Take a peek.

What do you all think of the new adverts?!. I think they look fab. And such great business's. I feel very proud to have them alongside me for the next month. Go on..click on them!. They take you straight to the website.

 Let me know what you all think of the new layout. Off to bed, the twins have EXHAUSTED me today. Fingers crossed for some Zzz.

 God bless, Lauren x

Keep calm and carry on and support your local business's.

La senza. Another HUGE high street company has gone into administration. This is not a surprise to many people as everyday in the news we see more and more big business's closing, the country's debt rising and more unemployed people. We are living in a frightingly scary economy, I waked down my local high street the other day and every other shop seems to have been closed. This is a thriving town centre I'm talking about!.

 It makes you wonder if the big companies cant cope how will the small ones?. But the thing is now is the time for a small business to thrive. Customers are trading their big stores for smaller business's. Which can now offer more and more with online shopping, cheaper items and personalised customer service. As a country we need to support our small, local business's as these are what will save this country from financial collapse!.

 I do my job because I LOVE IT!. Therefore I put everything into my work, juggle motherhood and running a family home, and I never tire from it. Which is why I am still open for business and will hopefully go from strength to strength this year.

 I want to help other small business so I am offering 1 month free advertising on my blog. There is no catch. Send me an email at lauren_sutherland@hotmail.co.uk with your business and advert and you can be featured on a new side bar. Hopefully this little step will help other companies drum up business and have a successful 2012.

 Lets all pull together, put our best foot forward, shop local, spend wisely and make Britain Great Britain!.

 

 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



Rubber and beds!

As time passes by and I start to get a feel for the house I can see my head turning ever so more to the retro side. The house was built in the 1970's and I can see by the things I'm buying and looking at that it will definitely have a 70's feel to the interior.

 I've been looking at flooring for the kitchen and I have been so adamant that I want black and white chequered lino or tiles. I have always wanted it.

Sourced from apartment therapy.

 That was until I found this...COLOURED RUBBER FLOORING!. OH.MY...I love it!. I think it looks very retro, quirky and a little different to the norm.

Sourced from House to Home.



And when the reviews of it say;

 'Hardwearing, easily cleaned and pretty much childproof', who am I to argue. I really like the pink and I'm collecting the Hornsea Fleur collection for the kitchen and I think it goes lovely together.

 What do you think?. My husband says it reminds him of the flooring in a public toilet!. Ha ha! (I still like it).

On another note our bed is being delivered tomorrow!. Yay!. Our first ever king sized bed. Blissful. As you may all remember I desperately wanted an antique brass bed see here
 Not realising how much one was actually going to cost. And as we are keeping costs down my husband said the budget just couldn't allow for an antique bed. Instead I have settled for a new one, just like this;

Benson beds

This is the actual bed we have bought. We paid £199.99 from Benson beds (not very vintage I know!).  I guess that's not too bad. And its nearly as nice as an old one....nearly.

 Lauren x

A parenting post...

 I am a lover of old fashioned family values. I pride myself on bringing up my children with good manners and morals based on these old fashioned views.

 There is something very special about the way we were, and how we were brought up. Children were children. They played boardgames, read books, baked,  had adventures in the garden. Its frightening how dependant the children of today are on televisions, computers and the Internet!.

 Which brings me to this;

 My husband came home the night before Christmas eve with a flat screen TV, built in DVD player in fuchsia pink. It was for our daughter. Shes three!.

 I must have been caught up in the Christmas spirit because against my better knowledge I agreed for him to let Poppy have it in her bedroom. How harmful could it be?, I thought.

 Well, ITS BEEN HELL!. She has been staying up late, is unsettled, not sleeping well. We haven't read a proper book since she's had it. I've even found myself letting her watch it until she falls asleep!. ( I am so ashamed by this).

 So its gone, Ive boxed it up and I'm even toying with returning it to the shop. Poppy is three years old. There is no way she should be allowed a television in her bedroom.
 Shes devastated.

 Don't get me wrong, I let my children watch TV all the time, probably too much sometimes, but I think there need to be boundaries. It seems we found out the hard way, we now have a very upset, grumpy girl but I'm sure once we are tucked up in bed tonight with a good book she will forget all about it. We have just started Coraline, which she has seen on DVD, and she loves it!.

 What are your views on this matter?. Am I being too hard?. Or am I right?. I'd love to know what you all think.

 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

 

Dig For Victory!

 I pretty much daydream about our house day in, day out. It is NEVER from my thoughts. As you all know I am obsessed with it!. I can already imagine what its going to look like and how we will sit in the garden in the summer, drinking pimms amongst the herb garden and sunflowers. Which has lead me to this post. THE GARDEN!.

 Possibly the only part of the house I haven't scrap booked about.  But that doesn't mean I have forgotten it. I really want to try and incorporate 1940's values and ideas into our family home life, see my larder of love post  see here so of course I want a little vegetable patch and herb garden. Dig for victory!.

  I'm no gardening expert but I so want to have a go at my own veg. I think there is nothing better than popping out to the garden picking some of your home grown produce and then eating it!. DELICIOUS!.

 I'm going to be honest here, I have pretty much no experience. BUT, my beloved late grandpa and my wonderful nan had serious Green fingers. I can remember playing in their beautiful, perfectly manicured garden. Filled with the most stunning colours and smells!. I used to call it the fairy garden, it really was quite magical. A little oasis amidst the concrete.

 When my grandpa passed away I was lucky enough to have been given some of his things. Among them was this book. I feel like this is his way of saying, 'Go for it!' It really is a nostalgic, interesting read and packed full to the brim with everything you would need to know. Whether it be a vegetable patch, keeping chickens, flowers, garden pests right through to bee keeping!. I think it was first published in 1947 and this defiantly looks like a 1940's style book to me..Swoon!.

My grandpa's book.

 As I was flicking through the book I found a page my grandpa must have bookmarked. Madly enough it was the diary of the year-which vegetables were in season, how to grow/look after. All the information one might need to grow their own!. Set in monthly pages January right through to December.
 At this point I had a little cry. This book mark was so meant for me!.

 So with my best land girl attitude and my grandpas book I am set to have a garden to make him, and my nan, proud. Tonight I am all set with a cup of green tea, a long soak in the tub armed with the book. Hoping to soak up some of unknown territory that is 'Pratical gardening and food production, in pictures'.

If anyone has any tips, advice please get in touch, I need all the help I can get!.

Lauren x