a couple of Chalk Paint projects

hi everyone.

i've attacked a couple more pieces with chalk paint this week.

this trolley was pretty sad looking before i got to it with some quarter strength duck egg blue, and pure white chalk paint. i gave it 2 coats of each and sanded the edges.

i'd so love to keep this baby, but couldn't find a spot for it- even though i carted it all through the house looking for a home for it!

chalk paint is so versatile- the bottom shelf of the trolley had contact on it. rather than spend hours trying to remove it, i painted right on over it.

it's now for sale on my facebook page.

trolley before....

and this morning at the markets i found the cutest little vintage children's chair.

i didn't really give it a second look at first, then thought of what i could do with some chalk paint and had to take it home- and paint it up straight away of course! it could do with having the springs replaced, or could have been reupholstered, but that would have all cost a small fortune.

but with one coat of chalk paint over the vinyl- yes only one coat, it is totally transformed. i rubbed it over with clear wax too. the chalk paint gives the vinyl an almost suede look/finish.

i think my little grade ones will love it ;)

chair before....

and the countdown till school holidays is on. 4.days.to.go.....

Kate x

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i just HAVE to paint something!

hello lovelies! i hope you've all been enjoying the weekend. we have had brilliant weather up here in the usually sunny Brisbane- although it was initially forecast to be stormy and rainy. looking out the window, i think that storm is not too far away...

i took the above photo last weekend, and decided it had been waaay too long since i held a paintbrush and stuck it into a big tin of white paint. sooo, by 7am yesterday morning, i had the old towels out, the furniture lined up ready to go and the couch covers in the wash.

all these pieces were looking a little too tired for my liking, and were in need of a few coats of paint to freshen them up. 2 coats later, and they were lookin' much better!

then i tackled a favourite mirror- that one you can see to the right.

i was carrying it through the garage, and somehow dropped it. i screamed as a watched it break into about 75 pieces :( not one to cry over broken things, i'll admit i shed a tear on this one! the hubs is going to try and glue it back together... we'll see how it goes.

i swapped the cushions around and added in a bit more aqua.

Grandpa's tool box has come up a treat with a few coats of white.

this $3 thrifted wicker basket got a quick spray of paint and a bunch of gorgeous pink roses.

this nest of tables were a soft grey, now white.

my $5 suitcase, and $5 metal chest freshened up.

milk glass trio

looking onto the entry from the dining room.

i've moved the little blue table into the dining room, and created a sitting corner under the bay window. i potted up some plants i bought from this morning's market. hopefully they don't die in my care as most plants do ;)

i'm gonna make sure i have at least one morning coffee here before work this week!

we 're heading into week 5 of the school term...almost half way...WHAT?!

just crazy how the year flies on by.

i can't wait to show you my new purchase that will be arriving this week ;))

Kate x

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a quilt for a baby boy

i've just arrived home from a special friend's baby shower.

she's having a boy, and i had the honour of making him a quilt. his mumma has great taste, and chose the most lovely fabrics for me to work with.

i made it large enough to fit over a single bed for when he's a big boy. in the meantime, it will tuck nicely into the sides of his cot, or be a cosy play quilt for the floor.

once i had finished piecing it all together, i still had quite a bit of fabric left.

so, i decided to try making a raggy cushion cover. i'm not one to follow a pattern. i just work it out as i go.

i was pretty chuffed with how it turned out! and i still had fabric left.....

i love a fabric challenge, and hate waste, so decided to see if i could squeeze out another quilt- a smaller one of course ;)

here's the cute travel/bassinette size quilt i came up with.

it felt so good to make the most of every last scrap!

i've only made pretty girly quilts so far (doilies always included haha), so it was lots of fun doing a cute boy quilt for a change.

you can see some of my other quilts here and here and here

the elephants were quite the theme across the other pressies and cards too!

love it when those unplanned 'theme' happen.

i even used some of the fabric to jazz up the gift wrapping

only about 5 weeks till the little man arrives :) can't wait to meet him!

Kate x

linked up at Scandi Coast

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don't forget...

i picked these cushions up this week. i love the natural colour of them both.
the top one was advertised in last month's Real Living magazine. Only $10 from K-Mart.
the bottom one was an op shop find and looks great with my other daybed cushions. love those little wooden buttons too.

i will be drawing a GIVEAWAY winner this weekend. you can enter by leaving a comment on my giveaway post here. the odds are looking pretty good, so why not?!
Kate x

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vintage daybed & a new cushion

i worked on this lovely old daybed all weekend. she needed a good scrub and sand. i also had to get my trusty scraper out to get all the flakey paint off one side where it had obviously been in the sun. four coats of white paint, a sand around the edges and then sealed, i think she is looking pretty dandy don't you think?

for now, i have folded a linen Ikea curtain around the base. that way i can easily change it over for another colour. a cotton tablecloth would also do the job.

i also tried out my beige cushions. they look great too.
that sweet linen cushion with the flowers had dark brown embroidered centres. they really made it look awful, so i spent about 2 hours picking them out. i got out my button collection, picked out all the white, pearl and diamond ones, and sewed them on in clusters. the centre flower got one big chunky white button. it looks stacks better believe me!

i love to get out early and snap pics.
i took these this morning at about 6:30am after my walk.
what a stunning sunshiny day.
the sun made my white lilies literally glow!

another market find, this made-to-look-old buoy.
i'm not sure where to hang it yet. maybe out by the pool.

not a cloud in the sky.
my happy lilies drinking in the rays.

before shot. how ugly can you get.

my new cushion.
i love it and am thinking of ordering more.
100% cotton, 40cm x 40cm. zip enclosure at the base.
if you are interested in one or some for yourself, please email me
mlewisd@bigpond.net.au

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make cushions while the rain falls

we've all heard the term "make hay while the sun shines" well i've altered that 'saying' slightly as you can see from my post title!

the weather we are currently experiencing in Brisbane is nothing short of bizarre. flash flooding, evacuation warnings, sandbags along the Brisbane River and underground carparks in the city and suburbs close to the city cleared. The deluge (reportedly the size of Sydney Harbour) that has inundated Toowoomba is headed our way. And our dams, rivers and creeks are already full. Roads are pot hole filled and closed in many areas. Today, the 11th January 2011 will be a telling day for the South East of Queensland. Drought one day, flooding the next!

So, the school shoe shopping has been put on hold, as has a trip to Seaworld and a visit to the Sunshine Coast. The 30+ Olay face moisturiser has been pushed to the back of the bathroom drawer, as night cream will do the job. No sun to be seen!

And I was able to cross another fun task off my holiday list: making some cushion covers- from the most delicious vintage fabric I have ever come across! (so far anyway :)
I even made little ties at the bottom.

i had to take photos right near the windows as the light is terrible at the moment.

i backed them with white linen napkins. that helped get them nice and square too.

you may remember this little stool from a previous post. it's also covered in this yummy rose fabric. sadly it's all used up now :(

now it's time to cross off a not so fun task- the ironing.....

what have you been keeping yourself busy with these holidays?

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