Paint Chip Circle Garland DIY

As you know I've got a bit of a crafty bent.

On one of my many trips to Bunnings I had the urge to collect (or should that be pilfer) some of the paint colour cards in my favourite tones of blues and greens.

I had an inkling they would be put to some crafty pursuit.

Having admired the many garlands strewn around Pinterest I decided a paint chip garland was just what the house of KATcapers needed!

My circle punch came in very handy for this activity.

Youngest KAT gave invaluable assistance pairing up the circles as I whizzed them through the sewing machine...the perfect opportunity to begin her education in tone and colour combining!

I used orange thread to add a bit of a punch.

I'm liking my garland draped on the Expedit bookcase...it may end up adorning the window in the lounge...only time will tell.

Cheery and bright and just our style. Verdict?

Folding Shelf Unveiled

 

Hello readers!

 

Well I'm nothing if not consistent so as with most DIY projects here at KATcapers I've kept you all in suspense with unveiling the finished product.  Sarah at A Beach Cottage I am not:)

 

In the case of my innovative use of an old louvre door as extra bench space in the laundry, it was my mum who enquired as to what had come of it.  So, with a minimum of pfoofing (so not a word in the Macquarie Dictionary but should be) here you go....the great unveiling!

 

A reminder of what it started out as...your basic louvre door, reclaimed from a local second hand building supplies joint

 

 

Here she is 'in situ' - note the clean toilet:)

 

As I outlined in the original post, I decided to just sand her back and give her a coat of clear varnish.  I like how she's come up with the grey undertone.  Think it looks good...don't burst my bubble peeps!

 

 

To protect little heads (and big peoples as well) I attached a hook to keep her in a safe upright position when she's not in use.

 

After umming and aahing about what to hang above her I went with one of my favourite prints courtesy of Janette at My Sweet Prints.

 

 

My shelf sits on a batten attached to the side of the laundry cabinets (thank you Saint Mike).  This is still to be painted...

 

The door was cut in half and then hinged to enable it to fold down.

 

My little shelf has already more than delivered on her promise.  She's a great place to put the laundry basket when folding is in progress and with five people in the house and therefore plenty of laundry, she's in use more often than she's not!

 

In case any of you are wondering, so far there's been no clean laundry dropped in the loo:)

 

So there you have it.  What do you think mum??

Littlest KAT turns five

Flower banner created when Oldest KAT turned 6

Prepare yourself people! This is one of those posts. You know, the ones that may make you want to smack me!!!

It's the birthday party post. Littlest KATs 5th to be precise.

Held some weeks after her actual birthday because it's a bit hard to look like the effortless party mum when you're swanning around with a broken arm, torn ligaments in your wrist and matching travertine step indentations on your shin and thigh.

Due to our backyard resembling a building site (Saint Mike may have many inimitable qualities but a tidy site isn't one of them) we chose to place our trust in Mother Nature and held this soirée at a great local park.

Invitations were duly prepared.  These shall not be shared as they mark an all-time low in my history to date of party invites.  Traps for young players include

1. Badly handwritten due to dodgy wrist/arm (remember I'm a leftie and this is the hand that has been out of action somewhat)
2. When you have a dodgy hand it's best not to have party at a park with a looooong Aboriginal name located on a street of the same name....can someone explain to me why Aboriginal place names have so many 'o's in them???
3. When writing invitiations for a delayed party check when Fathers' Day is....will help avoid writing twenty invites with 2nd September and then having to go back, cross out that date and find a new one!!!
4. Allowing Littlest KAT to write the envelopes which though educational and something I can clutch at when pondering my "good mother" status was slightly frustrating and took A.VERY.LONG.TIME!!!!

So you may ask yourself why in light of dodgy hand/wrist did I not simply do a McDonalds party or something that wouldn't involve all the usual party shenanigans?  Well, because I have this slightly anal-retentive nature (isn't that a pre-requisite of being a mum) that means I actually really enjoy doing parties for the girls...and doing them in a way that is special and unique for each particular KAT.

