Not house (goodness, who'd buy it?!), but web address. Also changing: blog name, host, look and some of the content. You can read all about over there. If you've linked to me here, I'd love for you to update your links to thehappyhomeblog.com - if you still think it worthy of linking to of course! See you there (hopefully!)
Bxx
From the living room. I'm getting a light fitting put in over the dining table. I have a Tord Boontjie garland light fitting I was thinking of putting there but am worried it'll be too small - thoughts?
The view from the hallway.
Naughty naughty
Plates and random glass collection!
The sink, gooseneck tap and dishwasher - my true love! How did I put up with handwashing for sooooo many years?
Here are the holes the electrician cut in the wrong space. Steve patched them up today, but the eventual splashback will cover them anyway. Phew. But note to oven manufacturers: I'd happily pay an extra dollar or whatever it'd cost to put on vinyl stickers instead of those crap cheap ones that DON'T COME OFF. Gotta get some metho or something. Grr
I'm a fan of my new living room fan. I'm also a fan of the fact I can walk around this room again without tripping over a saucepan or slipping on sawdust! PS: That corner cabinet is usually home to linens and towels. This is until the wall cabinets go up in the kitchen. More on the kitchen tomorrow. PPS: I know I say this a lot, but apologies for crappy quality of images. Turns out, it's a crappy camera, not crappy photography. I know what I want for my birthday this year...
Share the love: give your pennies to the fire victims and use this as a card to remind your loved one how damn lucky you are to be able to see them, hold them, have them still in your life...
What I'm looking at right now. You should see the other side of the living room!
Am completely knackered, so not going to bore with all the details just yet, but let me update you in numbers and pictures...
Number of days without a kitchen: 8
Number of sandwiches eaten: 42
Number of arms incredibly sore from sanding and painting three times in one day: 2 (they would be mine)
Number of hiccups so far: 6
Most number of trips to the hardware store in one day: 6
Number of cabinets in place: 5
Number of cabinets to still be put into place: 10
Number of taps working: 0
Number of appliances working: 0
Number of holes in the wrong place the electician cut into the wall that was already sanded and painted? 2
Number of flies killed because the doors were open all day every day: 723. Wait. 724
Number of times we've fallen onto our butts because the floor is so damn slippery from all the swept up sawdust? Me: 2; Steve: 1; Z: 4
Number of days before my dad can come back and finish putting the kitchen in: 12 :(
Number of hours before we can get water and power on in the kitchen: oh god please let it be no more than 15!
Day 1: Looking better already!
The mouse's house (left) and grass growing inside the wall!!
Several floorboards had to be replaced. We nearly had this gaping hole overnight, but luckily the new floor was put in on time.
Day 2: Electrical and plumbing work
Day 5: new walls in and plastered and lights installed
Day 6: dad and his little helper putting together the cabinets. Funnily enough, that plastic hammer worked: teh nails actually went in!
Day 7: Pantry done. The other cabinets on that wall are not flush with the wall yet. Dad needs to come back and put the benchtop on. Am hoping the electrician can connect the oven and cooktop tomorrow. I'm tired of sandwiches and takeaway!
My temporary benchtop!! These are the offcuts from the other side's bench and the cut out from the sink hole!
And just because I don't have enough things in my life to keep me busy (!) I signed up to Twitter last week and actually spent longer than two minutes on it tonight working it out. I think I've got it. Here is where I'll be sending all those little quirks, annoyances or snippets of news too minor or time-consuming to blog about. And much excitement is the fact I can SMS the updates and they'll appear magically on my Twitter profile. How genius. Not sure how long I'll follow this fad (am really good at losing interest in things - Facebook? I only get on to look at friends photos now!), but for now, you can follow me at twitter.com/belindagraham
The missing door: poor bugga nearly made it. Was hanging on by one tiny nail. But Steve kept forgetting its state and it fell on his foot one time too many and spent its last few days beside the fridge.
