Aria’s Unicorn Bedroom Makeover & The Dream Toddler Bed

We’ve been in this house for a while now and you may well be wondering where all the progress is. Truth be told we haven’t really progressed very much, and all progress is very slow. You see we didn’t fall in love with this house for the interior, far from it, textured wallpaper covered in layer upon layer of paint really isn’t our thing. Pretty much every room needs to be torn apart and re-built from scratch. It takes time and money, neither of which we have!

unicorn bedroom makeover - upcycled IKEA dolls house

Aria’s room is finally complete. We painstakingly removed the yellow woodchip wallpaper, the ceiling was carefully scraped and protection worn due to the asbestos. The walls and ceilings were covered in plasterboard, re-plastered and then painted. A new carpet went down and we were finally ready to move Aria and her dream toddler bed into her unicorn bedroom.

unicorn bedroom makeover

We painted three of the walls with Valspar’s Morning Song*, a beautiful, pale grey. The fourth wall was papered in the most gorgeous unicorn wallpaper that I have ever set eyes on, the Laura Ashley unicorns wallpaper. The room is perfectly finished off with Cormar Highland Saxony carpet in chrome*.

unicorn bedroom makeover

The dream toddler bed comes in the form of this gorgeous tipi bed from Cuckooland*. It really is perfect. Aria loves that she can hang blankets from it, she calls it her ‘castle bed’, I know, strange child. I love that it is on the floor so I needn’t worry about Aria falling out of bed. I have every intention of making this bed perfect by simply dangling some lights from it, but I’m yet to find the perfect set. We’ve also created a little chill out nook at the bottom end of the bed which Aria loves.

unicorn bedroom makeover

Typically now that we’ve finished Aria’s room we’ve decided to swap the bedrooms around. Spencer’s office is currently in the larger of the three bedrooms, and with baby number two on the way Aria and ‘baba’ will need to share the larger room until we manage to convert the attic. Spencer will have a very pretty office though…

unicorn bedroom makeover

The room really has come a long way!

yellow bedroom with painted tree

 

*Disclosure – items marked ‘*’ were gifted to us* 

Like it? Pin it!toddler unicorn bedroom makeover pinterest

 

Homeware Haul : September/October 2016

I’ve seen a lot of gorgeous homeware pieces pop up lately and I haven’t been able to resist purchasing a few bits here and there. A lot of shops really seem to have uppped their homeware game lately, even shops that I wouldn’t usually consider visiting for homeware such as New Look are stocking gorgeous little pieces at the moment.

UK Homeware Haul September and October 2016 including a glitter wall unicorn from Home Bargains

As  I’ve bought quite a few new bits I thought I would film a little homeware haul for you guys. I’ve been shopping in Primark, New Look and Home Bargains, we’ve even bought a new bed from IKEA!

Most of these items unfortunately aren’t available on line, but the most amazing one is! The Unicorn Head can be purchased from Home Bargains for the bargain price of £6.99 here.

Our IKEA Kitchen Makeover

Back last year our kitchen underwent a massive transformation, it was completely gutted, walls and ceilings were knocked down and we had a lovely new IKEA kitchen fitted. I had every intention of blogging about it when it was completed, but the pregnancy symptoms and illnesses caught up with me and I never got around to it, it has been over a year since we finished it so I figure it is about time I got around to sharing it.

ikea kitchen makeover

before photo of kitchen makeover pale blue walls dark and small kitchen




Please accept my apologies for the poor quality of the before photo, this was taken a long time ago and before I had learnt to use a camera properly. Previously we had a small hallway separating the kitchen and bathroom, after much deliberation we decided that kitchen space was the priority and that we would get rid of the hallway. There was also a false ceiling, we decided to get rid of this as the room is so dark and we wanted to make it as light and airy as possible.

