New chevron doona cover

I've been on the lookout for a new doona cover for my sons room for some time and I just couldn't go past this chevron quilt cover from Target . I bought the double for my teenagers bed and I'm so impressed with the quality, the underside is gorgeous too with a lovely pale grey chevron .I love it .And at $30 for the double with $9 postage it was a great price too .Its called the Ryder and it did sell out quickly although I have noticed some of the other quilts that sold out are back in stock so keep your eyes peeled.
Michelle x
image from target teenagers room was far too messy for a photo today

A corner of my home

Hello there ..

Here is a spot in my living room that I don't think I have shown previously , the TV is pretty huge I know and some people don't like them much , and thats ok. Living here with three males in the house there is normally someone wanting to watch something in the evening, actually lately it seems to be me taking over the box in this house with" the block" on every night and" offspring "aswell once a week.So anyway this is where ours is and I'm really happy with how this corner is looking , what do you think?

For a closer look at the lamp its the cockatoo lamp from have you met miss jones .

Its actually quite hard to get a decent shot of this area , what with the reflection of the TV and please excuse all the cords and the Wii ....just keeping it real.

Sideboard from Matt Blatt

Lamp from have you met miss jones

Pouffe from table tonic

Michelle x

Thinking about cushions

Lately I've been thinking a lot about new cushions. Is it winter that does this ...the need to cosy up and add some colour to our dreary days.

I'm loving this one

Its from my favourite local shop Nest Emporium, seriously this shop is so good if you are ever down this way (Thirroul) you need to check it out, and of course they have an online shop too. So anyway I'm thinking a couple of these babies on the bed.

Also I just bought this one last night on made it to go in the 10 year olds room and it was only $15 ...I know so cheap! And that was with the insert too. His room is having a massive clean out! Out with the toy box and about 10 tonnes of plastic/battery less toys and in with some cool things like the cushion.

 

And I'm thinking maybe one of these also from nest emporium

Except his will be a N (Noah)

Also have painted a wall with chalkboard paint too so its all coming together .You might remember this blanket that I made it is his too so that will be in there.Do you get the need to change things around in winter too, spring clean /chuck out?

 

Michelle x

 

 

Love poster

I finally got around to framing my LOVE poster by Jen Ramos of MadeByGirl. I know you have probably seen these everywhere but you have to admit they are pretty fantastic and don't you just love the red. I am really trying to be adventurous with colour. I would never have chosen red in the past so this is big for me .The fabric panel behind the bed is Marimekko and I've had it for a few years and it was the first bit of colour I actually let come into my house, took me about a year to stop looking at it and couldn't decide if I loved it or hated it.Now I love it. And the gorgeous home sweet home cushion is from Aunty cookie

And just before I go look what I found at a garage sale on the weekend , isn't she lovely . I couldn't leave it there when someone had obviously put so much work into painting it , and it was only $15 ..I know bargain.

 Here is a close up ...I wonder who she is?

Sorry the last shot was a bit blurry and I couldn't be bothered getting another.
Michelle x

Check out my awesome golf ball lamp.

So the other day I was out shopping and saw this cute little lamp for the bargain price of $20 and I thought it would look sweet in the bedroom , so took it home and quite pleased with my little bargain lamp I had it sitting in the lounge room when teenage son came in and commented on my 'golfball lamp'!!! What! What golf ball ? It doesn't look anything like a golfball ! And then I took my rose coloured bargain shopping glasses off and well....it does kinda look a bit like a golfball. But I seriously had not seen a golf ball before he mentioned it .And like father like son , hubby came home and he liked the 'golfball lamp' too. Oh Bugger.

Anyway just thought I'd show you a few other awesome and rather stylish golfball lamps too.

Wow real golf balls..cool

Golfballs and fake grassy stuff in a jar lamp, awesome

 Giant realistic looking golfball lamp , a personal fave.

 Funky green and white chandelier , I am so getting one of these babies.

Simple and stylish with an actual golf green and golf stick, makes me want to take up golf.

And a matching pair of ginormous golf ball lights...umm...bedside tables??

So well yeah ....things could be worse.

Michelle x
PS If you do own a lamp like these please don't take offense ...each to their own I guess.

BBQ decorating

We recently had a little bbq for my mums birthday , it turned out to be such a hot day so the tropical theme I went with looked so pretty.

Here are a few pics

On the table I just filled jars with bougainvillea from the garden and also tossed around some little cocktail umbrella's, the lanterns are from freedom

The Martha Stewart pompoms are so very easy and were a first attempt so I was really happy with how they turned out and they hung quite well from the bananas in the yard ( except fourteen year old nephew asked why I had put bath sponges in the trees....sigh)

No I hadn't forgotten the laundry tub...that was used for the cold drinks. Don't they come in handy for a million uses I really must get some more .
 The bbq turned out a great day if a little hot at around 40 degrees ...but as far as decorating goes the whole thing probably cost about $10 which I was pretty happy with .

Do you like it ?

Michelle x

Day bed makeover

Our daybed on the front deck was really starting to look a bit tired , we had already chucked the mattress off it because it was starting to fall apart and I really felt it needed a freshen up, it was annoying me everytime I entered the front door.So after a few coats of white gloss this is how she's looking.

much better ...I was over the balinesiness( ok so I know thats not a word) of it anyway.

