Master bedroom makeover.

The master bedroom was one room that needed to be fixed up before Henry was born as he sleeps in a cradle in our bedroom and also has a feeding chair in our room.
Our master bedroom is a great size with a connecting walk through wardrobe which leads to a bathroom. For now the walk through wardrobe is staying the same but there's a door to close off and then I wanted to have a tranquil, neat and clean master bedroom. I decided to get a bit more adventurous than my usual love of white walls and below shows the pale green walls were started with.

This before photo is what the room looked like with the old owners furniture. While the room looks in okay condition there were actually cracks everywhere and the curtains were threadbare see through curtains that hadn't even been hemmed and just trapped dust. It did not in anyway feel like a master bedroom although it had a nice sized walk through robe and is actually quite a large room.
Here are some before snaps with our furniture in it which also shows the condition of the bedroom walls.

We decided to work with a few existing items we already had. Husband and I had purchased a four part bedroom suite when we were living in the country that is quite special to us so we wanted to keep our existing bed side tables, tallboy and four poster bed. The bed has a special carving in it that my Grandpa did using an image from our wedding invitations. With these furniture restrictions in place we really wanted to create a calm, peaceful and beautiful bedroom. One dresser wasn't quite enough for my large clothes collection so we also placed my recently upcycled white dresser in the room.

Although the bedroom is still not finished - especially as we are currently sharing it  with the baby, we've made some significant progress.
The first thing we tackled was the long rectangular window on the back wall. When we moved in our old ikea curtains were not a fit and the constant stream of light in our bedroom was not welcome. As the window is an odd shape we ordered a custom blind during a recent blind store sale- 30% off. The blind fills perfectly and really blocks out the light. Because of the length of the window and position of our bed in relation to the window, we are not going to have curtains.There is a second window in our bedroom which still has the old original wooden blind (pictured in the before photo) but we don't quite have the funds to replace it. The reason the bed is not centered in the window is because we needed room for Henry's cradle and also due to the placement of our walk in wardrobe and fact we have a 4 poster bed, it was the necessary position to allow us to watch our television in bed.

Then it was time to paint and this time 'antique white' (my usual choice) was just a little too safe. After buying several test posts, we settled for 'hydro' by taubmans.  It's a turquoise, grey colour. That's right, we went colourful! I think most of my previous paint choices have been fairly safe, thinking about future resale and timeless colours but since this a house we really want to make our own, it was time to get adventurous. The walls needed a fair bit of patching but thankful my dad is a patching machine. We removed all existing hooks to get a clean, fresh space but the best change was going from green crown molding and a creamy ceiling to a fresh dulux 'lime white' ceiling. It's amazing how much a white ceiling cleans up a room.

Our old furniture was then put back in place along with items we use often (like my jewellery collection). We also put up the mini hot air balloon and moved in the bassinet we got from my sister in law as well as the rocking chair that orginally was going to be in the nursery.
I also splurged and purchased some new lamps for the room. They suit the room well and I'm loving their pattern. The bases are white and simple so if we ever want to change it up again, we can simply replace the shades. The pattern also ties in with the bedcover that goes on top of my rocking chair (wooden rocking chairs are far too uncomfortable to sit in for hours of nursing and my newborn liked to feed for hours on end).

Henry has a distinctive area in the room and once he moves into his nursery, we'll work out a new use of the space. For now the room is very practical and peaceful to be in.
The lamps and rocking chair were purchased from gumtree, the pillow is from bed,bath and beyond and the bedcover on the rocking chair is from kmart. The canvas prints of Henry were made via canvas factory and the bunting was homemade.

I do have a few future ideas, the main one being to either DIY the fan or replace with something a little more interesting and modern- although it will still need to be a fan as the Australian climate begs in fans in bedrooms. For now it is a big improvement and once the baby starts sleeping through the night (please, please be soon), I'll be on my way to getting a great nights sleep.

Lisa x

And onto the guest room for a new paint job.

Once you start painting, it's hard to stop as new paint just makes everything look so much better. We've only got a few spaces in our home now that are still wearing their old crusty paint job, the rest of the house is fresh and ready to have personality added to it. With paint cans filling the hallway and rollers everywhere, we proceeded to tackle the guest room . This room is in the front of the house and was originally a second dining room but my clever Dad enclosed it with some old blackwood doors he owned. Living back in the city I am unsure how much use the guest room will get (it's only had four sets of visitors through in the last 6 months) but since we've got the space and already owned a spare bed, it seems like just as good a use for the room. In fact husband and I spent 2 weeks in the guest room bed while we were painting our main bedroom. We ended up finishing painting the guest room about a week before Henry came along.

