dramatic, as it's pretty much cosmetic at this stage! This property is a long term project, with a renovation and extension planned for a couple of years time. It needs a complete rewire, bathroom and kitchen to begin with. Having been previously owned by an elderly couple, it hasn't been decorated for about 30 years, though was kept very clean. They clearly loved to make a statement (!) with the interior, and the DIY is pretty scary in places. I will be posting some snapshots of bizarrely placed light switches among other DIY delights, that have to be seen to be believed! We love this house and the feel of it, as do the children and it already feels like home. Below is a look at the room we turned into a playroom. The before pictures were taken when we came to measure up, just before completion. The feature fireplace was pretty incredible, so we ripped that out for Scrappy Frank to dispose of (as well as two other fireplaces).We stripped the wall paper and painted the walls white. This made a huge initial difference, making it feel light and airy. I wanted the play room to be a place for the girls to play, imagine, read, make a huge mess, relax and just be themselves. I have filled it with their favourite things, and made sure there is plenty of storage for easy tidying up. The wooden shelves were already there, and are actually fantastic for displaying drawings, nature finds and little treasures. I often end up in there sewing in the early hours of the morning, very cosy! There is an interview with me by the fantastic Maggie Westhead on her blog Chic Little Baby here, all about this room..... Before Chic Little Baby

After

Exploring Our New Garden

Our new garden is very mature, and was beautifully kept by the previous owner (well her gardener anyway!). Having been very focussed on getting the house to a reasonable state, I haven't spent much time in the garden so far. Nick and the girls spend a good few hours each weekend out there. I had a good nose around on Sunday, in between torrential rain and thunderstorms and took the photos below. I don't think the garden has fully accepted that it's Autumn, and I discovered some beautiful organic patterns and colours as well as what I think are quince?!

Hello DODO Dino Prints

Hello DODO are made up of Jam and Ali, a lovely couple of print makers based in Brighton. We have long admired their witty, playful designs and these dinosaur prints were a must for dino enthusiast Scarlett. There are many brilliant prints, totes, greetings cards and even t-shirts to be found on their Etsy site, be sure to check them out! Dinosaur relief prints £5 each, HelloDODO Twitter: @hellohelloDODO

The Pumpkin & Apple Gala

Last Saturday we visited the Pumpkin and Apple gala in the beautiful walled gardens of Luton Hoo, a posh hotel in Bedfordshire. Having visited last year, we knew it was fun for the children and that there would be a great selection of food and craft stalls. This time there were even more craft activities, and Scarlett thoroughly enjoyed herself! The highlight of the day was in one of the marquees. A friendly man teaching lino printing, with a little printing press on the back of his bike! He was from The Culture Cart, a creative collective who run art workshops and gallery spaces. It was an engaging and fun stall, Scarlett created the print below of a rabbit, of which she is extremely proud. Her favourite part was turning the handle on the press, and discovering the print after it rolled through. Do check out the culture cart website, I think the activity would be popular at a number of types of event, for kids and adults alike. The Culture Cart create prints especially for each event. Scarlett also enjoyed the ‘squash rolling’ contest (she won a pumpkin straw), and of course the rickety fake Disney train. My own highlight was the enormous cake stall! Isla just loved jumping in puddles and pointing at dogs. Look out for this event next year if you’re local, it’s a lovely way to support local makers and businesses. www.theculturecart.co.uk Twitter: @theculturecart

New Beginnings

This blog has been very neglected so far this year! This is due to a rather drawn out house move, which included a stint living with my Mum, among other reasons. We finally moved into our new house at the end of August, to the excitement, and momentary apprehension of Scarlett. She was very happy living at mum's, but was instantly thrilled with the new house once she realised the lady selling it to us wasn't included in the deal(as nice as she was)! It is a project for sure, which is what we wanted and its very exciting to plot and plan a renovation for the future. For now we're putting our mark on the house, bit by bit. The house has a lovey feeling about it, and is close to Scarlett's school and friends. Ah yes, school...... anyone who knows me has had to endure my stress, ranting and general paranoia when trying to get Scarlett in to our chosen school. It was attached to her nursery, but we weren't yet living close enough for entry to Reception. To cut a very meandering story short, she's in and for the most part loving it. The days are a bit long for 4 year olds I feel, and she gets frustrated with doing the mundane tasks like dressing herself and queuing to leave the classroom! Isla is a force to be reckoned with (yes another one), and enjoys seeing the siblings on the school run everyday. Now that things have calmed down a bit, my focus is turning back to work and catching up in all I've missed in the design world. I will also be posting on the (most likely slow) progress made on doing up the house. Exciting times for our family!