It might well have been. But unfortunately it can't claim this distinguished title because it NO LONGER EXISTS!!!! It's sitting all partly smashed up on my front sandpit (what pathetic grass we had has been fried in the heat). And it's never looked better. Even Z is glad to be rid of the "kitchen mess" as he calls it. Gee, do you wonder why I never posted pics of this room? I'm completely embarassed to show this, but seeing that it's all in the past, let's have a laugh, shall we? Yes, I've put up with this for five years. My medal better be in the mail...
A few incredibly exciting facts:
* I painted the doors white when we moved in because I couldn't imagine living with green doors for any amount of time. I did such a crap job, I was wishing for the green to come back.
* The previous owner's son thought himself a handyman. He wasn't. He installed the taps himself did such a bang-up job they didn't work properly. They were replaced numerous times and ground back and had lots of work but no makeover could save the cold one which exploded one day. I'm so used to using warm/hot water for everything I rarely turn the cold water tap on in the bathroom. He also cut a hole too big for the tap nozzle and didn't bother doing anything about it. My non-handyman husband figured expanding filler would do the trick temporarily. It sealed the hole, but, well, look at it! Ugh.
* The tiles are on big sheets of some asbestos-ridden material and weren't the same depth as the rest of the wall, so there was a weird uneven gap no one ever bothered fixing. I don't remember how the piece of wood make its way there but there it is!
Hmm, what's sadder? The contact-covered sheets? The mssing door? The paper towel stuffing the hole where the cold water tap used to be? The lovely aged yellow stains or the fish plug that for some INSANE reason I never replaced??????
One of the delightful tile prints I could admire while cooking. They clearly shopped at the Ugly Tile Shop - same place they got the sunflower tiles that were in my old bathroom!
And another one - I guess they just couldn't decide between the two beauties and chose both...
On a happier note, I did wonder if I was utilising the space enough with the new design. Would I fit everything in? Considering I was ruthless and thew out half the contents of the kitchen cupboards as well, I have a feeling I'll be just fine. Aside from another bag out of sight, this is all I have! I sense a shopping spree coming on!
I started building the cupboards so I had something to store it in. Four packages down, 48 to go...
So I was feeling the pressure with all your "can't wait to see the new kitchen" comments. But I guess, looking at this, anything is going to be a huge improvement isn't it?
Oh the memories....
It's finally happening, people. THIS WEEK. Am so very excited. Builder starts on Wednesday to start ripping out the old one. This is how it looked the first week we moved in. We had all our stuff crammed in the bedrooms and former garage while we attacked the walls removing all the lovely mismatched wood panelling and scraping all the CRAP some genius thought would look great sprayed on the ceiling. There it is all over the floor, which is shame because it's hiding the delightful multi-coloured, animal-hair-covered carpet, which was actually better than what we discovered under the carpet... Once I've finished emptying the kitchen I'll take another pic of how it looks today. I'm afraid to say, it's actually worse: one of the doors recently fell off, the cold tap is no more and we changed the wall cabinet handles over years ago but never bothered to patch up the marks left from the old ones because "we're doing the kitchen soon..."
So soon has arrived. I'm going to start the new blog to coincide with this reno. I've called it The Happy Home because that's what it'll be with a new kitchen. Hopefully. So I'll redirect you when it's time - so far I've been blindly finding my way around Wordpress. Doesn't help that when I finally work something out my computer crashes and I have to start all over again. Am a little over technology... Have a good week. x
After buying some stationery from Little Brown Pen last year, I begged them to design something our readers could download for free on the website - they graciously agreed, despite my continuous annoying emails. And now you can download a bright and cheery pinwheel garden stationery set right here. And of course there are a gazillion more gorgeous designs to choose from at their Etsy store, like the dandelions we featured in the March issue (pictured. No image of the pinwheel garden, sorry - looooong story, but it's adorable!). And if you're after a unique Valentine's Day card, look no further than their very cool range. So big, big thanks to Evan and Nichole who have just moved to PARIS. Lucky things.
...high-five this...
