Thursday Through the Keyhole

I felt a little saddened taking these photos of Ben's room, it spoke to me of a boy on the cusp: no longer a young boy but just 'a  boy'.  The lovely rocket mural that my friend Gemma (and Ben's Godmothers) painted for him sits alongside the more grown-up football stickers he got from Santa. The room seems littered in such contrast, young boy and older boy. He's growing up. I can't sit here lamenting this fact as I love each stage of his development but still, it's always going to be a wrench. At the moment he still has a teddy, loves his rocket mural and will happily walk around the supermarket dressed as Spiderman- but I'm aware these days are numbered. 


If we were planning staying in this house, we'd decorate his room but as we're hoping to move it'll be like this for the foreseeable(cross fingers and touch wood we hope to move within the next 12 months). So here's a little peak at Ben's room:

{His bed cover is actually my brother's old 'He Man Masters of the Universe cover- true retro!}

{He's had these sweet door letters from being a baby}

{Drawers, lava lamp, copper jar (currently being saved for summer holiday) and fish tank}

{This fish is named 'Fishy' and there is another in the tank named 'Sucky'- Ben has a gift for naming pets!}

{Ben's bookcase- is it obvious his parents are both English teachers?}

{Old printing blocks from Tynemouth Market}

{Telescope and dream catcher; it does the job well as Ben's never had a nightmare}

{Bed side table is an old coal mining stool, my brother had one when he was young. Both have names and date of birth on them.}

So that's Ben's room. I have missed out 'The cupboard of doom' where all his toys are kept, but thought it might be funny in the future to do a post on all those hidden nooks and crannies in the house where you store your junk- I bet everyone has them one, or several if you're like us!

I'm already thinking about how to decorate his next room so any tips for an 8 to 12 year old would be great(he'll be eight when we move and I'm guessing he'll have his own decor ideas by the time he reaches his teens)!

Thanks for stopping by and happy Thursday.xxx

Thursday Through the Keyhole- a tad late! (Living Room)

So, I'm aware I was a bit naughty and missed last week (I'm blaming the hectic half-term) and I'm late this week too-sorry. This week I'm sharing a little peak at the living room:

{A combination of old and new: Ben's castle he made in year one next to the typewriter my dad gave me for my 16th. I find 'tat' comes and goes from my home but sentimental pieces are guaranteed a place forever}

{A pile of ceramic coasters next to a beautiful wooden panel I bought in Greece}

{One of Ben's early paintings, he made quite a lot of these which we gave as gifts. The books in the shelving unit are organised by colour but Murakami has his own section as I adore his books}

{The living room is a mixture of modern and traditional and I thought this light fitted well with both. I bought it after seeing viewing  Stella McCartney's Lucky Spot at Belsay Hall so perhaps that influenced me. Oh, and let's pretend there's not a bulb out!}

{Steve's vinyl and some boards games. We encourage Ben to keep to a 'three toys downstairs at a time' rule but we always have some board games at the ready}

{Thought I'd include these bad boys as they're the one thing I've ever brought home that Steve despises! It's a testament to true love that, despite this, they currently take pride of place on the mantel place!}

Other rooms still to go: bathroom , kitchen, Ben's room, garden, spare room, passage. Phew! 

Thursday through the keyhole (bedroom)

I love looking at home interiors on blogs: partially for inspiration and partially (if I'm honest) because I'm probably a bit of a nosey-parker! So, rather than be all 'Look at my home', I thought it would be great to share just a few simple things from each room, small details that are easy to imitate/ get inspiration from without blowing the budget or re-decorating your whole home. 

I know I have a limited readership (just over 140 views to date!) but I'd still love others to use this idea to share the small and personal details that make your house your HOME! 

Here's some of mine, starting with the bedroom, please excuse the awful artificial lighting, at the moment it's dark when we leave for work and dark when we return!

{Beautiful plates that are too lovely to eat off, hung on the wall. You can justify buying one or two more expensive plates and using them for display; especially good if, like me, you have a tendency to be a tad clumsy with those used for food on a daily basis}

 {Candle holders used for jewellery. The necklace tree was about £3 from Ikea but you could use any structural item for this}

{Personal with the practical: beautiful old books given by my dad with a cheap candle holder used to store make-up brushes etc}

{Steve's side of the bed: we'll never have a show home but matching bedside lamps add a feeling of organisation}

{My side: I have a candle/ drinks coaster too but they don't match Steve's. Artwork provided by Ben}

As I said before, apologies for the uninspiring lighting but I'd love to share those small touches that are do-able rather than aspirational. Next Thursday I'll be covering another room and as it's half-term and we'll get to see some daylight, the photos should be a little better. Tomorrow I'll be posting my feed the family Friday post and as soon as I get a chance I'll post about the Valentine's Craft Night I'm going to tonight. Until then, Rx