the post about the shed.......

before I embark on this post...I will say that it will probably be the wordiest post I have ever done and apologise in advance for ... no punctuation..poor spelling and lack of technical wording...

As I have had many a question regarding the practicalities of shed working and tips on staying warm etc I have compiled a list for anyone thinking of taking up residence in their garden for regular crafting activity...I'm no expert on garden buildings so here are just some tips from my short time in there :)

- type of shed - 

If you are starting from scratch things to think about are size, headroom and light....sheds have a tendancy to be dark so I picked a 6' x 8' potting shed style that had 4 windows which you could fit on any side, you could also choose where the door went. Also my shed has a pent roof... higher on one side which means more headroom where you work :) 

Also worth mentioning is that mine is a tongue and groove type (not shiplap)

- exterior - 

whatever your shed type the best way to protect it is to paint it with an outdoor paint...I slapped on 4 coats of this before we built it as sometimes you can't always get to all 4 sides once it's up! I shall be re- coating again before the winter too....as according to my builder friend you can never have too much paint on a shed!

The roof is made from the normal roofing felt but has 2 layers just for extra protection and also in the future I may put one of those lovely corrugated tin roofs on :) (apologies for the overuse of the word roof there)

- position - 

if you already have a shed this won't apply but if you are picking a spot a good point is that it's not too far away from the house....saving you from those long dashes to and from in the rain..a sunny spot is always a bonus but sometimes a bit of shade can be good too

- inside - 

to keep warm and dry I insulated my shed with plasterboard and polystyrene boards...these were attached to the batons on the inside walls..but you have to let the walls have some room to breathe and not overinsulate as that can cause damp too....

I left some walls 'open' with gaps at the top so there is some ventilation...you might also want to insulate the floor...I didn't as I liked the look of my floor boards and it didn't feel too cold in the winter as I just had lots of rugs :)

the ceiling inside is insulated with silver bubble stuff ( the type you can put in lofts ) it really worked to keep the heat in ...this was attached with a heavy duty staple gun...once you have all your walls and serious interior stuff done then you do the fun bit and decorate :)

- electricity -

if you are going to work in there a lot I really recommend getting power put in....I had budgeted for an electrician so I had 3 double sockets and a fuse box installed as well as a very practical wall light ...

I struggle with functional lighting and was hoping to avoid it, most of the time I use my table light but I have to say the 'big' light is a big bonus when you go into your shed in the middle of the night looking for something and all you have to do is flick a switch!

if you are putting power sockets in think about where you will need them most..where you will sit...need light etc ....it might be worth noting here that I decorated before the electrian did his stuff...I figured he would make a better job of working through my walls of plasterboard than I would working round his plug sockets..

- filling it - 

once its all powered up and decorated its nice to just get your stuff and move in...my little shed is short on space so there wasn't a lot of choice where things went....wall shelves are a big bonus as are drawers that can fit under your desk....plastic boxes are perfect for storing fabrics and anything you need to keep clean and dry also I use vintage suitcases as they are great for transporting things in and out in the rain :) 

don't forget your heater...I use a small oil filled electric heater it heated up the shed in about ten minutes and I was toasty warm all winter....even now if it has been a bit cold or damp I put the heater on low for an hour to keep it dry. I think the reason it doesn't feel damp or musty in there is because I'm in there most days ...even at weekends I pop in to get away from the chaos air it :)

- other stuff -

a door curtain was brilliant for keeping the cold out in the winter and now in the 'summer' it's good for keeping out buzzy things...oh and it looks pretty :)

if we do get any nice weather it does get a bit warm in there...so I made blackout blinds which just go up with velcro when I need them..this stops a lot of the heat/sun coming in through the windows...otherwise I just have little curtains (mainly for security...imagine a burglar peeking in and spotting my stash of sheets!)

...bunting is always handy as it stops me banging my head a lot...I'm 5'9 so parts of the shed are lower than my height...when I first went in there I was seeing stars most days :)...other things to remember are a good padlock...fairy lights for the outside...possibly a small chair for visitors...( I do love having visitors in there )

.....so there we go...I hope this has been of some help to any who are thinking of doing this...like I said I'm no expert but these are things I learnt along the way ....my little shed is my favourite place to be....when it's sunny it's like working outside..when it's raining the sound on the roof reminds me of caravan holidays...when I'm busy it gets me away from distractions.....when I'm not busy I can sit in there and dream...

...have a lovely weekend 

x x x x x x x

bundles.........

......are back :) I have spent all day washing, chopping, folding and pressing and taking pics :)

so finally I have a few new bundles in the shop

x x x x x x x x

note added : they sold pretty quick! will add some more tomorrow :)

a little share here and there....

...a quick little post on a sunday eve... to share some lovely finds...

first up is Katie Kitty who has come to live with us, and as our little dog Arnie like to chase cats she lives with me on high shelf in the workshed :) Katie is lovingly made by a very lovely new bloggy friend  oooh betty  and now comes in her own little vintagey retro style box..very cute!

....then there was the gorgeous stripey rose cushion I received from lovely Helena ....this was a little swap we decided to do from our etsy sites and I have to say I couldn't be happier, I love Helenas' choice of fabrics and fabby green pompom trim :)

..then there is my haul from Dorset.....I was so happy to find some of these fabrics..and that cute Rose biscuit tin ( came complete with mouldy biscuit crumbs! ) The Mandy Annual was my holiday reading as I had forgotten a book....