Recently I found out my sister in law and niece are coming to visit from overseas for 10 days so it seemed like the time to get the guest room together before they arrive. It's exciting to add special touches to a room and make it feel that little bit more homely and welcomming.

A before shot: The room was the same dark pink as the rest of the front of the house but with some cracking and necessary filling needed. The before shot was taken with the old owners belongings before we added the blackwood doors.

Even with the doors the room still fells large enough to be another bedroom and the house doesn't feel any smaller than it did previously. We removed the curtains quickly as they really weren't our taste and then had a blank (albeit pink) canvas to plan a guest room in.

If you look closely in the right corner of the picture you can see how the crown molding has fallen down a little. This meant that we needed to remove the crown molding and put it back nice and straight.

The process of replacing it involved using the original pieces and simply reattaching them in a straight line, using screws and nails to hold them in place until the gyprock had dried. Once it was dry the screws and nails could then be removed. Hopefully  in the future we can use some watercolour paints in the future to fix up the marbling and get rid of the white lines left. For now though it is much better that the crown molding is straight and neat.

After this work the room received a few coats of antique white (following the usual painting process) before furniture was moved back in and a few pictures and items we had around the house were given a new home. When decorating the guest room, I used items that needed a home (and I didn't want to part with) and placed them in the room. It is really nice to have a nice, neat, clean room, always ready for use when someone pops round.

The dolls house was built by my grandfather when I was a child, the chest of drawers used to be my nannas when she was a little girl, the bed was secondhand and my Dad built the bedside cabinets (he's so clever). The blanket holder was an upcycled freebie, the Marilyn Manroe picture was purchased in on a holiday in Vietnam and the rest of the items in the room have been thrifted. As my niece is also coming to stay there is a temporary portacot and a few items for her around the room.

I plan to do a feature wall in the room as I loved having the chevron wall in our previous house and would really like to have a special interesting wall in this home. I won't be doing a chevron wall but it will be much more interesting than a plain white wall :)  I also want to keep adding to this room, maybe even some more bunting, to make it more cute and special but it is a far cry from what we started out with.

With a needy newborn I just need to rest for a little before this project will happen but it's always nice to dream of future ideas.

Lisa x

Setting up a little 'blogging' area.

I have spent far too much time on my laptop sitting on the couch and it just isn't great for your posture and causes back pain after a while. I have been fortunate to not get too much back pain during my pregnancy but it was time to make sure I had a set work area.

My parents had a small desk in their shed so I snapped it up and used some estapol to freshen it up a bit. To make the space feel more like a set area, I mounted my fixed up display cabinet. It's now filled with a few precious thrifted items and just has so much character- I just love the turquoise, wall paper combination.

It was a bit tricky to photograph the cabinet as the light in our main room is so bright (and lovely) during the day and the grass reflected it.
Mounting the display cabinet was involved screwing it into the wall and it was definitely a two person job. I thought I'd share a technique we use to avoid excess dust going everywhere.  Simply use masking tape to attach an envelope underneath the drill hole and this will catch all the dust.

I  found a lovely little letters, bill, misc holder at the local op shop and also hung up a diy corkboard that I made in 2012 using a thrifted frame. This means the area feels a little bit organised and like its a purposeful organisation station :)- see top picture. For now the corkboard holds some bunting I made a while ago from thrifted supplies. I used some homemade scrabble pins to hold it up. It's nice to be able to find new spots for old crafts.

It is great to find a use for the my chair which I found on hard rubbish, put on new rattan and gave a fresh coat of white paint. The chair adds an extra burst of white and is comfortable to sit on for a long time.
Let's hope this keeps the back aches away!

Lisa x

Library bookcase.

It's painting time again! I think I'm getting obsessed with easy transformations involving paint. In our 'library' there are really no decent bookshelves and books were stored in rickety pieces of wood and crates. When my parents showed me a bookshelf they had in their garage that they weren't using, I just knew I needed to fix it up and create some space for books so they don't just line the floor in crates.

Before:

Pine is just not my thing. I like being adventurous with paint but as this bookshelf is kind of meant to blend into the room and just showcase pretty books I opted for sanding, a coat of primer and then two coats of a china white paint (my go to paint for  the crates, the rattan chairs and the nursery built ins. It just makes me smile so much to have fresher brighter furniture with the house. 

While the white bookshelf is just a small change to the room, I had a great time filling it up with so many pretty books. I'm no expert at book styling but I decided to go a little different and sort the books by colours. I also used some thrifted bookends for an extra touch.

When cleaning up the yard I found some beautiful green pots and while they've just been cleaned up for now, I'm planning on having a go at some indoor plants and greening up the room a little.

I still have many ideas for the space, including getting another similar bookcase in the room and ending up with a space that draws on beautiful antique items, like the old fireplace and marbled ceiling trim but also combines then with modern items collected from travels. I also look forward to the day when the pink walls are gone for good.

If you haven't tried arranging books by colours, give it a go, it's very relaxing and the end result is just so pretty. Rainbows always make me smile :)

Lisa x

Door ray me far sew la tea do.

We have some new doors and they make me want to sing! Dad had some old blackwood doors out in the shed and they were just the perfect size (with a few adjustments) for a wall in our new house. The whole house is pretty open which we're loving but adding a door means that we now have an extra room that we can use as a guest room.

 Before (and doors below)

It is so good to have such an open house so we thought doors was the perfect solution since you can open them up when you want to and if we change our mind in the future, then we can just take the doors down.

After

We have a whole checklist of ideas for the space, The room that we now have will be the guest room and we have some big plans, including...

-pull up the carpet and replace with wooden floorboards

-paint over all that peachy paint

-add an interesting light fixture

-work out some way to give guests privacy as the tops of the doors are glass- thinking some little curtains...
- get some nice artwork for the hall, a colourful runner and some hooks and shoe holders for the entrance.

Really it's just exciting to have started making a few more changes. I cannot wait to see how different it looks with fresh paint and a bit of colour... and of course it will included plenty of DIY projects and thrifted treasures.

Lisa x

The evolution process: laundry.

Only recently have I decided to spruce up the laundry a bit. For a while it was just a space to store bits and pieces and was not a space worth photographing.

I've shared how I built this shelf, then made this bench, created this new little area and then a new ironing board cover.

2010: This isn't the best before photo but basically it just empty and lifeless. There was nothing at all in the laundry except our machine, the wash basin and some plain white cupboards. Simple, but not my style.

Now:

 My drying rack and new ironing board cover.

 

 The white shelves with wire storage on top and a thrifted hook added to the side to hold bags and maisy's leads. You might also notice the peg bag I made from a teatowel.

For a splash of colour I put up a pop art oil painting copy that I bought during a holiday in vietnam. I also finally found a good spot for the lamp shade I thrifted. There is also our hand made doggy door as we had to work out how to make a doggy door that went through the regular door and also the fly screen.

My laundry is now feeling a lot more homely and full of life. I am really enjoying the changes. While the small brown tiles aren't that great, it's a huge job (and very costly) to retile the bathroom, toilet, laundry area and for now I'm just going to embrace them and enjoy the laundry as it is.

Lisa x

I've got a bit of a crate love.

The sight of an old wooden crate at a garage sale just makes me swoon a little bit. I love the rustic appeal and $1-$2 price tag attached. Every time I see a nice little wooden crate I can't help but take it home and turn into into something. 

You've seen my crate turned strawberry pot so today I thought I'd share two other ways I have used crates. 

Crates make the best storage. I have one outside for recycling cans and bottles, one in the shed for holding all our sports equipment and the above in the house for holding all the kiddie toys we own -for when little visitors come and we need to find something to entertain them with. And doesn't everything just sound so much sweeter in French? I thought I'd paint a little 'the kids' label but 'les enfants' just sounds so much better to me.

crate bookshelf

I found three crates. Two were roughly the same size and one was slightly bigger. I attached them using screws and voila, my own rustic looking bookshelf. It's the perfect mini bookshelf and adds a bit of interest to a small corner spot. It's reasonably sturdy and was such a quick project but I love the end result.

I' ve still got a few more crates in the shed so I'm dreaming up more ideas. It's the start of school holidays today which is an awesome time for every teacher out there. I can't wait to share the huge number of projects I've got going in my shed (now I have some time to finish them)!

