Friday 13 June 2008

The return of the magpie or a spot of rehoming?



Somebody asked me the other day if there were any parts of my home that are my favourites. When the sun is shining and the house is relatively tidy I can honestly say there are things I love about all the rooms in the house. Not necessarily everything in every room, I could live without the remaining dodgy carpets that we've yet to pull up, the horrible kitchen window that we'll never afford to replace, the pile of DVDs and videos next to the TV wouldn't be missed and the rather gorgeous pile of ironing sitting in the kitchen corner does nothing to add to the place, but all in all like most of us I love my home and know that my home will evolve and improve (hopefully) with time.



I have always loved home, being at home, coming home and making my home. I love the way our homes reflect our personalities, our likes and dislikes, and in the case of mine, display our magpie like tendencies! With a magpie's eye I noticed the glint of this silver thread the other week at the car boot. A few days later I spotted the old thread box in a street market, perfect!



I couldn't settle on just the one spool of thread, oh no, these three had to come home with me too. Don't they look pretty sitting on the shelf. A magpie has to have a pretty nest you know!



The other day I remembered that the old enamel washstand that we had in the bathroom of our old house. Three years on and it was still living in the loft with all the other paraphenalia that you acquire along the way. M was reluctant to bring it down as there just wasn't the room for it in our bathroom here, unless you agreed to be airlifted into the shower and allowed the washstand to stand right in front of the shower door. It was bugging me though, I loved my washstand when we bought it years ago, and, fingers crossed, bearing in mind that we won't be moving again, it seemed such a shame to keep it hidden in the attic.

So now it's living in our bedroom, yes the furniture has had to be shifted, but I have my washstand back and it makes me smile every time I walk past the rusty old thing!



I even made a new cushion for my bedroom this week to add to the pile on the bed, pink and green, florally and vintage fabric, just what I wanted. Another home found for something!



Ssssh, I'll let you in on a secret. Can you spot the little bin in this photo? I found it at the car boot, it's an old Worcester Ware bin and I love it. It lives next to the computer so I can see it all the time.



The secret is that most days when I'm wandering around the house, the bin comes with me! The rest of the Ragged Roses no nothing of the secret life of my bin, but now they do... It sounds sad I know but I just can't make up my mind what to do with it. It looks so pretty in every room. I never thought I would find such a pretty waste paper basket!




Am I alone in doing things like this I wonder? I love introducing new things into our home that sit beside things we've had for years, that have stories to tell and reflect us all so well. Isn't it good that our homes are constantly evolving, what would the magpie (no I think I prefer squirrel) inside me do if one day my home would say "that's it I'm finished!"

Before I forget I need to let you know about the PIF. Names were pulled out of the hat this morning and the recipients of my PIF are Twiggy,
Lucy and
AThrfityMrs. I do promise that you will receive something from me at some point, perhaps you could let me know your addresses when you've got the time. Sorry to all of you who were unable to be involved in this one, maybe next time.

A big thank you for all your recent tooth love! I'm glad to know that most of you bloggers are as wussy as I am when it comes to all things dental. Perhaps we should all coincide our next appointments and have a moan about it afterwards. I am feeling happier about things at the moment, not because I've won the lottery or the sky has decided to rain chocolate rather than the nasty cold drizzly stuff it's doing at the moment, but because yesterday I went swimming again for the first time in two years! It was GOOD! Having hurt my leg and back when we moved I have been reluctant to swim for a while but I really needed to stretch again and swimming was just so perfect for me. M says I have a permanent smile on my face when I'm in the water and he's so right. I love it, love the feeling of stretching, love the feeling of being carried along and, most of all, love the feeling of having to concentrate on nothing else but the moment, bliss! Just what I needed.
Have a wonderful weekend, and Happy Father's Day to all you Dads too!

31 comments:

Connie said...

