Things

Time is passing in a blur, and I'm not really getting that much done.  Certainly no crafty makes to show off!

We've put up a print in the tea-station in the new kitchen.

Since taking this photo I have been fiddling about with the teapot position and adding things to the top shelf - still trying to get it just right!

Just over a week ago I had a massive surge of decluttering and got well ahead of myself in my "Less 365" Calendar.  Although, I've nearly caught myself up again now - d'oh!

And slowly but surely a few stitches here and there have been added to my stripy blanket:

Although I've got a sudden desire to make something with these pretty colours:

We shall see...

Bits and Pieces

Thanks for the lovely positive comments on my new kitchen - I really appreciate them!  It's great to hear such nice feedback.

There has been a serious lack of craftiness on this blog lately, so I am glad to say I've picked up my hook again, and got back to work on my cotton stripy blanket:

It's coming along nicely!  I've also been pretty good at sewing my ends in as I go (apart from those few you can see that I need to get onto before they build up too much).

I've been doing a bit of baking too (in my fancy new kitchen!  Let me tell you, that oven works so much better than the ancient one we had!).

Banana bread using this recipe - I heartily recommend it!  (Can you see the steam coming out of the mug of tea?  Love that!)

While unpacking some bits into the new kitchen (did I mention I have a new kitchen?!) I came across these colourful silicone cake cases and thought I'd take a cheery picture of them:

I find myself a bit confused by silicone cases - are you meant to bake and serve the cakes in them?  Are they instead of paper cases, or do you use both?  It's a mystery to me really - but they are pretty!

We also had a visit to the garden centre on Sunday, and picked up some seeds for our garden:

We need to get on with the garden this year, as we didn't touch it last summer when we moved in.  To be honest, I'm not green-fingered, so the Lumberjack will be running the garden project!  (I'm more interested in laying in the sun admiring the new flowers, so fingers crossed that will be possible this summer!)

Talking of our garden, there are loads of daffodils flowering which is so cheery.  Enough that we could pick a few for the house!  I'm looking forward the the tulips flowering next!

A bit of a random post of bits and pieces... until next time...

Kitchen Transformation! (Part 2)

Thanks for the lovely comments on Part 1 of the 'Kitchen Transformation'!  I've managed to get some more photos to show you around the room a bit more!

You've seen this main shot...

The kitchen has now been filled with a few bits and bobs - trying not to clutter it too much!

This is a (blurry) picture of how the window side used to look:

You can see on the right that the oven used to be there in the corner, at the end.  Strange cooking right in the corner of the room like that.

This was it ripped out with the gas for the oven moved, and the electrics wired up:

And now...!

(We still need to get a blind.)  Where the oven used to be on the right, we now have open shelves to fit under the slope of the roof (where the stairs go above).  This is a little tea/coffee station!

The empty kilner jar is for demerara sugar, but I'd run out!

The old view looking towards the door out to the hallway:

How it looks now (slightly different angle):

I want to replace that door for a panelled one, but will do that when we decorate the hall.

The old view looking towards the door to the lounge/diner:

During:

Now:

On the left is a integrated fridge freezer, then next to it a tall larder cupboard - so much storage in there, it's great!  The door used to open into the kitchen which was so annoying, encroaching on the space.  It now opens into the dining half of the lounge/diner, but is a bi-fold so it tucks into the corner out of the way.  (As I have been typing this fancy knobs have been added to the door by the lumberjack - but the light isn't good to take a pic now!  They are the same knobs we used on the dresser makeover, which you can see here.  There were two left over, so very handy.  This means that on the dining side, the door knob matches the dresser, and on the kitchen side it matches the colour of the walls - perfect!)

One last shot of the oven alcove:

Maybe I should have shined up the hood!!

So, there you have it!

Kitchen Transformation! (Part 1)

Thanks for all the positive comments on my bedroom - I was so chuffed to read them!  It's nice to see the room through fresh eyes, and hear (read) good things!  The consensus definitely seems to be that the brights work with the room.  I think that's why I've not got round to changing those items - because in my heart of hearts I knew I'd probably change them and actually prefer how it was before!  I do like a bit of cheery colour.  The Lumberjack likes it too.

Well... without further ado - the kitchen!

This is how it looked when we viewed the house (estate agent picture):

We actually ruined it a bit by getting the combi-boiler put in (which apparently had to go there rather than further in the corner, I forget why), when we had central heating installed when we first moved in...

A bit more cluttered and messy than when the old lady had it - and we got rid of her curtains!  (We put our washing machine on the other side of the door and window shown there, in a little utility nook - I've got plans for that, so I'm sure it'll feature here at some point!)

The main problem with the kitchen was that there was hardly any continuous worktop to use - tiny sections of worktop here and there, so annoying.

This was mid-ripping out:

After the builder had got to work - door and window blocked in:

After the plasterer did his thing (something went a bit funny with this pic, but you get the idea):

I'd stepped in with some basecoat:

Then....... after more painting, fitting and what not....

........wait for it.............

.................exciting..............

..........here it comes.......

TA DAHHHHHHH!!

Our lovely new kitchen!!!!  We're so pleased with it.  I keep going in there just to stand looking around!

I will post more before and after pictures of different views around the kitchen - these have all been of the same view.  I just need to finish painting the woodwork, and I was too impatient to wait before sharing this on here!  So, watch this space for more.  (This is the "main" view of the kitchen, though - the best bit!)

Hope you like it!