Hello dear blog readers!

This time I will not tell you which projects I have been working on over the last few weeks (nearly none), or what my plans are for the summer (we’re finally going to go on a “real” holiday, taking a plane to a foreign place and lying at the beach for hours just doing nothing; this will be my first holiday since nine years), but I want you to tell me, what you would like to read on my blog.

I started blogging nearly two years ago, because I had quite a lot of projects done that I wanted people to tell about. I had just started reading some interior design blogs and was quite inspired and thought that maybe I could be an inspiration for someone else, too. Now, two years later, I’m still reading blogs, but the number definitely decreased to a handful. If I look at the ones that are still in my feed reader, then all of them not only inspire me but I also feel somehow “connected” to them, because they not only blog about the projects they’ve done but also about bits and pieces of their private life. And this is something, that I nearly never did on this blog. I think it’s a fine line between posting random boring stuff that isn’t really interesting to you at all since this blog is still a interior-diy-Kathrin’s-renovation-her-appartment-blog and I guess you’d be bored to death if I’d start blogging about my work as a software developer and if I cleaned the kitchen today. But would you be interested in reading some more personal things? Like, what did we eat today (even if it’s only spaghetti with tomato sauce – I’d eat spaghetti with tomate sauce every day if Max wasn’t there), which places did we go to, and who are the four bunnies who live with us? ;)

I’m asking because I had been quite busy lately, especially with work, and there just isn’t a lot of time to work on new projects. I do sew and crochet and paint and move furniture around from time to time, but it’s just not that much that I could post about it every week. I mean, I could, but I think it would get quite boring. ;)

So, again my question to you, dear readers:

Would you like me to start blogging on more personal stuff (I’d promise to spare you with only-text-posts! I’m quite a visual person and only-text-posts always quite disappoint me.) and have blog posts more regularly? Or is it okay for you if I only blog like once a month but then only related to projects I did?

And to finally add some pictures to this thread:

Again: new cushions. Fabric is “Dolce” by Tanya Whelan.

Since I finally made the decision to renovate our kitchen, I’ve been more motivated since ever to redo our hall. And so last weekend I bought some white and grey paint and while Max was away for the whole weekend I just started painting while watching FIFA worldcup. When we were buying the paint on Saturday morning I asked Max, if he would mind if I’d paint our bathroom door pink. He said he wouldn’t and so I did.

Somehow shocking, isn’t it? I couldn’t decide if I liked it until I got used to the colour, but now I know: I LOVE it!

The other side of the room is quite plain and simple:

The big mirror is from IKEA and the coatrack is by House Doctor. It looks a bit like the Eames Hang it all coatrack and I also thought about buying the original one, but decided that I like this imitation better. What’s still missing is something we can put our shoes in/on and another chair than this one. I thought of another Eames side chair, but the dsr, and not the dsw? Or maybe a tulip chair?

This dresser moved in our hall several times, now it found its place opposite to our livingroom door. See the wire of the lamp? When we moved in here we bought three of these very basic IKEA lamps. I actually wanted to throw them away and buy new ones but since I couldn’t find any that I really liked, I had the idea to paint the wires of the lamps. I painted them blue, yellow (the one in the middle) and pink, just as the bathroom door.
The two photographies in their frames on the dresser wait that I finally hang them up the wall (you can see a small part of it in the first picture). I’ve already put up a few, but there are still quite a lot to go and I also need some more frames. Probably that’s what my next blog post will be about!

Four months ago I wrote a post on my new nightstand and what was still missing on it. Concerning the reading lamp: Check.

I had been looking for an old lamp on eBay or at the flea market, but didn’t find one until I discovered this one on eBay (I unfortunately (but as always) only have a quite poor before picture).

This was my first try making a new lamp shade and this was much more difficult than I thought it would be. I had bought extra foil for lamp shades and I managed cutting it and getting it on the fabric, but when it came to fixing it to the wires of the lamp shade, I was pretty clueless. I’m not even sure if there isn’t a solution that’s much easier than what I made up now. Or at least one, that isn’t as painful as mine. I sewed the foil to the wires by hand with a needle and a rather thick cotton thread. And getting the needle through the quite thick foil is not that easy which is why my fingertips are totally ruined (it actually hurts to type!). Im pretty sure, Beauty knows no pain. was actually meant in another way but it suits this situation as well. ;)

I spent the whole Friday’s and yesterday’s evening and this morning sewing two new cushion covers for our huge 60×60cm cushions. On Friday my new rotary cutter finally arrived which I of course had to try out and so decided to go with a simple patchwork.

