This day I love.......: Paint

If you follow me over on Instagram you will know that I have not been very well this past week. In fact the house has been full of lurgy! So much so that Saturday evening saw Little Man rushed to hospital with breathing problems. The problem when you are a parent and you are poorly is that you still have to take care of the tiny humans you have responsibility for. When there are 3 of them to entertain, each with different needs it can be extra tricky.

First port of call for the youngest two was trying to make me feel better. This obviously involved listening to my heart beat and checking my temperature. Little man seemed to shove all the medical tools into my ear, which didn't help matters.

After my check up I really needed a little bit of peace and quiet. Lets face it I wasn't feeling well to start with and a 2 year old performing a check up who is not the most delicate did not seem to help matters. Entertaining 3 children and keeping them quiet can be tricky but I found a solution. Mess free painting!

Little Brian paint sticks provided mess free painting and kept all three children quiet. Win all round. The paint sticks were perfect even for Little Man to hold and he had no issues twisting the paint up to use. There is no need for brushes or water, so nothing to clean up and no accidents to spill. Even better they are non toxic and wipe off glass and wooden tables easily [don't ask how I know].

With the colours drying really quickly creativity began flowing and the children were busy with their masterpieces. The colours really bold and vivid and dried the same way too.

I managed to get some quiet time and the children got to spend some time using their imaginations and creativity. Even better there was no mess to clean up afterwards, except a quick table wipe were Little Man had got very creative.

The Little Brian paint sticks have been a huge hit all around and I can see us using them a lot more and not just when I am poorly!

The paint sticks were sent for review, all words are my own opinion

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When I told my husband I wanted to wallpaper all the walls in the front room he was not too keen on the idea. He was worried the room would look too dated and too dark. His other concern was finding a paper that was good quality so that it covered the rough walls underneath. The previous owners had left the walls in our house in a real mess, and to paint them would have involved finding someone to plaster them.

As it happened the chimney became damaged in the high winds recently causing rain water to leak down the chimney and damage all the ceilings underneath, the whole ceiling needed plastering and the chimney repairing. After finding a local tradesman on myjobquote.co.uk we had the repair work carried out and could begin decorating.

I chose a wallpaper from Graham and Brown which had a subtle shimmer pattern to it. The pattern keeps in theme with the rest of the house, but my husband was still unsure how it would look having all the walls, except around the fireplace, wallpapered. The Wallpaper is such that the pattern appears in the light, but when the room is in shade the paper appears plain, as if the walls have been painted. This is fantastic as we have given the room a new lease of life and by choosing a subtle pattern create a new feel to the room dependant on the time of day. To compliment the wallpaper we painted the fireplace in Dimity from Farrow and Ball. Whilst this is the same colour as the walls in the nursery the colour of the paint looks much more silver, perhaps this is due to the silver in the paper reflecting.

The wallpaper choice also meant that thanks to the pattern it can be used for a feature wall. To do this we painted the walls in silver feather from Johnstones paint, the almost white colour of the paint helps to bring out the pattern on the paper more than the same paper in the front room. This then creates more of a feature of the wallpaper in our bedroom.

The use of wallpaper in a room can give it a different meaning dependant on what it is teamed up with. Whilst the paper is the same in both our bedroom and the front room, the feel is very different. Our bedroom is much more relaxing and whilst the front room also feels relaxing it has a warming and calming property to it. I simply love how you can create a different feel to a room using the same materials but in a different way.

This post has been something I have wanted to write for a while. I have included some links I think maybe of use.

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We are very lucky that when we found out we were expecting Thing3 that we had enough bedrooms. It did mean that I had to give up my office, but this has now been relocated. My office walls were decorated recently in Graham and Brown wallpaper and it was decided that rather than removing the paper we would instead paint over the top to brighten up the room.

I wanted to keep the nursery neutral as we do not know if Thing3 is male or female and I settled on Ammonite and Dimpse, from Farrow and Ball, for the walls. These colours both have soft natural hints to them and as this is a little room I thought it would be perfect for adding in light. Dimpse has a subtle grey tone to it and Ammonite has more a natural fossil colour. I felt the two would compliment each other really well.

I was really pleased that the paint covered the walls well and only needed one coat. Farrow and Ball paint has a real luxurious touch to it, which you can see when you paint. I wanted to ensure a good coverage over the wallpaper and therefore Farrow and Ball was the paint of choice. In certain lights the walls change colour slightly, with the feature wall becoming darker and the other walls becoming closer to white and then sometimes grey. I think it depends on the light from the window and if in natural light or artificial light. I love these subtle changes to the room. The room feels really warm and welcoming, and the natural tones on the walls add a calming effect to the room.

