If you're looking for me, I'll be in the shed!

If you're looking for me anytime soon, I'll be in the shed with a sander in one hand and a jar of paint stripper in the other. There's a lot of restoration work to be done round here before Number Three turns one at the end of the summer. 

I've been hoarding some salvaged stuff and flea market finds so that I can make him some hierloom-looking presents for his first birthday. 

We have had the rocking horse since Number Two was a baby. It was put out for the bin by someone with no sense of nostalgia at all. At least that's what I think. I mean how could you dump this gorgeous little fella? 

While Number Two still fit into it, I hadn't the time to do it up and once he grew out of it, poor horsey was sent to the cellar and forgotten about. He very nearly got taken to a flea market to be sold, but we hadn't the heart to do it when it came down to it. 

So, today I stripped off the plastic seat cover and the old, rotten padding and then began sanding the flaky varnish off. I also put paint stripper on the face (God that sounds awful. I feel horrible just typing that sentence) and sawed off the plastic handles. Operation restoration has begun in ernest.

Number Three's bedroom is decorated in greens and white, so I want to go with something that will fit in with that when I finally get round to painting the rocking horse. I think I may go for a medium grey with white patches, a darker grey mane and a green bridle.  Hmm, I feel a mood board coming on. 

Part two of the birthday present is this little toy shop. I really should have put something into the photo to show the scale of it. Size-wise, this is made for toddlers to stand at and play shop. It is from the 1950s, according to the family I bought it from. They only wanted €10 for it. I was thrilled, especially when I saw that the clock actually works. I kept smiling to myself this morning in the garden every time I heard the ticking when I switched the sander off.

Colour-wise I am not sure yet what I will go for. I definitely need to look around for some inspiration. I am considering painting the background a darker colour and the shelves themselves a lighter colour and I will probably add some text to the front panel. It seems a bit bare to me as it is now.

I am so pleased to finally have found the time to get started on these projects. For me, the first blow is half the battle. Once I get started on a project, I usually manage to keep up the momentum till the end.  

As I said, I'm still undecided on the final look of both pieces. I'd love to hear your ideas, if you'd care to share.