Celebrating Home :: 2014

Hello Lovelies,

I wonder if any of you can recall my January resolution to do a series of posts celebrating my home this year. I've just be re-reading THIS post and looking at photos of the artwork I drew to go with this idea............

All it says still holds true for me, but I did not carry on with the posts through the following months as I had planned. 

In fact my hopes for a year where things got tidier didn't materialise and our home was starting to get me down. 

I just seem to have spent too much time focusing on the small details whilst in reality SO MANY jobs piled up.

On our last day in Wales mum  and I popped into a charity shop and I was delighted to pick up this sweet framed print for a couple of pounds..............

 It's by THIS artist....I love lots of  the other work in her shop too....and she paints pebbles :0)

But returning to our home after spending time in a much bigger and neater house I could see all the jobs that I had turned a blind eye to for so long.

Time to get organised and start with some serious de-cluttering and even decorating.

It's been twelve years since I painted the smallest bedroom....I know exactly how long it's been as the last time I was pregnant with youngest and ( already having two sons ) was desperate to paint the room pink.

My twenty week scan said that no pink pant would be on the cards so I settled for lime green with a slightly heavy heart. Of course, when my beautiful baby boy was in my arms any disappointment vanished.

 I'd forgotten about my pink room wishes until I opened this tub of ceiling paint.....it goes on pink so you can see where you have painted, but quickly fades to white............

Seeing it in this space those memories came flooding back and I just felt blessed with happy, healthy children to love.

Middle son has now claimed this small, single bedroom with it's odd angles. Youngest is happy to share with his eldest brother.

My decorating is  not perfect, and the colour is darker than I had hoped, but it's tidy and freshly painted............

 I made this owl way back in 2010 HERE and middle son made the adorable alien cushion at school a couple of years ago.

Just two more bedrooms to do now....sigh.

Over the past few weeks I've also been reorganising our downstairs space. I was keen to make all our  boys some study space and I know that soon cold weather will mean our conservatory will be too chilly and dark. So to make more space in our cosy dining room I moved my welsh dresser out and popped it in the conservatory............


Eeek, it's so nice to be able to see it in a bright space were you can stand back and see it from across the room.

Here's a wider angle of this less than perfect space.............

Yes, it's still got a tumble drier in the corner and mis-matched furniture, But it's functional and colourful and TIDY, I'm happy with that.

Playing around organising these shelves always makes me smile, though I have re-donated some of the charity shop things that it held before.....and that seems like a prefect solution to my clutter war..........

Here's how it looks right now....with space for a few home-made items, or charity shop finds that will cost me pennies and give a small donation to a good cause...............

Mum was here on Thursday and she passed the time painting, both my dresser............

and the home made things on the wall next to it..................

Here's what the dining room looks like now......a shelf each for my boys school work and a place for their bags..............

 The painting is one of mum's, and middle son made the clock at school.

I had to smile when I got home from work on Friday and found this wonderful drawing by my niece..........

 She didn't even know about mum's paintings and it seemed such an amazing coincidence that she had drawn part of our home too....bless her.

I'll finish this post with a heartfelt Thank You to all of you lovelies who left such supportive and understanding comments on my previous post.

I'm feeling rather less anxious for my eldest two as they head into the GCSE years. It's just so reassuring to know other mothers feel the same and put things into a bit of perspective.

You lovelies are the best.

Jacquie x

Where we love is home - home our feet may leave, but not our hearts" Oliver Wendell Holmes.