Bathroom makeover

This is the last room of the house to be renovated and although it looks very similar in the before and after it was the mother of all jobs. New pipework, new position of sink and shower, new tiles. All done on our usual shoe string. We retained original ceramic fittings (out of necessity) and the bathroom cistern which is wall mounted fits in really well with the overall look of the room. Pale blue making a serious comeback too .. well a certain shade of pale blue.

Slow and steady wins the race

'It's only November' – hearing that bleating parrot of a sentence makes me implode. I want Christmas. I can see it, I can smell it and I just want to start surrounding myself in blissful colour schemes and intoxicating festive smells. So there it is, time to start decorating the house.
This wreath is from The Range. It was EUR24 and has an in-built set of warm Christmas lights. Perfect for front door or internally as I have used it here. Image does not do this justice.
Now for the rest of the house...

Cosy Autumn Corner

Love this little corner where I watch my favourite TV programmes and crochet my heart out. This area in the house is quite close to the main road so a good high spec window supply and installation was critical. We used Munster Joinery and choose a PVC Black Ash Sash Window.  It's warm and cosy here in the Autumn as the sun shines in the daytime. Perfect crafting space.

Work in Progress 'Before'

Cosy corner for Crafting 'After'

A little 'Make and Do' on this sunny September morning....

Repurposing is one of my favourite hobbies. I love the whole transformation process. A yard of fabric, a nail gun and some old wood – hey presto! a lovely new 'To Do' Chalkboard. I need this badly, some accountability is no harm when you are self-employed .. and the bigger the better. This old bookcase is transformed and big and all as it is I need it to be HUGE. Busy season ahead, it's the one time of year where I work all hours, it takes care of the leaner Spring season. So here it is, soon to be full or orders, delivery times and ideas.

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