Good old Bonds have answered my prayers and designed an organic line. It was only a matter of time, of course, but how cute are these leggings?? I think Miss L might be getting a pair in every colour... Cute tops available too - perfect for upcoming winter, which is ridiculous to even contemplate when the weather forecast for the week starts with a 4 most days... Available from Baby's Got Style
Next time you make spaghetti (so, possibly sometime this week, right?!) add about two thirds a cup of tomato sauce to the bolognese mix and a teaspoon of sugar. I use this instead of tomato paste for a slightly runnier, sweeter taste. It's YUMMO and makes my homemade lasagne extra awesome as well.
...buy this...
I realise school has started back already, but if you hadn't got around to all that labelling of the lunchboxes and school bags and books and clothes, go to Bright Star Kids! My friend Lou told me about these the other day and while I'd heard about them I didn't realise they also did wall decals, clothing labels, kitchen labels, bin labels - labels for everything! Lots of yummy colours and too-cute designs to choose from.
...meet this...
Ever seen ecostore in Woollies? I first noticed them while looking to try a new washing powder (my son has eczmea and so everything is a drama!). Then I noticed they did soaps as well and one sniff and I was in love. Seriously the yummiest soap I've ever smelt is their Lemongrass one. Coconut comes a close second... But aside from the delicious smell, they're good for you - no scary ingredients, artificial colours, preservatives or perfumes make them great for sensitive skin. Z loves to open the cupboard and take a big whiff! They've also got a great baby range - I tried the body wash and NO reaction! It's the only one he hasn't had a reaction to and he is a different boy since using their washing powder - eczmea has barely made an appearance, even with the crazy hot weather. I'm hooked. Check out the full range of their products (shampoos, cleansers etc) as well as where you can buy near you (they sell internationally too) on their website.
March 2009: it's all about pattern on pattern on the cover
I know what you're thinking: it's still January and the March issue is hitting shelves on Monday? Ker-azy! Good for you readers who get another issue filled with goodies, but horrid for those working on it who had to work over Christmas to get it to the printers on time. Hopefully the April issue is a longer deadline... Here are a few pages to take you into the weekend. A little bit teasy, isn't it? Unless of course you subscribed - my mother-in-law got hers on Tuesday!
Tie-dye is, erm, leaving its mark on homewares
Office spaces you'll want to work in
Small-space tricks and plenty of eye candy
I'll have this cut and colour please. Christy images from Elle magazine via here
Practically twins! That's me on the left (ha!). Side note: if you're ever feeling too good about yourself, place a pic of yourself next to a supermodel. It's guaranteed to knock your self-esteem down a few notches!
But happily, it's not a total disaster and I love it. More and more every time I look in the mirror. I even want to go darker! There is a (small) point to me posting a pic of me and my hair. I did it for work. The beauty feature in the March issue (out Monday) is all about beauty sceptics. I wondered what I'd do on the web to relate back to it, so figured I'd write about my own little makeover. So, can you guess what I was sceptical about? And what is a little unusual about the process?
A side view. Never had hair this short before. Or dark. Feel like a whole other person! Z even told me "cool hair mummy". He's hilarious.
It was soooo hot today, this was pretty much liquid after the photo was taken.
Can't forget the babies. Miss L is starting to teeth and is chomping down on anything and everything. The ice ring teethers are good, but this is even better: I pop an ice cube (or two) into this mesh feeder, smash it up with a heavy spoon and let her at it. She gets to suck and bite on the ice and actually get a result, something the teethers don't do. But boy you should see the tantrums when the ice runs out! These are also great for messy fruits like mango and banana. Oh and a tip on ice. I've found out (by accident - we have no cold water tap in the kitchen at the moment. It's literally falling apart, hence the need to get on with the reno!) that by freezing warm water, it breaks up itself into nice little bits when you crack it out of the ice tray. Good for little kids who like to eat ice as a snack (or is that just my children who do that?)
Chalkboard paint rules. Really want to find plastic cookie jars like the ones on the bench. Anyone?
I was returning a book I'd bought my husband that he already owned (note to self: check bookshelf before buying classics) and instead of buying him something else he hadn't actually read before, I spotted this book and bought it instead. Most of the rooms aren't my taste at all, but I did like the way it was written and that the ideas are all doable. And if you just put your creativeness to good use, you can adapt the projects and ideas to suit your own style. Here are a few fave pages and ideas to steal from them...
