7 Things About Me

I was very excited yesterday to receive a Kreativ Blogger Award from NM at 5minutesjustforme and very honoured, (thanks so much NM), and yet at the same time realised I was going to have to brush up on my computer skills as I had yet to do a "link" . Now that I have done my first link I'm wondering why I was feeling so anxious!

There are 7 Kreativ Blogger Award Rules to follow;

1) Thank the person who has given the award.

2) Copy the logo and display it on my blog.

3) Link to the person who has nominated me for the award.

4) Name 7 things about myself that people might find interesting.

5) Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6) Post links to the 7 blogs I've nominated.

7) Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they've been nominated.

So firstly a huge thankyou to NM, your blog is most inspiring!

7 things about me that you might find interesting;

1) I have been married 23 years and have 3 great kids

2) My worst subject at school was Maths and my husband lectures at University in Maths Education (see, opposites DO attract). In my defense, he was training to be a Physical Education teacher when we got engaged!

3) I love to sing and have been doing so since I was little (solos, small groups, choirs).

4) I love slap stick movies.

5) I am petrified of spiders.

6) Favourite flower is a peony (or preferably a whole bunch!)

7) I love God with all my heart and can't wait to see Him face to face when my time comes!!

I would like to nominate the following 7 Kreativ Bloggers;

Jackie @ mycoastalhome

Marsha @ chandeliermagic

Sandy @ pinkshabby

Donna @ donna-jenkins

Mel @ melsroseplace

Tracey @ frenchlarkspur

Ashley @ thedraperhouse

New Addition

A new addition...to my book shelf that is!

Hubby recently came home from the library with yet another upholstery book for me to garner helpful hints and useful information to aid in my upholstery projects. Up until now I have found the books to be a little frustrating as they use jargon that I don't understand and directions that I simply can't follow...so what a delight it was to finally find one that is clear, concise and really well illustrated. "Matthew Haly's Book of Upholstery" is a gem. I can't sing it's praises highly enough. To top it all off, the opening sentence mentions that Matthew grew up in Hamilton, New Zealand, which is the last place we lived in NZ before moving to Australia. Now he lives in New York, has an upholstery studio in Manhattan's NoHo district called The Furniture Joint and his work has featured on The Oprah Show and in Oprah's O at Home, Domino, Elle Decor and Interior Design.

I shot an email off to Matthew expressing my delight in finding his new book (which I have ordered a copy of and eagerly await it's delivery!), not really expecting a reply and yet heard straight back from him. He was delightful and more than happy for me to mention him in a post including pictures from his book. I mentioned I was holidaying in New Zealand this Christmas and he told me not to eat all the sally luns, peanut slabs or milk bottles as he wanted some when he was back home in February, haha (kiwis will get what that means).

Foyer (almost) makeover

Mirror before (above)

How busy is life these days?!?!?!? Maybe it's just that I'm spending so much more time hunting through fabulous blogs that I don't have time to fit much else in! Oh well, I'm making up for the 4 weeks over Christmas that we'll be away and won't have much access to a computer.

Thanks to all the friends who made suggestions about my recently aquired mirror. I went with my gut (or played it safe!) and painted it white. I'm really happy with the result.

Yesterday I painted a wall of the foyer in stripes and just have to finish off the skirtings and door architraves (when I get some more sandpaper). The chairs featured will soon be listed on ebay. I am trying to decide whether to list them as a set of 6 or split them into 3 lots of 2 so if anyone just wants a couple of occasional chairs they can bid for 2. Any thoughts???

What to do?

Click on above picture to view little surprise reflected in mirror.

I missed out on a mirror on ebay last week because I forgot to take into account that parts of Australia are on daylight savings time now but here in Queensland we are not. I sent the seller a message and they were more than happy to have me take it off their hands so I got it for the list price of $50.

Now that I have it I am not sure what to do with it!

