makeover revealed...!

A few weeks ago I showed you the pair of rather hideous stools I had picked up courtesy of Freecycle. They were a bit grubby and dated looking and not altogether appealing but I thought they might be handy extras to have and up for a revamp.

I had thought I'd paint the wooden bits with a nice eggshell paint but had a bit of a change of plan when I went and looked at the cost of a tin of paint! I obviously haven't bought paint for a while but it sort of defeated the object of what was meant to be a freebies makeover, so in the end I plumped for the tin of white gloss that was lurking in the cupboard.

Cleaner and brighter, don't you think?

The tops were made from my stash of leftover stylecraft DK (I never quite use these up so always have a bagfull of colours...), on a 3.5mm hook rather than the usual 4mm to make the stitches a bit closer to make sure that gruesome brown was covered.

One I just did as rounds of double crochet stripes...

For some reason this went decidedly wonky and even with a bit of persuading when I stitched it on to the stool it stool looks a bit 'homemade' - oh well...!!

The other one got the little squares treatment...

I like this one best if I'm honest - I do love these simple little squares and I deliberately stitched them together with the bright raspberry colour to show through. Again, not entirely even when you look at it from this angle but I quite like that anyway.

I intended to store these away to just have as 'if needed' extra seats, but I'm happy with how they look and am enjoying just looking at them and (oh dear, is this a bit wierd?) just having a little feel of them at the moment, so have left them in my living room!

So finished article then?

And before and after shots?!

Sorry for the excessive number of pics but I am ridiculously pleased with these! Much nicer to look at I think?! 

Sx

my week...

This week we have had sunshine, and unusually, I had a couple of days off in the middle of the week so I had a bit of a chance to enjoy it. Its really late and I'm tired (and I've had a glass of wine so can't vouch for clarity...) so thought I'd just post a quick 'picture post' of my week...

Mothers day brought two lovely sons and these...

Gorgeous, bright double daffs (bit past it by the time I took this pic). The boys were a bit put out that the woman they bought them from suggested most people were spending a bit more on flowers for their Mums... They, quite rightly, pointed out that these are my favourite flowers - quite right too.

My seedlings are coming up...

I may end up with more giant sunflowers than I know what to do with in my teeny garden! Ho hum...

I made scrummy chocolate cake...

This is called 'Can't go wrong chocolate cake' - they are not kidding either. Trouble is with this baking malarky that I don't really eat it and now I don't have anyone else living with me I don't quite know what to do with it! So I took it to work. Where it disappeared, so I guess it was ok.

I had a bit of a hankering for going to the coast, so on my midweek day off, up as usual at silly o'clock, I decided to just get in the car and drive and was walking at the sea front by 9.15am...

Beautiful hazy sunshine with a bit of warmth, and empty stretches of sand and shingle. I didn't time it very well as the sea was only just going out and it was a bit wet to walk along the beach, so I headed up the sea front path...

Past the boats and sea-side cafes...

Past the colourful beach huts...

And then back through the town past the flint and rendered cottages...

I love the seaside. Always have. Love the smell of it and the taste of salt on your skin. Love it in the winter when it can be wild and scary, love it in the summer when the beaches are full of excited noise. Love the patterns in the sand when the tide goes out...

Love the shiny, bobbly seaweed clinging to the rocks...

And I love the bits you can't capture on a photo - the sound of the waves dragging the shingle, the noisy gulls and the sheer peace of the place. Love it.

Once I'd had enough of the coast (and realising I had overstayed my car park ticket!!) I nipped across to see my sister where the sun was brighter and we spent a pleasant couple of hours in her garden. She has just moved into this house so the garden is a 'voyage of discovery' as things are appearing as Spring properly gets here. Pretty blue periwinkles...

My mum insists these are a weed and I know they can take over a bit but I like them anyway.

Unusual narcissi...

I've never seen one quite like this before - almost looked like it has its petals mixed up somehow - very pretty.

And blue blue sky...

Leaves are definitely beginning to show themselves...

And we were entertained by one very cute 18 month old nephew who was so happy just pottering around looking at mud and ladybirds and whatever else he could find...

This week has been a bit of a struggle at times and has not felt at all positive all week but the sunshine has been a real boost and these simple pleasures have helped.

Oh and there's been a bit of this!!!

I finished my freebie stool makeover yesterday! So when I've taken some daylight photos I'll show you before and after ones!!!

Til next time then
Sx

weekend walks...

Isn't it funny that you can live in or near a place for years without ever really seeing things? I think we spend so much of our time rushing from one place to the next, or in cars or other forms of transport, that our view of the world is skewed by the limited frame we can see it in. 

