Laundry loveliness

contemporary laundry room design

Being a mother of 4 children means I'm pretty much chained to my washing basket.

This makes the laundry one of the most important rooms in the house & an efficient use of space is of the utmost importance.

I think the laundry above is certainly perfect in every way.Shaker style cabinets & subway tiles are the ultimate finish to a well set out space.

I especially love the marble topped table in the centre of the room, beautiful & handy all at the same time.

This one is another favourite & probably a little more realistic for most of our budgets & space allocation.

In my last house we had a fantastic laundry. It had a nice long bench area like this with plenty of overhead cupboards, a nice tall broom cupboard & a large linen press.

It made it very easy to stay organised, I would iron a few things each day as dinner was cooking, never having to pack things away! 

Another pretty laundry with a fabulous centre table.

Unfortunately the house we are renting has an extremely small laundry, it fits our washing machine & tumble dryer & we have a cupboard sitting in front of the external door as there is NO storage in there at all.

There is a fabulous amount of storage in this great laundry.

Its great to be able to fold & iron all of the clothes in the laundry & leave then sitting on the bench until you have time to pack it away, visitors never have to experience the mess.

Are you lucky enough to have a fabulous laundry with tonnes of storage & bench space to work on, or are you like me at the moment & folding the washing on the kitchen table each day?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A bad hair day

In case you don't already know,  I am currently a stay at home mum, but previous to moving to the Hunter Valley I worked as a hairdresser, owning my own salon in the Blue Mountains.

Now this little tidbit of information about my past is just to help paint the picture of the horror I felt when seeing my sons new hairstyle!!!

He & his dad thought it would be FUN to surprise me with the fact that I didn't have to worry about giving Tom the new summer hair cut he desired!!

SURPRISED..Yes I was indeed, in fact, I struggled to hold back the tears.

My dream guy knows I'm not a fan of what he affectionately calls "A real mans hair cut"

This is what he looked like pre clippers & he was in need of a trim, but hey dream guy, I can see why your an electrician & not a hairdresser.

Lucky he is a good lookin rooster, Ay!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Perfect pantry

Is this just the most PERFECT pantry on the planet, I would kill to have something so gorgeous in my dream home...

I love how organised this one looks, all of those perfectly matched storage jars, lined up so so neatly... the kids would soon spoil this image!!!

I love these pull out pantry units, very practical & space efficient.

There is a pantry style to suit every home & budget, I guess the most important thing is knowing how to make your allocated space work well for you.
Knowing what you want to keep in your pantry, who is going to be using it & does it need to be visually appealing ,or can you close a door & hide your clutter from the world.

I like the idea of lots of open shelves with matching storage containers to give an organised & tidy feel, even after the kids have been.
I would like some hooks to hang the school bags from. A message board & calender to keep track of our daily activities & school notes, without cluttering up the kitchen,  a place to hang a broom & dust pan. Perhaps a few baskets for tea towels & place mats, rather than keeping them in the linen cupboard.

What sort of pantry do you have or dream of having?

CHEERS
Trish xxx

New blog on the block

I remember when I first started out blogging I was beside myself whenever I got a new follower...

Oh hang on a minute, nothings changed.

It really is a thrill to meet a new follower!!!

BUT

What I was going to say was, when I first started out ,the lovely Ange from Chair up introduced me to her friends & lots of them popped over to my blog to say Hi & I was on my way!!!

Thank you Ange for being so welcoming & full of encouragement, it was greatly appreciated.

Image via Decor Pad

Ange is a whizz at furniture make overs & reupholstering chairs etc, you really should pop by & check out her blog if you haven't done so already.

Now the new blog I would like to introduce you to is

 Belle inspirations

Another beautiful blogger residing on the Gold Coast, QLD Australia.

 The sunshine state certainly produces some inspiring, stylish ladies!!!

You should drop by for a peak as it is a treasure trove of eye candy such as these gorgeous images

Stop by & follow belle Inspirations "on a journey of all things INSPIRATIONAL" & give her a huge

 blog land welcome!!

Thank You for all of your lovely comments regarding my 100th post.

You bloggers certainly know how to make a gal feel luuurved!!!

 All the lovely comments about my Xmas tree made me feel rather proud of myself, I have to confess my "feather garlands" are actually feather boa's. They cost $4 each at a shop called Hot Dollar, I have 4 on my tree but could do with 2 more.

Have a lovely week my friends!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx



100th Post

WOW!!!

My 100th post...

Who would have thought I would have enough people enjoying my ramblings for me to continue on to 100 posts!!!

I have seriously enjoyed blogging since I began back in April...I have met some of the most amazing & inspirational people in this land of blogging.

