Projects Pending.

Before I show you all a couple of projects I have waiting patiently in the wings, I'd like to share my latest addition to my hallway/gallery. I painted this canvas for our previous home which had an abundance of large expanses of bare walls. It was barely noticeable. But our current home has limited wall space to accomodate such a large canvas. As you will see, it is almost floor to ceiling.

Okay, now my to-do list. Please don't hold your collective breath for the "AFTER" pics as I don't want to be responsible for your early expiration.

The bedhead was a freebie off the road-side. I thought it was a queen and was looking forward to having a newly upholstered bedhead but alas it is King size so I'll do it up and then sell it.


The following is some fabric I picked up today and I will be using it for one of the above projects. Can you guess which one?

I'm a little unsure which trim to use...

or this....

I just love the second trim with it's delightful little pleat around the bottom.

I will try and get on with one of these projects very soon. Now that my son has finished school for the year my computer time will be severely diminshed so I've got no excuses not to get on with some projects :o)

Angex

My Hallway

I can't believe that after somewhat of a break from posting all I can come up with is my hallway - but there you have it.



When we bought our house it was painted a very yellow-cream throughout. I have almost eradicated the cream with Dulux White on White with the exception of the aluminium joinery (argh).



I got Jake, my 16yo, to give me a hand with the final paint of the hallway before prettying it up with some of my amateur artworks.

New handles

Pretty mirror which helps open up the space.

Pretty light fittings which are diy so no electrician needed.

My wavey canvas made with some material I found at Bunnings that is normally used in the plumbing trade.

My 3 Koru made using tile adhesive to give lots of texture.

My Planet painting.

I used a hair comb to get the textured effect I was after.

...and finally an artwork done by my 13 year old daughter which will grace the wall as soon as I get it framed. She has been enjoying Art lessons but sadly her teacher is unable to continue with after-school lessons. She said of one of Danneke's watercolours that she had used the same technique as an artist and was most impressed with her work.

I have 2 great blogs to recommend to you all....

Orchid Lane Decor

and Meg and Mum's

I'd love to do a big rave about Suzy and Meg's blogs but I have to dash off and get the kids from school so do yourself a favour and go visit them :o)

Making a MESH

Just a quick post tonight as I want to catch the end of one of my fav TV shows...Monster Moves. Does anyone else watch this show?
So this sideboard was an ebay find ($50) and after I meshed around with it (in other words painted with Bristish Paints MESH) and did a bit of distressing, it was finished. Of course the plan was to on-sell it but even hubby likes this piece and we can always use the extra storage.

Here's the AFTER

and the BEFORE

I'm getting the hang of this distressing thing and can now be found walking around the house, sandpaper in hand....

I Wish I Was a Picture Framer

When I left school I was rather naive as far as what field I wanted to be employed in. My mind was not really open to the many and varied opportunities that existed. I ended up in an office, behind a desk answering phones and sorting mail *YAWN*. I wish someone had said to me, "Why don't you become a picture framer?". I guess it's never too late huh?

I have been playing around with frames and images for our lounge and here's what I came up with...

Above is the final setting.

Below, the 2 lower pictures add depth but the safari prints just aren't me.

Do you remember the following 2 pics I got for $5 each?

BEFORE....

and AFTER.....

The next 2 were from the same op shop,

BEFORE....

and AFTER....

I am really pleased with the way the room is coming together. I am having trouble finding inexpensive drumshades for the lamps so will have to be patient.

The sofa is on my "to-do" list. I want to upholster it in crisp white with large nailhead trim.

The blue and white duck is a recent 2nd hand find and is great for storing the TV remote.

Who spotted the fact that I've painted one of the lamp tables white?

I told you I wasn't good at finishing.

Decorating on a Budget

I have had a couple of great wins on ebay lately. The purpose of mentioning these is not to skite but to let people know that it is possible to decorate your home in a stylish, tasteful manner without breaking the bank.

First was this gorgeous cabinet which I am using to store my upholstery fabrics, magazines and board games.
The seller told me she got it on sale at Harvey Norman's for $900. I paid $155

And then there's this leather office chair. What would you expect to pay for this? I bet your answer wasn't $75!!!! I was so thrilled to get this chair. I had been patiently waiting for the right chair to turn up and it did :o)

I had wondered about recovering it as I want to learn how to do that deep buttoning/tufting technique but it is in such good condition I might wait until it has lived with us for a while. It is stationed at the one and only computer in our household of 5 so I'm guessing it won't be too long before it incurs some wear and tear.

I have heard that a few people are having trouble commenting on my blog. If you want to contact me you are welcome to email me p.grootenboer@aapt.net.au

A big "THANKYOU" to those who visited/commented/followed Tilly's blog. She is thrilled and excited that you did. I have instructed her as to blog etiquette ie responding to comments, so if we can just get her brother off the computer for 5 minutes I'm sure you will hear from her.

You Light Up My Life...

I seem to be having a small fling with lamps at the moment.

These lamps I bought off ebay back in May ($30 pair).

The lovely, talented Sandy at Paint Me White very kindly covered these lamps for me and she did such a fabulous job. All I had to do was attach the black ribbon and they were done.

I think they look really chic.

Today I would like to mention a blog that is close to my heart. It belongs to my youngest daughter Tilly. She loves to cook (takes after her Dad) and is keen to audition for Junior Master Chef in the future. Her blog is called Relax, it's a Recipe She would be very excited if she got one or two comments from people other than family :o)

Chair Makeover and My Ginger Jar Lamps

I don't know which I am more excited about...finishing Sandy's chair makeover or my new ginger-jar lamps......okay, I do know, sorry Sandy but those lamps just give me a thrill.

I went to The Tender Centre on Saturday for the first time and before I'd even entered through the doors I could see the silhouette of these lamps waaaay down the back against the rear window. I couldn't get back there quick enough to check them out, and I wasn't disappointed.
Now, that high pitched sqeaul you all heard around 7pm last night, but couldn't identify? Me, that was me discovering, online, that I had won these lamps for $100!

Take a look and tell me you don't just love them as much as I do!!!

So this has thrown out my whole idea of what I had planned for my lounge decor, but I like where I'm being led so I'll just follow along. Lamp shades are the next thing to think about and I'm sure I'll lose at least a couple of hours sleep over that one.

Onto Sandy's chair.... this is the before,

It's great be able to take photos and have an instant image to refer back to if in doubt. I use to have to draw diagrams to remind myself how to reassemble.

The material Sandy chose was the most gorgeous, "made in Italy", throw or bed cover. I emailed her seconds before, to let her know I was about to make the first cut. It was a frightening experience let me say.

Thank the Lord (and I mean that, I was praying like mad), it turned out beautifully.

Okay, one last look at those lamps :o)