Playing with Ply

As my health slowly improves I'm starting to focus on getting back to work.

I've got two clients on retainer so had to sort out a workspace to give me a place that I could "apply" myself. The kitchen desk wasn't cutting it for many reasons, not the least of which was the view of said kitchen which distracted me when it wasn't tidy!

Unfortunately our house lacks a spare room so it was time for some creative reworking of existing real estate.  

Basically I've commandeered a corner of the Mancave!

See those sliding doors? A trip to Bunnings later the fixed panel is now covered by a plywood panel fixed with clips (so it can be removed easily) and the desk is sitting nicely facing out so I have a view of the garden when I'm working.

Why am I in the corner? Partly because of this couch....it's a monster and partly because the rest of the shed needs to at least appear to remain the Mancave!!!!

I love my new space and am definitely working more productively in it. I haven't painted the ply...I'm loving it in its natural form. 

As Sprummer progresses (this is what I call Spring in Sydney - more like early Summer) I'm hoping to relax on the Muskoka chairs a bit as well!

Being 'happy forever'

With each passing day I'm getting back on my feet. It's a slow process and at times frustrating. Poor Saint Mike knows when I'm really pushing myself too hard as I invariably end up snapping at him. That Sainthood is really knocking hard on his door!

I'm at my happiest when I get my creative on. This weekend I was executing the event styling for a 40th birthday for a very dear friend. It was just what I needed.

We had agreed on a similar scheme to the natural textures used at a few other events I've styled but because it was for my friend we also needed some femininity thrown in so we went with gold and I incorporated some foliage to up the ante.

I re used the cloths I made early in the year for a school function but the table needed something else so I went with a DIY doily table runner. A couple of trips to the local charity stores and I had the makings of a perfectly proportioned runner made up of assorted doilies to lay across the tables.

I decorated the room with my rustic bunting and upped the bling factor by making a garland with some  cardboard and bronze/gold adhesive paper cut into disks and then sewn into a garland...so easy it's ridiculous! Looked really effective.

The girls had their fill of Heinz Baby puréed apple so I could use the jars as votive holders - gold washi tape and some sweet lace ribbon was all it took to make them shine.

It took a huge effort to set it up but I loved every moment and was thrilled that my gorgeous friend was able to see her space transformed into a magical dining room for her to enjoy her night.

Now if only I could manage to do event styling and get paid to do it I would "be happy forever" (fave expression used by the KATs).

The swing of things

 

I'm five weeks post-surgery today. This is a good thing as Oprah would say.

My recovery is coming along swimmingly. I seem to be text-book compliant in terms of my physical state. Pain reducing but not altogether fantastic. I keep it at bay during daylight hours using Panadol Osteo but as the afternoon progresses it all seems to catch up on me and I'm scoffing codeine before bed to ensure my sleep is undisturbed.

To distract myself I've been undertaking some "recovery-friendly" creative pursuits. My little Portulaca friend is an example of the sort of gardening I can manage.

This little beauty was inspired by something on Pinterest where they utilised Grape Vines....not living in or near a vineyard meant I resorted to stripping some vines off our Star Jasmine outside the back door....a ball I found in the garden was used as my base and whilst watching a bit of trashy "Real Housewives of Melbourne" (God save me now) I wound and tied and wound and tied until I had this rustic work of art! I've attached a string of solar powered fairy lights but I'm not loving the effect....stay tuned, I have my thinking cap on and it will be finessed!

 

Prior to the BC diagnosis I was in the process of launching a new business. It's clearly not happened but I've had loads of time to develop my business plan and I'm now in the early stages of getting it off the ground. Watch this space!

 

I'm still doing my best to spend at least a little while each day here. Some days are harder than others to put my feet up.

Oh and we had a wedding anniversary to celebrate on Saturday. Seventeen years! Can you believe it!! As you can see, age doesn't weary the silliness of Saint Mike:)

That's pretty much all I have to report. Note the distinct lack of talk re my mental state? Did I mention my physical recovery is going well? We won't discuss my fragile mental state. It's all good, time is a great healer as they say.

Trolley Dolly Reveal

Here she is folks.  The Trolley Dolly makeover is complete and if I do say so I'm rather pleased with the result.  Her new paint finish is Murobond "2 Peas" a colour from the range designed by the interior stylist and alround creative guy Mr Jason Grant. 

 

I'm a romantic at heart and choosing paint colours for my little (and not so little) furniture finds is an exercise in indulging those romantic tendencies...hence a quick trip to Bunnings and choosing from the Dulux (or other brand) paint display isn't enough for me.  No I'm attracted to paints that tell a story and Murobond ticks all the boxes for me.

The store is a sensory delight and the range of colours on offer makes me feel like a kid in a candy store.

In the case of this colour I chose to pick up the colours in the fabric of the pinboard above the desk.  They are calming colours and the blues and greens at the top of the board are my favourite tones.  So "2 Peas" was a winner!

 

This shot is of the top of the board that sits just above my laptop screen.  The two little items are a daily reminder that I need to stay strong and not let the nasty voices in my head beat me down.

 

Anyway, back to the Trolley Dolly....

 

 

Look there's no getting around it, the Trolley Dolly is not destined for a glamorous life.  She holds a rather unattractive printer for goodness sake!  Her minty green/blue surface is crying out for an arrangement of pretty stationery...that will be a job for another day.

 

You can also spy my cord organizer in the shot below....a repurposed hanging rack usually destined to hold spices on the inside of a pantry door.

 

 

These photos are reminding me that sanding and restaining our floors needs to be high on our list of jobs for 2013!!!

 

So there you have it.  Another painting project is behind me.  I really enjoyed this one and hope you like her too.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Vinnies Trolley Revamp

 

A Bloggy hello to all of you out there in cyberspace:)

 

I've been observing my "stats" and I've been pleasantly surprised to see that my pageviews are increasing. So a special hello to anyone who reads KATcapers and hasn't introduced themselves....I'd love to hear from you if you feel so inclined to comment.

 

This weeks DIY project is a wooden trolley that I picked up at a Vinnies store not far from us.  I liked it's simple lines and I particularly like the old casters.  She's now been christened the Trolley Dolly.

 

Like all my projects, the Trolley Dolly is naturally a "she".  One of these days I'll make a boy (ie furniture DIY not baby!) but given that we're a house heavily disposed to the female hormonal inclinations I'm going to keep referring to this one in the feminine.

 

I'm imagining that she was once a drinks trolley?  Her veneered shelves held the odd bottle of sherry and some delicate glassware?

 

 

In our house she's being re purposed as a printer trolley.  She's the perfect height to slide under the desk in the kitchen (photo above).

 

Note the relatively neat desk top and the lack of electrical cords below?  Hmmmmnnn another example of my OCD behavior which I need to confess to - I installed some hanging baskets (ie the spice rack variety) to get the bloody cables out of view!  This deserves a post of it's own...stay tuned:)

 

 

First job was to whip out the Bosch palm sander and get to work taking the stain off her.

 

Note to self - next time don't be lazy and do this in the back room with no mask on!!!!

I managed to accomplish sanding, dusting her off, wiping her down to get the remaining dust off and started undercoating her before school pickup.  Fifteen minutes before I was due to depart, it was time to get out of my painting attire and get myself presentable for our after school activities.

My essentials for a few hours of DIY:

• Radio tuned to 702 ABC Local Radio
• My painting tracky dacks
• My painting 'smock' which is an old linen dress now reserved for painting duties only
• My Birkies (ie my Birkenstock sandals for those uninitiated of you out there)

 

FYI toes are currently shellacked to an inch of their life...I'm finding Shellac on my toesies very easy and durable.

 

Aaaahh if only I could spend all day doing this.  Alas, children, chores, preparing dinner get in the way.

You can see that my trolley dolly has lovely bones beneath that unattractive dark stain.  Unfortunately the veneer shelves don't come up as well but I'm not fussed as I just needed to get enough traction going for the undercoat to adhere to.

Next post will be to show you Trolley Dolly with her undercoat applied and perhaps (optimistically) painted up in her finery.

What's the verdict my lovely readers?  I'd love to hear your thoughts:)

Revamped Hall Table

 

Told you I need an intervention to stop me from my constant search for items that can be given a makeover!!!!

 

This is an old hall table that was put out for council clean-up.  Fortunately there was no need for furtive curb-side shopping as it was put out by my lovely neighbor:)

 

I just grabbed it and hauled it back in from the verge.

 

It sat outside for months (seems to be a theme for any curb-side purchases of mine) before I got around to painting it.

 

The usual routine was involved - a clean with disinfectant (no offence to my neighbors), a sand and then a wipe down to get the dust off.

 

This time I went with a limewash affect for the table top and used a murobond sample pot to do the legs and remainder.

 

These shots were taken around Halloween...the bats and voodoo necklace are now back in storage.  Mirror is one I've had for years, thinking I may need to give it a new coat of paint...living with it here for a while before I make up my mind.

 

So what's the verdict?  I think it makes for a nice welcome as you enter the porch from the stairs of death....

Living In Colour

I've been painting again.  Seems once I start I can't stop...may need saving from myself.

This weeks project (or to be more precise last weekends project) was this wardrobe purchased on eBay a few months back.

It is a 1930's wardrobe from a deceased estate.  Saint Mike had to hire a ute to go and collect out one Sunday morning.  It weighs a ton!  When both doors are open it has a nasty habit of tipping forward onto unsuspecting passerbys so there will need to be some serious tethering I suspect to keep it from being a hazard.

Nothing like trying to instill a sense of orderliness in the KATs and then having the hazard of falling wardrobes to discourage any initiative.

Anyhoo, it was a purchase designed to provide a home for a variety of paraphernalia that otherwise would be shunted from room to room and hanging from doors in this house of never enough storage.

