Little miss Moo's big girls room.....

...and a fond farewell to the toddler room...

 

 

It's the end of an era..... Little Miss Moo has finally got her big girls room!this was meant to happen when she turned 4, but for various reasons we never got around to it until last weekend... and in the nick of time...she had way outgrown her toddler room by now, and was starting to get embarrassed to have her friends around, as she's a big girl now.... They grow up so fast...Where does the time go.................?

 

 But before I share her new big girls room with you all, I wanted to repost these images from her toddler room:

 



Little Miss Moo's room was cute, but not saccharine: The walls were painted a light mossy green.... With a lovely bed canopy from IKEA, the cot bed (that has been her bed since birth in all its shapes and forms) was from John Lewis. The (wonky) Steinlen cat prints on the wall was bought in Paris during our honeymoon....

 

 

 

 

I'd mirrored the use of bunting on the canopy in the window dressing....



 

 

.....and the "dottiness" of the fabrics are recurrent in the little lampshade light garland (Tiger tiger) as well as on the fabric covered letters (mamas and papas) on the shelves.....

I love the white rabbit night light!

The shelves are from IKEA, as is the green night light (on the wall) and the crocodile in the bed...

.....Miss Moo thinks he's great for a cuddle(still)!

 

 



 

 

Miss Moo's room is not very big, and it's was a challenge to get it kitted out for her growing needs now she's a big girl...

 

with swopping her cot bed (she was almost the length of it now....)for a big girls bed and finding space for storage + leaving enough space for play.

...we had to loose the chest of drawers she keept her clothes in....

See how I overcome this problem in the follow up post....coming soon!!

 

Miss Moo loves music, Scooby doo and witches at the moment...(I know...what a combo, right??)
But the thing she loves the most, is being "a Hex-girl": some sort of eco Goth girl band rock star alter ego....!?!
She gets dressed up in every necklace, bracelet and hairclip she can find ( watch out mummy's jewellery), apply a heavy handed dose of glitter make up then rock out with her piano or her paper jams electric guitar....

 

 



 

Next month it'll probably be something different....

...so the new big-girls room will have to accommodate for a variety of future interests and fads....

 





 

 

  I just hope she'll never get too big for all her old friends .....

 

   xxx

June

  

Here's wishing you all a great new week.....

Happy Monday!

 

Woke up to another grey Monday morning...but I am not going to let it spoil my mood......had a rough weekend, so decided last night to start afresh and positive this week!

 

 

 

This week I am going to do up little miss moo's kitchen chair for this week's diy project, and I will be telling you all about our plans for her big girls room...

 

Wish you all a great week!

 

 please keep popping by and leave me a message.....makes my day!

 

Xxxjune

"Lino" printing artwork....on the cheap!

I told you this has been a busy week here at nostalgiecat...

....as well as doing the jar swag light and making the succulent terrarium, I have also been working on the nostalgiecat logo.

I created this cat many years ago, when I was studying art in Norway, and since then he has taken many shapes and forms, in a multiple of medias...more on that in a later post.

This time however, I decided to keep it simple.

I'd seen this cheepo way to do printing somewhere a while back (sorry, but I cant remember where), and decided to have a go....

.....it all starts with a pizza base from sainsbury's.....(I guess that's what we're having for dinner....waste not, want not...)

 

This may sound strange, but you see: these pizza bases comes with just the right packaging....you can probably find it on other things as well, but it has to be that sort of 3-4ml thick foam that is often used in food packaging.....

Turn the foam over and cut out the size you want your print to be...

...I used the glass from a frame as a template.

When you've cut your foam to shape, simply use a blunt pencil to draw on your artwork.

You want to apply just enough pressure so that you carve into the foam without going though .

Start of lightly...you can always go over again....

 Add as much or as little detail as you want, bearing in mind that really small details will probably not show up in your print. 

When you are happy with your artwork, dig out some paper/canvas and paint.

for my purposes I used normal paper, but using canvas or textured paper would add another dimension to your print. 

 Apply paint all over your template.....

Turn over and press firmly onto you paper....

 

Carefully peel off the template to reveal your print...

Experiment with different brushstrokes, colours and amounts of paint for different effects...

 You can even layer prints in different colours on top of each other...

.....have some fun..

Get the kids involved....you cant really go wrong....

 

I am pleased with how my nostalgiecat logo is coming along, and can't wait to add it to the design of my blog....watch this space!!

 This project has inspired me to dig out my paintbrushes again , and I have some big canvases in the cupboard waiting to get done.....

Thanks for looking..

xxx

June

DIY succulent terrarium

......simple indoor gardening for people without green fingers.

I have been seeing these all over pinterest for a while now, and think they are super cute!

I love houseplants, but have not exactly got green fingers, so was encouraged by the promise that these were easy to keep.

 (I have been known to kill a plant by just entering a room...OK , a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift....)

So....let's give it a go:

I got  a simple glass container in a charity shop for £2 , nicked a few handfuls of gravel from outside our local supermarket,

then got some houseplant compost (succulents like soil containing "peat"), £4

and a selection  of succulents from homebase, at £1 each.

Here's a list of suitable succulents:

Echeveria

Silver sprinkles

Chandelier plant

Baby's tears

Jade plant

Rhipsalis cactus

Oscularia Deltoides 

 First put a 2" layer of gravel in the bottom of your container for drainage

then add the soil

Arrange your succulents how you want them, making sure the roots are covered by the soil.

Give it a little bit of water and voila....your terrarium is finished.

Put it on a sunny windowsill...maybe group a few of them together for maximum impact. I will definitely do some more of these.....

 Part of their beauty is that they don't take much looking after..(so they say)..don't worry if you forget to water for a while...

