Busy doing nothing, working the whole day through ...

The weather outside is still frightful, though I know from the lovely Instagram pics I've been drooling over lately, that lots of you ARE having glorious sunshine! Lucky you, and make hay while the sun shines ...

Last week, when the days were more clement, you could find me stripped off in the garden upcycling furniture (this is a lie ... it would frighten the horses that pass by). The upcycling furniture bit is true though ...

A friend told me that she had an old, oak cupboard, that could do with titivating, and basically that she couldn't be arsed bothered. I called round and found this little beauty! Dirty, unloved, glassless ... right up my street ...

Armed with my trusty Annie Sloan brush and tin of Country Grey, I set to. It took a whole ten minutes because I take such care with my projects ... sanding, priming, etc (I absolutely do NOT do any of these things, that is why Annie is my best friend) ... and when the paint was dry, I was ready to experiment!

I had seen somewhere in Blogland that someone had used tissues and napkins to decoupage things, so thought I'd give it a go.  I peeled the patterned sheet off the napkins, pasted (using solvite) part of the inside of the cupboard.  I started trying to put whole squares on, but it looked too contrived and the pattern didn't match anyway, so I just started tearing random strips off and plastering on, giving another coat of paste on top.  Some of it tore, but I just patched it up ... some was rumpled, but it all added to an aged, vintage looking effect.  The above pic is a close-up of the inside of the cupboard when it was finished.

This is the after picture, titivated within an inch of its life! I was going to add chicken wire but decided to just leave it as it is ... note it is complete with old key on a ribbon, but if you fancy anything inside, you can just reach in and take it ... It has been said before, on several occasions, that I am completely barking mad.

Of course, this then warranted a little change around, as the clock had to be taken down ... it's new home is 2 feet away, to the right, and it's settled in nicely, thank you.

I've been picking little posies from my garden (while I have some flowering, I am trying to be thrifty by not buying any) ...

and from my country walks lovely bouquets of blowsy, frothy wildflowers ...   never pick the roots, and always just one stem from a clump, so it's not noticeable ...

Some more rich pickings, this time from a couple of car boot sales I went to on Sunday ... I got a bootload of stuff (it's amazing what you can get in a Micra) but here are my favourites ... the above retro radio, a bit sorry for itself, but just needing a bit of a spruce-up and new batteries, just what I need for my workroom ...

and a brand new Cath Kidston flask for £2! Vintage tupperware containers (50p, a lovely Chinese biscuit barrel (£1) and a little hamper containing 2 children's tea sets (30p)

I've been following Hettie Brown's mantra 'Treading gently, Being thrifty, Living simply' by picking my own flowers, making my own jam (gorgeous strawberry, summer berries and chilli) and doing meal plans.  Like Sophie (Hettie Brown), I find planing for a week a bit daunting, so am doing it over  3 days (the real reason is I can't fit more than that on the blackboard).  I do like that I have already shopped for it and the decision is made, rather than umming and aahing about what to make each day.  It doesn't stop family members moaning though, unfortunately.

Hysteria is mounting (admittedly, mostly me) for Thursday's celebrations ... Millie's Leaver's Summer Ball! Hope the nice weather will make an appearance for an hour or two, that would be perfect ...

Until next time, my lovelies, have fun in the sun

Love, Claire xxx