Jikana Damaru

Easy-As Artworks for the New Nursery!

Looking for a cost-effective but cute idea to adorn your nursery wall? Why not try making some embroidery screens! It's so easy anyone can do it; it's inexpensive and really you are only limited by your own imagination when it comes to colours, prints and fabric types.

Fern and I went out together and bought our fabric earlier this week, plus I used a few scrap bits I had lying about the house. The beauty of this artwork is that you can change your mind as often as you like and update the fabrics whenever the fancy strikes!

Because I don't know what I'm having, I tried to choose colours that might suit either a girl or boy. But once the baby is born, I'll probably add new colours to the mix, or perhaps even a printed silhouette! Or I could get creative and attempt the embroider the baby's name and birthdate etc... hmmm we'll see how much spare time I have once I have two ~~terrors~~

gorgeous little ones to deal with.

Because I have bigger plans for this wall, I have just tacked the screens up temporarily to show you what they came out like. Next week, I'm going to attempt to paint the wall (in stripes! Bright turquoise ones!) and then put the artworks up more permanently, once I've played around with the layout a bit. I'm also contemplating adding a few more to the mix.

Sorry, the pic hasn't come out v big but I have a slightly-whingy Fern at my feet and no time to play around with it! What do you think?

ps. If anyone has any fail-safe tips for painting a stripy wall.... or has seen any instructions floating about on the web, would you please share? x

Vintage tin signs

Marilyn Monroe vintage poster from Flea market in New York

Rusted metal laundry sign

Vintage style 'Dairy Fresh Milk' metal sign

Fablicious wall plaque picture

'What would Elvis do' by Orchid Living Ltd

'What would Elvis do' hanging metal sign

Fish and Chips sign

My garden shed

I love vintage tin signs, like my Marilyn one. I have a few dotted around the house and in my garden. They evoke nostalgia in me and I love the humour in them, like my 'Honest Otto' one hanging on my shed door. I am coveting the Fab-licious one this Summer! It reminds me of my happy childhood holidays on the south coast of England.

Have a sweet day!

Random Acts of Kindness Challenge - PPMJ

The wonderful PPMJ from Pink Patent Mary Janes is the first blogger to take up my challenge and post about a Random Act of Kindness on her blog. Like most of us, PPMJ doesn't normally post about them - she just does them. How I wish I had a friend that lived closed by just like her.

Have you taken up the challenge and not let me know - I would love to share your Act here. If each one of us did one Random Act per week imagine the change we could make in other people's lives.

Join in before the end of May for your chance to win just check out the original challenge post.

Keep Calm ...

Loving the Keep Calm Esty Shop with every version of this wonderful poster imaginable. Have some definite favourites...

Find them here.

Moooooooooooly good hair

I have hair that's favourably classed as 'dry' but really should be called 'unruly'. It's thick and kinky-curled and frizzcityrama. After having the children, things became even more dry, kinky and frizzy and I pretty much resigned myself to having crazy hair for life. I used to think that the best I could hope for was that if I worked it with a good (read: pricey) shampoo, conditioned it twice and slapped in loads of product it could look... passable.

But that all changed when I found the cow.

A friend put me onto Moo Goo products to help me combat the psoriasis that I have on the sole of one foot and in my hairline. So I started using the products because, frankly, when you suffer from psoriasis, you'll try pretty much anything (ever smelt Coal Tar?).

[Image: Moo Goo]

Instant success. The psoriasis has improved immensely and so has the hair. In fact, the hair is so improved that I swear I will never use any other product ever again. Best of all, Moo Goo products are so natural and chemical-free that I started using the products in the children's baths and hair and they look so shiny and glossy that it brings a tear to the eye.

If you have dry hair or damaged hair, or even if you have normal hair, check them out!

wordless Wednesday

please join in

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Loving these boots

So, of course they're the only style sold out on the site, but I'm loving these boots at Nellie & Me.

Nellie & Me is a sweet little brand all-round. I just love their site design and the shoes are fantastic quality. This is the cute* little pair that I already own:

Now I realise leopard print isn't for everyone, but I find these to be the most versatile shoes in my wardrobe. These are go "anywear" shoes and the quality for the price is outstanding. Go the leopard!!

* really there is nothing even remotely 'cute' about my giantess size 10 1/2s!