Pretty butterflies

Today I decided that the 70 or so paper butterflies I'd tirelessly hand-drawn and cut out were being wasted living inside that crumpled plastic bag on the 'craft' shelf.  They should be out - flying around! Or, at least, pretending to.... So, I blue tacked them to Lila's wall!
So her bedroom is now adorned with a giant tree, some lovely bird-themed number cards, felt birds, and LOTS of butterflies.
Yes, the loose garden theme is coming along quite nicely, thank you!

Things I've done...

I thought I'd finally share with you what I've been Destitutely Designing in my house lately - just incase you thought I'd forgotten what the whole point of this blog was!

This weekend was very satisfying for me. I got a lot of what I'd been wanting to do done, and it's great to sit back and enjoy it now... before I get stuck into the next lot of jobs on my list, that is.

Let's start with the ugliest sister of all: The fireplace! *cue shiver down spine*

Excuse the crappy 'before' photo, this is all I could find! However I think i've succeeded in showing you how ghastly the fireplace looked before I painted it to make it .. a little less ugly.

This was the absolute bain of my life, I swear. But the white transforms it from dark, drab, moody and totally overbearing; to light, bright and most importantly: INVISIBLE!

Sure, you can see a few imperfections: the cracked grout and the bowing, but i'm just glad I don't walk into the lounge and snarl anymore when I see it.

A few strategically placed ornaments and photos, and voila! Not bad. In fact, totally livable!

Here is my entrance way, before and after the addition of my gorgeous coat hooks, which I picked up during a trip to Italy a few years ago, and my new bird hook from Urban Outfitters. LOVE them!

Also, that's my old mahogany table (Sorry, no before pic available! I can tell you it was brown though.. use your imagination) which I spray-painted sunshine yellow. It's only 90% finished thanks to the windiest month on record (I reckon)!! Still, I really love the lift the colour gives it, and it looks great against my beloved wallpaper.

Now I just need another new pair of shoes to sit under it, to finish the look.. don't you think?

Onto the dining room! Nothing remodelly has happened here lately, but I had a clear out of all the clutter, got a new table, and now I love it. Gone is the couch (ah, what room is this again?), and I've moved the new table into the middle of the room and parked my new chairs around it.

Before:

AFTER:

This orientation is MUCH better. Also, without the clutter and confusion of the couch in there, it clearly defines it's purpose. I used to hate getting trapped in there when friends came round. It was just easy to plop yourself on the couch while I rustled up some food close by in the kitchen, but it's the darkest room in the house in the afternoon, being on the south side of the house - so not very cosy, despite the log burner.

The blinds (made by my Mum out of fabric from Ikea which was $9 a metre - which, when you consider the 10 metres I bought will easily dress a lot of the windows in my house, is ridiculous good buying) will actually move to another room once I get the wallpaper up. But I love them, and they will make another room very happy in the future!

I 'made' these lovely vases myself, out of some fantastic bottles I found at the thrift store the other day for $1.50 each. Just pour in some paint and make sure you turn it a bit so the paint covers every inch of the inside of the bottle, turn upside down and drain the excess. Leave to dry. Easy!

Last but not least, the laundry/bathroom. It's not finished, but check out the difference some new gib and a lick of paint makes!

From this:

To this:

Sorry, the after pics aren't really that mind-blowing, but I'll get it all finished and THEN I will blow your mind!

Oh, and if you're wondering what came of the couch from the dining room?

Lila and I now have a lovely place to hang out and play and read magazines, in our delightful little sunroom. One day it too shall be glorious, but for now I'm just happy I can sit down with Captain Feathersword or Dorothy the Dinosaur or Scarface Claw; or whoever Lila decides she's going to be that day, put my feet up and enjoy!

Ho Ho Ho! And a bottle of rum..

Well it's almost that time of year again - and I have to say, it's become a whole lot more fun with the addition of the small person to our household, who is currently (and so my wallet would agree, a little too soon!) obsessed with Santa Claus - or 'Sen-tors', as she calls him.

