My Reading List

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No sewing machine or market preparation means I have time this week to sit down with some of my recently purchased magazines and books.

Young House Love is one of the first blogs I read every morning, I love their interior design style, DIY ideas and funny and informative posts. This is their first book which hubby ordered for me pre-release. It arrived in no time from Amazon and is already on the New York best sellers list.

Decorate Workshop by Holly Becker from the blog Decor8. I have her first book, Decorate, and love the gorgeous photos and decorating ideas so this book was also quickly placed on pre-order.

Homespun Magazine; I don't usually pick up many craft magazines because I browse such a wide selection of blogs but the inclusion of a super cute fluffy hedgehog pattern courtesy of Dolls and Daydreams cemented my need to buy this one.

The first print issue of Tickle the Imagination (not pictured) also arrived last week. The best articles from their online mag are now in print and it features some beautiful handmade businesses and craft ideas. It is especially nice too that it's a local Perth magazine.

Art in the Kitchen

I have a soft spot in my heart for typography art. Infact I recently bought this Made by Girl print which is now awaiting a frame.

When designing or decorating a kitchen one doesn't usually plan to include artwork. Kitchens are the functional hub of the home but just like every other room of the house, it would be nice to introduce and rotate some artwork. I was particularly drawn to some kitchen-y artwork while browsing etsy this week.   

Etsy Shop Articipe

Etsy Shop Sam Ossie

Displaying Children's Artwork

Most weeks Michaela proudly produces a piece of artwork after her day at pre-kindy. I also have a craft box filled with stickers, glue, glitter and alike which I pull out every other day for her to 'create' with. Consequently the collection of paintings and pasta covered pieces of paper is growing. Finding the best way to display her work is tricky, there is only so much space on the fridge!

A recent trip to Typo and a sweet $5 got me this metal heart frame. Michaela can rotate her weekly masterpieces to it easily with a little peg and it's her own little gallery to show off when people visit.

House Hunting

We're not on the lookout for a new home but I must admit that I do spend far too many online hours 'just looking.' Plus, house prices are scary right now especially when I think back to what I spent ten years ago and how much more land this house sits on than the majority of houses on the market. 

Me and my iPad can be found most evenings on the couch browsing through the countless images of houzz. (You can visit the website too.) I have my Ideabook filling up with gorgeous pics and interior inspiration and it's a little bit addictive. 

Via Dalani

Have you subscribed to Dalani yet? This site offers stylish furniture and accessories for your home at a discount. You also receive regualar articles via email with inspiration and DIYs.  I haven't purchased anything (yet!) but there is a lot of wonderful choice!

Loungeroom Makeover- On a Budget

Our front loungeroom underwent a little makeover a couple of years ago. New paint, some new accessories and all on a pretty tight budget of $100. I took my inspiration from this pic in an attempt to 'lighten' the room. (The original wall paint was a dark grey and with it's south facing front windows, the room was just too dark.)

I did have a 60s/70s teak sideboard on my wish list to replace the existing black glass tv unit but instead I put on my frugal redecorating hat last weekend and came up with this.

We had one IKEA Expedit upstairs in the study for books and another in the main family room which held magazines and some toys. And now we have a long console for the tv, books and a few accesories. I'm pretty chuffed with our kinda-repurposed tv console/ sideboard/ bookcase and especially with it's $0 price tag!

Laundry Inspiration

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We got a new washing machine on the weekend. Obviously not the most exciting of news and acquisitions but I do love new, shiny toys! Our laundry room is not hidden behind a door and is also currently used as a change area for Harper (and visiting babies) so it's not one of those rooms where the chaos can be shut away.

As is often the case when something new enters the home, the surroundings look old and drab and you find yourself thinking about re-vamping rooms, accessories, etc. And this is what I'm doing now looking at my tired and bland laundry. I'm not sure whether I would ever have a large bouquet of flowers in my laundry, but this pic is great food for thought. Lots of light, good cupboard space, a rug for texture, all of which make for a clean, organised and 'inviting' laundry.

Spirographs

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When I was a child I loved playing with a spirograph set. It was fun to see what patterns would be created and how many colours I could incorporate. Now it's fun again to enjoy spirographs on mediums other than paper.

Karlsson Clock $119

Brooch Trincar Uvas $15

Clipboard Box 64 Studios $10

Ceramic plate Ninainvorm $50 

Bamboo Spiral Drawing Set Rocking Frog $29

Michaela's Room

I'm pretty conservative when it comes to colour in my home. Most rooms are quite neutral so when it came to creating a big girl room for Michaela, I threw out all my usual decorating preferences and went a little colour crazy!

Michaela made the transition from cot to bed with ease. I wanted her to move well before the arrival of her sister so that she had plenty of time to settle in to her new surroundings. She was also starting to outgrow her cot- she's on her way to being 6 foot this girl!

