2011: The Year of Shabby Chic!

Hello bloggers,

I have so many ideas for blog posts that I have started to write a list! I just hope that this enthusiasm continues and that it is remotely interesting. My only worry is that I am not going to find enough time to write/edit my posts. How do you all do it? This one should have been on earlier – naughty!

I thought my first ‘real’ blog post should be about what I achieved in 2011. It was the first full year of living in our new home and offered some high and low moments. As the house was bought with the intention of ripping it all out and starting again, I began the year with so many ‘to do lists’ and projects in mind. Whilst some projects were a success, others were a complete and utter disaster. So, here are some of my projects from 2011:

The first lesson I learnt was that cream is a colour that should never be overlooked. When we moved in, I was eager to paint upstairs. I created mood boards; spent hours scouring the shops for unusual colours and purchasing magazines to help me plan. I remember wondering why people would just nod and smile wryly when I told them about my overly ambitious designs. I decided on a very pale pink for my dressing room/ little bedroom; cream with a brown feature wall for the back bedroom and grey with a violet feature wall in our bedroom.

When it came round to purchasing the paint, we, I mean ‘I’ decided that it would be a good idea to get our paint mixed for our bedroom. We couldn’t find the purple/violet/lilac that we wanted, and thought this would be the best move. It wasn’t. When I opened the tin, I still wasn’t happy, so therefore set about ‘rectifying’ the situation. As a result, the colour we now have is a concoction created after said tin was opened and cost double the amount it originally should. Thankfully, the bedroom is finished and although I like the room, it isn’t perfect and I regret making such a fuss. I am currently waiting for the appropriate moment to say, “Can we change the bedroom walls?” I wonder how long I should wait?

My second achievement was my faux fireplace. Again, when I moved in, I thought there would be lots of hidden character and treasures to discover. One of my craziest thoughts was that there was a Victorian fireplace behind the plasterboard in our bedroom. I imagine you are shaking your head in exasperation or thinking, ‘surely, if there was, it would have been on display?’ Well, you are right, especially as it is a 1950’s house. Not even a whiff of Victorian character.

Please ignore the Xbox controller...

What happened after I began to peel away the plaster and wallpaper was not how I had anticipated this little project to materialise. After knocking through the plasterboard, I was greeted with a cloud of black dust, soot and… a dead blackbird. It took two hours and five bin bags to clear the muck. Gross! However, in its place now stands a beautiful cast iron surround that gives the room the character I was looking for.

My third project was a roman blind. I have a bit of an obsession with red and white polka dot material, as I am sure you will come to find out, so wanted to create some blinds to lift the kitchen and hallway. At that point, I had virtually no sewing skills whatsoever, however, with the help of some online tutorials, a book and a very patient and mathematically gifted boyfriend, I succeeded. It definitely has that rustic charm! To add to this, on my birthday, a wooden heart suddenly appeared attached to the string. This was a lovely addition and a nice surprise.

Another project that I am particularly proud of, but can’t take complete responsibility for, is my bedroom curtains. I wanted a dark and thick material and had seen this ruffled effect in a local restaurant. With the help of my mum, I made these bedroom curtains and I love them. She is such a whizz on the sewing machine and my aim in life is to be as good as her. One of my fondest childhood memories is going to a fancy dress party as a bride. My mum had cut up her wedding dress and made it into a mini one for me. I remember spending hours playing dress up and organising cat walks for my sisters and I. I wish she had kept it, but sadly, like all my dancing costumes, she donated it to the local Primary
school. Hopefully, some little lady is sitting in it right now!