Black boarded!

I keep pinning these great quotes on Pinterest but how can I appreciate them in my home? The answer is a blackboard....I will be able to change them round regularly to suit whatever is happening in our lives at the moment.

The perfect place to put it is on the back of the loo door! That way every time we go in to (cogitate) we will be staring right at that quote!!!

Soooo.... I looked around for a nice frame and found this one in the back of my cupboard, I have never liked the pencil nude in it (I purchased at an auction quite a few years ago, just because it was so cheap.... I must go back to auctions, they are a lot of fun....but I digress)

I didn't like the old gold look though, so I removed the glass and drawing and gave the frame a glaze with silver acrylic paint, let it dry for about 5 minutes and then wiped some of it back. I then cut a piece of thin MDF I had to size and sealed it with Zinser, I then sprayed it with black board paint - I am not sure if I would use the spray paint again as it seemed to take so many coats to get a solid colour, I think the paint on chalk board paint would have been easier but at least it dried quickly.

Then I simply slipped the painted board into the frame and dada!!!!

I also found this nifty little chalk marker at the hardware store, it goes on a bit like a white board marker and comes in different colours. It wipes of with a damp cloth and doesn't leave a chalky residue.

Then I chose a very appropriate quote for me .... and maybe some others in this house.....

4 kg lighter and still going!!!

linking to parties at...
Savy Southern Style
Mod Vintage Life
Delightful Order

7 sins - LUST - random

Lust = beautiful things

This is actually a random collection of images I love - they have no connection except that they are all saved on my board on Pinterest called "things I like" but I should rename it to things I love! So have a look at my total randomness then go find some that you love!

I 

I so want this knome....to knome me is to love me!

Loo make over

OK the smallest room in the house has already had a mini makeover but what do you do when you have some free time on the weekend and it is raining and cold outside AND you are in a self imposed no shopping (as in not spending money) mode.... well, you could relax....read a book.....watch a movie....but nooooo.... I have to do a room makeover!!

I know I am nuts but as I said it had to cost nothing and what the heck....

I decided on stripes....

lots of masking tape...

only 2 stripes... I have no reason for that amount

I was just going to do the white stripes but it didn't look right (nothing like designing on the run!)

so I decided to use the stencil from my bedroom and the same paint as the wall colour...

the prison mirror was already in here, I have had it for years

the wall tiles are painted, I did it at the same time I did the bathroom makeover, when I can afford it this little room and the bathroom will have a proper reno. Unfortunately for now the floor tiles will have to stay.

The photos are a reminder of my trip to Italy a few years ago...so everytime I go to the loo... I have a little view! I need to do some sort of window treatment, that will come in time. I am not sure how long this look will last, I guess it depends on the next wet weekend when I have nothing to do....

Linking to parties at...

Mod Vintage Life
DIY by Design
Savvy Southern Style
French Country Cottage 
Finding Fabulous 
Delightful Order
Funky Junk Interiors
Tatertots and Jello 

Building an ark and I have been featured again!

When a drought breaks in Australia it sure does break! We have just come out of a 10 year drought and it has been raining a LOT this year but the last couple of weeks have been a real doozy!!! Luckily the house has stood up to it...no leaks...thank god! But I woke up this morning and the sun was out.... it is one of those beautiful crisp sunny mid winter days that just hints at the promise of the spring to come.

Luckily even in mid winter there is always something blooming in the garden, especially the gorgeous camellias which really come into their prime.

I am also excited that my lovely e-friend Kim at Savvy Southern Style has featured me on her blog today. I am only a recent convert to the blog world but I have found it such an inspiring place with wonderful supportive people. Thank you Kim and for all your lovely comments.

Please go and visit Kim at Savvy Southern Style and check out her wonderful house and makeovers also she has a great link party on Wow us Wednesdays!

I am going to build myself a house one day - American style!

It is going to have shingles and stone and turrets and nooks and crannies and will look like a gingerbread cottage. I have even had this little dolls house that I bought years ago and always had in my bedroom as a reminder of that dream... I finally put it in my daughter's bedroom....

I am drawn to them and now I have saved a whole bunch of them on my Pinterest for you all to share but check out some of my favourites below.

Actually I know that I would have to either win the lottery.... marry a rich man... rob a bank or all three to be able to afford some of these gob smacking homes but  I can dream and maybe use bits of them in my one day home. Though I must say that the maintenance looks pretty high.... but it could be worth it!

Oh my goodness!

I have been featured over at DIY showoff. I am very excited!! Just about my whole blog! You can see it here! I have been so lucky to have so many great blogs feature my different projects in the last couple of months - French Country Cottage, Better After, Polka Dot Bungalow, Mod Vintage Life, Remodelaholic, Savvy Southern Style and Common Ground. A big thankyou to all those wonderful blogs, it is such encouragement for me since I have only been going since Easter this year and to think I was wondering if anyone would actually be interested in what I do. Thank you to all my lovely followers as well and all the emails and comments...I read them all and get so excited to hear from you!

Almost done - stencilled wall dining room

You have seen the makeover of my sideboard in my dining area but the whole area was not looking finished, so my next step was to stencil the walls. I have already had practice in my bedroom. Luckily I had planned it right (for a change!) and ordered the two stencils at the same time from Cutting Edge Stencils.

What you cant see in the above picture is the bizarrely off centered wall light to the left of the sideboard. Why would anyone put in a light on a short wall  that wasn't centered??? Anyway I had to wait for my trusty electrician friend to come and disconnect it and pull the wires up into the ceiling (in Australia it is illegal to do any electrical work yourself - unless you are a licenced electrician).

Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) my walls are all solid brick - which is fantastic because it is such a solid built house but make any changes is a major pain in the butt! Check out nice little hole left in the wall ..... eeek!

The hole on the left is about 2 inch deep and about 3 inchs round, so I had to fill it with a sand cement mix. I cleaned out the hole as best as I could, squirted it with a bit of water so the that dry area wouldn't suck out the moisture out of the wet mix too quickly or it could crack as it drys. I only half filled it (2nd pic) because the hole was so big, then let it dry for a day before finishing the fill and levelling it off with a damp sponge. This was then painted with a sealer undercoat. Now I am not a perfectionist I am afraid so you can still vaguely see the outline but near enough is good enough!!!!!! LOL cant believe I said that!

Once that was all done I decided to stencil the wall in a colour about 3 shades darker than the existing wall colour. I still have to make a mirror to go above the sideboard but I love the new look.....

 

What do you think? Strangely enough it makes the room look bigger! Cant wait for the mirror!

Linking to parties at....

Savvy Southern Style

Mod Vintage Life
The Shabby Nest

French Country Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors