Tiny Dining Room Decor: I'm not afraid of dark paint!

 We spent Saturday at Homebase. Oh my god. Who knew picking paint was so hard? We already had a very good idea in mind of what we wanted...but getting it right was no easy feat. Yup, we were looking for a colour for our 'feature wall'.

I know this concept is quite old-fashioned by now, and I am personally quite taken by a modern scandinavian all-white finish. However, the bikes are being stored on the wall - as I mentioned in my previous post post - and I'm certain bikes and white don't mix well.
I wonder how on earth the apartment dwellers cope? My bike drags in half of Berkshire every time I go for a ride; today, I found a twig folded up in my tea towel. It was just resting there, wrapped up like a deciduous baby jesus. Hmm.

Anyway, we decided to make the bike wall into a 'feature wall' because A) the bikes are going to be a pretty big THING anyway and B) I'm hoping that we can put a nice dark colour on there and it'll hide a multitude of sins (read; dirt and scuffs. I've had mixed feedback on this. Someone told me it was going to end up being a 'rainy cloud room'. Another person told me it would make the room look small - we already do have a tiny dining room. Well, I'm not afraid of dark colours. Anyway, I've seen it done well in other small spaces... 

My main source of inspiration is from the amazing Carrie Clarke, whose choice of Dulux's Bowler Hat was total perfection. She made such a bold choice to go for such a dark grey against pure white, but I think it works. Her living room is quite large but it shows how effective these tones can be on an archaic, older home. It really makes things pop.

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I also took a few more ideas from Pinterest....










 We also perused a few paint catalogues (Dulux and Crown) and made a nice little mood board which I think reflects the look we want. Dark, sophisticated, but with a playful pop of colour.
I want to utilise dark colours to emphasise the light and bright details of the fireplace, which has been painted white by previous owners/tenants.

 

Then, we spent around two hours choosing paint. OH MY GOD it's so hard. Also, not cheap. Seriously, £3.99 for a Farrow & Ball tester pot? Are you laughing? The rest were between £1.50 and £2.30 each, which was better but still added up.

In order to stick to budget, we picked just eight colours. I was really sad to find that the Bowler Hat shade is not available at Homebase. We chose the closest counterparts, and also went for a few stronger blues.

In terms of quality, the Dulux paint went on the best - and the tester pot had a little brush inside it, which was really very convenient! The coverage was fantasic, too; I gave all samples two coats but really it only needed one.
The Crown paint also had a very smooth application, although the squeezy tester 'tubes' felt quite amateurish and were distinctly more fiddley. I was happy with this coverage and I really liked  the colours they had.
I was least impressed wih Farrow & Ball. For the price, and product positioned as the premium brand, I expected a lot. I felt that the paint was too watery and needed more than two coats for a decent coverage. At around £50 a tin, that's not on!
Finally, Homebase's own brands (Blue Slae & Aegea) were also very good value for money - they didn't quite match up to Dulux or Crown but are excellent on the affordability front. They certainly get the job done.

I still haven't made up my mind.... maybe tomorrow?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Sarah

The Yup Blog

The Dining Room gets a Look-in

My bathroom journey has hit a pot-hole, and I’ve learnt a very important lesson.
Resources. Check their availability. Darn! This is the first thing you learn at marketing school! Just to give you some spiel: Your resources (Men, Money, Minutes) are vital for a project’s success and I’m missing my man. More precisely, I’m missing a builder. Through some freakish builder drought in the central Reading area, I’m without a burly pair of arms and plumbing knowledge until the end of February, so that little project is on the back burner. What’s on my mind instead? The dining room!

The dining room has been moderately neglected on the blog so far (aside from its brief mention in the Christmas post). I think it's about time it had a share of the spot-light. Introducing....

The YUP Dining Room

view from the doorway; full of light, but also junk

  I decided to put my dining room in the front room of our little terrace, which is actually furthest from the kitchen. Why? Well, that room is the first you pass when you come in off the street, so it's the most likely to become a dumping ground.

The dining room is the least used room in our house - T and I have good intentions, but often end up eating on the sofa. Therefore, a little clutter in here will help us maintain order in the rest of the house. I plan to create a beautiful yet informal space that we can enjoy, and will remain practical too.

view from the opposite corner

 There’s also the small matter of the bicycles…

looking from the window: they need a home!

