White O'Morn Cottage

Scottie Quilt and Furniture Makeover

Today I was browsing through the quilting book Angie gave me and I found a pattern for a quilt featuring a scottie dog. I've never tried quilting before but this is so appealing and I have some lovely red gingham fabric for the dog jacket.

It said it was for beginners with step by step instructions and I am thinking of trying it on a cushion cover first to give to Catherine (she's our quilting sister) and she'll be mega impressed if I do this....Wish me luck!

...Thanks Angie, just what I needed...something new to obsess about! Guess what ye're getting for Christmas?

 

....and voila! Here is the finished cushion...I didn't actually quilt it just appliqued it as a trial run.....maybe I should try a quilt.  

Furniture Makeover

...and at last I have finished my wicker furniture makeover...I got this three piece suite about a year ago from www.jumbletown.ie one of the freecycle sites, with a view to making it into  shabby chic roses furniture. When I got it all the zips were broken, the wicker was gloomy and dark and the colour of the cushions was very dull. 

I could see the finished look in my mind and I made throw pillows to match from leftover fabric and vintage accordian pleat lace from slips. The fabric I used was bought on Ebay as vintage curtains. I did not even try to match fabrics. Instead I chose two rose prints with similar colours.  So -Roses is the theme and pulls it all together and the colours in the prints work so well that the throw pillows are interchangeable....I don't know why I took so long to complete this project as it only took a few hours in the end! Here is a close up of the throw cushions - I love how they turned out.

Thrift Shop Treasure

As you know I am always on the hunt for attractive storage for my inventory for the website. When I went into my local St Vincent de Paul last Thursday, I spotted these lovely large wicker trunks. They are lined with cotton fabric and look so much better than the gray plastic ones I was using. At only 10 Euro each (approx 14 dollars or 7 sterling) they were a steal!  I added hanging labels to each one with details of what is stored in it.

Then I picked up this beautiful hatbox with great vintage Paris/fleamarket/ dress shop graphics. It now stores my pretty vintage linen doilies and tray cloths waiting to be listed and....

...it also doubles as a prop for my photos of frilly lingerie for listing on the website.

Lullabye

I came across this old photo of my two oldest sons when they were babies. Stephen, on the left, and Christian on the right. It brought me right back. It's hard to believe they are big hairy men now.

Steve says he'll never forgive me for putting him in  pink pyjamas (they were probably on special) Aren't they too cute!

Steve (top) and Chris (below) today. (even their names have changed some -how did that happen?)

Love the bones of ye' lads...and Jamie too of course (this one is Jamie, my baby and I will be searching out a baby pic of him to add here. Ha! you don't get off that lightly Jay...oh, and his name changed too!)

Before and After Rocking Chair

There's nothing I like better than restoring a piece of junk into something lovely to look at and even better if it is good to use too. Case in point is my comfy old rocking chair.

I "rescued" (they don't call me "Fingers Flynn" for nothing) this sad looking chair from a skip (dumpster) near my house. I added a little elbow grease, paint , fashioned a few shabby chic cushions and...viola! The cutest piece of cottage furniture you could ask for and my favourite spot for late night reading. Perfect for a cheap chick - rock chick, rocking chick, shabby chic...whatever!

Cottage Bathroom Before and After

1. Hi, here are some pics of my bathroom both before and after.
3. This was quite a challenge. Even the toilet and hand basin had to be replaced as they were cracked and unusable.  Problem was, having just bought the cottage we were skint! So we had to go to plan B....

Here in Ireland we are lucky to have a couple of freecycle sites called www.jumbletown.ie  and dublinwaste.ie - where people who want to give away something, rather than dumping it, can put it online. That's where the new toilet and handbasin came from.

(Special thanks to Tony Doran of Portmarnock who supplied the lovely vintage style toilet and handbasin!)

The lovely cast iron bath was found locally - in a ditch. The flooring was left over from my sister's living room (just two inches to spare!)  The doors of the hotpress came from the Old Schoolhouse, Aughawillan. This is the schoolhouse featured in John McGahern's bestseller "Memoirs"

The curtains and bits and pieces that finish it off came from flea markets, thrift shops, or gifts from friends and relatives. The only thing new was the tin of paint for the panelling and the panelling which we put up ourselves. Total cost? approx €30.  I love the finished look and it has a close to zero carbon footprint. How green is that?