LivingEtc: Stourbridge Terrace

Thank you.

The clock was Trainspotters.
The birds and butterflies are from my dad who collects taxidermy... there's also a couple of display boxes of Scarab beetles and other weird insects but they tend to give people the fear and I've yet to find the perfect place to display them ... guest bedroom perhaps? Above the bed?

The tickets were done in a slightly compromised way as my other half had lovingly kept them in a tin and didn't want them damaged, which ruled out spray mount, which is what I would have preferred to use. In the end I used the little sticky foam tabs and they have all stayed in place (fingers crossed). Also he didn't want them to get faded so the only place we could put them was up the stairs. Here's one half of the stair case ...

He also wanted them done in chronological order (as far as possible so there is less 'lay-out design' than I'd have liked). I sound awful really - they were his, but I suspected that they would look fab mounted, so it was a treat for me as well as his birthday pressie.

The kitchen was from Howdens - very much a budget kitchen. I have to give credit to the guys that did it. Known them for years and without their skill it wouldn't be anywhere near as good. For example, when the kitchen floor was tiled, I thought I'd gotten a real bargain with the slate tiles, but they were all extremely different widths and me and the builder sat down and individually picked out my favourite tiles and marked them up. He did such a good job with how even they were laid. He's a complete star - even if he thinks some of the things I ask him to do are a bit odd. For example, he made me 2 tiled draining boards/trays with left over tiles and work surface.

I wasn’t sure if they were going to be a bit OTT and twee, but I think he’s done really well.

The wardrobes for instance are just made from bog standard, Wickes doors. I drew him a picture and then he worked his magic and I'm ashamed to say each door knob ( large crystal ball style) cost more than the rest of the wardrobes put together.

The picture frames are from all over - I've been collecting them for 18 months now. Mainly they are M&S, especially good when they were on offer last year. Some are Ikea, a couple are from Heals (The big multi picture one that you can see reflected in the mirror in the dining room) and I think some of the very wee ones are from habitat. Oh, and from The Range. It became a standing joke at work - I'd pop out for a sandwich and come back with a frame. Also bought a gadget for my mother-in-law to convert her slides into a digital format, so I managed to get some great old photos, as well as our own ones. Then I just photoshopped everything, finally giving them an ever-so-slightly sepia tint to take away from the stark, blue-ish hue when I did them simply black and white.

The last 12 months, the house seemed to be at its worse as no one room was finished and so I sought solace in framing. Lots of trial and error. The first ones I did looked terrible.

L
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Edited by SleepyGirl (31/10/2008 16:33)