Buying a house is sometimes a matter of painful compromise. Not between you and your partner, either (let’s face it, if you’re making serious sacrifices, you probably shouldn’t be buying together) – I mean in terms of want vs need. I wanted a beautiful, clean space in which I could entertain and have fancy-schmancy dinner parties… but what I needed was somewhere dry, secure and convenient in which to park my noble steed.

Hi Bikes, meet dining room wall.

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After being inspired by many an apartment therapy blog post (if it’s good enough for sophisticated new-yorkers, it’s good enough for us), we decided that the best place to store our biggest babies was right here in the house. I actually think it’s rather beautiful (although, grandparents tend to disagree). However, we did NOT have a good experience buying a bike rack. T purchased a GearUp Oak Rak (Floor to Ceiling) bike rack from Amazon at the beginning of October. It was very expensive (more than I wanted to spend) and it took a long time to arrive.


I was so angry when we opened the box. Parts were missing, and our countless attempts since to contact Amazon/the seller and get the missing parts have been futile. I do NOT recommend this seller. The goal is to have the bikes on the wall, as seen in the right picture, but.... yeah. we're still waiting.

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We also have a storage requirement. The corridor from my front door is, in my opinion, too narrow to hang coats in, pile shoes up, or dump your keys. ‘Landing strips’ are a very desirable (or essential, depending on your source) feature in a house now - no longer the hallmark of glamour models or the pages of Cosmo. That's a term for a conveniently placed coat rack and table on which to rest your hat/keys/handbag when you enter your home, as seen to the left of this text.


I hope to build that in to the dining room, creating a clever duality between storage space and entertaining space.


I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on making the most of a space like this!

New Years' Resolutions: A Realistic Approach

A dusting of frost on the roof top

I’ve been AWOL*, y’all. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you! I can actually hear Mrs. Weasley’s infernal scolding (‘Bed empty! Car gone!’) as I type. I have a terrible work ethic: unless I must, I don’t, most of the time! Maintaining this little patch of the internet feels a bit like tending a garden. You plant the seeds, and you hope something will take root and flourish. The sad truth is, though, plants require a level of diligence, and a lot of tender loving care (I learnt THAT from the Sims). Oh man. Not my strong suite.

Do not fret, readers! A change is afoot! This year, I plan to do more of what I love, and I love nothing more than WRITING.** This blog, therefore, should get a great deal of attention….

Today’s blog post focuses on those dastardly New Years Resolutions. 

  I’m not a big fan of them. It seems slightly presumptuous and just a little arrogant to assume that, because the year has changed by one numeral, all of our goals are suddenly within our grasp. I’ve been trying to lose my Freshers’ fifteen (15lbs you typically gain during your time at university) for two years now. January’s no miracle worker.

Maybe it’s time we took a fresh look at that word. Like all good amateur essayists, we shall turn to the dictionary*** for wisdom.

res·o·lu·tion
(rĕz′ə-lo͞o′shən)
n.

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination: faced the situation with resolution.

2. a. A firm decision to do something: made a resolution to get more exercise

b. A course of action determined or decided on: His resolution is to get up early.

3.  a. The act of solving or explaining a problem or puzzle.

     b. The resolving or concluding of a dispute or disagreement.

     c. The part of a literary work in which the complications of the plot are resolved or simplified.

4. A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion put before or adopted by an assembly such as the US Congress.

Source

What can we glean from these stark definitions?

The key to resolution is having a definitive end-point to achieve, and the determination to get there.

Despite my cynicism, I’m going to give resolutions a shot for two reasons.

Firstly, I have a new job, which gives me a whole new arena where I can spar with my shortcomings. It’s easy to get into a routine, and fall into a rut where you make the same mistakes every day.
I’m also now using the amazing Passion Planner to sort out my life, which has a pretty unique take to journaling. It is designed to help you PLAN, rather than just record, your day to day life, so you can achieve your goals. Excellent. 

A free PDF is available online - but make sure you share it with your friends!

Why the tune-change?

