Hard Yukka

This weekend we worked hard.  Saturday we helped my brother-in-law move some of his stuff to a new apartment.  Then Sunday we started to tidy up our yard.

Hubby tackled the back yard by removing shrubs that were dying.  This is the problem of being in drought for 10 years, then having a particularly wet summer followed by a wet winter, the shrubs aren't use to having wet feet.

It is such a shame, as they were just starting to hide the fence.

Yes, I know it looks like I was just standing around looking pretty (well, taking photos anyway), but I assure you, I was working hard out the front of the house.  See...

I removed about 8 massive branches off the Yukkas.  Those windows now are getting afternoon sun in them.  The Yukkas seem to love the wet, funny because they are desert plants.

Got the kids to help as well.  Little Angel filled the birdbath up.

We then loaded up a trailer and took it to the tip. They wanted to charge us $95!!!!  Fortunately I had a free pass.  Now I just have to fill up the space left by the shrubs.  I would like to put up a screen with climbing plants, as we look out at this fence from the kitchen/living room, and don't really want to be looking at our neighbours.  What do you suggest?



Chalkboard Calender

One of the things hubby wanted in the new office was a calender.  This is what I came up with ...

Each of the squares are 140mm square, with the width of the painters tape separating them.  I measureed it all out and taped, then painted with chalkboard paint.  I didn't take a picture of the before with the area taped out.  What can I say, once I get started on a project I just want to finish it. 

Anyway here is a picture of the area after I painted it.  Not a great picture but the camera seemed to have trouble with the cream walls and the big black area (at least that is my excuse, and not the fact that I didn't get the settings right before I proceeded to remove the tape :-))

I am not sure why I even added that picture, it is terrible.  Forget it is even there.  So here is the before with out the calender...



And with the calender...

It's all coming together.

The Study Part 1

Here is the first update of the study.

Just a quick reminder of the before from the same angle



And here is what I started with: 

This cabinet cost me $20 from the op shop.  All the drawers and doors were funtioning, but they had been drawn all over and it look a little yuck.  As seen below, even the inside was drawn on.

The cupboard below was also an op shop find for $29.99.  But this one the bottom drawer is actually a filing cabinet.  Yay, I was very pleased with this find.

I got them both home and then thought... mmm I wonder if they are the same height.  And I got lucky, they were.  The only problem was the desk top sat down over the top drawer of the filing cabinet and which meant that I couldn't get the drawer open.

So I cut an inch or so off the height of the drawer front.  (Which I butchered, so I had to cut a new front for the drawer)  Also the drawers didn't have handles but wooden sticky outy bits, so I cut them off too.  And ended up with this

A lick of paint (don't know what the colour is as it was a mistint pot at the hardware store and super cheap, but it is a very pale cream colour)  and this is what it looked like.

After some handles, and a little helping hand

It was moved into position.  The desk top is the top of an entertainment unit that I pulled to pieces. The unit is seen here

And the desk is put to use

Yep, there's my helper again

This is the other half of the room, that I don't want you to see yet...

Still a bit to go but I have come a long way in a week. Again the after picture

I'm linking this post here ...



Couch cover

I have started the study.  I will show you the progress when I get more progressed.  

Until then I want to show you the remainder of the family room.  This is what it looked like at the beginning of the transformation.

I moved the dining table against the windows and upcycled an old cabinet.  I showed you this here.  But in case you have forgotten, this is what it then looked like

But that left a dirty great big gap to the right, where the table used to be.  Sort of shown in this picture.

I did a bit of reading in blog land and found a video series by Miss Mustard Seed.  She showed how to make a slip cover for a chair.  I just used the same skills for a couch.  The only problem was that the couch had a chaise.  See. 

Not pretty, but it was cheap.

You can find Miss Mustard Seeds video tutorials here, I have given the link to the final part of her tutorial, as this page has links to all the other 5 videos.  When you make the slip covers you make them inside out, so when you turn it right way out everything is on the opposite side.  Doesn't work for the chaise, and my head could not get round how to solve it...other than cutting the chaise off and making a couch and ottoman.  So that is what I did.  And this is the end result.

I love this end result, and the slip covers have come in handy with the kids.  I am about to wash some chocolate off them.  They are just getting chucked in the washing machine.  Gotta love that.

The (almost) end result looks like this



It's not perfect and I would love to improve the pictures on the wall, but they are hubbys sports memorabilia, and I guess he lives here too.

Take care