Living On A Shoestring...

Where were we?

2011-08-07T22:17:00.001+01:00

Oh yes... the garden.
My whole summer has been about finishing it and every moment the rain stops I've been working on it - well WE'VE been working on it because I really couldn't have done this without Stephen (and Hobbes)!

Oh yes he's been working SO hard! (BTW this was wet paint that he was lying on!!Oops!)

Anyway... last time I showed you the retaining wall and putting up the summerhouse but there was still lots to do so -
FINISHING THE GARDEN PART II

We built some steps out of the old bits of wall we found.

We dug out the space and added cement mix inbetween

Don't they look great?!

This is Paul is a very generous friend who built us a BBQ!!!

I'm not going to show you anymore because he's going to do a guest blog!

We totally levelled the ground and put in a flower bed.

Hobbes inspected and I think approved!

He liked the sheeting so much we considered keeping it...!

We got the stones on Freecycle and covered the new flower bed with them.

FYI the green thing is a doggy loo - horrible but useful!

This part was Stephen's pure genious...

We bought solar lights...

Dug a hole for glass stepping stones (from the tip!)

Then dug a hole in the middle of the ledge for the tiles and added lights

There were 4 per tile and we gambled this without testing them- eek!

Then placed the tile back over- wedging it in on the ledge above the lights

We then laid an anti-weed membrane using nails on the borders

Cut out holes for the tiles in an 'X' across it

Then folded them back and under and nailed into the ground.

I strangely enjoyed pushing nails into the earth!

The summerhouse needed some steps...

And I hadn't mixed cement in far too long (a few hours) !! ;)

This was the final bit - laying slate chippings down.

It was getting late and we realised we didn't have enough :(

The next morning we were at Homebase before 9am for more (yes very keen!)

And it was done! (NB the path is the white stone as we had LOTS of that!)

I placed the hammock there for dramatic effect DO NOT LIE THERE!

But the bottom part was still a junkyard!

We cleared the area and got out the pressure washer!

We discovered that the ground was lovely under all that crap!

And now we have a breakfast area as this place is a suntrap! (I built the birdhouse!)

I can't even believe that after 2 and a half years we had a finished beautiful garden not a mudpit with lots of potential. We are proud of all our hard work and can really enjoy the space knowing we created it... and yes we are going to have a party to Christen it... there is also talk of a Gabberdashery event in it soon too!

COST OF DREAM GARDEN:
Sharp sand = £80
Other building materials = £30
Summerhouse = £500
Slate chippings = £60 (we got some from freecycle too)
Paint = £50
TOTAL (approx.) =>£720

Everything else was free or very cheap so doesn't really count- the summerhouse was the only big spend but it's SO worth it! Not bad eh?! I hope it inspires and creates beautiful things - songs will be born there I am sure!

Now I'm getting plant crazy - there have been deliveries, freebies and many compost pick ups going on - coming to a blog near you soon!

Till then my pretties,
Love, luck and ongoing projects
Xox Gabslate

Drum roll please....

2011-08-04T14:03:00.000+01:00

The garden is FINISHED!
Well... almost, there are still little things to do but I don't think that will ever change...

Isn't it pretty?

Just to remind you - here are some before pictures:

When we first moved in!

After a tidy up, new plants and during 1st project - the pond and 1st patio.

The back bit.

The back has been a pile of soil since we arrived and took 3 years to get to it but over the last 2 weeks that has really changed...

After the fencing was done we installed a retaining wall...

First we dug a trench wider than the sleepers but no deeper.

Then leveled the trench with sharp sand

With a rubber mallet- lined them up in place in 4's...

Then poured concrete mix (2 sand, 1 cement) either side of sleeper.

Stephen worked his man magic and connected them them with metal plates.

Carry on till end - et voila!

Next up was the arrival and LONG installation of something I have not shut up about for a long time... I FINALLY got a summerhouse. See this blog and this for my infatuation raging!

8am Saturday morning THIS arrived outside the house!

It was 2 feet taller than our gate so with a little help from our wonderful friend - Oliver Guy Watkins, a lovely neighbour lending us a ladder and A LOT of push and shave we got it over the gate. Fun fun fun!
My impatience and over excitedness meant that arrived before we'd had a chance to do the base... I know... bad Gabby!


We mapped (well Stephen) how many paving stones we needed.

I would have just started throwing them down.

This is what we came up - it was all we had!

More sharp sand, cement and fun with the spirit level ensued

We then filled the gaps with concrete- smoothing and levelling along the way.

Then the base was on.