...so much fun reading about Bonnie and her pole vaulting boyfriend :)

...as I found some more lovely sheets I chopped some up and popped them in the shop, but they have gone now...I will try and list some more this week if I can bring myself to pick up the scissors again...chopping fabric makes your thumbs hurt!

...also thanks to the new fabrics and lots of chopping going on I managed to finish my patchy blankets and have now listed them in the shop...

hope the week ahead is bright and fun and full of sun :)

x x x x x x x x

owlies...and a bit of holiday crochet....

Warning...I am going to mention Dorset again.....

another fab thing about that lovely place is its abundance of yarn shops....I hadn't taken any yarn with me 

(I did take a hook though...always be prepared for crochet is my motto!! ) 

but when I stumbled across Stylecraft wool for £1.50 I couldn't resist...I had popped into a very practical shop for light bulbs but before I knew it I was staggering over to the till with many balls of lovely coloured wool....meanwhile the boys...Mr and dog waiting patiently outside in the rain :)

and so another blanket was on it's way....with no books or Internet I just had to make it up as I went along and ended up with a stripey granny type look .....

...I have decided that when it is finished, I am going to call it my Dorset blanket and will no doubt be snuggling under it often and reminiscing :)

I also found some fab vintage hangers in a junk shop so had a go at covering one... 

.....and the Owlies are back..... 

this time they come with a little woven label tag...

thank you or happy birthday :)

they still have their vintage wallpaper and come in a little cello bag....available here

I leave you with a peek at our #1's homework....sunday night before back to school we remembered the Tudor project we were supposed to do....out came the toilet rolls and PVA again....

can you tell who it is????

Happy Tuesday 

x x x x x x 

five go mad in Dorset :)

 

 .....back from our jollies....what a week we had....it's no secret that the Mr and I hanker after a different life....one with less pavements and more green...the sea....the sound of the waves and birds chirping and....oh sorry I got a bit carried away there, so when we arrived in Dorset we felt right at home :)

we fell in love with the place, the people....the vintage markets.... the choppy sea...the shops...

so despite the very unpredictable weather we spent a very happy 7 days noodling around cute towns...venturing into the cold sea...eating fish and chips on the sea front...chugging up steep hills....chugging down steep hills....catching crabs and shrimps....

...discovering hidden paths like this one ....

finding treasures like these...

we nearly had to leave someone behind to fit this lot in the car!

 one of our favourite spots was Lyme Regis... the boys found a book shop that sold vintage comics so they spent many hours in there spending their pocket money on whizzer and chips and old dandy comics.... while I perused my favourite shop

...any shop with a tea trolley filled with retro goodies like this has to be good...inside was even better...

...and theres more...

not only that but Caroline the owner was so lovely and a girl after my own heart as we chatted we discovered a mutual fondness for Frank Sidebottom and New Order :) .....so I made a few purchases one of which was this fab T Towel which is now framed and hanging on my wall at home to remind me of that happy holiday :)

so its back to school now and I'm heading back into the shed this afternoon to finish up my owls and patchy blankets...ready for a shop update later this week..

the sun has come out and I have 4 piles of  wet washing !! hurray 

have a lovely week 

x x x x x x
forgot to add the Tea Towel is by Blossom and Bill and my boys giggle every time they walk in the room and see it x x x 

sun..rain...owls and hula hoops

 

so...half term is plodding on, the long Jubilee weekend is over and the sun has almost come back out again..I did eat a cream tea and lots of strawberries and I did watch Grace Jones hula-hooping :)

I also did some making...

a little pile of vintage patchy blankets is starting to appear...as is 

a little stash of owls..just waiting for their thank you labels...

and a £7 bookshelf gets a wallpaper makeover :)

from dark and dreary to white and flowery....

hope you are having a lovely week..I'm wondering... what you're all up to :)

x x x x x x x

even more half term hi- jinx ......

..... here comes another half term....2 weeks for us, so I am planning to get crafty...to keep my sanity!! I've already started by remaking some of my christmas owlies...this time I think they will be teachers gifts and I'm  hoping to put some in my etsy shop when it re-opens after the school hols :) I love hand sewing and its a portable job (always a bonus)

...also on the crafty plan is more vintage patchy blankets...I'm thinking picnics and beach..camping etc... or for snuggling under if the sun isn't coming out to play :)...last year I made a few of these to keep a record of all the vintage fabrics I'd had...all the different patterns together make me smile ...especially now as they are so hard to get hold of...(hence my lack of bundles in the shop recently)

I'm also planning to have a bit of a tidy up in my little shed...I have been in there 8 months now and I have sat in there with the wind howling..the rain lashing..icy frost..and then .......the heat....well it gets very hot in there I can tell you. As I get asked a lot of questions about the practicalities of working in a potting shed I'm planning a little post with (hopefully) some helpful advice :)..

 hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you are up to...  we are probably not doing anything Jubilee'ish but the bunting is always up and I'm sure I could be forced to eat a cream tea and a cucumber sandwich at some point over the next few days :)

x x x x x x x