I recently won the bid for this darling rose painting:
Isn't it darling?! I can say I honestly felt bad that my winning bid was only $5 ! But that's $5 worth of love I will take! And love I do...
I think it goes very nicely on the wall in our lounge, which is rapidly running out of any "spare" space!
Happy Thrifting!
Bx
Yes, it is possible {without making holes in your walls} to hide ALL of those nasty cords associated with your office.
You know the ones, the cords that are attached to the: power, computer, printer, modeum, server, backup brick (not sure of the technical term for that... but I back all my photos onto it kinda regularly)... you know ALL those cords. DRIVE>ME>BONKERS !!!
Now get yourself prepared... I am about to ROCK your world. Well only if you are like me and these cords and cables drive you insane and keep you awake at night trying to work out how to hide them and give your space that super clean line appeal that you so desire. I know, issues right!
This was a simple DIY project, I did it ... and you can too!
As you can see before my office makeover (which involved new desktop and cabinetry) I tried to hide my computer related "stuff" and cables in a pretty basket.. makes it look better right? no, I hated that thing!
So with a gorgeous new, sleek WHITE office space:
And look, you can't see any cables, right?!
I knew I HAD to get rid of the cable clutter! And here's what I did:
All you need is a pegboard, some hardware, cable ties... and if you are like me, a label machine to lable both ends of each cord, and the devices.
NOW I am really happy with my cable system. I got idea, and the tutorial from Van @ Decluttered.
This could work behind an entertainment unit too... and once my hubs upgrades our telly {again}... we'll tackle that job.
This project was really easy and only took a few hours. The only change I've made since these photos were taken, is that I have added some more fixtures, so there is no board sag... and hubs made me a little shelf for the server:
Now I love the clean look of my office/crafty space... and I especially LOVE not seeing cables and cords anymore!!!
Gorgeous!
Love out.
Bxo
Our kitchen is a small one, but big enough that we can manage quite well:
Weve only done a few small things to update this space, we've added new handles to the cupboards and pantry, a new stove and we got a mixer put in recently. I can see from the photo at top and this one above that the mixer does make a difference in asthetics as well as practical terms.
The Ikea shelf above the pantry is a recent addition (by recent I think January??, so you know 5 months ago!):
Much tidier!
I love how sunny the space is on most days, all seasons... Canberra is a sunny city even in winter & that I LOVE... I don't like overcast days much!
The buffet cabinet I no longer love, as I did in our previous home... but it does well to keep the TV up and away (safe) from the kiddies. It's just not the best storage system... as there is no way I'd store wine bottles in reach of small kiddie hands these days, or the next 10 years at least! Mmm... make that about 20 years!
The couch is currently sporting a doily table cloth... and some new, larger, deeper buttercup coloured yellow cushions. The ones above have been moved to the "outside" collection.
A close up of the prints above the couch, both from May Day Studio:
Hubs has promised to put a shelf up for me to store my collection of Willow figurines (many of them gifts from my Inlaws, or dear friend Angalea), for now they live atop the pelmet:
I'd actually really like a couple of these to house them in:
One: 3 shelf and One: 2 shelf = $780 - sheeez, better start saving my pennies! THEN try and work out where they'd live... like I have any room for them!??!! Love them all the same.
Inspired by Joshua's preschool teacher, Inge (the fabulous!)... I've implemented "Colouring Calm" during the afternoons when Mikaela is doing her homework, and I am cooking dinner... the boys colour in and draw pictures in their books, I make notes of what they've created, making sure to record the date too. A nice little keepsake.
Yes, that is Joshua wearing a Jedi cape... he rarely takes it off!
The caddy turntable lives atop the fridge.
A few pieces of art about the space, the unicorn thingy... a forced purchase due to Benjamin breaking it in the store. I just had to glue the backing on again and it's like new... it's grown on me and I kinda like it now:
This tea towel I bought at a little gift store in Port Macquarie... reminds me of this song, and how I feel about Nathan :)
Sometimes I need reminding that even though this pokey little home is not our dream home... well, that in actual fact, it IS really!
That giant yellow cup and saucer, a much loved gift from my darling Kim.
I must put some photos into this beautiful tree from my friend, Rowena... this collection sits above our stand up freezer, beside the buffet cabinet (not in the photograph above):
Handcream on the window sill, is a MUST:
Flowers are always a nice addition to the house, I only had this many due to a BIG 4.0 birthday:
The boys doing what they do best, playing & eating:
So that's it for our kitchen and dining space.
You can see the other Home Tour featured blogs here.
Still to come: Laundry, Main bathroom, study... living room.
Peace
Bxo
Our bedhead is one from Heatherly Design. Love it. The oval mirror on my bedside table needs to be hung up - a $5 buy at a trash store. LOVE!
I have a variety of bedspreads to suit my mood or season, I love to change them up, to create a new look so easily and simply as a change of bedding. JOY!
I've been having lots of fun lately making collages with my iphone. These pieces of the room are mine, art, jewellry boxes and gifts from loved ones.
I covered our pelmet in our bedroom with a yellow polka dot fabric. The curtains themselves have a small yellow dot in them too.
I love my {small right now} collection of mirrors in our ensuite, and the medicine cabinet my brother in law fixed to the wall for us. Our Venitian masks... the blue one Nath bought on a holiday himself before we met, the red one we bought when we travelled with Mikaela in 2007.
