Recycled tapestry love...

So, um, I was totally tidying the living room to show you the new sofa but I accidentally started with the inside of my filing cabinet. A whole day and two sackfuls of shredded paper later, the living room isn't any tidier. In fact it may be worse. But at least there is some semblance of order in a small part of it. When I get around to taking pictures of the living room you can rest assured that it'll be lovely inside and out.

I have developed a new love which I'd like to share with you today instead of my sofa. Well, strictly speaking it's an old love but it's used in a new way here.

Tapestry. I love the texture, the warmth and the meaning it holds for me. My mother was a keen stitcher and I used to spend a lot of time at it too. We made pictures to frame and cushions galore. But those tapestry pictures have fallen out of favour and I just can't cope with too many cushions. I even have a pile of completed tapestries that I never made into anything. So what to do with them all? Hmmm...


Here are my beloved vintage tapestry handbags.

They're very pretty but won't hold much more than a lippy and some keys. I'm a big bag kinda gal.

As luck would have it I stumbled across these amazing bags on the web, all made from upcycled tapestry!

Cool or what? Anyone could do this...

The bag above makes me think of Fiona.

I love that it's something grannyish used in a new and practical way. No point having a pile of tapestries in the loft right?

Oh my word, someone's been busy!

But what if you don't have a stack of them in your loft?
I picked up two large framed tapestries for £2 each at the boot sale on Sunday. Er, just to add to the pile in case I run out. I'm sooo making one of these bags. There are some great bag sewing patterns to be found on ebay...

But why stop there?
Have you ever seen a tapestry lampshade?

How sweet are they?

If you have a little more time on your hands, how about covering your sofa?

Embellishing a coat?

There are some very creative people out there. I love these ideas.

An entire coat made from vintage tapestries?

Stunning. I'd be smiling too.

Skirts?

What about this inside out deconstructed tapestry skirt?

Certainly different! I hope you've enjoyed this post and you've found something that inspires you. I know I'm not the only vintage textile junkie. I will no longer be passing up those old tapestry pictures and firescreens that no one wants at the boot sales any longer.

If only I could find my bag sewing pattern. It's somewhere in the living room. Better crack on with the tidying...

Most of the sources for these pictures can be found HERE

My Barbola mirrors...

I've spent one and a half days re painting the hallway wall and hanging my Barbola mirrors. They're very pretty and would be perfect in a bedroom but sadly I don't have the wall space so my hallway is getting a bit of a girlie feel.

There's no point having lovely things and not using them. Mirrors are no good in a box. And I do like to see collections displayed.

None of my Barbolas have cost very much. Even the large one was under a tenner. I had to remove some stands from the backs as they are often designed to sit atop a dressing table. When you take them apart you can sometimes find dates inside.

Look at the original colours inside this one...

Much more vivid than they are now but the muted colours are what I love about them.

This one above is dated 1946 inside. I believe they can date from the twenties to the forties and they're English.

They're often cracked or damaged. That's good. It means they're original.

I'll show you the before picture of the hallway...

This is before we replaced the floor. The large monks chest is now in my bedroom and has been swapped for my funky table which used to live behind the sofa...

I liked the old mirrors but the big one is a bit grand. We are not grand. Our ceiling height doesn't allow for grandness. If we had high ceilings we would be as grand as grand can be. Oh yeah.

Obviously it's not like this in real life. The table is a dumping ground for keys and post. Under the table are a stack of boxes for ebay posting. School bags litter the floor. But this is how life could be if I really tidied up. Or had a porch.

Speaking of tidying, I haven't 'styled' the living room yet so no sofa pictures to share.

But as promised, here's the taxidermy our neighbours left out on the drive for anyone to take.

 I'm not entirely sure where we'll put him. The lady said it had been in her family for 100 years and it had lived in her Grandads hallway. I don't know how she could part with him.

I'm working on a dining table for my friend so I'll pop back soonish with that. Stay cool in this heat!

Linking with Coastal Charm Show and Share

Turning a wardrobe into a pantry and secondhand scores...

Thanks so much for your lovely comments on my last post. You really are lovely people and I really appreciate you all reading and commenting.

