29 June 2012

the one... with a happy dance

As the title says I did a happy dance, I wouldn't lie!




Today I celebrated 400 pageviews to the blog since I wrote my first post.

Thank you all very much for taking a look around my little blog and coming back to see what I have gotten up to at the cottage.

There is lots of work on the to-do list and with tradies coming and going with quotes lately, the little blue cottage is gearing up for a makeover and I am so excited to be able to share it with you.

28 June 2012

the one... my kitchen inspiration

I was telling you about my plans for the kitchen which I'm really excited about and of course I have been collecting lots of photos from all other the place.


Here are a some of my favourites inspirations for my kitchen reno which is happening very soon...








27 June 2012

the one... with the new kitchen plan

It has been on the cards for a while now and I'm happy to say it is getting closer.

A new kitchen!

The sink and cupboard were replaced a while back now as part of the plumbing upgrade and since then I have been working with 2 different kitchen styles.

So I have hit Ikea again and planned the rest of the new kitchen.

I love having lots of bench space and I do enjoy the current size I have but the bench is separate from the stove which means there is usually spillage carrying things across the void.

The new design will be a galley style with the bench running along the wall beside the stove and then a tall pantry (woohoo!) and bench beside the fridge leaving underneath the window all open.

It is unfortunate that the kitchen window on the West wall isn't centred but I'm thinking of putting up some open shelves along the wall to camouflage the irregularity.
The bench top has a black smoke effect with the cupboard fronts in a clean white and the simple stainless shell handle.
PRĂ„GEL benchtop
Lansa handles

Now that the plan is ready to go and I have my Ikea shopping list printed, it's time to get the room ready.... that means stripping the ceiling and walls then calling in the plasterer to put up the new ceiling and walls.  I also need to get an electrician to do a few things.


I'll keep you posted.



26 June 2012

the one... with the unwanted visitors

Is anyone else having problems with ants?


I don't know if we are in for a wet Winter but they are on the move and have packed their bags and are moving into my place without an invitation!

I'm finding them building nests in curtain rods, underneath pot plants (not in the dirt but underneath the saucer) and even between the laundry basket and the wall.

All is good until you spot a few ants and then you have to go searching until you find the nest.

Is this just happening to me?


25 June 2012

the one... with the other side

The work in the backyard continues... I'll admit it has been a big job for this girl but I have enjoyed it!

Particularly when you look back at the before photos:






And then to look at the progress photo:


I'm happy to say the pile of bricks have been moved

But there is another side to the backyard that I haven't shown you.... and there is a reason for that - it's where the mulch was delivered and where I have putting all the green waste when the garbage bin is full.



I happy to say that I have finally moved all the mulch and cleaned up the driveway.

This side of the backyard is in need of a lot of work and will need lots of planting to block out the horrible West sun come Summer but I still want the sun during Winter.  I have noticed a significant difference in house temperature since all those trees were removed from that side.  It's much warmer.

The plan is to visit the Caboolture markets soon and pick up some fruit trees.  This part of the garden gets the sun for majority of the day so the fruit trees should love it.  At this stage I'm thinking avocado, lemon and a lime for the Summer cocktails.  Have you got any suggestions for fruit trees?

Lisa xo

22 June 2012

the one... where I celebrate

My first month of blogging about the cottage.




Yep, I started the blog on the 22nd May and you guessed it, it's the 22nd June!!


I hope you enjoy reading my posts because I have been enjoying writing them.  It's like writing a diary all about my little cottage.


There is still lots more to come so I hope you will stick with me.


21 June 2012

the one... the book I want to read


Down to Earth: A Guide to Simple Living
 
My mum is currently reading this book and is loving it.

The book is by Rhonda Hetzel who encourages her readers to find pleasure in a simpler life.  This book is your guide to slowing down and living more sustainably.
This is a page from the book

I'm waiting ever so patiently for my turn.... come on mum.

20 June 2012

the one... with the quick project

I don't know about you but sometimes at night I get the urge to do a bit of diy, craft, cleaning (sad but true), rearrange furniture...

The other night I got such an urge.  This time to paint something.  I had a look around and noticed the timber stationery drawers sitting on the table all plain and boring, just waiting for a little paint.  I picked these drawers up from Ikea a few years ago.


I checked my paint supplies to see what I had and I found a sample pot of grey paint - something possibly to be used outside somewhere.




I painted the front of the drawers and the top and sides of the shell with 2 coats for good coverage - I think it came up really well.  I love it!






Lisa xo

19 June 2012

the one... with the quote

When I moved back into the cottage the neighbours on the West side had installed a new colourbond fence and in doing that had removed all the trees down that side of my driveway.  In their defence they did write to me at the time asking if they could remove of all the trees and build the fence all at their expense, I wouldn't have to pay for anything so long as I didn't object to their choice of fence.  My thinking at the time was to go right ahead because I had no intention of coming back to the house.

Now that I'm back I'm not a big fan of the fence but I'm not sorry that all the trees are gone as they were taking over my driveway.  I am sorry though that the tall trees are gone that use to block out the horrible West sun.

