House Tour

This one bedroom modern flat in Brighton was renovated on a tight budget with retro decorative fabrics, recycled furniture and vintage finds. It may be small but the owner has made the most of her space by simply utilising the space she has for instance in the bedroom opting for a bed with legs so she could use the extra storage space underneath. The bathroom is minamalistic bathroom using floating fittings to give the feeling of more space. In the kitchen gloss-white kitchen units have been chosen that give the room a light and airy feel. Lets take a look at this small but cleverly designed space.

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Anna Bird Textiles

I am very excited to be introducing some more products to the Boutique . These gorgeous hand printed designs come from Anna Bird Textiles & include some beautiful printed cushions, aprons & tea towels & I will be adding to the range in coming weeks with her cute toy bags & peg bags.



To view the full range visit the boutique by clicking here the link below

    Finishing Touch Interiors Boutique

Later in the week I will be hosting a give away of one of Anna's lovely cushions over on my Facebook page, so if your not a follower of Finishing Touch Interiors Facebook page pop on over & become a liker so you dont miss out on this fabulous give away.

Click link below

F.T.I. Facebook

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Make It Monday

So we have a Jubilee on the horizon & many garden parties & street parties are being planned, so todays tutoriol is on how to make bunting to decorate your gardens.

                           

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Paper bunting

Paper bunting is so quick and easy to make & a great idea to make with the children.  All you need is some pretty paper, scissors, glue and ribbon.
If you can find pictures in magazine with crowns or union jacks on or craft/wrapping paper with a royal or very British themes to them this is perfect but if cant then music paper or vintage florals work really well.

Method:-
Simply cut triangles out of the paper - using this template if you want to make sure they are all the same size. Using pinking shears to give them a zig-zag edging is very effective.
Then simply glue the triangles along a length of ribbon.
Obviously as they are made of paper this bunting is not shower proof but is perfect for indoors.

                                  

  Fabric bunting

 
 If you make fabric bunting you can use it again and again and hang it indoors or out.  Again choose your fabric - you can use scraps of fabric in whatever pattern you choose.  Ditsy florals look pretty and work well for a vintage theme.  Or why not use red, blue and white triangles of fabric in a row to represent the Union Jack?
Cut your fabric into triangles as before.
Then you can either use strong fabric glue to glue your triangles to a long length of ribbon or sew it in place using a sewing machine.

                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                                        sourced at Net mums

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Wallpaper Inspiration

How totally amazing is this wallpaper it really is a stunning feature in this room. The focal point here would normally be the fireplace but this beautiful paper is like a piece of art that totally drawers you in. The fresh turquoises & whites in the rest of the room are cool, relaxing & fresh. It really is a breath taking space. I love the curved sofa its gorgeous. This really is a room to swoon over. What's not to like about this space.

http://www.houseofturquoise.com/

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Friends Feature Friday

What a lovely sunny Friday & what a fabulous treat today as the gorgeous Laura from DreamBox Interior design joins us with her monthly colour psycology series.

It is Friday, summer has finally arrived and in celebration of this glorious day, I am going to look at the colour orange in our colour psychology series.

Orange radiates warmth and happiness, combining the physical energy and stimulation of red with the cheerfulness of yellow.

The colour psychology of orange is optimistic and uplifting, rejuvenating our spirit. Take advantage of all the positive properties of orange by introducing elements of this colour into your everyday life. Flowers, art, finishing touches.

Orange brings spontaneity and a positive outlook on life; it represents free spirits and the ability to be yourself.

With its enthusiasm for life, you will find it hard not to be inspired by the most extrovert colour!
For me, orange reminds me of my time in the Caribbean “it’s seriously easy going” or to quote Bob Marley “don’t worry, be happy” and I think this is a perfect way to summarise the colour orange.

Have a beautiful day.
Laura
Dream Box Interior Design
x


Thank you to the lovely Laura for stopping by once again with some beautiful inspiration. Why not visit my other blog Cookery Corner where the talented pastry chef Hannah Jones is featuring. Have a great weekend xxx 

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House Tour

Today lets take a sneak peek inside a fifties bungalow up in the Hills in LA. It has an open plan living -kitchen -dining space that is light an airy. There is a very relaxed feeling to this property with some quirky accessories. I can rather see myself chilling by the pool with a Pimms in hand....

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Time To Get Green Fingered

This month I have launched a new page to my online homewares boutique as I introduce a gardening section in time for some warmer weather. Products so far include items for your little helper in the garden with many more products due in over the coming month inluding items for the more grown up green fingered amongst us.

