Granny square pillowcase - 1/3

I started this project last weekend, working on each of the 16 squares

 everyday. One square is done for about 15 minutes, I did some during train rides, but mostly while watching tv...

I have 2 new sofas to decorate and both are olive green.

And so,  I decided I will make colorful pillowcases and this is one

of those.

The squares were easily made and each of the 4 rounds has 

a different color..

I decided I would have a white border for all to give

a lighter look.. I hand sew ( not crocheted)each piece ..

....then added the border in red and white...

I added the red border picking up some of the reds in the squares.

.....then I added the white to give a neutral frame...

Lastly, I used cotton fabric for the backside..

...and that´s it, finally finished today!

Happy Weekend !

Til next,

Mercy

nothing but a spanish fireplace - part 1

Spain is a popular destination for fun, sun and the sea for most Europeans. A lot of people  come to Spain to escape cold Central & Northern Europe.

Though Spain´s temperature is milder than the rest of the  continent, it can also be very cold there at nights  particularly when you live up in the mountain.

Most houses in the campo/countryside have a fireplace which is either in form of an open fire, a cast iron stove or  built-in with bricks. This is a necessity for every farmer living in remote mountain areas that aren´t covered by electricity. 

In modern times, solar panels are a great help for those  who cannot afford to get electrical connections. Obtaining  electricity by installing  thousands of cables  from one mountain to another  is very expensive....

Spain, due to its warm climate is the most ideal place to have those solar panels because  it has  plenty of sun almost all year-round.

Speaking of fireplace, we´ve been wanting 

to install one in spanish style. 

 So, when 

a local  chimney store made  rebajas/sale recently,  we snapped one of their window 

displays and we finally got the fireplace  we 

wanted at 50% off its original price.

 It´s design is very simple.. yet, it fits perfectly to what we have in mind.

Once delivered, we commissioned our spanish neighbour Tomas to install the base.....He is a mason by trade but he is a multi tasker too, doing plumbing as well as electrical works, gardening and many other things. So it´s very handy to have him as he lives nearby . 

He mounted the base of the fireplace that included the stone  in the corner of the living room just the way we wanted it to be.

Olive woods are popularly used by the locals for heating...they are in abundance in Andalucia as farmers grow olives mostly because the trees need little water compared to the avocados. 

Cut olive firewood (branches) could pick-up a price between  70-80 Euros per cubic meter and the supply could last longer say  for a month, depending on how long you set your  heating requirements. 

Well, our fireplace is now done and the first heating had been tested (above photo). We are absolutely satisfied with its function. As for now,   we are just waiting for our chance to have the next vacation, and we´re looking forward to find the perfect tiles to 

decorate the hood ...

.... and hopefully  that  would be sooner.

Thank you for reading this blog!!!

Til next, 

Mercy

DIY - Vintage Lamp rewired

Vintage lamps are one of my weaknesses. I can´t resist getting it if I see one. I rewire them when needed, make new shades or buy new ones that matches the base and style.

Some of those I found over the years aren´t that really old.. The styles of the base vary...I´d get which ever comes my way provided it´s pleasing to my eyes and its price would usually be almost a give-away.

I ´ve just rewired the vintage lampbase above... The original wire was very old and the switch went on strike and failed to function. I didn´t have a lamp cable in gold color, so in the meantime, I temporarily used a white one which was a surplus of Ikea´s art light that I had cut and saved some 8 years ago.

I guess not much people dare to buy old lamps at the fleamarket knowing they would have to have them rewired which could cost a lot more than the price of a new one. Well, rewiring isn´t really that complicated if you go deeper into this trade...

I´m fond of hoarding spare parts from different lamps, only throw what is necessary...and so today afternoon, I´ve put one to good use and it didn´t cost me anything to rewire this one, the golden  colored wire to match the brass will come soon.

In the meantime, the lamp is working and that´s the most important thing!

My Fleamarket Finds - Candlesticks & Sconces

The visits to the fleamarket in Vienna led to my collecting

 a few candlesticks and sconces. I have been on the lookout for those that 
are made of metal and black painted ones that look rustic and

 have a spanish flair in them.

Included in my collection are also a few made of glass, ceramics,

 brass and wood.  I love using them as decor items, they give

 the room  that cozy and lived-in feeling and they didn´t cost
 that much... 

Power failure is common in Spain during the winter months especially

 after heavy storms. As these candle holders look rustic and country,
  they fit the andalucian lifestyle, so I brought all of them along
 to Spain  for decoration as well as use them there. 
Candles are  my alternative  light whenever we experience
 power failure.

When a strong storm hit Spain on Christmas day, there was
 a power breakdown in our area and we didn´t have electricity

 for 1 whole day, that was when those candlesticks were

 put to  good use for we needed a lot of candles to light-up the house.

 I have neglected refurbishing the black metals since  I got them...
and so it was time to give all a new look  with a coat of paint.
First, they were sanded, then cleaned with  damp cloth, dried  
and have  been given a coat of matt paint.
 One coat of a clear paint was enough to finish it off. 

And they were all ready to use when the big storm came on Christmas day !

The Moorish Lights

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Glad to be back home after almost one month vacation. These days,

I´ll be  writing about the lights/furnishings for our 2nd home in

Southern Spain. 

The moorish influence in Spain can be seen in many

 ways particularly in architecture. Afterall, the moorish

 invaded Spain early 8th Century.

 You´ll see moorish features in most spanish houses.

 Our andalucian cortijo ( country house) for example has

 a bit of those tidbits.

 It´s one style we are always drawn to because of its

 warm oriental flair. 

When we needed lights for the staircase, one of the ideas

 we considered was to get a morrocan hanging lamp.

 I have always enjoyed the beauty of such lamp in

 our guest bedroom (next photo) and I thought it would also

 look gorgeous if the ceiling in the staircase would have a similar one

 hanging up there.

Ceiling lamp for the guest bedroom

With my wishlist ready, we were supposed to go to

 Tanger (Morocco) by end of December and explore the

 wonderful bazars they are known for.

But then... something unexpected came up that

 prevented us to go! Having no choice, we had to cancel

 our moroccan tour. Below are examples of the wall lamps

 I intended to get from the bazar.

photo source : El Corte Ingles

The tour cancelled, , I had to find the lamps locally.

 There is only one store in our village and it didn´t have the

 moroccan lamps I wanted, so I drove some 15 Km to the next town

 called Torre del Mar.

 Luckily, one of the 3 small stores I visited had the

 lamps I had in mind!!!. I was extremely happy to have gotten

 a bigger size for the staircase. 

wall lamp for the staircase

And what good luck too that my spanish electrician neighbour,

 who has a cortijo one hill away, was free that afternoon.

 He came up to our place and installed it instantly.

 I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the lamp especially

 when darkness comes as it shines up there beautifully! 

Well, Tanger would have to wait when I´m in Spain again

 and hope to  have the chance to go in a few months...

Meanwhile, it´s a great feeling that everything works :-)

Have a nice Saturday everyone!

Mercy