A new shelf for kitchen bric-a-brac...

When I first moved to the States, I came here with one suitcase full of a season's worth of clothes.. I had no idea that I was about to emigrate... crazy, eh? We moved into a tiny apartment in Hoboken and I started to make a home (again)...  I slowly surrounded myself with knick-knacks and trinkets that reminded me of the life that I had hastily left behind... I remember visiting a friend in Oxford and picking up a tacky tourist ornament and declaring that 'I just had to get it'... she obviously laughed at me and declared that I'd 'gone soft in the head'...

The kitchen is the one room in the house that I want to scream home... shout from the rooftops that I'm a Brit...  I'm not trying to make a style statement here (I would never even profess to know style... I just know what I like)... I want to create a feeling... that warm, fuzzy feeling of familiarity... and so, this little room in my house is piled high with bric-a-brac... knick-knacks... utensils... anything that reminds me of standing in my mum's kitchen and smelling good things to eat... My mum has been the biggest contributer to this collection... picking things up and mailing them to me, along with simple notes saying, 'I saw this and thought of you...' Those pieces bring the biggest smiles...

Now, there's one problem with this quest... I cannot leave the UK without a suitcase stuffed with kitchen paraphernalia, and my little kitchen is pretty tapped out on space... so, this past week, I picked up this little wall shelf for the spot above the microwave... this dead space was just begging to be filled.. and I have...

Have you noticed that you never see appliances in dreamy shots of kitchens?? Perhaps I should have photo-shopped this out...

I had earmarked this shelf for things that I have yet to get.... namely, a cream Roberts radio (a Christmas gift from the hubby... how do I know? I spied it in his closet...) but now I'm not sure it will fit... that's assuming the radio is for me??
Hoping your week started smoothly!
Lx

Great Expectations...

Okay... my intention this week was to get a little project finished and then share it with you... That was until my little girl became poorly sick... nothing too crazy... just a cold, but it has meant that she has had restless sleep... which then lead to a restless night's sleep, cuddling with Mummy... equalling... a restless night's sleep for Mummy, hanging onto the edge of the bed for dear life! I'll never understand how something so small can take up so much room... But, then again, I think that's the age old question for us parents!

Anyhoo, my days have been spent curled up on the couch, snuggled under the yellow ducky blanket (hers not mine), dispensing hugs and tissues... and so, any ideas of finishing DIY projects have been squashed until the weekend, when my co-pilot is around to share the load...

Just so you don't think I'm a slacker, I figured I would share my progress thus far...

I have no idea what I'm going to use this for... but, I like it... I'll give you the background on it another day...

So far, I have cleaned it, sanded it, primed it, and given it a coat of Laura Ashley's Swiss Almond... I have another coat of paint to slap on, and then, to distress.... change the hardware... find a use for it and, more importantly, find a space for it in my tiny kitchen!

Sorry for the half finished project... catch you on Friday for Friday Flower... I'm off to wipe noses!

Take care. Lx