It has a distinctly neoclassical feel which I used to be "into" and still like some of those elements but that "look" is a little austere for our humble abode. The mirror has an unusual snakeskin-like surface on the side facings of the frame and large gold "knobs" along the top. It's definitely not shabby, or hamptons, or french provincial, so I'm just not sure what "treatment" to give it.

Any ideas people???? Take a look and tell me your thoughts.

The mirror that is on the wall in the picture is another ebay find and doesn't "go" with much in my house but I really like it. I'm thinking of giving it a coat of paint. Either that, or sell it to make room for the new mirror...I'm running out of walls you see. My solution would be to buy a bigger house but thankfully I have a sensible, frugal husband and we will be mortage free sooner than we would if I had my way.

Altered image.

Oh dear, didn't think picture quality would be quite that bad!

If you click on the pic to enlarge there is a little surprise hanging from the chandelier...an oversight on my part,lol

Original photo taken from ebay

We had a nice drop of rain today...it's been a long time coming and was so welcome.

I made the most of the indoor weather and finished painting a mirror that has been patiently waiting for a second coat. The actual mirror is rather warped and needs replacing but, having said that, it actually elongates it's images therefore making me appear tall and slim. This can only be a good thing when you're 5ft 2in and somewhat vertically challenged...in fact my 12 year old daughter has recently overtaken me making me the 2nd shortest out of the 5 of us!

Hubby comes home from a work related trip to Holland tomorrow night, can't wait to see him. I asked him to keep an eye out for some local "home" magazines for me. He mentioned he went for a stroll one evening and came across a flower stall selling 40 red roses for $8 that he would love to have bought for me...why do airport customs have to be so strict :o(

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend.

What is it about Black and White?

images via NZ House & Garden

Black + White = old movies, piano keys, zebras, photography, sheet music, the road ahead, a suit & tie, the All Blacks.....(can you think of more?)
What IS it about the black and white combo. that I find irresistible???

Maybe there are parallels in life...black and white stands for a clear-cut decision, no ambiguity, no too-ing and fro-ing, you know where you stand, and what you see is what you get. I like the sense of security that decisiveness brings, even though that does not necessarily describe what I am like personally. My head and my heart are often in conflict, (which is probably why the colour grey comes in a close second!).

I think maybe that last image is brown/white but I still love it.
NB. The All Blacks are New Zealand's National Rugby Union Team and held in high regard:o)

Stripes or florals???

I don't know how decorators do it, making these sorts of decisions every day, I don't think I'd ever sleep!....

I recently got these cane chairs from ebay (3 for $30) and my intention is to paint them white (no,, really?!) and reupholster the cushions. I love that the chairs have wooden arms. Which fabric do you like (if any) or any opinions as to what would look great? I am leaning towards the black/white stripe.
As with most of my purchases, these were bought with the intention of re selling but I reckon I'll find them hard to part with once I've finished with them.

Another unfinished project.

How much un-fun is it to make over a teenage boys bedroom! I have made a start on my 15 year old's room, which doubles as a guest room (he is very gracious about giving up his room from time to time).

I would like the bed in the middle of the wall, he likes it pushed up into the corner. I would have cushions galore on the bed, he is happy with a couple of pillows, (in fact at a friends recent sleepover he slept on the treadmill so I'm guessing his bed is more than satisfactory to his requirements!)

I have yet to paint the rest of the room which will be white, and sand and paint the wardrobe doors and change the hardware. We have guests coming to stay in a few weeks so I'm hoping to have it finished by then...nothing like a bit of motivation.

Seen Any Studs Lately???

Seen any studs lately?......you know, those great embellishments that upholsterers use to beautify sofas, chairs, ottomans and the like........
Here are a few images featuring studs that I personally find very attractive. I apologise if you need to click to enlarge the image in order to be able to see them in detail.
I imagine there will be a few studs on the field at the NRL Grand Final on Sunday...you know, the little spikes on the bottom of the players boots ;o)

HEY, HOW DID THAT GET THERE?!?!?!?

Image 1 Homes & Gardens, Image 2 House & Garden, Image 3 El Mueble, Images 5 - 10 Home Beautiful