I wasn't going to write a resolutions post, especially as the start of the new year seems like ages ago. I hadn't planned to make any resolutions at all, but the dawning of a new year turned my thoughts to a whole year stretching out before me and all the possibilities it brings. There are so many thoughts and ideas that have popped into my mind that I wanted to get them down before they become a forgotten memory.

I've incorporated some of these into my winter list already, so apologies for the repetition, but adding them to seasonal lists might give me a greater chance of success. Maybe...

I want to grow strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and maybe build fruit cage, I love the idea of eating sun warmed berries straight from the plant. Perhaps this year I'll just try my luck with bushes planted in pots, and see how I get on...

As for the garden I want to plant a eucalyptus and a spindle somewhere, and a cherry tree, and an apple tree in pots.

Rather than using our greenhouse to just store my tools and the BBQ, I want to grow a few veg. Spring onions, leeks, potatoes, and salad leaves... for a start.

When it warms up I want to create a bee bath. I found a number of drowsy bees last year and revived them with sugar water. I'd love a beehive one day but have no idea where to begin. In addition I'd like to plant some bee friendly plants. They love the thyme I have in the front garden but I could do with some more.

I'd like to improve my flower arranging skills, either by going to a class or relying on online tutorials, I'd like to progress from dumping stems into a vase and hoping for the best.

Embrace natural cleaning, I decided that this would be the year I finally get round to swapping out my chemical cleaners for more gentle options, I've been thinking about it for too long.

I want to cook a veggie meal once a month, Andy really enjoys vegetarian food but I rarely make veggie meals.

We've got into a terrible habit of eating in front of the TV, mostly because our dining room was drafty thanks to an old wooden window and door frame, but now we have a sparkly new double glazed french doors, there's really no excuse not to eat at the table. I'll start with at least once a week.

I have so many ideas for home improvements I want to make, I drive Andy nuts with my constant musings. One thing I can do though is decorate, the more skilled stuff will have to be left to the professionals, but I can daub paint on the walls, hang pictures, change lampshades and generally make things look prettier.

Last year I realised the importance of looking after me, it's a shame that taking some time to focus on your own needs can be seen as selfish but it's so important. I now have a regular head neck and shoulder massage to prevent a re-occurring problem I have with my neck - thanks to sitting at a desk everyday - but I also need to make time for exercise, and time to just sit and be, and to do things just for me.

Some days can feel very ordinary, some days can feel like your just living the same day over and over again. I'd love to keep a detailed journal but it's beyond me, believe me I've tried, so I want to write at least one positive thing in my diary every day. So far, so good.

My word to sum up 2016 was Crystallise, this year I want it to be Change.

I mentioned in my previous post that receiving things with my name on makes me happy. And what better way to follow that than to share my new make up bag, a Christmas gift from my husband.

It's roomy and stylish, and IT'S GOT MY NAME ON IT!!

It's made by Tillyanna and sold via Not On The High Street. I had to have a little looky-see at the full range. I know that loads of sellers offer to personalise items these days, but it's as if this range was made for me!


This cushion (I do love a cushion) needs no explanation, but I'd have to get one for Socks too!

And this cushion uses the same font that I used on our wedding invitations. I'm thinking it would make a lovely anniversary gift, but I'll have to wait, the first is paper, followed by cotton for our second.


It also comes as a tote bag #justsayin'

I was going to paint my room grey, for the longest time I was set on grey. I have an entire pinterest board dedicated to it's different shades.


But I'm over it.

I want colour! And it's the internet that's caused my change of heart. First Bethanie goes to a beauty salon with walls a gorgeous jade green, and then A Thrifty Mrs paints her downstairs loo a dazzling chartreuse.

I visited a friend and she gave me a lovely Breton blue paint pot sample, and I found myself seeking out inspiration - check out the dark turquoise statement wall over at A Beautiful Mess!

And then of course Pinterest.


To top it off my husband gave me (completely unprompted) a fabulous book for my birthday Bright Bazaar: Embracing Colour For Make-You-Smile Style by Will Taylor, which added further fuel to the colour fire.

I entered into a colour spin that ended in me buying all the paint samples.

