Show and Tell - The Budget Black and White Bedroom

 

Ok so not quite finished but since its actually all going to be coming together this weekend I am so excited to show you what I have brought ... things are looking up up up and I haven't been this excited about finishing something since .... forever.

So in order to prove just how big my saving are I actually took a picture of one of my bigger bargains. A lovely chest of drawers at 50% off. Although lovely this stuff is just too expensive for the area and since no one is buying they are discontinuing this line.

Lucky for me I picked up not only the drawers but a book case all for a song!

I also found a chair that had been special ordered in a specific fabric only to have the woman cancel the order because it was to big for the space. Cue Little Miss V .... jumping in to save the day. I will take it off your hands at a bargain price because obviously you don't want it taking up space in your showroom.

Onto other bargains the bed I managed to do very cheaply - a cheap-ish plain white quilt, good quality sheets on sale and then an expensive throw at the end and I think its looking pretty damn swish.

Finally I put together my frames yesterday including some of my very own photographs and I am so happy with the outcome, cards, pages from an old calendar and my pics .... plus some textured paper and I'm thinking its going to come together so very nicely.

God I cant wait till Tuesday to show you the hopefully finished product.

Black and White Photo Wall

So the design on a budget continues with a series of images I have either taken myself or found and purchased.

Lets start with these fence post pics I found at ikea .... so so soft and pretty and yet the repetative details just make them so very interesting.

Next its a photo I found on Etsy .... there are so many photographers advertising on Etsy its so easy to find something fabulous ... I cant help but love this print .... heaven.

Now for my photo's, going through my millions of travel photo's I found two which kind of fit what im trying to do on this wall ... simple pictures that just seem to draw you in ... what do you think?

So im still working on filling my wall but obviously this is a good starting point - my next stop is the card department at the new agent ... nots of lovely cards with black and white vogue images .... and also maybe a lovely patterned wrapping paper??? Getting there slowly and still managing cheaply.

Bedroom Bargains Continue

The one "expensive" item I wanted in my bargain bedroom was a black and white chandelier. I think it would just MAKE the space however I have to say ... I have managed to find one on SALE.

I cant get over just how excited I am at being able to find this item on SALE! Not just any sale but 20% off! That's a $60 saving - how cool is that.

So the light fixture is practically brought and things are moving forward when it comes to putting it all together .... I just cant tell you how excited  I am to show you this room complete!

God I hope it turns out as well as I am hoping .... but we shall see. Can the bargain hunting continue?

Cheaky Birthday Pics

Ha ha ha - my poor husband is going to kill me when he sees this but I just had to show you the most adorable photo of him I have ever seen.

For our 30th we are putting together a DVD photo montage and in the process of collecting these photo's I came across this one. Isnt he just the cutest little boy ever .... sorry honey but you really are!

Budget Challenge - Setting the Budget

I suppose in order for me to feel I am beating the challenge I have set the big question is .... what type of budget is reasonable for a bedroom. Bearing in mind I am starting with a completely blank slate - furniture, curtains, bedding, decorating and lighting .... so much to incorporate and I really am unsure just what type of a figure I am looking at ... however I am going to say somewhere underneath the $3,000 mark. Now although this may seem high I am still looking for good quality furniture pieces and a room that looks impressive. Normally just a set of drawers are going to be somewhere in the region of $1,200 and a light fixture around $500. I am looking at around $200 just for the quilt cover not to mention pillows, mattress topper, sheets and a quilt just the bedding would be very expensive. Curtains for my bedroom were around the $700 mark and while there is one less window im sure I would be looking at around $400. So overall I am thinking to finish a room totally I would normally try to budget around $4,500 - $5,000. It seems like such a lot as I write it but really, when you start adding things up its amazing how quickly the figure climbs.

So to start with let us hope I can stay under that .... actually let us hope I can stay WAY under that.

As for my progress so far right now I am now onto art work and in order to save money im going to take advantage of cheap black and white photo's I have either found or taken myself. If I go for an eclectic kind of mix im sure it will look interesting and hopefully give it an art gallery type of feel.

Also - I have been able to find plenty of black and white frames .... everything seems to be on sale right now

so im amazed at how cheap the items I really need are!

Overall I cant get over how much fun im having trying to stick to a budget - i will keep you updated with my progress but right now ... Im right on track!

Budgeting and Challenges

I don't know about you but every couple of years one of our new years resolutions is to pay down debt. It is a way of getting things paid off and giving us a bit more freedom to do what we want. This year our new years resolutions were rather interesting ... pay off dept AND finish the house.

How on earth is that possible you say .... I agree .... as I type this my heart is in my throat at the challenge. Pay off debt ... and finish a house.

So it makes you start to think .... what type of things do I buy that I can live without. Well if I get to the train station 10 minutes earlier than normal I can park in the free parking ... that works out to an extra $10 per week which is 2 coffees.

Obviously although brilliant and it certainly helps its not really going to cut it when it comes to the BIG savings. So I have set myself a challenge. Can I turn out guest bedroom into something fantastic ... on a budget?

That's right I am going to try and create the pretty, luxurious space full of black and white glamour I showed you last week .... on a budget.

So first off - get rid of the old pine furniture - SOLD via facebook for $400. This will help when it comes to my more luxurious pieces.

Second find a cheap but super comfortable bed on gumtree. Check $50. This was sitting in a couples guest bedroom, only randomly used and now they have a baby its just in the way.  I'm going for a basic mattress and base so I can spend a bit more on a super luxurious headboard. Also im going to make it more luxurious by adding a super soft pillow top mattress protector.

So the challenge is on and you will be hearing updates shortly

A Birthday Brilliance

So if there is one thing that I know its that my style is slightly eclectic.

A stuffed owl in the entry, vintage maps over my bed and a black pool. Imagine the pressure on my friends and family to buy me house presents that I will LOVE.

Well this year my mum hit the brief square on with these lovely vintage prints. I love how the frames aren't even square .... poor Mr V had major trouble hanging them with no clear lines to work off. I love how they are actually interesting .... they are even this funny concrete texture and I just adore them in this space.

The space is the laundry and I love how its speaking ... its an interesting room now, well the start of one but the pressure if there to team it up with some fabulous accessories and I'm even going to try and find some embroidered hand towels ... imagine if i could find them with insects he he he

So things are moving ... slowly but moving, the house is starting to make its personality known. For me this house screams Sir Julian Perlmutter from the Clive Cussler books.

A loud happy English gentleman who is passionate about food and naval history books. Perlmutter's library is said to be the world's largest archive of marine history. He is described as an intellectual with sharp mental acuity. Perlmutter's house also has a refrigerated food locker and a 4000-bottle wine cellar. Perlmutter is a gourmet cook, but also enjoys eating and drinking to excess and thus would qualify as a gourmand. Perhaps as a result, the six-foot-four inches tall Perlmutter weighs over 400 pounds. He is often described as wearing a paisley robe, and has a full beard and long, twisted mustache. "Fritz", his pet dachshund puppy, also enjoys gourmet food.

Obviously I understand this is a character out of a book and also a house is just a house but if my house was a person I think this would be him. Slightly eccentric, a broad range of passions and a dog called Fritz!

I can only hope that I actually capture this properly as I continue to develop my design.

Happy Wednesday everyone !!! Bring on the weekend.