A bold move

The week has flown past. I had an extra article to write for another publication, so I've been tucked away in my office typing away. In between times, it has rained, and rained, and rained. I'm combating the greyness with a shot of colour. I usually find that neutral colours sell best when it comes to furniture, but once in a while, I just crave some brightness, so I decided to play around with my £2 car boot stool that I bought at the weekend. It started out like this:

I had a pot of pillar box red gloss standing by (I bought it last year to repaint an old tricycle) and a scrap of Cath Kidston oilcloth, so I decided to go for it. I love these old 1950s stools, because the top just pops out, and it's secured by four large wooden sliding catches, which slot into place. All you need is a staple gun to anchor the oilcloth before you tuck it all back in. Just a bit of work to do to neaten the corners....

But I think it looks really cheerful. 

The wooden heart bunting comes from Sainsburys Jubilee range, which is very pretty. 

I'm still making button cards, they're quite addictive. And now I am starting to get very excited about a short trip that I'm taking over the weekend. It's my Christmas present - a mini break to Lille on Eurostar. I've been so nervous about getting ill again and not being able to go that I've hardly been able to think about it, but it looks as if things will be just fine. Of course, there will be a full report here when I return on Monday....we're hoping to take loads of photos, sit in lots of cafes, take in a few markets and shops and just r-e-l-a-x.