 Items so far include starter toolboxes with cute character faces in pink or blue as well as character watering cans, we also have gardening gloves, grow your own tomatoe plants & sunflower seeds, paint your own crazy pots & much more! So why not pop on over to the online store & check us out
             http://www.finishingtouchinteriorsboutique.co.uk/

Right now I have a special offer & with every kids gardening item order I will send you FREE sunflower seeds. What's more, I will be running a competition for the tallest sunflower. So get your little helpers out in the garden & planting.




Dont worry mums & dads there will be plenty of items for you on the boutique too very soon for the garden & the kitchen

Keep your eyes peeled for lots of new items appearing on the store over the coming weeks from Anna Birds hand printed textiles, beautiul hanging decorations from Mosiac Magic & baking items for the chefs among you.
 

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Make It Monday

Morning lovelies todays tutorial is on

How To Paint Distressed Furniture

I did promise a little reveal of my own but my weekend didnt quite pan out as planned & I didnt quite get things finished, as you can see from my sneak peek below there is a little something missing to this furniture makeover.......

I have been busy hand painting some butterflies onto the piece but I have yet to add the handles. So this afternoon I promise to get the handles painted & fixed inplace so my big reveal will have to wait a few days longer.....

     Ok well lets move on to the tutorial shall we?

                      How To Paint Distressed Furniture

Firstly You Will Need:

• An old shee or newspaper
• Fine-grit sandpaper or a small electric sander
• Safety goggles
• Gloves
• Dust Mask
• A cloth or barely damp rag
• Good water-based primer
• Water-based paint of your choice (I used French Grey from The Little Greene Paint company)
• Some Paint Brushes

                          METHOD:-

1. Find an area that is well-ventilated and away from heat sources, open flames or anything that can produce sparks.
2. If there are drawer pulls and hardware, take them off before you start painting.
3. Put the piece on an old sheet or newspaper to catch drips and spills.
4. Sand the piece with fine-grit sandpaper on a sanding block or a small electric sander. Make certain the surface is as smooth as possible so sand away. Wear safety goggles, gloves and a dust mask.
5. Use a tack cloth or a barely damp rag to remove any residual sawdust otherwise your finish will end up being lumpy and bumpy.
6. Apply a coat of primer – Use a good water-based primer.
7. Let the piece dry until it is dry to the touch. Normally this takes a couple of hours.
8. Usually you will need a second coat. If the primer coat is too thin then the original coats of paint are still showing through.
9. Sand away any rough spots.
10. Apply a coat of water-based paint (any color you wish) Brush it on with even strokes, going in the direction of the grain.  Allow the first coat to dry.
11. A second coat is usually required. Allow the final coat to dry overnight.

I then distressed my paint work to give it a shabby chic feel by sanding areas of paint work for a worn look. I also decided to pretty it up with some butterflies which I hand painted using Little Greene Paint company's gorgeous liliac colour - Clockwise. Oposite you can see the working progress but i promise to let you see the piece when its finished. xx

 

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In The Pink Country Chic

When the Kitchen & Bathroom Designer magazine landed on my desk yesterday this bit of prettiness got my heart thumping. You would think designing bathrooms & kitchens every day I would soon get bored, but I totaly love to see beautiful designs & this bit of vintage country chic is certainly gorgeous. The new Alva kitchen door from Intoto is a dreamy mix of baby pink & glass segmented doors teamed with wildmaple work surfaces. Its vintage with a modern twist & totaly on trend. This certainly goes on my fantasy home list alongside the vintage inspired bathroom I posted the other day. Again all this pink would not be allowed in my house being out numbered by boys but a girl can dream of her fantasy girly home cant she.

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FRIENDS FEATURE FRIDAY

Welcome to Hannah Jones from Hannah's Bun's for some scrumptious cake inspiration! You can also find Hannah over on my other blog today 'Sarah & Joseph's cookery corner' sharing her Bluberry Muffin recipe pop on over to check it out. xx
                                    
                                          THE HUNGRY CATERPILLAR CAKE
                                                        

The hungry Caterpillar was the  choice of cake for one of my niece's 4th Birthday this year. So that it was I gave her and she really liked it.  My wonderful boyfriend made the leaf out of wood for the cake board and I covered it with icing and painted the leaf with edible paints.  I made the Caterpillar out of fondant and the same with the food around the cake. I wanted to get the colour as close to the colours in the book as I could so I painted them all by hand. I hope you like it, I felt a little bit of an artist making this cake with all the painting I done for it but I think it gave the cake a better look. Would love to know what you think of my take on The Hungry Caterpillar. Thanks for your time Hannah x

 

 

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Bathroom Inspiration

I have to say this bit of bathroom inspiration cheered me up no end. I design bathrooms & kitchens all day long & as far as bathrooms go people tend to opt for your basic white pottery (mainly due to cost). Although white does look beautiful I have to say, I do really love love love this very retro 50's feeling  bathroom. I adore the pastle yellow bath against the cute pink walls. Not sure this is a look I would get away with at home with 3 boys but trust me I would if I could.