Each party I try to do something unique for that particular child.  In the case of youngest KAT she had really wanted a Diego party which I simply couldn't countenance.  The combination of commercial crap and really bad color combo (horrid shade of yellow and blue) had me clutching for something else that she could hang her hat on so to speak....which is where the pinata came in.



Thanks goodness for a glue gun

Yes folks, this is where the "what were you thinking" moment occurs.  A pinata, handmade out of a cardboard box, copious amounts of masking tape and tissue paper. 

I refuse to admit how much time it took because the end result was worth it.  Time consuming, yes.  Worth it?  Every minute!

I am a sucker for a bit of crafty stuff and this was actually a fun project - done with very little in the way of instruction just a picture from a blog as inspiration....mind you, that picture was from a 1st birthday party.  Let me tell you folks, a number one pinata has a heck of a lot less sides and curves than a number five!!!!!

I chose to fill it with lollies and trinkets...minimal cheap ones was the plan.

The kids all got an empty party bag and after the pinata was broken (hilarious), they got to put a certain amount in their bag...although some (won't mention any names Tessa) had 'issues' with counting, they mostly got it right and didn't overload...at least on purpose:))

I wish I had more photos but I was too busy being a good hostess and didn't snap enough!

Speaking of snapping, that was the other "feature" of this party.  I ran out and picked up one of the new instant cameras (ours is a Polaroid 300 Instant Camera) and we took photos of all the little ones with their heads poking through the flower banner.  So cute and a great take home idea.

The camera itself was just under $100, the film is pricey but given that we had no costs for 'entertainment' at this party (that was managed by Middle and Oldest KAT) I justified the cost as money well spent!

One of the "entertainment" highlights was a Yarn Trail conducted by Middle KAT with the help of a friend she had along for the ride.  Armed with a few rolls of colorful twine they proceeded to create a "trail" through the trees and undergrowth for the littlies to "follow" in search of treasure (some gold chocky coins).

As an exercise in frustration for Middle KAT it was a huge success.  As a ten minute diversion and "ice-breaker" for a bunch of five year olds it was hysterical!!!!  I got the idea from my favourite time-waster destination Pinterest

Find it on Pinterest here

The other park visitors that day must have been scratching their heads but it was a fun distraction and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

In the end, delaying this party meant I had more time to plan, managed to be on top of things in terms of execution and it all came off without a hitch...a great day for Littlest KAT.

 

There endeth the lesson in how to over-engineer a 5th birthday party:)

Posted with Blogsy

The Lady Shed Gets Some Clothes

I've decided a change of vernacular is in order over here at KATcapers to describe our lovely new addition.

Calling it the Sneaky Shed was starting to make me feel like we were on the run from the law!!

Instead I'm renaming her the Lady Shed.  I feel better already.

The Lady Shed is now officially clothed.  She is still lacking her undergarments (the insulation and the internal plasterboard) and her accessories are yet to be added (timber battens on the outside plus window reveals) but she's looking pretty promising.

The weather was very kind to Saint Mike and PK on the weekend and they managed to get the new window installed on Sunday morning and then spent the remainder of the day finishing off the cement sheeting.  I did my best impression of a happy homemaker and made them a yummy lunch of baguettes which I artfully wrapped in paper and then placed in a blue Nigella tin for them to consume at their leisure.

There is only one drawback to having PK help Saint Mike and that's his ability to say "No" to me!  I politely suggested that now that the window is installed I think the cross-ventilation could be improved by adding a small highlight window on the back wall.....PK shot this down and Saint Mike then delivered the bad news to me! 

Never mind.  On the plus side Saint Mike is being quite charitable (or perhaps just his usual pragmatic self) in accepting that I have designs on this space to flex my decorating muscle and create a lovely retreat with the Lady Shed and that as soon as PK is back on his side of the neighbor divide I'll get my way on other things!!!!

For example, in return for accepting that deficiencies in cross-ventilation I have kindly offered to accommodate his "tools" and shed-type paraphernalia in an organized manner befitting my control enthusiast tendencies.  Yes, he's getting the far wall for his shelving/work-space (see below picture)

It's just a minor detail that this was ever supposed to be a shed replacement:)) I will be pedalling furiously on the Singer to sew up a nice curtain that will screen off his blokey "stuff" when the Lady Shed is being used for it's retreat-like purposes.  There is no way I'm going to staring at a wall full of boy-stuff when I'm zoning out up there with a cup of tea (or a glass of wine!)

