Homemade Faux Mantel

After seeing a mantel someone had made out of cardboard boxes on Pinterest (just like every other man and his dog) , I just knew I wanted to try it ! 

Its one of my biggest 'dream house' goals in life, to have our own fire place with white wooden mantel. Perfect for seasonal decorating and especially hanging your Christmas stockings off! I figure you have to have these dreams when you live in a dust bowl town, living in company paid rentals. 

Anyway, I finished this in late November, and really should have shared it early but its Christmas and busy and you get the drift. 

I am an extremely inpatient person. This had to be finished within a day or 2 of starting the project , even if it killed me. I didn't have any boxes that matched in sizes , so I just made them myself ( using cardboard boxes, I cut panels the same size and taped into a box shape.) 

I then wrapped them all in brown paper and taped together to form the mantle shape. 

If completing this project, I would definitely advise in covering the middle section so you can't see the wall through it. It makes it much more realistic looking. 

So this is what was left when it was all covered and assembled. Yes, that paper section on the left really does my head in , so I would have made that panel go right to the bottom so you couldn't see the join. 

I freehand drew some flames at the bottom of the back board then painted the rest black. 

I then made a brick template (seriously just a piece of cardboard in the shape I wanted) and traced a rough pattern onto the paper. 

And then you paint. And paint. And paint! Our brick colour is a mixture of brown and red and I left the 'grout' all bare for now. 

This is what it looked like before the grey grout was painted inbetween the bricks. 

I wouldn't be too fazed when painting the bricks because if they are a little rough around the edges, you cover those up with the grout paint anyway (unless you leave the grout bare and use the paper as the colour )

Then the flames had to be done. Now let me say , I am NO artist!! Those genes were seriously all given to my sister in abundance and nothing left for me! haha

HOWEVER, flames are random and rough and thats me to a tee!!

Red , orange and yellow paint was used and I am pretty happy with the result!

Once the bricks were semi dry (basically just after I had painted all the grout , a few episodes of Gossip Girl on the TV behind me helped to entertain while I painted!!), I used a sponge and tissue in some black paint and dabbed and wiped on the bricks to create a textured look. They look much more realistic after that! 

Then ........

Ta - da!!

And all dressed up!! 

And we just LOVE it!! Ideally it would be lovely next to the tree , but given our tree is MASSIVE and we don't have much room in our living area, this had to do. Its perfect though as people see it when they walk in the front door . 

I love the festive cheer it adds to our living room . I actually love it so much, I would consider leaving it there indefinitely!! 

Another Pinterest win! You've got to love Pinterest, clever people sharing their creations . 

MORE storage!! Yep, MORE!

I am in a bit of a show and tell , catch up sorta mood this week, can you tell?!

I finally remember/got the chance to take photos of our different changes , so you are getting the overload.

My bad.

Promise I will blog about something else soon, or if you want a blog about something, just ask!

So... we had this really odd space in our living room/dining area that was just bare. Which is fine, but when a friend was selling 2 of these Billy bookshelves (you just buy the doors to go on them), I took the opportunity and bought them.
They are small enough, shallow enough yet simple enough to fit under the bench, and fill an otherwise unused space , to store "stuff".

I know I said I hate stuff, but there are some stuff that you just have to have! And making it less of a burden and eyesore is my new aim!

Right, so we had the 2 cabinets with glass doors already, and have just added the middle one with the solid doors. We measured the area and realised that another one would fit with Centremetres to spare, so perfectly. I have plans to line the glass doors with pretty rice paper or something, so I will continue, ever so casually , on my search for the perfect thing.

We have recently replaced the door knobs (but are yet to put the centre ones on) and these are also from Ikea. (Yes, I may well be addicted!!)

And here is what they hold in our house;

The left hand cabinet is our bookshelf, I only keep special ones, or books that I know I will use as a reference again.

The centre cabinet , behind the solid doors holds my frequently used stationary, files, paperwork, favourite magazines (that I am yet to put in a box and label) and some catalogs for a fundraiser I am conducting. The bottom shelf has boxes, each labelled and also holding stationary. Staplers, paper clips, envelopes, that sort of thing.

And the cabinet to the right is for glassware and precious things. Vases, wine glasses etc.
Husband to the rear is at the sink, beautiful man he is!!
Oh and the basket on the right is for hats for the kids. Now that we are having some warm days, I like them to be near the back door for outside play!

 And thats it, pretty simple, pretty cheap , but all in the name of storage! Who doesn't love it?!

Liatorp Love

Before I go any further, I am not getting paid by Ikea to endorse their products. I WISH!! But I definately have placed quite a few orders with them lately, and alot of it has been large items (the buffet, this unit, a benchtop for the Laundry, chest of drawers for Stella, a bookcase) and to make the order worthwhile (just because no order is complete without all the little things) I like to add baskets, boxes, hooks, hangers . All the good stuff.

We have found the freight from Perth to Geraldton, really reasonable aswell. I think our largest order was only $150 for the freight. Sounds expensive, but when you add up a round trip of fuel (with a trailer) food, wear and tear on your vehicle and accomodation if you are staying, its much cheaper!! Not to mention fast!! I have ordered on a Wednesday morning and had it delivered to my garage on a pallett on Friday!! Perfect for weekendd DIY projects!!

