A Crafting Year: Decorating and stuff

Slowly catching up with myself here.

Thought I would show you all my lovely new craft corner.

We redecorated the play room and made it a bit more grown up. As the boys all now have a bedroom each all the toys have gone upstairs which means the dog has less to chew.

I now have somewhere to put all my 'stuff' and boy do I have a lot! It didn't seem so much when it was hidden away all over the house. That was when it was tidy, now it has a ribbon string hanging from under the shelves and all my sewing boxes and button jars...

We also changed the fireplace in this room. We had an old 1930's high mantle which the previous owners had boarded out and put the tv in. We thought about putting a log burner in but it was very expensive so instead I searched ebay and found a fab Victorian fire place complete with mantle and granite plinth

ok you can't really see it because of all the paint pots (3 bedrooms, hall, front room & play room painted)

Metal fireplace

Tile detail

All for the princely sum of £80 :o)

I also took a brave step and painted the previously cream front room a dark Victorian green

At first I was horrified as I thought it looked like a tank but after a few coats (4 to be exact) and it drying properly I love it! So much that I have sent back the bookcase I had bought as I thought it covered up too much of the green. So we still have our books in old Claret boxes from when Chris & I both worked in Oddbins.

I had dressing up to make, at the last minute thanks to my boys memories... so they went as Christmas presents

Noah decided he needed a back story so he was an Elf who had fallen into the parcel machine....!

Another big event was when Jacob & I went to a talk by Chris Packham about nature photography. Now we are really into conservation in this house and we have family membership to the RSPB and BBOWT. I currently volunteer as a Field Teacher with the RSPB and Jacob's ambition is to be a wildlife photographer so this was a big deal for him.

Chris Packham was an absolute star. He met everyone in the theatre foyer before the show, at the interval and stayed behind at the end. He had time for everybody and we all got photos, he even gave Jacob a top trumps set called Plop trumps all about animal poo. A great night out and a true gent..swoon...

The children all marched with the Scouts on Remembrance Day through the town. It was the first year my Dad didn't march with the Royal Engineers as he was away but myself and the children did as we are all scouts. I even managed to capture a rare display of brotherly love on the way home