I can put this fascination down to one day a few weeks ago, when my Mum took her out to the mall for a morning play/shop. When I came home from work that day she was going on and on about something called 'Sen-tors, Mama!'. It took me a while, but finally I clicked as to what she meant!! Mum must've really gone to town explaining who this Sen-tors was, because from that day on - there has been little mention of anyone else, bar the Wiggles. But that's a whole other level of obsession.

Last year was the first time we had a 'real' christmas tree. I'd been putting it off because both myself and Mr DD suffer from horrid hayfever at this time of year - but I actually think it was worth it. The smell is like nothing else, don't you think! So earthy and warming. I cannot go back now. Plus, our Small Person will be truely enchanted this year, by the decorations and lights (if her reaction to in store Xmas Lights displays are anything to go by). We might even have a go at making some of our own decorations to hang from the branches!

I still have a few days to get the household adornments together, but as a start I was inspired by a friend to have a go at making my own advent calendar.

I started with some bankers envelopes, some paint, a few scraps of felt, a gold marker, some glitter and of course, glue. Pop in some sneaky treats and a lolly or two, peg to some twine or ribbon on a wall or board, and voila!

Hung on a very ugly old wall, they still manage to look lovely and festive, and i'm sure our Small Person will take much pleasure in destroying each lovingly put together package to dig out its treasure each day of December. And we will have the camera ready to capture the look on that wee face as she does so.. *melt*.

Sure, advent calendars aren't the most expensive things in the world to buy - but it's so much cooler to make your own! This is pretty cheaply done - the treats inside probably cost $4 altogether (hair clips, stickers and a lolly here and there), and you can use anything you have lying around the place to decorate the envelopes. The more creative the better! And what fun to have with your kids too!

Happy Festive Season everyone!

The Dining Room MEGA POST!

Decorating a room from top to bottom is a daunting task. Let alone, when you are trying to do it on the smell of an oily rag, so to speak. You really have to choose carefully. What will we splurge on, what will we save on and more importantly - what can we get for free? :)

This is the first room in the house to get a makeover, aside from the new bathroom (which i must remember to post before and after shots, once it's finished); so it's a little overwhelming.. and a lot of pressure!

Editing all the ideas in my head, distinguishing my wants from my needs and weeding out the items that would just be overkill in this room is also a mammoth task. For some reason I'm great at telling other people what works, but when it comes to my own house.. well.. that's another story. Perhaps it's a touch of performance anxiety?

First thing's first though. What is this room for?

It's not just a dining room, it's family room - a place to play, to chill out, to snuggle up in front of the fire, and to eat. It's connected to the kitchen, so a lot of my daughters time will be spent in there just hanging out and waiting for tea.

I'd like a couch in there or some comfy lounge chairs. You can see in the photos I posted, there's a sofa in there at the moment. I'd like that to stay, but it depends. Downsizing to a pair of chairs might be a better idea.

Walls:

I am in love with vibrant, unusual wallpaper designs! And there are some really interesting prints available now - though most of them are overseas. Luckily there are a couple of stores importing some of my favourites. Netti and Gee have a fabulous collection, as do PaperRoom, whom I've linked to before. I have a stack of sites in my favourites now - of course all the ones I like are the most expensive! But I can kind of get away with this, as the area I want to wallpaper is quite small. Just 2 walls - one with no window, and one with a huge window.

I know I would like a pattern to feature heavily, but not take over. And I love the idea of blues/aquas.

The darker greeny/blues would compliment my colour palette of warm browns (this will be achieved with furniture), greys, and greeny, mustardy yellows.

Ferm Living's collection of gorgeous wallpapers has me sold. I love this deep turquoise blue - it's so rich and warm, cosy and inviting. Quite the opposite feeling you normally associate with blue tones. I love the prints too. But is this tooooooo dark for my dining room?

Resene Optimist and Festival

Aqua (and duck-egg blue) is one of my favourite colours. In fact, one of my favourite colour combinations is this, teamed with a vibrant red and white.

Great for kids rooms. Actually I painted my daughters chest of drawers in this combo and it looks awesome :)

Resene Foam and Pursuit.

