My Craft Room

As promised ages ago, today I have finally got round to posting a whole bunch of my craft room photos. My craft room is in our single bedroom at the back of the house, we used to share the room, but I kinda took over so now he has the guest room as his office.
Before I start a new project I like to give my craft room a good tidy and put everything back in it's place. Then I can start a new project with a clear fresh mind, but believe me when I am midway through a project my craft room does not look like this!


To see how I get it super organized, check out my blog posts:
101 ways to get Pretty Organised

To see all the before, during and after photos of my craft room check out my Facebook album My Craft Room - A Transformation

Have a sweet day!

What colour did you paint your guest room?

What colour did you paint your guest room?

We painted our guest room in Crown matt emulsion, beige white.

A much needed improvement on the old purple walls...



To see all the before and after photos of our guest room check out my Facebook Page photo album Guest room - A Transformation

Have a sweet day!

What colour did you paint your Craft Room?

What colour did you paint your craft room?

We painted our craft room in Johnstone's, Covaplus Vinyl Matt , colour no S 0510-B50G
"Johnstone's Covaplus Vinyl Matt emulsion is formulated for interior use on walls and ceilings. It provides a durable finish that is resistant to fading and yellowing.Covaplus is Ecolabel approved. Along with virtually zero VOC's it offers a lower impact to the environment."

A much needed improvement on the old purple walls...



To see all the before and after photos of my craft room check out my Facebook Page photo album Craft Room - A Transformation

Have a sweet day!

What colour did you paint your bathroom?

What colour did you paint your bathroom?

We painted our bathroom in Crown Kitchen & Bathroom Mid Sheen® colour Pure brilliant white.

"Steam proof, super tough and stain resistant mid sheen emulsion. Added Mouldguard® prevents the build up of mould so your walls stay fresher for longer. Grease marks can be wiped away. For use on walls, ceilings, wood & metal. Breatheasy® 99% solvent free."

A much needed improvement on the painted yellow and wallpapered walls...



To see all the before and after photos of our bathroom check out my Facebook Page photo album My Bathroom - A Transformation

Have a sweet day!

What colour did you paint your Master Bedroom?

What colour did you paint your Master Bedroom?

We painted our master bedroom in Johnstone's, Covaplus Vinyl Matt , colour no S 1010-B10G
"Johnstone's Covaplus Vinyl Matt emulsion is formulated for interior use on walls and ceilings. It provides a durable finish that is resistant to fading and yellowing.Covaplus is Ecolabel approved. Along with virtually zero VOC's it offers a lower impact to the environment."

A much needed improvement on the old tatty wallpaper...




To see all the before and after photos of our master bedroom check out my Facebook Page photo album Master Bedroom - A Transformation

Have a sweet day!

What colour did you paint your dining room?

What colour did you paint your dining room?

We painted our dining room in Crown matt emulsion, beige white.

A much needed improvement on the old blue walls...



To see all the before and after photos of our dining room check out my Facebook Page photo album Dining room - A Transformation

Have a sweet day!

What colour did you paint your Living room?

What colour did you paint your living room?

We painted our living room in Crown matt emulsion, Antique cream.

A much needed improvement on the old blue walls...



To see all the before and after photos of our living room check out my Facebook Page photo album Living room - A Transformation

Have a sweet day!

What colour did you paint your kitchen?

"What colour did you paint your kitchen?"

We painted two walls in Crown Kitchen & Bathroom Mid Sheen® colour Oxygen. The remaining two walls we painted in Crown Kitchen & Bathroom Mid Sheen® colour Pure brilliant white.

"Steam proof, super tough and stain resistant mid sheen emulsion. Added Mouldguard® prevents the build up of mould so your walls stay fresher for longer. Grease marks can be wiped away. For use on walls, ceilings, wood & metal. Breatheasy® 99% solvent free."

A much needed improvement on the old white walls...




To see all the before and after photos of our kitchen check out my Facebook Page photo album My Kitchen - A Transformation


Have a sweet day!

My New Bathroom Blind

I was recently asked if I would like to review a blind from Luxaflex®, my first thoughts were I probably don't need any more window coverings having recently updated most of mine. But I'll have a little look at what they do...

