It seems all but a distant memory now when hubby spent several days concreting 21 supporting posts into the ground of our very sloping site and we dreamed of creating our little bolt hole at the end of the garden... Together we put up the panels of the small beach hut design and negotiated the unwieldy roof panels onto the top. In the meantime, we watched our next door neighbours-but-one call on the professionals, and within a day they had a new shed erected at the end of their garden! Hmmm...but then they don't have the satisfaction of doing it themselves, do they?! ;-)) The very orange wood was our next task to tackle and several tins of paint later and a fair few days of activity were required to turn it from this... To this... There is a large old dog rose that rambles to the left of the summerhouse, which we intend to drag up over the roof, so that hopefully within a year or so it will all look as if its been there for years... The new path that hubby laid now leads somewhere... And its somewhere very inviting... At first we weren't totally sure if we would make proper use of our new outside addition, but we've soon got into a routine of sitting after our evening meal with a cup of tea and switching-off from the hectic home life. With having that detachment from the house, we don't seem to have the distraction to make us think that we should be doing this or that and not taking a ten minute break... We wanted to make it as homely and welcoming as we could, so I've added bits and pieces from the house, or bargain buys from various sales. The little iron table came from the flea market a couple of weekends ago. I gave it a coat of 'Hammerite' paint for protection and it now provides a spot for a pretty potted pink pelargonium. Would you like the grand tour? (Ha! If you can have a grand tour of a space approx 8' x 10'!!) Here's the bamboo table that I made-over recently... Home to the radio, my candle from Kelly, and a table lamp with a shade that I covered in a vintage Sanderson fabric. The dreamy cottage print hangs above, which used to be on a wall in my daughters bedroom when she was a little girl. The shelf below provides a storage place for some of my old gardening books. Just to dress the windows a little, I used a narrow length of another Sanderson fabric, printed with roses and birds, which I also picked up at the flea market. They are simply pinned into place with these decorative flower pins. I bought them from Kelly last year and had been using them for my bulletin board, but I believe they originally came from America and are actually designed for pinning up curtains... I'm really pleased to be able to put them to their intended use now; something I couldn't do before, as we don't have wooden window frames anywhere in the house. The colour of them couldn't be better either...don't you just love it when things come together? Ideally I would have liked 4 Lloyd loom or basket chairs inside, but being realistic, there is comfortably only room for 3 of them. The blue one below had been relegated to the shed a year ago, when we no longer had the space for it in the house. I had already covered it with a fabric slip cover, which can easily be removed for washing, so is ideal in the garden. I've been trying to achieve a 'summer-all-year-round' kind of a look, so have gone for flowers and lots of greens in a big way...as you shall see... As space is tight, I added this folding chairs for an extra guest, softened by a cushion that I made from a section of vintage hand embroidery. Other gift items about the place offer reminders to me of friends and their thoughtfulness: The lovely purple daisy print cushion below that I had from Sue at Christmas. A retro jug from Teena... The wall pocket posy holder from Helen and a crinoline lady embroidery from Maggie were recent Birthday gifts. My charity shop leather flower mirror, that I tried to sell at the flea market recently didn't find a home with someone else...thankfully now, I'm glad I came back home with it, as I love how it looks in one corner, reflecting the garden. As a lover of vintage and nostalgia, I was torn between various accessories. Did I go for Victorian roses, retro or kitsch graphic designs, comfortable 1930's styles, or more rustic country items?...in the end, I went for a little bit of all of them! The vivid red Lloyd loom chair was pilfered from our kitchen. (I'm actually enjoying the space its now freed up in there!) I added my daughter's old patchwork quilt to make it a bit more inviting, and of course another floral Sanderson cushion. The quilt makes a lovely picnic rug too, so can be spread out on the floor outside to extend the space during the summer months. A £2 car boot sale table from a couple of years ago was painted in a turquoise eggshell paint found in the cellar. The ideal spot for a cup of tea and a vase of garden flowers. One of my most favourite 30's prints hangs above, which will add some summer colour during the colder months. More gardening books squirreled beneath, to enjoy during relaxing moments. The other basket chair with my handmade French fabric slip cover came out of our laundry room - it always got used as a dumping ground by certain members of the family, so I'm glad to have removed the temptation! The pièce de résistance is the painted cupboard at the back of the summerhouse. I really wanted it to be welcoming in here, so pretty things to look at are important, in my view, to create a homely feel and a place where we want to spend time. This old cupboard has been in our kitchen in the past, also in my husband's office, and now here. (Its OK, hubby has the cupboard that was in our living room...The living room has a new (old) one that is waiting for a paint job from me! - nothing sits for long in our house ;-)) heehee! I've gathered together all sorts of bits and bobs from around the house to display on the shelves - perhaps you recognise some of the items from past blog posts about my thrifting trips?... The French wallpaper border adds a splash of colour to the shelf edges. Reminders of days out are provided by some of the mementos on display... Such as the pair of violet baskets from Ashburton in Devon... My parrot from This n' That in Totnes, And these two tiny teddies were bought for me by my girls when they were a lot younger. Reading by candlelight... * Time to contemplate the crossword... Vessels to arrange a few posies... * And a granny-squares blanket for cosy knees. There we go...I'm sure I've bored you enough now...please excuse me while I enjoy the view for a few minutes...give me a nudge if I start to snooze... I have a cupboard I should be painting really you know! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Niki x