some of you may remember my rather scathing post about tea a few months back. if you missed it, catch up here, and don’t judge too harshly! it was a rant. it’s true. i was angry at the desperate lack of genuinely fabulous coffee here… Read More
my 2-yr-old boy, sam, loves ‘helping’ me cook and loves playing pots and pans. however, there are currently only 2 different kinds of wooden play kitchens on the market. both over £60. and the horrid plastic ones are even more expensive. so, i thought i would have a go at making him one! richard and i had so much fun with this and now sam has an exact replica of my fabulous, stoves, mini-range cooker (to see an example click here). however, he still wants to play on ‘mommy’s’ oven…nice try mom. nevermind, rae loves it!
cost: old bedside cabinet (castle road junkshop)=£10, roasted pumpkin paint in eggshell (dulux)=£12, brushed nickel handles (ikea)=£5, wood for backing (my loft)=free!, black paint (my loft)=free!, vintage fender guitar knobs (gift from damion miller)=free!
total cost: £27
how we did it: 1) i gave it a good sand down to create a surface the pain could adhere to, 2) several coats of orange paint, 3) painted top and extra bit of wood black, 4) painted small circles on backing wood to highlight the vintage fender knobs, and painted larger circles onto top for the burners (used cookie cutters as stencil for both), 5) drilled holes through the small circles and put on knobs with screws so that they turn!, 6) wood glued the back onto the unit, 7) drilled holes for handles and attached handles.
it took us about a week as we were only working during naptimes and evenings, but was so worth doing! a play kitchen for under £30 that actually enhances the interior design of my house. who would have thought!
-s
rocking the rework up until recently, i never considered myself a particularly creative person. those of you who know me, especially those in the uk, will probably laugh outloud at this. it’s like me saying i didn’t think i was an extrovert until recently. but… Read More
i am loving my new vintage phone. now, it took me almost 5 minutes to dial my mom’s number yesterday–international numbers, i mean seriously, they are unnecessarily long– and i can’t walk around the house cleaning while i talk to her, but i don’t care.… Read More
…it’s not just about sharing our victories. passing down a legacy to our kids, our friends, the next generation, will not be successful if we do not share our mistakes as well. this is hard. it takes vulnerability. it takes fighting through fear, condemnation and… Read More
ok. this is exciting. my new (old thing) this week is…
our new house!!!
no. 10 the green, is a 3-bedroom, detached cottage on 1/3 acre of land in a small village just outside of bedford, called bromham. it is such a huge gift from god. for those of you who know and love our small terraced house, you will understand what a fantastic blessing of space this is for our little growing family. i would love to go into the whole story right now (its such a good one!), but i actually need to pack some boxes before this evening.
i will, i promise, tell the whole story sometime this week!!!
until then, rejoice with us in god’s extravagant provision, and pray that i can get all the packing done before moving day!!
i. am. so. excited.
i am seriously stoked about this weeks find!!! unfortunately, i can’t claim it as my own discovery. a friend of mine found it, get this, at the tip!!!! that’s the dump to us yanks, by the way.
who would throw this out i will never know.
it’s a fifth edition, hand-painted copy of the pilgrims progress by john bunyan.
no, i won’t shutup!!! what a find!! check out the inscription.
first of all, 1892? this book is 120 years old. i have no words…
second, we should all take penmanship again. it is a lost art. beautiful.
and, the last photo is for fun. a shout out to all the bedford gang! john bunyan was born about a mile from my house, and was imprisoned for sticking with his faith 2-minutes walk from my local coffee shop.
who says bedford isn’t a rockin’ place to live?!
red velvet art: quite possibly the cutest girls in america, finding/designing the cutest vintage clothes and accessories i have seen. oh if only i had a money tree!
mini moderns: seriously?! kids need cool wallpaper. mommies who love interior design need kids who have cool wallpaper. pet sounds (far left) is going in sam’s room. and i am loving the alice (mustard floral) paper for rae’s.
love vintage furniture: i think sam said it best, ‘mommy, sam a want dat one.’ me too, sam. me too.
…you have to know how to read it properly. this may sound silly, and it may well be. but i remember taking a class at baylor–religion and literature i believe–and in it, dr wood, taught us how to read poetry. he said it was important… Read More
this week’s installment of, my new (old thing), is dedicated to my mom, as its ‘mothering sunday’ here in the uk and she is probably the best mom in the whole world!
check out my new thermos flask!
i love it. i was inspired to look for one after a particularly cold morning at the park with the kids. my friend beth and i were sitting on a bench with our girls, watching our boys chase each other up and down slides, wishing we had some coffee to warm us up a bit.
i came home, searched ebay for a few minutes and fell in love with this one. its from the 70’s, when thermos was british-made. the lid is the cup (so sweet!!). and, get this. i made a cup of tea in it at 8am and, no lie, at 1pm when i went to clean it out, it was still so hot it burnt my hand a little. seriously.
staying awake 