 

I had a bit of an epiphany recently. My good friend Alice Hayes has just had a book published. Can you believe it? She’s just 24! Her blog is here.
Oh, and she’s a single mother to a two-year old and a dog after divorcing her cheating husband.
And she holds down a full-time job.
And she’s studying part-time.
Also, she lives on the other side of the Atlantic, in the land of the free (from benefits, free health care, cheap utilities, and her parents’ help).

Despite all of this, she’s managed to write a novel, which is an amazing achievement. I’m so proud of her – and just a bit jealous! She’s done what most people only dream of doing (or, just pretend to do *cough* ghost-writers *cough*). When I asked, slightly incredulously, how she’d managed to DO all this, she was totally honest.

‘I have a schedule’

Yeah, that's how she is so productive. No super power, no time-turner. Just pure, unadulterated organisation and determination. That got me thinking.

We all get the same amount of time in a day; it’s how we spend it that matters. (playing Sims 3 or binge-watching Archer isn’t a good investment) So, my New Years Resolution in 2015 is:

Use your time better.

I couldn't help making a comprehensive list, though....!

Here come the bullet points…

 

NUTURING TALENTS

·         Publish 115 blog posts in 2015
·         Write for at least half an hour a day, every day. Typed out during by lunch break, or  scrawled on the back of a pocky box, it doesn't matter - I need to write more.
·         Try to have a sit-down art-session once a week, and commit to finishing at least a piece a month.
·         Take a photograph every day for 2015.

WELLBEING & HEALTH

·         The food I eat shouldn’t be processed. I am too reliant on unhealthy packaged snacks and meals from the freezer. I have the equipment to cook properly, and the finances to buy nourishing foods. I ought to be looking after myself. There are many people that can’t.
·         Exercise is good for us. We’re always being told that, and I DO feel better after a run or cycle. I will exercise four times a week, at least.
·         Ride 600 miles in 2015. I have a 12 mile round trip to work, which I love to do on my bike when the weather permits. That’s a mere 50 journeys out of 226 working days!

HOME & FINANCES

·         Renovate the bathroom to a high standard before March 2015
·         Maintain a clean, tidy home by spending 10 minutes tidying up every day.

·         Donate or sell a quarter of my wardrobe before spring 2015.
-      Create a budget, and stick to it

So, there we have it. A new approach to goal-setting and resolution-making in 2015. What are your strategies for making the most of the new year?

*I had to google what that actually stood for – isn’t it funny how some acronyms have taken on a life of their own? I’d love to write a dissertation about that)

**MASSIVE LIE, SORRY. I love cake MUCH more. Oh, and gin, and playing Sims 3 in my pyjamas.

***There were also four or five other meanings which I chose to disregard because they didn’t support the point I wanted to make and that’s my right as a writer; to be totally subjective and claim it’s objectivity!

A Delightful December

2014 marks the first December I’ve been able to spend in my own home, and I’ve really enjoyed it. T and I splashed out and bought our first real Christmas tree from Berkshire Christmas Trees, which cost us £50 including delivery and the metal stand. As we can’t drive, this was the most affordable option for us. The service was excellent; I rung up on the Friday and Sue was able to deliver on Sunday. She kept in touch via text, which was a really nice touch. We weren’t able to pick out our tree, which was a shame - our specimen was a bit bottom heavy – but the foliage was lush and dense. Overall, it was a really convenient, hassle-free experience.
It arrived on the 1st December (yes, I know, we were VERY early) and it’s still looking good today. I’ve not been particularly religious about watering the poor thing and it’s definitely gone thirsty a few times, so I’m really impressed with its hardiness.

I’ve never had a real tree and the needles were a bit of a shock – I’ve never hovered so much in my life! On the flip side, I was able to cut off some of the lower branches to make natural garlands for my door frames and walls. We’re lacking a mantel piece so we made do with a home-made wreath over the fireplace!
I was reluctant to spend a fortune on decorations this year. It’s been an expensive annum and I didn’t have the funds to splash out on expensive bits and bobs, so I decided to make as much of my decorations as I could. I bought some cheap twine and ribbon, and painted some keys and some pine cones white. The fox and robin were a gift from T’s parents; they’re both from John Lewis.
A Christmas dinner has become a bit of a ‘Friend-mas’ tradition, so I dutifully cooked a full roast with ALL the trimmings on Sunday 21st and had some of the gang over. I decided to cook a gammon and a rump of pork, as I find they’re the best value options when you’re trying to feed four hungry boys!