I am always sooo excited to see your comments on my posts, they are always filled with encouragement & support

Then there are the emails with a snippet of information, a useful link or inspiration pic or just a friendly introduction from a new follower, they are always a pleasure to receive!!!

I have learnt many things from You, my wonderful bloggy friends...

Ive learnt so much about interior design, choosing colour & combining it with pattern, creating  beautiful table scape's as well as wonderful table setings for  dinner parties or casual entertaining.

I have discovered some fabulous craft ideas for entertaining my children & some great little tricks to get them to help with the cleaning up!!

I have developed a real love for photography & hope my dream guy will surprise me with a digital SLR camera for Christmas, there are so many of you bloggers with amazing photography skills to share I just can't wait to learn more...

Then of course there are all of the fabulous HOW TO posts that have me inspired to create or revamp SOMETHING...I have soooo many plans, but so little confidence, I am yet to do anything...

but I WILL!!!

I think I am  learning how to be a better me...

I must admit, it took a BIG push from my sister & No.1 follower, Erin, before I found the courage to actually write that first post.

 She was very supportive & had more faith in my ability than I ever had, so for this I say

Thank You Ezzy!!!

I have baked you all one of these to say

Thanks

& now Im off to catch up on what you have all been up to for the weekend

Have a fabulous week my bloggy friends

P.S i hope you enjoyed the pics from my xmas tree, its still a work in progress, we have put it up a little earlier this year, just because we can!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx







A broken wing

My little man has a suspected broken  bone in his hand, the bone between your thumb & your wrist, I know what its called but not sure how to spell it, LOL, those bones have big scientific names!!

Of all the jumps, tricks & turns he performs on his scooter you would think this is how he injured himself, but NO

he actually fell of his push bike, he was riding down the street & ran into a parked car!!

The car came out of it unharmed but dream child No.3, not so good.

It may take up to 2 weeks before we find out if the bone is definitely broken, due to the type of fracture & location, it doesn't always show on an xray until the healing begins. we have a plaster for precautionary measures at this point.

Here's hoping its NOT broken!!!

On a positive note it looks like dream child No.2( the blonde) is moving back home with us in the Xmas holidays, as much as she has enjoyed living with her dad, she misses us as much as we miss her.

I have to say I am very excited about this!

I am actually standing up on the garden wall so I am taller than my girls in this pic, I'm so glad they are taller than me, less pants to hem!!!

I cant do a post about my kids & leave dream child No.4 out, here she is on the left, painting with her cousin. They thought they where just great because they are wearing pops shirts as paint shirts!

This is my sisters little girl & she is off to big school after Xmas & well & truly ready for the occasion. I think she will teach the school a thing or two, she is one clever little chicken!!!

Have a lovely week everyone & thanks for dropping by to say Hi!

I really do love to read your comments :-)

CHEERS

Trish xxx



Daybed desires

Don't you just love a beautiful daybed

Image via houzz

I think this  is every girls dream bedroom, a cosy daybed, a window seat & an extremely cool pendant light.I know my girls would love it!!

This one appears to have a trundle bed underneath, fabulous for sleep overs!

Image via just imagine designs

A very stylish but cosy spot to curl up with a great book...

image via west elm

West Elm always do it with style...

image via country living

a style for everyone...

image via walnut & ivory

I love this daybed, very classy indeed!

Do you have a daybed?

I have seen some fabulous buys on eBay,  in many different styles, they are definitely a nice practical option as a spare guest bed...

i love the idea of the nice timber outdoor styles, it would be nice to laze about on your deck with a good book & a glass of wine!!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

For the love of Art

A while back I did a post on Dramatic dining ,show casing some lovely dining rooms painted in dramatic colours.

I fell in love with one particular room, the combination of colours , furnishings & in particular,

 the art.

I decided to do a bit of a search at a few of my favourite online Art stores & I managed to find this ...

This lovely piece is titled

"Lepa Zena"

& is by artist Marta Gottfried Wiley

 I was completely amazed to learn just how talented one person could possibly be...

A  sculptor, fashion designer, model, poet, and author Marta Gottfried Wiley has painted thousands of paintings and written over 2, 000 songs .

"Crew I"

 The Lepa Zena is a top seller in China, where the horse symbolizes success, money, luck, and glory. Surprisingly, its success has been parallel with China's ascent to Super Power.

The Lepa Zena is also considered Marta's greatest master piece.

Ah I have renewed faith in my taste for art, after all, I have fallen in love with a master piece

"Cafe Mocha"

Marta owns her own publishing company, Marta G. Wiley Studios

You can learn more about her through her website here, you really should read her bio, its a very inspiring story.

