Archive for the ‘Decor’ Category
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Thrifty frames & Curious walls
Hanging artwork on the wall without a frame is evil. It’s like arranging roses in a vase without water.
This is something I’ve just recently come to understand. For the longest time, I’ve treated my art work (and walls!) as most students do - a poster here, a photo there…hmmm… some more there… some bits of tape, perhaps some glue and voila! Nice. Now let’s hit the pub.
A fraction of my unframed photography, previously taped to the wall...
I love photography and having amassed a large collection of photos through the past few years, I’m always on the look out for frames. Empty frames. Frames with pictures, paintings. Frames of all sizes and shapes. Old frames, new frames. Great frames can be as interesting and decorative as the artwork itself! Read full post
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Patience is a virtue..
I’ve finally moved! I guess now is when the real work begins… everything is a mess. I can’t even find socks to wear and my favorite trousers have vanished. I’ve got no iron so I wear my wrinkled shirts with pride. I wasn’t quick enough in getting photos of the empty place before all my stuff got moved in by two very, helpful and affordable helpers (my parents!) who took complete control and moved all my stuff over to my new place while I was at work but here’s what the living room looks like:
As you can see, there’s plenty of room in my new place. That’s Flint the Wheaten at the window, by the way, checking out the tasty (but speedy) cats in the neighborhood. Much trouble ahead.
A lot of you suggested Freecycle, so I spent some time watching the message threads there for unwanted sofas, bed frames and shelves. Timing is key - you might want to hold off on Freecycle until you’ve actually moved as the listed items go fast and you probably don’t want to move them twice - the owners are reluctant to hold anything for you as they worry you won’t pick up if too much time passes by.
There are also a lot of people watching the threads so you’ve really got to be quick, as many (although not all) offer their stuff based on first come first serve! I spent nearly two weeks sending off emails for the stuff that got listed but didn’t have much luck.
Everything got taken faster than I could catch up on the ‘offered’ posts… so in the end, I caved in and got a sofa from Ikea. But we all know it doesn’t pay off being impatient.. that very day someone responded to one of my pleas and offered me a perfectly nice green two seater! Just my luck, but I’m still happy with my new sofa from Ikea (Karlstad 3 seater at £322).
I didn’t realize until I was already at Ikea to pick up my sofa that you don’t have to buy them with a cover! So if you’re looking for something a bit more special, buy the ‘bare’ sofa which will exclude the cost of the cover and order this instead from a third hand supplier like Bemz. Even cheaper - get your favorite Ikea sofa second hand and dress it in one of these beautiful covers (I still think some of their covers are pricey, though).
I also find a lot of inspiration over at Ikea Hacker - this blog is stuffed with great tips on how to get the most out of your furniture. Love this inventive ironing board!
Another great resource of second hand sofas and other furniture in all price classes is GumTree. I found a beautiful oak dinner table with 6 chairs for only £50! You’ve still got to be quick or someone else will bag the deal. If the seller leaves a number on the listing, do pick up the phone and make a call - don’t use email! I put in a phone call as soon as I saw the dinner table listed but someone still got to the owner before me so I got put on the wait list. Luckily, the first person didn’t pick up and the table was mine!
I’m learning that patience is a definite ‘must have’ in this challenge. Rome wasn’t built in a day… In the meantime, I’m getting lots of inspiration from blogs and articles on interior design. Material Girls is already on my rss feed - although I doubt I’ll come across any of the type of furniture showcased here for cheap anywhere soon. But there are plenty of tips to pick up - like this blog post on Decorating With Books. The floating shelves in the living room are beautiful and I absolutely love the idea of book shelves in the bedroom:
I also learn a lot from glossy magazines like House Beautiful - I put together this color scheme for my living room after getting advice on choosing colours from their website. I might have gone a bit overboard on the blue, perhaps an accent colour is needed..?
All in all, making progress. More soon…
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Challenge: How much can you save by growing your own salad and herbs?
Image: Reclaimed wood-chalkboard trug/herb planter, by the Orchard, from Not on the High Street.
Like a lot of people living in London, I don’t have a garden. In fact, I haven’t owned a garden ever since I left home 15 years ago. Ergo, completely useless green fingers. But I do have a couple of windowsills and a balcony that’s officially not mine but I may be able to use it to grow stuff on anyway.
I’ve accumulated some very cheap gardening tools (Sainsbury’s have a great range), and I’ve picked up a packet of compost that’s meant to be ideal for growing seeds and seedlings. My goal is to do this on a shoestring budget, so no fancy containers for me.
