Trio of Trays

I've been on a mission to de-clutter my home for the last year at least and I always have a box marked 'Charity' to drop things into somewhere in the house. The other day I had a chance to give my kitchen a thorough cleaning and went through cupboards and drawers looking for things to drop in the box. Tucked away I found three old and grubby trays which we occasionally use for their intended purpose, but at some point also used to pot up seedlings. They looked very much the worse for wear. So I ummed and ahhed about whether to get rid of them and decided that first I would give them a good scrub and see if a bit of paint could make them look any better.

 Each tray has a different look. The first one Has been given a simple pattern a bit like an old fashioned tea towel or piece of linen. It has a beachey feel I think with the nautical-esqu stripes

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The next one got a French make over with a grey washed exterior and a French turquoise interior, 'Café' text and a distressed finish.

The final tray has a smart white boarder and chalk board centre on a light grey base.

Now I think I need to invite someone over for coffee so I can use them!

Coco Blue

How to Love Your Laundry

OK, so this won't make the laundry take less time, or stop it from piling up - but this cute sign, hung in the utility room or corner of the kitchen, could at least brighten up this chore which never ends.

This sign originally started life as an old pine shelf which had no home. A quick lick of paint and it now adds a splash of colour to my Kitchen (I'm not lucky enough to have a dedicated laundry or utility room - sigh, one day!)

I'm really loving this deep blue (it's French Turquoise by Craig and Rose, 1829 range) I think it may be a new favourite colour!



Ah well, time to stop dawdling and get on with some of that laundry!

Coco Blue

Easy Nursery Art

My daughter is due to move into her nursery and out of the master bedroom soon, so in preparation I have been trying to brighten up the nursery with pictures and art work.

 While I was pregnant we decided that the room we had been using as our guest room would become the nursery, and our guest room would move into what had been my office/junk room. Because we had already had the guest room wallpapered when we first moved in we decided to leave it as it was and work with its dove grey and white colour and added accents of pink and eau de nil (since we knew we were having a girl). I hung three pictures I had bought over the cot and left it at that until after she was born. Since then I have added some white frames which I already had and just added some craft paper and chipboard letters to add colour.

This week I also added a little butterfly artwork which took very little time (or effort really) but looks perfect for this space.

I bought an inexpensive box frame and painted it white. Then added a sheet of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper to the backing board. I bought a colourful pack of scrap book paper and punched butterflies in various colours. You could also use magazines, old book pages, wrapping paper or even newspaper. I then folded the wings up slightly to give some added dimension and stuck a small foam square on the back. Then I stuck the butterflies to the backing board in a random pattern.

 I played around with a few layouts before sticking them down and decided I liked this random layout best.It also looks very effective with lines of graduated colour.

The picture adds a nice touch of colour and can easily be changed as she gets older.

I'd love to know what tips others have for easy nursery art!

Coco Blue