A new floor!

Spring must be in the air or something as we seem to have taken spring cleaning to the next level and had new floors laid! Next up are new carpets and we've found a carpenter to build us new wardrobes (more on that in a later post).

We've lived in our house for about 7 years now and apart from a few major purchases when we first moved in, we've been pretty frugal and either made do with what we inherited in the house or I've decorated or re-purposed along the way.  This is partly from a lack of money but mostly because if something is still in good condition (might not be exactly what I want) it seems such a waste to rip it out or throw away.

A good example is our kitchen cabinets.  They were dark wood and really made the kitchen look very heavy and dark.  But, hey, they were good quality!  There was no way I was going to get rid of them, so I painstakingly rubbed them down and repainted using 2 coats of undercoat and 3 of eggshell. I then changed the hardware and we then replaced the kitchen worktops.  7 years on they still look good and my paint finish has lasted the test of time.

These are the 'Before'...

This is part way through the painting...

These are them now - so much better :)

I love my blackboard door - best thing I ever did painting that with blackboard paint.  So useful!

Anyway, this post isn't really about the kitchen cabinets, it's about the floor!  The main point being that the floor downstairs was an okay floor.  It wasn't unpleasant in any way, it just wasn't the floor we'd have chosen.  And it bugged me that the wood went one way down the hall and then when it hit the living room, it went the other way!  But we lived with it and pretended we liked it....and then suddenly woke up a few weeks ago and decided it had to go!

These are the before...

These are now....

We can't believe the difference.  The colour is soooo much better and having the planks lie all the same direction seems to make the space look bigger.

Full of love for our floor now :) XOXO

Love is in the air...

So, I decided to have a go at creating some Valentine themed downloads for my Etsy shop. There is some beautiful imagery out there and most of what I've used is from my favourite site The Graphics Fairy.

I started with some circles, that could either be used as cake toppers or for scrap-booking, labels, cards....wherever your imagination takes you!

I had great fun playing around with these, particularly using the pencil tool on PSE to draw around the hearts.

Next I started on some hearts...

....but couldn't leave it there and decided to create two different Valentine card designs, along with a matching envelope.  I always think there is something special about giving a card in a handmade envelope.  It just feels as though you've put more love into the giving of your card.

In fact I got so excited about envelopes that I just had to have a go at this cute little button envelope. Maybe too tiny for a card (although you could hand make one the perfect size) but you could pop a little message in there or small gift.  This one measures 8 x 11.5 cm finished size.

I just adored the image of these two doves.  Here's how I put it together:

First cut out the envelope template and the two button pieces. 

Then fold in all four edges.  You'll find that they will naturally fold in the right place but if you want to be really accurate then you could score some lines first with a bone folder or the tip of a small crochet hook.

Stick the two long edges together first.  I used double sided tape, but I was a bit clumsy where I put it!  If you look closely you can see the edge of the tape sticking out.  Then fold up the smaller bottom edge and stick.  Voila!  You have a lovely small envelope.

Next sew the buttons on.  I used a needle and sewing thread, but if you had some brads handy then they might be better.  I also found that the buttons were getting a bit crumpled as I was sewing.  Next time I would stick them onto some card first or another sheet of paper and then cut out.  I just think it would give them some extra stability.

Finally take some more thread (I used a slightly thicker one) and make a loop around the top button and tie with a knot.  Then use the length of thread to wind around the bottom button several times (as seen) to create a closure.  Can you see my very messy tape in this picture?

So there you have it, a very cute button envelope!

All resources can be downloaded from my Etsy site Alegreya.  Happy Valentine's day X

Making lampshades

A friend of mine went on a course a year or so again to make lampshades.  Hers was a huge success and ever since then I've been dying for an opportunity to also make my own.

We recently bought a new standard lamp for the dining room.  It was one of those that has 3 legs merging together at the top.  It's called a tripod and we got it in the sale from Habitat (result)!  The only thing was that you had to buy the shade separately and because the base was pretty tall, it needed a really big shade to finish it off...and they are expensive!  Plus I really didn't want some bland beige or white shade.  I wanted something that would fit with the new decor and add in some of the brighter colours, so it was a great opportunity to make my own.

I got the kit from a great website called Need Craft.  They had a superb range of shapes and sizes so I opted for a modern drum shade 45cm diameter.  At the same time I also got some extra kit materials as I decided to re-do the shade on a pretty glass lamp base that I already had.  The next step was finding the right fabric.  I had an idea in my head but couldn't seem to find what I wanted.  Our dearest friends have an interior shop in Cheltenham Upstairs Downstairs and they let me have a rummage in their offcuts pile.  Luckily I found 2 bits of fabric that were just the right colours.  The only problem was that they frayed really badly.  The one piece wasn't too bad but the larger stripe was awful (more on that in a mo...)

So this is what you get in a kit - 2 rings, double-sided tape, backing sheet (which has a sticky side) and a little triangular piece with a jagged edge that you use to push the fabric under the ring edges on the inside.

Next place your fabric wrong side up (I find it helped to iron it first) and then start peeling off some of the backing on the sheet provided.  This is quite stiff and is the inner of the lampshade.  Carry on peeling off the backing and stick the sticky side onto the fabric as straight as you can.  It's not difficult, but I had to be careful because my fabric was striped so I didn't want to skew it.  Roll the sheet along the length of your fabric, firming it down with your hand.  It's quite sticky but you can lift it up and re-position if you need to (which I did on my smaller shade).

Once stuck on, cut around the edge of the sheet (you can see in the above photo how much my fabric was already fraying.

The backing sheet has a partially cut line along the 2 lengths.  You need to 'crack' this edge and peel it off leaving an edging of fabric along each side (see below).

