Lazy Susan Potter's Wheel

Glass microwave plate & Potter's Wheel.

I recently discovered that an old microwave plate, that had been given to me by a family friend, fit perfectly on top of my Lazy Susan Potter's Wheel.

The base of the glass plate has what I would call a rim on it that fits perfectly over the plate edge of the Potter's wheel. The rim stops the glass plate from falling off the potter's wheel plate while it is being turned as seen in the picture below.

Glass plate on the Potter's wheel. 

With the addition of the glass plate to the Lazy Susan Potter's Wheel it means that there is space for bigger things to be placed on top of it.

The wheel can also be used as a cake stand that has the bonus of being able to turn to easily show off all sides of the cake.

Another bonus is that the glass plate can be easily removed to be cleaned either by hand or in a dishwasher.

Vintage Shoe Polish Jars

Vintage shoe polish jars.

My mum was having a clear out and came across these old jars, the contents were unusable so she cleaned them out and passed them onto me.

I love the old fashioned lid labels especially the blue one at the front of this picture. I've always been drawn to the old industrial brand labels and posters and love finding items old or new in a similiar style.

I'm not quite sure what I'll put inside them at this precise moment but I'm sure I'll find something!

Refurbished Foot Stool

Refurbished Stool. 

This stool's original leather patchwork cover was slowing falling to bits so I decided to take the opportunity to upcycle the whole piece of furniture. 

The old leather cover and straw cushioning were stripped away to leave the wooden legs and base which I then painted in my favorite Rosewood varnish to get the dark chocolate brown colour that I love so much! As well as a new foam cushion, a new cover was made from a section of a cardigan that I had bought at a charity shop and together they were stapled to the stool base.  

Old leather cover.

Old straw cushioning.

Wooden frame. 

New cushion & cover.

Chocolicious Tray.

Before. 

This shabby looking tray was turned into a chocolicious delight after several coats of my favorite Rosewood varnish were painted onto the wooden frame.

After about eight coats of the Rosewood varnish, a lovely deep colour appears that always reminds me of dark chocolate and in the after picture you can see how my Mama's chocolate migraine cake compares to the newly varnished frame.   

After. 

    As for the blue tray base, I have always loved the colour and felt no need to change it but by altering the wooden frame to a much darker colour the blue has become much fresher and vibrant. 

A simple solution for making a tired shabby tray into a delightful contemporary piece.

   
                                                                             

Mmmm Chocolate Cake!

Mama's chocolate migriane cake & cream.

There's nothing like my mama's chocolate cake or what she calls her "migraine cake"! It's extremely rich and only really best to eat in small portions with some lovely thick cream (picture). It makes a delicious treat for those days when you might feel the winter blues or if your simply just a chocoholic!  

Animal Conkers

Animals made out of conkers.

I discovered this picture of animal conkers in the weekend edition of The Observer last month under the title 'My sunday in a picture'. I've never seen conkers being used in this way and love how decorative they are. They would make lovely autumn decorations for a mantel piece (or something similar) and remind me of the nativity figures you get for Christmas. What a brillant way to start the build up to decorating the house for the festive season!

Autumn Leaves

Autumn is a great time for country walks. Breathing in the crisp fresh air, admiring the changing colour tones of the beautiful countryside and being able to kick the fallen dead leaves. It doesn't matter how old you are, we all love to hear and feel the crunch and rustle of the leaves under our feet.

Standing in fallen leaves.

Kicking the fallen leaves.

Then after all the fun, theres nothing like returning to a warm home to snuggle up by a log fire (if your lucky enough to have one!) with a warm cup of hot chocolate with all the extra trimmings and a good book or a film. The perfect way to spend an Autumn day.