Painting the Walls – Living Room Update

Not a major renovation but painted the Living Room in 'Wild Garlic' by Colourtrend at the weekend. What a quality paint, wouldn't consider any other brand after testing so many over the years – nothing matches the coverage of this paint.  We couldn't get a carpenter to build bookshelves, they had to be wall mounted so did the usual spin to Woodies, B&Q etc and bought two sets of cube shelving. Nine squares per unit. What a job. 24 mounts, screws, book brackets later the cubes were mounted and now house approx 250books. A little risky but what the hell. Sofa by Harvey Norman, Rug by Caroline Donnelly, Curtains by Next. Must add some wall pictures and we are done.

The stairs is finally done!

When we originally viewed our now house we decided the replacement of the stairs would be pivotal to the success of the refurbishment. We priced and priced, budgeted and scrimped but it wasn't to be. The replacement would extend over three floors and would render the house uninhabitable for 5-6weeks – not the mention the cost. Enough was enough we started to repair the existing crumbling mess. Husband is DIY enthusiast and turned his hand to it. Who would have known as the final redo was quite serviceable and we are pleasantly surprised with our amateur revamp. That saved us about EUR8K!!

I love seeing Crochet throws in movies and TV!

I watch a lot of tv and Netflix during wintertime – it's a great way to race through craft projects, I get really carried away and my project seems to make itself! I always give a little yelp when I see a crochet item on the screen and I keep meaning to offer replicas of these tv props on my website (www.greatislandembroidery.com) but I can't seem to get around to it .... maybe this winter. I particularly like Amy on the Big Bang Theory and adore her granny square throw on the back of her couch. Here are some I noticed over the years...

Amy Farrah Fowler, Big Bang Theory

Wayne's World

Walter, Breaking Bad

Mike and Molly

Rory, The Gilmore Girls