Tuesday 29 November 2011

Instant Makeover


Hi all,



I bought this amazing Italian tray a few months ago. I really like it.....


But - it needed something - it was lost on the table....

So???? You guessed it - I painted it ...... WHITE




I love how it "pops" now and its totally more suited to my decor. Now all I need its something to display in it.... Any ideas???


Take care

Nat

My Girls

Just wanted to share this glorious photo of my lovely girls, Maclayne and Payton.

Love it and it will have to find a spot on the gallery wall.....hmmm me thinks a new gallery wall needs to be started soon.....




Take care

Nat

Button Flowers - A Tutorial

Are these not the cutest???
So super easy to make and a fantastic craft to do with the kids.

There are heaps of tutorials on how to make these little gems all over blog world - so why not add one more???


Here are said kids - ever so eager and excited to help mum....


Basically all you need are a selection of buttons, galvanized wire and scissors or pliers.


 Choose 3 buttons of different sizes (also works with 2 buttons)


Stack them....


Cut a piece of wire (double your desired length)


 Thread through one side of holes - loop and thread through the other side


Twist the wire to hold the buttons in place

 I chose to twist the wires all the way to the bottom (Im like that.....)

 


Then display however you like....

I stuck them in my mom's old vase just to take pictures but they so worked here and that's where they now live....


 


I spotted this tutorial originally on the jones design company blog

Please go along an check it out - this is a great blog.


Hope you have had some inspiration today...

Take care












Friday 25 November 2011

Cube Shelves




Hi everyone,

Going on with my love of all things coastal/beachy - I found this amazing blog: A Beach Cottage - Life by the Sea abeachcottage.com

Please have a little look and go on the home tour - oh how I want that house and everything in it!!! But realistically with the messy foursome that I live with, it will never happen - all that gorgeous white......sigh!

I have seen cube shelving everywhere and never really taken notice until I saw the Beach Cottage Dining Room.



(image from abeachcottage.com)

I really fell in love with the shelving unit and wanted to replicate it.

2 problems there....... #1 Cube shelves are way out of our price range (aka too expensive) and #2 we do not have that kind of space and I needed to have it off the floor to stop toddler hands destroying everything.

I didn't give up on my idea (poor Sean - I'm sure he thinks I'm nuts most of the time)

Then..... inspiration struck!!!!!!

I have this boring, blah chest of drawers next to the kitchen that doubles as a grocery cupboard and general junk collector......


I found cheap (and I mean cheap - 2 for $25) 3 tier shelves from The Warehouse

The next day I ran a layer of white paint over the drawers to brighten them up (they were a light cream)

Some drilling, wood glue and a few screws later (literally about 20 minutes work) 
and...... Ta Daaaaaa






I have a few fab finds on these shelves that we will chat about another day.....

The baskets hold the kids mega bloks and the drawers now house toys, toys and more toys. 
Practical and exactly what I wanted.....

Have a lovely weekend all, thanks for reading

Take care

Nat

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Kitchen Cupboard Makeover


I did this cupboard makeover before I even decided on writing a blog so please excuse the quality of photos and the lack of them.....

When I first met my "new" cupboard the thoughts that ran through my mind will not make it onto this post. But seriously what was I thinking????

It didn't help that Sean had been to collect it from the Trade Me seller (for those non Kiwi's or Aussies - Trade Me is an online auction site) and he had seen it come off the back of a truck with big red letters along the side that said 0800 JUNKRUN.........

Along with the hideous colour was the distinct smell and Sean shaking his head, muttering to himself every time he looked at it. 
I was very disheartened! What did I expect for something that I paid $20 for?

I wiped it down with disinfectant and braved the cobwebs and live spiders to discover that the base was rotten!

Here is the before...


We stripped some of the door back and saw the good quality wood underneath.

Then for a month we slowly stripped all the various layers of paint off using a heat gun and paint scraper. 
We had to wait for the kids' bedtime to work due to the danger of the heat gun and the mess we created.


halfway

Sean rebuilt the base and nailed a new back board on. The insides of the drawers and cupboard part had to be painted too.

Once completely stripped and sanded, I painted 3 layers of Dulux Brilliant White . Then sanded it back for that distressed look.

I raced off to K-Mart for the basket and gave it a coat of paint - it now houses potatoes and onions.

Using my favourite colour accents to decorate - my new cupboard is complete......and very functional!





Thanks again for reading

Take care
















Gallery Wall


I have wanted a gallery wall forever and after drooling over dozens of blogs and the featured gallery walls - I finally did my own.....

I painted and prepped frames for ages and once the wall was done I really did like it.......



But something was missing - I wasn't sure what.....

Until my very talented son came home from school with this painting....

 (sorry about the angle but there was so much reflecting light)

And I knew that the colour's of my frames were all wrong! My colour scheme is not really brown - so what was I thinking when setting the wall up?

I knew that Gabe's painting was going to have a spot on the wall so I used the colours from his creation to inspire me.

And now it looks like this.......


So much brighter and I love it! Its my new happy place.......

Payton and I have both contributed our works of art to the wall too....



Hope I have inspired you all.....

Take care

Nat


Linking Up To:



Monday 21 November 2011

Mini Chest Makeover


Jumping straight in with my first "real" post.  I do promise to iron out all my gadgets and  links as soon as I get a chance.
I am so totally in love with white furniture at the moment - who isn't right? 
And the Coastal/Beach theme has always been a favourite of mine. 
Finally Iv decided to get onto heaps of home decorating projects that Iv left for way to long. I have lots to share so lets start with my latest project.....

I have had this wooden chest for years - like as far back as I can remember - I think my grandfather made it - and we used it as a toy box.

Its followed me from living at home, flatting, married life, immigration and now as a "seat" for the kids while watching tv, or a jumping platform or a table to eat off. 

So being an old creamy colour you can just imagine the state of it - bits of food, dirty feet marks, scuffs, generally awful.


The weather was too windy for painting outside on Saturday - so we painted in the kitchen


My little helper was right on hand  - and no she didnt get a drop on her.... surprisingly.

We used Brilliant White from Dulux and I was planning to just paint the lid with colour and leave the base white - in keeping with the whole white furniture theme.

My inspiration was my favourite table runner - looking a little sorry for itself and well used. I just love the colour combinations and wanted to use it somewhere in my decorating........


Later I taped off stripes and made sure they measured the same - using the tape as a guide - once the paint was dry I was going to keep the white stripes......


then painted the colours, using Dulux "Colours of New Zealand" range, Lake Tekapo, Fitzroy, Musik Point and a mix of all 3 for my "green" colour.



So far so good right?


Here is my "inspirational" table runner next to the chest...... pretty close!!!!

NOT LOVING IT!!!!!!


I was so unimpressed with it once I had pulled the tape off - I didn't even take a photo. 
I toyed with the idea of repainting it white. It was getting late and knowing how I am about these things - hubby told me to sleep on it and maybe Ill feel better about it in the morning..... I didn't!!!

I decided after walking around it for a few hours that I would paint the rest of it blue and fill in those nasty white stripes.  Using the Dulux Musik Point I painted one coat over the white. Then filled in the stripes (just making the existing stripes thicker).

Then grabbed my trusty sanding block and gently sanded in long movements and........ 

LOVING IT!!!!!!!!!!



A few more close ups.......







A coat of varnish and she was ready to go....


As you can see breakfast was thoroughly enjoyed on the "new" seat this morning ....


Thank you for following my first post - hope you enjoyed it.....

Take care

Nat