Rule Britannia!

I have successfully completed the flag canvases for my Son's room...almost 'geometrically correct'! The only difference is the edges of the flags, particularly noticeable in St Andrew's Cross and St Patrick's Cross. The edges of the crosses should be in the middle of the edges of the frame, but because I had to base all the flags on the template of the Union Jack (so they all looked the same), I had to use a little creative licence! At least the middle part of the Union Jack is 'correct', which was my main concern!



It was also tricky matching up the correct colours from a computer screen, and St Andrew's Cross could have perhaps been a little lighter, but I won't be too picky, and I'm sure my Son wont either!



I could not have done this little project without my new best friend....purple low tack masking tape!!!

Despite spending a lot of time on this, I did manage to go on a little shopping expedition and buy something I have been admiring for a while (just needed to wait until I sold my blue bird canvas before I could justify buying it!).

My new armillary!



Not sure where it's permanent home will be, but at the moment it's on the side table in the family room under my bus blind!

Projects On The Go.

Too many things to do, so little time at the moment, but I will eventually get everything done!

I'm part way through painting an old stained and varnished book shelf, but need someone to help me manoeuvre it to get to all the sections to spray it properly! So that is a job for the weekend, but last weekend was just too busy to do any of it! This is what it did look like before I sanded it, and put a coat of primer on:



It will be white, and I am also deciding on the final colour 'white', as they vary so much. It will be in the family room, so it needs to tie in with the colour of my tables. Although they are 'white', I still want to try and get as close as possible to the right tone. Just a plain white based acrylic is far too vivid, and need some colour to it. Once it's finished, it will look so much better!

This will be on the wall above it:



...which will match nicely with my London Bus Blind on the opposite wall.

I have started on some artwork for my Son's bedroom (finally), now I have finished the tutu's for my Daughter. I had a brain wave last week and decided that as he likes the Union Jack so much (partly my doing...) and his room is predominately red, blue and white I'd paint him one! Knowing that the Union Jack was made up of a combination of 3 flags...I'd paint them all!



Shortly, he will have 4 canvases for his walls...although making the Union Jack 'geometrically correct' has been a challenge! The flag is twice the width it is high, and needs to be in order for all the intersecting parts to be in the correct spot. Unfortunately, the canvases I bought are not, so I've had to be a bit creative and crop the sides so it 'works'. 2 days, lots of google image research and numerous drafts later I have come up with something I'm happy with. I'm now pretty handy with a blank piece of paper, ruler and pencil!

For those interested, this site was my saviour! In conducting my 'google research' it was amazing to see just how many are drawn incorrectly! I could have used creative licence, but I wanted it to be 'right'.

Stay tuned for the final results!

A Trio of Tutus.

I originally created 3 canvases for my Daughter (first ones I ever made...), but I was never entirely happy with them and had planned to re-do them. For a start, the actual canvases were really cheap...and looked it! The corners were terrible and the finish on them was pretty rough. What I had painted on them was pretty 'rough' too, and a bit wishy washy in colour! So for a few hours over a couple of days I set about creating another 'brighter' set!



Much better!








My painting skills 'between the lines' leaves a lot to be desired, so the body of the tutus were replaced with paper! Much easier for me to cut and paste than draw!!

I've also finished another canvas I created for a friend, after she saw the red bird one I did and wanted one in blues and oranges. Hunting down the right sort of paper for the bird was a little challenging, but once I found it the rest of the colours were easy.






I hope she likes it!!

I have plenty more things in the pipeline and some very busy days ahead to get them all finished! No deadlines as such, but it's nice to get little projects finished so I can move on to the next major one...my buttoned ottoman!

Mirror, Mirror, on The Wall...

Finally we have a full length mirror in the WIR, courtesy of IKEA.

Whilst leisurely wandering around IKEA last week (Husband and Children free), I noticed the 'Utsira' mirror up on display in their wardrobe section. I instantly fell in love with it, and the $29.99 price tag!



