Makeover Magic

Oh dear - I've been bitten by the Tidy-Up bug. Don't worry, it's happened before, and on the whole it's a good thing. The only bad thing about the Tidy-Up bug is that is takes a good grip of you for a mad 24/48 hours before it gradually wears off. But in those hours, anything can happen. Watch out dustbin men, charity shops and skips - because I'M COMING. With armfulls of rubbish and tat that has, until now, happily been hidden away in my house, safely out of view. But it festers you see, because I know it's there. And I can't rest. Because I have an inner Bree Van Der Kampf (Desperate Housewives) just itching to get out and proclaim herself. So, here goes. Firstly, the sewing area. Before:





And After:







Granted, before it was probably just a bit untidy, but now I have brought my books onto the work space because they were beginning to redistribute themselves all over the house and it was confusing me. This little corner is in fact in the spare bedroom, so I can't really have as many things 'out' as I'd like because otherwise I'd be constantly having to find somewhere to put things whilst the grandparents stay (which they do, often). So I have to be (what I consider to be) ultra tidy.



Secondly, the Utility Room. Before:





After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Much better - but not perfect. I made the mistake of reading through my Martha Stewart book last night on the subject of tidying up. This woman has a Boot Room, a Utility Room, a Laundry Room, a Garage and no doubt a potting shed and a greenhouse. I, on the other hand, have just one, SMALL, utility room which more or less has to house all the things that Martha puts in her 6 rooms. I know, I know, I shouldn't complain. What I'm struggling with here is not just the space issue, but the ugly and mundane nature of the stuff you have to accomodate. I just want to pretty it up a bit - which Martha does so brilliantly by have matching boxes and baskets and labels and pretty walls and fabrics everywhere. I did manage to make my little shelf cover, to match my existing curtain (see above). Bizarely, the pom-pom trim that you can see is one that I bought last year and, lo and behold, it was the EXACT length of the shelf!! Can you believe it? I was saving it for a cushion or something, but I will see it every day here, and anyway, it was obviously fate.

So there we are. Just call me Bree.

NB: If you recognise the material, it's because it's a very old Ikea duvet cover, circa 1994. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!!