The carpet in the room was the original black carpet from when we moved in. This has been in need of replacing for some time and converting the space into a nursery seemed the optimum moment to do so. I settled for a hardwood floor, as it is much easier to keep clean, plus it is then in keeping with the rest of the house. Once the flooring had been laid it was a case of adding in the furniture.

The room has a fitted wardrobe, so all that was needed was a cot and chest of drawers. The drawers I already had, and the cot we painted from a second had cot which I bought online. I made sure it met all current safety standards and had the required stamps before purchasing. It looks brand new and I am so pleased with it.

There was originally a sofa in my office and I decided to keep this in the nursery for night feeds. We all love superheroes in our house and I thought this, along with Dr Seuss would be perfect for the theme for the nursery. I came across a batman cushion online and knew the second I saw it that it had to be in the nursery.

I had had a canvas shopping bag which the handles broke from Cosatto and by sticking velcro in the top I converted it to a cushion cover. Perfect for the nursery. The sofa has been used to create a reading corner. We have a real love for books and reading in our house and we are hoping Thing3 develops this same love. As this is only a small room I purchased a tidy books book case in white to help display all the wonderful books for Thing3. The girls both have tidy book cases which I have also purchased for them and they take up very little floor space, along with giving easy access to the books.

The girls have their scan pictures displayed on the walls in their bedrooms, and I found the hanging frame in Asda in the sale. It is the perfect size for adding scan pictures to.

The reading corner is finished with my beautiful wooden print from Imprify, which of course is of the girls in their superhero costumes.

I would love a superhero themed rug and blind to go in the nursery but have not yet managed to find one, but these can be added once Thing3 arrives.

I really love the nursery and the way the room has transformed from my office to a room filled with love ready for Thing3 arrival.

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I cannot tell you how happy I am at the minute. It feels like our bedroom makeover has gone on for most of the year, and I guess in many ways it has, At the start of the year we began the design process. Initially wanting a walk in wardrobe and then opting instead for full length wardrobes. We are so happy with this design choice as it gave us much more space. I wrote a post in October which walks you through the room and you can read it here.

For the past few months we have been waiting on paint delivery and decorator availability but finally this week they all came together. We purchased the paint used, except the paint for the wood work and used Wall paper which was left from an earlier project [a post to follow shortly]. I had intended the wallpaper to be used this way and we had just enough with no rolls left over.

One length of the room is the modern black gloss wardrobes. These in themselves are very powerful in the room and draw your attention towards them. However my husband and I felt that the opposite wall needed an extra something to compliment the wardrobes and we decided upon a feature wall.

We created a feature wall using paper from Graham and Brown and the design Spring blossom Mist. We wanted a design that was not too complicated but yet had a special touch to it. We also like paper that changes. By this I mean that it looks different dependant upon the light and where are you stood when you look at it.

I was looking forward to the challenge of wallpapering however the bump prevented me doing so and so we used a decorator. He did comment on the quality of the paper and estimated that it would be around £30 a roll, actually it is £12. The quality of the paper is stunning and the metallic patterns add a real touch of luxury. I love how the wallpaper works with the wardrobe and the blind without over complicating the room. The oak of the furniture really brings out the metallic sections within the paper.

We have kept the ceiling and coving white and chosen Silver Feather from Johnstones for the remaining two walls. Silver feather in daylight looks almost white but at night has a darker silver colour to it. The walls join the wardrobes so the colour needed to be light to offset the black of the wardrobe doors. Too dark and the room would have felt very enclosed. Instead of painting the wood work white we opted for Mesmerise from Johnstones paints. A bright white would have been too contrasting against the grey and silver tones in the room and we have found with two small children in the house show up the dirt far too quickly.

The whole bedroom has a real luxury feel to it, but we managed to achieve this using products without the luxury price tag. Silver, black and grey runs through the room as the theme and all the furniture is oak, The colour of the oak compliments the colour scheme and adds warmth into the room. You can see my design inspirations here

The room has been totally transformed and I love how the room feels different in day light than at night time.

With special thanks to:

Graham and Brown - for providing the wallpaper Spring Blossom Mist

Johnstones Paint - Mesmerise Wood paint and Silver Feather Matt wall paint

JYSK - Silkeborg Super king-size bed, bedside tables and chest drawers

Kilner Joinery - Wardrobes

Web blinds - Roman blinds

Lighting Majestic - table lights

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It has been a busy week this week for Thing 3. Last week the paint from Farrow and Ball arrived for the nursery and we are hoping to paint before Christmas. I ordered some flooring from Factory direct flooring and was really surprised when I had a phone call saying it was in stock and I could have it delivered the next day! We haven't yet unboxed the flooring as I cannot lift the boxes but as soon as we have painted we will be putting the flooring down. Things are slowly taking shape in the nursery. All we need in there now is a rug, which I am on the look out for. After Christmas I will be making a video room tour of the finished nursery which I am really looking forward to sharing.

