Weekend Warriors

The past week, we have had the most glorious winter weather, so we've been trying to get as many jobs around the house done as possible!

Last week Ben and his dad, Doug, spent the weekend in our front garden completing our landscaping. We wanted steps leading up to our front letterbox (which hasn't been built yet - this will be another weekend project) and we were originally thinking the steps would be constructed of treated timber and then stained.

However, we went for something different and decided on a timber sleeper/river rock combo and I think the results are fantastic. We used the leftover river rocks from the stairs around the edge of the garden bed, giving it a more natural feel than typical concrete edging that you usually see.


Timber sleeper/river rock stairs. Pack of four solar lights were picked up from Bunnings for $25 (we only used 3 here).

Leftover river rocks were used to line the garden bed at the front of the house.

The plants that we put in about six months ago are coming along.

It feels good to get jobs done. I don't know about you, but I love ticking things off a 'to do' list and this has been something we've been wanting to complete for a little while now, so it's fantastic that it is now done.

Next step, as mentioned, is to build and render a brick letterbox. We'll probably start sourcing materials for it this weekend and then lay the slab for it. After the yard is done, next step is the baby's nursery and I already have several projects (art and furniture) planned for this. Excitement!

Yard update: Easter makeover

So over the Easter break, we spent a lot of time in the yard. Last week we completed the landscaping of the Western side of our house, complete with stepper stones and pebbles in the same vein that we did the other side (so it's matchy-matchy). This means much less maintenence and a better looking side yard.

Before shot: mud and grass  

After shot: We used charcoal stepper stones and a pebble mix called 'Fruit Salad'

Very happy with the finished result

So at Easter, it was time to tackle the front yard. We decided that we would fill the front trough with larger pebbles so that it would eliminate weeds or any growth around the front of the house, keeping it much neater (and much less hassle work-wise to look after).

We used a medium river rock called Autumn Gold, which has golds, cream, charcoal and brown shades. These pics were taken just after the rocks were hosed down, so they look a bit darker than they really are.

After that job was complete, we set to work designing our front garden. We started by cutting out the existing turf and making a shape for the garden bed. Then after much shovelling and lifting we dumped (a lot) of soil into the bed and planted our beautiful Little Gem Magnolia which sits in front of our master bedroom window.

Next weekend we will get another delivery of soil so we can put more plants and grasses in. We'll be using stones and larger rocks in this front garden as features as well... next time I think I'll employ the use of gardening gloves, as I still have quite a lot of dirt under my fingernails - not pretty.

Industry chic

With Easter days away, I've been thinking about plans and what we're going to do with our bit of extra time off work. I've come to the conclusion that I am going to spend the whole four days dedicated to our home and garden.

Now that we've pretty much nutted out a scheme for the house (industrial with hints of natural material) I have been googling colour schemes for feature walls, as well as decorator accents, lighting and furniture.

There will be a few trips to Bunnings, I dare say, but I am looking forward to devoting my Easter break to beautifying our abode.

Below is some inspiration I've taken from my online searches. Let's hope 'industry-chic' can be pulled off!  



Dulux's Re-Set colour template

At home - yard

So last weekend we finally got around to starting our landscaping. We ended up getting a whole side done, which is more than what I thought we would achieve!

For both sides of the house, we've decided to put down stepping stones and pebbles to cut back on the amount of mowing etc we have to do. Also I just think it looks prettier!

We've gone with a mixed pebble called "Fruit Salad" which has white, charcoal, beige and brown tones. The stepping stones are a charcoal colour with a matte finish (see below). They are 40cm x 40cm.

 

Once these were laid, the pebbles went down over the top. The pics of these show very dirty pebbles (they look more like a rusty brown colour) and don't show the true tones yet (I think we need a downpour of rain to give them a good clean).

The pebbles were put down in and around the stepping stones

Our neighbour's pool is on the other side of that fence, so to avoid sloshy muddy grass down the side, I think using stone down this side especially, is a much better option and it gives it a clean finish.

We really only go down this side to access the bins (they are sitting on a slab of 3 x 3 stepping stones) but we might get some potten plants to sit between the fence posts down the track to liven it up a bit.

 

The finished product!

I am excited to start the other side (clothesline side) next weekend where we will be featuring the same pebbles/pavers but in a different juxtapositon.

Decorating for Christmas

I am so freaking excited about Christmas.

Reasons why:

1.                  I just love Christmas in general – it’s my favourite time of year.

2.                  We get to celebrate in our new home this year (YAY!)

3.                  It’s summer, which is my favourite season, and I love nothing better than entertaining and being with my best friends and family relaxing and celebrating the year that was.

