Thursday, August 30, 2012

Back Splash Options

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A few options I am thinking about in regards to my back splash ...

Something patterned perhaps would be interesting since my kitchen with all the nice plain surfaces .... or perhaps something simple in a small mosaic texture.

So many options I really don't know where to begin.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Boring Stuff and a New Chair ... or Two!

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I deserted you yesterday for the boring stuff. Accountants, Finance peoples and banks. However with a few hours in between appointments we trawled the streets looking in furniture stores.

Guess what I found .... these amazing dining chairs. Now every time I find dining chairs I like I discover they are well outside my budget. These were no different with the price ticket a whopping $690 per chair. Ok so yes, I have expensive taste but even I would not pay that much for chairs ... its just not in my budget. Devastated I slowly stepped away from the chair only to be told by the owner that there were only 8 left and he really wanted to get rid of them ... they took up room and they were not selling. Anyway, minutes later and 60% off I am now the owner of 8 beautiful dining chairs at the budget price of $270.

Im not going to lie its still expensive but look at these chairs and tell me your not as desperately in love with them as I am.

However it does make things interesting because the table holds 4 on the sides and one at each end. I am now on the look out for an amazing carver chair I can do up in some amazing fabric to compliment what I already have.

YAY - Buy of the week for Miss V. I love a good bargain and one this pretty just makes my heart sing.

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Monday, August 27, 2012

Grey and Mustard Master Bedroom

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My apologies for not being available yesterday, I actually spent my fun filled weekend digging the pool and couldn't lift my arms high enough to reach the key board without causing myself large amounts of pain and anguish. 

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So today instead of giving you pool update photo's which consist of dirt and brown I thought I would treat you to something particularly pretty. 

My master bedroom is almost complete with the arrival of my amazing mustard colour chair and beautiful new mirror and I thought I might show you an update. 

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I have to admit I am in love with my first almost finished room. Its pretty and soft and calming and the pop of colour in the corner really does make the space. 

For me this is my little bit of heaven and I couldn't be prouder of what I have achieved.

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Obviously I still need blinds for the dressing and bathrooms and my two amazing chandeliers but other than that ... done! 

One space down ... god knows how many more to go!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

My Husband ... Superman

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Warning to all ... today I'm going to get all mushy and besotted. My husband is amazing. 

Digging out the pool is one of those mammoth jobs you would actually feel sick at the idea of starting. Not only has my hubby started but he is working his ass off  and I couldn't be more amazed at his dedication to getting it done!

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Obviously sarcasm is more my style but I honest think I am one of the luckiest girls in town to have someone like him .... and frankly .... I'm a very happy wife!

So now for an update on the pool .... its starting to look great. I truly cant get over how the whole hallway seems to float prettily now that there is some depth in the picture. I really cant wait for water .... it just looks so so good.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Old Fashioned Details

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Every once in a while I tend to find myself absolutely besotted with a house. 

There is one house I have been watching ever so enviously during a series of renovations they have been doing and now its nearly complete I have one thing to say ....

I WANT IT! I WANT IT AND I WANT IT NOW!

Poor hubby, I do feel for him but seriously, this house has it all and I feel I would appreciate it much more than the poor owner who has put the last year into it he he he, I realise I am being a child .... picture me stomping my foot in frustration that its not mine!

The details they have managed not only to keep but emphasise, are amazing and although my house is fairly modern I must say, the old fashioned details of this house make me green with envy. 

The lovely matt black cladding and heavenly white trim make my heart soar .... the roof line is a thing of beauty and the verandah is deep and cool and a place I would be happy to sit and drink coffee on a daily basis.

These pictures are not great but I was trying to hide my stalker like tendencies behind dark glasses.

What do you think ... does this heavenly house do it for you?

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Wallpaper Blues .... I Mean Blue!

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I don't know if its my frame of mind at the moment but I seem to be drawn to calm cool blue tones. They  reflect a sense of peace and relaxed quiet I am desperately trying to capture in my house. 

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Obviously these would look even better in an all white minimalist pad overlooking a crystal blue ocean but maybe this is a way to include some of that relaxed calm into every house?

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I honestly don't think I have enough walls in my house because I am desperate to use all of them in some way or another ... he he he

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The source of my calming inspiration ... this amazing website Wallpaper Direct (here) ... so many good idea's I am sure you will be hearing about them again. 

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Monday, August 20, 2012

RSPCA Animal Cupcakes

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The day arrived for me to actually let my cupcakes come out of the closet. Obviously as this is only the third time I have ever made cupcakes I was slightly nervous on how they were going to turn out.

Now let me tell you how they were .... in one word .... brilliant. They were cute, moist and tasted heavenly. Every one of them was eaten and photo's were even taken of them.


I am officially a cupcake cook. All the practice and worrying was for nothing ... I'm awesome. Ok maybe not but I feel pretty damn good at the moment!


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Thursday, August 16, 2012

Black and White Wall Mural

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Now the fun starts .... in this instance it its my wall mural. 