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Make It Monday

                    How to distress furniture

Sometimes the best way of bringing a piece of old furniture to life is to actually make it look older. With shabby chic becoming more & more popular, people are bringing to life older furniture pieces more & more often. Just flick through blogland & you will see counterless post's on furniture revival. I am still very new to this myself & have had a piece of furniture to play around & experiment with(I will show you this next week when we go into painting distressed furniture). Its been a fun project & I am loving the results & there is that real feeling of satisfaction at bringing something old to life.


Distressing Furniture

Photo: Mati Martek

Here's a 'how to' tutorial on distressing furniture

1. Don't begin your experiment in distressing with your Grandma's prized cherry tallboy. Instead try a new unfinished piece in solid wood or a thrift shop find. These can be found at much cheaper prices than comparable finished pieces.
2. Even though you may think the piece is smooth, start by sanding it with fine sandpaper anyway. Be sure to sand in the direction of the wood grain. This will greatly improve the look of your finished piece.
3. After sanding, clean with a tack cloth (available at any home improvement center). This removes all the dust from sanding so the finished piece will be smooth as satin.
4. Apply a coat of primer using a brush and painting in the direction of the grain again.
5. After the primer is dry, lightly sand with a fine sandpaper again. Repeat cleaning with a tack cloth.
6. Apply your final coat of primer and get ready to have some fun!

• Use an ice pick or nail to simulate wormholes or insect damage.
• Want to simulate fly specks? Use a toothbrush dipped into black ink and rub a toothpick along the top of the brush. Use this technique after you stain the piece.
• Take a hammer and lightly add depressions to the piece.
• A screwdriver can add holes in random areas
• Use other tools around the house including a pizza cutter or chisel

1. Now you want to emphasize the marks you made. Clean the surface using that tack cloth you bought. Then apply a wood stain. I use a damp cloth, but a sponge brush would work just as well. Work on one small area at a time and wiping the stain off with a cloth before moving on. Wiping the stain off leaves behind just enough stain to collect in the holes to emphasize the distressed wood.
2. After the stain left behind is dry, apply a sealer or polyurethene finish with a sponge brush. Once that is dry, the piece is ready to enjoy.

Dont forget to stop by for next weeks make it monday for a tutorial for painting distressed furniture & a little furniture reveal of my own.

                                                                                                                                              Tutorial sourced from About.com

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Friends Feature Friday

Welcome the lovely Pen from Rosa Lily for todays Friends Feature Friday xx



As the sun has finally peeped out from the clouds and the rain has stopped, at least for the time being, I am thinking of what I can do with my garden.  It's quite bare at the moment, but we did (my OH and me) put up 2 hanging baskets ready for an explosion of colour, so it will be a trip to the market this weekend no doubt.

 In the meantime I can drool over some beautiful garden images I found. The 2 yellow rose arches were from one of my previous gardens, they just took over, but they were gorgeous.



  A colourful path
 

  A perfect place to sit

 

  Gorgeous containers for a tiny space

   Neat and tidy


 Fabulous window box display
  How lovely is this?



  Simple and effective




  Stunning for back or front gardens



There is so much inspiration on the internet you cannot fail to smile, even on a rainy day!

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The Princess & The Pea

It is fair to say I havnt been sleeping well lately & considering I have a brand new mattress you would think I would have a perfect nights sleep. Dont get my wrong its a very wonderful mattress generally yet somehow night after night I just cant settle comfortably...why is this? I have come to the conclusion being that I am a Sarah (and Sarah means princess I will have you know), that someone may have put a pea under my mattress to test me out. You remember that fairy tale story dont you about the princess & the pea? This little gem of a story by Hans Christian Andersen reveals the ultimate test to find out whether or not a girl is a true princess buy hiding a pea under several mattresses to see how she sleeps, you get my point here. Ok so I am not really a true princess (although Neil says I am his...) He certainly isnt putting vegetables in my bed to text me but I am having sleepless nights thats got me thinking of my perfect snuggly bed, so I have popped on over to Pinterest this morning for a little pinning madness & here's my favourites. There is a bit of shabby chic loveliness going on in my theme with layers of gorgeous bedding.

 

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