A little homemade home update.

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. Mine has been ok. Not amazing. But ok. I think I have just had one of those days today.

 I woke at 5.30am to go to the bootsale but it was cancelled due to a tiny splattering of rain. Then to go to the lazy bones and not find anything. Then it rained all day and we were stuck in doors. I did manage to sneak out to my favourite Charity shop though, The Sue Ryder shop. I found this cute 8 set of tams soup bowls.

 We have been at the house over the weekend too and our bedroom is coming along nicely. I am really looking forward to painting the floors. I think it will make the rooms look entirely different.

I have also been sprucing up all our second hand furniture. Ready for the big move.

The pretty sewing box/table that needed wood filling/sanding has now been primed ready for its colour. I can't decide on which?. (Colour for the top and middle as legs are staying original).

 Then the £3.50 ikea children's table and chairs that I'm doing in a lovely blue.

Still rather a lot to do. I have finally designed the stairs and landing. Cant wait to share with you all. But will save that for another post.

Now...Off to watch antiques roadshow!.

Lauren x

(By the way did you notice that I hadn't used capital letters on my last two posts. I had noticed that A LOT of American bloggers do this. And wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Did it save time?. More personal?. Well honestly, it didn't change a thing. Just made me look lazy. So I'm back to normal now!)

Homemade home update

Update;

 Work is underway on the bathroom!. It currently looks like this;

Empty, smelly and pretty darn horrible!. We are just going to put in an ordinary steel bath that we got super cheap (£80) sink and heated towel rail. I wanted to half tile the walls and then wallpaper but with a husband for a plumber who has a million and one reasons why wallpaper is not suitable for a bathroom I have had to re-think. But I am so looking forward to it being a clean, family friendly room soon.

 I have also been thinking about all this lovely wood floor we have.

As you all know I am in love with white wood floor but whilst I was researching I came across these pictures. I especially like the blue floorboards and stairs!. 

Sourced online

Country Living

Door sixteen

This old house

I would LOVE to paint the bathroom floor chequered like this but I know this is not pratical. But its sooooooo pretty!. I definitely might do the stairs though, what do you think?!.

 Lauren x

A little sunshine goes a long way.

Feeling a little spring inspired today, took a drive to the village to see the house and its progress. It felt so amazing. The sun shining, I could hear the most beautiful birdsong. The house was incredibly bright and just had the most amazing feel. It may look a little lacklustre in its exterior appearance but inside it already feels like home.
 The boys room is almost finished, Poppy's room has been plastered and electrics done. And the plastering is now being done in the bathroom.

 I'm already imagining the spring/summer and I just want it here now as I know once Spring arrives we will be in our new home. Been reading my grandads gardening book see here and lots of interior magazines. Imagining the garden parties, lazy summer evenings, bunting and pimms, vintage sandals, long walks, beachy hair. I can almost feel the sun on my skin!.

Sourced from visitalltheworld.com

Sourced from countryliving

Sourced from re-nest

Ahhhhh I can feel those January blues fading already.

 Lauren x



Homemade home;The first coat of paint.

A little update;

Henry and Ted's bedroom has been plastered, the floor sanded and the walls, ceiling, coving and skirting painted. It looks a whole lot better and brighter and its so lovely to see a difference after a slow few weeks. One wall is being wallpapered and the floor needs painting white but I'm sure you will agree, what a difference!.

The wall with the sample paper on has not been painted magnolia, like the rest of the room. The magnolia paint on the walls was just a tub we found in the garage (No farrow and Ball for me I'm sad to say). But I'm very pleased with the results. I didn't want to put white everywhere,

1;Reason being this will be toddler twins bedroom, I'm already being brave using such light colour's. (Eeekk muddy, sticky fingers all over the walls! But I love the colours!).

2; With the white floor the room may have felt a little cold and clinical. I think the magnolia warms it up and keeps the room bright.

 The next room we are going to make a start on is the bathroom. The worst bathroom in the history of bathrooms. It has a HUGE water tank slap bang in the middle of it, we cant afford to switch to a combi boiler so its staying. Right where it is. taking up all the room!. 

The only plus side (I think) is that we can use it as an airing cupboard. So cosy towels is a good thing right?!.

 The roll top bath?. We cant even fit in a decent sized radiator so looks like an ordinary bath, space saving and cheaper.



I had kind of hoped for a bathroom like this Roll top romance.

 But it looks like we will be having something very different. But on the bright side I'm looking forward to hunting for the perfect accessories. Especially a bevelled mirror. And a shelf stacked with books, I love reading in the bath!.

 I look forward to sharing it all with you!,

 Lauren x

 

Homemade home; Bedroom 1

We are now just about in week 6 of our refurbishment of our house and to be honest its been a very slow few weeks. 


We have decided to try and finish the twins bedroom before my husband goes back to work from his Christmas break. This is the room that needs the least work. Just wallpaper stripping, re plastering walls and ceiling and moving the light (All the lights in the house are in very strange places so we are having them centred).

 We have also sanded back the wood floors ready to be painted.

Before 

After

 The floorboards sanded back

All ready I feel like the room looks better, especially now that artex ceiling has gone!. Cannot wait to start decorating. Soon as the wallpaper arrives, its going to be the cutest boys bedroom. I have chosen Cath Kidston 'Vintage cars' for the boys room.

Vintage cars wallpaper by Cath Kidston

I think its fits in  perfectly with  my vintage, British theme.

I have picked up a lovely little paper lantern shade, from Homebase, for the twins room. My brother had one when we were children and I love them!. Simple, inexpensive and they look lovely!

2d planes lantern £3.99 Homebase

I  must get some pictures of the furniture bought. A beautiful gentleman's wardrobe and a 1930's chest of drawers that someone has painted yellow, very badly!. I am going to sand it back very slightly so it looks distressed. Fingers crossed the first room will be finished before January 3rd...Watch this space!.

 Lauren x

Home sweet home!

We have finally started work on our little house. My husband has been there all day today and literally ripped out everything!.

SO...
Here it goes. This is it!.

Our modest three bedroom 1970's build house. Down a little unmade road surrounded by fields.

View from front bedroom (The twins bedroom).

Fields next to the house.

Church at the bottom of our road.

Prettiest little country church.

The kitchen.

Different view of the kitchen.

Lovely 1970's wallpaper that was hidden behind the old cupboards.

Lounge/diner area.

Different view of lounge/diner.

Look what we found under the stained 70's carpet. Stunning wood stairs!.

Looking down the stairs. Look at those lovely bannisters!. (sarcasm)

Bedroom one. Henry and Ted's bedroom. And we found more gorgeous floorboards under the old laminate.

Bedroom two. Poppy's bedroom.

I am so in love with the floor. =D

Ripping out the fitted wardrobes in the master bedroom.

And they are gone!.

Even more fitted wardrobes in the master bedroom!.

Moudly pink bathroom.

Seperate toilet.

We are so lucky to have found this little gem as it really does have so much potential. What really sold it for us was the area. The house I grew up in backed right on to a country park and farm. My fondest memories are of playing in the farmers fields, picnics on a summers afternoon and bike rides through miles of countryside.

I wanted this so much for our children and when we saw this house it would mean they could do all this and more. And with a blank canvas we can turn this house into everything we have dreamt of.

Over the next 3 months I will be sharing the highs/lows and hundreds of pictures. This has been 19 months in the making. We have been living with my mum for all this time. Saving money, collecting furniture and designing our home.

Here's to our quest for a homemade home.

Lauren x