Sorry about the ordinary photos I realised I hadn't blogged for ages and hastily took these shots just a few moments ago and would you look at that pillow on the left !I'll blame the kids for that one ...they must have touched it . Anyway just thought I'd share.Hope you like.

 Michelle x



Butterfly art

 Look what I found in the op shop when I went To Bright just before Christmas . I know scored big time!! I was so excited and its vintage and homemade too which makes it even more special don't you think.

And your not going to believe this when I came home I went into another op shop after my new found enthusiasm of finding the green butterfly and look what I found!! I know freaky ! A yellow framed butterfly.

This one is smaller and not vintage but pretty all the same .

And they match. I can't tell you how long I have been admiring butterflies just like these in a local shop but they are pretty expensive and so they have always well...stayed on the shelves.

So fingers crossed next time I go into an op shop they have another ....I'm thinking blue would be nice. Is that too much to ask.

x Michelle

Our Christmas .

Ok so I know its January 2nd but I just realised I didn't really show any photos of around the house apart from the book wreath, so here's a couple of pics.

The Christmas stockings are from Ikea a few years ago and the baubles are mercury glass and from a garage sale. The candles are from Domayne and they are those battery operated real wax ones.

The perspex JOY is from a  little gift shop in Bright, Victoria .

This is our old faithful tree , we've had this one for about 15 years and it was my mums before that so yeh...getting our moneys worth (well mums money)

A little bit of a reindeer woodland theme going on (who knew we had so many in the toy box!!)

There's also a moose thrown in too...just cause he's cute.

Umm , yep old tree taken down two days before Christmas when we fell in love with a real Norfolk pine in a pot. Most decorations packed away as anything heavier than a cotton ball threatened to break his branches!

Christmas morning breakfast table.

So there you have it our Christmas.

x Michelle

Book wreath

This months Real Living magazine featured a book wreath in Alice Flynns beautiful home . I thought it was lovely , so you can imagine my delight when Belinda from The happy home blog featured a tutorial . I think Belinda did about 3 layers where as I did about 6 or 7 I think. In fact I might have even done more if I hadn't run out of hot glue.I think I used 21 glue sticks all up!

 I'm pretty happy with how it turned out , its Christmasy without being too much . I might even keep it up after Christmas ....what do you think?

If you decide to give one of these a go watch out for the hot glue ....I still haven't recovered.
Book paper wreath from very exy homewares shop $250
Book paper wreath from me $7.50 (includes hot glue) plus cost of skin grafts to replace my fingertips.

x michelle

terrariums

I've mentioned before how much I love terrariums so in the recent school holidays I thought I might make a few and see how they go . Its a lovely way to have a little green around ...without having to look after them too much .

I really liked the look of moss terrariums so I wanted to make some ...but finding moss is not so easy . I went to the nursery and well they don't sell it .....I know who would have thought! I finally found some growing in the local Franklins carpark!

So I got my nine year old boy to get it for me ...because picking around on the ground is what he does 99% of the time anyway and I didn't want to be seen picking moss from the ground at Franklins .
Now its growing like mad

Have a closer look ...its like a forest in there and actually not very mossy looking at all .

But I'm still really happy with how these turned out and would actually like to have a go at some bigger ones ...I just need to find some bigger jars first ...and more moss . Supplies were running low last time I looked at Franklins . Might have to check out Woolies or Bi-Lo .

x Michelle

Bus scroll art

I just love those vintage bus scrolls that have been showing up in magazines for the last couple of years , but they are just so very expensive . So when I spotted a bus scroll tea towel in my favourite local shop nest a couple of weeks ago for only $5.95 I thought I might just whip me up a little bus scroll art for the kitchen.

So I started off with a piece of board I had laying around

And I just used some thumbtacks to attach it to the back . Too easy .....Ok its a little wonky if you look real close but no one has noticed yet ...or they're too polite to say!

Nest also has an online store if your interested ....seriously go take a look . I could happily move right on in to this shop ....there's even a bed upstairs.

Get your Tea towel here



Michelle x

Woollen winter lamp makeover

Just wanted to share something with you that I did a couple of months back and its seriously so easy that even an 8 year old could do it ...oh thats right an 8 year old did do some ! Unfortunately I don't have any before pics of the lamp because that was pre blog days when I didn't photograph every minute detail of my life , pre blog days being anything before yesterday actually.

Anyway back to the lamp , it was just a basic white drum lamp shade that had seen better days , it was faded and actually the white bit was even coming away from the metal rings at the top and bottom and I was just about ready to toss it out when I thought what can I do with this old thing .....Hmm a makeover ??

So remembering I had a few balls of green wool that I happened to pick up at Spotlight for only 50c a ball I just started to wrap it around , tying first to a metal bit inside the shade . Ok so you just wrap and wrap and then wrap some more( this is when 8 year old boys come in handy) until the whole thing is completely covered remembering that if you need to tie a new piece on its on the inside .

So you could do it like I did it , really neat or I guess you could even get a bit crazy and keep overlapping kinda messy like for an organic look its up to you , just don't go too wild and go near the light bulb because that would just be well....dangerous.

So, easy peasy and doesn't it look all cosy and warm for winter .....and yes it does still emit some light .