potted beauties

via decor8

my good friend, ebay

I had been looking for a occasional table for the lounge room, something in between a dining table & a side table. I tell you, there's not much out there. Until this recent ebay score, perfect for the pending magazine stash, list jotting, cook book skimming, infrequent blogging.
I'm thinking it's a little too "shabby, not so chic" so a paint job is in order. I'm thinking grey.. Any thoughts?

via decor8

The weekend consisted of more painting.

The lounge room is finished but as it goes, one thing leads to another and now JD's stripping years of dodgey paint jobs off the french doors and we're now painting the entry. New glass is being cut for the doors and I'm painting the beading, a very tedious job but it will look great when its finished. In the meanwhile the lounge room is still in the dining room. The good news is now, we can get a new sofa. Sorry no pics for now.

the weekend: made and bought

This weekend I went wandering..

I window shopped and shopped in many lovely stores, here and here and here.

I found inspiration at the Fabric Shop; my purchases should keep me preoccupied for a while.

I finished a couple of cushions, although they're not looking so crisp and new - some one road tested before I had a chance to snap them. Funny, I've never been much a pink person but they I think they'll go nicely with the greys and inky blues ones still come.

mantel corners

Mantels corners can be an awkward space to fill... Or some times they can be the loveliest display corner or a cosy reading nook for a room.

automatism :: the marion house :: mark tuckey :: rachel whiting

the weekend

via fine ting og sjokolade

Was very low key. I piked out on birthday drinks, (I get terribly anti-social in the winter) you know you're getting old when house work is taking preference over big nights out. I went to the movies and saw this with the girls and this with the boy. We had friends over tonight and I made a spicy coconut green curry pumpkin soup and we recapped the dismal world cup results.

We purchased some white venetian blinds on sale which replaced some very dated blue blinds, I think the previous owners put them up in the early 90's when blue, yellow, white beach schemes and vibrant dolphin & star fish mirrors were popular.

On Sunday, on the way to collect a ebay purchase, we came across a garage sale. Success, 2 car trips to get our purchases home and by chance we found the matching chest of drawers to our dresser. I also found a simple thin metal stool at a nearby op-shop, it's in need of some new fabric and a little staple gun action but for $3 I'm happy to have some where to sit to eat my toast in the morning. I'll post a photo soon (Hmm, lets see if I'm all talk, no action?)

More repurposed pallets used above, I'm bookmarking for ideas for backyard daybed for the summer.. Which isn't coming soon enough.

arranging wall art

via daily imprint

via Patric Johansson

via emmas design blog

via design is mine

the weekend

via one fine day

via nestled in

On the weekend I completed my very own black bunting cushion. And oh yeah mastered zips! Previously I did the pillowcase fold. Feeling rather proud of myself I may make a couple more. Alas JD will argue that we do not need any more cushions!

I kept to my frugalness and stayed in with a friend on Saturday night. We made pad thai and watched a teeny popper reality tv box set dvd which I think has turned my brain to mush.

Today I went to Spotlight, I came across the Martha Stewart craft range. Craft heaven. "Walk away, just walk away" I coached myself. Luckily, I left with only a couple of zips other bits which didn't brake the bank, a few things to keep me preoccupied for my self imposed weekend house arrest.

i think it's time i cut my hair short again..

via audrey hepburn complex

desperately seeking..

new flats! JD will disagree, but I'm seriously in need of some new ones to add to the current rotation. Sadly, not loving any offerings in store at the mo'...

But then there are some cute woven vintage brogues from Sportsgirl - similar to the ones Kate Bosworth is sporting. They come in tan or pink.. Hmmm...

Ms Bosworth via Camp Comfort

balcony garden

After the kitchen is finished, I will give some much needed love to our very sad looking balcony.

Once upon a time, herbs use to florish our of the big terrcotta planter, and standing nearby it was my beloved maggie - my small magnolia tree who has now gone to heaven.

I love these old crates used as planter boxes..

image via Agent Bauer

kikki.k - staying in

image via Kikki.K

My gorgeous friend Juz sent me the latest Kikki.K catalogue, her timing was quite fitting given my recent home office revamp. Thank you sweets!

My retail shopping fixes have been limited to Bunnings and Ikea recently.. In fact I'm such a Ikea pro now I know all the short cuts! No messin' about, no dilly dawdling down the designated paths for me!

Note to Ms Law, I too love the project on page 10 - if only going through all my digital photo's and getting them printed wasn't such an arduous process!

can o' worms!

Yup opened another can of worms!

I diverted my short attention span off the kitchen and started working on our spare room/office. Given there's only certain things we can do to the kitchen during the week after work hours - eg. we can't drill into brick walls or re-wire so we've been stripping back and re-painting the spare room for the last week.

So before there was one long dark stained floating desk from one wall to another along the window. Whilst it was really nice to have a big work space, with my sewing machine down one end and JD's computer down the other, it limited the furniture layout. It became a storage nightmare and eventually became a junk dumping room.

