July 01, 2012

Decorating for Life ... The Happy Way

 Its been a while now since I last showed you pictures of my little cottage, so I thought I would show you these...of my dining room...you see, it is forever changing..as you know by now, I am a collectorholic of everything cute and kitsch and when I am out and about I kinda forget the size of my little place and just buy what I like...

 ...Hence, I have to keep changing it about because of my new thrifting purchases each week...I am very quickly growing out of space and you will often see a happy delight on my website...where I have to sell something to make room for something else...!

 When you are out and about, do not be frightened of buying something that you love, you know something from your past! be brave and buy what you like and do not buy something because it is fashionable...buy what you like and what you remember from your past to create your own individual look...this way you will create your own style for your home and you will feel cosy and comfortable in it always.

 I love quirky, cute and unusual bits and pieces...I also love to buy, what I remember that my Nanny Hilda used to like...cheeky postcards, big eye ornaments, cake plates and shabby dolls and teddies, were amoungst her favourites and also now mine.

 My Mum and Dad, were very trendy in the 50's and 60's and I love to collect the pictures that they used to have on the wall in their retro apartment...I can't stand uneven placed pictures or bare walls.

 My Dad was a Roman Catholic...and he used to have a Virgin Mary Figure by his bedside...I now have this same figure in my sitting room...and also love to collect religious pictures and ornaments.

 So here is a picture of  my dining room...it is very small and when we came to view the house, I really didn't think we would get this much stuff in it! lol! we really have filled it to the brim...but everything I look at, I totally love...The Heidi books, below, I remember reading as a child...

 The little Dutch gal, above, reminds me of my cheeky Nanna's plump cheery face... and the postcards are of roses...I sooo love roses...(my Grandad used to grow them in his garden)

 I also have to have retro kitchen units in my cottage, as my Nan and my Mum used to own these in the sixties...I often remember rolling pastry on the pull out table made from enamel...a lovely cold surface was the perfect place for making all kinds of pies and pastries!

 I love my Dining Room and it also doubles up as my craft room...my hubby crafts in our Vintage Green Caravan, outside in the garden...that is his domain...and I craft in here...Oh and I make such a mess! I am one of those crafters that has to get everything out at once!  lol!

The bright and happy atmosphere that I have created, with all my lovely memories around me, really do help to get my creative juices flowing...and sometimes to my peril...I have so many ideas, I create more mess and sometimes don't really get anything achieved lol!
 
I do still love my Cath Kidston pieces...but I prefer the old style CK and haven't really bought anything for a long long time...I do look at her website, but it all seems to of got a little too commercialised for me and probably, if I am honest! too popular!

I have always loved bright and cheery things and nothing beats the hunt for something secondhand and vintage...finding something old which tells a story of a bygone era or a fleeting memory is priceless!

 So...go out there my lovely peeps and decorate your dining rooms and your whole house with memories of your life and you won't go far wrong with the perfect look for you :)

HAPPY DAYS