Easter at the cottage

 I hope you all had a lovely Easter 

I'm busy teaching Sewing Camps to kids but over the weekend I got to enjoy some time at home doing what I love most - some sewing, drawing, baking, a little spring cleaning (just a little) and lots of pottering. 

I just love these Easter themed cookie cutters.  I've had them hanging on my Easter tree as decoration but during the week I used them for the purpse intended to make some bunny cookies for the girls in my sewing camp.

I used a lovely buttery lemon shortbread recipe (my go to biscuit recipe) 

Meanwhile I filled the cottage with daffodils and bunnies to get into the Easter festive spirit. 

 I hope you all had a lovely Easter xx

A weekend full of cake

Hello lovelies!  I know I've probably lost half my followers as Ive been gone for so long but I'm back.  I've beat myself up a lot for letting my blog slip but you know sometimes you just have to let some things go if they aren't working so I did, but only temporarily.  

So let's catch up .... I'm starting from my favourite corner of the cottage on Friday morning.   Before I left for work I plumped up my cushions, put clean throws on my sofa, cleaned out the stove and filled a basket of turf all in anticipation of spending my entire weekend here :) Needless to say it didn't turn out as planned but it was still a lovely weekend nonetheless and I'm now sitting here... At last ... In front of the fire. 

My weekend has been (cue guilty feelings) full of CAKE really!

It started with Afternoon Tea at the lovely Lough Rynn Castle.  Honestly it's under an hour away from my house and each time I go I wonder why I don't go more often!  It's such a treat, not just the food but the whole experience. 

 

The highlight being my first piece of Christmas cake ... Okay it was probably a wedding cake but I like to think it's Christmas cake ! 

As if that wasn't enough cake for one weekend I then spent this afternoon baking. It's been really grey and wet wet wet here in the West of Ireland so I've loved having my table lamps on which make the kitchen so cosy.  

I started with delicious Anzac biscuits. Honestly if you haven't tried them you must! They are so scrumpscious!  

I also made a gorgeous Dutch Apple Cake which is heavenly!  It's so light, perfect on it's own but ding dong delicious with a big blob of cream! 

You always know how good a cake is when there's only one piece left in a matter of hours of it coming out of the oven! 

As you see things haven't changed much at the cottage ... I'm still eating cake and plumping cushions :) 

What about you peeps, what have you all been up to? 

Must dash ... Time to re-plump the cushions and maybe squeeze in the last slice of cake. Comfort eating as it's the penultimate episode in the last series of Downton #devastated

Bloggy catch up

Apologies for another bloggy break - what can I say I've been busy dreaming/working :D   

My creative work got pushed aside for the beginning of the year as I took on a few other jobs.  What can I say - being creative is good for the soul but not when it comes to paying bills!  I've found myself going back to where I started and working in IT.  I've been doing more and more private workshops with people on blogging (the irony!) facebook and all things social media.  I've also been managing a few social media accounts for businesses so it's been a busy time!  

In between that I've been back at the cottage drinking lots of coffee

dreaming of making things (lots of DIYs to come soon) 

and the biggest project of all - re-decorating the cottage!

It all started in January - and I'm almost done!!! ALMOST

The sitting room and bedroom got their makeover first ...

Will be posting all the after shots in the next few weeks.

My bedroom hadn't been touched since I first moved into the cottage.

I was so glad to pull up the hideous lino that was full of holes from where I caught it when moving furniture!

I totally LOVE LOVE LOVE my new white distressed floorboards, they have made a HUGE difference!

I also painted the dark wardrobe, added lots of shelving and took off the end of the bed which makes the room much bigger.  

Since then I've had some stuff going on so I've had to press the PAUSE button on the redecorating but Spring has Sprung, the daffodils have bloomed and I'm getting back to it again.

I've also been ticking things off my Vision Board  - one of them being "Learn to play Piano".  I'm really loving it !  I bought this keyboard over 10 years ago in Selfridges in London and had to get a bus and two trains to get it home on a sweltering hot day.  Since then it's been in it's box and everytime I caught a glimpse of it I'd say "one day" in my head.  Finally that day has been and gone and I'm now playing the piano.  Can't wait to buy one for the cottage for a good old sing song :D  Where I'll put it is beyond me but you know me - where there's a will, there's a way! 

