the one... I've chosen the colour

I have finally made a decision on the colour.

As you know I was undecided when it came to the first colour I had chosen.  I thought I had got it right but when the sample pot was put on the house I thought it looked wishy washy (yes that's a very technical term).

I headed back to Bunnings and picked up another sample pot, this time I went with the colour just above on the paint chart.

We have a winner!

I've decided to go with Dulux Class Blue and I couldn't be happier.  It is grey but has a slight mauve tint to it which I love.

Just wait til you see it finished.  The painter told me this morning he has only a couple of days to go.

Lisa xo

the one... with the new back door

Say goodbye to the old back door and hello to the new sliding door sitting waiting ever so patiently in the garage.

Lisa xo

the one... more verandah to reveal

It took a single day for the builders to put down the verandah flooring.

I couldn't help myself, as soon as I got home I grabbed a chair and sat on the verandah.  I wanted to see what the view would be like.

The builders are moving so fast.

Lisa xo

the one... verandah progress

Look....  the builder has started on the verandah.  I can't tell you how excited I am.

Lisa xo

the one... a little absent lately

I'm sorry I was absent last week.  Things have really been happening at the cottage and time has gotten away from me.

There are many photos to show you and I promise to show the big reveal soon.

Lisa xo

the one... with the new wardrobe

This has been a long time coming.

The wardrobe in my bedroom has been installed.

After selling the 2 rather large wardrobes on Gumtree, this is how I have been living.

And I came home to find it there just waiting for me to fill it up.

But first I needed to paint the inside of the robe and the front doors.  The company told me it would take 2 weeks to build before they could install so I thought I had another week up my sleeve to get the painting done but NO.  He phoned giving me a single day notice!

That was 1 week to the day that I signed on the dotted line and paid the deposit.

This is one side of the robe receiving a coat of undercoat which was followed by single coat of the white topcoat.

It was unfortunate that I couldn't be there for the installation but I have to go to work to pay for all this work but it was fun to come home to find it all done.

I'm using this as a good time to down size the clothes and get rid of the excess... is there really such a thing?


Lisa xo

the one... it's arrived

The print by Lona de Anna for my bedroom has arrived.

I can't tell you how excited I am.  I love it.

It isn't quite in it's new home but I just couldn't wait...


Lisa xo

the one... where I'm unsure

I've been in the midst of going back and forth on the final colour to paint the cottage.

I have always known I would the house grey with lots of white used on the windows, features and trims.  I had selected two greys from a large pile of charts to test around the house in different light/different times of day and I found I loved the lighter of the two.

Well, now I'm not sure.

I'm heading to Bunnings to pick up another sample pot, this time I'm looking for something in-between what I already had.

Here are the original greys



The patch you can see is the lighter sample pot


The painter, Nigel, kindly painted a big patch of the lighter grey on the front for me to get a better idea of what it will look like but I just don't know if it is the one or not! 

I'll let you know what I decide.

Lisa xo

the one... with the kitchen plans

Now that the old cupboard has been removed from the kitchen it motivated me to finalise the plan for the new kitchen.

I've been having fun using the Ikea Planner tool and have come up with 2 options.

Option 1
This option is keeping the fridge in it's current spot on the immediate left as you enter the room.  The sink is directly across under the window.

Option 2
The difference here is I moved the fridge to the far left corner of the room to be closer to the main prep counter beside the stove.  I also moved the drawers from to this side for the same reason.

I didn't include the sink cupboard in this plan because it has already been replaced with an Ikea cupboard.  I'm now finishing the job.

Have I missed anything that would improve the design in anyway?

I'd love to know which option you prefer.


Lisa xo

the one... with the favourite

I'm in love with my new front stairs.

Lisa xo

the one... with the savings

Something un-house painting related...

I stumbled across a blog post recently that had a recipe for your own fabric softener.  At the time it was on my shopping list so I thought I would give it a try.

I found the recipe here:

Fabulessly Frugal Blog

Here is what you need:

• White Vinegar x 1.5 cups
• Hot Water x 3 cups
• Hair Conditioner x 1 cup

Just double the ingredients if you want to make more.

I had the white vinegar and obviously I had the hot water.  I just had to pick up a cheap bottle of hair conditioner (this is where you pick whatever fragrance you prefer - I chose apple).

It's very simple to make, just measure and mix the ingredients together in a large jug which has a spout to let you pour into your storage jars.  The conditioner will look very strange when added to the water and vinegar but give it a stir to combine.  Then pour into your storage container.  I ended up using the empty store bought bottle.

The above measurements filled a 750ml bottle plus extra.

I'm now on my second batch and have had no problems or build up on the towels (I think how the towels feel is a good indicator when it comes to trying new products).

Lisa xo

the one... plug for the painter

I have nothing bad to say about the painter.

Honestly, from the initial phone call all the way through to now, he has been fantastic.

We liaised via email and phone for a little over a couple of months before he even started and he always stayed in touch and up to date on where he was at with other jobs.

My parents have even hired him to do some work at their place - another Queensland home.

So here is my plug for Nigel hard at work here.

If you are in the Brisbane area, I can't recommend Nigel highly enough.

Lisa xo

the one... with another eave repair

The plumber has removed the large 'smell' pipe that was located just outside the back door.

You know I never paid much attention to it before, probably because the back stairs and patio was there but now that I'll be sitting out there on the new deck it just had to go!

See that lovely big pipe coming up out of the roof... that's it.

And this is the back now...

Pipe all gone.

The chippy just needs to replace the section of eaves where the pipe because right now there is a big ugly hole.

No, that's not the final colour you can see there.  That's the undercoat with a touch of black added for better coverage.

You'll see the final colour soon, I promise not long now.

the one... at the end of week 3

I did a quick run around the house to take the latest photos.

That's not the final colour, that's just the undercoat.

the one... with the fascia fixed

Another project that was on the to-do list before actual paint could be put on the cottage was to repair the front fascia.

Well the chippy has been and gone.

It looks clean and tidy now - if you look past the need for paint!