Updates on my projects

This last week feels like it has been the most stressful ever, primarily because I put the stress on myself and a deadline which was almost impossible to meet.  This is literally the only time I have before the next lot of visitors show up and we have had people round for two days already.  On the positive side we have only had to deep clean once and the house is still tidy so thankfully one less thing for us to do and I have finally managed to do an update video of what the house looks like now.  The last one was taken on 27th January 2014 when we got the keys to the house so it's a little overdue.

These visits I think have given me the motivation to finish some of the projects I have been putting off and in fairness I just have my son's table and chair to do (I only have to sand and varnish the table and paint and stencil the back bar of my son's chair) and then after next weekend I will be taking a break.  I am exhausted yet I feel invigorated it's so odd! I am really really behind on a course I was taking which thankfully is online so I can now catch up to that this week then take a few naps before the next busy weekend ahead, my nephew's 2nd birthday in the South of England.  He will be having a picnic in a national park so I would like to do some baking and intend - time permitting to make these:

Annabel Karmel's flapjacks

Then it is also my sister's birthday and I am always the one who makes cakes for her so being dairy intolerant also, I will be making her this:

Dairy free coconut and lime cakes

I am obviously a glutton for punishment.

So what have I been up to? I will tell you.

I have finished (almost) a baby wall for our hallway, I am two frames short but I will be hopefully getting those this week and the pictures are already printed they just need frames.  It showcases the generations of our family as babies/kids next to a much needed mirror.  My husband dislikes the fact that it's concave but I love it and it also means it can be high up and I can still see myself in it without having to use a stool.  I also think we may start adding babies of friends as it still looks a little sparse but without further ado, my family:

Then there is my son's table and chair.  The previous owners of the house left behind their children's table and chairs.  Unfortunately like many things in the house from them, I have no idea how but they weren't put together properly.  In taking the table and chairs apart I have discovered they are from Ikea, they no longer sell them but here is a picture of the table before: 

 
and the chair with a coat of chalky paint: 

 I decided shortly after both were painted I didn't like the chalky shabby chic finish to them, so they were then sanded down and eggshelled and now the table looks like this: 

Not sure why the right leg looks so wonky, it definitely isn't!

I taped off the legs and sprayed them with green gloss and the spray went a lot further up than I was hoping but I really like the end effect.  I have decoupaged a print of a road onto the table top and although I still need to sand the excess PVA off where it has made the table yellow and then varnish it all, I personally think it's looking great! 

I have also finally finished off the cross-stitches I wanted to put up in my son's room, I just need to get one more frame and I'm all done, I will have to take another picture when all three are up together.  This was definitely a labour of love for me and it took a lot more time and patience than I thought I had.  I have vowed this is now the end of my cross-stitching thanks to that last piece but who knows in the future... 

The piece to the right is another pattern from Etsy and although I'm happy with the finished product, it was mega exhausting.  

The mirror in our dining room has been looking very lonely and small since we got it and although it's a stunning piece over our fireplace it was smaller than I had hoped, so I managed to find some smaller mirrors on ebay which were originally black and have spray painted them to match the decor of the room a little more.  Although they aren't the same gold as the mirror I think they still suit the brown ceiling and beige walls we have. 

Finally, and one that I won't be adding a picture for is a canvas of my husband and son having a moment during his 1 year photoshoot.  It was such a raw image of my son sitting on his daddy's knee, holding onto his finger and being cuddled and snuggled by my husband.  He was so tired and ready for a nap and although it's something that happens every day, it's so lovely to have that moment captured in an image.  The 100 x 50cm black and white image now sits above our stairs and is the last thing you see before bed or you go back downstairs.  It's perfect. 

I'm sure there are other things I have forgotten to mention but for now this is what has kept me so busy.  Another update will follow with pictures of the cakes (hopefully). 

~AB~