Last week's project...

- was to paint these book cases we have finally managed to get.

Even though we have already finished some of the bigger projects, we haven't yet managed to personalise the rooms.

So that's my goal for this autumn (and yes, I know I haven't managed to follow my Christmas 2015 plan 😏) - and I am really excited about it.

First I gave them one coat primer, and after sanding it down two coats white glossy paint. 

After my lovely Hubby put them up for me, I could finally give our living room the first personal touch - and unpack yet another couple of boxes which wasn't so bad either 😉

So here is the final result and I am really pleased with it - suddenly it feels like we are on the right path to creating a lovely corner to spent a cosy evening with a good book or some knitting in the cold winter months.

Gitte x

I just can't wait...

- to get started on our new cushions after having partly bought and partly dug out these fantastic fabrics.

I simply love the colours - they just seem to make me happy which can never be a bad thing :-)

I made the embroidery of the reindeer earlier in the year. I've made embroideries since I was a very little girl and always loved it, but haven't really found the right purpose for it - for me it's something my grandmother put on her wall. So I'll try to incorporate it in a cushion, maybe in some kind of patchworky pattern (which is new to me) - maybe it will work, maybe it will not...

 

The painter has started today, and I am already much calmer :-)

Have a great day!

Gitte x

Ready for...

- the painter to start. 

My lovely hubby has been working all weekend to get ready for the painter to start his work tomorrow, and last night at 9 he was done - only to to realise that the drain for the shower was blocked. After three hours of trying to unblock it, at midnight we had to call it a day...

Oh the joys...

But back to the important bit - WE ARE READY - and here are a few pictures to prove it :-)

Living room:

 Hall:

Oooh - I have also been fabric shopping, but more about that later. Have a lovely day :-)

Gitte X

It's amazing to...

- see what you can actually achieve when you put your mind to it - and when you have a bet going on with your neighbor of course :-)

I am very proud to announce that all the cabelling in the living room is done and almost ready for connecting to the mains - all by me...

Didn't think I had it in me :-) 

Have a great day.

Gitte x

Just thought I'd share....

- todays finds.

The colours for the livingroom will be...

So now I have something to work from when I go fabric hunting - I can't wait :-)

Gitte X

Cushions, Cushions, Cushions...

- I don't really think you can have enough of them...

Work on the living room and hall is moving forward - slowly but surely (maybe a little bit too slowly for my liking :-)) and as much as I would like to go and buy some new sofas, my bank account doesn't really agree.

My next project is therefor to make some new cushions and renew the furniture that way.

So last night I went on Pinterest and spent a couple of hours hunting for inspiration.

I already know that the colour scheme will be yellow and grey tones (which I have yet to convince my hubby about, but I know he'll come round) - and here are a few things I found:

You can see the rest of my cushion board here.

So I guess today's task is to go find some of those pantone colour things you can get in the paint departments and start planning - can't wait to get started :-)

Oh - and Jane, that blanket on the back of your sofa is exactly what I'm looking for, so watch out :-)

So my weekend will spent hunting for fabrics at stof og stil and maybe start to do some sewing - it's a hard life :-)

Have a lovely weekend.

Gitte x

Novembers project...

- has now been kick started, why rest on our laurels and get bored 
:-) And let's just say that we are no less ambitious this time than we were with the window project.

So the plan is to revamp the living room and hall - with a goal to finish no later than 1 December for Christmas to kick in, so no pressure...

This, among other things, means strip off old wallpaper, take down a wall, redo the electrics, brick up old doorways, break down the door to the basement, get the painter in to do up the walls and ceilings, get the floor man in to sand down the floors etc. etc....

We have of course cheated and started already, and then today we realised that the electrician we wanted wasn't going to make it... Not good when you have booked the painter to start on Monday :-)

Luckily we are not the first ones in this area who have done up a whole house (perhaps the most optimistic and unrealistic, but haven't we all been there...), so we called one of our lovely neighbors and knowing what we are going through, he was here fifteen minutes later. So even though my husband definitely thinks I am slightly mad, I am still optimistic :-)

So here's the starting point - and then you just have to wait until 1 December for the result (I wish...)

So until next time...

Gitte x

Project Window Done...

- I still can't believe how quickly they have managed to put in 9 windows, 3 patio doors and a front door.

The transformation is amazing - both inside and out. 

The lack of draft and noise from the windows has made such a difference - it's quite nice not getting a cold breeze on your neck and back when sitting on the sofa knitting :-)

I thought some before and after pictures was appropriate, so here they are:

Before

After

So whilst preparing the next project, I wish you all a lovely day.

