Our Humble Home

Next month is the start of something new for us - our very own house! We are so excited to own our beautiful new home, which is so much bigger than our little apartment, and it's ours. Buying a house has been a dream of mine since I was about 15 and although we owned our apartment, a house is just so much better! We're so lucky to be able to take this step so early on in our adult lives.
 
We wanted an older house that we could make changes to as we went. We didn't want anything too old, ensuring that it was livable from the get go. We wanted something near parklands and trails (for the future doggie), with a big yard and near transport. The first place that we looked at had it all and so much more. The light and bright layout, high ceilings, ornate cornices, picture rails, separate living and dining and polished timber floors. We came, we saw and we purchased.

 

 

 

 

We're so excited to think about the improvements we can make to our new home!

Makeover: A Little Bit of Bathroom Paint

It's amazing what a little bit of paint can do! My generous brother offered to paint our house for our wedding present, and we were certainly ready for a change.

 

The whole house was painted in a few weeks, and we opted for muted and classy colours that toned down the original yellow/orange/pink undertones without giving up any eye-catchability (great word!).

 

Here's the bathroom makeover, with the other rooms to come.

 

Before:

 

After:

 

And during:

 

Painting the tiles was even easier than the painting cupboards – and well worth the effort (don't you agree that the tiles in this room dictate the colour scheme?). Just make sure that your surfaces are clean and your masking tape is accurately applied so you don't have any wayward paint. To finish off, we used a grout pen which is great for filling in the details after painting.

 

Revitalising our cupboards was another integral part of the makeover. The key here is to remove the doors from the framework before painting (as this will give you better access to all surfaces). You could also install new handles, but we were happy enough with these as is.

Chalkboard Painting

I know that chalkboard is everywhere these days, but I have only just latched on to this gem of an idea. Chalkboard paint is a great way to turn any wall or surface into a usable writing space, whether it’s a storage container or the side of your desk. It's readily available and one of the easiest {and cheapest} ways to transform an item.

Inspired by the interwebs, I decided to buy some chalkboard paint and paint everything in sight, including my wine glasses, a photo frame and a mug!

While you can find this paint easily in the shops, it's also simple to make. All you need is 1/2 cup acrylic paint and 1 tablespoon unsanded grout.

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (own), 7 (own), 8 (own), 9, 10

DIY Project: Art as a Present

In a few weeks time, I'm starting a new job. This was something that I didn't actively seek out, but fell in my lap. I wasn't looking to leave my current team but the opportunity was too good to pass up, so I had to take it.

To thank my current manager for all the time and effort she has put into developing my career, I decided to make her a piece of art to symbolise the caterpillar turning into a butterfly and leaving the cocoon.

This project was super easy and only took about 20 minutes (excluding the time taken to gather supplies). I got my inspiration from Sixty-Fifth Avenue, via Pinterest (of course!)

Supplies:

Christina Re Hand Punch - Butterfly

Target photo frame (make sure you get a shadow box)

Bunnings paint chips

White cardboard

Cheap mounting tape

Very happy with the end result. I just hope the recipient likes it too!

HomeMint: The New Collection by JT

In the last decade, Justin Timberlake has moved seamlessly between movies, music and even fashion, but I never expected him to launch a site dedicated to home decor!

JT has collaborated with stylist and designer Estee Stanley on their new collection, HomeMint. The line is casual, timeless and heavily influenced by the designs in Europe.

As JT says, "HomeMint merges my love for interior design with my passion for innovation to create a personalized home collection -- it's like having your very own interior designer. A home should be inspiring and a reflection of you and HomeMint brings your individual style to your space"

  

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Manhattan Dreaming

When a friend recently eloped in New York (!!) my mind started to race thinking about what I could get her and the new hubs for their wedding present. Something as amazing as getting married in New York deserved an amazing present.

I searched and searched the city for a framed vintage map of New York, but to no avail. I was running out of time!

So, after a little internet work, I found a very cool map of Manhattan that I was easily able to customise.

You'll notice that the heart is over City Hall, where they got married.

All I needed to do was print out the image on heavy paper and add it to a thick black frame. Loved the final product!

All images are personal

Decorating with Books

Books and magazines have always been my vice. I don't buy too many fiction books but I do have quite a collection of decorating books and magazines.  It doesn't matter how many blogs I subscribe to, the idea of curling up with a good mag and cup of tea is bliss.

But where to store all of these fabulous beauties? The best idea I can think of is to use books as a decorating tool! Group like colours together and make sure the heavier books are placed at the bottom of the pile...

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Before and After: Seating

I love the idea of bringing something old back to life. Although I don't spend much time in thrift stores, I know that with a bit of imagination, often-overlooked pieces can turn into something amazing.


Check out these inspirational beauties...

All images from Better After

DIY Project: Art for the bedroom

Have you ever had that moment when you're reading your fave mag, see something ridiculously expensive but so simple and think "I could make that!" ?

This happened to me the other week, where I saw an amazing piece of rustic art:

(source)

I decided to take advantage of a lazy Sunday and get this project started. Off I went to Spotlight for the materials (canvas, paint brush and two paint colours). Total price was around $30.

First, I started with painting the whole canvas a chocolate brown colour. Then I printed and cut out the letters and blue-tacked them to the dried canvas.

The work in progress:

 

The end result: