A can of GOLD spray paint

Is there an item in your home or something you found that you just HAD TO HAVE? Then you get home and try to make it fit with the rest of your space and realise it is never going to work. We are all culprits of this! 

Here is my very easy 1, 2, 3 - that will have you running to your local store for a can of spray paint.

I picked up this watering can from IKEA while I was sourcing for a client last week and absolutely had to have it- my life depended on it (or so it seemed at that moment). It costs my $2.99, I had big plans for it. I new my desk could do with some uplifting and I thought this can would look super cut with flowers in them.

The only problem - the feature colour in my room is gold (at the moment). Yes, this changes more often than the weather in Sydney.

I keep a can of gold spray paint at home for rainy days - it always seems to come in handy and feed you that little bit of creativity that you are so hungry for. You can pick up a can from your local Bunnings for less than $15.00 

Ok, it's time for a make over!

 

My Boyfriend, let's call him Jack - because he is my "Jack of all trades" once gave me the best advice when handling spray paint, he said, "Do it on the grass". Thank you life saver! It's quick, there is no preparation, no need for newspaper that is going to move in the wind and end up sticking to what you are painting and within a week you cannot even see where you spray painted - mother nature takes care of that!

Here is my finished product! I will show you a photo next time of it sitting on my desk with fresh blooms inside!

What are you planning on attacking with a can of spray paint?

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Oh, and if you’re feeling really inspired, leave me a comment below. Or jump over to the Facebook Page for other objects you can attack with a gold can of spray paint.

Elle x

Bedroom on a budget

As requested by one of our first readers, this post is directed towards students who are attempting to design on a budget.

 

What’s the most expensive thing in a bedroom? Right, it’s bed and any furniture you are willing to have there. While you can’t really do it without bed, you sure can without any additional furniture. So let’s start with the essential part of the bedroom, which is bed. It doesn’t have to be expensive or big if you are living alone. Go with smaller modest beds like the one in the picture below. It will save you a bit money for the rest of your decor.



As for other furniture in the room, think about what you really need and what you really don’t need, if you plan to buy some chairs just for the bedroom but do not plan to use them, then what’s the point? A minimalist approach doesn’t take away from the bedroom’s decor if it is done right. Having said that, having a single chair in the corner of a room is a cheap and effective feature for the space.

Use bold colours to brighten up the rooms and artwork with similar colours to create unison. Do not under estimate the power of paint. Repainting your space white will invite more natural light while also providing a blank canvas. 

If your are, however, more into neutral and calm colour schemes go with floral patterned wallpaper in neutral tones. It will not only enrich your bedroom but will also give it a warmer look. Of course, wallpaper is more expensive than certain paints both in terms of price and installation but in the long-run quality wallpaper can serve you for a long period of time.



The pops of colour in this space all work well as they are within the same yellow tones but don't go out a purchase anything that catches your eye. Your space should be built up over time by items you enjoy and have meaning.

Even if you want a calm bedroom be sure to add accents in deeper shades here and there in order to make it look stylish and finished. Get everything out except the most essential parts of the room like bed and a night table or lamp. Thus you can make the smallest room in the house a stylish minimalist room for rest and lounge where nothing will distract you from sleep.



Don't be afraid to try a little DIY. It is cheap, easy and enjoyable to rummage through garage sales and turn old mirrors, frame or wooden pieces into something spectacular.


 

The bed linen you chose should represent who you are as a person. You might think this sounds a little strange but you should not be purchasing something that you don't love. If you aren't quite sure at to what that is at this stage stick with neutral colours. Don't under estimate white linen for starters. But it can always be brought to life with fantastic cushions. See my post on cushions here.

 

Lighting is what finishes a space off, it is a mood changer. Don't be afraid of doing something a little different. See my post on industrial lighting. 

 

Elle x

 

 

 

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Images via Interholic

WHITE WASHED hardwood floors

Here is a little bit of information I have wanted to explore for a while now, feel free to email through any questions or write them on the Facebook page too, (which you can find by click here).