Sweet post and YES, I love seeing the old with the new! Make a home a HOME in my not-so-humble opinion! Love the trash can. I actually put decals and roses on my garbage cans OR buy them that way when I see them!! Come on over and visit, my sweet chickadee! Love to have you............
Smoochies
Connie in Idaho

Anonymous said...

kim, your home is delightful and I love what you do with your bin, i do this with mirrors and jugs.
And oh I am THRILLED, yup really sooper-dooperly thrilled to have won the PIF, oh really thank you so so much. Will email you right now with address can't wait (no pressure haha)!
thanks for everything
love Lucyxxx

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

I like being at home too, although I don't have nearly as many pretty things as you do!

I think Cody would go mad with flowery stuff everywhere...haha

Twiggy said...

Lovely post and ohhh how exciting, thanks for my PIF, I'll email my address right this minute. It's cheered my day which so far isn't going too well - boo
Twiggy x

Heidijayhawk said...

i love your home. the pics are always so welcoming and beautiful. the combination of old and new and what's important to you. that's what makes a home.

Heidi said...

Never let your home say it is finished Kim! It is too much fun bringing new things into the home. I just went and bought lots of new things today. New, not car boot as we don't have them here. I think it is the details that reflect who we are like looking in a mirror.

I call moving items from room to room a borrowing makeover. It makes everything feel fresh and new again. I do it lots too. Now the trash can.....don't we all have one that just excites us? I do. It looks like a piece of chintz fabric and I love it. I use it in my quilt studio and it makes me feel good to have it.

My next dentist appointment is this coming Tuesday. I have to go have the specialist look and then decide about the surgery. Wish me luck...

Wishing M a happy father's day and you all a great weekend!

Hugs ~
Heidi

Nonnie said...

Oh I love that litter bin. I always find bins so ugly and can never find one I like but that one is very pretty. Almost too pretty to put rubbish in! At the moment our house reflects rather more of Simon's personality than mine, but bit by bit I am adding the Nonnie feel to the place. Quietly so he doesn't notice!

silverpebble said...

Hello,

Such lovely things - I get excited in exactly the same way about beautiful, sometimes tattered old finds from car boots and junk shops. Nesting is brilliant fun. I covet your washstand - it's gorgeous.

Thanks for your lovely comment about our new arrival - it's actually given me a scarily strong burst of nesting - but not much time to do it!

dottycookie said...

I'm not surprised you wanted your washstand down - it's lovely! We need some pretty new wastebins - ours are ones I wove ten years ago but they're starting to show their age now (aren't we all?!)

Betty said...

Oh Kim! I'm happy to read that you are feeling so much better. I hate, hate the dentist too. I love your old washstand. I have a wastebasket that I love too. It's black metal with tole roses and I wish I could keep it out where everyone can see it but it lives in the bath. I found it in a garage at and estate sale with garbage still in it. The people thought I was weird for wanting to buy it. I'm sure you can understand though. LOL I'm off to the eye doctor in an hour. Hopefully this is my last visit for a while!!

Just Original said...

I love the washstand and the roses in it are beautiful!

I have to say I do not know anyone who walks around the house with a bin until now of course!

Have a good weekend

Simone said...

You have a very pretty bin! Maybe you could use it as an umbrella stand or just keep it as a portable bin as you do now!

Cape Cod Washashore said...

Wonderful post, Kim! It made me smile! I have the same habit as you of dragging favorite items around the house from room to room.

I love the water, but I loved it best when I was pregnant! That feeling of weightlessness while looking like a whale was heavenly for me! lol

Happy Weekend!

Sal said...

I absolutely love your wash stand and your beautiful Worcester Ware bin!Sal;-)

Andylynne said...

Very well put, old things in new places. Feathering the nest with objects obtained from other places. yep very Magpie like indeed:) I love to swim too, it makes me feel clean and fresh, and absolutly rejuvinated. Like you I just needed to actully get in the water again. You have given me another nudge, thank you!

Pondside said...

Isn't it funny how one item can give you that wonderfully fuzzy feeling of being so completely 'right' for you. I guess it's your waste basket or your washstand. I've thought about it (not long!) and for me it's a little spode pitcher, only about 6 inches high. Makes any room look perfect!
I went to your 2007 blog and found the post about the bath bomb - too funny! Lillypad actually gave me on of those with the bits of glitter and shiny butterflies too. I also remember losing that relaxed feeling as I scrubbed the glittery bits off the tub!