OK a small confession- the guide to building a shed base said 'ensure the concrete base is smaller then the actual structure so water can run off it... which I took as quite a lot smaller and ensisted we paved like that... OOPS! We instead had to add bricks when the summerhouse base was on to make sure it had a firm ground under the edge... I know it may seem obvious to most but my tip to all is only make it about 1cm smaller then the building not 1ft!

Soon we had sides - I held them in place while Stephen screwed them in.

We followed the vague instructions as best we could!

Then there was a door!

And roof beams!

We connected the side beams to the roof parts

Soon we were up on the roof- on our neighbour's wall!

NB- I really looked awful that day... DIY is not a good look but my red hair is the evidence that I was involved- not just taking pictures!!

This was the hard bit we had to attach all the sides of the roof and then a felt with tacks... BTW felt is not soft craft felt it's mean, painful tar spiky stuff- horrible against the skin!!

Then the fascias went over the felt.

Some bits were really hard to reach!

But worth it.

A few other bits were added- door handles, bolts and the sides were screwed to the floor then we painted it...

First cream...

Then blue on the beams and frames. Masking tape was very handy!

We both love it!

I'll leave you there - and do a part II soon because I've got to go to a band practise for a gig in Belgium tomorrow.
Hope you like our new, improved garden!
Love and masking tape.
Xox
Gabhouse

Decorating with vinyl

2011-07-22T09:20:00.000+01:00

So for ages I have wanted to paint my fridge... and freezer... and washing machine, dishwasher, tiles, doors etc etc etc but I had to stop my plans because of A)lack of funds and B)the fact that we don't actually OWN this flat and our landlady might not like it.
So I looked to other ways for decorating and came across a lot of vinyl decal inspiration and was soon on etsy.com finding something right for us...
I looked at plants, trees, patterns and lots of animals but I wanted something a bit different- especially for the kitchen. Then I saw the perfect thing for our fridge and freezer:

And this is how we did it... well Stephen did it- I took pictures and said 'wow' a lot.

First place the sticker and tape in place...


Then take off the backing (bottom) layer...

NB- You may need to manipulate the vinyl to stick to the top layer, Stephen was very good at this as he has longer nails than me!

Use something hard but gentle to rub onto the surface (we used a pencil)

Then peel off the top layer...

Hobbes didn't know what to make of them!!

They look AMAZING! So happy!

I loved doing this and did one myself that the lovely seller sent with the cutlery.

I've now got the bug (get it... ladybird...bug...hahahha!)- I want something big for the sitting room, colourful for the bathroom and I love the idea of stickering the white tiles in the kitchen too.

From etsy.com

From firstladyofthehouse.blogspot.com (Amazing blog-check her out!)

Stick it to em!
Xox Gabyl

PS-This week we have been DIY crazy and the flat is starting to look very different- I'll tell you all about it when you're older...well a few days older!

Clock Wall

2011-07-19T11:36:00.001+01:00

Remember those clocks from Holloway Car Boot sale in this post? Well we hatched a plan for another 'we live in rented flat so we can't paint or wallpaper' feature wall- this time CLOCKS.

I have always loved clocks - my friend from school's father was a clock maker and they were all over their house; some ornate and some simple - I was transfixed by them and especially loved the cuckoo clocks.

Similar to this one...

So anyway... Stephen and I aren't the kind of people who have an idea and wait around for it to happen we make it happen NOW! I think I have already told you that I am incredibly inpatient so I drag Stephen around to make things happen very quickly... he doesn't mind (I think/hope!) but at least it means we don't have unfinished jobs all over the place- the garden is frustrating enough in it's incomplete state! So when the clock wall idea came up we were straight on ebay to find pieces for it.
Combined with our original free 'tip' retro mint wall clock (which I LOVE) and the Car Boot finds we are up to 5 clocks and counting.

The original and first...

An ebay find - £5

Combined cost - £12

On Sunday we added my favourite piece to the puzzle- a beautiful old Barometer. This was definitely 'meant to be' as we were about to drive away from the tip empty handed when I spied an interesting thing in the boot of the car in front- it was obvious it was in the pile of throwaways so I cheekily asked if I could see the item and he happily handed me this:

Who could resist?!

OK so it doesn't work- but who cares?!

There is still a gap for another small one but I think it's looking pretty good and apart from the Barometer they all work...

We're considering adding global times with tags...

We only have a small space for our clock wall but if we had lots...

