Hygge Nook

Memory quilts - what to do with your children's old clothes

Like a lot parents (I assume), I have quite a few of my children's old clothes put away. Mostly it's the baby stuff, that is so small and impossibly cute that they hardly seem like a real little human was in them. I adore these things. They were the things my children wore in the first days, weeks and months of their lives and I've attached a whole bunch of sentiment to that. However, there they are lingering in three or four taped-up boxes. They'll probably never be worn again but I can't get rid of these favourite little clothes.

Just before you say that some needy children out there may need them, I do donate absolutely every other stitch of unwanted or outgrown clothing or footwear to charity. However, that's not really the point of this post. So what is, you ask? Well, I heard about someone who had taken their children's old clothing, cut them up (gasp) and stitched them together into a quilt.

Can you imagine? All those beloved prints and patterns and colours all in big quilt that can now be used and seen on a daily basis... and it frees up the storage space. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S.

Whilst I contemplate learning some sewing skills and see if I could make an eiderdown, let's check out some other patchworks: 

Patchwork pillow from Bright & Blith (with tutorial) via Ohdeedoh.

 
Patchwork quilt from Rice - I love that purple trim.

 
Baby clothes quilt by Wee Wonderfuls.

 
  
Baby clothes from the 50s and 60s by Fonticulus on Flickr.

Now that I've had chance to browse the web looking for baby clothes patchwork quilts, I've realised how popular they are plus there's cushions and pillow shams too. There are even people who will make them for you for a fee. However, I think this is a project I'd really like to take on myself... once I hone up my very rusty sewing skills.

Would you make something like this? Any tips?

More inspiration: Check out the memory quilt Flickr group.

Pretty, easy DIY pictures

I'm currently doing up my five year old daughter's room (which she shares with her two year old brother) bringing in more colour, pretty basics and things that won't date. Think no to cartoon characters, yes to bright and lovely. The walls of her room have been thoroughly bare and I've just started addressing that with a DIY alphabet print. I've also recently picked up three Ikea Ribba frames. As they're white they should be super easy to update as time goes on. My daughter requested butterflies and flowers as a theme and taking that on board, I did this:

Three easy DIY pictures

 

I created them by picking up pretty wrapping paper from Asda. For two of the frames, I simply cut the paper to size and inserted it -

It really doesn't get any easier than cutting the paper to size.

For the middle frame, I initially used a contrasting polka dot print. Then I decided it looked a little boring wedged between its glittery companions. So, I whipped out a little butterfly punch and (using this collage as inspiration) snap, snap, snap, made a whole bunch of butterflies from that polka dot wrap which I then attached to paper using sticky dots.

 
It's hard to photograph the paper but I want to try and show you how pretty the glittery touches are, they really sparkle when they catch the light -

 

Sparkly, girly and non dating. Mission accomplished!

 

Et voila! It doesn't get easier than this to create three mini bespoke frames.

I think you can tell that I've been struggling with the light for these pictures and I wasn't able to get a good pic of them all together (too much shadow and reflection) but I will try and snap a finished result soon.

Let's not forget those Posh Graffiti letters that I bought recently. Here's how the big 'S' ended up neatly fitting between a larger frame and the headboard. I think it is a great addition to this previously redundant space.

Here's a breakdown of what it cost:
Ribba frames, £3.99 each, so £11.97 for all three.
Wrapping paper £3 total.

Posh Graffiti large 'S', £10.

Items I already had:
Double sided photo dots.
Butterfly punch (bought from eBay).

Posh Graffiti letters

Do excuse the week long absence. I've been on a press trip to DisneyWorld where they stuffed us with food and let us go on all the fun rides. It's been a fab week and I'll be writing it up for Have A Lovely Time soon.

Before I went I was looking for something else to go on the wall in my daughter's room as the gap between her headboard and the DIY alphabet picture is quite large. After mucho searching, I've settled on a big silver letter 'S' from the Old English range at Posh Graffiti. I'm also going to order a matching 'G' to go over Gabriel's bed. They're £10 each and made from a fast growing albizia wood. I'm only going for their first initial otherwise it gets a bit costly to do full names, don't you think?

Apparently the letters can be stuck to the wall with double sided sticky pads but as the website doesn't sell these too (why not?) I'll have to find some. Let me know if you know where!

Children's book storage

I'm starting to feel like the children's books are taking over my home and not in a good way. Instead they are slipping across floors, peeking out from under the sofas, in toppling stacks or heaped unceremoniously into plastic tubs where it's a scrabble to find a desired book. I would much rather they had neat, tidy storage ala the library's lovely wooden pods where oversized books are easy to pluck out. So I've been on the hunt and narrowed my choices down to these:

This is a very simple solution. Big enough to hold 40 books of differing sizes, easy to access and not overly large. I prefer the white but it also comes in natural wood and petrol blue. I feel this one wins out on size and though it's the pricier of the two, I think it's something that won't date or look too young as my children get older. £69 at Tidy Box.

I've seen this kind of sling bookcase used in classrooms, nurseries and similar buildings and they are again simple and easy to access. the downside is with it being taller, you really need some spare wallspace. £45 at Great Little Trading Co.

