Quick post: Quick sink solution

Just after I moved in, I discovered that there was no real place for the scourer/sponge to go (I hate it when it ends up in the sink!!!)

 

So I took an empty yoghurt pot and cut it up to fit around the tap, as a little holder:

This took all of five minutes, and it's working well! 

 My inspiration for this came from this post for a holder while a phone is charging (so clever), and there is a slightly more elaborate tutorial here for doing this with a shampoo bottle.  I must admit theirs is prettier than mine! 

You could do this with any plastic container that is big enough to hold a sponge or brush when it has been cut.  Again, perfect recycling and repurposing! :D 

-Linda

Quick post: wastepaper basket

We wanted a wastepaper basket in every room, because the flat is long and sometimes it's too much effort to walk to the kitchen!  I had 2 already, for the study and bedroom.  Since most of our time is spent in the lounge, we figured that we really needed one in there too.

When I unpacked my craft box I found the packing paper I'd saved, and decided that it was perfect to make a woven basket out of (instead of buying one).  I decided on blue for the living room a while ago, so I went with blue strips for the highlights:

 It's a small basket, but big enough to hold all those itty bits that accumulate! I just put a small plastic bag in it to keep the paper nice and clean!

So, there you go, a waste paper basket made from waste paper! Perfect.  See my previous basket, here.  Click here for the tutorial.

-Linda

Moving and a fresh start

I've moved house now, into a little 2 bed flat in Bishopston.  It is a fresh start for me, and I finally have the chance to make a place my own (as much as rental properties allow!).  Moving is a headache, I had way too much stuff and not enough energy, so it took about 5 days! And then came the unpacking.  I finally unpacked the last box a few days ago.  

Ever since we applied for the flat, I've been thinking up ideas for making little decorations and organising solutions.  The flat lacks all soft furnishings, cushions, bedspread etc etc. The only thing it does have is either a) ugly beige curtains, or b) curtains that are ok, but are falling off the rail.  So my aim is to make some things that will look nice in the rooms - I decided on colour schemes already, but they might change.  I went on an interior design day course back in May and got inspired and taught how to make the best of a room and how important light is for colour.  

Since moving, I've found that it is actually really hard to imagine how a room could look the way you want it to, when it has all the carpets, curtains and wall colour already.  For example, our bedroom has all three of these in some variation of beige/magnolia.  From the interior design course, I learnt that this can be an effective "blank" canvas if you use it right, and add little (or big) features of your own that follow your colour scheme.  I've used an example I found online from Annsely Interiors because, I don't have such a beautiful example myself!

SOURCE: Annsley Interiors

It gets even harder when you fill all the rooms with stuff which will likely successfully hide any colour scheme you're trying to achieve! Enter pretty baskets and boxes to hide it all!

So far, for the bedroom, I am going to make my own bedspread, and perhaps some kind of window/wardrobe decoration.  All on the cheap or with what I have already in the house. More posts to follow! 

I'm still waiting for the internet in my house, grrr - can't wait to be able to post more regularly!     

Until next time! 

-Linda 

p.s couple of mini posts to follow shortly!