In the End it Only Took 5 minutes

These plain white lamps either side of the guest bed have been taunting me for weeks.  What to do to them to make them a little more special?

I have spent hours thinking about them.  I have scoured magazines, catalogues and web pages for inspiration.  Then I got onto pinterest and was seriously side tracked setting up boards and pinning pictures.  Back to the lampshades - what could I do?

• Add a simple trim?
• Make linen or hessian (burlap) flowers to attach?
• Cover them with pretty fabric or paper?
• Glue on buttons?
• Cover them with more Laura Ashley fabric? - No too much matching!

I found a lovely hydrangea design at The Graphic Fairy, and I thought I'd try to copy the design onto the lampshade.  To say that didn't work would be an understatement.  

Feeling a little disheartened, I went downstairs and made a cup of tea.  Sitting on the dresser in front of me were some artificial hydrangeas I had recently bought from Recollection/Early Settler.  Perhaps?

So in the end it only took me five minutes to snip the flowers from the stem and attach them with a hot glue gun. 

I like the extra texture and dimension that they give the room, and I like the soft lilac/gray colour that they add to break up all the green.

The lampshades were $7.90 from Bunnings and the flowers were $5.95, so if I decide later on that I want to change them, I can easily remove the flower and re-cover them.  But for now, I think they are beautiful.

Sharing with:

Home Stories A-Z - Tutorials & Tips

French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home - Show & Tell Friday



Making Stylish Stationery

I love pretty stationery but boy it can be expensive.  A pretty journal or notebook can set you back $20-30.  I decided I was going to have a go at making some as a gift for my sister-in-law.

I went shopping and found all these items for about $2 each.  In hindsight I would have paid more for the notebook from a stationery shop to get better quality paper.

For the pencils, pencil sharpener, eraser and binder clips I made up templates so all I had to do was cut out some pretty paper and glue it on with mod podge.  I used a pink and blue floral paper from Christina Re.  Tips - for small scale items like this you need a small scale patterned paper.  Also use a binder clip in a colour that works with your paper - here I used white clips.

For the notebook I covered it with some pretty wrapping paper and made a label 'Goals' for the front.  I glued small tabs of paper to create dividers so the book has five sections.  At the beginning of each section I printed out quotes relating to goal setting from here and glued them into the book.  Again, in hindsight I would probably make the dividers a plain colour as the patterns make the book look busy.

I also covered a spiral notebook with paper and made a label for 'Notes'.  As it's too hard to glue paper around the spirals, pick a notebook with a cover that will work with your paper.

I grouped together the stationery I made and a couple of the bought items - the shoe post it notes and the blue bird magnetic shopping list, placed it in a gift basket and wrapped it up in some cellophane. 

To make the 40 card I cut out a template and placed in on top of a blank card.  I applied a thick layer of pva glue with a brush and sprinkled over the seed beads - I used a mix of pearl, silver and white.

Hope she likes it.

Sharing my creation at
The DIY Show Off - Project Parade

Funky Junk Interiors - Sat Nite Special

The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday

My Daughter's Desk

My dear daughter is 9 years old and has been asking for her own desk since we moved back into our home.  I looked for ages but couldn't find anything that would fit under her window.  Finally, I found this desk.

I bought it on eBay for $36.55.  What does eBay automatic bidding always end up with strange amounts?

It's well worn but nice and solid.  Nothing a sand and coat of Dulux 'Whisper White' paint won't fix.

After all of this (above - sanding, painting, more sanding, more painting) you get ......

I asked my daughter if she wanted pretty crystal knobs but she preferred the original handle.

This is how she keeps the drawers - Oh help!  She gets it from me!

This is how I styled her desk for the photo.

In reality, it looks like this.

The little battery operated candles from last years Carols by Candlelight are there until I get her a lamp.  At the moment she just has a little IKEA stool until I paint the chair my husband found on the roadside.  On the right side of the desk is a letter to Santa (it's only July) complete with pictures.

Better go and put her desk back the way she likes it..

Sharing with:

Perfectly Imperfect - All Things Furniture

French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Thrifty Decor Chick - Before & After Party

Paper Craft Sorted

I can't work in total mess and chaos.  I find it much easier to work at a clean desk (laughing as I type this) and to have things organized.  I've been doing a bit of paper craft lately - decoupage, cards and notebooks and I wanted to tidy it all up so it's easier to make things.

Take one $5 expanding paper file from KMart

Add a cute label

I labelled each divider and sorted all my pieces of paper by colour.

In the back of the file I keep envelopes for all the templates I have made or collected and copies of tutorials or instructions on how to make things.  Now that that's sorted I'd better get back to all my unfinished projects.

Roman Holiday

A couple of weeks ago I picked up these old Roman tourist pictures from an Op shop (charity store) in Wynnum. (Original post here)

I have a funny little wall as you first walk into the guest bedroom, and I thought they'd look perfect there.

I wanted them to look old.  They are old.  I painted them white, sanded them back a bit and then to give them an aged appearance I brushed on a coat of Jo Sonia's Burnt Umber paint mixed with Jo Sonia's Clear Finishing Glaze, then rubbed it off.

In keeping with the Roman theme, I printed up some photos taken during our time in Europe and added them to some picture frames and hung them above the bed.

I printed these pictures with a label, drew a border around them and attached them to the back of the photo frame which I had covered in linen fabric.

Then just a couple of photos for the picture frames beside the bed.

The Colloseo, Rome

My daughter & I in Lisbon, Portugal

These are the little things that make it feel like home and put a smile on my face.


Sharing with Sarah - I love her new gray linen tablecloth!


Modern Country Style - Please Link Paint Party

Piece Together

Yesterday, Bayside Rose told us all about 'Molly Makes' - a beautiful new UK craft magazine.  You can see her post here.  It looks lovely.

This morning, I was flicking through The South East Advertiser as I had my first cup of tea and stumbled across an article on Piece Together.

Kanzashi Fabric Brooch - Piece Together



Located on Logan Road, in the Wooloongabba Antiques precinct, this studio offers sewing and craft workshops, and showcases the crafty work of local designers.  They open July 11.

It's so great to see new concepts like this up and running in Brisbane.  Good luck girls.



Going Back to Glebe

My husband and I lived in Glebe, an inner-city suburb of Sydney for 5 years (2003-2008).  It's a quirky suburb of mixed architecture and people.

Last week we went to Sydney for a holiday with the kids, and showed them around the area we used to live.  I want to share some of the reasons why I love Glebe.

Terrace houses

I'd like to sit here

Tessellated tiled path

Camellias

Federation Glory

Iron fences and hedges

Sandstone

Elegant gardens

Much nicer than graffiti

The corner of our old street



Fresh flowers for sale outside the greengrocer



We also went into The Rocks

Evolution of Sydney mural

Old factories - now a museum

Winter in Sydney

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Iconic Sydney Opera House



Miss you already Sydney - See you again soon.