Let me just say, that I am glad we didn't have a typical Queensland Summer last year.

I quickly ran out and picked up some ready-made blockout curtains which have done the job beautifully but they really aren't what I wanted, not the look I wanted.


Photo: Freedom

I took one of the curtains down to a local curtain shop to ask if they could be made into a roman blind that would fit better above the lounge.

Now I can sew and I have made roman blinds in the past but this time I thought I might see if someone else could make then (it was all about time for me).  All I can say is that I will now make the time!

I was surprised at the price of $1,100 for 3 blinds.  Is it just me or is that a little pricey?

I've done a little research online and found a great how-to that I plan to tackle.

I'll let you know how I got... first I have to pick up some blockout fabric.

Lisa xo

18 June 2012

the one... with the handle

I took a trip to Ikea a few weeks ago and finally bought a handle for the kitchen cupboard.

Yes just one.  Well actually it's a pack of 2 but I only need one.

Before I moved back in and while there was still a tenant, I thought it was a good time to have all of the plumbing replaced throughout the house, from the street to the house along with replacing the cupboard, sink and counter you can see here.

  
At the time I didn't pick up the handle - honestly I forgot, it wasn't on the shopping list!

Anyway, so I just went without one... until now.

While I was at Ikea I also picked up a FIXA Drill Template.  This would have to be one of the best plastic tools you can get and for only $1.49 why wouldn't you. 

photo from Ikea
Firstly, I gave the cupboard a good clean with some warm soapy water and allowed it to dry.

Then I got out the little Ikea tool and measured the handle against the holes - the instructions said to measure 16cm between the screw holes so I did that and placed little pieces of sticky tape (clear tape obviously so sorry that you can't see it in the photo) on either side of the holes where I wanted to drill.

I then placed the tool against the door - I decided I wanted the handle to be vertical.  You can see here how easy it is to place the tool against the door and mark with a pencil where I was to drill.



Next came the drill.  I'm in love with my new drill.

I think I had a smudge on the camera lense in this photo, oops!

What took me so long.  This project was so simple and I'll admit if it wasn't for the Ikea tool it would have taken longer.

Please ignore the dishes on the sink

this is the cupboard now

Did you notice the droop in the door?  Yep, that's on the to-do list now.


15 June 2012

the one... with lovelies on etsy

This week I thought I'd select gorgeous pieces from Etsy with the weather in mind.
The Joy of Colour
Mosaico di Mangino
Hey Abby
Atelier parisien


12 June 2012

the one... where I wait

I visited Bunnings on Saturday to pick up the paver paint for the patio.


I have been wanting to do this project since I started the backyard makeover.


I want it to look like this when I'm finished.




  
I found this picture (again this photo was saved in my folder and I can't remember where I found it).

I've chosen the colour Smoke Storm from the White Knight Paints range specially for painting on concrete surfaces and a packet of paving tape to get those lines.  I love the randomness of the lines rather than the traditional square look - I'm a girl who does like clean straight lines.

The plan is to clean the concrete with a high pressure hose and allow it to dry before I can start painting.  I may need to use a concrete degreaser but I'll wait to see how it comes up after the first clean.

Now if only the clouds would clear and the sun would show itself I could make a start.

Lisa xo

11 June 2012

the one.. where I can wash inside

Many old Queensland homes tend to have the laundry under the house or in a room outside which means it's no fun having to do the laundry when it's raining or at night.

Well I recently changed that!

I have moved my washing machine from it's outside room into the kitchen.

This is what I was working with in the past.


This room will be no more soon
A big plus was the size of the room.  I loved that I could hang all my washing inside and never have to think about the weather but it is very old (an extension built in the 50's).

Here is the kitchen as it was, before the washing machine.  See the gap there, well I was planning on putting in a new dishwasher but the washing won that fight... for now.



Before the machine could be moved into its new home I wanted to paint underneath the sink - there was a good chance it wasn't going to be seen once the washing machine was in place but it made sense to do it now.

I got out my trusty little mouse sander - I'm a girl who loves her tools.
photo: Black and Decker

I first started by sanding down the back and side walls to remove any bumps in the old paint.  You have to remember that this part of the kitchen was hidden up until recently behind the old cupboard for many, many years.  I then vacuumed to clear away the dust before I gave the walls a good wash with sugar soap.  I allowed this to dry before I applied two coats of undercoat and it wasn't long before I was applying two coats of paint.

I forgot to take a progress shot at this point but all you would have seen was a white wall so close one eye and tilt your head to the right... can you see it?

With such a small space the whole job only took a few hours.

This is the machine in its new home.




As I mentioned before the washing machine has taken up the space I had intended for a new dishwasher (I've never had a dishwasher... sad I know but true) but when I weighed up the pros and cons....  I would rather do a few extra dishes by hand than do the washing outside (I say this as we begin Winter).

It may seem minor but I love being able to do the washing inside and at anytime, day or night!


8 June 2012

the one... with lovelies on etsy

A pet theme from Etsy this week.

ModPet
Jools by Meytal Barnoy

peticotees


PretaPawte

Weavers of Southsea

Have a lovely weekend.


AddThis

SHARE
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...