Unknown said...

It's me again!...You always have things I want! Oh that sounds awful, doesn't it!...I think I told you I love enamelware!...That pitcher...LOVE it! and then how you arranged it with the enamelware washstand!!! Never put that washstand away again, my friend!...& if you do, send it to me instead! And the photo you took is right out of the pages of COUNTRY LIVING magazine (UK edition), which I love!...O.K. I will quit "gushing"! Lovely weekend to you, Kim & Happy Father's Day to your husband as well!....We'll chat later, ...Heidi :)

French Knots said...

I think it was important to buy three spools of that lovely twinkly thread as one on the shelf would have looked a bit lonely whereas three makes a perfet display!
Wish I had a loft with forgotten treasures in, ours has been converted so it's our bedroom, in need of a good tidy up too.
Thanks for more peeks at your lovely treasures.

Sea Angels said...

Hi Kim...gosh I have missed popping over, this is a wonderful post, and I have fallen in love with everything in it, I just love the way you style your beautiful and lovely finds....Wonderful!!
I loved the Courtaulds Gallery thankyou so much for the recommendation, I did not want to leave, thankyou.
Hugs Lynn xx

Elizabethd said...

What pretty things you have Kim. I love to move things about too, and usually find a perfect place.
Your waste paper bin is so pretty!

meggie said...

The fish in me loves to swim too!
All your lovely touches about the house are so pretty!

Thimbleanna said...

Once again Kim, a very lovely post! Like you, I love being at home -- I really try to hole-up on the weekends and stay at home. Luckily for me, hubby does the shopping so I can have more time where I'm happiest. Your home must be beautiful -- dodgy carpet and all. You always have the most lovely touches!

Ally Jay said...

I love seeing all your treasures although they would never be allowed through the door here. Dh would rather die first.

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Oh how I wish you could wave your magic wand over my cluttered home.
Your home looks so serene and stylish... and I always admire the way you marry items together..

I only have one favourite area of my home and that is the front door.. before you enter the chaos!

Michelexx

Louise said...

What a very pretty wastepaper basket indeed, yours is the first one I have seen. My home is always evolving with new finds, but I find it so hard to part with old finds, as I love it all. My shelves are fairly cluttered (I don't know the meaning of minimalist) and I have boxes of finds in the loft from over the years too. I hope to one day have more rooms to fill up? I keep meaning to come over to your area for a mooch but don't ever get around to it! You find some lovely things Kim. x

Unknown said...

Oh I love the bin, that is so pretty. We still have things in boxes from the house move, and its a bit like Christmas when you open a box and there is something you love. So I know how you feel aobut your wash stand. My secret is that I have to go to John Lewis to visit my curtains, I can't put them up here yet and I love them so much I have to visit them each time I am in town!

Rosie x

Linda said...

Hi Kim,
Love the wash stand and the little bin. I too often will walk around the house object in hand trying to find a spot for something. We have been in our home for 14years and don't intend to ever move yet some days I feel as though our to do list is getting longer instead of shorter. Hope you have a great week.
Cheers Linda

mollycupcakes said...

You have the most wonderfu; items in your home and all your photos are always so light and airy looking. Would love to see the outside of your gorgeous home does it have huge windows, I'm just imagining what it looks like.
Liking the old wash basin very vintage.
So glad your over the dentist fear.
Hugs.
Catherine x

Garden Girl said...

Hi Kim, am totally in agreement with you on the magpie front! (although others may describe my 'addicition to stuff' in a slightly less flattering way...)but I find it so comforting to be surrounded by things I love.Your house is so beautiful-and I love the latest cushion!!x

Tracy said...

Loved this cozy post, Kim! I think every corner you show of your home looks delightful...your serene corners are inspiring. I've always loved being home too. Nothing like the sweet comforts and joys of home and homemaking! Happy week to you all ((HUGS))

Lucy Bloom said...

Hi Kim, lovely post, I think many can relate, nothing stays in one place for long in our house, and I just love the thrill of bringing home something new(old!). I am a big dentist wuss too, I lost a big filling this week and I don't know who's more worried - me or my wallet!
Lucy x