"Luxaflex® was started more than 60 years ago, in 1946 when Joe Hunter and Henry Sonnenberg established a new business; the ‘Hunter Douglas Machinery Corporation’, to develop a new casting and production process for lightweight aluminum. Within just a few years their collaboration led to the invention of a product that would forever change the market for window coverings: aluminum Venetian Blinds.
The blinds were introduced into Europe in 1951 under the name Luxaflex®, and quickly captured the hearts of many of Europeans due to their exceptional functionality and design. Luxaflex® continued its history of development and innovation into the 21st Century, and became the recognised European market leader. Consistently adding new product lines, and winning many awards for ground breaking inventions such as Duette® Shades, Silhouette® Shades and Facette® Shades.

Today, Luxaflex® Window Styling offers the most comprehensive portfolio of custom made window covering solutions including: indoor blinds, insect screens, and outdoor screens and awnings, to beautifully complement any personal style, interior design, and type of window. Furthermore, Luxaflex® offers the widest array of innovative lifting systems for easy operation and enhanced child safety. From cordless and retractable manual operating systems, to cord tensioners, wand controls and motorised operating systems."

I was bowled over by the gorgeous array of hand made blinds and stylish window coverings they had from vertical blinds to wooden shutters and all in a dizzying array of fabric and colours. Well my little look turned into a long look, but when I saw the Mardin Delight fabric roller blind it was love at first sight and I instantly thought it would be perfect in my bathroom. I sent Luxaflex my window measurements and within a few days my new blind had arrived and I couldn't wait to put it up!

I love the way it diffuses the light and adds charm and interest to my bathroom window...

A perfect edition to my romantic, vintage styling..

Luxaflex® discreet pulley

Have a sweet day!

My house featured in N.E.E.T magazine

I am so appreciative of all the press coverage I have got of late, it is such a joy to see my home, crafty endeavours and sweet treats on the pages of magazines and of course Koralee's gorgeous new book "Everything goes with Ice Cream". So today I am sharing with you the lovely feature N.E.E.T. magazine did on my home.

"N.E.E.T. began in December 2005 as a quarterly, online publication, laid out in a magazine format - as a showcase for grassroots creativity. N.E.E.T. is the first of its kind - online, free and packed with everyone from a crafter creating from their kitchen table, to a fashion design graduate straight out of college, to a team of people doing it for the love of it. N.E.E.T. Magazine is the brainchild of Stephanie J. Everything in the magazine is handpicked, designed and organised by her, the editor. N.E.E.T. Magazine is an eco-friendly, grassroots style bible for the digital age."

Have a sweet day!

My Linen Cupboard

On Monday I showed you all my organization tips for my linen cupboard. So today I am sharing what it looks like now and how it looked before...

I painted the slatted shelves in duck egg blue and added a Trofast shelving unit from Ikea that I spray painted duck egg blue to keep all our spare toiletries in. I used Skubb boxes from Ikea to store our bed linens and towels in and wallpapered wooden boxes to keep my metres of fabric and holiday dining china in. Now we have a super organized linen cupboard that is not only practical but looks cute too!

Crystal glass handles

Vintage tablecloth, hand stitched crystal cushion, linen and lace tablecloths from H&M

GreenGate Home Accessories gingham cushion and polka dot bedspread

It used to have one ugly looking blue door with no surround so we replaced the door with two louvre doors and added architrave.

Have a sweet day!

No sew Oil cloth curtains

I first made oilcloth curtains for our kitchen french doors as we wanted to conserve energy and give ourselves some privacy. I also wanted them to be wipe clean so oilcloth seemed the perfect option. I made one in a stone/white spot but I didn't want to stitch the curtains as I thought they would look neater and slicker if there was no visible stitching. So I used iron on no sew tape. When it came to covering up the open shelves in our hallway room I opted for oil cloth curtains again, this time in a floral spot print. I thought I could get away with just one but in the end I decided two would give better coverage and look neater. It also gave me the perfect oppurtunity to show you how I did it...