"Ensemble"

She has a huge variety in her work but appears to use a predominately neutral colour palette for her work. She has accomplished so much in her life so far, it makes me wonder if this incredible women ever actually sleeps.

I found a reasonable selection of her work thru online art store

http://www.allposters.com.au/

I am hoping to purchase  the "Lepa Zena" in 101cm x 76cm for $98.00, although there is a smaller size available.

Then I need to decide, does it go in the lounge area, the dinin room or over the stairs...

Ahh the decisions a girls go to make!!!

Do you have a favourite artist or a great affordable online art store?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

I have been tagged!

I have been tagged by the wonderful Martha at
Jelly Shane
to share 4x4 things about me.

Now this was heaps of fun, but now I know you will find out the truth about my warped personality

Bwah hahahahah!!!!

This is the hand bag I wish I owned!

4 Things That... are usually in my handbag

Camera

Kids snacks

Lip gloss

Detol hand sanitiser

Image via Decor happy

I could seriously call this romantic boudoir home

4 Things That...are in my bedroom

My 3 vintage camera's

TV, I know, not exactly a style statement, but practical. My dream guy is a night owl, me...not so much!

I have copious amounts of pillows on my bed

Framed wedding photo's

4 Things That... I would like to do but never did

First of all I would like to say

"Never say Never!"

Travel the world,

 aside from a 3 day stint in Auckland I haven't been any where much!

My sister has just returned from a trip to  Europe, you can just imagine how envious I am!!

I would love to run a marathon,just to know that I was supremely fit

I would have liked to learn how to play the guitar.

I wish I had gone to university & studied sport science & furthered my fitness career.

4 Things That...you don't know about me...

I suffered from Bulimia nervosa through my teenage years & early adult life. It really robbed me of a lot of fun times in life :(

Hind sight tells me I should have waited until I was a little older to start a family.

I would never part with any of my children, but I had my first child at 22 & didn't really experience much of life outside of motherhood, the major reason behind why I have never travelled!!

I have an intense fear of spiders & when I have to be brave & kill one I actually throw up!

I am vertically challenged, measuring a mere 163cm tall...my husband says what I lack in stature I certainly make up for in attitude...he keeps muttering something about me having little mans syndrome...LOL!!!

 

Well, now you know a little bit more about me. Crazy huh!!

 The deal is I tag 4 more people so here goes...

Meredith at Count it all joy

Kerri at Driftwood interiors

Tina at Rubies Place

Georgy at Georgy G Design

Now this was the difficult part as I luuuurve & stalk so many lovely blogs, but do drop by & catch up with these wonderful ladies if you haven;t already.

They write beautiful blogs, sharing their creativity, style & life's adventures & there is even a wonderful Etsy store or 2 for you to enjoy .

I would like to also extend a BIG THANK YOU to all of you lovely followers.

I love that you read my little blog with all of my ideas, desires & adventures.

I appreciate every comment you leave, full of encouragement &support.

 I am seriously addicted to reading every ones blogs each day, looking for that inspiration & motivation you all offer, not to mention the urge to catch up on whats going on in every ones world...What a wonderful group of friends I have made in the blogging community.

So Thank you everyone for your visits !

CHEERS

Trish xxx 

Simplifying life for future dreams

contemporary bedroom design by 4.bp.blogspot.com

Well life has certainly been a little crazy & emotional here on the dream house front. If you missed the progress update a while back you can read the whole story HERE

Vt Interiors

We got a quote from a second builder for our dream house & it was actually more expensive than our quote from the first builder, with lesser quality fixtures & fittings.

WOW!

Doesn't the truth hurt or in our case disappoint :o(

Water leaf Interiors

We have had further discussions with builder No.1 & there are ways we can bring our price down a bit.

He also apologised for the actions of the kitchen & tile guys who both thought we would up our budget dramatically, so recommended more than was affordable for us.

These are some of the things we can change.

contemporary bathroom design by San Francisco interior designer Amoroso Design

In order to build our house to our liking we have opted to wait a bit & work towards ridding ourselves of  all debt.

We have several investment properties in The Blue Mountains we can sell, which will leave us owning our land, vehicles & be debt free, ready to build with a slightly bigger budget, not to mention ridding us of the stresses you sometimes face as a landlord.

I know it has taken me a while to update you all on this house building story, but we have really had to do a lot of thinking, planning & research before we could make any decisions.

This included going back on the project home search.

 As it turns out we just really love the home we designed & felt we would be better to make some sacrifices in other areas to achieve our goal. So, farewell investments & hope our dream home turns out to be a great retirement plan instead!

Wish me speedy house sales!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx