Home for Now by Joanna Thornhill

I hope many of you have had sunshine where you are; it has been so lovely here and actually hot. I had a rare afternoon to myself and took a trip to the beach on my bike with a copy of Home for Now by Joanna Thornhill.

Renting a flat or house for me does not mean it cannot be made into a home – we have rented different homes during the past four years and have always looked for properties we felt we could make our own. I was really looking forward to reviewing this book, which is packed full of homes from first-time buyers or renters. None of these places are forever homes but this has not stopped the people living there from creating a place that is truly theirs.

There are so many colourful and interesting homes to really inspire. I had to keep making notes of things I wanted to do and ideas that popped into my head for my own home. Throughout the book, there are clear instructions on how to create the look yourself and in a less permanent way for those renting.

I particularly liked the idea for reusing pieces of furniture in different rooms and for different purposes – the idea being that things don’t need to be thrown away but can be changed or moved to fit somewhere else.

However much we try to avoid it, most of us have a lot of ‘stuff’ and storage is essential. Home for Now gives ideas on storage for each and every room, making the most of all available space no matter how small and even making a feature of it.

This headboard was created so cheaply and has such a dramatic impact.

The charm of mismatched furniture and different textures, materials and colours really appealed to the particular style I like. I often wonder if my own style of vintage pieces matched with bright colours is due to living in lots of different homes and working with a neutral backdrop – meaning I added colour with accessories and interest with vintage.

Two areas that I was pleased to see covered in the book were indoor plants and outside spaces. I have never been amazing with plants and gardening but I am getting better and have chosen a few plants for my home and would like to add more. I now have lots more ideas on how to display house plants and also how to add colour and outdoor areas to my garden. 

These wicker chairs look perfect in this bay window surrounded by plants.

This is definitely a book I will keep going back to for inspiration and ideas. Home for Now is published by CICO books and available from Amazon.

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Love Lemon x

Please note: Home for Now was sent to me for review but all thoughts are my own.

Wardrobe Revamp #1

I really like the pale mint colour of this skirt and the heavy cotton fabric and of course it has pockets which I think every skirt and dress should have. However I wanted to add some finishing details and make it a more flattering length for me. I have been looking through my wardrobe recently after being inspired by a post over on the Live it. Love it. Make it. blog, looking at how I can make some changes to things that don't fit quite right anymore or need a little prettiness added.

Here is the skirt before

Here is the skirt after 

Here is a close up of the very pretty orange patterned bias binding I used for the edges of the skirt and the pockets.

I think the shortened length is much more flattering for me and I love the detail of the bias binding. A simple way to add something new. I would like to use some pretty Liberty bias binding on a plain t-shirt.

Love Lemon x

Dressmaking

I was very surprised to find my husband had listened to me go on (and on) about sewing classes and bought me a dressmaking course at the Felixstowe Sewing School for Christmas. It didn't start until February so I had plenty of time to think about a pattern and fabric. I decided I wanted to make a vintage style shift dress and used this New Look pattern. 

I must admit my 2 boys keep me very busy and I am often shattered in the evenings but as soon as I stepped into that sewing room I felt excited and ready to get started. Of course the tea served in vintage cups and saucers and amazing homemade cake certainly helped.  

Amanda is a great teacher and extremely patient. Each week our dresses looked more and more wearable and it was actually quite a surprise how quickly it all came together in the end after all the much needed prep work. Amanda also helped me make the dress my own and add a peter pan collar. Here I am modelling the dress I made.

It felt like a great achievement and something I truly enjoyed. I have since made another dress using the same pattern with some changes (no collar or sleeves) that I was a bit nervous about tackling without a teacher nearby but I used a helpful book called Sew Step by Step by Alison Smith which has some very clear photos and from what I had learnt already the instructions made a lot more sense. I can't wait to start another sewing project. 

Anyone else attempting to make their own clothes? 

Love Lemon x

Bedroom Styling

It's almost a year since we moved into our rented house. It's been a great year living by the seaside, making new friends and making our house a home. I feel very happy here and look forward to many more years here. To be honest I'm not sure I could leave the sea now. We were lucky enough to find a great house to rent here with a lovely garden and our boys seem very happy. There are still a few things I would like to do in the house, I need some large prints for the living room and pictures and bunting for the playroom. 

I did some styling and took some photographs in our bedroom one morning and was pleased how the shots came out. I would love to do a lot more of this but for now will have to keep practising in my own home.

What do you think?

I recently painted our bedside tables in a slate grey colour, I bought mismatched bedside tables and wanted to paint them the same colour. I am really pleased with how they look. 

Have you been taking any photos of the rooms in your home?

Love Lemon x