4.                  Christmas means that New Years is just around the corner, which means even more celebrating!

Although, I must say I am starting to get a tad stressed out about shopping for gifts. I really don’t like the Christmas rush and the bedlam that is every single shopping centre from about now until the end of the Christmas sales in January…

I like the idea of Secret Santa – you only have to buy one gift if you do it with your family, and you can do it with your friends too. It takes the stress off having to buy dozens of pressies for people and breaking the bank so to speak.

One thing I will be hitting the shops for however, is Christmas decorations for the new abode. I love decking out the house in festive ornaments and will dedicate this post to yuletide inspiration for the home.  

Love the pink and green - cute!

We have always had stockings hung over my parent's fireplace - doesn't feel like Christmas without them!

Turquoise and greys are a surprisingly good Christmas colour theme

I can't wait to start decorating - I am not sure what colours we are going to go with yet, but I am excited to start making our home feel Christmasy!

Moving sucks

Maybe it’s because I’ve got paint under my fingernails, gyprock dust in my hair and have been cleaning and unpacking constantly for the past two weeks that I feel like an emotional wreck.

Moving house should be illegal. I know there are some people who really don’t mind doing it, but I am certainly not one of them.

Flat-pack furniture is another thing that should be prohibited. Things come cracked and with much less gleam than what they looked like on the shop floor… and it is just a pain in the arse to make! Bits don’t fit and parts that should slide in with ease don’t want to budge…

To give you an idea of my emotional state, as I was unpacking some kitchen ware the other day I stumbled upon some old-school bake ware that was given to us by Ben’s grandmother. I burst into tears upon seeing it. As most of you know I love cooking, and I like to think that I’ll make meals for people I care about using these items – just as they were used by Ben’s grandparents in the same way.

I don’t think that it really called for uncontrollable sobbing though? Usually I am not that bad…

Another thing – my neat freak persona hates the fact that one minute I’ll have a spotless house after three hours of scrubbing, vacuuming, dusting and mopping and the next I’ll turn around and it’s a filthy mess! They say that even after six months you’ll still be sucking up construction dust in a newly built home.

Great! I have another six months of this to look forward too…

And the dog. Oh, the dog.

I get that it’s a new yard Charlie, but seriously, do you want the neighbours to hate us before they’ve even gotten to know us? If I was a dog I would probably be excited about getting a new yard too, but please try and tone it down a notch!

The howling, chasing birds and barking at neighbours when they walk by with their baby in a stroller isn’t going to make us popular in the new street.

Honestly, I am glad my partner in crime feels the same way – with an aching back, sunburned skin and irritated eyes from sawdust, I am somewhat glad that Ben feels as shit as I do right now. He has transformed a mud pit into a stunning and perfectly preened yard.

At least we can see the prize at the finishing line and I am sure one day, we will sit back after all the cleaning, unpacking and hard labour and say yep, we did this and it’s all ours.

Cash or the couch? That is the question.



King Furniture's Jasper Couch... le sigh

So as our house is rapidly (seriously, it’s going up so fast) being built my husband and I have been knuckling down and thinking hard about furnishings, appliances and pretty aesthetic things that will make our new home look faboosh!

It’s so easy for me to get carried away with the possibilities of furniture – I mean who wouldn’t be excited at the prospect of filling a brand new house with nice, shiny, plush furniture?

However, husband man has had to pull my head out of the clouds a few times now and has slapped me with the harshest word in a shopping-lover’s repertoire - “budget”.  I know we have to budget – we’re building a house for goodness’ sake, but I thought maybe we could splurge a tiny bit on the furnishing part…

The thing is, I know you can do things on the cheap, but my issue is that even though you might be able to buy a 32-piece furniture set for $3000 from Fantastic Furniture, doesn’t mean it’s going to last. 

It’s like buying a pair of crappy Supre jeans for $30 and expecting them to last as long as a pair of Levis…. Not going to happen!

So now our dilemma is this – how to keep a reasonably sound budget while still furnishing our home in stylish, modern and pretty things? Well I have found inspiration in a very good friend.

My friend Graham is amazing at doing things up – especially furniture. He can buy a $15 coffee table off eBay and strip it back, add some texture, paint and accessories and voila – you have something that looks like it came out of a Domayne catalogue. 

Oh, did I tell you that he also produces artwork? During my last visit to his house, I enquired as to where he purchased a gorgeous metallic three-piece canvas hanging on the wall of his sitting room. He nonchalantly said he made it – I was floored!

