The study...before and after

There is something about buying shelving and storage units that doesn't really add up. Most of it is flimsy and only made from chipboard. Yesterday, Mr B got out his handy saw and went to Bunnings to get all the materials to make the storage shelving that was so badly needed for the study robes. What a difference it makes to the rest of the house downstairs. The house was designed with heaps of storage but we struggled to work out where my DS3 would put all his 'daily' toys and how we could keep the house clutter free of all his stuff.

Normally, a family would have a designated kids room for this with everything on display, but I didn't want this type of set up for this new home. I cant tolerate clutter in any form (I grew up in a house of total chaos!) so everything has its place and behind close doors. That is not to say I don't LOVE knick knacks and beautiful table arrangements...I long for it so much but not just yet. So...getting back to the study, this is what Mr B made for me after a few hours...everything has its place for my little boy and all the toys are sorted out into piles of Toy Story, Mens and Cars! he loves it and I feel some order come back to my lounge room.

The Study

This is our study/desk at the moment but the back wall is getting wallpaper in the next few weeks. I had always imagined a silvery blue colour but I will wait for all my samples to arrive. So really this is a before shot as it is not completed to the way I want it to be.

Before shot!

A very uninspiring before shot demonstrating no storage at all...a place where my kids keep their school bags and that is about it.

After Shot

The storage that Mr B built for about $50 in materials. The unit is free standing as the hydronic water pipes are behind the wall so no drilling holes in this wall! It fits all my sons toys that he has for downstairs...so neat, looks great when the door is open but when I pack up the house for the night, just close the doors...........like this (picture below)

Mess out of sight....well at least for a few minutes haha

Mrs B

Happy New Year...So What Have I Done?

Happy New Year to everybody! Like many other people in blogland, I also cannot make new year resolutions as I never stick to them. I would like to think one of my ' must do's' this year is to blog more often and comment and other people's blogs but somehow I just feel dried up with ideas at the moment. There are so many brilliant blogs out there with the most inspirational pictures so this keeps me going and inspired.
So what have I done to my house....not much haha!!!!!! It sounds very cliche but it really does takes time and patience when it comes to making a house a home. My news however, is I have found the wallpaper I love (particularly the price) from Laura Ashley. Strange I have gone for a more traditional look in a very contemporary home, but some of their wallpapers are just so beautiful...perfect for the areas I need them for. A consultant is suppose to come to my house in the next week (for $50) and help me with co-ordinating a few things like the curtains and wallpaper. What I like about this is the fact I can just takes my time in ordering the products. I will let you know what I have selected.
What has been done in the last month is really just some final touches of must haves before the real decorating begins...Last area of landscaping, blinds for upstairs and a few floating shelves for my son's room. The boys rooms are starting to take shape as they live in them and I can work out what they like and really don't like. They both have very strong primary colours...green and red and my little boy, more softer colours like pale blue. The pictures below will give you an idea of what direction I am heading but much more to add, it just takes time to evolve.

So, onto the pictures....

Roman Blinds for the stairwell.

You may remember I had these ideas to have a vibrant print for the blind at the top of the stairs...this is it without the lovely print I wanted. Still looks really nice but to have it in the fabric I had my heart set on was going to be a very costly and time consuming exercise and I had to get something asap as this is where the summer sun rises every morning and the heat was becoming unbearable. Still, it is very beautiful and have had lots of nice comments about the fabric and colour.

New blinds for the upstairs lounge room

At last, our new blinds for the upstairs area. The colour is just so lovely and really compliments the lounge. Also, I learnt my lesson from the downstairs blinds and made sure that the 3 blinds all pull up together at the same time....so they always look even.

TThis picture is with the blinds closed. Oh, yes, the cushion is off center but I couldn't be bothered to take another pic with it straightened!

Son's bedroom

The colours I have selected all work really well together ...I really like the reds and greens and really gives the kids room a contemporary feel without making the bedrooms feel 'babyish' As of yet, they haven't asked for black yet or to stick 'death eater' posters every where (I shiver with horror at the thought!) I must admit, I feel very lucky that I am allowed to decorate my kids rooms without any input from them...such bliss to have it all my way. Will it always be like this?

Red floating shelves from IKEA

Yes another dreaded trip to the 'Carpark from Hell' at IKEA. Melbourne people will know exactly what I mean by this! They have the audacity to charge you parking at IKEA but only have one boom gate to get in and one to get out off. Needless to say the traffic congestion it causes has to be seen. Who ever designed this madness should seriously look at another job. Anyway beside all that, we bought the floating shelves and they look great in our son's room. Still a little way to go before the room is complete, some more red storage furniture, colourful mats and maybe a wall decal. I also want to get some pictures of New York enlarged for our son's room...this will just complete the whole look.

Before Shot...Front garden just planted back in April

After Shot...Garden in December

Just a few landscaping pics, the garden is slowly coming along. Some days I don't think anything has grown at all until I look at the before and after shots. The front garden is developing but still struggling to find a tree specimen tree that can take the winds and extreme temperatures that we have. At the moment we have 3 silver birches and are struggling but still alive. Our beautiful silver princess did not survive even though it was an Australian Native.

Front Garden

Fake Grass

The last area of our landscaping now completed. This was a very difficult area to decide what to do with but with much deliberation and research, top quality fake grass was the way to go. It sounds crazy that in a beautiful country like Australia that many people are putting down fake grass but we have a water crises and cannot water lawns at all...indefinitely

Anyway, either hate it or love it, here it is a suits this area for what we need it for.

Along the fence line we are planting small trees...not sure just yet but a variety to grows up and not out.

A view from the porch area.

Mrs B

Security Doors are in...

Our stacker security doors went in today for the downstairs kitchen area. We have 5 sets of these doors throughout the house and will be getting the rest after Christmas. What a joy they are...we can just keep the doors open throughout the day keeping flies out as well as offering security. At first I was concerned they would ruin the look of the home both from inside and out but they just blend so easily you don't even notice them. The photos below show how they look both from the interior and exterior.

This picture is from the outside with the stacker wire doors open....

Same view but with them shut. As you can see they just neatly slide out of the way if not needed. I love these wire doors...it has made living in and outdoors a breeze now as I hate the flies!

Mrs B

Its Christmas time! or at least in my household. Some of the decorations and tree have gone up but I still have to find the rest in storage at my Dad's house. My little white tree (that one that will do for now) looks so pretty in this spot but it still needs more decorations and lights according to my children. My 'dream tree' lives in this beautiful candle shop and I am hoping that it will be for sale boxing day so at least next Christmas I will have this 8ft tree to fill the space.

I bought the magazine when it came out and I just loved this Christmas edition, so much that it inspired me to set up my tree in November. I am busy preparing for a few Christmas parties...one for my son's cricket team and parents and another for all my friends from work.

Anyway, more pictures to come once I set up all the Chrisie decorations.

Mrs B

Holidays....Wonderful, but back to decorating!

Image from House of Turquoise

We have just come back from our 'trip of a life time' holiday to the USA and Toronto in Canada. It is very embarrassing to note that I haven't blog since July but I also was very concerned that if I made an announcement that we were going overseas, I would be devastated if the wrong people read my message and decided to pay my house a visit whilst we we gone! Our wonderful friends baby sat our home and our dog for us and they were also very sad to leave our place behind as they felt they had a holiday as well.


The trip was unbelievable and we stayed in the most wonderful hotels...thanks to Trip Advisor. We went to Disney Land LA, New York, Toronto, Las Vegas and Hollywood. New York is my favourite place and it always reminded me of Carrie in Sex in the City. I will say it was the wonderful hospitality of the American and Canadian people that made our holiday so much more special. No matter where we were, people bent over backwards to give us directions or help when we needed it. I have never received such good service in restaurants or hotels in my life. Anyway, enough about my trip, back to decorating!



Where am I at the moment...not much further down the track than where I left off in July. I have ordered blinds for upstairs which will look nice but all my beautiful drapes will have to be put on hold until next year as there are other priorities for the house. this Wallpaper fixation I have needs to be address however...I must get it done for the areas in the house so I can move on to finish the rest of the rooms. I did however manage to buy two sets of Barcelona style chairs for the house off my friend. These are beautiful chairs and often I will sit upstairs with my feet up reading a book or just relaxing. I may in the future put them both together but at the moment they are better in separate rooms so each lounge area has more seating.

My new addition to the upstairs lounge room

So that is about it....just trying to keep the house clean and decluttered, patiently waiting to get my wallpaper just like in the pretty picture of the bedroom above. Christmas is coming up (which I love) so i cant wait to see all the decorating ideas and pictures in all my favourite blogs.

Mrs B