I was planning on doing something like this one that Chez Larsson did in her basement:

As an alternative, I could do something similar to these curtains that used to hang in the Lee Matthews store in Mosman (before it relocated up the street and the curtains were banished to the back stockroom).

I love the patchworky nature of it - natural but quirky.  This is different to the Chez Larsson option though as it's a tab curtain.  Given that the Lady Shed has a raked ceiling this would mean I could (when I say "I" it probably means Mike) put up a curtain rod hung from the ceiling to string it along.  The more I think about it the more I like this option...I could have some fun with the curtain ties that attach to the rod:)

I have actually made a tab curtain once before...in our old apartment for the french doors that led out to our communal courtyard.

I'd like to think my sewing skills have improved since 2006.  Hmmmm we shall see:)

In the meantime, I'm admiring the Lady Shed in her partially clothed form and feeling very favourably inclined towards my clever husband!

Any thoughts, suggestions on the curtain options??

Pulling the rug out

Image from Apartment Therapy

The house of KATcapers has a dubious record of rug purchases.  Truth be known, I've always felt that rug purchasing is my particular 'Achilles Heel' when it comes to decorating.

Not that we have an abundance of the things, they've usually been limited to one at a time parked underneath the coffee table in the lounge.  As an anchor to the lounge room, they are a lovely addition.

Our first rug was from the Natural Floorcovering Centre and was a lovely Belgian Sisal.  It sat in our apartment and witnessed our early years as parents of a young baby.  We learnt the hard way that Sisal and babies aren't a great match!  Those pesky fibres seemed to harbour every stray bit of vomit, rusk and yes I will admit the occasional flack from an ill-fitting nappy (yuck!). 



I became a master at the CSI-like extrication of 'bits' from the darned rug and although I loved the natural qualities that Sisal is blessed with I sometimes found it less than user-friendly.

As I can be a bit intransigent when it comes to "change", when Rug #1 finally showed a bit too much 'wear' I simply replaced it with an equally lovely Sisal rug with a different trim (variety is the spice of life after all). 

By this stage, Oldest KAT was rocketing around and Middle KAT was toddling after her.  Rug #2 was meted out the same level of tough love - food and a range of bodily fluids:)

When we moved to our little bungalow we ditched Rug#2 and our lounge room has been naked ever since.

Cue 2012 and our recent reno's and I had been itching to get me another rug.  Youngest KAT is now 5 and although we have a puppy, I decided to throw caution to the wind and introduce Rug#3.

This time I wanted to eschew Sisal in favour of Wool but unfortunately Saint Mike was the intransigent one this time having had sticker shock at the various rugs I was eyeing off.

I scoured Freedom and every other chain decorating store and just couldn't find anything I liked.  I was attracted to rugs from Loom and Koskela and heaven forbid Designer Rugs and I knew that was not on as far as the accountant was concerned.

Dejected I had started to consider the cheap and cheerful Sisal again.  Three times lucky perhaps?

On a "stuff" buying trip to Ikea however I made an impulse purchase that I have now had a month to regret.

I found a colourful striped rug and without checking the measurements or considering if it would push the friendship with SM in my embrace of vibrant colours, I purchased it.

Fast forward six weeks and I can honestly say that I have hated the damn thing for pretty much every single second since it was put down on the floor and the coffee table was wrestled on top of it.

As you can see, describing it as 'vibrant' is probably an understatement.  It's a veritable rainbow of colour.

It's officially a decorating disaster.  It's also been the elephant in the room.  No one, not SM, not the KATs, not MY FRIENDS (you know who you are) have said anything about it.....ie how WRONG it looks!!!!!

It sheds fluff like a fairy floss machine on overdrive. 

It shows EVERY. SPECK. OF. DIRT.

It's too big for the space and therefore makes our tiny lounge room look even smaller in comparison.