And now I still don't know what to do, I like them all! It's safe to say that it will be a green or blue hue but the final decision still eludes me.


I'll be working with a white and blue floral fabric and a mixture of dark wood furniture, and white painted furniture. The room has three good size windows so a dark shade wouldn't feel overbearing. The carpet is coming up, the floorboards stained, and rug will be bought in it's place. So any one of these colours would work.

One sure fire way of narrowing the options is to ask my husband, I can almost guarantee he'll go for one of the paler greens, which is nice enough, but just look at those teal and peacock shades! And the blues.

And the chartreuse.

Life has taken on a weird... thing - I don't even have a word for it - everything now falls into two distinct categories - Before Wedding (BW) and After Wedding (AW). BW seems like a lifetime ago, BW I was making plans for all the things I was going to get done after AW. I'm still working through this AW list.

BW wedding everything non work or wedding related took a back seat, piles of stuff that needed sorting appeared all over the house and some still remain, but one of the things I wanted to do was sort out my office (get rid of all the stuff dumped in there) and return to some form of normality.

Randomly, one day in Feburary I went out to get my haircut and came home having bought an armchair. I had every intention of putting it in my office, and I did. But it sat in the middle of the room for weeks BW, waiting to be moved into position.

A few weeks AW George at Adsa got in touch and asked if I wanted to choose something from their home range. Yes please. I knew I'd be looking for items for my office.

I love my new armchair but it's completely out of kilter with anything else in the room, I don't care too much, such is my love for my new chair. But I knew that a coffee table of some kind would be most useful, a few cushions would make it cosy and a lamp to light the corner would prove very handy.

It's turned the once chaotic corner of my room into a place for reading, resting and quiet contemplation, not to mention a place for cats to enjoy, they spend more time sitting here than I do.


Socks tried to stake his claim back in February, before I'd even got the chair in the room with the cushion in place.

The rug (on the arm of the chair) was a wedding gift and the heart cushion a birthday gift from Andy's sister a few years ago, the floor rug a birthday gift from Andy. I think all in all it looks pretty good, and you never know, one day I might actually get that Mucha print on the wall!

I love how the '&' cushion helps to tie the chair and the floor rug together (which is no mean feat for two completely differing patterns!) and the beam coffee tables are perfectly sized for magazines and cups of tea, and are a much better (and far easier to reach) option than the floor!



The lamp is really lovely and looks more expensive than it's £20.00 price tag and it has a gold tassel. A gold tassel.


I'm super pleased with the side tables, I didn't have room for anything too big and I wanted something simple. I love the combination of contemporary and ornate pieces, of old discovered items and new additions all mixed in together.

This is how the room looked back in January. Quite a transformation eh?


I did chose 'A' and 'H' cushions too, but four cushions on one solitary armchair is just a few too many, it was the adult equivalent to taking ALL your soft toys to bed. The cushions (lovely quality considering they're a mere £5.00 each) now sit on our bed, and will fit in perfectly with the new decor I have planned for the room... when I get round to it (it's on the AW list).

Thanks to George at Asda for sending me these items. All opinions are my own.

I joined in with Lucy's Wonderful Winter and it has been pretty awesome. Christmas was great and so far the year has gotten off to a flying start. With our wedding only a few weeks away I wonder how I managed to find time to do anything other than plan it, which can be the only excuse I can offer for doing so badly at my Wonderful Winter list. That said, when I wrote the list I didn't know I'd be getting married.

1. Walk in the woods
Nope. I cant believe I haven't done this. I can see woodland from my house, it's within walking distance, why the hell haven't I been? #massivefail

2. Go to the beach
Nope (can't see the sea from my window but still it only a short drive away, so it's not good enough!).

3. Read three books
I managed two - Notes On A Scandal by Zoë Heller and Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. Reviews to come soon on Alex's A Blogging good Read.

4. Have friends over for dinner
Yes! Last Friday four of my favourite people came for supper. I was pretty zonked from a busy week and Andy was too, so we were both a little subdued and not the best of company but it was lovely to see them all none the less.

I also had my Mum and Andy's Mum over for lunch one day. This was the first time they'd met. It went well, we chatted about the wedding for about 4 hours straight.

A few weeks later I had them over for lunch again, this time with both of Andy's Aunts and his cousin, and we talked about the wedding for about 4 hours straight.

5. Watch Frozen
This is how we spent the first evening of 2015. I loved it but Andy was less than enamored. I then watched parts of this on my brother's 3D TV, it looked like it was snowing in the room. Snowing - In. The. Room.

Yep, this was my first experience of 3D and I thought it was awesome.

6. Visit Hogwarts in the snow
This didn't happen. The time seemed to slip away and before I knew it, it was February and we'd missed the opportunity. Maybe next year...? Or sooner because who doesn't want to go and see the Hogwarts Express!??

7. Finish my patchwork quilt!!
At the beginning of the year I was concerned that with a wedding to plan (and hours lost to day dreaming and scrolling through page after page of wedding pins) this wouldn't get done. And it didn't. But I did make progress and continue to do so.

8. Make Jaffa Cakes and this boiled fruit cake. 
I looked at the recipe, does this count?

9. Weekly home improvements
I should have several examples of home improvements for you. I have a measly total of six.


Office print - I've been cooing over this print from How Kapow for ages and one day just thought 'sod it' and ordered it. A trip to The Range for a frame and a picture hook later and ta-dah! It only took me 24 hours to get it on the wall which is pretty good going for me.

Lamp shade in hall - not very exciting but better than a naked light fitting.

Lampshade on the landing - I had to replace the one we had as it was much longer and every time we opened the linen cupboard door it hit it and sent the shade swinging.


New TV - new to us anyway. When my brother got his swanky new 3D TV we inherited the old one. Apparently I'm still not too old for hand-me-downs (not complaining).


New arm chair - Loved this before Christmas when I first saw it in a local shop. When I went back in February it was reduced, when I asked about it I was offered a lower price with free delivery - result! Sadly, Socks the boy cat has had more opportunity to sit in it than I have but I love it, even though it is completely out of place with everything else in the room.


New sideboard for the spare room - I've been slowly improving the spare room and when a friend of mine posted this for sale on Facebook I snapped it up. It's exactly what I'd been looking for.

and finally...

10. Sort out my office.
So, here is my office on January 1st. Total. Disaster. Area.


And it' still a total disaster area, and if anything it's got worse. Much worse. I keep telling myself that I'll get it sorted once the wedding is over, but then I've said this about a lot of things. I'm going to be busy.

How was your Winter? I'm so glad Spring is here!

I didn't posted much at all last month, what with one thing and another I just didn't find the time. November was a busy one. I'm still forging ahead with my 4-4-4 Challenge. Although daily photos have fallen by the wayside, I'm enjoying it. I'll update you on that in another post.

I've been decorating and it's been hard work! The side hallway is the only area we I hadn't decorated yet and I'd been putting it off, although it's a small area, I knew it would take ages to do. The amount of cleaning, sanding, filling, sanding, filling and prep I've had to do it unreal.

Many years of neglect and bad decorating had to be rectified. I'm happy to say the ceilings are painted, colour (green) is on the walls, the new lights are up and the new flooring chosen but I still have to rub down the woodwork and paint it. I hate gloss painting and I've run out of steam. Total DIY fatigue. I'm giving myself a few days off before going at it again, I don't want to rush it and ruin it at this late stage...

It's all starting to feel very Christmassy. Andy had a rare afternoon off recently, so we hopped on a train to London to see the poppies. I know the interwebs has been awash with images such as these but I can't help but share mine too. And it's my blog, so I can.



Feeling uncharacteristically sociable, we also went to see Noel Fielding at our local theatre in the same week. Whilst walking to the venue, we overheard two young girls in front of us talking. One said 'I think this might be a little bit weird', the other replied "yeah, I think it could be'. We got a fit of giggles, I'm not sure they really had a grasp on who they were about to see. Weird doesn't even really begin to cover it.

I think we've used up our social life quota for now, going out 3 times in one month is unheard of. I feel some hibernation coming on.