Perfect Prep - Tommee tippee

The perfect prep from tommee tippee offers convenience for making formula milk. A hot shot kills any bacteria, followed by cooler water to make the perfect bottle in under 2minutes. I can see the perfect prep to be a life saver for those night time feeds. I attended the launch of the perfect prep a few years ago and was really impressed with it then. I remember at the time that it would be on the top of my wish list should we ever have another baby. I am really looking forward to putting the perfect prep to the test when Thing 3 arrives.

Mama Baby Bliss

Mama Baby Bliss offer nurturing and pamper products for Mums to be and their babies. They have a full range of classes including baby massage and baby yoga and also offer pamper parties. I received a sample of their 100% natural skin products to help soothe and relax.

At the moment I am in a great deal of pain and so sleeping is a huge issue. The Mama Baby Bliss products have been a little bit of a life saver for me. I can have a nice relax to help ease some of the pain I am in, which helps me to unwind. Whilst I am not a sleep those few minutes to myself are really helping.

The Ooooh Bath soak is really relaxing and it contains essential oils which will help after birth too. There is a wide range of products available both for antenatal and postnatal and some can be used on baby too.

Thank you Mama Baby Bliss for helping to relieve some of the pain I have been feeling recently.

Others

Finally this week I want to say a big thank you to my friends! My best friend has kindly given me a Moses basket and stand, changing mat and some clothes. This is amazing as now Thing 3 has somewhere to sleep when they arrive. One of my other friends kindly donated a play mat and another a baby chair. I feel really lucky to have such amazing friends and feel things are slowly coming together for Thing 3.

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I decided to combine this weeks update and things for Thing 3 post as it all seems to fit together. This week has been an emotional week as I was advised by physio to stop running. I saw the physio at 23+1 for the pain I have had in my abdomen. The extreme pain when walking has been getting worse and physio was in many ways needed.

My physio has diagnosed a 3.5cm distasis recti and hip displacement. On top of this I have also torn and done damage to my lower abdominal muscles. This week has been focusing on doing my exercises in order to prevent and further damage and try to make every day tasks like walking less painful.

I am not allowed to lift anything. Lifting s bowl of cereal hurts. I cannot do the ironing or vacuuming and some simple tasks like putting on shoes really hurts. However I am determined to keep going and am doing everything my physio had advised. My husband has been great at helping with housework and my Mum has been a superstar too. I do feel really frustrated and guilty because they are such simple tasks and pregnancy should not be an illness or an excuse to not do things. Unfortunately for me the damage to my muscles is saying otherwise.

Thing 3 gave me a scare mid way through the week after having a very quiet day, but soon made up for it with some strong kicks. I am loving all the wiggles and kicks and they seem to be getting stronger every day. I am looking forward to hearing Thing 3 heart heart at the 24 week appointment with the midwife.

One of my friends has very kindly given me some baby clothes for Thing 3 which I am incredibly grateful for as I had given away all of the girls things. This week also saw the paint arrive for the nursery. I have gone for neutral colours as I do not know the gender and also chosen paint from Farrow and Ball. I wanted good quality paint that I knew would withstand daily life with a baby and farrow and ball met this criteria. I shall be writing up nursery ideas in a few weeks and sharing with you the finished nursery. I am currently looking at flooring and blinds and then it is a case of putting it all together.

As the pregnancy progress I am also making decisions towards birthing plans and how I will feed Thing 3. I am hoping to share my decision as soon as I have made one. Whatever I decide I know that Tommee Tippee have a range of products to help me and my work with then as a mumbasador helpfully will continue with Thing 3.

To celebrate my partnership with Tommee Tippee I am giving away a box of 20 breast milk storage pouches. The pouches fit most brands of pumps so you can express directly into them, meaning no more spilt milk. A single pouch can be used to express, warm the ouch directly and then feed direct from the pouch. All you need to do to be in with a chance is follow the instructions on the widget this also shows full terms and conditions. Giveaway closes midnight GMT on 18th December 2015.

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As 2015 draws to a close I am reflecting on the interior design projects that have been completed, those that are still to be done this year and those that will be completed in the future. The arrival of Thing 3 in the early part of 2016 has of course altered the course of our interior design projects and plans but nevertheless we have still accomplished a fair bit.