Gitte x

It's amazing...

what you can achieve when you have family and friends - and someone who knows what he is doing - around you.

All the windows and doors on one floor are already in - and only with one broken glass (on one of the old windows...)

The big moment was when they managed to lift out the big front windows without braking it. It took 4 grown men - and 4 girls of various ages to cheer - to do it. It is now up for grabs for free, as long as you take it away yourself... With about 400 lbs and a measurement of 113x62 inches I really hope someone bites as I don't how else we'll get rid of it :-)

Before                 During                        After

         




I can't believe what a difference it has made to the house, both inside and out. I absolutely love it and can't wait until the last four goes in next weekend.

And with this photo and with the smell of hot chocolate and waffles I wish you all a lovely afternoon.

Gitte x 

It just took me back...

Hi all

Having taken the girls to school and nursery and walked the dog I sat down in my favorite chair with a nice warm cup of coffee and my phone - so nothing new there...

The only difference is that I pressed the Pinterest button on my phone, which I haven't done for a long, long time. And suddenly I was back at Louise's, sat in her kitchen with Sarah, Karen and Jackie, Scrapping and chatting (normally mainly chatting...), realizing that I haven't done ANY since we moved back to Denmark last year.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I haven't done anything creative at all. I've starting sewing again and in the winter I love knitting. This means that the girls have a constant supply of new clothes and my dear husband has finally got his Icelandic Sweater he's wanted for years.

- Oh, and then there are obviously all the things round the house.

And suddenly, for some strange reason, I felt the urge to some blogging, not that I have previously been very consistent or anything... So here I am, back at the computer sharing with you all the project that I am filling my life with at the moment.

Making an anorak for my husband, using his dad's old Tenson one from the 70's as a pattern. 

(Slightly worried that it will turn out looking a majorly home-made)

Getting our new utility room ready for painting by scraping off all the old terpentine based paint so the walls can breathe 

(not my favorite job, but very excited about getting it done)

Putting in all out new windows and doors that arrived just yesterday.

(VERY excited about that one)

So as you can probably guess I am not bored...

Have a lovely autumn day everyone.

Gitte x

Getting Ready For The Floor Man

From the first time we saw the house we knew that all the floors were the original wooden planks from when the house was built in 1938 - and even though the were now very dark from many layers of varnish and many years of use, they were still in a very good condition and only needed sanding down to come back to life.

So the first tradesman we contacted was the local "floor-sander-man", D.B.F. Gulvservice. But before he could start, we had to prepare all the floors and take off any carpets and skirting boards.

My parents were here, and whilst my mum and I were working on taking down the old wallpaper in the bedrooms, my dad's most important job (under strict instructions from Lars, who was still in England at the time) was to get all the floors ready. So the night before, the only thing left to do was to take out the cooker and remove the carpet in the kitchen -only to find:

The top layer of carpet

One layer of vinyl

One layer of MDF

Another layer of vinyl

And yet another layer of MDF...

 

So instead of a ten minute job, my poor dad was on his hands and knees for 3 long hours...

But the result is fantasic - and here are a few photos to prove it :-)
 

Floors before

Floors after

Have a fantastic and hopefully sunny bank holiday weekend.

Gitte x



The Big Move

After a very hectic and - sometimes - stressful few months (hence the lack of blogging...) the big move has finally happened. We have moved back to Denmark and even though it has to be said that it wasn't at all easy to say goodbye to all our wonderful friends back in England, I can safely say that we have had a good start.
 
We have now been here a few weeks, and have moved into a house that we have taken over from an elderly lady who have lived here for nearly 50 years - need I say more. It needs updating, decorating and - in a few cases - moving around, and I am really looking forward to sharing all changes we make and experiences we get along the way with all of you. Any feedback, comments and ideas you would like to share are very welcome so please feel free to leave them.
 
But to start where we started when we arrived just three weeks ago, I think it would only be appropriate to share the very first photos of the house before the Norgaard Family took over.
 
Some might say that the style is so retro that it is in again...
 

The front of our new Home

 



 The Living room

 

 The Dining room - note the hatch to the kitchen!

 

 The very small kitchen - note hatch again...

 

 One of the girls bedroom (the other one is so small we couldn't get a decent picture...)

 

                                 The Bathroom...                               - and the toilet

 



The Master Bedroom

 

 And finally the biggest room in the basement - "soon" to be my craft room

(currently full to the brim of unpacked boxes...)

 

- so until next time...

 

Gitte x