Thursday 28 June 2012

French Linen Sheet and Cupboard Doors. A Quandary...

Hello it's me again. Twice in two days, blige, I must have too much time on my hands! Thanks as always for your comments on my last post and hello to a couple of new followers. Welcome to the land of drivel and bad photography!
Anyway, today I have a question, well two questions actually.
Right, first question is about a French linen sheet. I will make it more interesting by telling you where I bought it.
A couple of years ago we went to France for our summer holiday. An idea had been bandied about at various times about a group of us, family and friends, renting a chateau for a week. A real life French one. In France. So we looked into it and my mate who is super duper efficient produced a little brochure with a shortlist. My stipulation was that it had to look like the chateau I live in in my head, tall windows and just  generally chateauish, preferably white and with the odd French door and shutter thrown in. I didn't want any of these turreted castles or ones that didn't look right. Anyway the decision was made and we went here.
This is the back view but I will post the link where you will find loads of photos that, if you are anything like me, will have you drooling and possibly crying a little bit because you live in a bungalow near Southend that has subsidence and not in this magnificent house.
The link...Chateau De La Place
This is not an advert and I'm not being paid for it, nor do I know the owners but if you want to do this type of thing then I would highly recommend this place.
So anyway, eighteen of us made our way there. We all went our own ways. Mr EF, me and The EF Girls hired an eight seater van and drove down with another family.  Actually I drove all the way there from here, yes all the way, me, a fact I still boast about loudly to this day. Big van, wrong side of the road, foreign country, manual motor, six people moaning behind me, absolutely knackered and first time I ever used a sat nav and it took hours, lots of hours and we did an overnight stay at a farmhouse in Normandy, you'd be boasting too.
So the first morning a little gang of us go out to score some croissants and bread. I take one step out of the street door into the square (La Place) and blige me what do I see... flea markets. In the plural. Two. After texting my mate back in England and doing a few little jumps and possibly a little bit of wee and not being able to speak properly with excitement I have to decide which way to run first. And that's where the sheet comes in. For weeks I'd had this thing about a French linen sheet, preferably monogrammed, and had been bidding on ebay for any that seemed reasonable money. These babies go for cash, I tell you. I only wanted one because I wanted one, you know how you get that longing for something that seems a little bit out of reach, well it was that.
And in one of these flea markets on the first morning of my holiday I got one! Well actually two, although the other one isn't linen but cotton. It's huge and very heavy and thick and when I've put it on the bed, the old man says it's like sleeping under a lump of cardboard.
Right, so here's the sheet. (Not ironed, what a surprise, but dragged out of my linen cupboard.)
The monogramms. H and R. Not my initials but I could make them fit. Ropey Hair. Relaxed Home.Raving Harlot. (Maybe not.) Red Hair. (Once in the 80s.) Happy Reader. Hot Raver. The possibilities are endless.
This is my quandary. Do I cut this up? (I whispered that in case it heard.)
I think it's quite old because it has a seam down the middle which apparently means it has some age. Something about not being able to weave the widths in those days, or something I wouldn't understand.
Down the middle it has some wear.

Can you see there's a little hole and in the second photo the linen has worn quite thin? The problem being that when I've used it on my bed, feet tend to get caught up in the worn bits and I think eventually a foot will go right through it leaving a huge hole. The outside edges are fine as you would expect and lovely and sturdy and I keep wondering if I could make cushions (cushion, I will get bored after one) from it or at least do something with it rather than leaving it languishing in the airing cupboard.
So what would you do? Leave it in all its glory or put it to some use?
Oh yes but the way did I mention I paid 8 euros for both sheets. Not 8 euros each, 8 euros all together...
So I had to get on my hands and knees and scrabble around in a suitcase on the floor but who wouldn't?
That's my first quandary- the cutting up or not of the French sheet.
Second quandary is kitchen cupboard door. There is a cupboard in my kitchen that I can't stand. I'll do a photo first so you can see and then I'll tell you what it is I don't like about it.
It's the one with the glass door. The smeary glass door. My question is this, why have a glass door if you can't flipping well see through it? Why? Why? They (the people we bought the house from) even had a light put inside it. Again,why? Why? Whatever you put in it appears like a blurry image through this horrible glass that is impossible to get smear free. I did ask my mate's husband, a kitchen fitter, to take the glass out for me. A simple job you may think, one that a normal husband ought to be able to tackle... if you've been here before you may remember that anything requiring tools and manual labour is not Mr EF's thang. So, my idea was to take the glass out, put a piece of fabric in there instead and then I could put all manners of things in there and they would be hidden. But yesterday I had a little brainwave. What if I took the door off and made this cupboard into Pretend Open Shelves. (Another idea I had and have had six shelves living in the boot of my car since last August to prove it.) What do you think? I'll give you a chance to judge by presenting you with a photo of each way. Door on and door off, well door open anyway.
Obviously I'd take the Chinese Takeaway menu out and the old cups that I use for putting tea bags in and I did think that what if I lined the back and sides or painted them?
My main opposition will be the old man who likes things to stay how they are forever. I have thought about taking the door off while he is in work,a fait accompli so to speak but if he really hates it and puts the door back on I know it will never open or close properly again. And with that and the cardboard sheet comment it would mean I would probably have to kill him to death. The thing is I want it to look like open shelves not just a cupboard with door taken off. Any ideas or opinions most welcome please thank you!
So, two quandaries, sheets and cupboards, I really do have too much time on my hands don't I?
Laters, ladies!
xx
PS I think you can make these photos large by clicking on them. I only used large today instead of Xlarge.O the last post the photos were so big they looked a bit mutant. Like they were trying to take over the words.