Oil cloth curtains
Tools and materials

• Oil cloth ( I used English rose taupe)
• HeatnBond Ultra Tape Roll Fusible tape acts as an adhesive between two pieces of fabric, and it is activated with heat.
  *Make sure you buy a strong hold tape with a backing paper.
• Silver eyelets

Start by measuring the window/door/cupboard for the desired width and length of the curtains. For the finished curtain width, measure from one end of the curtain track to the other. The overall fabric width will be the final curtain width multiplied by 2. Add 17cm plus to the curtain length to allow for hemming. (11cm for the top hem, 6cm for the bottom hem)
Cut out the fabric.

Oil cloth curtains, How-to step by step

Place material wrong side up and using an iron on low heat bond the tape to the outside edge along the length of the curtains.(until you are sure the tape has melted)
Carefully peel off the backing tape.
Fold hem over and press with your fingers.



Using an an iron on low heat with a clean tea towel between your oilcloth and the iron, bond the hem down along the length of the curtain.(until you are sure the tape has melted)
*Be careful not to move the fabric around too much until the adhesive is dry and secure.
For the top of the curtain iron on a piece of tape along the top edge and another row just below where the 11cm fold will be.
Remove backing tape and add a strip to the outside edge of both sides of the top hem as photo above.
Remove backing tape.
Using an an iron on low heat with a clean tea towel between your oilcloth and the iron, bond the hem down along the top of the curtain.(until you are sure the tape has melted)
Repeat as above to make the 6cm deep bottom hem.




Now you are ready to create the holes that will house your eyelets.
Each curtain has an even number of eyelets regularly spaced across the width. The spaces between the edges of the first/last eyelet and the edge of the curtain are half of that of subsequent eyelets.
On the top of your curtain, measure 4.5 cm down from the top of the border and draw a small dot with your pen to mark the position of the eyelets.
Most eyelets come closed with a small hole at the top, which you can prize open with a pair of scissors. One half of the eyelet has prongs on the inside and the other has a ridge.
Place the ridged half of your eyelet on top of your border so that the dot is right in the centre.
Draw around the inside of your eyelets.
Make a small fold in the fabric so that you can make your first snip and then cut around the circles.


Place the larger, ridged half of the eyelet underneath your new hole and snap the smaller, pronged half on top. Repeat this till all your eyelets are in place.
Your brand new curtains are now complete and ready to be hung.



Have a sweet day!

My guest room- before, during and now

Now: New cream carpets,windows painted white with new chrome fittings, cream wooden blinds from Ikea, walls painted in beige white from Crown

Now: New skirting painted in brilliant white eggshell, radiator painted white, new door painted white

Now: New coving painted in brilliant white eggshell, ceilings painted white, light fitting from Alders

During: New skirting, everything given a white undercoat

During: Walls re-plastered and patched

During: old cupboards removed, stairs extended across room

Before: Dark, dirty narrow entrance

Before: Purple walls with silver stencil stars, silver radiator, purple carpet, purple door

Before: old entrance with painted glass panel above door

As some of you may know, we bought our house a few years back and it was in a right state: from the ugly exterior to the old, decrepit kitchen and nondescript garden! Over the past few years we have been transforming our house and there is not a hint of what it used to look like left.
When we bought our house it had one dirty old bathroom downstairs that we transformed into a cloakroom and laundry room. Which you can read more about here and here.

Therefore we wanted to transform one of the single bedrooms upstairs into our new bathroom, we had a choice of two single bedrooms to choose from. We went for the bedroom that looked out on to the neighbours white wall as the other single room has great views of the garden and overlooks a leafy green park. But the original entrance to the single bedroom was at the end of the hallway round a dark corner that was riddled with cupboard doors which made the entrance to the other double bedroom very dark and narrow. So we knocked down the wall that had the old entrance to the bathroom in it and changed the entrance to be in the hallway near our master bedroom. At the same time we also decided to get rid of the three cupboards that made the said entrance to the guest room really narrow and dark. We then rebuilt the wall in a straight line and extended the guest bedroom to include part of the old hallway, which has made it much brighter and more welcoming. At the weekend we got the room carpeted so today I wanted to share with you what it looked like before, during and now. Later this week I will be sharing with you my designs for the furniture layout and deco for the room.

Floor plan before and now

To see all the before, during and now pictures of our house check out my Facebook albums

Have a sweet day!