The Greatest Love Of All

Hi Guys,
Whitney once sang that the children are our future, I belted that tune out as a 10 year old in spite of the fact that I have 0 singing talents and I am sure I drove my parents crazy, Today I know my future will, at some point be in their hands. This is why I whisper lovingly into each of their ears when the others can't hear and say "you're my favorite, don't tell the others". I figure which ever one ends up choosing my home will believe my words and pick out something nice, at least my fingers are crossed that will happen. To clarify I don't really have a fave but there are plenty of days when I have a least favorite depending on who has or hasnot done what.

I can honestly say that while I love many things I do, within a short period I hate it. In fact I think I would haveto say there are only a few things I still love and until now my deepest DIY love was my patchwork chair.

This DIY was actually Jule's idea and it was BLOODY BRILLIANT, sorry but it deserves that kind of praise,

So those who have been around here for a while might remember a few craft rooms ago I had this table.

Then I covered it in houndstooth contact paper, which I did like but I missed this particular dining table so a few months later I ripped off the contact and placed it back into the kitchen

One evening, the night after the new peel and stick vinyl floors were laid, I went out when Jule's came up with an awesome idea. He took the scraps and off cuts from the flooring and placed them on the glass to imitate an old farmhouse wood topped table.

You see a few days before I was leafing through a Country Living or something similar when I saw an iron and wood table, it was only about $3500 and I fell in love, I showed Jule's and declared it to be my ultra dream table.  Anyway one night out I go and when I get back there was the newly covered table, he made it look pretty with candles and everything. I went out of my mind, fell in love (with both the table and Jules all over again, he's a keeper). Can you believe that the wood is in fact peel and stick tiles? I'll tell you now, I had a recent termite issue and the pest control guy was stunned, this guy inspects wood for a living peeps!

This top holds up to anything my lot can throw at it and believe me, if you have seen a four year old at a table that is quite a feat! I LOVE IT.

So since I work real quickly these days, 8 months later I took my old wooden chairs which the kids over the last 15 years had pretty much rendered them to the ugliest chairs on the face of the earth and painted them up.

My goodness can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am with this dining set. My suburban country style home is coming together and for this all I spent was $15 on paint WOOOT!!!

She truly is a beauty, so in honor of my lovely lady I dedicate this song to her, take it away Whitney




Thanks for reading,

Mel xo

DIY 3 tier stand

Howdy all,

So back in June my Mum took Elizabeth and I out for high tea, Have to say it was a really great day. If you're in Melbourne go and checkout the new Emporium and visit The Tea Salon it was lovely.

Anyway we are sitting there having a wonderful tea and my Mum says "Look at those holders, they're just old plates, someone drilled a hole in and put them together."

Dining table & Chair, (I might need to change the name of this blog to the Barbie Dream house)

Hey Guys,

Sometimes I forget I am a responsible 38 year old mother and I like to rebel against maturity. I also, for reasons unknown to me, have 4 dining tables that I like to switch out every year or so but this one was left outside and had become quite weathered and not in a good way. If you visited my guest post at The Thrifty Rebel last week, you'll know that I did something to freak Jules out.

I wanted to go back to a drop leaf table to try and make a little more room during the day when the little ones have all their toys out to play and this can be pushed up against a wall.

These chairs are from another set and had really become quite yucky out in the garage.

So when I heard of a new Aussie chalk paint company Canterbury Blue from another Megan of One Plus One Equals Six of mine, I had to try it out. Juliana the owner of the company is an absolute delight, love the paint but I love her even more, how could I not buy from a woman who refers to herself as my paint pimp??  I've actually done quite a few things there will be more colours coming up in Elizabeth's bedroom. I LOVE her paint, it's much cheaper than the other brands out there and the wax just smells amazing, it actually smells like the bush after rain.

I decided to try painting the fabric, I truly do like the result, however I have heard around blogland that it feels like leather, I'd say more like oilcloth, but the best part about the painted and waxed fabric, it wipes clean. No jokes, Madeleine dropped her BLUEBERRIES on it right after I did them, could not believe my eyes when it wiped off.

So I decided I needed a pink table, I also decided to do this while Julian was away while he was on his recent business trip. When I told him he starts freaking out and declared "Great we're living in a doll house now" among other less blog appropriate things, to which I replied, "every girl wished she could live in the Barbie dream house" However when Madeleine told him we had a "princess table" he couldn't say no to her.

I happened to be out when he got home and saw it for the first time (it also might have been on purpose) and this is the message that came beeping through.

Which only goes to prove that it is better to ask forgiveness, than ask permission and they might actually like it. Now of course I am going to have to paint all the walls and do that room next but worth it for my pink table.

If you're in Australia and want to see the most beautiful and affordable range of chalk paints, from a 100% Australian owned and also made here (I have received some paint for free those posts coming up, but I paid for my beautiful pink for this is not sponsored) check out Canterbury Blue on FB.

Also if you want to check out more pink fun, head over to The Thrifty Rebel for more pink lady posts.

Thanks for reading,

Mel xo

Kitchen iPad Holder

Sometimes I see pins and they stay with me for months, I must make them but never seem to get around to it. This pin here from Mamie Jane's I always seem to see and every single time I saw it I thought I want to do that! Finally I did!

He Said He Was Bored - Reusable Kitchen Wipes

This is one of those projects that has been on my "I have to do this one day" list. And to be honest it would have stayed on that list until I got around to doing the kitchen because I am not sure what I want done in there, until Samuel told me he was bored. Here's how I did it

Supplies:

An old but clean towel

Scrap Fabric

Velcro

An old cardboard tube from the last roll you should ever buy.

Vinyl (optional)

Sewing supplies

I had just run out of kitchen wipes again and looking for a cloth when he announced there was nothing to do, I don't know why but I grabbed an old box and told him to cut me a 10 inch square. Then I took that and just traced around it and cut them out.

I also had some red fabric left from ages ago when I made the elmo nappy/diaper stacker and it's not great fabric so I thought it would be perfect and cut that.

I serged/overlocked them together but you could sew and flip them out the right way and added velcro.

Then I took the tube and wrapped it in vinyl and hot glued some velcro to attach the wipes to

Joined them up.

And rolled

So far so good

Stuck it on the roll and called it done.

DIY Delight or Disaster? To be honest they are really functional and way more handy than their paper counterparts, but When I do this to match the kitchen I will make sure my cotton matches and I will do a strip of velcro rather than the two side because it leaves a bit of a gap when pulling on the roll. So I'm not completely happy but I know they are worth it so I'm on the fence with this one.

Thanks for reading,

Mel xo

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