See!  See that dirt...and that fluff...and how it butts up against the entertainment unit (ignore the fact that the coffee table is a monstrosity - that's another story).

Today I'm officially OVER.IT.

Today when Saint Mike gets home from work the rug will be gone.  Youngest KAT will have to live her life a bit longer without the experience of a rug underfoot in the lounge.

Until I can justify the more expensive rug I'd rather go rugless!!!!!

I'm owning my decorating disaster and am just glad that it was the Ikea rug that didn't work out...because as with all Ikea "stuff" it was cheap even if it's not cheerful (in its current location that is).

the sneaky shed gets a hat

Can you see the big smile on Saint Mikes dial?  Think this shot was taken at about 3pm Sunday arvo.  He'd been working since early in the morning getting his colorbond 'hat' on KATcapers sneaky shed. 

I love this shot.  How happy does my husband look!  Just quietly, I think he looks dead sexy with that happy smile on.  So nice to see him happy and not stressed, worried, burdened (fact of life for a bloke trying to keep his family afloat in aspirational Sydney).

The sneaky shed is proving as useful as hours of talking with my lovely psychologist does for me.  I know it will have to end eventually but each stage of the building process is such a treat to behold.

For some of the day I sat outside in one of the Muskoka chairs (some people call them Adirondacks) and just admired my husband at work.  One-armed labouring isn't much in demand at the moment:)

The insulation was a fairly straightforward affair, the fascia was a bit trickier...he won't be leaving his day job for a future as a roofing contractor (that's his assessment, not mine).

PK (SM's trusty compatriot and our neighbor) was back on the tools to assist.  Saint Mike has managed to find the one thing that he is just as much a novice at.  He freely admits that he'd never worked with Colorbond either. 

They are both such calm souls they just toiled away together for the entire day making it work. 

Cups of tea and cheese toasties kept their energy up (thanks to PK's wife who kept up that end of things...told you they're special neighbors!!!).

Check out that frame!  If I wasn't a one-armed invalid and currently had the libido of a hibernating grizzly bear I'd be jumping his bones and christening the sneaky shed (oh oh, oversharing!!!!)

Now that the sneaky shed has its jaunty hat in place, it's in need of that exterior cladding.  That will be a job for this weekend if the materials arrive as scheduled.

I can confidently say that the sliding door is never going to grow on me.  Hence I insisted that it be installed so that I cannot see it from the house...and I plan to whip some funky curtains up to make it slightly less dodgy looking. 

It did make sense to re-use it and it does provide a lovely outlook towards our Norfolk pine.  You can get a sense of the size of the space from these two shots I think...it's more summerhouse than shed just quietly!

So there you have it, the House of KATcapers crash course in construction continues. 

I can't get the grunting soundtrack to "Home Improvement" with Tim Allen out of my head as it so suits the tone of the sneaky shed...manly men making manly mess:))  Love it!

Sneaky Shed Update

Well the sneaky shed now has a frame! 

Saint Mike is now an expert in building timber frames.  He's even acquired a tool belt.

We were already aware that we are blessed in the neighbor department - we're surrounded by legends.  It just so happens that our neighbor PK is a legend in the handyman department and has kindly been acting as mentor for SM ensuring that the nail gun is pointed in the right direction.  So far the mantra "measure twice, cut once" has been paying dividends.

There is an opening for a lovely double hung sash window (on order) and in the interests of reduce/re-use/recycle SM has used our old sliding door which used to act as our front door pre-reno.

The sneaky shed is going to have a rakishly perched hat...a skillion roof (raked from front to back) to allow in lots of light.  The new colorbond roofing in Woodland Grey is now sitting ready for installation this weekend (if weather permits.  We have perused more YouTube videos to prepare for the 'roofing' phase and things are looking pretty do-able according to SM.

Skillion/Raked roof will look something like this
Image from here

 The back wall of the shed (her bottom) has also begun to be clad in cement sheeting...after deliberations re the degree of difficulty of putting up cladding, I suggested we go for more of a beach shack aesthetic and go with the Hardie-Board with timber batten approach.  I think this will give the sneaky shed a nice retro look (which we know I'm a huge fan of).

