smashing weekend

A very productive weekend this weekend where I got involved in a bit of demolition. I thought I'd help the builder out by pulling down a big plaster wall to make way for my new toilet. I've never done anything like it before but I really enjoyed thrusting the crowbar into the plaster and making a massive hole then tearing a bigger one. I even tried to kick it Van Damme style to put the wall in but the result wasn't as satisfying as going at it with some heavy metal.

We also had the task of doing lots of runs in the car to the recycling center to get rid of all the rubbish. 

We did a good job leaving the site all tidy.

At the recycling centre I also managed to talk the site manager into letting me take a lovely little rocking chair that I spied in the recycled furniture area. You can just see it in the picture on the right.

The weather on Saturday was great so we made a start on painting the tearoom furniture. I have to say, the results using spray paint were excellent. A number of posts ago I was weighing up the pros and cons on using spray paint. Now there is no contest. The chairs I was painting with paint just take so long and the finish isn't as good. I'm going to source more spray paint colours today so we can finish all of the furniture. The only problem is, you only get ONE chair sprayed per can, and the cans are expensive...but... you save on time and they look great so I suppose it is worth it.

We tried just painting the back of the chair at the front. It was Stuart's idea, and with a new cover on that cushion pad, it'll look brill.

You maybe can't see the colours in the sunlight but the chair on the left, I think is my favourite. It is a lovely pastel green colour.

So later today I'll be pulling cut vinyl off the windows in the shop.Very boring job....

 xx

Admin and Kylie

Today is an admin day. There are so many things to think about to get the tearoom up and running. So far I have organised my energy supply, my water supply, ordered a phone line and broadband. All done online which is great. Takes up much less time.

I went to see Kylie last night at Glasgow's SECC. It was amazing. My friend got two tickets for his Christmas and he asked me if I'd like to go. We saw her in Glasgow on her last tour but last night's show was just spectacular. The outfits, the dancing, acrobatics, set design, water features, aerial acrobatics... Apparently the show cost around £2 million to produce, I'm not surprised! I was particularly taken with a golden Pegasus horse that she entered the stage on.

I wonder if she get's to keep it? She could keep it in her back garden surely, beats the neighbours gnomes for sure!

Pretty Things

These arrived this morning. They're pretty aren't they? I think they'll look good on cup hooks on shelves when not in use.

I also wanted to show you what inspired me to buy my vintage bicycle. I'm going to prop it up outside the shop with a little blackboard or something with Cushion&Cake and some flowers like this one.

It was outside a beautiful shop in Baildon, Shipley called Emma's. The two women who run the shop are beautiful and have made an absolutely lovely shop. It is half florist, half home and gift ware. I'd like to be a florist if I wasn't opening a tearoom. I had a taste of it working part time while I was at school.

 I visit the shop every time I visit my Aunt and feel all warm and fuzzy when I leave the shop. They have a lovely display of plants outside.

They have a Facebook page which you can look at here
Finally I thought I'd share with you the cake I baked for my aunt's birthday. Three tier, covered in pink icing with Marks&Spencers Percy Pigs!

Just say 'yes'

What a great couple of days I've had. Not only was the sun splitting the trees today but I have been really chuffed at people's enthusiasm and kindness regarding my tearoom.

Yesterday I went to my partner's aunt and uncle's house as they had some cutlery they wanted to give me for the tearoom. My jaw dropped when they pulled out three huge, beautiful canteens of cutlery which had been in the family for a good number of years, but never used. Beautiful knives and forks, soup spoons, butter knives, the lot. Everything I could need for the tearoom. I'm now totally sorted for cutlery and extremely grateful to them for that.. I left them at Stuart's house in storage as I have no room for them in my flat so I'll show images when I get them to the shop.

The second brilliant thing happened today. I'd found a woman in Prestwick selling a vintage bicycle so I went to collect it today.  The woman was called Lynn and she told me that she'd bought the bicycle in a Police sale in 1974 and it was already very old by then. She also told me about the time the she cycled from Edinburgh to Prestwick (no less than 70 miles!) after having to get off a train while unintentionally using her student train ticket when it wasn't valid, heehee. It has been very much loved. Anyway, we got talking and found we had loads in common and got on really well. She offered me a cup of tea, I said yes and we chatted and looked at her photo album. She later offered me a whole load of gorgeous tea sets when I was telling her about my crockery collecting habits. I was so chuffed that she gave them to me and so grateful.

It is rare to feel such a connection with someone and it was totally by chance so when I was leaving, I invited her and her husband over to mine for dinner! I spent the rest of the day in a really great mood having met someone so lovely and kind. It just goes to show that new friends can be just around the corner.

Sorry for the lack of images today, there'll be more soon!

Some of the "before" images

This is my little place. Hopefully there's room for the seven tables that I've bought... we'll just have to wait and see!
As you can see the walls and floor are in fair condition so will be easy enough to paint. At the back, there will be a bit or reshuffling to make an accessible loo and my little kitchen.

Tearoom Transformation Week One

I popped into have a wee look at my shop before work starts officially on Thursday this week. I opened all the shutters letting in a lot more light than I expected and swept the doorway. I was looking round trying to envisage how it'll look, what colour schemes I'm going to use and where I'll do all my baking.

I was quite sure I wanted a duck egg blue/green colour for the interior. This colour has been on my mind for months so I'm sure it's the right one.

I'm going with the sea splash colour. What do you think? It is a lovely pastel shade and will go with all of the pastel coloured things in the shop. 

My signage will still be pink and a big part of the look. I'll be painting the stone floor a dark grey colour and the exterior will be either white or light grey. I haven't decided just yet, but I'd better be quick because I'll be painting this week.

On a visit to my aunt in Yorkshire at the weekend, I went to a vintage fair and got some pieces for the shop. I fell in love with these vintage, plastic handled knives.

I'll struggle to get these to the tearoom because I LOVE THEM and want to keep them for myself...

The Go Ahead!

Cripes! The moment has arrived where I've been told I can take the keys to my shop and start getting it ready for opening.
Why then am I not rushing to make calls and get everyone organised? Well, because I'm bloomin' terrified now. Until now I've been waiting on other people to do their bit now it is over to me and I am scared. It is now a reality. I'm setting up a business. Eek!
Best not to think about it too much though and just get in about it.
Stuart and I went here yesterday for tea and cake.

Loopy Lorna's Tearoom in Edinburgh. We just took a run through in the car in the afternoon and stopped to have tea and a slice of cake, just for research you understand. It was a busy place, empty tables only empty for a few moments before someone else came through the door in search of cake. I was happy to see it so busy and comforts me that people do really want tea and cake. Lorna's did feel quite different to what I wanted to do however, but it's all good research.
Right I'm off now to do some yoga then get onto the scary task as hand. Organising getting the doors of Cushion&Cake OPEN!!!