It was a massive job and we stumbled upon so many problems during the renovation, including having our boiler condemned! We are so pleased with the outcome that it really was worth it, I love my kitchen and will want to take it with me when we move!

ikea kitchen shabby chic cottage style

IKEA no longer have our exact cupboards available, but they are now selling the Hittarp cupboards which look identical. The worktop is the IKEA Karlby, I love the dark work top against the off white cupboards. 

ikea belfast sink

The feature sink is my favourite part of our kitchen, as well as looking good it is also very practical, it holds a lot, including Aria when she was a newborn. We opted to bath her in this sink instead of using a baby bath or leaning over our bath. It was just the right size. 
ikea molndal lights in kitchen row of three
As we were having a complete re-wire I was able to change the light fittings so that I could have three of these beautiful IKEA Molndal lights. Most people who come to the house comment on how pretty these are and they compliment my Skurar plant pots perfectly. 
tea cup cacti

My cacti also came from IKEA, the blue teacup and saucer came from our trip to Portmeirion and the two flower teacup and saucers came from Nyla Rose Vintage.

Next small heart vases

I decided to splash out on Next kitchen accessories, they can be expensive but as it was a new kitchen it felt acceptable to splash out, I wanted the best in my shiny new kitchen! 

cream next bird kitchen storage jars

purple and cream bunting in kitchen window

The view from the kitchen window is ugly, it is of next door’s wall. I decided to add a little bunting to the window to try and make an ugly area look a little prettier.

cream cottage style IKEA kitchen with walnut worktop and black appliances

The tea towel and oven mitts are also from Next.

cream retro microwave oven from Wilko

This microwave is quite a recent addition, our old microwave was on it’s way out so we decided to replace it when the bottle steriliser wouldn’t fit in it. We bought this one from Wilko, I couldn’t resist it’s retro charm.

Mandarin Stone splitface natural stone kitchen splashback and border

The natural stone splash back and bordering are from the Splitface collection at Mandarin Stone.
Over a year on and my dream kitchen is still perfect for me. The extra cupboard space and worktop space has been quickly swallowed up. The only downside that we have noticed is that it is so much colder in there now, the small radiator isn’t quite suited to the now larger room, I am seriously considering splashing out on a slimline radiator like this one from Best Electric Radiators but I’m not sure if it is really worth it due to the fact that the house is up for sale.

*Collaborative Post*

Weaning Essentials
We started Aria’s weaning journey a couple of weeks ago now, in this time I have picked up a few essential items that I will be sharing with you today. All weaning journeys are different so what is essential to us may not be essential to you, but there are similarities in every journey so hopefully you will pick up a tip or two if nothing else.

 

baby weaning essentials

IKEA antilop high chair with supporting cushion and tray

IKEA Antilop high chair with tray & supporting cushion

First things first, you may want to buy a highchair. I took to Twitter for highchair recommendations and was very pleased that this seemed to be the winner, why was I pleased? Because the whole thing came to just £19! There really is no need to splash out on an expensive high chair, this one does the job, it wipes clean easily and the supporting cushion is great for keeping teeny, tiny Aria in place.

oraganix baby rice baby puree and o biscuits

Organix Baby Food*

Baby rice is a must have, this is great for mixing in with fruit purees or simply mixing with milk. It is also handy to have some pre-made food in, even if you are planning on making everything yourself from scratch, these are so handy to have for the days when you haven’t had time or are rushing out somewhere and need some food to take with you. The Organix range is as good as home made and made with organic ingredients.
vanish stain remover

Stain Remover

This speaks for itself really, weaning is messy, especially when they are eating carrot and sweet potato.

mini blender for baby food from Aldi

Mini Blender

We have a big KitchenAid food processor, we could puree Aria’s food in there but there are so many different bits to wash it is a lot of hassle for a tiny bit of food. It really is ideal to have a mini blender especially for your baby’s food. We picked this one up very cheaply in the Aldi baby event.
baby puree in silicone ice cube trays

Silicone Ice Cube Trays

These are great for freezing your baby purees. Aria currently eats two ice cubes per meal, they easily pop out of these trays ready to be defrosted and eaten.

Totseat

Totseat*

The Totseat is great, it can be attached to practically any chair to convert it into a highchair. This is so handy to have for feeding when out and about visiting friends, or if you are going away.

 

Milton antibacterial surface wipes pack of 30

Antibacterial Surface Wipes*

These are great to give the highchair a quick wipe over when baby has finished creating their mess/eating.

 

Available at Boots, John Lewis, Mothercare, Ocado, Superdrug and Tesco as well as independent pharmacies and nursery retailers.

 

tum tum easy scoop dining set

Tum Tum Easy Scoop Dining Set*

These do just what it says on the tin! You can easily scoop all of the last bits of food out of these, ideal for runny purees. They are also heavy and gripped on the bottom making it very difficult for baby to grab and tip over. The design is bright and colourful making it super attractive to baby.

Available here.

vital baby suction bowl and warm-a-bowl

Vital Baby Suction Bowl & Warm-a-Bowl*

You can never have too many baby bowls! Again, these are bright and colourful making them attractive to baby. The suction bowl is amazing, I have actually tested how strong it is by lifting it up when it is in place on the highchair, it brings the highchair with it! *Please note, Aria wasn’t sitting in the highchair when I performed this test*

The warm-a-bowl is another great product, you fill the base with warm water and it keeps the food warm. Perfect for slow eating babies.

Available here.

Annabel Karmel's new complete baby & toddler meal planner book

Annabel Karmel’s Baby & Toddler Meal Planner

Obviously the type of weaning book that you want will depend on how you plan on weaning your baby, for example, there are other books available specifically for baby led weaning. We are absolutely loving the Annabel Karmel book, I am currently on week two of the meal planner and following it step by step. I had no idea where to begin with weaning so this book has fast become my bible.

pink tommee tippee plastic bib with upturned edge

Plastic Bib

When feeding Aria I tend to strip her down to her nappy and a bib. Instead of ruining her pretty bibs I bought this plastic one that catches the majority of the food and wipes down easily after use. The only downside to it is that Aria likes to chew on this instead of her food.

What are your weaning essentials? Did you/will you use any of these products?

Shop weaning essentials at Amazon :

Mummascribbles

 

Family Fever


DIY : White, Pink & Green Dining Set
I have been lusting after white, mint green & pastel pink dining table & chair sets for a very long time now. Instead of splashing the cash and buying one I decided to upcycle our existing set, we bought a plain wooden set from IKEA many years ago, it was a bargain at £50 but was very plain and just asking for some loving! 

Upcycled dining table & chairs, white table, pastel pink & mint green chairs

This project has been going on for a very long time, I started it when I was pregnant, then along came Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which meant that I had to stop, I couldn’t cope with painting as I couldn’t grip the brush properly and had constant pins and needles which made it a very difficult and uncomfortable task.

close up of pink chair with green polka dot cushion and green chair with pink polka dot cushion

Now that Aria is five months old I have finally finished my little project and I am so pleased with the results. Our house doesn’t let much light in so we are always looking for ways to brighten it up and this has worked a treat. The dining room looks a lot more bright and breezy now. 

white dining room table pink and green chairs with teacup and clear teapot

To make the transformation I roughly sanded the table and chairs, ours had no finish so didn’t require much sanding. I painted the chairs with Valspar tester pots, I had just enough in each pot to do two chairs to a satisfactory coverage. The paint on the chairs is Woolly Mint and Candy Kisses, they don’t do wood paint in the tester pots so I was advised against using these but it has come out just fine. For the table I used Valspar white wood paint, we were painting other furniture in the house so had this pot lying around any way, I finished with Ronseal clear gloss. 
The chairs aren’t very comfortable so I added the pink & green polka dot seat cushions to them to finish it off, not only do they look pretty but they are practical in that my bum no longer goes numb when I sit on the chair!
What do you think of this look? Is it something that you would go for in your house? Have you completed any upcycling projects lately? I would love to see them! 

Mummascribbleswww.mrscraftyb.co.uk