Sanding on the balcony!

Stripping back paint off the windows & skirting

JD attaching the timber boxes onto runners for handy drawers

My trash n treasure stool

I love timber boxes

I know, it looks 'very Ikea' but the dark table top was looking too heavy against the new floors, repainting it white has opened the space up and makes the room look much bigger.

More pics to come - I'll be adding my collectables and set everything else soonish.. Well, maybe after the kitchen is done!

Slowly re-vamping the kitchen...

I feel it will be long and arduous task. It's been 14 days since JD pulled out the old oven and still no cooking facilities except the microwave & balcony BBQ. Arrggh!

Along with the new oven, we have decided to give the kitchen a little revamp. We've opted to keep the existing 1950's style white cupboards. Although before we install the new oven we'll be replacing the tiles, tapware, benchtops, new range hood plus stain the floors in the entire house. Which means packing up everything and moving it to various storage areas eg. my mums, JD's parents, a friends garage.

At least the old brown tiles came off today, although not difficult, half off them above the sink were voluntarily coming off anyway.

Brown tiles be GONE!

Excuse the odd product placement but this was the only close up pic of the tiles before we ripped them off - by the way locally made Cunliffe & Waters preserves and jam are delicious!

Kitchen ramblings:

Me: "So I'm thinking clean, simple lines, uncluttered... Hmmm, rustic white slash industrial?"

JD: Scoffs rather loudly "Uncluttered?! You are the biggest hoarder ever, I don't think so!

I know I have no discipline and will never stick to an all white neutral kitchen. Random nicnacs of colour will creep in and find a home there on the shelves and benches..

Please note, you are viewing the DIY work of some major slackers. Fast turnover of before & after pics are very unlikely to be seen any time soon.

new pretty linen

Stuck at a suburban shopping centre today I thought I'd kill some time time at Dimmey's, minutes later I walked out with an entire new set of bed linen.

JD & I got well acquainted with the various suburban shopping centres, random discount stores and asian grocers whilst gathering supplies for our engagement party. I think we may have bought all the packets of polaroid film left in Melbourne.

1 Floral pillow slip $1, 2 Grey ticking european pillow covers $8, Blue quilt cover set (incl. 2 pillow slips) $40, Steely blue/grey stitched coverlette $40 TOTAL: $99

Coastal ticking fabric via Toast

Scanned from The Simple Floral Home by Julia Bird

Click image to enlarge

Stop bloggin', start cleaning

Tea towel from Materialistic

Need to start cleaning and de-cluttering my over crowded flat. I've been putting it off, but the kitchen needs really good clean and the sink is clogged! The bathroom is JD's area of expertise - he's does toilet, shower, bath etc.

Then there's the rest of the flat.

We have too much crap and I admit, I am a horder but I think now it's time I let go. I've done an ebay pile, a hand out pile, and an op shop (thrift/good will) donation pile.

I admit the ebay pile is getting rather big... I'll have to dedicate a whole weekend to photography and description writing. Eek, I can't be bothered! I bet no one will buy it and I'll end up in deficit (hmm, that word has been thrown round abit hey?) with the ebay charges.

Well, I could book a stall at the Camberwell Sunday market but its' way too cold to be getting up at 5am.

Hmmm, maybe "Stop bitchin', start cleaning" would have been a more fitting title...

coffee table

We bought an old wooden plank from Richmond Relics (now Ridgey Didge) industrial furniture store in Melbourne 8 years ago, even before we bought our flat.

Apparently it was use as platform to assist people on and off train back in the day.. Hmmm, I never know whether to believe these stories told by second hand dealers, for all we know they could be complete bulls**t, but it is a quaint story to tell our visitors. Either way we thought it was cool and would make a great coffee table.

We considered putting big fat castor wheels on it..

But the eventual plan is to weld a metal frame to elevate it, sorta something like this:

Paul Massey Photography

Paul Massey Photography via Sam's Notebook

Town & Country Style via Glimpse of Style

In the meanwhile I thought I could make it work it like this..

Image via Light Locations

Scanned from Simple Style By Julia Bird

But our couches are higher and leaning down that low for our cup of teas was getting annoying...

Luckily we've befriended a welder who is a has offered to help. By posting about it will now bring an onslaught of nagging JD and our poor friend. Hopefully a pic of the finished table won't be too far away!

Apparently Dulux White on White is not so White..

no, it's more grey.


So I finally got round to painting the bedroom today. And after finishing the first coat I've decided its a little too grey for my liking (yes, even though I'm going through a grey phase) so I'm going back to the hardware store to buy a couple more sample pots. Serves me right for being a smart ass and thinking I'd get it right in the first go.
So I'm now thinking it will need to be either Natural White or go back with the British Paints Base White that I used for the lounge room.