Olivia's final room reveal....well almost!!!

Yippee....it's done....except for one or two small things, Olivia's room. The cabinet maker has been and it is all painted...yep all four coats but at least I know it is well painted!

The one or two little things left is really not that much, just looking out for the right fabric to make her cushion for her new window seat (this was highly requested and anticipated by my young one, who loves to read) and the fabric covered pin board for the back of her desk.

So here it is.........

It is a beautiful light, bright room which should see an almost nine year old well into her tweens.... not that it isn't going to have a few tweeks and colour changes along the way, it wouldn't be in my nature not to!!

And here is my inspirational picture I found on Pinterest for this shelf and window seat unit....

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Pretty close isn't it....I really need to get moving on finding that fabric for the seat!!!

Linking to

Mod Vintage Life

Savvy Southern Style

Delightful Order 

No Minimalist Here 

Beyond The Picket Fence

From My Porch to Yours

French Country Cottage 

The DIY Showoff 

Playful Decor

I could.....

So here's the thing.....I have spent another looong day at work, I have talked non stop about bathrooms and design and products, done the accounts, juggled deliveries and averted a crisis or two and then talked some more!!! Dont get me wrong, I enjoy my work but sometimes at the end of the day, after I have picked up the little one, made dinner and got her off to bed, I sit down to relax in front of the telly with my laptop and cruise the blogs I love and discover some new ones and then maybe hit Pinterest for a while ......but.... I then start to feel the guilts....... I could be spending my time more productively...... actually Pinterest doesn't really help.....I could be........

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cleaning out my vanity and getting the towels and bits organised....wonderful shelf dividers.... I would be so happy looking at this instead of my dark hole with things in plastic boxes!!!

OR

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organise my handbags in my wardrobe.....mine just get tossed on to the top shelf

OR

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organise my freezer.....actually I did do this the other night....well not all the lovely baskets with labels but I did defrost the freezer (with my hairdryer-do be careful if you try this yourself -water and electricity dont mix!!) I threw out a whole bunch of meat that was way out of date because the drawer was too frozen over!!

OR

I could be making these.......

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How cute are these!!!

OR

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I could get a head start on Christmas

OR

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Maybe I will just imagine myself in a happy place!!!! Oh oh...it's a bathroom again!!!

Updating 50 things before 50

Just thought I would re-visit to see where I was up to with my list! Not doing too badly, the most exciting thing for me is losing over 10 kgs.... I am continuing on and hope to loose another 15kgs....don't worry, I wont disappear! I am doing it the old fashioned way.... eating less and exercising more! And doing it slowly, so hopefully it will stay off!

Here is the list...in no particular order

1. Finish decorating the main bedroom almost....just the bedhead to go

2. Finish painting all inside trim and doors done! 

3. Finish painting exterior windows (there are 6 to go, and all multi-paned)

4. Help eldest daughter move out to her own place :-) (she is 23!) done

5. Move youngest daughter to eldest daughter's bigger room (hopefully after she has moved out!) done

6. Redecorate that new bedroom for youngest daughter done

7. Turn youngest daughter's room (now vacated) into my office....yippy! changed my mind now it is a guest bedroom! Done

8. Finish floor in family room

9. Build a vegi garden

10. Landscape side garden half way through this!

11. Learn how to use my DSLR camera better (well it is actually my son's but he lets me use it)

12. New light fitting for over the dining table

13. Have a holiday

14. Build an ensuite (OK this is one of the big ticket items that I want but cant afford)

15. Learn a graphics program ( I was a graphic designer before computers.... I know I am that old)

16. Loose 10 kg (22 lbs) alright I need to loose more but I figure that this is achievable! Done!!! Woohoo going for another 15kgs!!!!!!!!!!

17. Exercise more started exercising again.... I am actually running....never done that before!!!!

18. Change hair colour

19. Register new business name

20. Visit the MCA (museum of contemporary art - Sydney) How funny as soon as I wrote this they closed it for a year to renovate it!!!!

