Pretty Practicals: Brown paper and birthdays

After taking the day off yesterday and having a half day on Saturday, we have spent the whole day so far packing parcels in preparation for the couriers and post office. I love wrapping our quilts into brown paper parcels ~ I imagine them to be like parcels I've seen old films, where the hero goes off on a train with his parcel of things wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. Good grief, I must be getting nostalgic in my old age (well not so old really, but you know what I mean).

I've had my birthday this week; it's one of those times when I take stock of 'my lot' and this year I felt rather happy with things. I love my work, my family and friends ~ what more could a girl ask for (except more tea and chocolate)? Actually, I would have really liked one of these cards, they are handmade for us, by one of my super-talented friends but I suppose my family thought that I wouldn't want one that I stock in the shop (I'll drop better hints next year).

I have found time since Christmas to get my sewing machine out once again and create a few cushion covers. I love the fabric on this one, I don't know who or what the scene is supposed to be depicting, but I imagine that it could be Bodicea (I Googled the spelling and there are about 5 variations!). If you know the fabric, please drop me a line. Oh, I digress again, one of the reasons that I enjoy working with this fabric is the quality of the linen union that it is printed onto and despite the bobble trim being so fiddly to work with, it does give cushions a lovely finish! Some time ago, I was lucky enough to pop into a haberdashery shop during a sale and I picked up dozens of different colour and length zips, so now I always have the right one just when I need it. Zips in cushion covers are a must for me, I hate finding I can't remove a cover to change the inner pad or clean it, but so many fixed cover cushions seem to be sold, or even envelope back cushion covers ~ I don't know if we sit on our sofa funnily or something, but the inners never seem to stay inside the cover if it doesn't have a zipped closure. Okay ~ cushion rant over!

Our sofa at home is covered with assorted creations that I have made over the years and the wonderful thing about having learnt to sew is that if I get bored with the design of the room; I can make new blinds and cushions and hey-presto, a whole new look!

My plan for my spare time over the next couple of weeks is to redecorate Cecily-Daisy's bedroom. Now she is at uni and only at home during holidays, it seems the ideal opportunity to make it look a bit fresher in there for her. This, however, is not the easy task I thought it was going to be. Working my way around the post-holiday chaos and her walk-on wardrobe (well, that's what Dave calls the heap of clothes she leaves on her bedroom floor) will be the easy bit ~ my dilema is what do I put on the walls?

Cecily's choice I suspect would be a plain pale bamboo paint that she can put posters and momentos onto when she is home. My choice would be a vintage design wallpaper and as it is me who is doing the decorating, guess what she'll end up with? Next problem, which design? Having hoarded Laura Ashley fabrics and wallpapers for years and years, I have dozens of vintage designs to choose from and I can't decide whether to go for my favourite plum colour (we have lots of matching bedding, curtains, cushions etc. so I could create a really good 1970's room for her) or whether to use a more traditional large flowered design on a white background ~ great for making a room look larger, but it's an enormous room already, so doesn't need the help or to go for a 1930's style design and give the room a Bloomsbury look.