Vivod: In the Beginning

I'm very busy at the moment but, as usual, I am working on more than one thing at a time and therefore I have nothing new to show you yet.

Anyway, it did occur to me that this blog is called 'Vivod', named after my house, but I haven't really told you much about my house yet. I think that's probably because when I began this blog I was only mid way through a much needed 'time-out' period from the house renovation stuff so I didn't really want to talk about the house, and I haven't done anything new recently that I could show you. However, I am now feeling quite keen to get going again with it all - I just need to decide exactly which part I am going to focus on next. It's also almost 2 years since we first saw this house, and I fell in love with it completely.

So today, I am going to show you the pictures of Vivod that I took on the day I got the keys. I'm expecting that most of you won't see why I was so crazy about this house, but that's ok. If we were all the same it would be a very boring world! I loved everything about it then, and I still do. It's my favourite place in the world and gets better and better all the time.

I used to have a quick look on right move every month or so. Technically I wasn't really in the position to buy a house at the time as I didn't have the deposit at all. I was also looking for something quite specific too. I wanted a terraced Victorian house, with at least 3 bedrooms but preferably 4. I wanted original features. I wanted character. I wanted high ceilings and I wanted space. Oh...and a bay window.

It was mid November, cold and dismal. Not the best day to view an empty property really. I mentioned to the kids that we might 'pop in and see a house, just to get an idea what we might like to buy one day'. Pulling up outside the house with the boarded up pane of glass in the door didn't really fill them with joy - I think child #1 almost refused to get out of the car. I walked into the bay windowed front room, onto the original parquet flooring, to find an original fire place, and window seat, and chandelier hanging from the lovely high ceiling. I was sold at this point. To be honest the rest of the house could have been a huge compromise and I still would have put in an offer, but it wasn't. Whilst the original features didn't continue in the remainder of the house what I found instead was masses of space and potential. It was liveable....just. It was perfect. I just needed to convince the kids and bank the same. I managed all that, and raised a deposit. The bank was the easy bit...the kids took a little more convincing but the fact that they each got their own room swung it somewhat. So on the 10th January 2010 I got the keys and took these pictures....(note that the furniture in them came with the house and all had to be cleared later).

The Hall, complete with boarded up front door.

Stairs and Landing, and attic room stairs.

Top of the range bathroom.

Child #2's bedroom (those ceiling fans were in every bedroom!)

More landing.

Child #3's bedroom

Child #1's bedroom

More landing!

The attic room.

The other side of the Attic Room (my bedroom)

The view from the top of the attic stairs.

The family room.

More of the family room.

Kitchen.

The 'Sun Room' as named by Oliver the Estate Agent...I think he was pushing his luck with this but this bit of the house has retained this title for comedy value.

More Sun Room.

Ironically I didn't take any pictures of the front room that I loved so much but I will show you that next time (although its already featured in many blog pictures already). I did quite a bit in the first year. It was mostly because the kids, in the end, had been very supportive and in return I wanted to decorate each of the their rooms within 12 months. I will show you some of the work that has been done in the next post.

Bye for now.

Bye Bye Half Term

I think they should make half terms longer! It was all gone too quickly and we were back to getting up early (in the dark), defrosting the car and getting to work and school as quickly as possible. 

Last week was so much more fun, we went to the cinema, baked and built things like this...

I had time to cook properly...like this steaming hot pan of chilli...

We went looking for Santa List ideas...(I miss having little girls sometimes!)

Even the cat was far more relaxed last week...

Roll on Christmas!

Anyway, one thing that did make monday more exciting was that fact that it was Bonfire Night. Even better, it didn't rain! So we all went along to the local display at Deeside Leisure Centre and put up with the really annoying 'DJ'. It was all worth it as the display was really good and seemed to go on and on for ages! We even managed to get right to the front too (not that it really matters for the fireworks obviously but it was more entertaining while we waited for them).  I didn't take pictures of the fireworks (they never seem to capture the magic!) but I did get a lovely picture of Child #1 and 3 here...