So I am taking a leaf out of Gray’s book because I think it will serve my purpose well – a mixture of quality store-bought furniture and appliances mixed with items that we have lovingly restored.

I mean we’re going to have a veggie garden as well, so if we’re growing our own food, we may as well refurbish our own furniture and make our own art?!

At least I still get to go shopping at some of my favourite furniture shops, but I think I can cut corners and make some savings too. Gotta love a win-win situation!

Hmm but I still think I'm going to pop into King Furniture and have a gander at the Jasper Couch...

DIY disasters makes for good TV

Would you pay $250 each for a few pillows?

Maybe it’s more apparent to me because we are building a house at the moment, but everywhere I turn, there seems to be a new renovating or building show popping up on TV.

At the moment there is The Block, The Renovators and Top Design all featuring on free-to-air channels (not including all the home and design-based shows on Foxtel) which is more than enough to choose from to get your renovating fix if you so desire.

It is also apparent to me that these shows are about 50/50 when it comes to the balance between actual building and renovating and drama and contestant diatribe. I must say I am sick to death of hearing Jenna and Josh from The Block b*tch, moan and scream at each other and, frustratingly, see them do so well with their rooms each week (I’d much rather Polly and Waz do better because they are the cutesy/fun couple that even though produce rooms that are lack lustre, you still want them to win).

Josh and Jenna from The Block - constantly bickering and questioning each other, despite winning the most amount of room reveals.

I’d rather watch a show that is just about the renovating – I’m more interesting in seeing designs, hear them talking about the latest trends in furnishings and learn more about tiling techniques.

Instead it seems that these shows are all about the personal perils of each couple or group that are competing and how they can’t figure out how to cut plaster board, they are whinging because they haven’t had their hair or nails done in a month and they are upset because they don’t have enough money to pay their chippy this week because they blew their budget buying two pillows woth $500 that would be the ‘hero’ of the room…

I get that this is why people want to tune in but for me it’s about the end result – I just want to see the room and hear the professional judges’ opinions.

And that's another thing - these contestants who have very little experience compared to the professional building teams they are working with, think they know everything!

I have had feedback from people saying that they can’t stand many of the contestants on these shows, so I say this – let’s bring back Blitz (another Scott Cam-hosted series) where it’s purely about helping a struggling family or couple get the garden and house of their dreams. People just get in and do the work, it’s all about the end result and they are actually giving something to people that deserve it.

It seems like this TV fad is here to stay (thanks to soaring ratings) but next time around, I’d love it if the producers could make it less about the rubbish going on between the personal relationships and more about what they promise viewers – renovating and building.

It's all about... Glasshouse

I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful birthday gift from a very good friend of mine that was simply a candle and a bar of soap.

But it wasn't just any candle or soap bar...

May I introduce my latest obsession - the Glasshouse range of candles, soaps, diffusers and body products, which simply put, smell divine. Once my house is built, it is going to be a haven of beautiful fragrances thanks to Glasshouse's fabulous range of scents for the home.

You can browse products by fragrance or by destination. Visit Amalfi, Bora Bora, Manhattan or Marseille - there are fragrances for every personal taste.

Glasshouse products are Australian made.

For local stockists, or more information go to: http://www.glasshousefragrances.com/

My girlfriend gave me the body bar and candle from the Manhattan Glasshouse range for my birthday recently

The body bars come enriched with almond oil and Vitamin E to keep your skin soft and supple

Home inspiration

So as we get closer and closer to our house being built, I am starting to look at certain colour schemes and furnishings that might look good in our new home.

As we are doing a grey/charcoal and white colour scheme (on the interior and exterior) I need to ensure any colours that we are adding to our predominantly cool base are a perfect match and complement our scheme perfectly.

I want to utilise feature walls where possible and include statement lighting to really give the main living areas a real wow factor.

Adding splashes of colour like mustard yellow and aquamarine with blacks and greys really add something different from the norm - I love the below looks. 

We have chosen a dark charcoal tile that will run throughout the entire house, bathrooms/ensuite and alfresco areas, however wall tiles in the wet areas will be white. We have decided against using a feature tile because we think they may date and are trying to keep our 'shell' as neutral as possible. 

I think the use of feature wall paper makes a fabulous statement, especially in an entrance or wall in a master bedroom. I love the patterns, especially stripes, but I think that adhesive wall art also looks really effective.

For little touches, I want to incorporate candles, fresh flowers, rugs, throws, cushions and mirrors where possible to make our new house feel like a home and add atmosphere.

For now it's all ideas... until we can move in around September!