Love this playroom: the table was a regular sized table but the legs had been chopped off so it's now child-sized.
I'm desperately seeking library-style book racks like the one next to this bed to pop at the end of my new kitchen bench (which is still in a box in my bedroom...) for the kids play spot I plan to create. Might need to get them built. Or maybe adapt a good-sized spice rack, perhaps!
Nice wall graphics (on right) and to the left is the back of a home office area that incorporates the kids and keeps them busy while you're working. Can't see any ideas to stop tiny children from demanding the "bunnies" (Sony Bravia playdoh bunnies commercial) on Youtube every time they see my laptop open. Damn. And damn me for introducing Z to Youtube.
Cute little crafty zone. Reminds me of my mum's preschool. The pegs and corkboard double as a drying rack and art display. And does anyone use wooden pegs to hang up clothes anymore?
This room I loved. World map murals look great in kids rooms. You can get one here from The Map Shop. And you can get similar box shelves from Big W. Yes, Big W! I think it's about $20 for three-different sized cubes for memory.
Sweet ways to display the plethora of books kids accumulate.
Shared rooms. Cute pic of the kids on the floor. Reminds me of when my sisters and I used to bunk together with our same-striped bedspreads mum made in our chosen colours. Mine was always lilac, Kristie was yellow and Gretchen was of course pink.
This lovely lady is called the Molly bag and is, like all her Louenhide sisters, going for 50% off at Real Shopping until January 29. Also, must check out pretty new cushions - might need to put the Paris one on my wishlist... And don't forget: free delivery for any purchase from this site.
...eat this...
Yes, even if you don't know children, Rafferty's Garden Apple, Pear + Cinanamon puree should be put into your shopping basket next time you get to the supermarket. Because if you heat it up a little bit and squirt it over a bowl of ice cream, you just might experience heaven. Also good without ice cream. My sister is a pilot and takes these with her so she has yummy healthy snacks at all times (cause we all know how good airline food is!). I'd love to see her co-worker's faces though when she whips out a pouch of baby food! Speaking of baby, no added anything and just what it says in the title also makes it good for the littlest ones. Miss L gobbles these down regularly. Oh, the site has great baby recipes too.
...join this...
Design, make, sell, buy, write about or do anything else that involves kids or kid's products? Join this brilliant online community - Skout - for all kinds of advice, friendship and networking. It's a great way to get your stuff known globally or just pick the brain of like-minded people.
...read this...
I had a flick through Oliver Heath's new book Urban Eco Chic on Saturday and was thisclose to buying it. Only reason I didn't was because I was looking for something specific and had to save my pennies in case the next book shop had it (it didn't, but anyway... ). But it did look lovely - lots of great pics and a heap of info on living a stylish, but greener, life. So I had to check out if he had a website - of course he does! Some lovely pics and info on his site and blog.
I tried to get Z zooming it around, but he's not a very pilot. Oh wait - astronaut, right?
Penguin Classics had a huge success with its orange, black and white covers this year. (They even let you design your own cover. How very cool.) But wouldn't you rather see the classics looking like this? Image via The Names Agency
This idea is possibly only for people with lots and lots of time on their hands, but I do love it so. I have a thing about paperback books. Of course I buy them because you're not exactly going to get The Devil Wears Prada in a hard cover coffee-table style are you? But I don't like how they look: all weird colours and slightly different sizes and widths. Brown craft paper is a popular recovering option, but I love this one the most. If I had a spare three years to recover each and every novel, travel guide and dictionary with pretty paper and uniformed custom-made book labels, I so would.
Even though it's a highly impractical idea for your entire book collection (unless yours is, like, seven), it would work well to hide the really butt-ugly spines or hardcover books you'd like to use to bulk up your coffe-table display but just aren't pretty enough. Or just with a small collection you'd like to pop on a display shelf or buffet top.