Right, enough on the Big blue store, and onto my new love  ( or one of!!)

We have been meaning to, wanting to, saving for, a new TV Unit for a while now, and with having the salon, and me working Saturdays, we just never got around to doing anything! A bit like all the jobs really!

Thats why we have achieved so much, and made so many changes in the last few months around our home!

It took awhile, and we hummed and haaaa-ed about what sort of unit we were after, and we finally settled on the Liatorp series from Ikea. Well actually Noel was very passionate that he wanted it , and I didn't take much convincing. I was just worried that it would be too big and offensive in our living area, however, luckily, its not.

Since losing the sewing/scrapbooking room to make way for another baby , I needed some storage for all my bits and bobs. My scrapbooking gear is now stored in a Expedit 2 x 4 behind our bedroom and that seems to be working so far, as I now scrap in our bedroom and can leave things out and close the door from the kids. But my sewing stuff and machines needed somewhere too. As did the printer, laptop, and some stationary!!

So this came about;

Isn't she lovely?! OMG!! So gorgeous!!

We ended up buying the tall bookshelves for either side, and the sideboard for the TV( (instead of the TV unit as it was shorter and little fingers touch more) , and the Bridging shelf for the top so it all fits seamlessly!

Then we added solid doors to the top and bottom.

NB: whilst undertaking this project, we found out out that the glass doors for the top have been discontinued (and I wanted solid anyway) and they don't make any others. But, luckily , by drilling a few new holes and it fit (not as perfect as the real ones would have but good enough for us and you can't tell anyway).

Here is the sideboard, only half filled , but it looks fantastic. We are able to store the Portable DVD player and chargers , DVDS, cords, etc in the boxes and baskets and still have it look uncluttered and organised.

And this is what is in the left side bookshelf. Buttons, scissors, small sewing kit, zips, beads, wool, ribbon. You name it, its there!

And my Machines are at the bottom!

The bottom of the right side has large boxes of materials, stuffing, wool, plain tshirts for appliquing.

(And see my new friend there on charge, isnt she lovely?)

 

And the top of the right side. Small boxes at top for blank CD's for photos, stationary, spare cords, Ipod accessories and under the printer and space for the laptop to sit (Noel needs to drill a hole on the back board to slide the charging cord through and we are set). I generally move the laptop to where ever I am, the kitchen bench, the bed, wherever, so I don't sit at a desk and blog/type/work/gossip!
The setup for the printer is not the best, but its a really wide printer, but I am happy to take this to the bench and plug it in also.

So thats it for now, lots of labels to be put on boxes (I ran out of tape) , some more boxes to be purchased when the budget allows, and we are set. I am sure I will be moving things around over time, but I always do that and I think you need to use a space or item to know what works.

All in all, we love the new unit. LOVE the storage it has created for us, but still mainting a streamlined and classic look to the house and love the quality of the Liatorp series in comparison to other Ikea furniture items we have bought in the past!!

NB: We realise the door knobs aren't on the bottom cupboards, this is on purpose , door knobs mean kids can open doors, so until we get to the shop to buy childsafe locks, they will remain off!!

The Christening

I'm baccckkkkk! Sorry I have been AWOL, but preparing for such things as Christenings take all the time an energy I could spare last week.
We had a beautiful day on Sunday, surrounded by our friends and family to help us celebrate the christening of our cherubs , Max and Lacey. They both looks gorgeous is matching outfits, Max wore a little all in one with a sewin in waistcoat and Lacey wore the long gown, both made out of the same material.

The ceremony was a light hearted affair, even though it was in a catholic church, as the Father was a real character and puts everyone at ease. We held a morning tea back at our place afterwards and it was great to catch up with everyone and for them to see the babies .

It turned out to be a hot day, so the drinks were cold and plentiful and my baking was a real hit!

The sweet table, bar a fruit platter.

I had tried to premake most things and freeze them or make last minute as I had to work all day Saturday and then went to a friends engagement party Saturday night , so time was not on my side, as usual.
More pics and details tomorrow!! For now, its off to bed with a stinker headache for me!

A bomb site!

My kitchen is seriously a bomb site on daily basis here at the moment. We I am in full swing of preparations for Max and Lacey's Christening and morning tea this Sunday.
Yesterday I had choc chip cookies, chocolate cake, mini muffins (for salon) , baby food and dinner all on the go at the same time. Call me mad , but its the way I roll, all or nothing!

 Yes, I bake for the salon too. Every person who has a tea or coffee , also gets a bite sized treat made by me. The sweet of choice this week is Orange mini cakes with chocolate icing.

Organised chaos

 On a finishing not tonight, a new addition to our home, "Our Family Rules", something I want our family to always remember and live by, so its in the main living area.



finally......

The photowall is done. This is something I have wanted to do for such a long time, yet always refrained , as we were going to sell our house and move on. Not anymore. Plans have changed (for only the 100th time!!) and we are staying, are I feel really good about our decision for once, its amazing what kids do to you.

