I hope it's been a lovely Valentine's Day for you. Right here we've been clearing out the love nest. That's the next room to be hit by the builders tomorrow.

Actually it's been a bit of a blessing. I'd been meaning to clear out my wardrobe for ages and I managed to get rid of 3 bin bag worth of old clothes. The wardrobe is looking a little empty now, so I shall have to rectify that very soon ;-)

We' don't really do Valentine's Day in our house. 'We' don't really believe in it. I think you know who 'we' might be...

As a consequence I normally buy Matthew a present that we'll both like (it's normally the only one I get.)

I've been wanting one of Dee's prints for ever. So to coincide with all the refurb we are doing, it seemed a good time to purchase.

Fortunately Matthew loves it as mush as I do and is very keen to get the others I have my eye on too.

Hope you got what you wanted this Valentine's Day xx

It's fair to say I'm not a happy bunny today. I'm getting a bit unsettled by the builders constantly being around. I am used to having the house to myself during the day and am not getting that at all. They are very nice. Perhaps a bit too nice and friendly. Always wanting to stop for a chat. Ask what I'm up to. "Trying to work, you *******"!

I then had a run in with the mother of one of Noah's classmates. Noah had done something he really shouldn't have to a boy who had been goading him. I immediately made him write to apologise and offer to pay for the damages. Strangely the boy never gave the letter to his parents...oh, could that be because he'd have to explain what he'd done to Noah? Suffice it to say our contretemps didn't go too well and I was left fuming.

Fortunately that was the point at which the doorbell rang and my weekend's indulgent purchasing arrived. This oh so beautiful little pile of Orla delightfulness obviously doesn't make up for such stresses we have to deal with, but it sure as hell helps.

Lucky lucky me! It was a question of being in the right place at the right time. I've just come back from dropping Noah at footy and having a quick warm cuppa before standing on the cold wet sidelines when I saw Aunty Cookie's tweet re her sale. Normally I miss these heads up, but not this time.

I am now the proud owner of these 2 amazing fabrics. I've used the yellow one before, so am over the moon to have some more of this in my collection. And the grey/blue one is going to be a perfect addition to my new scheme.

Can not wait for them to arrive! Thanks, for the alert, Shannon! And if you want to see if there's any left for you...head straight over to the amazing Aunty Cookie store right now...

At last it's started. Finally the builders are in and the day I was both dreading and relishing has arrived. You know when you anticipate how bad really can it be? And it takes less than 10 seconds for the first rubble of plaster to be removed and instantly the house is filled with dust? It's a bit like having your second child. All thoughts of how awful it was the first time have instantly disappeared and whilst you know it was the worst experience of your life, you can't quite feel the pain anymore so you forget...just a little bit. Ok, I'm not comparing having builders in to childbirth! It's the sentiment!

We have been monitored for nearly 3 years for suspected subsidence and finally it was agreed it was and the go ahead was given. Fortunately it is all covered by insurance and so it's a matter of grinning and bearing it and focussing on the end result (Orla, Orla, Orla)

As many of you know I've hated the decor in the house we moved in to more than 5 years ago and so this is quite a blessing to have it redecorated from top to bottom and a few rooms imbetween. So what's a few weeks of (major) inconvenience if we get a little help in getting the house how we want it. I have big plans for this hallway. It is so grand and beautiful, but is desperately crying out for a bit of 'Wow' factor. I am slightly nervous about getting it right though. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and we need to choose carefully. Because I got my way with the Orla paper in the living room, I've had to give Matthew final say out here. Or at least let him think he's getting final say...

As you can tell we have a long way to go and there may be a lot of tears, a fair amount of moaning, but hopefully it will all go as smoothly as possible and before we know it will all be a distant memory...

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it's beautiful here today. Cold, but beautiful. I've been on a lovely little run out to Ilkley to take some stock to a gorgeous new stockist, Cakewalk.

This is an absolute gem of a place, tucked away off the main high street and is a collection of a few independent shops under one roof. It's a real Aladdin's cave full of vintage and handmade work, most of which is made in Yorkshire. Cakewalk is run by artist Emma Straw, who has some of her own lovely work on show. I was thrilled when Emma asked is she could stock my hearts and needle and pin sets and even more so when I delivered them there and saw what a find it was.

Of course I couldn't leave without buying something, but I did limit myself to just one thing (even though I could have bought the entire shop). As soon as I saw this jug I knew I wasn't leaving without it. Isn't it a beauty?

If you live in the vicinity, you must go visit. You won't be disappointed, I promise. Ilkley itself is a wonderful little town, full of quirky unusual shops like Cakewalk and you can always revive yourself at Betty's afterwards.

Remember I splashed out and treated myself to some rather special fabrics? Well they all arrived and are even more beautiful in the flesh. I've had them strategically positioned in my studio so I catch a little glimpse as I pass by. Naturally I was tempted to dive straight in but, no, I've been good.

Until last night. We had the confirmation that the work is going to start on the house on Monday and even though they envisage it all taking about 8 weeks, I obviously needed to make sure that the cushions would be ready in time. Obviously.

I picked out one of Pippijoe's and decided they went really well with the Ink & Spindle ones I'd bought from M is for Make. Maybe it's something to do with them both being our Antipodean friends. What's more they work so beautifully with the Orla wallpaper that I had chosen.

I knew it was a bit of a gamble as things never look quite the same in the flesh as they do on the screen and they weren't cheap...worth every penny, might I just add, but alot if it wasn't right. But I am chuffed to bits with how the feel of this room is coming together. I'm just going to have to wait a while before it resembles my mood board, however.

I guess that gives me time to make a few more then.

Thank you all for your lovely comments about the quilts and also advice on batting/wadding. It seems like you are all in agreement and I shall go order some of the cotton/wool...even tho I bought 5m of the other stuff. I'm sure it will come in handy for something!

I've been busy this week doing the first of 6 embroideries I need to do for a Flickr Swap. See more about what everyone is doing here...

My first one is for Dena whose brief is woodland and woodland animals.

I think it fits the brief and hopefully she'll love it. The aim is that we decide on a theme and then send fabrics to each member of our group. I thought I'd incorporate a 'living room' theme into mine and plan to use it for cushions/quilt for our soon to be redecorated room. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for me!