From greenweddingshoes.com

From potterybarn.ugc.bazaarvoice.com

Clock on!!
Xox Gabticktock

Gabby's guide to laying a path

2011-07-11T13:13:00.027+01:00

Stephen and I have laid 2 path's together now and I am starting to get the hang of it but the 'King Of Path's' is very particular and a perfectionist (which I am not) so I haven't been that instrumental in the laying of it...

UNTIL NOW!
It was a Monday and Stephen had to go to work but I had a lovely day off and the sun was out (yes, he had his hat on- thank to Mark for explaining this!!) so it was my turn to build the final path... all by myself!
I think Stephen was slightly worried but he had no reason to... it's a beauty!

My path, in the middle of my garden! (NB- before the soil brush)

Here is how I did it...

YOU WILL NEED : Spade to dig out the soil
                                  Bricks (of varying sizes)
                                  Sharp Sand
                                  Rubber Mallet
Soil
                                  Heavy duty broom

Dig out the required width, length and depth...
We had anti weed membrane under from the patio but you don't
need it for a path- unless you don't want plants in your path.

Cover with sharp sand...

Get your dog/ partner/ mum to approve it! (optional)

Start laying... use the mallet to push them down and next to each other.

I find it's best to stick to a pattern but it's up to you.

Carry on till the end then admire...

Finally chuck loads of soil all over it and leave for a while...

Brush it over and over with the soil - making sure to fill any cracks.

Voila!!

Stephen likes it too! Wooh!

I also added borders beside the new patio and made myself a new flower bed...

Just filled this baby with new seeds and will doing a plant shop soon.

So the garden is getting there... we now have to:
1)Erect the retaining wall with the freecycle railway sleepers
2)Level the ground at the back
3)Cover the ground with slate chips (also free!)
4)Get the shed!!!
5)Build A Pergola (money and luck permitting!)
THEN WE ARE DONE!

We have a deadline of August so we can have a big garden party while it's still summer and actually get to enjoy our outdoor space before the sun takes off his hat!

I can't wait to do this: relax in the garden!

I'll keep you posted!
Love and sweeping
Gab-brick
Xox

Garden improvements

2011-07-06T00:35:00.000+01:00

So, as you may know when we moved into our flat we started with an overgrown dump outside...and Stephen and I have been working hard trying to make it into a very special garden for 2 years now.
We are lucky with the size of it and it has soooo much potential and a wonderful project for us to get our teeth stuck into and I can hardly wait for days off to carry on with it at the moment (especially when the sun has got his hat on ((am I the only one that finds that song confusing... if the sun has his hat on then surely it would be overcast and shaded?!! No? No? OK)) )
ANYWAY we are doing this as we do all our DIY; for as little money as possible and I showed you in this blog post how we started...

BEFORE:

How could the previous tenants leave it like THIS?!!

AFTER:

We have being doing bits and pieces to it over the years (after the major installation of the pond and patio) -adding free bits of furniture that we find, get given etc etc, then some tidying, sorting and lots of planting of course.

Recently we have been full steam ahead... we added a Hobbes proof fence - our dog has been to our neighbour's garden TOO many times!! eek!

OK I said we but we had 2 great friends helping- Jim and Vinnie- THANKYOU!

The boys put it all up in about 5 hours!

These panels were used in a video shoot on our street

and I asked for them after - score!!

Voila!

And then we painted it...

Then last weekend the work really accellerated... and we did all this:

We straightened the middle path...

This is the path... on the patio... I think it looks pretty!

Paul (the tuba player in our band) joined us and was AMAZING help!

We collected A LOT OF SHARP SAND!

They lay a cell membrane to stop weeds...

And poured sand on top...

Whilst I continued painting the trellis.

Stephen painted the posts blue

We carried on till 11pm and Paul kept his hat on all the time!

We brought out a desk lamp to help light the way!

THE NEXT DAY...

We picked up MORE bags of sharp sand!

Stephen built a second path...

Which leads to the wall... which we both rather like!

And now we want a secret door there!

While I carried on digging

To make way for the new patio!

I even got to lay a row (Stephen is king of the laying part so I was honoured!)


We got the beautiful paving stones from freecycle- they look amazing -unlike Stephen's knees!

Today I bordered a new planting bed beside the patio and layed my own path but I wanted to save that for another blog with a step by step guide on how I did it!

Next we will be doing the final part... the back of the garden...
oh that reminds me, *GOOD NEWS* my wonderful boyfriend has finally turned to the 'I want a garden shed' side- I am soooo happy! (I was always going to get one but it makes it much better that he can help assemble it! ;) in fact he's more into the idea of having it at the other end of the garden and so that means more room, bigger shed, excited Gabby... we might even go for a summerhouse now!!