One of the real pleasures of living where I do now is that it is so much easier for me to get to places without having to get in the car. Not only am I spending an appreciable amount less on petrol (which goes some very small way to offsetting the higher costs of rent, water rates and council tax but hey...) but I get to properly look at what is around me as I walk.

Yesterday I was awake at silly o'clock (as is so often the case...!) so I got up and decided to wander down to the shop for a paper. Only when I got out of the house it was so bright and lovely I thought I'd just keep walking for a bit and set off in the opposite direction to the paper shop.

I walked past what is still known locally as 'the old hospital'...

The Norfolk & Norwich Hospital was a mixture of these rather beautiful grand frontages and a couple of tower blocks and about 12-13 years ago was moved in its entirety to a brand spanking new building on the outskirts of Norwich. It has to be said behind these fancy fronts was an old, not quite fit for purpose and sprawling complex which had enormous problems in terms of maintenance and suitability for the needs of a modern acute hospital. The listed frontages remain but the rest of the site has largely been turned into trendy apartments and town houses but to me the area holds lots of memories (mostly good!). The two buildings that were the nurses home (and where I lived as a very green student nurse!) have been refurbished and converted into flats. I can still see the window of my room in what used to be Alexandra House - I'd love to have a nose inside; I'd like to bet the rather grotty (freezing!) shared bathrooms have gone and been replaced by something much more sophisticated. I wonder if it still retains its slightly institutional feel?!

I headed out towards the east side of the city, in the direction of the football ground and the train station and found myself walking alongside the old medieval city walls...

I have lived within a 15 mile radius of this area for almost my entire life and although I knew there were big chunks of the ruined city walls visible - you can hardly miss them if you drive around the city ring road - I had no idea that this section of the wall is so intact and had never walked down here before.

You can walk beside the wall down a longish stretch almost down to the river (which I suppose formed one of the borders of the city defences)...

There is something very impressive about these structures, built about 700 or so years ago. When you think of the labour that must have gone into transporting the materials and constructing the fortifications at that time... they must have made people feel much more confident on their security. 

My little camera didn't do justice to the views but it was possible to see right across the city, with the major landmarks of the Cathedral and the castle clearly visible.  

I was down by the river by about 9am and it was still early enough on a Sunday morning for there to be very few people about apart from a few earnest looking anglers positioned at strategic intervals along the river walkway with all their kit. The water was still and beautifully reflective...

I kept walking beside the river around the back of the cathedral and past Pulls Ferry, a 15th century watergate that originally led to a canal which was used to transport building materials for the cathedral.

It is a very pretty flint building and a recognisable landmark on the Norwich tourist trail.

From here the striking cathedral spire dominates...

...particularly against the blue sky. There was real warmth in the sunshine, even quite early in the day, and the daffodils by the river have started to open...

I so love these simple bright blooms, they truly lift my spirits!

On through the cathedral grounds...

Just look at that clear blue sky!!!

It was a really lovely start to the day - I walked for almost two hours and I'm sure I could feel my happy hormones kicking in as I went!

Then at the other end of the day, it was still such a gorgeous spring day, so I set out in the opposite direction towards the university - across one of the city parks and the university grounds. The University of East Anglia is renowned for being a bit of a concrete campus (bit like marmite - you either love it or hate it!) but it is set in the loveliest piece of green land with its own broad, which was just beautiful with the sun setting...

Perfect!

Til next time, then...

Sx

discovering Spring...

This week we have seen a little bit of sunshine. Its amazing how a little bit if warmth and brightness lifts the spirits and, in my case at any rate, prompts activity.

I spent a couple of hours 'pottering' in my little garden, a bit of pruning and tidying and general fiddling about very pleasurably. And I discovered a few things that made me think the winter is soon going to start fading - shining buds beginning to burst into leaf, fattening shoots on the daffodils and these crocuses in the grass...

I don't know which I like best, the almost pure white ones, that, when you look closely, have very fine lilac veins on the petals or the more open petalled purple ones. Both are very welcome little splashes of colour.

I also discovered that my tiny patch of 'outdoors' doesn't get much sun at all! I think it does face south-east but one of the disadvantages of living in the city centre is that there is a fair amount of shade from surrounding houses. There is one small corner that had sunshine for a few hours and the back of next doors shed was lit up for a bit...I'm hoping as the year goes on and the sun gets higher in the sky I might eke a bit more sunshine.

Undeterred, and spurred on by the blue skies, I did buy a packet of 'Seeds for Kids' (I am counting myself as a kid here...!) - I'm going to try to grow my own bright places - sunflowers, nasturtiums, marigolds and viola. Fingers crossed (and the neighbourhood moggie permitting!) I might have lovely things to look at later in the year.

I am missing my old garden - I know there there will be hyacinths and bluebells appearing and a big patch of daffodils under the fruit trees, plus more Spring shoots than you can count...