I had to make a return visit to buy it as I already had a large 70x100 Ribba frame (for my London Underground picture), 2 Branas baskets for the Expidit shelves in the kids play room, and a jug. I didn't want to risk breaking the mirror and attempt to carry all that to the car by myself (which is a nightmare if you've been to IKEA in Richmond), so back we went last weekend to pick it up...as well as a few other bits and pieces.



It's not on display, but hidden in a small alcove in the WIR, so nothing too 'fancy' was needed, just practical. An added bonus of having a lovely butterfly and plant design on the glass. My expensive pretty mirror is in the entrance!

Now I have to find a wall light to replace the fitting above. I can't wait to have my plantation shutters installed either...I'm getting so sick of the Redi-shades, and most of the time they stay down as they take so long to fold up in the morning.




Another thing to cross of the to-do list, only hundreds more to go! I'll be going back to IKEA shortly to get the Nickel Barometer desk lamp and a white Lack floating shelf for the study nook in the family room. Another job for me is painting my old pine desk white and changing the handles. Shouldn't be too hard after the success of the bedside table a few weeks ago!

Stay tuned for more updates shortly!

Congratulations A-M!

So, here I am sitting at my desk eating my Mother's Day chocolates and pouring over the pages of the June Home Beautiful magazine.




A-M, from 'The House That A-M Built' is featured (and on the front cover!). Her home is stunningly gorgeous, and I hope she is proud of all she has achieved. Well done A-M!

If you are not familiar with her blog, please take the time to read through the posts and admire her divine decorating skills, and have a flick through the pages of the latest Home Beautiful magazine.

I'm in awe...

Keep Calm and Carry On.

Moving away slightly from my love of all things French, I'll also reveal that I have a passion for British things as well. Although you may have guessed with my London Bus Blind and a few Laura Ashley furnishings around the house! Adding to the London transport theme on the walls in the Family Room, will eventually be a map of the London Underground...yep, a framed sheet of $7 wrapping paper! I still need to make the trip to IKEA to pick up the frame (among other things), but have been tied up this week.

To add to my Son's new set of refurbished drawers in his bedroom, and continuing the blue, white and red theme, there will finally be something on the wall! The Union jack is such a beautiful flag (God forbid should they ever remove it from our flag...), and I couldn't resist this version of the 1939 propaganda poster (which was never used) 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. This poster will have cost me less than $15, delivered, from the UK!




Very appropriate for a little monkey dressed in a boy's suit!!

Hidden among the Eiffel Towers', you may also find the odd red double-decker bus, a red telephone booth, or a London taxi!

Bargain Makeover.

Remember this little purchase for $5 at the Flinders Market?



For a grand total of $39 (including the original $5 price tag), I've made it look like new!



Lots of sanding and filling, about 5 coats of gloss enamel (1 and 1/2 spray cans), some new hardware and half a roll of flocked wrapping paper and it now resides in my Son's bedroom.







The next little 'furniture rejuvenation' project I'll undertake will be the 2 stained and varnished book cases in the family room. The baltic colour just doesn't cut it anymore, and will be sanding them back, spraying on some Zinsser BIN Primer and following with several coats of acrylic satin (I don't want my shelves turning yellow over time if I use enamel...). I love the look of white shelves, and can't wait to start! It will give me more time to think about the buttoned ottoman which is next on the list.

Things.

Nothing beats fresh flowers for instant colour, bringing with it a lovely homely feel! These were a present from a girlfriend to the house who was visiting for the first time. They were all buds last week, but have opened up beautifully and lasted really well!

Not too much has been happening apart from signing a quote for 17 white plantation shutters. A proper check measure will be happening at some stage shortly, then a 6-8 week wait for installation. Looks like I'll be living with paper redi-shades for just a while longer!

I opened another box today and Hubby put up our wedding photos in the dining room ( which still doesn't really look like a dining room as we don't have a table or chairs yet!). Sorry, faces blanked out for privacy reasons...