What solutions have you found for your books?

Paperboy wallpaper - grown up fun for boys

Boys rooms normally don't get much of a look in do they? On the whole I think it's easier to design for girls rooms and they can certainly be visually more rewarding with brighter colours and wider ranges of ideas.

Anyway, back to boys rooms. Paperboy, a new start-up designing wallpaper (fabric coming soon) have focused on the boys market with a small range of wallpapers including the 'Dya-think-e-saurus’. It comes in three colours, green, blue and purple and I love the little boy that you see popping up throughout the print. each roll costs £78 and you can also snag samples for £3.90 which I think would look fab framed. other patterns include Animal Magic with repeats of rabbits, dogs and turtles with skeletel detailing and Hand Made featuring shadow shapes. 

Find their store online at NotOnTheHighStreet here.

 

Taking a peek at Ikea 2010

I know there are going to be a far few blogs posting about the Ikea 2010 catalogue as it is being released this week. However, with (generally) such good value, it's one of those stores that is a little hard to ignore.

  

With three children between two and 10, my house tends to feel like this picture. Kids everywhere, art supplies out, jumping, singing and a whole lot of boxes to store their stuff.

I see various trends making their way into the catalogue - the button back Karlstad and patchwork Klippan sofas ,for instance, oh, and that globe on the floor. I still have a thing for globes. I want another bigger one with a wooden frame.

I'm not sure if the children's rockers are new (I think I've seen them before?) but aren't they charming. I love the daybed too - again, it's not new but I like the fresh, charm of this picture.

I do like the idea of this chairbed which would be great for occasional guests - I'm not sold on that blue cover though. It looks ripe for a little needle and thread action to make something better - a ticking stripe would be lovely (Lycksele, £149). The glass vase has a repurposed feel about it thanks to the stainless steel trim (PS Brunn, £9.99). Love the 5-piece bedding double bedding set, I keep thinking Orla Kiely but on a budget (Kajsa Blad, £12.99). The children's table and chairs are smart enough to keep in the living room (Leksvik table £29.99, stool £7.99, chairs £10.99)

The catalogue can be previewed online here. What do you think of it?

Make your own: Ohdeedoh's DIY alphabet print

I've been thinking alot about affordable art for children's rooms and just how easy or hard it might be to make my own. So this mini tutorial from Ohdeedoh came at just the right time and I made this pretty alphabet print above.

Here's how I made it:

1.Open up Word (I have Vista) and type out the alphabet. I opted for upper case and lower case letters as my four year old daughter can write.
2. Choose your font - I picked Lucida which has a handwriting style flow to it.
3. I centred the text.
4. I turned the upper case letters into 48 size and the lower case into 28.
5. For a bit of fun, I alternated letters between pink and black. Maybe go for another colour with black or use lots of different colours. I think it's important to keep each upper and lower segment in the same colour for continuity.
6. Added in Sacha's name with a simple flourish either side but you could put in a message and, if you're feeling fancy, Ohdeedoh suggests clip art too.
7. Check in print preview to make sure everything is centred and you're happy with the colours (though I went for pink, it came out a more peachy colour at printing).
8. Print and frame - I used an Ikea Ribba 30x40 frame. With its card mount it could just fit an A4 sheet which I held in place using sticky photo tabs.

How would I change it?

Perhaps print on a better quality of paper, make the lettering a little larger and play about with the colours. The options are endless. Are you going to have a go?

Pretty tents for a staycation in your own garden

I've probably mentioned before that camping isn't quite my bag (rucksack?) but I do like the pretty tents that have given 'glamping' a surge of popularity. Whilst I'd love a Cath Kidston floral tent, I'm not sure I really want to pay £100 for one right now. If you're looking for something similar, check out the Celia Birtwell monkey puzzle tent which is similarly priced for £119 at Millets.

Or if you're on a budget, check out this pink floral teepee for a fifth of the price at just £19.99. I've just bought this fun teepee and think it's going to be a great summer play tent and hideaway for my children this summer.

Children's bedding and other pretties at Lulu & Nat

Lulu and Nat have been going for a year now with one half of the team (Lulu) based in India and the other (Nat) here in England. Searching for children's bedding they realised there was a gap in the market - just like any other parents who has searched high and low for something other than cartoon character embellished duvets. So they created their own using Indian techniques to create quintessentially English designs with pretty and colourful products. The prices are on the higher side - you're looking at £26 for a pillowcase - but they are delicious. The range also includes some delicate union jack cushions, butterfly motifs and colourful throws. Delightful, aren't they?

Clockwise L-R: Floral single quilt, pink union jack cushion, embroidered butterfly cushion, floral throws, butterfly spot cot quilt, cot quilts.

Bargain alert! Store's photo coat hooks

You can't get much accessories much cheaper for your home than these £2.50 coat hooks. They're in red, black or grey (how I wish for yellow, blue and a pure white) and each has a slot through which you can slide a photo. Great if you want to keep the kids organised or just want to rotate some inspiring snaps. Find them at Store.