21. Research into running a Bed and Breakfast

22. Plant more trees planted 3 more

23. New fence for backyard

24. Stencil wall in dining room done

25. Build hall station

26. Organise hall cupboard done

27. Create artwork wall in family room

28. Get a new lap top done yippee

29. Get an Ipad (just for the fun of it!)

30. Get a full health check including a breast screen all done except for the breast screen!

31. Get my home featured in a home decor magazine (this one might be a stretch) been featured in the local rag!!! Will still try for a decor mag!

32. Do more interior design work

33. Cook healthier food Yes this goes with the weight loss!!!

34. Cook more food in advance and freeze

35. Reduce spend on credit card been better lately.... this is up and down

36. Take up tennis again

37. Make a mirror for over the sideboard bought one and made them for the bedroom instead!!!

38. Practise clipping the dog to look at little less scrappy as in my first attempt

39. Go on at least one date ( I have been single for a very long time!) had 1 date! That one wont be repeated!!!!!

40. Contact friends more often definitely getting better

41. Get back into painting (artwork that is!) Yes have been painting more lately!!!!

42. Crochet blanket for Youngest one started

43. Learn a new craft

44. Learn MYOB (it is an accounting program) Learning it the moment - yep now got it down pat!!!

45. Be more organised with my blogging (the office will help)

46. Learn more about HTML

47. Try making a skirt again ( I haven't sewed clothes since the kids were young)

48. Take up pilates again (if I can find a cheap enough class they are sooooo expensive)

49. Contact other Aussie bloggers in decor/craft/design/DIY

50. Plan something special for turning 50! I have some things in mind for this


Wellllll......I haven't been doing too badly.... some of the big ticket items might be hard since there is a distinct lack of money at the moment!!!

Dyp tych or two!!!

Well I decided I didn't like the painting (the cheapy one I bought) for the guest bedroom.....

It is cute but not quite right, so I decided to paint a dyp tych (a painting over two panels - a triptych is a painting over three panels). I saw a quilt on Pinterest that I used for inspiration....

source

How gorgeous is this!!! So here is my attempt.....

Well it is cute but perhaps still not what I want for this space. It will stay for now until I find what I really want for here....... thank goodness for Command strips, you can hang pictures without ruining the wall!

Linking to

Mod Vintage Life

Savvy Southern Style

Delightful Order 

No Minimalist Here 

Beyond The Picket Fence

From My Porch to Yours

French Country Cottage

Kitsch or style icon

Look you know I love them... you have seen my friend before

My buddy the gnome!!! He watches over me while I cook.... I really should name him.... Bert, what do you think??? Suits him? Well what I wanted to talk about, was how the every day, the common, the kitsch, can become cool!

The King of Cool - Phillip Starck took the gnome to a whole new level - his gnome stool in black or gold - very cool but not really my style (lets face it.... I am not even a little bit cool!)

Freedom Furniture gives you a choice of three colours

See gnomes like to hang out in kitchens! These ones are from etsy shop "2 chicks and a fancy owl"

I think they know Bert

Whilst not quite style icons, these four season gnomes are very cute and are from etsy shop "Cutesypoo"

These are gorgeous from a very interesting blog Aesthetic Outburst for baby or me!

BUT

my favourite all time gnome is still this one....

 via Pinterest

Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and buy this one....after all a girl can't have too many gnomes!

A deck affair!

Well with the warmer weather comes deck time! I did a part revamp on the deck about 18 months ago .... when the old pergola fell down. It was made out of the wrong type of timber and had the heavy weight of wisteria growing all over it. Now normally I love wisteria but I swear in the Sydney climate it grows like a triffid.... I am sure that you can see it grow as you sit there....so as lovely as it was, it had to go.

Now the rest of the deck isn't to my taste, rusting wrought iron railings and 70's era tiles but one day..... In the mean time I had the pergola rebuilt bigger and better with a semi transparent roof this time. Here are some images.

The beautiful Bella enjoys this area as well....

The outdoor dining area is right outside the kitchen and living room.

I love these Moroccan style lanterns that I had my friend wire up for extra lighting. At night they have wonderful pattens of light playing across the brickwork.

I made this wall art quite a few years ago, I did a course in hand painted ceramics and have always meant to do more... just another thing on my ever growing list!

I had to move the day bed inside to the family room for now as it was starting to get ruined outside... maybe too many little animals on it!!! By the way.... my dog is not dead despite appearances.... just sleeping!!!