I'm having a real problem deciding between this lighter blue and the darker shade. But I must say, at the moment, the Deer print is winning. It's bold, but at the same time it's shade subtle enough not to overpower a room either. My only reservation with a print like this, is will I still like it in 5 years time?

For longevity, perhaps the Ferm Living Ribbed (to the right) is the way to go?

WHAT DO YOU THINK??? I'd appreciate your opinions!!

Furniture:

I love 1950s Danish furniture - everything about it. Solid, well made, beautiful lines and lasting design. I fritter away hours online looking for a reasonably priced sideboard to call my own. Never happens, people are onto it. I need an old lady to start selling off all her unwanted 'old' furniture and for her not to know what she's sitting on..!

However, a sideboard is not needed for this room. But a great table and chairs are!!

via Makingitlovely.com

These Eames chairs are originals, but there are plenty of replicas available in the shops these days. They're still not cheap, but they aren't toooooo badly priced. There's a great store in Aussie who do fantastic replicas for a great price. Unfortunately, I don't think Matt Blatt ships here. Boo!!!

There is however, Homage in Newmarket who do a lot of the same pieces. Oh, and Republic Home also stock a chair very similar in design to these. I will be going a chair hunting very soon!!

via marieclairemaison.com

This is the kind of table I would like. A danish one would be nice, but I think i'll save and splurge on the chairs instead. They're more statement pieces.

Lighting:

Left: via design*sponge; Right: Bubble Chandelier by Jeanpelle via Mochatini

via Diana Vinoly

It's not a huge room, so I don't need A LOT of lighting, but I'd like to make it a feature.

At the moment there's one lone halogen bulb that throws out next to no light, and to top it off it's a really harsh blue/white.. stark and horrid! I'd like some 'mood' lighting. And i'd like it to hang, please.

Don't you just love Jeanpelle's Bubble Chandelier? BUDGET TIP: You can create your own version with this tutorial via FemTalks blog.

Soooooo I hope I haven't bored you to sleep with this mega post! Until I get to grips with Photoshop though, I will have to keep painstakingly setting out my posts all higgilty-piggilty and drawn out like this.. methinks I better get onto learning, fast..!

Once More with Feeling

I mentioned in my last post my love of word art. I love it because it literally speaks to you - in so many different ways! Bright colours, beautiful typography and of course the message itself can brighten anyone's mood with just one glimpse; and what's more, this isn't something you have to pay through the nose for to get.


These prints by Studio Mela are just adorable! Available online at their etsy shop.

I love Made By Girl's simple use of typography and clever layout.

Pennywishes "Je t'aime pour toujours" print translates to "I'll love you forever". So sweet! Speaking of sweet - I could probably do without this KeepCalmShop cutey in my kitchen.. which is a shame because I love this play on the ever popular 'Keep Calm and Carry On' series.

You must have a phrase that you use all the time? Something that just tends to roll off your tongue, or a song lyric that strikes a particular chord with you? Why not put it in a frame!?

You don't have be able to draw or noffink - you could just get into some good ol' microsoft Paint action, or heck, plain old Word or whatever - and the literary world is your oyster!

You can download free fonts from Da Font, and away you go. All you need is a good idea and a colour printer.

As an example, here's one I just made (as a document on my Mac):

Not that you'd want a statement alluding to farts on your wall... just wanting to demonstrate how easy it is :)

Then what you can pop them up on the wall amongst your other fabulous family photos and curios, and voila - personal style personified!

Via apartment*therapy and blog.freepeople.com

25 DIY Projects That Cost Less Than $50

It's like this was written especially for me! apartmenttherapy.com has pulled together a bunch of really clever ideas to spruce up your space that cost, as the title suggests, $50 or (even better) MUCH less! Me likey!!

I especially love these butterflies made out of wood veneer; and actually, I have a few tricks of my own to share on how you can make gorgeous butterfly art from old scraps of paper etc that you might have lying around the joint; so stay tuned for that!

In the mean time, check out this fabulous list and get crafty! And, if you have a clever creation to share, please email it to me here.