From roomenvy.wordpress.com

From homeklondike.com

From leah-theinsidestory.blogspot.com

Love and lots of sun (with or without his hat!)
Xox Gababble

Dog Blog III - Finale

2011-06-28T19:32:00.002+01:00

So the dogs are back in Battersea, actually I'm there with them awaiting my parents return.
I can't believe how lucky we were with the weather the whole of their stay... it made having 3 dogs in a small flat but large garden MUCH easier.
I will actually miss having them around but now I am back to no more days off for a while with recording starting up again tomorrow and back on tour next week so they came over on a great week for me and... for them!

Maybe it was a little too hot for them...

Murr and Hobbes sleeping... again!

Murr in the water!

Wherever one went...

The other followed!


The heat caused the dogs to lose their heads! Tigger lost her's in a tree...

Murr's is in some shubbery...


and Hobbes lost his in a bush! HAHAHAHAA!

They had a communal roll...

A little girl followed Hobbes for a while- it was adorable!

My lovely sister Georgie joined us...

And literally got pulled along!

The Heath was in fine form...

and PACKED!

and Murr went for a swim again... well he lay in the pond!

So that's it for the dog blog... for now at least.
I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings and photographic evidence of it all.
I'll speak to you soon- about more DIY-ey things!
Love and paw prints!
Xox Gabpup

Holloway Car Boot Sale

2011-06-26T21:55:00.000+01:00

Evening all!
I said I would post about my car boot sale adventures so here I am doing exactly that!
I am a regular at Battersea Car Boot and will be sure to give you my full opinion of that after next weekend as I might well have my own stall there next Sunday!

This weekend, however we were at our flat in north London and had no roast lunch in Battersea to draw us near (as my parents are away and we've got their dogs!) so we thought we'd give our local car boot sale a go so off we trundled to Holloway...

IT'S FREE- Bonus!

First we went on Saturday morning and were really dissapointed with it apart from this stall:

We weren't allowed to get too close but Stephen did ask!

Which had very cheap vintage-style pretty things- like patterned cupcake cases, shabby chic kitchen accessories and coat hangers with birds on them- it was very me and I wanted to buy most things there, especially this cutlery cabinet:

This will go nicely in my dream kitchen!

and I fell in love with a picnic hamper... but no money, no space... blah blah blah!

It was at the stall that the friendly man running it informed us this wasn't a car boot sale but a market!! AH! Sunday was Car Boot day... so that was a relief!
Of course we were back in the same spot the very next day...

Stephen and I had a few things on the agenda for what to look out for, all for the flat - DIY materials, frames, clocks (to do our new project - a clock wall!!) and mirrors. I was also searching for gems, treasure and brilliant bargains- but then again- I am always am!

The car boot was full of the usual junk, useless tat and bargey people but that doesn't bother me anymore, I am a very focused buyer and keep my eyes on the stalls, not their owners or the people around me- unless they are trying to swipe my chosen object of affection then it's WAR!! No not at all- I just walk away with my tail between my legs and dream of what might have been!

Anyway- I definitely think it could have done with less stalls and more space- especially as it was burning hot today (I'm not complaining- just saying!) The whole place was heaving and no one was particularly friendly apart from the 'plant seller' who gave me very useful advice, the Irish guy who was charming and a great bargainer with the lovely 'picture seller'. The others were moody, stubborn and disinterested - which makes them much less likely to buy from (in my opinion) and is not needed! I intend to be a very friendly seller when I do my Car Boot- whatever the weather!

But what about the loot? It was 80% a load of rubbish - lots of bad clothes, cheap rip off of cosmetics and blatantly some 'fell off the back of the truck' stuff BUT the other 20% was good quality 'junk'- lots of pictures today, LOTS of alternative (ie- not awful one hit wonders) cds, dvds and videos (I wish I kept my VHS player!) I was really happy to see a good selection of plants especially as they were hosted by the most approachable sellers there and antiques that weren't overpriced at all. I couldn't help but laugh at one stall selling used DVDs for £8-10 ... ummm Amazon is cheaper and NEW! Wow!

I didn't notice the trees there- I had my head down, looking for a bargain!

Would you recommend it though? Probably, only because we picked up some real bargains and had a nice morning in the sun but I wouldn't suggest you travel miles for it- there was nothing different or special about it so best to stick to your local one.

So, go on then what did you buy? I thought you'd never ask!
The first stall I saw was covered in piles of lace so I dived in and got a HUGE very good quality piece for £2.

Lovely floral white lace!