I'm loving Autumn. The sloe gin is well underway. I've been baking - mostly apple crumble - and enjoying nights in by the fire under a blanket (that's more like it). My patchwork quilt has taken a back seat, I'm sure I'll get back into it soon, I can hear it calling. I bought some cute fabric at a craft fayre recently (did I mention I'd been to the NEC Birmingham for that? No? oh it's good, great if you like crafts of any kind), so I'm keen to get it cut out and sewn in. I'll be able to point at it and say 'that's from our road trip to the NEC'.


I have an 'Andy one' on the quilt as well. When Andy ruined one of his work shirts (which happens to them all eventually) I nicked it before he could throw it out. I washed it, cut it up and had it sewn in place before he got home from work. I think he's secretly quite pleased to be part of it.

Oh, I also made these festive Cornflake Wreaths (as mentioned in my previous post). I say 'made', I mean I tried to make them. It was a massive fail. Despite following the recipe and instructions to the letter, they didn't turn the gorgeous festive green the picture depicted, nor did they bond together.


What I ended up with was a sticky mess of slightly greenish coloured cornflakes, that tasted more like food colouring than anything else, on account of using a whole bottle to try to get them to even remotely resemble green. Oh well.

Wow, that ended up being a bit of a ramble. What have you been up to?

Love

Not only did August go by in a rush but I also stumbled across and watched August Rush on TV. Such a great film, guaranteed to make me cry, no matter how many times I watch it. And of course it stars the late, great Robin Williams. A wonderful man and a truly talented actor.

This month I started to prepare for a charity Christmas bazaar, making things to sell. I promised to show you what I made with all the buttons in my button drawer and here they are. I nicked the idea from Inspired by Pinterest, they're ridiculously simple - I made a dozen of each in no time at all.

Having bought some eyelet curtains ages ago I was left with a number of curtain rings that I wanted to find a use for. It took me ages to figure out what now seems like the most obvious thing ever! Mini wreaths. Sewing on the beads becomes hypnotic after a while.

I simply wrapped with wool, secured the ends and decorated with beads and bells. I wouldn't be surprised if a few buttons and sequins don't make their way onto a few of these at some point soon.

This month's Birchbox was a triumph. I normally like a few of the items sent but this time I love each and every single one. This only further fuels my current beauty obsession, but I'm not complaining (even if my bank balance is).

Wild About Beauty Crème Eyeshadow
I got the shade Olivia which is a neutral creamy shade. It's so pretty! It can be worn alone for a subtle sheen or over eyeshadow. It blends nicely and stays put. 

Nude ProGenius Omega Treatment Oil
I love this. It's the first time I have tried a facial oil and this totally won me over. The sample lasted a week, using morning and night and left my face feeling soft and hydrated. It is a little expensive so I won't be repurchasing but it has opened my eyes to the benefits of a facial oil. I'm now using B. Replenish Oil, available in Superdrug, and it seems every bit as good for a much smaller price tag.

Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
This is a lovely alternative to my current face scrub. It leaves my skin feeling really soft, looking plump and hydrated. Seriously, my skin must think all it's birthdays have come at once with all these new treats. To be honest it was about time that I had a re-think when it came to my skincare routine so this Birchbox was perfectly timed.

Supergoop Daily Correct CC Cream
I received the light / medium shade which looked a bit scary for some one as pale as me but I tried it anyway and it blended with my skin really nicely. It has a broad spectrum SPF of 35 which I love and covers blemishes and marks without looking (or feeling) too heavy. This is going to give my normal Oil of Olay Total Effects a run for it's money.

Number 4 Lumiere d'Hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect
A great hair treat. The ends of my hair are dry so I've been spritzing this on after washing and it helps to keep the ends frizz free and detangled. It by no means solves the problem entirely but it helps and it smells lovely.


I can't wait for September's Birchbox to arrive. And I might have ordered the new My Little Box too, the latest of the beauty-in-your-letterbox offerings, although this one contains fashion and lifestyle items too. No doubt I'll tell you all about that one soon enough.

Just one last beauty item and then I'll move on. This is my first The Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint. It lasts for ages and is glossy even without a top coat, goes on well and only needs two coats. Highly recommended for the quality and a really good price - £3.99.

The other exciting occurrence during August was the start of a fireplace renovation. We needed to make the fireplace bigger in order to put in a woodburner. This is a 'during' shot. I can't wait to show you the result, but I need to decorate first.

