In this half of the world, we're pulling slowly into Summer and once the festive period is over, my hours at my casual job will pull back and this will free up my time for... projects! Now that the kitchen has been completed and the housewarming has been held, it's time to turn my attention to the smaller jobs around the house, including.
- Re-painting and adding a seal to the front door. Unforch, due to some misinformation from the girl at Bunnings as to the base of this paint, it hasn't come up very well, and the join in it has cracked open and it just looks shit-house.
- Re-upholstering this chair!
This sweet darling was picked up for $19 on eBay, and has a small amount of damage to the right arm. I'm going to sand back all of the wood and re-stain and coat it, then attempt to reupolster it in this fabric, which I salvaged from my Nan's house when we held a garage/clearing sale - draped below to give you an idea.
- Lining my jewelry box. I have an old wooden box that I have previously re-finished but as it used to be a writing box, it still has compartments in it. I'm going to knock these out and line it with felt to hold my jewelry, Speaking of which, how do you, dear blogger, store your long necklaces. This is really troubling me now that I've started to collect a few.
- Start on the back garden. At the moment, I'm really keen to clear the backyard (of rubble from ripping up the concrete during the plumbing works) and start on a bit of a garden which is abundant in fruits and veg! After what was, in reality, a semester long guilt trip in the form of a university subject on nutrition, I'm really keen to enjoy more fresh produce and cut down on food miles. That's why I want to get some used apple crates, chuck a false bottom in them, line them and re-stencil them with something funky and 'us' - like these guys - and plant some stuff!!
Photo from here
- Start on the front garden. While I am grateful that we haven't had to rip out big thorny rose bushes or prickly pears or something impossible like an aloe vera plant, we do have a heap of ...nothing. And while our blinds are now in, I would love to give us a bit more privacy, and a bit of shelter from the heat at the front. I purchased Photoshop a few years back and never learned how to use it, so below is a picture that I've done using that fabulous program, paint.
Now, obvs, this photo is pretty f***ing lifelike (they (talent scouts) asked me to study art, and I was like, "look, it wouldn't be fair on the other students, why don't I go do nursing, drop out, work in management for a few years and then try going back to uni to study Public Health instead" and they were like, "cool") but let me walk you through it anyway. The front is wooden posts with that wire through it, you know the wire on the freeways that motorcyclists hate? Yeah, that stuff. Behind that is a low hedge, possibly lilly pilly? Then in front of each window is a large garden bed, and a feature tree in each, I'm thinking Ornamental pear but Puffin wants something that 'goes out' a bit more. This is an older photo and doesn't show the big ass trench we made in the plumbing works, or the new door, glass or blinds, but what I also want to do is paint the green trim a brown colour to blend in with the bricks as well.
- Re-paint my parents bedroom. This was supposed to happen in my mid semester break but we got a little snowed under here!
- Re-paint the mission brown colourbond in the undercover area (to a cream instead!), and replace the scrunched up newspaper that is under the eaves with styrofoam cut to size.
- Organise a kick ass garage sale. We haven't got a heap to sell, so we're thinking of inviting friends and family to bring a table and sell their own stuff too, like a mini market! We're also going to throw in a BBQ and soft drinks and pray for good weather! This is more likely to happen around Easter time.
Now, all of this really just is a big to do list, but the reason for blogging was to let you all know that while the big reno's may have finished, there will still be plenty of stuff going on, and I will be posting how these all go, and my fave finds from the internet, in the meantime! I also want to make a big song and dance for the following reasons
- My wonderful, hilarious and now, well traveled, friend Erin is home! Erin has been living in the UK since last April and while Puffin and I did see her on our trip over there, I have been missing her tonnes and having her back is just delightful.
- My marks from this semester of uni are kick ass - 3 High Distinctions and 1 Distinction!
So that's all from us for now, we hope you're enjoying the beginnings of the festive season, remember not to drink and drive, and we'd love (Ok, I would love, Puffin doesn't care) suggestions of how to store long necklaces!! I spent hours on the internet researching this for Meercats Christmas present and kept coming up short!!
