Our Beautiful Home

Our home; a place of refuge, relaxation, family, memories, peace, love, joy and heart. Somewhere we can meet and be. 

Our home travels wherever we do, from rental to rental each year, around the suburbs of Christchurch we go, planting ourselves for a matter of months. Each home and apartment has been an answer to prayer, exactly what we needed in each short season. This home is no different. Although just an apartment it was the response to a prayer; safe, secure, 2+ bedrooms, space for a dining table, storage cupboard, wardrobes, grass, washing line, laundry room, undamaged. Those things sound so simple but in apartment living with our small budget they are hard to come by.

We have signed our lease for another year here, we like it, and in this Christchurch property market I am reluctant to let go of our cheap rent that was reduced for our budget. I have started to think less "rental" and more "home". Organising, unpacking, making things more workable; rearranging shelves and pantrys. Allowing this home to work for us so that we can be comfortable here. Rather than walking in and going "arrr" we walk in and go "ahhh"

I'm a listy, so I have a list of somethings I would like to do around the place. All simple, but if they are not thought about they wont happen. 

The first step was making something to put on the fence outside our lounge sliding doors. Our whole home faces this plain old fence. Every room has sliding doors and lots and lots of sun. All. Freakin. Day. Its amazing. The hottest house in Canterbury! This homemade bunting flaps in the breeze and makes my heart ridiculously happy. I made it 3 weeks ago and not a day has gone by that I have not appreciated what it does for our home; Pretty, thought out, decorative, expressing who we are.

I was thinking about this for a while, I spoke to Miriam, Kirsty of Sew Pretty and Deb about what sort of fabric I should make outdoor bunting out of. Deb just went ahead and said screw the fancy stuff, regular cotton will take about a year to fade and then I can make some more. Perfect! I used fabric I actually won from Sew Pretty about a year ago. My sewing skills are limited (as is my non existant stash). I wanted to save it (the fabric) to make something for Camilla but I didn't know what, so it went on the fence. I went all fancy on it - interfacing, backing, handmade bias. Boom!

And my heart is so happy. 

While you ladies are taking photos for Wardrobe Wednesday I might be posting a few more things like this throughout the year as I turn our rental into a Home (before we pack up and move again)