Fashion Friday: Just a typical day in the garden wearing my heels and pretty skirt

Believable? I didn't think so. It was fun to shoot though.






This outfit is inspired by Lady Melbourne's petticoat. I don't look nearly as lovely as she does in hers though.

Top: Sex Kitten
Skirt: ASOS
Shoes: Mollini
Chair: Connoisseur Chairs

Kitchen Makeover: Part 2

Yesterday I posted Part 1 of my kitchen renovation. Today I'll show you the end product.

When we bought the house, the kitchen was accessible via a small sliding door adjoining the living room. To make the living and kitchen area appear larger and flow better, we opened up the wall adjoining the two rooms.



Down lights were installed and the cabinets went in. The kitchen is 'L' shaped and quite narrow. We had tall cabinets installed on the left wall and no floating cabinets on the other walls to help open up the area.

I've always loved the look of white kitchens with white bench tops. I choose antique white polyurethane cabinets and matching Caesarstone bench top.



A french style door was fitted which leads out into the garden.


After

Here is the final product!

We decided against a glass splashback and instead opted for these dusty pink brick tiles which have a slight metallic sheen to them. The house is a cottage home and I felt a glass splashback would look too contemporary. Finances played a factor too.

To decorate, two Tord Boontje 'puddles' appliques were hung on either side of the rangehood.


We also had a breakfast bench installed where the wall used to be. Best decision ever made since we use it a lot to eat casual meals or prepare food.

The cabinets were chosen in a dark brown colour for contrast and to provide some continuity with the dark furniture in the living area.



I was thinking of installing floating shelves above the breakfast bench but I could never keep the shelves tidy so I chose to hang a painting there instead.


This is the view towards the garden. The artwork on the wall is by etsy seller jellybeans.


So that's my little kitchen. I hope you like it.

UPDATE! (11.02.09)

I've since wallpapered the kitchen display cabinet. Check out more photos here.

Kitchen Makeover: Part 1

This project was completed a little over a year ago but I stumbled across the renovation photos and thought I'd share with you the before and after shots.

Before

The original kitchen was in such a poor state. The laminate cabinets were chipping and lifting off and bits of particle board would fall off all over the items stored within.




We didn't have the budget to re-do the kitchen before renting out the house so we gave the cabinets a few coats of paint and sealed and smoothed over the chipped areas so that it could at least be liveable. Our poor tenants though...



I can't remember what type of paint was used on the cabinets as it's going back a few years but I do remember that it only came in primary colours. So we chose canary yellow which freshened up the kitchen but still looked horrid.


Excuse the unstyled photos. We were in the midst of fixing the place up when these were taken. The television and diet Coke got us through it all.




In 2007 my husband and I decided to move in so we thought we would put in a new kitchen. It had really had its time by then.


We were surprised to find that underneath the laminate flooring were floorboards that matched the rest of the house!


Check out the wallpaper we found on the kitchen wall behind the cabinets. Who knows how many lives this kitchen has had?



Here it is back to its bare bones. Tomorrow I'll show you the end result. Stay tuned!

Mmmmmm mousse with berries

I'm not clever enough to make these from scratch but shhh don't tell anyone.

Bedroom Makeover: New cushions

I bought two new cushions yesterday on sale with a voucher I was given so technically I didn't break my spending ban.

They are the cushions on either side of the middle black cushion. Still trying to decide if they look okay here. What do you think?

Fashion Friday: Fleur Wood

Earlier this week I mentioned I'd be taking out outfits from my wardrobe to post about each Friday. This works for me for 3 reasons:

1. I can remember again what I actually own and hopefully learn to love them again.

2. I get to play dress-ups. Hey, a new mum doesn't have a full social calendar so I may as well prance around at home and have some fun.

3. It keeps me dedicated to posting!

I do hope you enjoy reading the posts.

The dress I posted about on Wednesday is the very last dress I bought before declaring myself on a spending ban. So I think it is fitting to start with it for the first Fashion Friday post. I bought the dress at the Fleur Wood discount store at 50% off.