Then we found 2 clocks for £4:

She wanted £5...

And we all thought they weren't going to work! AHA!

This picture was such a bargain - £1.50 and we both LOVE it...

Stephen pretended he wasn't that into this to bargain down!

Notice how they are all already on our wall!

All these knitting needles and case for A QUID!

I can't wait to use the HUGE ones- any suggestions what to do with them?!

This lantern for £1

Hanging on the parasol already...

All in all- not a bad hours bargain hunting!

After all that though we took some stuff to the tip/ re-use center/ my mecca and picked up all this...
FOR FREE!

New project - making these into shelves...

Kids bench soon to be kitsch garden furniture!

Good day and all for very little money.
I'll tell you more of what we got up to on one this lovely weekend in Dog Blog III tomorrow!
Love and bargains!
Xox Gab-boot

Dog Blog II

2011-06-25T22:12:00.001+01:00

This is just a chance to show off some more pictures of the little beauties- and my garden!

At home with the dogs...

So I've told you our flat is small... well our kitchen is THIS small:

This was the bolognese I cooked last night!

So we were lucky with the weather when it came to feeding time:

I love the colour co-ordination with the bowls and hose!

Yesterday I painted the trellising at the back of the garden (I'm saving the whole project for another blog) and I had great company...

So happy the Buddleia is out!

And s-t-r-e-t-c-h!

Tigger was curious... shame the camera strap got in there!

The garden is looking bloomin lovely don't cha think?!

Night night...

BTW The furniture is moved to make space for Murr

How cute is Tigger snuggling up to Stephen?!

Xox

(PS- Tomorrow I will be reporting on a Car Boot Sale - something I'm planning on making a feature of- please send me any recommendations for London)

Dog Blog

2011-06-24T13:28:00.003+01:00

This week I have swapped touring and recording for dog sitting...
I spoke earlier about our dog, Hobbes, who we got for free on Gumtree and makes me smile more than anything so is the definition of living happily on a shoestring!

We were such proud parents when he did this!

Well.... we have now been joined by my parents 2 dogs for the week while they ramble around Nice (nice!) and the flat has never felt so small! Apart from the constant whining of the oldest and biggest guest- Murr (yes my sister and I named him when we were young!!) the visit has been lovely... so far! It's nice to have lots of cuddly company and a reason to walk on the Heath a lot.

*AMENDMENT* I forgot to mention the highlight of my day was a unexpected meeting on the Heath for a hot chocolate with a lovely friend who managed to tie up all the dogs together and laughter ensued! We talked about a lot of things including garden sheds as it's still top of my agenda! Thankyou Mark! **

I thought I'd share some *nice* pictures (thanks to the Hipstamatic app on the iphone) of them galavanting on Hampstead Heath and around our place:

Here are our furry guests...

This is Tigger...

She's a lovely Jack Russell

Hobbes loves the Heath!

And he REALLY loves showing his friends around!

This is Murr- a beautiful Lurcher.

THE ROLL... Hobbes shows us how to do it:

Then Tigger has a go...

Hobbes' work is done!

Its hard not to smile when walking around the Heath.

Back at home....

Hobbes comes up with some hilarious positions!

They love Stephen...

All peaceful for the night.

Oh and the Swan's are about... with their signets:

We also spent the night putting up pictures and creating a beautiful gallery wall...
More on that soon!

Do you have a dog? Send me some pictures... shoestring@gabberdashery.com
Hope you're all enjoying the sunshine!
Love and fluff
Xox
Gabdog

Mirror Mirror Wall

2011-06-22T20:44:00.004+01:00

I can honestly say there was no inspiration behind this- it just started happening and it's my favourite feature in our flat...

We started off with a couple of mirrors we picked up in the tip - we decided to put them in the narrow corridor to give the illusion of more space.
The first mirror up is our trophy piece - its an old gilt bathroom extendable shaving mirror and looks so great against the wall- very quirky, very us!

We then started collecting with the ethos that everything on our mirror wall had to to be free or very cheap from a charity shop, car boot sale etc.
The first thing I tend to do when I start a project in ransack my parents house and see if I can 'borrow' anything unsused... a couple of hours after a delicious Sunday roast ala my mum we were leaving with another 2 mirrors and excited 'we're going to need the electric screwdriver" grins!

Ignore the mess in the reflection I'm decluttering!

So up goes another and that week I found 2 identical Mucha inspired mirrors in our local charity shop for £2 each that soon joined it.
(Thanks to Vanessa Plaister for reminding me it was Mucha not Toulouse Lautrec - annoyingly I always thought this but someone told me otherwise!!)