Image from here

This beauty (remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder) is a true retro shack with the sort of fibro look that I hope we can imitate.  It's down at Bundeena and thankfully has been protected, won't be bulldozed in favour of some tragic concrete beach McMansion.  I'm sure it's stinking hot in Summer and frigid in Winter though:)

Image from here

Our sneaky shed will be insulated (roof and walls).  Next job is to investigate a rainwater tank to get plumbed in...hang on, that's another thing to research on YouTube!  Surely SM is up for a bit of plumbing?

I also like the awnings over the windows of this shack - shouldn't be too tough to knock up should it SM???

So there you go.  Next week, expect to see the sneaky shed with her hat on and a demurely covered derriere.  

Thanks for all your lovely comments re my injured wing and my trip to Melbourne...will post an update later this week on how that's travelling:)

Sodden and Stir Crazy

Long Weekends = perfect for crafty crowns and torturing the puppy

It's 5pm on Monday at the end of the long weekend. 

In our case it's the 4th day of the long weekend because the KATs had a pupil free day on Friday.........so our 'enjoyment' has been only enhanced by that one extra day of togetherness.

Can you detect my actual level of 'joy' from the tone of this post?

I love my KATs but by golly if it wasn't so bloody wet outside I'd be turfing them to the curb!  Clearly God hasn't grasped the concept that wet weather and long weekends should be mutually exclusive...especially where children and parents are concerned!!!!

We've got about 3hrs before they'll all be tucked up intact in their beds...so for evidentiary purposes here's some photographic evidence that I have attempted to be productive this weekend.

Yes, copious amounts of ice cream and chocolate sauce have been consumed but I deserve it goddamit!!!!

Yes the puzzle is upside down but it's still a puzzle which I get points for!!

Wet weather = good time to organize the dustables

More dustables and a home for my wallpaper collection!

Gumboots were well worn and look so lovely outside the new front door!!!

Truly a family of tossers in our Hunter boots (mine are adjustable for my chubby calves)

Time for a Home B fix but only after making the chocky self-saucing pud

Too wet to put the recycleables out in their bins!!!!

Given that it's only my family and friends who read my blog - hope you all had a good weekend:)

Saint Mike is in Ohio visiting his sister....her husband is due for a bone marrow transplant on Tuesday so right now is having his immune system killed off (literally) by Chemo...we are praying for him!  He's been trying to take her mind off their ordeal by plying her with wine and entertaining her twins...he's heading back to Toronto tomorrow to spend the remainder of the week visiting his mum in hospital.

I've been thinking of stopping my blog as most days it feels like I'm blogging to nowhere....the only reason I haven't stopped is that it's illuminating for our distant families as to what the KATs get up to and what's going on in my complex mind:)

Bummer, ending on a downer...thoughts of my sick brother-in-law and my ailing mother-in-law have invaded my mind...time to put the chocky pudding in the oven!!!

Arrivaderci

Retrolicious

So my wallpaper arrived.

It's better in 'real life' than it was on Etsy and I was pretty excited about it there!!

Along with the one I posted about here, I also took possession of a few other metres of wallpaper that are equally delightful....

This coral toned one is the same design as the one I'm using in the hallway outside the bathroom....love the colours!

This is a gorgeous vintage paper that has flown all the way from France

Another US retro wallpaper

As you can tell, I've gone slightly MAD for retro wallpaper!!!  I think you can blame our stay in January at Lark House in Daylesford (first image is from one of the bedrooms in the house).  This beauty has just been sold so you can no longer luxuriate in it for a couple of random nights if the thought of this took your fancy.  I can only hope the new owners love the decor as much as I do and don't rip down all the quirky wallpaper decoration!!!!!

This is only the beginning of my wallpaper addiction - I have a plan to use retro wallpaper to cover some rather dire mirrored wardrobe doors that we are blessed with...cheaper than replacing them (that's my story anyway).  I will be doing a combo effect but need to be very careful in curating my selection so that it all 'hangs' together (ha love that pun!!!!)

Don't despair - the coral wallpaper is NOT going to be combined with the blues/greens...I just couldn't leave it on Etsy:)

Lark House image from here