I adore it. I plan to wear it to my birthday dinner with my husband next week with strappy flats to dress it down. I feel lovely in it.

Dress: Fleur Wood
Chair: Ebay
Wallpaper: Catherine Martin

Have a great weekend.

Mother guilt

This is a slightly different post to the usual but it's something which has been on my mind and something which has caught me off guard recently - the worry and guilt that goes with having children. The worry I can deal with but the guilt is driving me crazy.

It started with the guilt I experienced when I ate prawns in the early days of pregnancy.

And then the guilt felt when I couldn't breastfeed Robbie and he cried endlessly out of hunger. He lost more than 10% of his body weight in hospital and I felt like a failure for not being able to provide for my son.

And now there are the twangs of guilt I feel when I can't settle Robbie during the day and he ends up sleeping for no more than 1 hour at a time. Usually 30 minute cat naps.

And the guilt I felt when I was sick recently and my in-laws (bless them!) looked after Robbie for the day so I can get some much needed rest.

Next week is my 30th birthday. I've organised a night out with friends and although I probably won't be out for longer than 2-3 hours I'm already starting to feel guilty about leaving Robbie even though I'm leaving him in the best of care with my parents.

In search for some help I've been reading a lot on this topic and talked with lots of people. Some are mothers and others aren't.

One thing I've found is that people are quick to comment on what a mother should be doing with well-meaning comments such as "He might be cold. Maybe you should wrap him in something warmer." or "He might be hungry. Maybe you should feed him". But people don't usually take the time to compliment a mother on what a great job she is doing.

I received a compliment yesterday from a mum who told me that I am a great mother to Robbie. That comment meant more to me than what she will probably realise.

So if you are reading this and know a new or not so new mum - please - take the time to tell her what a great job she is doing. I'm sure she will appreciate it!

Oh and same goes for the dads too, of course!

Ebay find: Hey Melburnians, check this one out!

Images via Ebay seller christa_1946

Isn't the detail on the cabinet doors wonderful? If I owned this cabinet I would probably give it a paint job (surprised?). And if the detail on the cabinet doors could be removed easily I'd mirror behind it which would really show off the design. Similar to what Eddie Ross did with the secretary he jazzed up.

If only this piece was in Sydney and not Melbourne. Click on the photos above to be taken to the ebay listing. Not long to go before it ends!

Edit: Links removed because auction has now ended and removed from Ebay.

Coming Soon: Fashion Fridays

I'm going to start by saying I'm on a spending ban. No, really. This time I'm going to stick to it. I promise.

I hope.

Anyway, so I thought it would be fun to post outfits from my modest wardrobe in an attempt to love what I already own. I don't claim to be a fashionista. I don't own any designer handbags. I have chipped fingernails, unkempt hair and dark circles under my eyes that most days I don't care to cover. But I'm still game to whip out some of my outfits and learn to love them again.

So this is a sneak preview of my post to come this Friday. I'll post more about it then.

Hope you are having a great day!

Hello yellow! IKEA finds..

Strolling through IKEA I was inspired by their introduction of yellow into their furniture. Good work IKEA. Check out some of my favourite pieces.

Kramfors Sofa: You can create lots of different combinations with this series.
Evert Stool: Good for extra outdoor seating and only $5.95.
Kvanne bedspread: It's reversible!
Herman chair: I wonder if it would be suitable outdoors.
Trollsta side table and sideboard: Ahh these are so lovely! I only wish the yellow legs matched the top better. Still beautiful though.
Now if only I had a beach shack so I can throw these gorgeous items into it *sigh*

Ivy

Tsk tsk, I've been M.I.A for too long now. Where have I been? Getting out an about and generally enjoying the summer weather (when it's actually hot that is).

Last night was the first time I've been out without Robbie since he was born. I missed him like crazy but it was also fun to have some "me" time.

I've been dying to check out Ivy. Not so much for the people, the food, or the drinks but for the decor. And OMG was I in design heaven! The white wicker chairs, yellow and white stripes, aquamarine velveteen drapes *hyperventilating*.

Enough of my babble, check out the photos for yourself: http://www.merivale.com.au/#/ivy/ivybar