Instead, I go down the nursery school method of using tin cans as containers – and after a bit of research I’ve discovered that parsley is probably the easiest herb to grow from seed. It’s ridiculously easy - and makes a great gardening project if you’ve got kids, too.
To make your own herb pot garden, you’ll need:
• Empty aluminum cans
• Screwdriver and hammer
• Compost
• Small pebbles
• Herb seeds or seedlings
You can also decorate your cans with acrylic paint, but I quite like the urban minimalist look of plain aluminium. Although, I’m quite tempted to make little cosies from old sweaters for my tins cans.
How to make them:
1. Wash and dry aluminum cans, remove paper labels.
2. Turn cans upside down and use a hammer and screwdriver to poke some holes in the bottom of them for drainage.
3. Layer the bottom of cans with loose pebbles, and then fill them up to two-thirds full with compost.
4. Sprinkle some seeds on top of compost, and then cover with another thin layer of compost.
5. Water and place in a sunny window … and wait for them to sprout!
I’m just starting out nice and easy with a bit of parsley, but I’ve got my eye on a couple of good seedling websites that India Knight mentions in The Thrift Book. She orders seedlings (that are best grown in containers and small spaces) from www.sarahraven.com and www.rocketgardens.co.uk - and they’re delivered straight to her door. It sounds ridiculously easy and it’s apparently very good value. In fact, the Instant Patio Container Garden (how I love the sound of that) from www.rocketgardens.co.uk costs £36.99, but it apparently yields as much as £300 in fresh organic produce. Definitely something to think about…
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DIY tutorial of the week: Miniature garden centrepiece
Here’s a tutorial just in time for London’s Chelsea Flower Show this week: your very own minature garden. I found it in the latest Cath Kidston magazine, and it combines my love for tiny gardens (I have a bit of a thing for terrariums) and all things retro and twee (finally – I can put all my vintage cake decorations to good use!).
The best thing about this tutorial is that it requires basically zero gardening skills (that’s good news for me), and it costs next to nothing to produce. In fact, I already had everything I needed to make this project, and I ended up with a lovely table centrepiece that will last for several weeks. There’s also an added bonus: the chance to enter the competition to win a £100 Cath Kidston gift voucher.
Click here for all the details on the Cath Kidston website.
Here’s how my garden worked out:
What you need:
• Newspaper
• Twigs, leaves, lawn moss, sand, gravel and pebbles gathered from the garden
• A large bowl, deep plate or foil baking tray
• Gravel and multipurpose compost
• Foil cake case or tin foil for the pond (I didn’t bother with a pond)
• Any small decorative figures, animals and scenery that may inspire you* (I used a tiny pebble country cottage and some vintage cake decorations)
• Water spray bottle*remember young children can choke on small items.
What to do:
1. Gardening, even in miniature, can be a messy job, so before you start, cover your work surface with paper.2. Until you’re ready to use them, stand twigs and leaves in a glass of water and leave the moss to soak.
3. Fill the container - use all compost or two-thirds gravel, then top up with compost to just below the rim. (I used all compost for my garden)
4. If you want a pond, sink a foil cake case or shaped tin foil into the compost. Fill with water once you’ve completed your garden. Plant twig trees, position pebble boulders, lay gravel paths and moss ‘grass’. Before using the moss, squeeze it gently to remove excess water.
5. To keep the greenery looking green, give your garden a spritz with water every day. You can stand the container on a windowsill, but keep it out of bright sunlight.
I experimented with the placement of my chalky rock (for my own rocky outcrop) and created little mounds with the compost to create little hills. I planted all the tiny ferns, grass and clover together to create the sense of a tiny forest – and place the little cottage in the middle of it. Then I added my vintage deer decorations for a touch of kitsch fauna and fun.
Total spent: £0
Cost of similar centrepiece from one of London’s top florists (based on quote): £80
Total saved: £80
Watch me in action - video coming soon!
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The Big Move
I’m moving! The credit crunch is finally working to my advantage. It is definitely a renter’s market at the time and by moving I’m making a huge savings in rent - £2400 per year! Council tax is also less, which adds around another £360 to my annual savings. You might think I’m sacrificing space for this deal, but I’ve been very lucky. By moving just slightly out of the posh area I’ve been in the last few years, I found a place three times as big as my old one, and with a lovely back garden!
Too good to be true? Well, yes, there’s a hitch. It’s unfurnished. All I’ve managed to accumulate in my adult life is … uh-um, a dog, heaps of books, handbags, dresses and shoes, a teen glued to a PC, and some very, very precious wine glasses. That’s about it, I think…
So what do I do? My family lives overseas, which means no leftover stuff from mum and aunties this time over…
Some of you have already tweeted me some good advice:@rachwarwick, @mattwilliams, @beckyportsmouth and @planbstudio all swear by Freecycle as a great source of free stuff. @beckyportsmouth also had a great idea - set up a Facebook page with a list of what you need and get your friends and family to contribute or sell stuff to you for cheap. @love_little suggested having a look at what people toss out, hunt in junk yards and antique places.