Stephen is very good at placing... I don't think it would look half as good if I did chose the positions myself.

All the others have all come from our original plan - giveaways or very cheap and the most recent came from a very happy trip to Battersea Car Boot Sale where we got this for £2:

And this for £10:

Which is now looking for new mirror friends to join it and create the 2nd mirror wall on the other side...

Since creating our mirror wall I have discovered we weren't the only ones so now I am getting inspiration for the next steps from Pinterest

From bleubirdvintage.typepad.com

From anthropologie.com

From kikareichert.com.br

From therileyhousebuild.blogspot.com

From onbluepoolroad.com

So onwards and upwards and downwards...
I'm off to a gig at a Cambridge May Ball (yes in June!)
Love and reflected light
Xox
Gabbor

PS- I'm not a photographer... I try but often fail. Hopefully this is something that will get better with time... but apologies for the bad pics!

Jewellery Display (what I made)

2011-06-13T12:14:00.000+01:00

So it is possible make lots of nifty things with stuff you have in the house - I realised this when I was very young and used to decorate fruit boxes with wrapping paper or bring pebbles in from the driveway to fill up a glass vase with and sit a small teddy in or something of that ilk... and now I'm a much older kid I still love making something out of nothing...

This particular project all started from something I saw on Pinterest :

From hisforhandmade.blogspot.com

Which inspired my to make one myself... especially as my jewellery collection was currently hanging from a dodgy cup hanger like this:

Nice!
So I made this...

Which looks MUCH better in my bedroom...

It was so quick and simple to make:

"You will need a picture frame, pretty material and a long lace strip"

I had a lovely battered blue wooden frame with broken glass so I removed the glass and the whole frame fell apart so my first task was to put it back together with a hammer and thin, long nails! NB, I enjoy using a hammer so this was a bonus!

I got my beautiful material in my local Haberdashery (Delicate Stitches in Kentish Town) as they always have a basket of small cutoffs for a very small price... I got about 50cm of this for £1.50 and it's perfect for my frame. I've also had a load of lace hanging about for a while begging to be made into something so it seemed very happy to be part of this!

"Next cover the cardboard from the frame in the fabric"

I used a staple gun for this part! But I'm guessing glue, double sided sticky tape etc would work brilliantly too... I've become a fan of the staple gun mostly because I am lazy and it's so easy!!

Then I cut the strips of lace to the same width as the fabric covered card, making sure they will be taught - baggy lace won't cut it in this design! I stapled them to the back too and placed it back in the frame.
Even after my amazing hammering it seemed the frame wasn't quite staying together so I used another cheater's trick - gaffer/duct/duck?! tape- and taped the back of it completely to make it stay put!

"Now you can place your bits and bobs on it"

Some necklaces were way too heavy and started to drag down the lace so I only used the lighter stuff and clipped headpieces around the frame too...
Voila!

I really enjoyed doing this- it really took no time at all and looks great! Easy DIY!

I am now moving the art on the wall so I can hang it too!

A new obsession is brewing too (don't worry garden shed is still top priority) I'm getting really excited about painting things...
I never actually cottoned on to the fact that you can paint ANYTHING and next week I am suprisingly free so watch out fridge, freezer, radiators etc etc etc...

Love the blackboard painted fridge idea!

I'm definitely excited about making the appliances bright and colourful and think I will start with a red fridge...

From fishfoodblog.com

and go from there...

From blondeepisodes.com

Right must dash back to the studio to carry on with the new album... the paint will have to wait...I'll keep you posted.
Till then my pretties,
Love and florals
Xox Gabpaint

Friday funday....

2011-06-10T10:58:00.000+01:00

Hello Blogettes!
I'm off to gig in a bit so I don't have time for a full on DIY post but I promised myself I would stop neglecting this poor little blog and so I thought I would show you a bunch of fun pictures that made me smile (and will hopefully have the same effect on you) and I will try and do this every Friday.

I have been in the studio recording and every break I have filled by getting inspired on Pinterest and other people's blogs like:
http://dosfamily.com/

I can't wait to make this doily lampshade!

http://conversationpieces.co.uk/


We seem to have a lot in common and the same sense of humour!

http://www.junkaholique.com/

Not only does she have great ideas but I'm in love with her shed!

Which leads me nicely onto my newest (raging) obsession... sheds: I want one badly!
I spent all this week in the studio dreaming about having one. My own little place with my treasures in... I have marked where it would live and keep measuring it but alas my shoestring won't stretch that far... yet.... I am hoping the freecycle angels will send me one!