I always buy a Sainsbury’s Basics, unsmoked joint – as long as you put effort into your seasoning (cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, gloves, celery, onion and carrot) it tastes like the premium range.

Cooking Christmas dinner took me about three hours in total, but it was well worth it to see everyone’s smiling faces when it was served up. I also enjoyed the aftermath, when we were all groaning and cursing our own greed.

I'm off to Winchester tonight to celebrate Christmas with my family. Best wishes to you all!

Getting out of that rut: positive changes to make in 2015

Despite my apparently cheerful demeanour, I’ve been in somewhat of a rut during the last few weeks, so I haven’t been writing.
Now, bear with me: I didn’t plan for this blog to be a personal diary. I’ve already spilt plenty of ink over petty sorrows in my time. In the past, I’ve wasted pages upon pages whining and griping about some perceived partisanship or another. That stage in my life is over now (thank god) but I have been feeling miserable – and I think I need to own up!

I’ve been working incredibly hard since I finished University, and it feels like the adult I envisioned myself to be – a creative, fascinating, enviable girl - couldn’t be further from reality. I’m too lazy to cook dinner, let alone paint a stirring triptych or write that ground breaking novel. I sleep-walk to work and sit numbly at a desk for nine hours. At home, I slump on the sofa until it hits 11pm and it’s socially acceptable for me to be unconscious. It’s not much of a life!

It is really difficult to diagnose the source of this great malaise. By many benchmarks, I am ‘successful’. I have a mortgage and a permanent job, which is UNHEARD OF according to the daily mail. I am also university educated, in a long-term relationship and a size ten. I tick a lot of boxes. There’s nothing wrong with my life but I don’t feel ‘fulfilled’. Now, how on earth does a 24-year-old go about achieving that?
If you’re to believe social media, there are two strategies:

1. Get rich & buy Dom P (impossible, really: you don’t become a CEO overnight)
2. Go travelling (also impossible: see mortgage, above)

As neither of these solutions are within my realm of possibility, I thought I’d write my own battle plan.

1. Fix your job.



I found a new opportunity through CV Library

You only live once, and most of us have to work to live. That’s why it’s so important to get it right. My weekdays are spent in an office environment which is so, so toxic; it’s stressful, aggressive, competitive and lonely. Anyone that says they ‘flourish in a high pressure environment’ is a lying toad. That potted plant I water once a month is positively thriving in comparison to me at the moment.
So, I quit. I found myself a new job and handed in my notice straight away. Obviously, work isn’t easy to come by, but putting your CV online and reaching out to recruiters can work wonders.
January 2015, I will be working for a charity. Yippee! It means a pay-cut but I also get more time off, nicer working hours, and hopefully a smug sense of satisfaction…

2. Tell people you’re feeling down

Asking for help has never been my strong suit. I’m an arrogant individual and I hate people to think I’m not doing well. I think it’s a terrible combination of a British ‘stiff upper lip’ and the #hashtag #filter #selfie generation we’ve found ourselves in. I don’t mean in a facebook status, either: I mean have a cup of tea with a real friend, or your mother, or your boyfriend, and say – ‘hey man, things suck’. They can’t help you, but admitting it will motivate you to change. It also means you’re accountable. If you tell your friend you hate your job and you’re miserable, then they’ll give you sympathy (unless they’re a dick). If you’re still whining about it in six months’ time, though, they’ll probably be bored stiff and won’t actually give a damn.  
In this blog post, I owned up to the ENTIRE internet. Take that, insecurities!

If you can’t tell anybody, please speak a charity or drop me an email. I’m a great agony aunt.

