Back in the Saddle

Yes.. yes.. I know.. where the hell have I been you say ??
Nowhere interesting I assure you ;o) But I'm back now and raring to go.
I have also been getting on with things in the house so I have lots of stuff to show you guys.

I've also been invited by the Anderton Theraputic Garden Society to take part in their Christmas House Tour this year.. both as a Home Owner AND as a Decorator. Read this post from last year and you'll see what it's all about.

A fat happy Snowman from my personal collection.

This year the event takes place on November 25th and 26th, with all the proceeds going to support the Society's work. I'm getting quite excited to be honest, although now and again I catch myself wondering what on earth I've gotten myself into. ;o)
Over the next 2 weeks I'll post about the 2 homes from last year that I took photographs of but never had a chance to blog about.. and keep you up to date with my progress on the decorations here.

I also want to fill you all in on what exactly has been going on with the house in general.. and will finally post some AFTER photos of some of the projects that you've seen the BEFORE photos of. I promise I won't keep you all waiting so long again.

One of the really big redecorating jobs we've done this year is in our family bathroom.
Here's just a little teaser.. but as you can see, this was more than just a spit and polish..

 

Where did the bathroom go ??

I love a bath.. it's the only time I ever can relax enough to just read a book.
Unfortunately as you will see from the before photos our bath was the size of Australia.
You think I'm joking ?? well think on.
It took 20 mins to fill it, used a whole tank of hot water, and then when I got in, my feet
couldn't reach the end without my whole body being submerged..
Not very condusive to reading since the book always got wet. As a result I never used it and that's such a waste, so after an initial makeover when we first moved in I bit the bullitt and
went the whole hog.
You'll see the results over the coming weeks.

We've found a wonderful local contractor called Bill Larson who's been working with me..
I'll tell you the story of how I found him.
He's done 3 jobs for us already and when he's finished basically building a house for his current client he's coming back to do our en-suite, tile and paint the kitchen and panel the hall.

So lots more to come, now my motivation is back.. with features on more of my favourite stores, hints and tips on how I make my decorating pounds/dollars stretch farther, and before and afters on the kitchen, the study, well pretty much every room in the house really.

Here's another teaser for you.. this is what the study looked like before we moved in..



Oh my God.. just look at the colour of that window frame !!

That's not our furniture I hasten to add.. it belonged to the previous owners. Although to be fair to them, the decor belonged to the owner before that. It looks very different today.. thank heavens. ;o)

So I hope I've whetted your appetite, and you'll come back tomorrow to see what's next.
Off to bed now.

Jo xx