Madeline's Room - A quick, fun project!

 

When I was Christmas shopping the other day I picked up these little hearts at Typo, they were just sweet and I thought I could use them somehow. I had a mini brain-wave and brought out a spare Ikea frame and dug around my old scrapbooking supplies for a pink spotted paper.

 

 

The hearts are so very sweet. So in less than 5 minutes while Will was in the Jolly Jumper and Madeline was playing Lego I knocked up a sweet frame for her room. Pretty cute I would say. (There is something similar being sold in boutique children's stalls for a much higher price!)

 

 

I was in a bit of a hurry to have a good look around Typo so I jumped online to see if there were other shapes and designs. There are! Might even make a sweet gift. If anyone would like the spare hearts let me know!

 

 

Collecting blue and white!

 

I have recently started going to the local op shops (there are so many around us) in search of cheap antique/vintage furniture, frames/mirrors and blue and white china. My Aunt, who is an incredible homemaker, had a white kitchen with blue and white crockery displayed and I always admired it. I modelled our kitchen after my memory of hers. The above plate was $5 when I went the other day - it has since had a price rise to $7 as it was co-ordinated with an apron and tea towel. I was just looking for the plate but since it's for charity, why not?! A complete silver jubilee set! Haha!

 

Quite honestly I forgot about the blue and white until I spotted these pictures in Home Beautiful April 2012. I could move into this house, I have pictures of every page.

 

 

Love, love, love it.

 

So it won't be an expensive collection but I hope it will look pretty enough, eventually. I have visions of my children buying me blue and white for every occasion for years to come!

Our Ollie dog.

 

Now Summer is here, our Ollie is moulting like a madman. It's driving us bonkers and it's like tumbleweeds in the house. (Even though he is limited to the kitchen and the back deck). We called in reinforcement of the doggy wash kind. He looks reasonably happy - he hasn't had a hydrobath in years but something about it made him bolt inside and hide! He is normally a typical water loving Labrador! He smells nicer now!

 

 

Adam was vacuuming the kitchen for the 34,567th time and I suggested he vacuum Ollie. He loved it! Amazing how much MORE came out. Oh heavens. Lucky we love him!

Getting Christmas ready!

It's that time of year where we dig out the tree and decorations from downstairs and embrace our inner Christmas spirit! Christmas is surely more magical since having children, Madeline will be completely adorable this year. The presents, the family, the Christmas lights and songs. I feel incredibly blessed. It's a big deal in the Edwards' family, Adam's Mum loves shopping and giving gifts as much as I do. Everyone is very, very spoilt come Christmas morning.

I have been hunting for a wreath that was inexpensive and pretty - I found a lot of cookie cutter wreaths priced at $20 or more. I wanted a bargain! I found this one at a random cheap shop for $14. I adore it. And our beautiful stockings ready to be filled! I have started shopping for those, the best bit! Our Christmas tree is awaiting the star - Adam and the kids do that each year.

Meanwhile, the hall-stand has lived in the elements for the last 5 years and has been re-introduced inside. I quite like it! I had visions of painting it black like these inspiration pictures I found on Pinterest. Adam has suddenly become a bit reluctant to paint it - so we might leave it for a while!

{Image via Pinterest}

{Image via Pinterest}

I can't wait to start my Christmas cooking - cherry ripe balls, apricot balls... Yummy!

A spot of window shopping!

A gorgeous silky oak sideboard for $400 at the local Salvos. I'm quite captivated by it!

 

The following are from Recollections. No end of great stuff at pretty reasonable prices. I love the simple table (Adam wants to build similar) with the chairs.

 

 

 

Ikea have something somewhat similar which I have been eyeing off for some time, the INGOLF chair and HOGSBY table. They are quite reasonably priced but I think it's probably worth investing in the more expensive items, they just look nice! We have nothing at the moment, since the table and chairs sold on Gumtree so anything is probably better than nothing. The table has been out of stock for months. I am going to Ikea on Saturday so I will see.

 

{Image via Ikea}

 

{Image via Ikea}

 

Love these chest of drawers and bedside for Madeline's room. She probably needs a bedside table eventually, I'll keep it in mind.

 

 

Think I should buy a lotto ticket! Haha!

Living Areas - A little photo wall is up!

 

There was plenty of nagging the weekend just gone, I finally got Adam to give me a hand hanging the pictures... Let's say he still wasn't 'in his patient frame of mind' and after a frustrated couple of nails took Madeline for a trip to Bunning's for some double sided tape. No, not kidding! He did help me take all the frame stands off the back so they all sat flat, and I hung the pictures in a about 5 minutes. I had to work around the ducted controls but am quite happy how it turned out.

 

It's a little slice of NY, can't wait to take the kids one day and add to the wall.

Main Bathroom - A little dreaming

 

How lovely is the bathroom above?! It's from Home Beautiful (August 2012) and ticks all my boxes. The following picture is the main bathroom as was when Adam bought the house. It is newly painted white and the ivory toilet was replaced with a cheap white Bunnings one when it gave up the ghost. We have no plans of renovating it any time soon - it is quite beautiful and the bath is great and roomy to bath the rug rats. It will get an overhaul come 5 years time I think. Or it may be made redundant and the main bathroom might move downstairs.

 

 

The painful part is the lack of storage and the dodgy mirror. The shelf on the mirror collects all sort of junk and always looks cluttered. We have been looking for something suitable for a while, including the Hemnes range from Ikea. Probably in white. But it would just be a band aid in the interim and I'm not rushing out to buy anything.

 

{Image via Ikea}

 

{Image via Ikea}

 

These are a couple I love on Pinterest. I love the floor tiling on this one:

 

 

{Image via Pinterest}

 

Amazing tiles, wowzers:

 

 

{Image via Pinterest}

Love the drama of the mirror and chandelier. Not sure if it would be unnerving watching myself in the tub!

{Image via Pinterest}

Love the flooring and storage:

{Image via Pinterest}

A little dreaming never hurt anyone... or cost anything!