We finished it!

Finally.

We moved in on the 1^st July and finally, today, we put up the last shelf and at last I’m content to sit and sip a cuppa in my completed lounge-diner!

Hoo-flipping-ray.

This is how it looked when we put the offer in:

The lounge as we purchased it...

and the dining room.

My VERY talented architect and interior designer friend, Laura, and I worked on some mood boards and she pulled together a rather amazing 3D model (screen capped below) which we used to convince Mr G that he should let us get on with it and not interfere in any of the decision making.

Testament to Laura's skills, he agreed to every. last. suggestion. Literally unheard of. Even the pink!

 

 

So we set to work. We ripped up the flooring and then decorated, DIY'd and accessorised our little (broke and shattered) hearts out in between months of 22-hour Olympic shifts, encountering a few minor set backs here and there (specifically a burglary and its after effects) until this weekend when we sat back and admired our handiwork!

Our old furniture from our flat, picking wallpaper, taking deliveries and living in a shell for a few weeks

 

So here it is, after all that hard work, it's finally FINISHED!!! Sorry if I sound like a pushy stage-parent, but I'm just SO pleased I can finally sit down in my lounge without making mental lists of chores and DIY amendments.

 

The dining room table looks even better with all these goodies on it.

You should pop round for a cuppa, I'll put the kettle on....

Vx

P.S. Now for the rest of the house...

P.P.S. I suspect by this time next week it will no longer look like this, as we're having a Halloween House Warming. Any tips for getting green facepaint and fake blood handprints off wallpaper and white sofas?

Out and About: Bubbledogs

A few weeks ago, Mr G, my sister-in-law and I checked out Bubbledogs

 

Can I have hot dogs? YES! Can I order bubbly? Of course! Do you make cocktails? Naturally! Will there be cute cartoon drawings everywhere? Indeed! Are the toilets cool? Yip.

Can you have a table?

Uh. No!

After much wrangling, we managed to bag a table for about 9.30/10pm, eugh. Not great.  A little bit of hustle and an embarrassing fall in front of a long line of people (plus a throbbing toe) later and we managed to get a seat at the bar for a drink (three glasses of bubbly, but they also have a cocktail list, which I intend to go back and try) at about quarter to nine and shortly afterwards, at a bench for some hot dogs.

 

We decided to get four dogs between the three of us:

• Trishna Dog (mint, mango chutney, and coriander)
• Buffalo Dog (deep fried hot dog with spicy buffalo sauce, blue cheese, pickled celery and celery seeds)
• Sloppy Joe (bubbledogs chilli, onions, and cheese)
• José (with salsa, avocado, sour cream and pickled jalepenos)

and also ordered some tots (cheesey croquette-type bites) and some sweet potato fries. Yum!

The bill came to something very reasonable (the dogs are between £6 and £8 each and the sides are about £2.50 or £3.50 each) and, when the novelty wears off and you don’t have to wait three hours for a table it’ll be the perfect place for a cheap and cheerful dinner with your mates.

It’s not fine dining – it’s FUN dining, and I highly recommend it!

P.S. You know I can’t resist a toilet snoop – well the loos are unisex and covered in “annotated” menus from famous restaurants around London. Very cute! Look out for them if you go...