Then place some double-sided tape along one of the shorter edges and peel off.  This will be the edge that sticks the lampshade all together so make sure you choose the edge you want to show on the outside.  You can see my edges are really fraying at this point so I actually placed double-sided tape along the edges to stop them unraveling any more. My sister has since suggested I use something like Aleene's stop fray fabric glue.  Hindsight, eh?

Next, take the roll of double-sided tape and place it all around the outer edges of the lampshade rings. I don't know if this is normal double-sided but it is super sticky!  Peel the red film off.

Now the slightly tricky bit.  Take your two rings and place them at the start of the fabric (NOT the edge with the double-sided tape) and start rolling.  Keep rolling all the way keeping your rings straight along the edges of the backing sheet.  When you reach the end then stick the overlapping ends together.  So the edge with the double-sided tape then sticks on top of the start edge.

Next roll over the top and bottom edges of fabric over the edges of the rings.  It will stick onto the double-sided tape that is on the rings.  You then use the triangular piece of card with the jagged edge to tuck under the ends of the fabric inside the shade.  However, because my fabric had frayed I didn't have enough fabric to really roll over neatly and then tuck into the underside of the rings, but it doesn't really show so I can ignore it!

And the finished result!  The larger drum shade (instructions above) and the smaller shade that I re-covered.  Pretty darn pleased :)

Seville Orange Marmalade

I think one of my favourite things to do on a cold January day is to make marmalade.  It's become a bit of a yearly tradition.  I personally like Seville Orange because of the slight bitterness combined with the sweet sugar.  Last year I felt mine had a bit too much peel in it - every time I put a dollop on my toast, I seemed to have more peel than jam, so this year I tweaked my recipe and made it with less peel and a bit more water.

Here it is....

I used 8 Seville oranges (just over 1kg in weight), 2 lemons, 2 kg sugar and 4 1/2 pints of water. You will also need a large heavy weight pan.  I use a maslin or jam kettle because I make jam and chutney through the year so it was worth me buying one and I've had mine for years now.

I cut each orange into quarters but only enough to go through the skin, rather than cut through the whole orange.  I then peeled each quarter away.  This was a new method for me.  I normally half each orange and the squeeze out the juice before cutting into shreds.  Got to say, this was a lot easier and cleaner.

I then cut each quarter into shreds, as fine or thick as you like.  Personally I prefer mine thin.  These were then added to the maslin or jam kettle.

I then squeezed the juice from each orange.  The best way was in my hands over a bowl and let the juice and pips fall into the bowl.  Additionally cut up the lemons and squeeze out all the juice from these.  The lemons provide extra pectin that helps the jam to set.  You could also cut the lemon peel up and use in your marmalade but I didn't for mine.

I then strained the juice through a sieve into the jam kettle and placed all the pith and pips (including from the lemons) into a muslin cloth that was then tied up and placed in the jam kettle along with the juice and shredded peel.

Add the water ( I used a little extra than the 4 pints my recipe specified) and bring everything to the boil.  Simmer for about one and half hours to two hours until the peel is soft and easily breaks in half with a spoon (yours could be less time so keep checking).  Once the peel is soft, remove the muslin cloth full of pith and place in a bowl.  What you need to do now is squeeze as much of the valuable pectin out of this as possible into the jam kettle.  I put on rubber gloves and did this as it is quite hot.  Some recipes suggest squeezing between two tea plates..  When you think you've got out all of the jelly like substance, it's time for the sugar.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.  To check it's dissolved coat the back of a wooden spoon.  If it's clear then the sugar has dissolved, if it's grainy then stir again and wait until it is.  If the sugar isn't dissolved properly then the marmalade will taste grainy.

NB: I used 2 kg of sugar.  My marmalade is quite sweet.  If you want it less sweet then I suggest you don't use quite the whole 2kg.

Once the sugar has dissolved then you need to bring the marmalade to a rolling boil.  At the same time, pop some small saucers or plates into the freezer to cool right down.  You will need these to test if your marmalade is set.  Boil the marmalade for at least 15 mins then start testing the set.  Bring a plate out of the freezer and pop a teaspoonful of marmalade on to it and put in the fridge for a few minutes.  Bring it out and push the marmalade with your finger or a spoon.  If you get a defined crinkle or rippling as if a skin has formed then it's set.  If not then boil the marmalade for another 10 minutes and keep checking until you have the consistency you want.  Be careful not to over boil otherwise your marmalade will cool in the jars and be more like toffee!  It's hard to be precise as it depends how much pectin is in your marmalade to begin with.  Mine took 25 mins in total, but it is quite a soft set.  I like it like that but it's not every one's taste!

Once your marmalade is ready, turn the heat off and put your ready washed jars into a low oven for about 10 mins to sterilise.  If your marmalade has developed a bit of scum (which is quite normal), then a teaspoon of butter stirred into the pan will disperse it.  Once your jars are ready, then it's time to fill them.  I've got a handy funnel, but you can just spoon directly into the jars.  Fill the jars, place a waxed disc directly on top of the hot jam (it helps seal it) and pop the lids on (I do this whilst hot).

The finished result!  Mine made about 10 jars but they were of varying sizes.  I then created these sweet little marmalade labels.  You can find them in my Etsy shop.

Now for the toast..... :)

Snowdrops

Today has been one of those lovely cold but bright winter days.  I took a quick stroll in the garden (more of a bog at the moment with the rain we've had the last few day) but my heart was gladdened by the sight of snowdrops, hellebores and daffodils heading skywards...

It never ceases to amaze me each year how, despite the dismal winter weather, Mother Nature still pushes forth those budding shoots of spring.  It's only mid January but I can already see the first sights of spring around the corner.....