I love the Klimt painting of mother and child... and reminder that waking up grumpy is not an option! Fresh flowers on my bedside table is my idea of bliss, and the little jewelry box my Dad got me for my 40th birthday... the other two art pieces are on Nath's bedside... both gifts I made for him.
My necklace collection in our ensuite:
My husband tries to tell me I can wear a necklace more than once before buying a new one, I respond "I dooooo!" :)
I used to store all my shoes in boxes, but I found that system didn't work so well for me. So I updated to this system, now I can see most my shoes at a glance:
Many of them are not really at all suitable to wear as a full time stay at home Mum, but sometimes I still wear them!
I try to sort my clothes in the "rainbow" manner, by colour, I made this little label sticker to keep it real simple (ie. I am a simpleton!):
I have to cull my wardrobe quite regularly... and I try to separate seasons, well I have to, otherwise my clothes won't fit! It's a pokey little space I have, but better than nothing, granted!
Recently we hung the mirror above my bedside table, and for my evergrowing book collection, a small shelf unit to accomodate them. I tried to cull them, didnt work well.
So that's about it for our room, ensuite and walkin...
Still to come, the Kitchen/Dinning, Living Room, MainBathroom and Laundry...
Love Out
Bxo
My Miss Mikaela has a room, which is all about Paris... she speaks French fluently {with 9 years schooling at French schools, and her Dad's first language... I would hope so!!}
She's been to France a few times... naturally she loves it, and why her room is very Paris inspired and colourful:
The view from her bedroom door. Our girl was about 5 or 6 when she gave me the "talk" about not really thinking much of pink and informed me that blue is her favourite colour. Right-o then! Her usual, preferred bedspread is a simple & plain light blue Morgan & Finch one from Bed Bath and Table.
We got the Eiffel Tower canvas at Typo... Mikaela loves it so much!
A desk is a must for a near high schooler... Mikaela has about an hour of homework each day, and thankfully, she is quite good about getting it done.
Our little girl loves to read and read and read:
This little shelf above her bed, holds her trinkets and some of her medals & trophies:
Mikaela has lots of art works in her room, above her bed are two of my favourites:
The Owl is by Sparrow Bee Designs and the "I believe in Fairytales" is from here, sadly artist has no information on frame.
There are lots above her desk:
A Kelly Rae Roberts piece:
Photo of me and Mikaela when she was just 3 weeks old, and one of her Dad and she when we were living in Italy, she's about 7 months old. Plus a painting she did when she was 2 years old:
This basket beside Mikaela's desk is where she stores her school and current reading books, bits & pieces:
On one of the wardrobe doors, there's a cork board I covered in red gingam fabric... Mikaela uses this to display her medals {and usually her ribbons, but as she was running out of room, she transferred them into a folder}...
Above this pin board, Mikaela has her 2012 dream board we created one crafty afternoon together:
Some pieces I have created for her over the years:
On Mikaela's bedroom door:
The paper lanterns I picked up at a $2 shop, and the tissue paper pom-pom's online at Etsy.
Tomorrow, our room.
Hugs
Bxo
I think we are well and truly settled into our home after near 3 years, so I think a little home tour is in order. I'll start with our boys room.
View from the doorway.
Our youngest still needs the change table right now.
I scored this low bookshelf at an op-shop for $15. Perfect height for the kiddies.
The blue box in the corner is a gift from Joshua's Deda {he made it!} and stores all most of their train tracks.
Today I have the chennile bedspreads on both boys beds, I love chennile. Under the cot is a fold-out layout table for the train tracks (again, a gift for Joshua his Deda made for him)!
Barbar... *LOVE* him, a gift to Mikaela from my sister some 10 years ago. Now lives in our 2 year old's bed/cot.
Another op shop buy... perfect for some of Joshua's trains to be on display.
Same for the spice rack I painted red, another op-shop buy... and the little lego men fit in there just nicely! The elephant fabric is a Japanese designer, I bought on Etsy. The two cowboys... remind me of my two boys, I bought at the recent HandMade Markets.
It's a little tricking getting a photo of this without any reflection.
Joshua's soft toys... Spencer the bear with the red scalf is from his GodMother, she had a beautiful scroll note tied around his neck which explained Spencer likes to travel a lot and he likes to be told stories, and feelings and worries. I did good chosing her as GodMother, spiritial guide she is, perfectly.
Above Joshua's bed. The cot used to be in that corner before we moved the room about a bit. I've left the mobiles there.
Above the beds there's a keepsake shelf for each of the boys.
Here's Joshua's:
And Benjamin's:
Here is some of the art in their room, I created these two when pregnant with Benjamin:
This piece is very special to me... my best gal pal (and Joshua's God Mother) Kim cross stitched this keepsake for his naming day:
And another piece I created for both of the boys... once Benjamin was born, I felt this suited them well:
Beside the doorway there is a large built in cupboard with a big chest of drawers, lots of clothes hung and a few large of boxes of toys, which I rotate {I try and do this every 4-6 weeks, but realistically the lego is the all time favourite at the moment, and not much else matters}!
I've recently put some hooks behind the door for the boys to keep their jackets and pajamas on, it works pretty well... Benjamin is much better at it then Joshua is:
I've labeled each hook for ease (I pretty much label everything, including the contents of their drawers):
Here I've gathered images from the boys rooms, to create 12x12 scrap pages for our family album:
That's about it... our boys room.
I am looking to get one (then two) of these very soon:
I'll pass the cot and change table onto a dear FIT friend, whose daughter is expecting her first child in November, JOY!
Next will be our girls room, Miss Mikaela.
Bxo