I wanted the frames to be in the middle of the wall, and they don't quite suit with this sized table, but chances are, once we get our dining suite the table won't stay but be moved somewhere else. But at least the wall doesn't look so blank anymore!



I've been shopping recently, too. I had to order 2 double door matts in a Fleur de lys design, so I picked those up last week. One for the deck and the other for the front door...although I need to wait until the front fence and driveway are done before it will be on show. I also found the most gorgeous silver armillary sphere/globe, but might have to wait until I have sold another butterfly specimen case before I go and treat myself to it. I happened to spot another for a third the price, but it was an iron colour, and the silver would look soo much nicer...(damn that expensive taste!)

My bargains for the week included 3 T-towels for $12 at Bed Bath N' Table:



...and another sheet of wrapping paper I plan on cutting up and framing for the lounge room wall beside the large window:



I'm unsure yet as to have one or two frames beside each window, and whether or not to divide the paper so I have 4 small pictures per frame. Yet another thing to think about that will have to wait until I have the plantations in! The blue in the paper will add nicely to the other blue touches in the room, including my blue ottoman still in the planning stages!

Last, but not least, I have been slowly 'renovating' this bedside table I picked up a couple of years ago for $5 at the Flinders market:



The old paint on it was shocking, and looked as though it had been mixed with sand it was so rough. Lots of sanding, plugging the holes from the old knobs and several coats of paint (white enamel from a spray can!), it's looking sooo much better! I should have it finished on Monday and in it's new home.

Not another Eiffel Tower....

I had been looking for another paperweight to add to my other 2, and couldn't resist one I found in Bed Bath 'N Table today. Naturally, it's an Eiffel Tower!



My other 2 bird paperweights:



Love them! Although tricky to photograph being a dome of glass which reflects the flash no matter what angle.




So......how much is too much? When does a collection become an obsession?



Not to forget my wrapping paper picture in the hall:




There's a bit of a joke in the family, that new guests have to find the room that doesn't have an Eiffel Tower in it...not hard to do, as most are grouped together in the family room (although not like the table for the photo!). Also surprising to note that approximately 30% has been given to me! Perhaps my family suspected my obsession before I even had one! Hehe...

My Daughter is well on her way to catching up with me too...sad huh? ;-)

The Deck is Complete!

After 6 weekends of some serious hard labour, lots of sweat and thankfully no blood or tears, the deck is complete! We ran into a few little issues we had to try and solve, and putting in the last 3cm board next to the house was a challenge, but we got there in the end! We now need to wait another couple of weeks for the wood to weather before we clean and stain it...although I'm not sure how much 'weathering' it will get under the roof line!





The further along into the project we got, the worse (bowed) the boards became and the harder it was to get them straight and onto the deck ties...but we got there in the end. I'm now on the search for a nice double door mat and a couch and coffee table.

So, what's next on the 'to do list'?

I have had a quote for 17 white plantation shutters for most of the windows, but I am yet to organise a proper check measure (Easter got in the way!), and I am about to paint a 3 drawer bedside table I picked up for $5 from the Flinders Market 2 years ago for my Son's bedroom. I am looking for the perfect drawer pulls to use as handles, but am not having much luck finding them. I don't want gold nor shiny silver, but a matt blackish colour, and cannot locate anything suitable. If you can suggest anywhere please let me know!

I am also going to paint a couple of old stained baltic pine book cases in white. Holly from Life In The Fun Lane has inspired me completely! I also have a 2 drawer bedside table given to me which I will do 'something' with eventually, but I don't think they will look as amazing as Holly's pieces.

I am also going to 'attempt' to make a buttoned ottoman to use as a coffee table in the lounge room. I have been doing some online research and don't think it should be too hard (well, no harder than completely DIYing a deck...). I have seen some people create them out of coffee tables by adding foam and quilters wadding to the table, but I might start from scratch with a pine frame, MDF top and bought furniture legs. I have located an upholsterers in Melbourne where I can acquire some supplies, but I just have to find the perfect powder blue velvet (my lounge room accent colour) to use as the top.

I'll keep you posted!