Etsy Experiments

Another day...another stash issue. The fabric stash this time. I was still in the mood for a sorting out cupboards etc, in addition I was also looking for the little bag that contains the other bits for the sewing machine like the zipper foot and button hole maker etc. I suspected it was buried within the fabric stash somewhere. 

I had also taken the time this week to have a proper look at the Etsy website. I'd only really been on it when search results took me there but never stayed long. Anyway I have other reasons for investigating its potential but we'll not go into those today. However, I did discover that there are lots of people selling hand sewn finished items on it at various price levels. 

Well as two plus two equals eight, I added my fabric stash and Etsy together and began sewing. In short I produced these two items yesterday (made solely from things I already had, I am proud to say)...

The top one was made from a little Indian tunic that Child #2 wore to my friend's wedding about 5 years ago. I loved the colours and design so much that I couldn't throw it out so its been sat in the stash ever since (I really won't mind at all if it doesn't sell). The red one was just one of my Abakhan shopping trips from that long ago that I don't remember when or why I bought the fabric. At least it has a use now anyway.

So I listed the red cushion yesterday on Etsy...$0.20 for 4 months - much cheaper than Ebay anyway. They take 3.5% of the sale price which I think is reasonable too. We shall see what happens. Worst case is that I end up with a few more cushions I guess!

I know I wasn't suppose to start new projects yet but I am discounting the above as they were made to sell...so technically 'work'. ;-)

Oh...and I did find the sewing machine accessories too...result! 

Back soon.

Trick or Treat

The nest love Halloween. Child #1 likes the dressing up side of things the most - ever the theatrical one of the family! This is her (a Zombie school girl apparently)...

And this is her with her fellow trick or treaters before they left...

Child #2 likes the dressing up part (but chose to do this at a friend's house - typical of Child #2 so I don't have pictures!). She also went along the zombie school girl route - I guess its an obvious choice when you the majority of the outfit to hand every day.

Child #3  went for a more cheery look...

He's in this a little for the dressing up but mostly for the sweets! I took him and his friend out (in the rain!) for over an hour collecting sweets. They loved it. I don't remember much about Halloween from my own childhood...maybe it wasn't a big deal in the 80s or maybe its a north/south thing but people around here make an effort. Fairy lights in windows, pumpkins outside, cobwebs etc etc. Kids are welcomed by adults (of all ages) dressed up as witches and vampires with bowls of sweets or other such treats. There is a lovely atmosphere outside too created by little groups of children running from house to house, followed by less enthusiastic but generally happy parents keeping watch. Even the rain didn't dampen the spirit! 

So, once the sweets had begun to run out we went home, where Child #3 began the best part...eating the sweets! I too had a few left over from the supply I bought to give out...I 'might' share them.

Child #2 finally returned in the evening with a mountain of sweets (at the envy of child #3), I'm sure she will be sharing too though.  

After an hour, my favourite part of Halloween occurred...the sugar low. Child #3 sat, snuggled up, almost asleep and very very quiet. Happy Halloween!

The Stash

I love half term. I like all holidays, of course, because it means life slows down a bit for a while and we spend time, together and apart, doing the things we like rather than things we have to do. Half terms, however, tend to be more productive because they are only a week long, so we make the most of them.

The first thing I did yesterday was replace the zip in child #3's favourite ever PJs. These were a Christmas gift from his Auntie and he wore them as much as possible since the day he got them until they fell apart. It was nearly summer by then and getting a bit too warm for them so they sat on the shelf waiting to be repaired until yesterday. Replacing the zip was a little more complicated than I had anticipated but I got there in the end...

One happy dinosaur again...I think he got his PJs on at about 6pm yesterday too, without being asked to of course.

After lunch it was time to face a fear. I had put it off for as long as I could but I knew I had to do it. I took Child #3 back to the skate park! I think, despite pestering to go, even he was a little apprehensive about it. I sat watching him intently for the first 15 minutes but he was ok. He fell off once just turning a corner but got straight back on. We stayed for 90 minutes, even by the end of it, every time he went up the ramp he fell off a week ago my heart missed a beat and my stomach flipped. He was fine, obviously, and this time we drove back home without a detour to A&E.