3. Make a lifestyle change

I make a lot of very bad decisions. Not major life decisions, mind (we already covered that – I’m okay at those) but small, every day choices which seem insignificant but mount up to a lot of misery. For example, eating a chocolate bar at 9:30am is not a horrendous choice – let’s say you’re having a bad day so far (…all 45 minutes of it) and anyway, you’re having a salad for lunch! THEN, you choose to eat another at 2pm because you’ve had a sugar crash, and that salad was balls, and then you have another at 4pm because the day is going REALLY slowly and you’ve already fallen off the wagon once today. You know what, substitute the pronoun ‘you’ for ‘I’ – no one deserves to be tarred with those crimes against a waistline.
Therefore, I have decided to give up sugar. Yup, sugar. That beautiful, evil substance. I’ve decided to quit it, because I use it as an emotional crutch, an energy boost, an excuse, a treat… I’m rather dependent on it.

…I’ll start in January

4. Make time for hobbies

I always tell people I love to write, paint and draw – but I’m a fraud! I haven’t really done any art since last Christmas, when I did some cards for family and friends. I only doodle at work, but it’s all the same rehashed stuff. My writing has been reduced to these blogs – and it’s not enough, really. Not enough to call myself a ‘creative’ person.

Therefore, I am going to spend four hours a week doing something creative. If I can spend four hours in the gym, I can spend four hours making art

5. Work on your social life


Go Mammoth is a company that organises sport for adults

The problem with living in your University town is that it’s incredibly transient. My friends have been coming and going for the last two years and although everyone plans on ‘sticking around’, I’ve lost too many friends – to London, mostly, but also to Paris and Madrid. My bestest-bestie-4ever now lives in Athens, GA. Although the magical wonderful internet has made keeping in touch easier, I still miss hanging out. Therefore, I’m on a quest to extend my social sphere in 2015. You can’t just wish for friends – you have to seek them out.
I plan to go to life-drawing classes and join a sports team or club - there are loads about. These activities are expensive but they should be worth it

6. Turn off your Phone

I spend too much time on Instagram. I’m going to hold up my hand and admit it. I waste hours flicking and scrolling and double-tapping. I am a very passive user – I rarely take photos – yet for some reason, I’m hooked. I use the site as a point of comparison, so I can weigh up my meagre life against the carefully orchestrated and impeccably staged photographs of an insta-sleb. Gah!
Facebook is more of the same – a thumb flick reassures me that yes, my acquaintances ARE enjoying their Tuesday lunch time more than me.
Then, there’s the constant waiting. Too frequently, my eyes linger and languish on the top of my HTC, waiting for that little LED to light up and proclaim, ‘yes! Somebody loves you!’
I am going to turn my phone off during my working day, and for a portion of my evening. It’s not healthy and it’s not helping!

What do you think? Sensible changes or a hare-brained scheme?
I would love to hear how you deal with a down period in your lives.

Christmas Party: What I Wore

I came in like a wrecking bauble

The Christmas party is a BIG deal where I work. They spend an absolute fortune on it, and everything is included; transport to London, dinner, dancing, photo booths, bottomless drinks, a hotel room for the night, and a hellish, never-ending coach home in the morning.



On the coach to the venue. Great duck-face, Sian.

In the run-up, your outfit plan for the night is carefully discussed, scrutinised and analysed. You discuss hair, makeup, nails, shoes: all aspects are examined, all angles are explored, nothing is left to chance. It's all our desk has talked about for three weeks...
Unless you're me, of course, and you end up running into Reading before the party because you need shoes and you've realised your dress is silver, not gold....
I was on a serious budget this year. I have so many more things to fund (like a bathroom renovation!) and clothing and fashion has fallen by the way-side. However, I did need something new. Thank god for River Island.
Overall, the last-minute outfit cost me less than £60. I love the dress and its' already done double duty at my Mum's birthday meal. I can see it lasting the whole party season; it looks good with black tights and boots for a more casual night out. Plus, there is something oh-so-flattering about a Bardot neckline...

River Island shimmer bardot dress, £28

New Look Double Ankle Strap Heels, £24.99

  As always, I was flying the flag for Marketers everywhere and partied 'til 6am....

Who's bright idea was that photo booth??

Hope everyone has a great Christmas party too!

Living Room Furniture gets a Reshuffle!

So I finally decided to put my plans into action, and rearranged the furniture in my front room!

I think this is going to work for us, as it won't obstruct the route to the kitchen.


What do you think?