I hope August was good for you, what did you get up to?

Love

Life can be freaky sometimes. Twice in the past few weeks I've been contacted by companies asking me if I want to review things (this doesn't happen very often - i.e. once in a blue moon - which makes it seem all the more freaky). Both opportunities have been so perfectly timed that I'm beginning to wonder if I'm playing a Jim Carey type character in… what's that film where his whole life is a movie and everyone else is played by actors?? Well anyway, that.

Freaky thing no.1.

I'd written this post about my bedside tables, I'd taken the pictures, edited them and scheduled the post when I was contacted by Trinca Ferro asking if I wanted to review some of their decorative knobs. If the post was live I would have assumed that they'd been in touch because of it. But it wasn't, which to me = spooky.


I'd pondered giving my Ikea storage unit a bit of a make over with a coat of paint and some new knobs. So, I had a look at the website and liked what I saw. They sent me six decorative knobs, that I chose from a vast range of styles, and I set about the transformation.


I'd seen this Ikea hack on Pinterest and wanted to do something similar. I'd also pinned this Java Gel Stain and wanted to give it a trial run for another project I'm considering and this seemed like the perfect time to try it - if it went wrong, no biggie. If it worked well, I'd have the solution for another project.


I roped in my Dad to drill the holes in the drawers and shorten the threads before I set about sanding and staining.  I rounded off the corners and edges with sandpaper to give it a worn look and the Java Gel Stain was a breeze to use. You simply rub it on with a soft cloth (or an old sports sock) and then buff off any excess with a clean cloth. It wasn't long before it was starting to take shape.


But I had to wait hours for it to dry before I could apply a second coat. Patience is not my middle name (it's Joy), I just wanted to plonk it on my shelves and fill all of the little drawers with my bits and pieces. I had to wait until after supper to apply the second coat and then wait again overnight for it to dry. Needless to say Sunday morning I hopped out of bed, attached the decorative knobs and filled the drawers before anyone could say 'good morning'.


Have a guess what I put in the drawer with the button knob (disclaimer - I chuckle every time I type the word 'knob'. Will I ever grow up?)...


Not hard to guess really. These drawers are the perfect size to keep all my craft and office bits and pieces neat and tidy. You might be wondering why I need so many buttons (you can never have too many buttons) and I'll show you've what I've been doing with them soon.

I'm really chuffed with the result. So much so I'm tempted to see if I can find some similar drawers, and choose some different knobs for a second set. Like buttons, you can never have too much storage!

I also rather like some of the necklace organisers they have on their Pinterest board, and the door knob wine stoppers (although wine doesn't last that long around here). I feel a new obsession coming on... yep, a knob obsession *chuckle*

Caroline - have you got your wardrobe knobs on yet?

Thank you to Trinca Ferro for sending me these decorative knobs to review. All opinions are my own.

Love

Knobs *chuckle*...

Anyway, in the spirit of 'just get on with it' I've been trying to find time to tick off some of those little jobs that need doing around the house. In truth it's not going very well considering we're half way through the year, but I'm trying.


My most recent project was to build and paint Andy's bedside table (which had been sitting flat packed in the cupboard under the stairs for months). Cheap and cheerful though it is, it's better than the small and somewhat inadequate Ikea storage unit he'd been using since we moved in three years ago.


I decided to re-paint mine while I was at it, so I popped on my deccy clothes and got painting. I'd had some decorative knobs kicking about in the junk end room since we moved in three years ago (purchased for the wardrobe doors we ended up removing) so I used them for my bedside table and purchased some manly chrome ones for Andy (pretty glass flower knobs not really being his thing).

And ta-dah! Two new bedside tables and something crossed off the list.



Which leaves me with a handy Ikea storage unit to use in my office, perfect for all my little bits and pieces. I'm thinking of going Pinterest on it's ass and doing something like this, i.e paint it and add some handles. I have three of the flower ones left so I'd like to use those and maybe mix and match in some others?


But then that's just another thing to add to an already long list of things to do... Do you enjoy DIY or do you leave it to the man of the house / the professionals?

Love