Things are always busy but the past few weeks have been exceptionally so. We had to work today as we sometimes do on weekends but I hit my limit and needed to escape into something that required less concentration for a while.

The unusable space of my craft room has been bugging me for ages so sorting that out was the ideal task to get my mind off design and code.

This was the state of my craft room at about 5pm this afternoon…

…and this is it now, about 4 hours later… Continue Reading »

When we first moved into our house nearly 8 years ago I discovered that I absolutely loved restoring old furniture.

We couldn’t afford new stuff and although I preferred old furniture we couldn’t afford that in good condition either. So with the help of Nitromors (a very effective but chemical laden paint stripper), varnish, stain and paint I sanded, scraped and brushed various old wooden items back to life.

This writing bureau and one of 4 chairs were total freebies and they had both been coated with a thick black varnish which was flaking away. The chairs were minutes away from going on a bonfire but they were so pretty how could I not have them?

This two drawer chest was just £5 from a lady who had painted it bubble gum pink for her daughter when she was little. I had to get rid of that paint for the poor wood underneath.

The only problem is that as much as I enjoyed this hobby, with the chemicals I was using, it was bad, bad, bad for the environment and I haven’t done it for a few years. So, when I saw a post on my favourite blog, Crafting a Green World, about eco friendly stains and paints for furniture it sparked my imagination again. When working on these pieces of furniture I used to daydream about having my own restoring workshop and maybe even a shop like the lovely Bunny’s in Horncastle (Lincolnshire) to show people that re-loved and upcycled furniture is the nicest.

I’ve done a bit of research to find some eco-friendly paint strippers, varnishes and paints which are kinder to the environment and that perhaps I could use when I get my dream workshop and pick up my hobby again. Here’s what I found:

Home Strip – paint and varnish remover
Auro Paint Stripping Paste
EarthBorn Paints
Ecos Organic Paints
Farrow & Ball Paints

If you search Google there are actually lots and lots of eco paints available now. I’ll let you know if I try any of them.

In a fantastic book about smocks and smocking I picked up last summer it quotes a 16th century guide  to ‘husbandrie’, listing the duties of a farmer’s wife. She must feed her husband and children and at about this time of year she would begin to get her seeds ready for growing plants and herbs. She would also sew hemp to make sheets, bedclothes and smocks.

Just imagine how formidable those women must have been. Providing for her family, making sure they were fed and clothed all from her garden. Now, after trying smocking I am even more impressed by these women’s skills and talents. Continue Reading »

Today was such a beautiful sunny day I couldn’t help but be inspired to make something lovely. I had a million ideas going around my head but decided on doing something with the pretty vintage fabric I bought from eBay the other day.

My dressmaking was interrupted with a very welcome interlude of a stroll to the park with my husband and then a mosey down the pub for lunch and a beer or two. Continue Reading »