15 comments:

  1. Yep Missy you def need to be taking that door off, it looks so much better without...remember these wise words though: door off = not allowed to fill up with junk!! :oD xxx

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  2. Oh you do make me laugh mrs...well don't listen to me, if you don't want too but......I would chop up the sheet and make it useful and beautiful again, a cushion sounds lovely. cupboard door a tricky one..... what with the old man and all that...I know I have one, although he has learnt to not say a word anymore...if it were me, I would whip it off and suffer the consequences :-) xx

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  3. Off, Off, Off. I'm chanting like a mad thing now. Most definitely OFF. And no, it doesn't look like a cupboard with its door taken off.

    Lovely linen too and I say (loudly and quite proudly) CUT, CUT, CUT (I'm chanting again, sorry). Pillow slips or cushions are my suggestions. Can't wait to see what you do (no pressure). xx

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  4. I seem to remember from the dim distant past that housewives used to recycle worn sheets by cutting them in half down the middle then sewing them back together again having turned the halves round - ie sewing the sides together so they now make the middle. That way the worn bits are at the edges not in the middle.
    What about the old chicken wire and gingham idea for your cupboard. Replace the glass with chicken wire secured with tacks and staple gingham which has been gathered behind the wire so giving a rustic look to the kitchen.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  5. Hiya Missy,
    Am thinking the sheet should be given a new lease of life( cushions)..
    I am no help with your doors though, as I can't stop laughing about your way with words in this post...
    You really cheer up a wet day!
    Thanks for popping in on me, you always make my day!!
    Maria x

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  6. Little window blinds would be lovely, pillow cases, summer tops ... The possibilities are endless! Off with the doors! You've made me laugh about the possible little wee ... Exactly how I feel when I come upon an unexpected car boot sale! Xxx

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  7. I'm with the rest of the gals...cut up those sheets and make some pillow slips, napkins or cushions. Yep, take that cupboard door off too, and have fun decorating the inside. My husband is usually opposed to changing things around because it would require him to DO something. Get the screwdriver out yourself and go for it :D

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  8. Oh I am crap with creative suggests when it comes to linen. Do what your heart tells you, girlfriend. You crack me up as always you funny fox you!!!
    I love France, sounds lush where you went.
    Hope all well.......when were you ill? I missed this post.....read somewhere about your meds. Hope you ok.
    X x x x

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  9. Great post Missy, I have a giggle reading this. What brilliant place.
    Go for it. Take the door off. Remove the shelves. Fill door hinge holes with suitable filler. Have you or can you get some wood cut and sanded to replace the glass? then take off the handles. Paint the whole thing inside and out in Annie Sloan paint she has a good range of colours to choose from and this paint is perfect for this type of job. Then use maybe the Charcoal Annie Sloan to paint the handles or buy new non shiny one. Once painted you use her wax in clear to seal the whole thing and this also gives a nice feel to the paint. Hey presto you have painted open shelf cupboard fitting perfectly for just the price of some paint and wax, which you can use again and again.
    Carol xxx

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  10. Just had another look and think maybe you want to keep the handles matching the rest of the kitchen so maybe not to paint them? unless you want your shelve to look like a different piece of kitchen furniture.
    Cxx

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  11. That chateau looks GORGEOUS!!!!

    Victoria xxx

    PS I'm craving noodles ever since you mentioned them!!

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  12. Def cut sheet..and....door off,so all your lovely goodies can be seen and admired.
    WOW! That chateau is A-mazing!..and well done you with the driving. :0)

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  13. Thanks for your comment on my blog - I came over to have a look at yours and you had me with the 'land of drivel and bad photography' - I think we may have been separated at birth. If I can find a way to follow you by email (it's the only way I can remember to read blogs) I will - off to delve about in the dreaded Blogger depths in a mo.
    About the sheet. I'm always buying them. I want to know in which flea market you found two for 8 euros though - with a monogram too! Anyway, as to your dilemma. If it's any help at all, I dyed a lovely linen monogrammed sheet a gorgeous shade of dusky rose and I was chuffed to bits but it must have been wearing a bit thin because Mr. Tialys (as it couldn't have been me)put his toe through it and so I will now have to make a dusky rose coloured cushion. Just trying to save you some time.
    As for the cupboard - it's true that open shelves need tidying and that's always something to try and cut down on. I like the gathered curtain idea - although you would normally have that on the inside of plain glass so not sure it would work with your frosted stuff. Shame - you could have used the cut up sheet!

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  14. Grrrrr! There's a button to subscribe by email but only to read follow up comments on a post and I want to subscribe by email to the whole blog. Are you able to activate a button at your end - ooer missus!

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  15. This post made me smile..just love your humour!
    I agree with the other's comments, that the cupboard looks better without the glass door..just having it as shelves (Sorry Mr.EF :P). If you do this, do share a photo, I would love to see the after.
    What a stunning chateau as well!!
    Have a lovely day today...
    Magie x

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