Every time I’m taking pictures from this perspective I realize how much I need a new print for the IKEA frame. Unfortunately I still haven’t found one that I really liked and that had the right size (the frames for 30×40cm pictures).

And here’s a close up. I’ll have to figure out, how to sew the fabrics and make a proper and matching edging, but apart from that I’m quite happy with the outcome.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.

My Nicey Jane order arrived a few days ago and I just placed another order, since the fabrics are just as gorgeous as on the pictures. Here’s what I’ve done so far with the fabrics:

The cushion in the front has a crocheted trim, inspired by rose hip’s great work!

but I think, I’ll change the look of our living room – again. Not dramatically and not the way I did it the last time, but I’m quite fed up with all the flowers and the red in the room. And I’m a bit in love with Heather Bailey’s new collection “Nicey Jane”.

Okay, I admit, I’ve already ordered the fabric and I’m so looking forward to decorating the room with all these springy colours. I’m just a bit sceptic when I think of the red bookcase and if it will still fit in the living room in red. But if not, I’ll just give it a new coat of paint.

I’ve been recently asket alot how I crocheted the blanket that you could see on the chair in front of my desk. I don’t really remember where I’ve seen this kind of blanket for the first time, but I think it was at Sandra Juto. Flickr is full of pictures showing this kind of granny square blankets and so I decided a few weeks ago to crochet one by myself.

There are already a few instructions by Yvonne of Yvestown, and that’s why I’ll just sum up the first three rounds and try to explaine the fourth round a bit more detailed.

1st round: chain 4, join them as a ring. Add another 3 chains, then crochet 11 more double crochets into the ring. Join the circle.

2nd round: chain 3, add one double crochet in the same space. Add two double crochets in all next spaces between the stitches of the first round. Join the circle.

3rd round: chain 3, add two more double crochets in the same space. Add three double crochets in all next spaces. Join the circle.

Now comes the fourth round, which is a bit more difficult. It also depends on to how many squares you try to join your square. I took the picture, when I joined it to two other squares, I’m quite sure you’ll be able to figure it out how to do it, if you only have one square to join!

4th round: chain 3, add two more double crochets in the same space. chain 1. Crochet three double crochets in the next space and chain 1. Crochet 3 triple crochets, chain 2, 3 tripple crochets, all in one space. Chain 1 and add 3 double crochets and one chain in the next two spaces. Add three triple crochets, chain 1 and now you start to join your two squares. Instead of adding another chain for your corner, slip stich into the corner of your other square (see picture above).

Add three more triple crochets and again slip stitch in the next space of your other square. So whenever you would have normally crocheted a single chain, you now join your squares with a slip stich. Add 3 more double crochets, slip stich, 3 double crochets, slip stich, 3 tripple crochets, the next slip stitch goes into the corner of the now joined granny square. If you have to join another square just as I, the next slip stich goes into the corner of the next granny square.

Now you just keep on crocheting like you did before: 3 more triple crochets, 1 slip stitch, 3 double crochets, 1 slip stitch, 3 double crochets, 1 slip stitch, 3 tripple crochets, 1 slip stitch into the corner of your square. Now you’ll add another chain, add 3 more tripple crochets to complete your corner, chain 1 and join the round. Done!

In October 2008 I already painted and laminated the IKEA Fira boxes. It didn’t take long until I was quite unpleased with the colours and the whole look, but now I finally found the time to give them a new look.

The wallpaper I used is by Pip Studio and is called Early Bird.

The tins on the left side are by Cath Kidston, the little blanket is by Green Gate.

I’ve only painted one of the two firas I have yet, I think I’m going to make a little tutorial when I paint the other one.

It took me the whole day yesterday but finally the patchwork of my first quilt is done.

As I didn’t have any instructions I just had to give things a try and kept on sewing and ripping until I finally got the hang of it. Allthough not all the corners are matching a 100% I think the overall look is pretty good.

And here’s another picture that gives an impression on how the quilt will cover our bed:

I’ll need to add a binding and a backing, for which I’ll probably just use some plain and simple cloth. And then I’ll have to think about how I want the quilt to be quilted, but I think I’ll keep it simple and will just hand quilt the edges. And when I’m done, the sleeping room might already be renovated and re-decorated! In one and a half weeks I’ll finally have my free days from work and from then on, nothing in our apartment will be safe!