So... the wardrobe that isn't a wardrobe.

My friend wanted a pantry cupboard for her kitchen and fell in love with this one from M&S...

Nothing special from the outside, but on the inside?

Oh yeah. Imagine all the goodies you could fit into there. It's about £1800 though. Hmm, not so attractive now. The oak bits are oak but the 'painted finish' parts will be mdf.
I love M&S furniture, I really do. But only if it's found on eBay for 90% less than it's original price. 

So anyway, my friend thought she'd look for an old wardrobe to turn into a pantry cupboard. Which is where I stepped in. I happened to have had an old wardrobe living in the kitchen, awaiting a makeover, for what? Nine months? Too long.

Here it is with the door off and the inside painted white.

The first thing I had to do was to make sure I could build strong shelves inside. The inside was an irregular shape and a tight fit but once the first one was in...

I knew it would work.

Three shelves in.

Once the shelves were in I started on the door. I removed the heavy bevelled mirror and put a piece of mdf in its place, caulking all the joins. 

I told my friend to get an F&B eggshell but she disobeyed me and got a Fired Earth eggshell.

Never again!

It was a lovely colour and a lovely paint to use but it's not what I would call an eggshell. It has a very chalky matt appearance and no resilience to marking whatsoever. Imagine matt emulsion and that's what it was like. It's going to need further protection like wax or varnish. Especially in a kitchen.

My photos aren't great because I couldn't get far enough away from it. Plus I have a wonky eye...

So here are my friends pictures...

Hopefully, what it lacks in M&S perfection and wine rackery, it makes up for with the fact that it's ALL solid oak (apart from one door panel and the shelves) and a has bit more character than modern furniture.

Beautifully accessorised with an overflowing bin. She's very happy with it and it looks much tidier than her open shelving unit. Job done.

But I know you're all only here for the secondhand eye candy. Brace yourselves people. This one will have you SALIVATING!
I found this a while ago but it's been treated for woodworm and had to dry out before it was allowed in the house as it stank. 

An old cotton reel chest from a haberdashers shop...

 I'll treasure it. It was a fleamarket find.

And this very morning I picked up a pair of these Kashmiri/Kashmiri style papier mache, twisted wood, tole lacquer painted lamps for a fiver at the boot sale. I've been trying to find out about them without much luck...

When I was a nanny in London, the lady I worked for had a pair and she told me they were valuable. I suspect these are not desperately old...

But they are attractive and unusual...

 If they're worth thousands DO let me know!

 I have plenty more cool stuff to share with you. Including a piece of taxidermy which is over 100 years old that I found on the street.
As you do.

But that will wait for another time...

I might also show you my new sofa but I'll have to tidy the room for that.
So I might not.

I've also been working on the remaining kitchen cupboards.
Yes I actually have!

So do come back next time...

Lost mojo...

Wow, doesn't time fly. No excuses here, I just haven't felt like blogging so I haven't. Simple as that. I've been busy though so we've lots of catching up to do. But do bear with me if this post feels a little flat.

First off, I'll show you the pictures of the completed corner cabinet...

 The before was quite nice but it had suffered some Rottweiler damage...

  I had to replace a tiny bit of trim...

 Finding this tiny bit of trim proved to be a nightmare and I ended up ordering it from eBay in America. I attached it with the teeniest panel pins and wood glue.

I decided to go for a very textured rough paint job, aiming for a Scandinavian look.

 Dark wax enhanced the texture...

And I hand painted a motif on the lower door...

That missing trim?

Hopefully you'd never know it was replaced.

These cabinets hold an astonishing amount.

Which is good if you have an astonishing amount.

Anyway, that piece has gone to live in an exquisite new home, according to the fellow who collected it.

I've also finished the wardrobe that lived in the kitchen (for far too long, pateiently awaiting a makeover).

It has also left us. I'll show you the results next time, but it's no longer a wardrobe!

The post before last I told you about a fun chazzing find and never shared, so I'll do that now...

An original 1970's Ker Plunk game!

Isn't that cool?

It takes me right back.

I've plenty more secondhand crapola to show you and a new sofa too! Stay tuned. But don't hold your breath.

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