More house renovating adventures

There's still a ways to go with this house to get it the way we eventually want it, but slowly but surely we're getting there.

One big thing we've been meaning to do over the last year is the bathroom, and here is the finished product...

We now have a shower!  Hoorah!  The only annoying thing is that there is a temperature-limiter in the water controller which means that although the temperature is ok for showering, it's a bit too cold for filling the bath.  We can't see a way around it, so if we want a bath we also have to boil the kettle.  Grrr.  Oh well, can't have it all I suppose!

We also painted the top (guest) room white and green, and F made doors out of painted plywood so that we could hide all the camping and other random stuff in the alcoves.  We eventually decided that monkey fists were a good way to make handles....

 

We've also finished the wood flooring on the landing and in our bedroom and painted the new skirting boards, and finished the trim around the stairs and bannisters (looks trivial but was VERY fiddly and involved a jig-saw and everything!)

 

 

I also added new friends and family photos to our wall of fame (we're missing photos of the Northampton, Norway and New Zealand contingents).

Then finally, although this is a long-finished project, here are the scaffold-plank bookshelves that Fmade for the living room, and F sitting contentedly enjoying the cosiness!

 

Getting crafty

I've recently been enjoying getting to grips with crocheting, possibly rather too much.  It all started with an innocuous comment at work when it came to be known that I was about to become an aunt: "oh, you'll have to start knitting then".  Now knitting is just too much hassle - dropped stitches, keeping it straight and even.... So I thought I might try to crochet a blanket instead.

The first blanket, for nephew Oscar, wasn't the most perfect of items - all a bit wonky - but made with love.  I sadly can't find the photos I took of it, but will post if I find them.

 I then decided to see if I could improve on it, and, hearing that multiple friends are due to have babies in early 2015, set out to make a couple more blankets, which, I think, show considerable improvement.

Ottawa friend D then asked if I could make tea cosies....  She has a rather odd-shaped tea-pot, but I thought I would give it a go.  Here's the first attempt, at making something that sadly just doesn't quite fit our teapot.  But hey, it's all a work in progress.... And keeping me (in)sane in the process.