 

As you can see, it also houses the vacuum and scans of my injured arm/wrist:)

 

She'd already been given a dousing in antiseptic when we first received her so all that was required was a light sand using my palm sander and a light grade sanding pad.  I wiped her over with a damp cloth to remove the dust and then got into the undercoating.

 

Saint Mike was at work when this commenced, hence I was able to adopt my haphazard approach of not completely emptying her before getting started....nothing like a rushed job is there:)

 

I'd been considering what colour to paint her.  Initially I was going down the grey or greige route....one step beyond bland old white (no offence to anyone that likes white).

 

Maybe it was my week of throwing caution to the wind but I decided to follow this fearless approach and chose to paint her a rather alarming (to some) but stimulating (to me) shad of blue.  It's a colour from the Murobond range of paints and is called "Pre-Loved".  It is an apt name for the item as I'm sure this wardrobe has some stories to tell.

 

 

In this shot it looks like a duck egg blue....in actual fact it's really more a robin's egg blue (or Tiffany Blue if you prefer)

 

 

I am quite proud of the patience I displayed as I managed to slap on about three coats of the blue and have nary a streak to my name!!

 

 

I also painted the interior of the lower (hanging) section, undercoated and then a couple of coats of Dulux Natural White to provide a nice contrast.  Last thing was to trim up some of my wallpaper remnants for the base and upper shelf.  Note the strategically positioned wooden box (that contains Saint Mikes coin collection) to stop the thing from tipping over on me:)

 

 

 

I used some letter stickers to adorn the plastic tubs that hold various craft/paint supplies and they are now out of the reach of the KATs which means I get to control when we actually do craft...as opposed to it being a free for all!

 

 

I realize this bright burst of colour would not be to everyones taste but thankfully Saint Mike and the KATs are used to living with a mummy who's never seen a colour she can't embrace and are totally enamoured with my choice (or so they say).

 

 

In the end I decided to leave the top interior section as it was (except for the wallpaper on the shelf).  I like the idea of seeing the natural state every time I open the door to remind me that she has a history and it doesn't need to be completely covered up:)

 

So there you have it!

 

What next you ask?  Well, I need to choose between making over a curbside collection bookshelf or a Vinnies trolley that I got to hold the printer.  One is going to be spraypainted bright yellow...the other is potentially going to be the same orange as the front door..........................................

 

Staging an intervention on behalf of the Ladyshed

 

After a fair bit of dithering the Ladyshed now has a functional floor.

 

I say functional because it's not the "if money was no object" resolution that we want (that would involve a lovely recycled timber floor laid over the Yellowtongue).

 

 

 

See this face?  This is the face of a man who can dither, procrastinate, obfuscate with the best of the them!  I love him to death but he was truly driving me to distraction with his inability to "resolve" the floor issue.  He simply could not make up his mind.

 

Weeks ago when the faint sound of warning bells went off in my head I suggested painting the floor as a short term solution.  He gave me the "face".  Any of you with husbands will know the "face".  It's the expression that is meant to be a poker face but fleetingly expresses the mental thought bubble "in your imagination darling!!!!"

 

A few weeks passed.  The boy contents of the Ladyshed sat under a tarp outside whilst nothing much was happening on the interior.

 

Finally I decided that it was time for a Come To Jesus moment:)

 

In a pattern that has been repeated many times in this house I chose to stage this intervention once we'd gone to bed a couple of weeks ago. 

 

Righto, I said.  What.Are.We.Doing??????

 

Ummm

 

Aaaaghh

 

Hmmmmnnnnn

 

Saint Mike rehashed the sorry saga of his decision-making process regarding the floor.  I listened feigning understanding and patience.

 

Then I gently (it was an effort trust me) suggested that he allow me to paint the floor and see how it came up.......if he hated it then I would ride roughshod over his financial reserve (not an unusual sequence of events) and organize the recycled timber floor.

 

Cue the sound effects.  Saint Mike thankfully saw the light.

 

 

A trip to Bunnings later and having cleaned the Yellowtongue with some sugar soap I got started.

 

Two coats of Cabots later and my colour choice of "Mattock" (dodgy name, nice colour...sort of a putty tone which is fitting for a shed) was on.

 

I followed this with two coats of a Cabots water-based estapolly thingy (see very technical) and we have a somewhat shiny finish that is pleasing to my eye.

 

The verdict from Saint Mike?  He loves it.  So much so that he got his butt into gear on Sunday morning, whipped off to Bunnings for the fixings to make himself a manly workbench.

 

The skirting boards are in and painted and now so too is the re-used Elfa Storage System that used to be in the laundry.

 

 

 Next on the list is to purchase a lockable cabinet for the chemicals/paint tins etc to ensure that little fingers can't get into them.  I'm also finishing painting the windows and door reveals and then it's time to start working on the curtain to screen off all the boy stuff. 

It's truly a work in progress people!!!! 

What do you think??  Does the floor pass muster as an interum solution?