I’m going to try all of that (well, maybe I’ll give the junk yards a miss..). Getting the keys to the place this weekend so stay tuned for a video tour and my facebook page. In the meantime, if you’ve got any advice, have a great blog for furniture or design tips I should follow, catch me on twitter or leave me a comment - much appreciated.
Posted in Bargains & Markets, Decor, Gifts, furniture
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What would grandma do? Make a granny blanket!
Last year the crafty blogosphere went a little bit nuts over Cath Kidston’s £160 vintage-style crochet square blanket (see left). I actually liked the colour palette so much I cut the pic out of the catalogue and stuck it in a scrapbook for inspiration. Now, I can’t crochet to save my life, so I’m not exactly an expert on crafty stuff, but a lot of bloggers were talking about how easily you could make one yourself – and for a whole lot less than the hefty £160 price tag.There are a load of online resources to help you get started on making a crochet square from scratch. One of my absolute favourites is Pip’s tutorial for ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS over at Meet me at Mike’s.
It sounds unbelievably straight-forward, and Pip gives excellent advice on such matters as crochet hook size and exactly what kind of yarn to buy. She’s also posted here as well.
She also links to some other cool resources for making granny blankets. Check it out – it might just get ya hooked (geddit, geddit?).
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DIY tutorial of the week
We are loving this ultra-thrifty ottoman re-upholstered with an old tartan skirt. Totally genius DIY! The step-by-step tutorial is courtesy of ModHomeEcTeacher over on Curbly.com. We found it on the utterly brilliant Design Sponge blog. Let us know if you’re tempted to make it!
Posted in Decor
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What would Grandma do? Recycle choc boxes
Thought this might be a good, timely post with Easter and a mountain of chocolate just hours away. These chocolate boxes (my favourite are Prestat and Charbonnel & Walker) are just too pretty - and practical - to throw away. I recycle them as storage containers for all kinds of things - from spare buttons and badges to business cards. Saves buying a horrible new plastic type to serve the same purpose!
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Car boot sales – the best for thrifty booty
Last weekend, my challenge was to put a car boot sale to the Oola Moola thrift test, so I headed off to one of London’s biggest in Battersea. My objective was to see what I could get for 10 quid, and to be honest, I didn’t really expect to be blown away by what was on offer. However, I was not only pleasantly surprised by the volume of quality thrift, but the prices were also extremely reasonable. (It’s an interesting sign of the times when one is used to paying high prices for other people’s tat.) But Battersea offered loads of bargainous gems, including vintage costume jewellery brooches for 50p, old Gina and Prada shoes for £20, and antique pewter for a couple of quid.
For a full directory of car boot sales in the UK, head over to carbootjunction.com.
If you’re thinking of visiting your local car boot sale over the long weekend, you might like to read my tips for success:
- Get there early.
- Be prepared to rummage – and haggle for a better deal.
- If the seller doesn’t want to reduce the price on a single item, try asking them to do a deal on a couple of items (e.g. “Would you take £10 for the dress and the brooch?”)
- Go with an idea in mind of what you’re after, and what price you’d expect to pay elsewhere (ie. you don’t want to pay antique shop prices.)
- Sunny days will be busiest – so cloudy, drizzly days are your best bet for coming away with a good haul.
- Don’t forget to take a couple of canvas shopping bags for all your thrifty finds.
I really loved having a good nosey around all the stalls, and I managed to pick up some really great bargains. I’ve had my eye vintage dog on wheels for a couple of years, and I finally got one! The asking price was £8, but I managed to get it for £6 - although I had to give him a bath when I got home! I also picked up a couple of vintage English chocolate tins for £1, and a pair of vintage ‘Empire Made’ cotton gloves for £2 (I talked them down from £3). To round it all off, I picked up a couple of old books (Oliver Twist and an English guide to birds, with the most beautiful colour illustrations) for another £1. Pretty good haul, don’t you think?
Battersea car boot sale
Battersea Technology College
Battersea Park Road, London SW11
Every Sunday from 1.30pm.
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DIY tutorial of the week: Spring basket
Check out this timely and super-pretty Easter craft tutorial over at MayaMade. We love the detailed instructions and awesome step-by-step images. Let us know if you made it!
Many thanks to MayaMade for sharing her super-clever tutorial with us, and to Meet me at Mike’s for telling us all about it!
