A Shop Counter Revamp . . . . (shortcut)

Greetings dear friends & readers & Happy Thursday to you all !!

When I set up my little Craft Cottage 14 years ago it was done on such a "shoe string" budget !!

In fact, it was more like a "broken rubber band" budget to tell the truth !!

I needed a shop counter so my son's old desk was to serve the purpose until such time as I could afford a 

"proper counter" . . . . . .

The desk got a speedy lick of paint ("marzipan") leftover from the cottage walls  ... & some stencils were hastily painted on the front.

Fast forward 14 years later & that old desk was still in use & has never been upgraded !!

It was looking tired & tatty -  rather like the shop owner!!!

I had neither the time nor the energy to spend repainting it so I bought it inside & decided to cover the top with some oilcloth that I had rolled up in a cupboard

First I glued a covering of thin wadding to the top of the desk to give it a slightly padded effect

The Mr helped me staple the oilcloth tightly to the top

Then I ran a length of curtain wire along the top & made up a curtain using the green polka dot fabric I had leftover from making the baby bag for Sid

Luckily I had just enough fabric to make a nicely gathered curtain

After 14 years of being behind the door, I have moved my counter so it is more on display now

I often make curtains up to quickly hide or disguise the backs of units that are facing outwards in my Cottage 

You can see below I have done the same with a small wooden shelf that faces end outwards

Though this fabric looks like Sanderson, it is actually an old thrifted duvet cover that resembles a Sanderson print

And then the little apple box revamp that I showed you in my last post just sits perfectly on the end of my counter 

to use as a small shelf for the things I need to keep on hand

I hope plan to re-open my Cottage next week so I look forward to showing you some snaps in my next post as some of you have asked for photos of some displays in the Cottage.

Frequently throughout the year I keep a large cardboard box on hand & randomly toss things into it as I clean, tidy & sort cupboards etc ...

When the box is full I make a trip to the Op Shop to deliver it.

I had tossed 2 tall red spotty coffee mugs & this small matching lidded dish into the box while Mum was with me.

I had an idea the other night & retrieved the mugs & the dish back out of the box again

I found 2 red teatowels in my stash & appliqued them with the words "bake" & "cook"

Then made up a soy candle in the small round dish, scented with orange & clove fragrance

These few little items made up a lovely bright & cheery vignette in my Cottage 

Changing displays & coming up with fresh new ideas is constant & ongoing in the Cottage

 I like to start each new season with a fresh order of soaps in different fragrances ...... usually I take any leftover soaps for The Mr & I to use up, but these stragglers still smelt beautiful so I decided to run up some fabric bags to pop them into using my Tilda scraps

I thought they looked so attractive presented in their little fabric bags & they smell divine .  .  .  .

I hope the week is treating you kindly dear readers & you are managing to keep warm or cool where ever in the world you might be?

Our spring temperatures here have been so bitterly wet & cold that we ordered more firewood at the start of the week.

It was the kind of day that made you want to just tuck up somewhere cosy & let the world pass you by . . .

.  .  .   rather like a certain little fairy that I know !!!

Thanks so much for your visits today 

Be kind to yourselves & to each other

with much love & friendship,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0