Keeping busy.....

 A few weeks back I agreed to have a boarder stay with us over the summer months which has meant a lot of re-arranging of furniture, tidying, and getting rid of a lot of  "stuff " that we have collected over the years that is now no longer needed. Having a good clean out really does feel good plus it motivated me into giving a couple of pieces of furniture a much needed makeover. The above 'hall table' has been in my possession since my flatting days. Not sure who's it actually was originally but I happily ended up with it because I could see its potential :-) I don't have any before photos of it but lets just say it was looking a little neglected in its raw state. I had sanded it down last year so it was all ready and waiting for a new coat of paint.

For the top I decoupaged squares of Amy Butler acid free paper. It reminds me of Moroccan or Portuguese tiles and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.

I acquired these two old wooden rulers and the school atlas from my father a couple of weeks ago. My Dad has been sick with cancer for some time now and passed away on Saturday. He had asked me to go into his office and choose anything I might want. It didn't feel right taking his stuff but these items caught my eye and he seemed happy with what I had chosen. 

This desk has been also patiently waiting for a makeover and I have been waiting for inspiration to strike as to what to do with it. It was always going to be Caitlin's, so with her slight obsession with the boy band "One Direction", inspiration came last week to paint a Union Jack design on the top. The aqua/turquoise paint I had already purchased for another project and I love the colour combo of red/aqua/white. It already had the red plastic 'feet' on it's legs so that was a nice happy coincidence. 

The Union Jack design was easy but time consuming to do but totally worth it for the end result. To get the nice clean, straight lines I used masking tape over the already white background but it bled under the tape so our new house guest Siobhan suggested using painters tape which does not bleed like masking tape. I love how this piece has turned out exactly how I had envisioned. Needless to say Caitlin is also pleased with her new desk. All this painting has inspired me to makeover more furniture so expect more :-)