Where did August go?

Welcome to the first day of Spring from tropical Far North Queensland!
I'm back again after a bit of a blogging break.  In the blink of an eye August has come and gone.  Not sure what happened?  It's not that I didn't do much - because I certainly seemed to be kept extremely busy.  It's not that I didn't go anywhere different or achieve any goals - because I did.  It's not that I wasn't inspired by all the wonderful things I've seen and read during the month - because I have.   I guess the reality is that I just haven't felt inclined to blog about it.  Very strange......  I wonder if any of my blogging friends have ever felt this way?  Anyway, hopefully this small transgression will soon pass and I will get back my blogging mojo.

So what has been happening in my corner of the world these past few weeks?
Well the most exciting piece of news is that my friend Julie and I made it to the half way mark on the Pyramid!  This was a huge milestone.  Not only is it an extremely physical climb (3 hr return trip)  but I also had to overcome my incredible fear of heights - which was a massive psychological achievement .  To reach the half way point (455 metres) was the highest I have EVER been (other than being in a plane!)   When we finally reached the half way mark - a massive boulder with 1/2 WAY scrawled across its face in faded white paint - it was as much as I could do to fall to my knees and kiss it (like the Blarney stone!)

Once I managed to anchor myself to a small sapling (literally!) I summoned up the courage to look around and take in the views - and WHAT amazing views they were! 

Gordonvale and the Mulgrave Mill

The first rays of morning sunlight

Looking south

Looking north

High 5's!

At this stage we haven't made plans to go any higher although who knows how we will feel in a couple of months time.  It certainly is a fantastic feeling of accomplishment to have reached such a massive milestone and better still - managed to burn off 1200 calories (according to my heart rate monitor!) - so that has to be good.

Aside from conquering mountains I have also been kept very busy with heaps of projects around the house.

Finally managed to finish the painting I was doing for my bedroom.  Am really happy with how it turned out and it adds a wonderful splash of colour to my all white palette.

Almost finished the transformation of this room.   Just waiting for my new quilt and trying to decide on a floor rug.  Oh yes, and I am just waiting for the September holidays to finally have a go at making the farmyard bench which I intend to place at the foot of the bed - chipppy white (with a touch of red) of course!  All in all I am really pleased with what I have achieved.  

Have spent the last two weekends repainting my front picket fence - all 50 metres of it!  Only 4 more panels to go.  Looks lovely and crisp against the green foliage backdrop.

Two weeks till September school holidays and I am already making my list of "things to do" -

#1 - Build farmyard bench

#2 - Paint verandah balustrading

#3 - Lay tiles on verandah

#4 - Finish painting walls in kitchen

#5 - Complete some more blocks on my Breast of Friends quilt

#6 - Mulch my front garden

#7 - Replenish the pebbles in my driveway and pathways

Whew!.........  I'm exhausted already

Future Projects

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

I just love these tissue paper pom poms and am determined to have a go at making some.  I have seen them popping up all around the place recently and they just seem to add such a lovely fluffy splash of colour.   I have done an internet search and found an easy tutorial HERE
Perhaps if I get started now I might be able to master the art in time for Christmas. (Yes, I'm giving myself plenty of time.)   White and gold (and maybe a splash of red) - so festive!

Another project that I am just itching to get started on is one of these farmhouse benches which my new blogger friend Tina from Rubies Place recently shared.   Tina (like me) has an absolute obsession with farmhouse benches!

(Image from Better homes & Gardens via Knock Off Wood)

Of course the fact that this one is red is just an added bonus.  Can just see it perched at the foot of my new bed.   The instructions look pretty simple and in any case - it's supposed to look rustic looking!  So I'm sure I'll be fine. 

If only there were more hours in the day (or better still - if I didn't have to work!) there are just sooo many projects I would love to undertake.    

Anyone for Drinks?

One of the things I love about being at home on holidays is having the time to browse through  thrift and decorating shops looking for interesting pieces of furniture.  On one of my expeditions this week I managed to find this gorgeous  "Drinks table" on sale.   Now I don't really see why? it was called a "drinks table" -however  I think it looks perfect in the corner of my new bedroom.   I am now on the lookout for a cute table lamp to finish it off.
My holidays are fast coming to an end - back to work on Monday.   I am really happy with all the jobs I have managed to get done.  Bedroom painted and new flooring laid;  new bed installed;  revamp of old chest of drawers.  The bedroom is still a bit of a work in progress - new bedspread on its way, floor rug to be found; white timber shutters for 1/2 window and some artwork (which I am currently in the process of painting) for the space above the bed.  However, all in all I feel quite chuffed with what I have achieved.

Still to come :  New quilt;  white timber shutters;  floor rug;  lamp; and artwork above bed!

The red check cushion was another bargain find - $10!  It looks a bit "odd" here but it will go perfectly with my new quilt and linen.  Dixie Chick loves the "new look" bedroom as well.   I will post updates as soon as I can although I am not going to have the time I have had over the past couple of weeks to primp and preen at my leisure.  If only I didn't have to work,  I could I restyle a room every fortnight!   I can but dream........