For the life of me I can't remember the name of the paint colour but as you can see, it's a turquoise/ aqua. We chose the Ikea Hemnes day bed; a popular choice as it converts to a double bed later on with a roll out trundle and 3 great storage drawers. The Queen Anne chest of drawers was mine when I was a child and the Brentwood chair was a gift from my grandparents when I moved in to this house. I spray painted it a few years ago and it fits in quite nicely here. The quilt cover was purchased about two years ago from Spotlight; I love kokeshi dolls. I then went about collecting brightly coloured accessories.
Picture frames, pink flower wall light and floating shelves - Ikea
Butterfly mirror - Freedom
Wall art- Feed Your Soul art project, babushka wrapping paper, Blue Finch Studios Numbers Print, Kokeshi canvas from The Reject Shop, Clock from Kmart
Book storage - Deals Direct
Retro chair - Baby Bunting
Lanterns - Thingz
Coat rack - from childhood
Bunting - Giggleberry Creations
(See Harper's nursery here)

Get My Crochet On

I've been thinking about learning to crochet for a while now. I feel like time (and energy) eludes me with two kids but I'm so inspired by the awesome Pip at Meet me at Mikes and her crochet tutorials. The possibilities are endless if you want to do something a bit different so I'm off to the shops this weekend for some crochet hooks and wool.


Image via Ohdeedoh

Plates Revival

Don't you love the re-invention of decorating trends?
When opening the pages of this month's Home Beautiful it was as if I was looking into my Nana's dining room. She has a collection of plates just like this and I find myself imagining a similar collection in my home too. I think what also makes this arrangement look modern is the absence of those kinda tacky metal plate hooks. I'm guessing that one of my best friends, the 3M velcro tabs, were used to suspend these plates. 

Harper's Nursery

I have been adding to Harper's nursery bit by bit since this first nursery post. It is 99% complete, I'm still eyeing a personalised wall sticker for above her cot. Harper graduated from the bassinet alongside our bed to her own room about a month ago and I'm happy to say that she's enjoying her new digs.
The room was always going to be painted grey; it's my favourite colour and is in keeping with the rest of the house. I went with Taubman's Grey Comfort and decided on white, pink and coral/tangerine accents.
The cot was on sale at Ikea a few months ago (don't think it's available anymore....) and I decided to 'hack' it after seeing this nursery. The fabric panels were made using Heather Bailey Lindy Leaf in Tangerine.
The bookshelf is also from Ikea. On it there are a few ornaments and practical items; bird house (Thingz), tree photo stand (Officeworks), framed birth announcement (Etsy), a lamp and white baskets (Ikea) filled with singlets and shoes and the 'H' I made by wrapping wool around the paper mache letter.(via Ohdeedoh) Mirrored bird cage which is above the cot is from Target.

The chest of drawers came with me from my parents' home 9 years ago.
Paper Lanterns (Gone Bizarre), change mat cover (Etsy), white rabbit and bamboo owl (Typo). Art work is from here, here, here and here.  Rug (Spotlight about 18 months ago). Growth chart (Target)

Bookcase and pink storage cubes (Ikea)
Glider (Ebay find for $30- I have some fur fabric protecting the re-covered cushions from my pukey baby. The glider isn't perfect, the arms get in the way while nursing and I have to sit on an angle but it's a lot more comfortable at 3am than sitting on the floor which I did with Michaela.
Cushion (Spotlight with a few vintage doilies stitched in place), lamp (mentioned here), LOVE print (here) and bamboo bird mobile (Typo)

Marimekko Fabrics

I love the use of fabric as wall art. I especially love the fact that it's an easy way to add colour into a room that can be updated from time to time with a minimum of fuss and expense.

I might be wrong but I think it was on Packed to the Rafters that I first saw the Marimekko Kaiku fabric. I would love to see it hanging in my dining room just like in this photo.

Online Reads

I look forward to my deliveries of Real Living each month, picking up Home Beautiful at the supermarket and snagging a free copy of Get Creative from Spotlight. I love the crisp pages and using coloured sticky notes to flag my pages of interest (yes, I'm a bit of a geek!) But having a good sit down with a magazine and a cup of tea these days is short lived. A toddler who always needs food, the potty or to be read a book and Miss H who nurses every 3 hours means my sticky notes rarely make an appearance. I can, however, prop the laptop next to me on the couch during feeds and check out one of my favourite online mags.

My Little Jedi - for lovely party ideas and supplies.

Adore Magazine for interior design

Inspired Ideas from the creative Amy at inspireco

Tiny and Little - Australian magazine celebrating all things precious.

Mollie Makes - handmade goodness

Tickle the Imagination - more handmade creations and ideas, market information and Australian small business links.

Fave Finds

Jane Hall (most recently from Neighbours fame) has created and released a range of bedlinen and cushions. The heart pillow is cute and teamed with the vintage yellow bedhead and pink componibili...gorgeous photo!

Salvation Jane

Cushion Temple

Ikat Wallpaper

I must have this quilt- it's so happy!

A little love

A quick visit to Kikki K and I have a new piece of 'art' for my front entry. (Sorry the lighting is pretty average.... :(