.....also : it is supposed to be really easy to propagate succulents ......

Just cut a piece of your succulents (say when they get too big for your container), let the cut off leaves dry for 24 hours until they form a callus over where the cut was made.......

....then you can replant these in new terrariums.

I think that is what you'd call cheap and cheerful!!

I found lots of great advice on succulents at http://www.succulentsandsunshine.com

I think I'm hooked on these....so easy and cheap to make, and hopefully I won't kill them too soon...

...will be on the lookout for more interesting containers to add to my indoor garden...

xxx

June

DIY Jar pendant light

We really needed a light over our kitchen table, and instead of paying for an electrician to come in and install one, I decided to make this easy  free hanging jar-pendant......

This is such an easy DIY......

.....all you need is:

I've been looking for a suitable jar for this project for ages.....inspired by mason jar light tutorial. I really had my heart set on a Norwegian norges glass, but they are now unfortunately out of production.
In the end I found this beautiful "Crown" jar in homebase...
But a screw lid Kilner jar would work as well. 

....a nice screw-lid jar (make sure the opening is wide enough to fit the light bulb through)

....a lantern cord kit/ swag light cord kit

I got my lantern cord kit from hanging lanterns

.....a drill with a sharp hole-cutter bit

....a gripping underlay (such as an old carpet)

....a rounded file

I know....the state of my drill....

All you really need to do is drill a hole in the lid, the right size to fit the bulb-end of your cord kit through....

.....find the centre of the lid, drill a small pilot hole as a guide, then ,using a hole cutter-bit in the right size drill the hole.

It will help if you place the lid on a gripping surface, as it will want to spin as you drill it.(I used an old bit of carpet)

NB! Depending on what metal your lid is made from, this could be quite hard work, and the lid and drill bit could get quite hot.....

Use a file to neaten any sharp bits around the edges of your hole

Then all you have to do, is fit the bulb end of your cord kit through the lid.....

...screw on the cap bit inside the lid to hold in place...

....fit your light bulb....

....and that's it.....

....easy!!!

Now all you have to do is suspend it from the ceiling...

I love the slightly industrial look of this...

xxx

June

17th may .....

..........Norwegian national day

 

So today is Norway day......

Miss Moo colouring in a Norwegian flag yesterday...

 

 Norwegians celebrate the 17th of May to commemorate the country's independence from Danish occupation and the adoption of its own constitution.

 

The day is celebrated all over the country, and is predominantly a CHILDRENS PARTY.

Miss Moo on her way to school this morning in her national costume: the bunad.

 It is a national holiday, and school classes march  in procession through the local communities, singing and waving flags, dressed in their national costumes...often led by the school band.

 



Blowing up balloons for our little party today

guess who's out of breath....

 After the procession there are games, entertainment, music and a great party atmosphere.....

Garden is ready and decorated for our impromptu 17.May celebrations....

 

So ,now I've got to go and pick little Miss Moo and her friends up from school for the party...so all that's left to say is:

GRATULERER MED DAGEN NORGE

(happy birthday Norway)

 

  

I will try to post some more pics from the party later...

 

xxx

June

Welcome to Nostalgiecat!

 HI!

My name is June

 Nostalgiecat is my creative outlet for all the little and large projects I undertake whilst redecorating our Victorian terraced cottage here in Hertfordshire, UK.....making this house our home!!

I am an artist, working mainly in concrete, and stay-at-home mum to "Little Miss Moo", and generally creative girl with a passion for interior design!!

I am originally from Norway, and I guess my style reflects the Scandinavian sensibilities when it comes to interiors ......with a nostalgic penchant for mid-century design!

I came to the UK in 1998 to study, and ended up working in the British film industry for almost a decade making props, creatures and special effects. In fact I met my husband (known simply as Mr. here on the blog) on the second instalment of the Harry Potter films.

I guess this background has made me very practically minded, and have given me the confidence to tackle just about anything I put my mind to!!

I love making things, repurposing things and upcycling things, and I get a real sense of fulfilment from creating something nice for the home for next to nothing!!

I started Nostalgiecat in March, 2013 to give my self a "kick up the backside" to put all those ideas that had been swimming in my head into action, and to make our ,then newly purchased, house ours!

Since then, both the house and the blog has undergone a quite a transformation....and my sense of style has also evolved with time!!

Nostalgiecat has gone from being a personal craft blog to a more interior and design focused site!

I see Nostalgiecat as an educational reference file of my DIY projects, that the public can refer to for tutorials and "how to's" : From basic home improvements to more creative projects aimed to add more personality to the home!

 My aim is to make creative interior design more accessible and affordable to people!

Money has been tight since I gave up my career to become a mum, and everything I do is on a very tight budget, so one of my design ethos is:

"Make the most of what you've got"

As well as posting tutorials on budget friendly DIY design hacks, I also do posts on how and where to shop the look for less + Advise on how to redecorate and improve your home when money is tight!

Nostalgiecat is still evolving as a blog, but I hope to inspire my readers to embrace some creativity in their interior design and to personalise their homes!!

If I can do it...so can YOU!!

So grab a coffee, stay a while and get lost in my creative world!!

I love to hear from you all...Any questions or comments on my projects, or even if you want to tell me about something awesome you've made for your home.... is all welcome in the comments box below each post!

I also welcome collaborations: Have you got a project you need some help with or would like to work with me on, please just drop me a line at

juneolsen77@gmail.com

This also goes for interior companies and potential sponsors: If you have a product you feel would fit in here at Nostalgiecat, just get in touch....as long as I am happy that your products will be of interest to my readers and it fits in with my blogging schedule, I'd be happy to help...Compensation for promoting your product here at Nostalgiecat is negotiable!

xxx

June