First off I set all the frames out on the floor, with the photos and played around with the layout until I was happy. (Most of the frames are Ikea, some Target, some Red Dot)

Anyway , this is before (sorry I did forget so it was actually blank)

And this is during;

We Noel has learnt the hard way, and something like this didn't work out, so this time we used the newspaper method I had seen on Better Homes and Gardens show on TV. It worked perfectly!! We simply traced around all the frames and cut them out of newspaper. We then sticky taped them to the wall and could adjust as we saw fit, then with drilling the hole, Noel could measure where the hanger should be and drilled right through the paper.

And this is after!! I LOVE IT!!

Sorry for bad lighting, will attempt another one!

Its in the heart of our home, opposite my kitchen bench and our main living area for all to see and me to admire on a day to day, (more like 1000 times a day) basis!!

I absolutely love photos, I love everything about them. Taking them, and having them (not so much being in them bleh) and so its really important to me to have them around. As the years go on, I will interchange the photos in the frames but at least that will be an easy task!!

I'm off to work, ( and really can't be bothered tonight, I love my job, but its hard to get motivated to go at night , with sleep deprivation, and a thumping headache!)

We had a great day , with Denbi my niece here. I have some beautiful photos to share, back later!

What a Wonderful Wednesday!!

What amazing weather we had here today!! Perfect to spend the whole, yes the WHOLE , day at home!! Apparently it reached about 36 degrees and the babies had their first day in legless rompers, sooo cute, one skinny set of pegs and one chubby bubby set! We have pulled out the pedestal fans and boy does it feel like barbeque weather!! Just the way I like it too!

And what made my day so wonderful you say?
Well all these things of course!!

Stella's Morning tea ( I just had fruit salad) yummy yummy

Ohh how precious, a BIG sleep today!! I even got an hour too!!

Play time for babies

Nothing better than the sight of Nappies drying on the line!!

Play time



She LOVES her trampoline, and hat of course, yay for Summer!



Piles of clean washing!

Beautiful cuddles

And a few of my favourite things around my home at the moment;

My new Compost bin, love it!! Beats the ice cream container of late!

Our hobby herb and vege garden, nothing major, but showing Stella where it comes from!

New bar stools from Ikea

My trivet , from Greece. LOVE it!! This time last year we were touring Europe!

There are definately more things around , but its just a piece of my day, and the things that make me smile :)

a room fit for a princess

Stella's room has been one of those ever evolving projects, to which I am always adding to, taking away, and trying to make it just "right".

We have had a rather large milestone occur in the past few days (and nights more like it) where her side gard rail has been taken away, Goodbye!!
At first the idea was prompted by me, to which she said yes, then later on in the night wanted it back up, however the next night , she was definate, "no cot, a big girl bed!!"  So in less than 12 months , she has basically toilet trained herself, and gone into a big girl bed (both at 18months) and now really IS a big girl, and she couldn't be happier and we couldn't be prouder!! Not that there is a competition with milestones and kids, however , it is a happy thought knowing other kids her age are still in nappies full time, let alone being nappy free , day AND night!!
Ok, enough of the braggin ( a mothers right of course!!) and onto her room.
She went for a trip out to my sisters farm last night with my parents, a spontaneous decision by her grandparents but one she just loved ( and was exhausted so much so she slept in !! shock horror!!)
So, I had a bit of spare time on my hands, twins are a down sight easier without a toddler aswell!
And this is what I created, a gorgeous bunting for her room. I have wanted to make one for ages and never got around to it, and now I love it!! Simply made with ribbon, not binding, and cut around the edge with pinking shears (mine are from Ikea) . I am thinking of making some for the next Baby and Kids market, think they'll be a hit!!

We also cleaned out her cupboard and drawers (boy does she grow out of clothes fast!!) and I found this;

A gorgeous princess curtain hoop, and just for now , we attached it to the ceiling with a plastic stick on hook , and its doing the job so far, but now we know she loves it, cos she could have quite easily have hated it too!, we will hang it by a proper hook.
These are a few of my other favourite things in her room;

 

Motivational cards for kids, I read them to her when she gets dressed in the morning!!


 

Drawers full of goodies, handpainted and bought for a song, but needs a makeover!!





And not forgetting the clip holder she got for her birthday from her Aunty Kristy at Bread N Butter Factory, very full now, but this was Kristy's first protype and we feel privaledge to be the owners!! Check out my sisters new gorgeous blog HERE.

This is the footstool/ seat that I recovered and painted yesterday, I have another to do , so will post pics of the process, I purchased these of the Buy and Sell facebook sight for $5 for a pair!! We sit on it each night and read books before lights out.

And this piece of gorgeous artwork from Ollie Rose needs to be hung;

Here;

So there you have it, a room fit for a princess, and ever growing with her precious soul!  Lots of other ideas , but its all a matter of time.

I have just the twins home today, so hoping to achieve a few things, however , I don't like my chances, that cough I was talking about, well its actually Bronchiolitis, and both babies have it. I took them up to After hours care at the hospital Saturday night, and we narrowly escaped a hospital stay, but they do seem to be getting better. Poor little poppets!! I hate winter, bring on Summer! (famous last words!!)