Lovely new curtains in the living room.

On Saturday, David really helped me out by taking the children into town for the afternoon. With a quiet empty house, I sang along to First Aid Kit (loudly) - a very welcome Valentine's gift from David, that I'm really enjoying listening to (have you heard of them?), made myself a quick lunch, and then set about putting up our new curtains in the living room!

My mum (who is a complete star, and very talented) made the curtains for me for my big birthday last year. Thanks mum, I absolutely love them - I keep wandering into the room, just for another look!

They really add a warmth to the room, and help to make the space feel more "grown up". It felt really good to take down the cheap, faded IKEA curtains that were hanging there. 

Here's more of a close up shot - I chose the fabric (from Dunelm Mill) for a few reasons - I thought the cream background would really lighten up the room and the green matched the colour on the walls, but wasn't too samey. Also, the leaf motif is embroidered onto the plain background fabric, which is the same as the flowers on the cushions.

The new curtains have really refreshed the living room, and I can't wait for mum to finish the curtain that is going to hang at the door in the dining room area. When that's done, the rooms will pretty much be complete!

What do you think? Do you like them?

Also, I'd just like to say hi to my three newest followers - welcome Daisy of Lazy Daisy Jones, Sophie of Fading Grace and Hettie Brown, and Jenny of The Custards. Thank you for following me!

Bathroom cabinet . . . finally!

A long long time ago, I wrote about looking for a cabinet to go in our bathroom. It was meant to be my birthday present from my parents that year. Well, on Friday I was finally able to call my dad and congratulate him for buying me my birthday present, albeit well over a year late! I successfully (with a little help from David who was watching the auction on a train heading back from Durham), managed to bid for and win a beautiful cabinet on Ebay, and yesterday we braved the pouring rain and drove to Pontypool to pick it up.

I'm really thrilled, as it's exactly what I'd wanted - size, colour, everything. Apparently, it used to display tiaras in a bridal boutique, and prior to that, it spent years in a watch shop, so it's got quite a quaint provenance too.

At the moment, it's sitting on top of another cupboard in the bathroom, as this is the safest option for the children, while I wait for the weekend when I can have David's help to put it up on the wall. It's going to eventually hang on this wall, but at a height that'll be just above the tallest frond on the aloe vera - it's going to look so good, and it should house loads of our bathroom paraphernalia. I'll post a few pictures when it's up on the wall!

And the winners are . . .

So, as promised, my chosen few . . . sorry it's coming to you a day later - you can mainly blame teething for my tardiness.

As a condition of accepting my little blog's award the other day, I have to pass on the award to a further ten blogs that I find inspiring. Here they are . . .

Pardonmyfrenchie - now, I have to admit from the off, that this is my sister's blog. She reviews films and displays her cool photography skills in an incredibly witty way. Family ties aside, this new blog deserves recognition - she's doing a great job!

Bristol Parenting Cafe - because the lovely C is so friendly and she posts gorgeous pictures of her family doing wonderful activities together. 

At Home With Red - for Dawn's sharp photography and pretty displays.

Little Green Shed - for the beautiful pictures in Lou's House Love section.

The Custards - for the fantastic array of vintage finds and little projects.

Fading Grace - a cosy, well-written blog that enthuses about a simpler life. Full of lovely pictures and up-cycled delights.

Celebrate Creation - Claire has a great collection of inspiring interiors pictures and DIYs.

A Few Things From My Life - I've admired the work of Sarah and Bendrix for a long time, and the accompanying blog is so so pretty. I'm also quite in love with Veronica's house.

A Quiet Corner - because it is just that - Karen's blog exudes calm, both in the friendly way it is written and the lovely pictures of her home. Plus, she's an English teacher, so I'm very impressed that she has time to mark and write!

Dreaming of an Aga - because I do too, or at least a range cooker. Fay charts her idyllic life in the country with some charming makes.

This list is by no means meant to exclude or alienate - there are so many more wonderful blogs that I read all the time - all of you are doing great things!

Last bit of award admin - I have to post the rules in this post:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Add the One Lovely Blog Award / The Very Inspiring Blogger Award to your post.
3. Share seven things about yourself.
4. Pass the award on to a further ten lovely bloggers.
5. Include this set of rules.
6. Inform your chosen ten by posting a comment on their blogs.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

I'd just like to thank . . .

I had a lovely surprise when I checked my email yesterday - the lovely Viv from Re-routed had nominated me for a blog award. I was very touched that she had thought of me - thank you again Viv!

My second thought was - argh! Can I think of seven things about me that anyone except me or perhaps my closest friends and family (who would probably only be indulging me!) would find interesting?

Anyway, the rules of accepting the award state that I have to spill, so here goes . . .

• I was a good girl at school. I still have my deputy-head girl badge in my jewellery box. My brother and sister used to call me Bof.


• I hate heights, but always force myself to go on rollercoaster rides.


• If I had another child, I'd love to give it a name from one of Shakespeare's plays, but I don't think I'm quite brave enough.


• I'm so long-sighted that I can't see anything, anywhere. Seriously, it doesn't matter if you're holding up two or four fingers, or just the one rude one . . . I wouldn't be able to tell you how many were there!


• I'm a complete and utter romantic. I think this is fuelled by the fact that my degree was in English Literature.


• I can be incredibly clumsy. Bull in a china shop type stuff. It often involves red wine being spilled.


• I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. On reflection, it's probably not such a sensible place to put it!


• So, there you are . . . now you know me a little better. Hope you're still reading!

Next step is to pass the award on to another ten bloggers who I deem deserving, which I will be doing tomorrow . . . watch this space.

Can't stop looking at . . .

Each week, I'll be sharing with you something that has caught my eye. It may be a picture, blog, product or website.

In an effort to streamline our finances, I stopped my subscription to LivingEtc a while ago. I miss it. Especially when they feature wonderful rooms like this one - love the chartreuse and teal combination against the white walls and little floral touches.

Image from here.

Happy weekend everybody!