But for now I'm going to sit back drink chai and enjoy this beautiful spring day.

Do you have any great ideas for using old crates?

Lisa x
 P.S I'm linking up with  Too Much Time On My Hands
Tutus and Tea Parties
Classy Clutter
Its Overflowing

The evolution process: guest room.

I am starting a regular feature on this blog called 'The evolution process' and I will be sharing how I have changed rooms in our house using items found thrifting. 

Let's start in the beginning. We have an old house with 4 large rooms and a hallway running down the centre (then kitchen etc off to the back of the house). Each room is the same size and has a large window. The guest room was chosen to be the guest room because it already had some built ins which could be used to store excess things.

Everything in the room has been thrifted or received as a gift and while it is still not exactly how I want it, I am loving how it has evolved.

2010

This is the beginnings of our guest room. An old bed we were given by friends, the bedding set I had at home as a teenager, a storage box as a bed side table and a lamp we were given as a wedding present.

2011

Our room continued to evolve.We were gifted with bedside tables that Dad made from pieces of wood he had lying round. I moved in Great Grandma's old chest and Mum gave us a mirror for christmas. I started to develop my own personal style and used hotel samples we had to give the room a more homely feel. I thrifted the old suitcase and a wicker basket.

2012

 Now (2012): Present day guest room.  While our old guest room was peaceful and calm, it felt time to spruce it up a bit and make it even more my style. It is still not finished, in fact I have many plans for artwork to cover the walls but here is how it has evolved. The bedspread cover, crocheted cushion cover and lamp were all thrifted.

 The wire basket, scarf and blanket were thrifted and the lantern was a gift from my mother in law.

 The chair is one I bought when I was in year 10 and finally found a place for and the blanket was handmade by my Great grandma.

The vase was an anniversary present from husband and the scrabble letters were thrifted.

 This tall boy was my Nanna's when she was younger.

I love that this room reflects my love of colour but also incorporates lots of special family items. Things are so much more special to me when I know they were my Nanna's and Great grandma's. I love having these little pieces of family history around!
I'm linking up with  Nifty Thrifty Sunday  , Our Delightful Home,  Overflowing with Creativity and Make it pretty Monday.

Lisa x

P.S Do you like my new header? It's thanks to my amazing from Alex Gatley.

home peek.

I thought it was time to get a little more personal on this blog. This is a photo of our little home in the country. It's old and beautiful and the perfect space to mold into our own- for as long as we decided to stay and be 'country folk'. Our home is very much our space and constantly evolving as I find more garage sale goodies and get more creative and confident at showing my own personal style- thankfully I have a husband who let's me do what I like with our place and only demand is a good tv.

When husband and I first got married we lived in a tiny two bedroom unit. It had a long stairway going down the middle which lead directly to the footpath. On a few occasions I'd walk out my front door and literally crash into people. We were content in our little space; the location was excellent and I was still riding on the euphoria of going from my tiny bedroom in my parent's home to a whole tiny unit. Then husband took a job in the country and we decided to commit to our move for at least three years and buy a house. It was so exciting to have our own completely blank canvas to work with.  The house is white and has many beautiful details, like pressed tin ceilings and wood paneling. It has been so much fun developing my own personal style in the last few years. I've tried to follow the quote "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."William Morris and keep my home as decluttered as possible.

Our home is constantly evolving. I am still learning how to style spaces and am currently working on the strategy of finding things I love and working out how they can fit together. Every new garage sale and craft project sees our space change and I am delighted to discover that I can have a home I truly love, without spending a fortune on furniture and decorating. In fact to date we have only bought a coffee table, couch and bed set from stores. Ever other piece of furniture in our home has been thrifted. And that makes it even more special too. It also makes me appreciate the great provision in my life and be thankful that I am always provided with what I need and more. Before we got married and left our family homes, the only household items we owned were 1 bed + linen, 1 cane chair, 1 chest of drawers, 1 filling cabinets and 2 mugs yet all our needs were provided for and I continue to be amazed by how blessed I am, here in my small country town, to find so many amazing second hand things and have such a lot of space to work with!

So here's some pictures- just a small glimpse at inside our home. I will share more about different rooms and how they evolving, solely with things found at thrift shops/garage sales, at a later date.

Details: kitchen mantel, dining room, floor rug, bedroom.

Lisa x