Our lovely dark smoky blue walls were specifically chosen to compliment the most amazing idea I have ever had. Oh yes, this was an exciting moment for both of us. We are going to be using a full wall black and white mural we just love.

Its going to sit on the wall behind my couch (sorry, only half the couch has been delivered so far) and hopefully really make a stand out statement for us.

I'm actually really excited about this design element and cant wait to get it started. We met with the printer last night who went through the options with us and now we are just waiting for them to analyse the image and hopefully tell us its of a good enough quality to use as we wanted.

Fingers and toes crossed it passes the test!

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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A Task and A Half...

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There comes a moment when you realise things could have been done differently. For us the pool and wall combination is one of those times.

We didn't have too much of a choice, our neighbours gave us a very limited time frame for putting up the wall, even going so far as to say they were going to put up a fence it we didn't "hop to it!"

So throwing out our order of priority we had to build the wall before getting the pool dug out. Now because our block is extremely narrow and the only access point is now a single door - this means we have to hand dig out of pool. Such a mammoth task ... such a huge job we are still trying to wrap our heads around it.

I must say because I work full time (he hehe) my husband is being left with the hand digging and I actually feel bad for him. 

Please wish us luck, it should only take us the next month of digging!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Pure Joy Comes in the Form of an FJ Toyota

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Sometimes you see someone truly happy. Its almost like watching kids Christmas Eve. The excitement is palpable and you cant help but smile as you watch them bounce up and down.

Yesterday my dad was going through the same thing. See he was replacing his car. A car he has kept for over 20 years and yesterday he was upgrading. Not only was he upgrading he was replacing it with something that truly made him happy. So happy he kept rubbing his hands together and bouncing on his seat on the long drive up to the car yard.

Personally for me it feels wrong to like this car, and yet after driving it (although it was very tank like) I have to say I can see why he loves it. Everything is big and simple and made to last .... hopefully another 20 years.  Oh and the thing that sold it for him .... it has 3 windscreen wipers .... for those time when two just isn't enough!


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Monday, August 13, 2012

The Lines of a Chair

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I have a thing about seating .... occasional seating, lounges and amazing day beds really gets my creative juices flowing. Unfortunately there seems to be a dire shortage of reasonably priced options that just have the curves and profile I love. 

The big question I seem to be asking myself is .... does the line of a chair affect the outcome of a room. Can you just use a run of the mill, modern style of armchair / couch and still achieve the same look as with one of these little beauties??? What do you think? 
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Sunday, August 12, 2012

Bold Black Pool

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On the weekend we finally went and met with the pool people to finalise the colours / options for our pool. The plan is for the pool to be completed end of September but we wanted to look into final costs etc.

In our heads we wanted something unusual and the idea of a black pool just seemed so perfect for the look we are going for we had to do it. Its actually surprising how many different black options you do have and in the end we narrowed it down to 2. One of them was a smooth pearl black coating that was almost matt in colour with a bit of sparkle. It felt natural and soft with just the right amount of wow. 

Everything was going smoothly until the pool company pulled out the other options ... you can actually get a pebble-crete now which isn't actually pebbles but shiny semi precious stones that just look cool. The problem for us is as much as we loved it it just seemed a little bit to "Versace" for the look we had in our head before we arrived.

It took a bit of discussion before we decided on the lovely matt colour because when you are in the show room there are so many pretty shiny things its natural to want them, my eyes lit up and I just wanted everything sparkly and over the top!

Lucky for me hubby saw the bigger pictures and pulled me back from the shiny edge saving us from making a big design mistake. 

Moral of the story, stick with the vision in your head and try to avoid the attraction to pretty shiny things!

OPTION BLING!

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OPTION NATURAL...

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

TV Personality Obsession

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So we all have one .... a love affair with a TV show but my little obsession has everything to do with the house. Hubby actually lets me watch it every night because it helps him fall asleep. 

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What am I talking about .... Sarah's house, Sara's Design Inc and Sarah 101. Overall I am just totally obsessed with Sarah ... and Tommy! Oh yes I desperately want my own little Tommy to help me decorate with!

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Her style is what I am desperately trying to achieve with a bit more of an Australian take .... and her method is just so easy .... you start with a jumping off point (oh yes I have the lingo down!) and then work through it from there. Does anyone else watch this show? Its soft and interesting and not at all restrained .... its a happy style, every room has a mood. The yellow room makes me smile, the blue room down the bottom feels elegant and grown up and I think you would automatically lower your voice when you enter. The green room at the top is pure heaven, can you even imagine having a dinner party here??? 

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My best friend admitted during a very drunken Sunday afternoon champagne tea that she adores Martha Stuart! So my question is .....

Who are you obsessed with?

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Wall Candy

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There is a certain amount of satisfaction to be had when actually getting things hung on walls. Obviously when you move into a new house wall candy is not a priority but for me things are starting to move forward and I actually have a few items handing proudly around my house.

This is an railway clock and to be honest I have been dying to see it handing at the bottom of my staircase!

So heavenly, so pretty and so .... up!

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