From rachelwhiting.co.uk

From housetohome.co.uk

From interioralchemy.tumblr.com

So you get the point.... I might have to do it in secret as the OH (I learnt this means Other Half this week and is blogging phrase so I wanted to show off my new word!) doesn't want a shed :( I think if I bargain with the idea of more space for him in the house he hopefully will change his mind!

Anyway- I got all distracted there... Friday funday pictures:

From conversationpieces.co.uk

From heart-space.tumblr.com

From busybeingfabulous.typepad.com

From laureola.tumblr.com

I like that she's so moody in that hat!

From saganendalausa.blogspot.com

My sister sent me this! Sooo funny!

And one for luck...

Bjork always makes me smile!

Hope you're now grinning like idiots... I seem to do that a lot whilst skimming through blogs... so I guess that's ultimately want I hope my readers will do!
Have a great weekend ... I'm off to the zoo (literally, I have a gig in Bristol Zoo tomorrow!!!)
Love and garden sheds
Xoxoxoxo
Gabshed

Kitchen makeover...

2011-05-09T18:34:00.000+01:00

The next project we wanted to tackle was our ugly, tiny kitchen - not only were the worksurfaces wilted and disgusting but the nasty orangey-cream tiles were falling off the wall!

Not nice!

There was even ant powder all over the shelves that wouldn't budge and I refused to put anything in there!!! ewwww

So we waited for a sign which came in the form of FREECYCLE who popped up with 'Kitchen cabinets going for free' and before we knew it we were in a flat around the corner being shown these lovely white cabinets a they were doing a makeover.

*HALLELUJAH*

So we waited for them to start work then went to pick up our new kitchen! :)

Finally! Somewhere to store our kitchen utensils - the hallway!!

As this was our first DIY project we pulled in the help of our then Double Bass player and friendly handyman/ carpenter etc etc JIM HURT so we had the cabinets in our hall for a while! But soon came the day when the work began!

First we ripped apart the old one- took out the cabinets, which fell out with a bit of persuasion and a hammer! Then took off all the tiles (which literally fell away) and cleaned the walls.

HOW TO PUT KITCHEN CABINETS UP:


"First place the cabinet where you want it and hold it up by anything possible - we used slates"

You will need an electronic drill and screwdriver, hard wall plugs and screws.
1)Mark the holes by using a pencil through the holes in the cabinets.
2)Remove cabinet and drill the pencil marks deep enough for the wall plugs that are pretty long for a hard wall as they are holding something heavy. Then push the plugs into the holes.
3)Place cabinet back on the raised surface (ie bricks etc) and position the screws in the plugs, through the back of the cabinet (choose screws that have large heads to hold their place inside the cabinet)
4)Use the electronic screwdiver to screw into the plugs, leaving a bit loose to tighten later.
5)Stand back and check they are all straight etc.
6)Use a normal screwdriver to finish the job!

VOILA!
(By the way I am definitely not a DIY expert- just saying what we did!)

Yes I know- it would be better to have these in pictures but I obviously was either distracted or without camera for this bit as I have no record of them... dammit.
I do have an 'after' picture though:


We have since sorted out the wonky left door!!

We stamped our mark by adding the IKEA 'SNODD' handles.
We decided we couldn't handle the worksurface and next bit alone so I' m afraid to say we got someone to do that- the surface was another IKEA product- a black wood effect one and it took AGES to arrive... so we had a half done kitchen for about a month... and seeing as one of my biggest flaws is impatience; this was not fun!

ANYWAY it arrived, was fitted by a carpenter who charged us more than he said he would (bloomin' cowboy!) and is a lot prettier than the old one!

Jim then came back another day with his tiling expertise hat on and finished our kitchen with some white tiles that we found in our local re-use center!!

FINITO!

I loooong for a bigger kitchen, but until then at least it looks fresh and sleek!

I will leave you with my dream kitchen... *here's hoping!*

Oh wow!

Till next time chucks!
Xox
Gabby

The story so far...

2011-05-01T01:17:00.000+01:00

These are pictures to show what we've been up to so far:

Come into the garden (the biggest room in the house!)


This is what we had to start with...

Lots and lots of weeds, dead plants and absolute rubbish EVERYWHERE we even dug a whole bath out of the end of the garden!

So with a lot of digging, rubbish removal and hard work it started to resemble a garden:

This is where our first 2 major projects started... putting in a pond and a patio!

