Warm-up sentimentally

Worn and worse-for-the-wear, our pile of t-shirts was ever-growing. Those threads that hold such special memories you cant comprehend them worn by another person or in the recycle bin. 

So, patchwork the answer, traditional past-time of the 'fore-mothers' et voila, here is a pretty gender-nuetral alternative to fossil fuel warmth. To make this blanket more contemporary we laid-out a brick pattern repeat in the colour pairs. 

Idea by www.katycasey.co.uk not for resale.

Instructions available below, alternatively...commission me to make one for you by emailing info@katycasey.co.uk or xxxMADExxx on Etsy

Ingenuity in Lighting

Lighting is utility, mood. It's vessel therefore, with the eye drawn to it as a result, has the potential to guide the theme of a room.

Research will show lamps, lampshades and even bulbs can range widely in price. A fan of the drum shade (the larger the better), whether the newer illustrated look or hotel chic grey toned, prices for a single shade start at £14 so we were forced to catalogue shop. 
Although £3.99 on offer was agreeable, one of the four we bought was in the charity shop before the week ended. No statement is made when the diameter is under 25cm. I have looked at custom kits and courses which would give me the skill to make lampshades-aplenty, but initially these are cost prohibitive. It comes down to this- there are better things to spend your money on when you have just moved house, than a lampshade; paint; draught excluders; a shower curtain.

So inginuity has been necessary for my passion for lighting in our home to be exemplified. Using the craft section of the village toy shop supplied pva glue and pom-poms. My haberdashery box had ribbon, and lets face-it i was looking for an excused to reduce the wool pile in my cupboard. A peachy shade was pimped for our wee man to eye and poke from his cot. The standard lamp was ahead of the copper trending at the moment and glow-ahoy, cheery bed-time reading.

My friend had a stash of art supplies, and you can't say no to the offer of 'take what you like' when you like stationary ALOT. One of these items 'I was sure would come in useful' was an easel. Cue tripod lamps and film ephemera trend and a yearning and unsatisfied search across web land and shops for a more unique version as the high-street filters the look. Homebase selling Habitat makes me happy, I am glad they are still in the marketplace as a design-led company for and by arty folk. It was there I found a clamp lamp in the sale £9, and clamp-it we did to the easel base and voila, our film-alpine-skandi front-room gets an upgrade.

Major Inspiration

This 1973 thrifty find has page after page of illustrated beauty to inspire, 'Come inside the flats' from the pen and hand of Julie Simpson.