But I could especially see it working as a gift. Say you bought your sister all of Candace Bushnell or Jodi Picoult's books as a collection - how much would she love unwrapping it and seeing the books looking like this? The hardest part would be getting the spine labels the right widths, but you could always cheat and do it the other way, in which case you'd have more room to work with. Oh and did I mention it'd be a GREAT thing to do with leftover wallpaper? Because it would. And I don't often mention wallpaper, do I??? Ha!
Lovely Brooke is slaving away for me on a new blog header - yay!
I can just see L all dressed up in her pretty yellow frock rocking away in here clutching a doll or some sort and sipping a pretend cup of tea. Cu-ute!
It's true. Soon, they will out-number adult-sized chairs. At the moment, we have 8: a Stokke Tripp Trapp (with another one to come soonish), two wooden Ikea ones that came with a mini table, a child-sized green suede armchair, a little wooden antique chair painted turquoise, a purple Bumbo, a black bouncer and now this little wooden rocking chair - my fave! I just need a baby-sized Cape Cod chair to match my own one and I'll be happy. Oh and maybe a tiny Eames rocker - anyone know if they exist?
But back to this little rocker. I'd just spent a few thousand at Harvey Norman on kitchen appliances when I decided to pop into a cute little baby store around the corner from it. This was the first thing I saw. I ooohed and ahhed, but decided I couldn't really hide it (as, um, I often do with some purchases. Then when the hubby finally gets around to noticing it I can say "had it for aaaaaaaaaaages". Naughty.) and told the lady so. But then she knocked off a huge chunk of the price and I practically robbed her at $60. How could I say no? Especially when you compare it the last purchase's receipt! The store is a must-see if you're on or near the central coast - it's called Blossom Bubbas (ph: 02 4367 6900) and stocks a beautiful collection of children's decor, clothing and gifts, including Oobi Baby and Lilly & Lolly as well as local crafties who've started their own lines and are just adorable like Four Little Cupcakes and Little Buddha.
And just because little baby wardrobes are too cute, here is the contents of L's. She likes to shop at Country Road, Pure Baby, Oobi Baby, Cotton On Kids and Pumpkin Patch. Well, her mum and aunties do anyway. The little yellow cardigan was made by my Nana. I "bagsed it" years before I even fell pregnant the first time with Z!
The chair has since moved into the already-overflowing-with-chairs living room because from lunchtime yesterday, this same space now looks like this:
My new kitchen - you like?
Oh yes, my kitchen cabinets, benchtop, sink and tap arrived. Fifty two boxes. The poor guys couldn't fit the truck through the gates so had to park in the street and walk alllll the way down the driveway, and then along the obstacle course of a deck into our bedroom where they're being stored until it's ready to go (hopefully a couple of weeks only). And it was HOT. So anyway, there were two young, hot sweaty men in my bedroom for a while yesterday. How horrid for me!
The aftermath: not too bad for a two-year-old!
My latest blog obsession is Inchmark by a former Martha Stewart Weddings and Kids graphic designer. Everything is beautiful, the ideas are unique and you can tell special thought and love go into everything she creates. If there is such a thing as a blogger crush, Brooke Reynolds is mine at the moment! I'm going to steal this idea (above) to make door plaques for my kids' room.
...download this...
It's fab! It's funny! It's free! The ever-popular Stay Calm and Carry On poster has been spoofed and shrunk into a greeting card. Download it here from Creature Comforts and print onto card. Or you could probably even print out on A4 size card and frame as normal.
...cook this...
Make these yummy blueberry muffins now in time for your 4pm sugar hit. And if you do all that mixing by hand, the exercise will cancel out the bad stuff you consume!
...try this...
This pretty light started out as an odd little froggie lamp from Ikea's children section, can you believe it? Nicole from Making it Lovely shows you here how to glam it up easily. Oh look! Another use for wallpaper. Is there anything it can't do?
...enter this...
Blog in desperate need of someone to wave their magic wand over it? Leave a comment on this post at Oh Brooke and you could be lucky enough to win a blog redesign by the author/clever creative designer. You have until today (Monday, Jan 12) but luckily, we're ahead of the States, so even if you don't read this until Tuesday morning, it'll still be Monday over there! Tricky! Great blog too with all sorts of handy decorating tips and tricks.