Chest of Drawers Makeover

It was this set of drawers (in Harvey Norman's showroom) which gave me the inspiration to transform a chest of pine drawers which had been sitting empty in Adam's old room.    At the time I bought the drawers, which from memory was about 17 years ago, pine was all the go and they used to  look so stylish in the corner of his room with his dinosaur collection perched proudly on top!  Over the years the pine has turned a rather ugly honey colour and a couple of the round pine knobs had fallen off and were no longer around and I was seriously considering including it in a pile of un-used furniture  I was planning to donate to Lifeline.   As luck would have it - I just couldn't part with it.   .  All those years of opening and closing the the drawers;  putting away Adam's clothes;  dusting his dinosaur collection.   It was like a member of our family - I just couldn't part with it.  A makeover was definitely in order.

So off came the remaining knobs and a bit of carpentry repair to the drawers to secure some loose ply base boards.  Then a liberal scrub with metho to remove the residue of old footy stickers which had been stuck to the sides and a light sand to prepare it for the undercoat.  A couple of coats of white paint later and some beautiful new glass handles and you wouldn't recognise it......

It looks perfect in my newly painted bedroom.   Such a fitting spot for an old friend!

New Flooring - Finished!

Well, my knees will never be the same again after completing the laying of my new bedroom floor!  Finally the job is complete and I am absolutely thrilled with the result.   After giving lots of thought to the "type" of flooring I wanted, I eventually decided on timber black bean planks.  I did consider laying carpet however given the fact that our menagerie (Mickey, Buffy, Dolly P and Dixie Chick) have the complete run of the house, the timber planks seemed the most sensible option.  Although I love the idea of carpet,  past experience has taught me that carpets and pets don't "go" all that well and I needed something which was going to be cool in summer and easy to keep clean. 
So, this is what I started with - 15 sq. metres of hard (extremely!), cold concrete.

The trickiest part of the whole project was just working out "where" to begin.   After what seemed like an eternity of measuring and re-measuring I finally established a starting point and then set about laying the planks.
This is where I got to at the end of Day 1 - about 1/4 way!  Oh my knees.... they were so red and bruised so I decided that drastic action was needed for Day 2.  As luck would have it I managed to find an old pair of cricket batting pads in the shed - bliss!

Day 2 and with cricket pads firmly strapped on I embarked on the next stage of the job.  I was determined to have it completed by the end of the day and worked like a woman possessed.   I must admit, there were (many!) times throughout the day when I seriously questioned my sense motivation to embark upon this mamoth d.i.y. project - "I must be crazy........" however never one to be daunted and spurred on by my belief that "There is absolutely nothing that women can't do!" - I pressed on.   I was soooo relieved to finally get to that final row and find that I only needed some minor cutting to get a good fit -  so all my measuring had paid off.

So here it is - the finished job!  I am so happy with the result and can't wait to get started on the next stage of my bedroom transformation.  

Beautiful Eiderdowns

from Kirstie's Homemade Home

I love living in the tropics,  particularly at this time of the year.   The days are just so beautiful.  Warm and sunny with just that slight crispness in the air in the mornings and little or no humidity.   Just perfect!    When I look at the temperatures in the southern states I think how lucky we are.  Here it is almost the end of June and I haven't even put a blanket on our bed at night!   What I do miss however are the wonderful bedroom decorating opportunities which come with living in a cooler climate.   In searching for inspiration for my current bedroom transformation I have come across these beautiful vintage eiderdowns.   How I would love to have one of these gorgeous creations at the foot of my new bed.  They just look so warm and inviting.

There's something about a beautiful eiderdown which seems to shout "Come and snuggle under me....." Against the crisp white linen sheets and pillow cases their colours and puffiness seem so cheery and comforting.   I'll just have to keep searching to see if I can find a "tropical" alternative.

Painting Complete!

Before:

Finally managed to finish the painting of the walls/doors/trims and ceiling in my bedroom and I must say, I am quietly pleased with the result.   There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make a room look  clean and fresh again - particularly my old favourite "Antique White USA".  I ended up having to apply 3 coats to cover the previous colour which was a rather dark wisteria blue - but it was worth it. 

After:

  The doors and trims look gleaming in crisp white gloss and I even managed to patch up a couple of small holes in the ceiling with Rapid Fill (legacy of a wayward curtain rod which accidently made made contact with the ceiling whilst I was removing curtains for washing...oops.....) You would never know - a quick sand and couple of coats of ceiling paint and it looks like new!    Over the years I have repainted quite a few ceilings and I have always found it really tricky trying to roll evenly and not miss bits out.   However, I found this fantastic ceiling paint at Bunnings which has a pink tinge to it when you first put it on and then dries white!  Absolutely fantastic.

Next job is the laying of the timber floor planks.  Hopefully my poor ol' aching back and sore arms are up to the task!  (Who needs Gym membership with all the climbing up and down the ladder that I have been doing.....)