My main aim this year was to design a luxurious feeling bedroom on a budget. I originally planned the room with walk in wardrobes but after several design consultations this had to be changed. It was decided that this would simply make the master bedroom too small, and now as I reflect on this decision I can honestly say it was the correct one to make.

Our master bedroom has been completed transformed and you can read about the transformation here. One of the biggest transformations in the room is the wardrobes, which I still look at and admire. Every time I walk in the bedroom I feel proud that it is my room. From the gorgeous super king size bed to the beautiful blind. I love every part of it, and cannot wait for the paint to arrive so I can finally complete the room.

The only part of the room I did not change was the lights. Whilst I put new bedside lights the main feature light stayed the same. It is part of the plan in 2016 to change the light to a new one and we are currently drawn to the Artemide collection. For now though the light will remain as is.

As Thing 3 will be making their appearance in the New Year one of the rooms originally not due for a transformation now needs to be converted to a nursery. The main aspect of the room to be changed is the flooring. Currently there is a very dark carpet in there which to be blunt is horrible. I really want to put some laminate down as it is much easier to keep clean with a baby. The paint has been chosen and all the furniture is ready to go in. All that is missing is soft furnishings and blinds. There is not enough wall space for curtains so it has to be a blind.

On the list for this year, although it may now be pushed into next, was to refresh my eldest daughters bedroom. Her room was one of the first to be decorated. The furniture is fine but the walls really need a new coat of paint. Her eczema is also triggered by dust and so one of the biggest changes I want to make in this room is the flooring. Again taking out the carpet and replacing with laminate which I hope will improve her skin. The final change in her room is the light. She still has the same lamp shade she had from a baby and she could really do with something more modern. I am currently looking through the collection on Lampcommerce to find one for her.

Next week sees perhaps one of the final interior design projects of 2015. The front room is finally going to be decorated after living here for three years. The paint and wallpaper have arrived and this weekend the plasterers are coming to fix the damaged ceiling. I am really looking forward to this transformation and finally making the front room ours. The long term plan here is to add a log burner. The previous occupier had one in but replaced it with an electric one to sell the house. The log burner is on the top of my wish list at the moment but it will probably 2017 before we save up for one.

The girls are very lucky that they have a playroom. When Thing 3 arrives I can see us spending a lot more time in here and I would like to brighten the walls up with some new paint and a feature wall. This is another plan for early 2016.

Before finding out we were expecting Thing 3 we had planned to do our en suite and main bathroom in 2016/2017. However we have had to put this plan on hold. This hasn't stopped me planning, designing and day dreaming about a new bathroom. I have many boards on Pinterest full of ideas and inspirations for a new bathroom and en suite, although many of them are secret at the minute.

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The rain came pouring down and we could not go outside to play. The girls did not want to go out and play, they wanted something fun to do. Something a little different. What they really wanted was Cat in the Hat to inject some fun, so we injected our own.

We took our white Cardboard playhouse from cardboard toys, our blank canvas and let imaginations go wild. The girls were given paint, leaves, stencils and the craft box, the rest was up to their imagination.

The girls began by holding a planning meeting inside their house. They decided what to do and what they would need. Spotty dog decided to keep guard.

The girls began by decorating the inside of the house. They drew lights on the ceiling, a kitchen and bathroom and of course all the other essentials bedroom and their toys. The dogs watched on with interest.

After they had finished decorating the inside they played inside the house and admired their work.

Spotty dog seemed very impressed with the interior.

I was incredibly impressed with what they had drawn, my favourite parts are the lights on the ceiling and the cat in the Hat made an appearance too!

With the inside complete it was now time to start working on the outside. They cut, stuck, glued, painted and created. Busy chatting away and making things. Using objects to dip in paint and act as stencils. Discovering shapes and patterns, mixing colours to make new colours

Day 1 was drawing to a close, they had worked really hard on their house all day but it was now time for bed.

They made smoke clouds for the chimney, a bird in a nest to sit on the roof [Mummy had to help stick him on the roof] and a flag. What house doesn't have a flag!

They stuck solar panels on the front of their house and trees down the side

Even making some pipe cleaner snails for the front of the house.

It was still raining on Sunday so the girls began painting again. Finishing off their hard work they had started the day before. Stamping butterflies, bees and ladybirds on the sides near their trees.

Using their hands they created roof tiles on the side of without solar panels. By the sides of the door they created some red flowers. There was one final task and that was to paint the doors.

After two days of hard work the girls wrote 'Our House' above the doors and had created their dream home. It had everything that their imaginations could think of from flowers, birds and creativity.

A wonderful way to spend a rainy weekend and the girls have a dream house they can play with for many more adventures.

This day I love Rainy day house building

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