I do still find myself posting more to Facebook and Instagram so if you are on there be sure to pop by and say hello or leave your handles/usernames etc in the comments below and I will pop by for a visit. 

Petticoats and Bloomers

It's 5.25 pm here in Ireland on Sunday 21st September and I've had to wear sunglasses and put sun screen on as it's so warm and sunshiney out there.  I kid you not.  It's positiveley balmy!!

It's all very strange as the kids are back to school and I'm making Christmassy makes for my shop and normally I'd be curling up on the sofa with the fire on and some crochet in my hand but I'm sitting here in my summer clothes and flip flops.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, it's just all a little confusing.  Nice but confusing.

The best thing is that I'm still getting to hang my clothes on the line.  Alas my washing machine is a little under the weather so today it was a hand wash.  Ironically it's my petticoats and bloomers (yes I said bloomers) that are on the line.  My mum is always telling me I was born in the wrong era as I LOVE hand washing and all that sort of stuff.   If I could go back in time it would be to Downton Abbey times.  Not sure if I'd be upstairs or downstairs though??  Which leads me on to tonight - it's the first episode in series 5 of Downton Abbey.  Are you a fan?  I can't wait.  I've been planning my whole evening all week.  God forbid if anyone calls to the house.  I'll just have the curtains pulled and the sound down low because I won't be answering the door, the phone, emails etc etc

If you are watching enjoy!

img source 

Upholstery for beginners (more like fakers)

There I was, filling a half hour in town before meeting a friend for coffee, it's all her fault!  Or maybe I should be thanking her?    I wandered into one of my favourite shops Frances' Finishing Touches and the second I saw this fabric I just had to have it.  I had no idea whatsoever what I was going to make with it I just wanted.  You know what it's like.  I know I'm not alone here :O) 

So I go for coffee, catch up with my friend and a couple of hours later I get home.  I have orders to complete and invoices to send out (priorities) but I look straight at my beloved red chair and have a eureka moment ... 

I drop my bags and drape the fabric over it and know there and then that's what I'm going to do.  Cover the chair.  

Hmm .... not something I've really done before but then I remember the lovely Sarah Moore (check out Sarah's fab site here) covering a sofa on The Great Interior Design Challenge TV show and think I can do that ! :O)   So off I go in search of the staple gun ......  

20 minutes later ... I kid you not!

Voila!

In hindsight I should have folded this in the other direction and have yet to stitch it.

Despite that I'm pretty darn pleased with how it came out. 

So there you go.  

Not bad for a purchase on a whim. 

Do you like it?  

Mid summer decorating

While most people are off on their jolly hollies I've been turning the cottage upside down and inside out.  It seems to have become a yearly thing.  As soon as the summer camps are over I'm in "let's get ready for Christmas" mode and know that once August is over that's it it's busy season for me!!  So I always do my big jobs in August and this year it's re-decorating the bathroom and kitchen.  The thought of it has been awful for the last few weeks but I started at the weekend, and with the help of my mum, launched into it with gusto.  

The bathroom was first, you can see the last update here when I added the wallpaper.  Don't get me wrong I LOVE that paper but, despite everyone's warnings about this happening I ignored them and damp and mould set in (see top picture, top right hand side) and it had to come down so I could treat the walls properly.  

Even before it was down I planned to just buy the same paper again but once it was all removed I decided I'd go back to basics and live with it plain for a while.  

I painted it all white, this time I went totally crazy and opted for something other than Brilliant White.  I used Sail White by Crown Paints.  Wooo ... living on the edge !!

I painted the skirting, window ledge and bath panel a light grey with paint I already had. 

I'm currently on the accessories.  I had this basket set that I liked for shape and size but not the colour so I thought I'd try painting it.  Just needs another coat but it's looking good. 

I added a simple lace voile to the window as I'm lucky not to be overlooked so I can get away with that.

I'll be back later in the week to show you progress as I got side tracked ....  In typical Michelle fashion I started another job before I finished one !!

I'll show you the finished pictures hopefully by Monday :O) 

Have a great weekend peeps xx