How I spent my holidays: lazing around home chilling out. Only not quite so glamourously... Maybe next summer when I get a daybed! Image via The Names Agency
Love the nursery - my collection of driftwood was (previous post) to make a mobile but seeing as I left it on the beach I'm sure it's drifted back off to sea!
The Jan/Feb cover: my new fave!
Hope everyone had a lovely Chrissy and that you were all spoilt rotten. Am still on a break but had to pop on to let you know the Jan/Feb issue is out now and show off a few pages. Aren't they lovely?
Decorating with driftwood. I actually starting collecting pieces today down the road to possibly do one of these projects. But they're still sitting on the sand because I forgot about them!
Shopping for your bedroom: 3 looks
Folktastic! For a huge shopping guide for all things folk, go here
How to find your own style - from moodboard to room
And of course this means that the site has also changed so head to http://www.reallivingmag.com.au/ for great links, projects like how to make a giftwrap bedhead, a folk shopping guide, beach beauty, yummy summer recipes and a refreshing fruity margarita and a real reader's nursery makeover. Also, there is a free carpet bag pattern download that Amy Butler herself raved about while in Oz in November and an entry form for the British Paints competition where you could win one of five $1000 paint packs. Phew.
Style my... outdoor chill-out space. This was fun: I love, love the range of outdoor fabrics I found (7) and that beautiful recycled plastic rug (3). I have one of these chairs (2), footstool (6) and chimes(4), so I guess I was a little influenced by my own outdoor chill-out zone! And the tyre tub is on my to-buy list to stash the multitude of bats and balls and outdoor toys Zak keeps accumulating! Go here to find out where to buy all these items.
These last couple of months I've started a "style my..." section where I've had fun putting together little collections for a room. Last month I did style your party table; this month it's style your outdoor chill-out space. Ideally I'd love this space to be budget-friendly so I'm thinking things like "style my living room for less than $2000" just for the challenge. Is there anything you'd love me to try? A particular room? Colourway? Theme? Budget? Let me know!
Isn't this adorable? From Brenda Leann's Flickr
Yay! Blog awards for me!
Before I go... I was awarded two "Love your blog" awards recently - one by Jo Girl and the other from Ish & Chi, so big thanks for those! I'm meant to pass it on to six bloggers I happen to love, but I'm going to do it a little differently. Instead, I thought I'd hand out some virtual Chrissy gifts to my most regular haunts. I've come across a gazillion brilliant blogs this year and check out dozens every week, but there are a handful in my daily rotation - most of which I'm sure you also regularly check out. So here are the women who've inspired me, entertained me, made me laugh, taught me things, become my blogging friends or just kept me in touch with what's happening outside of the design world- and a few things I thought each blogger would like to receive. Of course, it'd be much nicer to receive them for real, but... it's the thought that counts, right?!
Merry Christmas... Holly Becker of Decor8 and Haus Maus
Holly's Decor8 inspired me to blog regularly. She packs it with so many inspiring images, thoughts and information every single day and is so nice and sweet on top of it! Then she went and started up a second blog documenting the decoration of her German apartment and she's put me to shame. In just a few months she's achieved more than I have in five years! But I love her eclectic style and eye from what I've seen in both her homes. It's been fun following her journey, during which I've discovered she has a thing for owls. So here is a lovely Letterpressed owl print from Bespoke Press (whose store has just opened and who has a great blog too, check it out!)
Merry Christmas... Danielle of Danimezza
Danielle was my very first commenter and huge supporter of this blog from the beginning. From her incredibly interesting career choices to her love for her hubby to her battle with that horrid "I" word mums-wanting-to-be shudder at the thought of (and of which I can relate) to her dinner party table settings, she writes about everything and anything in her life - a true blogger I'd say! I know she collects turquoise glass and you just can't beat a Dinosaur Designs turquoise vase, so this one is for her!
Until 2009, have a fab, fun, safe and happy silly season.
Belinda x