I was in the mood for a bit of a sort out yesterday and consequently, after fixing the zip in the morning, I sorted out the little basket that sits on the shelf with cotton reels, tape measures, pins, buttons etc. This then led to sorting out the sewing box (because I had to put some stuff from the basket into it), and then this led to sorting out the 'work in progress' box because I knew there were things in there that were from finished items rather than in progress ones. While I was at it I decided I may as well round up a few similar things from around the house (like the left over Emily Peacock kit supplies etc etc). Inevitably this resulted in a few bags of wool that needed a home in the stash cupboard. Here I hit a problem. There was no room (whatsoever!) in the stash cupboard.

I figured I could just do one shelf, which would then make enough space for these new items. It didn't wok, there was only one solution...to sort it all out. So this is it...this is 'The Stash'. This may also help you understand why I think I may have hoarding issues...

Child #3 was minding his own business (writing his Christmas list with aid of toy adverts) however he looked over when I took the above pictures.

"What are you doing?"

"Just sorting out my wool."

"Why is it all over the floor?"  (having wandered over and looked at it properly)  "AND WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MUCH??!!!"

"Er...well...I..er"

"Do you want me to help?"   "Because you can't do THIS on your own, can you?!"

"That would be great"

"...right then" (as he stood there looking confused, scratching his head and frowning)

It was one of those 'who is the child and who is the adult moments'. Child #3 and I often find ourselves in this situation, stood by lots of mess, not knowing where to begin, but its usually in his bedroom facing stacks of toy cars or lego. This one was new.

So I explained the principal - that we were going to bag it all up so that wool of the same type was together. He was a little confused about wool type to begin with - i.e. surely cream wool is just cream wool...why did it go into different bags but he now understands the concept of cheap wool and expensive wool, and he loves the feel of mohair (luckily I managed to convince him a mohair scarf was really not the thing for boys to wear in the end). He was genuinely a big help and I think he did quite enjoy it...

Within an hour or so it was all sorted, and nicely fitted back into the cupboard! So now I am on a strict wool buying ban (unless it is solely to use up existing wool)...let's see how long that lasts...I know my weaknesses!

Right...I'm off to knit then.

Cath Kidston Shoulder Bag

I really was on a roll yesterday. After I finished telling you about the cushion and tunic I carried on sewing. Do you remember when I bought these?...

Well, the 'Sew!' book came with a kit to make the little bag featured on the cover. Consequently the remainder of yesterday was spent making it. It didn't take too long either (which is good for someone that has 'issues' with finishing things). At 3pm it looked like this...

These were taken between sometime before 5pm...

I stopped for some dinner and then finished the whole thing, apart from the button holes by 7pm. I decided to do the button holes by hand partly because I knew that finding the right bits for the sewing machine would be a mission given the current state of the stash cupboard. This is where everything goes - I say everything, but its currently full to the brim and therefore everything that doesn't fit is scattered around the house somewhere. I occasionally worry that when I'm old I will end up on one of those hoarder fly-on-the-wall documentary things, having to climb in and out of rooms containing bags of wool, fabric, paper, buttons, beads and anything else I that I cannot bear to part with, stacked to the ceiling. I do hope not anyway!

So, back to the bag, by about 9 ish it was finished...

I was quite proud. I don't do that much sewing because I'm often too lazy to get the sewing machine out and faff about with things when I can, instead, just grab some wool and a hook or needle and get going but I think I should make the effort to do more. They do make for quick 'finish in a day' projects too!

In Bloom Cushion

Look...!

It's finished,  whole 2 months ahead of target! I admit that I did get a little obsessed with finishing it though (noted by Child #1 'that's all you ever do these days!'...a little harsh I felt really, I did go to work, eat and sleep too!) Anyway, that's another finished project and now my two Emily Peacock cushions nicely brighten up my window seat..

However, not only did I finish the cushion but, since I had the sewing machine out, I figured it would be a good time to finish this one too...

Always handy to have a new summer top when snow is predicted I find! (Serves me right for leaving it unfinished for 4 months I suppose)...I'll just have to layer it for the winter!

Right, I'm off to carry on being productive...on a roll it seems. 

See you soon.