So, with the building and fit out almost complete, the time has come to seriously think about the decorating aspect of the renovation. First off the mark are the girls bedrooms.
You may recall the youngest Miss of the house desperately wanted a mermaid room, complete with blue walls "as the mermaids live under the sea Mum!". The older Miss really wanted a ballerina room. "How fun!" thinks the Mum picturing a fun, bright ballet themed room, "but where on earth will I find mermaid fabric?". Turns out that the mermaid themed room was VERY easy, ballet themed room, not so much. You see all the ballet fabric is light pinks, not a lot that screams bright around at all. Older Miss really wanted hot pink walls - we let her have one feature wall only as the colour was REALLY bright. I eventually found quite a funky lamp that was quite literally a hot pink tutu with bright tulle in lime, purple and aqua. We already had a bright coloured chandelier (read about that and the mermaid fabric
here) but no fabric. I was resigning myself to a quilt that had all the colours in it but was not ballet themed as such. After all the fun I had picking the mermaid fabric, colours, lamp and even having a painting done for the youngest Miss, I was very disappointed I was not going to be able to do the same for older Miss.
Today was one of those holiday days where we all felt like lazing around and doing a whole lot of not much. The painters and their oil based paints put those plans to rest when the fumes became a little too much for us all.
Right! I think, I need to choose a light for the girls bathroom and I need backing and binding for the current WIP I am focusing on! First up to the village for sushi as a sweetener and then after promising a play in the park with friends at the end of the afternoon we headed off to Calico and Ivy, thinking we would then go to my favourite lighting and hardware shop. Who can go into Calico and Ivy and come out with only what was on the list? And I did have a little list (the backing and binding fabrics, a couple of crochet hooks and perle thread). I thought I might as well choose a few little fabrics that tie in with the colours in Zoe's room and add that to my list of WIP's for this year as it really does need to be done sooner rather than later. 5 or 6 fabulous fabrics sitting on the counter, still looking looking for what I could add and I mention to the lovely lady who works there, Donna, about not being able to find ballet fabrics that will achieve the look I want. General chit chat, a couple more bolts of fabrics on the counter and suddenly Donna spies some new fabric that happened to be absolutely fabulous and totally irresistable, and perfectly ballet. I am in love! Not very bright but I am an adaptable type of person and all I had to do was convince Miss 7 and have a total, and quick, rethink of the ballet themed room. Oh wow, this fabric is divine! Check this bundle of gorgeousness out!
And look at all those yummy co-ordinating fabrics just begging to be made into a quilt for one gorgeous little girl! And with that very excited mummy who recently fell in love with crochet, what little girl can be without a co-ordinating throw rug for the end of her bed?
So...with bags in hand, we jump into the car and we head to the lighting shop. All the while I am thinking how can I make this work with the lamp and light fitting I have. Yikes, it won't! But this fabric is just too divine, the bedroom with the charcoal carpet, hot pink walls and gorgeous antique brass bed will look just amazing with the fabric thrown in. I KNOW! I will sell the lamp and light fitting and choose something new. Knowing full well the man of the house would not be overly impressed with this idea I chose the bathroom light first...and chose the cheaper option of the 2 I liked and decided Zoe had to have a clear glass chandelier with some pink crystals on it. Hmm, a lamp I think to myself as I walk out of the store - across the road from my favourite lighting and hardware store is
No Chintz - woo hoo, Brilliant they can make a lamp shade from the gorgoeus new fabric and I will pop it onto the old off white lamp base sitting in the cupboard from Ikea. Successful, brilliant and expensive afternoon...but my won't that Miss 7's room look sensational when it is done. As I sign off to go and start the crochet rug and think about the quilt design I will just push to the back of my head the fact that I now have to put a coloured chandelier and tutu lamp on ebay and that I will probably lose money on it....But won't that bedroom look great!
