Building a table... Part one of many!

Today Adam's Dad came to help him make a start on the dining table (while I kid wrangled). Adam has been talking about building one for a very long time so it's nice to make a start finally!

The pictures are a little out of sequence but here they are using the jointer to make the timber flat or to square it. And it's purely a man cave, there is so much junk it terrifies me to think of moving so here we stay!

Here is the timber stacked under our back stairs. Adam has collected it over time from wood shows etc.

Selecting the good bits. (They are using silky oak).

It is also processed through a 'thicknesser' which true to its name, ensure the thickness of the wood is straight/parallel. And here is a processed piece of silky oak ready for building. It's a very pretty wood!

It took them longer than they thought today so it will take a while to complete!

Christmas 2013!

I hope this posts finds you all well and hope you had a very Merry Christmas. We had a really wonderful day and we all were spoilt rotten. Especially the kids - but that's what it's all about isn't it?!  Maddy got so many dress ups from Mum I enlisted Adam to hang some a board of hooks to keep them on (idea from Pinterest of course).

Among many other things we got this Wedgwood plate, probably something I wouldn't have bought instinctively but really glad we got it because I love it!

We did get the chandelier which is so generous and exciting - just a few more lights and power switches to buy and then we can get them installed! Yay!

Christmas in a bag ready for next year! 

I need to get my laptop fixed to get some photos off my DSLR to share! 

Pondering decorating...

{All images via Pinterest}

I have been thinking a lot about 'a room should look collected not decorated' and it's really difficult to get the right mix of eclectic and interesting without making it look too forced. I adore images and homes full of unique features, it's a feast for the eyes and is probably why Anna Spiro is one of my favourite designers. I truly admire her bold and extravagant uses of colour with classic and interesting pieces. 

Being a perfectionist is also juxtaposing because there truly is no perfect way to make a home your own. And sometimes, 'collect the things you love' can be such a wide range and variation of tastes - it pays to think about whether you want your decor to stay or ebb and flow with the latest trends.

I guess I'll just try my best and hope for the best too! :) It's quite fun really and I shouldn't get caught up in the technicalities! Haha!

Living Areas - Building a dining table!

Adam is finally on Christmas holidays and has a long list of projects. The problem being, Madeline is his shadow and he simply can't get the space or time to tackle anything big! We need to pretend he's gone to work! We are hoping this week, once Christmas is done and dusted Madeline will be cared for for a day and Adam can tackle our dining table.

If you remember from this post what the dining room looked like when Adam bought the house and the old dining suite and then what I had envisioned for the space here. I sold the old dining suite on Gumtree a little while ago so the dining room is currently a dumping ground for said long list of projects. And kids crap. That stuff breeds! Haha!

We have kept the music box, I think it was a family heirloom of sorts. It's quite pretty really and it does work. The room leads to the kitchen which is gated to keep Ollie out.

I also found this photo on my iPhone from a magazine, I also love the sisal rug beneath it. I would love to get natural fibre rugs for our home, eventually.

So he has enough silky oak timber to make the table, so we will see how it progresses. Plenty of photos to come.

I love the idea that it could be kept forever. No pressure on making it perfect Adam! ;)

Magnificent white!

This is a warts and all post!

I had always wanted a white couch (well, white everything) so we bought one last year. It came with a cleaning and conditioning kit that did a reasonable job. It required a fair bit of time and lots of elbow grease and it still wasn't perfect.

Adam's parents used to own a carpet cleaning business and his Dad did some training in leather cleaning. The secret being that they use a form of paint cleaner because the leather is painted white (I've never seen a cow the colour of my lounge before!)

So his Dad gave us some of the cleaner and we used a $2 shoe polishing brush from Coles. The results are pretty darn amazing - like brand new and you can do the whole lounge in half an hour. (Even I have done it). Look at the difference! I personally wouldn't like anything other than leather with the kids, it really gets filthy. We live on our lounge - feet up, toddler climbing and breakfast and lunch. I'm glad I went against all reasonable advice to avoid white and get the couch I loved!

Magnolia Interiors

The above picture is a screenshot of Magnolia Interiors, a display you can see at the moment. The cushions are to die for, the price, also to die for! Haha! It's situated in Fortitude Valley and it's a real treasure to visit. I could quite simply have one of everything.

There was a gorgeous blue duck egg cabinet that I adore and their natural fibre rugs are amazing.

For now I'll just window shop.

External - Front and back decks

I thought I would just quickly drop by and post the deck pictures as they were when Adam bought the house. They both remain as they were, although with our furniture of course. The front deck has spectacular views with a western aspect, so we see spectacular sunsets. The deck was lacquered and is now peeling from sun damage - we just need to sand it back and re-stain.

We have big plans of extending the back deck one day.