But Spring is happening in the city too, and there are lovely, different things to find here - just have to remember to keep looking for them.

Next time, I hope to have finished my little stools' makeover... thanks for the suggestions about paint colours. I went for white in the end, partly because it seemed right and partly, if I'm truthful, because I got such a shock at the price of paint that I decided to go with the time of white gloss I had in the cupboard already! Going to go and stitch the first cover in place now!!

Sx

pleasure in crafting and colour...

This is the long awaited 'crafty' post!

I gave up waiting for a nice bright day to take photos - the only days that have been decent have been the ones I've been at work (Grrr...) and work has still demanded dawn to dusk hours of late so no chance of even a hint of sunshine (would love to know what my vitamin D levels are like! my skin is barely seeing the light of day at all, no wonder the brain is in winter blues mode...). This weekend has been grey, wet and windy - impossible in my dark little house to take photos in natural light so there is a bit of variation in colours and none look exactly true to life but I needed to share my latest makes!

So here goes...

Remember the yummy bargain Rowan yarn I found (well when I say 'found', it has to be said an undisclosed amount of cash had to be parted with...) - after an aborted attempt at the first pattern I tried, I kept my fingers crossed that the tension was somewhere near where it should be and ploughed on with the second pattern...

This looks a bit lop sided on the hanger but its ok on. I did make a few tweaks to the pattern - I made it slightly longer (can't bear draughty gaps up my back!) and added a second button. I can't remember exactly what this yarn is made up of (oops, seem to have thrown all the labels away...) but I know there was some silk and merino in there. It has a lovely sheen and is soooo soft and warm.

I did attempt an 'off the hanger' pic...

Yes...rubbish! Blurry, on the skew and lord only knows what was going on with the thumb in the pocket... Do I do that?!!! But maybe you can get a bit of an idea of what it looks like on.

I took a risk with the buttons at a little shop in Derbyshire when I didn't have the yarn with me so had to hope they were the right colour...

It's difficult to see here, because the yarn colour is a bit bleached out but they are just the right colour. They are a kind of ceramic-like finish and I really like them!

The button loops are crocheted on at the end...

This was a really easy pattern, just has a 4 row lacy pattern on the edges which gives it a bit of a wavy look...

I have the arms of an ape (truly!) and I really like that the sleeves are long - just have to decide what to do with this little lot now...

I think there's just a bit over 150gms here...any ideas?!! 

When I went up to Derbyshire I had taken a few odd bits of Stylecraft DK and a crochet hook (you know, just in case...!) and when I needed a change from the knitting I had a play...

I've had a bit of a hankering after hexagons for a while - mainly because I've never tried them before - and some time ago I'd seen something a little like this on a blog. I cannot for the life of me remember where and I can't find it again - so if it was you, thanks for the inspiration and sorry I can't link to you!

Anyway, I wanted to do fairly solid colours and join with white, so I just had a play around with the number of stitches until it felt about right then set to and hooked up this little pile (mostly on the train on the way back!).

I don't know what I'm going to do with them yet and need to more to get a better balance of colours, but for now I'm quite enjoying them just for the sake of them!

Another blanket maybe?!!

In the meantime, I've got a bit sidetracked with another project. I picked these up on freecycle...

Ok, I know they look pretty grotty! And even after a shampoo of the seats, they didn't look much better! But I think they have Potential!

I have in mind a bit of a brighten up! I thought I'd paint the wooden bits (white? cream? what do you think?) and make new covers for the tops. I have so little space that there is nowhere to store spare chairs so I thought these would be perfect for those occasional times when an additional seat is required! And they stack, so minimal storage space needed! And they were freebies! I'm very easily pleased...

This is where I'm up to so far...

I've deliberately used a smaller than usual hook and just dc so that it makes quite a tight fabric (to cover that awful brown tweedy stuff!) but it seems to have a bit of a twisty thing going on so have blocked it out in the hope it'll straighten out a bit! Can't quite decide whether to do stripes or little squares for the second one... Either way, got to be an improvement!!!

And finally, not a make but something that has been cheering me up on a daily basis...

When I moved out on my own, I decided I would have fresh flowers - every week if I could manage it. And actually, I have found there is always a cheap or reduced bunch of something either on the market or at the supermarket. Plus the one plus of a draughty Victorian terrace is the flowers seem to survive longer! Generally they hang on for about 2 weeks, so I feel I get my money's worth. This week - bright yellow tulips are bringing sunshine into the gloom. And one bunch gave me some on the living room mantelpiece...

Some on the dining room table...

...and one for the kitchen windowsill...

(that looks like a horrible mouldy wall in the background! its not, I promise!!)

These bits of colour and crafting are keeping me going at the moment - positively therapeutic!

Til next time then...

Sx