Friends has recently started renovating their home. They had beautiful wooden floors, rich in colour but have now opted for something a little more modern. After looking through interior design websites, design and DIY blogs, I came across some information for them on the process. One lucky find was the website of a young European man who is attempting to whitewash wooden flooring which he discovered when he pulled up old carpet throughout his new home.

Here is a closeup of what a whitewashed hardwood floor would look like.

Here are a few instructions on creating the white-washed appearance;

The process for white washing is a simple one but time consuming. It can also be called Pickling wood. Instead of buying a premixed pickling, you can make your own by simply taking a latex paint of colour you like and mixing it 50/50 with water.

To apply, you want to apply areas the whole length or width of the flooring depending on which way the flooring runs. It can be applied using a paint roller and letting it set for about 2 minutes. Then you take a clean ran and wipe over the surface with the grain. Remove as much of the paint as you want. Some like to leave a white film over the wood, while others like wiping it down so the paint is only in the grain.

After you are done, let it dry over night and then apply a coat of polyurethane. You let that dry and then sand it with a 220 grit sand paper (you can find this at any Bunnings store in Australia), just buffing lighting to remove any raised grain. 

Vacuume and apply another coat of polyurethane.

You can also apply the white wash a bit thicker, which will of course give you a brighter and whiter look.

via

DIY: wooden stump vase

Here is a little DIY project for a quiet Thursday!

My project weekend was quite effective. I managed to get a fair bit done but there is still a lot to do. The one project I managed to start and finish entirely (and also the one that makes the least difference around the house. oops!) is this one: a tree-stump vase. Steve’s parents have a pile of tree stumps at their place (I’m not sure why) so I stole a couple. This little one was turned into a vase. It’s pretty simple if you have the right tools and are brave enough to drill into something that small without a clamp or vice thingymebob to hold it in place. Or, you could rope your husband into risking drilling into his hand and/or foot like I did. Thanks babe!

Toolkit
1. Small treestump or large branch.
2. Saw
3. Electric drill
4. Wood spade bit
5. Hole saw bit
6. Candle

This post is thanks to The Happy Home Blog. 

How-to1. Work out how long you want your vase to be and mark where to cut. If your piece of wood is not flat at on end, you might need to cut both ends.
2. Cut piece of stump/branch at desired length so the line is as parallel to the bottom as possible. Mine isn’t quite even but it doesn’t lean too crazily when it’s standing up so is fine.
3. Using a wood spade bit in your electric drill, drill into one end about half way. BE CAREFUL! Chock it somehow if you can.
Alternative (like mine): I also wanted mine to fit tealights and thickish candles so Steve did another couple of steps: he used a wood saw to drill a larger hole about two centimetres into the wood. Because it didn’t go all the way through the wood, it just created a border for the circumfrence and he then used the wood spade several times to cut away the rest of the “hole”.
4. Drip melted wax from a candle into the hole gradually and swirl around the sides slowly so the wax coats the entire inside of the hole. It’s now watertight and ready for flowers!

{images by Belinda Graham for The Happy Home}

Beau lifestyle apartment

Born in Holland, living in Spain, loving the United States, England and France. Often you can find Miss Beau Lifestyle searching flea markets for vintage things, who need a little tlc to become that unique piece of decoration. Miss Beau Lifestyle also likes modern designs, and believes the best way is to mix and match cheap DIY with expensive design. Miss Beau Lifestyle enjoys sharing her inspiration, passion and finds with her readers through her blog and to demonstrate how her small apartment transformes little by little into the families's beloved home.

"This is it, the painting is finally dry, and mounted on the wall.These are the images of our little apartment that I wanted to share with you. If you read my blog you might recognize the things in the apartment that I posted about. There are still things I want to undertake in our apartment, but for the moment it's done.

Please let me know what you think and I am happy to tell you where I found/ bought the things in our apartment. I would like to thank you, for being part of this wonderfull world called blogging. It has been a huge inspiration for me."

13-02-2012 update: Baby Matteo´s nursery

 

http://beaulifestyle.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/beau-lifestile-apartment.html