Stephen and I have become connoisseurs of finding gems for free...
we have 3 favourite places to go for this:
1) Our local re-cycle center has re-use cabin where people can leave things for others to have. We have become addicted with this place and have picked up things from antique typewriters, lots of art to huge plants and recently a beautiful white parasol in amazingly good condition. It's been a saving grace so many times and seems to have a knack of having exactly what we need every now and again which normally starts a curious discussion on whether our guardian angels may be dropping off stuff for us to use!

2) Freecycle is amaaaazing in every way - we started by getting rid of a lot of stuff we no longer needed on there and met such lovely people who came to our house to collect them - often with presents which was a welcome bonus! We would offer something like a working printer or floor light and get home grown lettuce and a very happy person in return - it's beautiful and every thing I love about people. Soon we started picking up things too and would give our albums as thankyous. Most of our garden has come from freecycle and we are truly thankful for it all.

3) Gumtree has also been very useful. The freebies section can be pretty exciting or the items for sale are normally cheap too. The reason why it is on my list of my 3 favourite places to find free gems is because we got our dog, Hobbes from there for free... more on that soon.

So back to the garden... THE POND.
After digging out the bath at the end of garden and taking it to the tip we were driving back when we spotted another bath on the side of the road, by a house tip... now this bath was different it was big and shapely and handsome... Stephen and I decided it would make a great pond, threw it into the van, went back home and googled "how to put in a pond" this is what we did:


"First find a bath by the side of the road and dig a huge deep hole for it to sit in"


"Then consult the gardening god for tips..." (ok it's Alan Titchmarsh not quite god!)

"Next lay down pond liner over bath"

We luckily got a free pond liner and pump from good ole gumtree days after finding the bath (see why I think my guardian angel is helping out here)

"Next fill with water... make sure to hold down the sides on the pond liner with heavy stones"


"Whilst the pond liner fills with water push into neat folds"

"Surround with pebbles and boulders" (don't you love our fountain?!)

We then went to a shop and spent actual money on some beautiful pond plants including my favourite flower- a water lily.

1 POND?... tick!

Next up was the patio... this was a little more expensive.
We knew we wanted a patio area right from the moment we first saw our garden so when a load of paving slabs went up on freecycle I jumped at the chance and the next day myself, Stephen and a friend went to collect 20 paving stones - and boy were they HEAVY! We also got a load of beautiful stone bricks from another freecycler a while later.
After a lot of research we realised we need to visit B&Q for the next round... we picked up a lot of sharp sand (we had to keep going back for more), a couple of bags of concrete, some weeding fabric and a meter spirit level which set us back about £50 but really that is super cheap for a whole patio so I really can't complain!

Then the digging began... my arms and back ached for days after. We spent a whole day digging down about 3 feet and then evened out the whole patch for the patio to be laid. We then poured down the sharp sand (about 3cm thick throughout) raked and evened the lot.

Stephen standing on the soon to be patio!

I did about 3 trips for more sharp sand- get more than you need. I think we used about 15 bags in the end.

Nearly finished!

We used the bricks to line the patio with and also built in a higher layer bit at the end... I would say this was the idea at the beginning but it was by accident as our levelling out hadn't really gone to plan and the end was much higher than the rest... "The best art comes from accidents" ...

VOILA! Also got these lovely pots on freecycle that day and the picnic table was a cheap gumtree buy.

2 PATIO?... tick!

We felt very proud that day and do everytime we take on a project and see it through to the end.
There's lots still to catch up on but all in good time my dear, all in good time.

I must sleep and rest my back as I spent the whole day digging bricks out of the back of the garden today and it's all a bit ouch!

I want to leave you with a picture of beautiful inspiration as I will do everytime:

Take care me lovelies...
Gabby xox

Lets start at the beginning...

2011-04-30T21:46:00.000+01:00

Hello!
Welcome to my new blog - this isn't about me, my music or even fashion this is about the other side my life and beautiful things that inspire me.

I live in north London with my boyfriend, Stephen and our dog, Hobbes. We have a little one bedroom basement flat that we rent but when we moved in it was such a tip that we got a chance to treat it like we owned it and basically start again...

This was 2 years ago but we are still working on things- especially our wonderful big garden and I thought it was about time to document this and all our hard work...

Mainly this blog was born because we can't get over how much we are getting and doing for very little money and we want to inspire others to do the same and I will also be showing pictures that inspire us. I will also be sharing any knowledge we learn on the way to help people do similar things.

I say 'us' because it's a dual effort- Stephen and I are always working on some form of project and Hobbes helps out too!!

So here goes...

Thankyou for visting,
Gabby xox