Sunday, June 16, 2013

a couple of Chalk Paint projects

hi everyone.
i've attacked a couple more pieces with chalk paint this week.
this trolley was pretty sad looking before i got to it with some quarter strength duck egg blue, and pure white chalk paint. i gave it 2 coats of each and sanded the edges.
i'd so love to keep this baby, but couldn't find a spot for it- even though i carted it all through the house looking for a home for it!
chalk paint is so versatile- the bottom shelf of the trolley had contact on it. rather than spend hours trying to remove it, i painted right on over it.
trolley before....
and this morning at the markets i found the cutest little vintage children's chair.
i didn't really give it a second look at first, then thought of what i could do with some chalk paint and had to take it home- and paint it up straight away of course! it could do with having the springs replaced, or could have been reupholstered, but that would have all cost a small fortune.
but with one coat of chalk paint over the vinyl- yes only one coat, it is totally transformed. i rubbed it over with clear wax too. the chalk paint gives the vinyl an almost suede look/finish.
i think my little grade ones will love it ;)
chair before....
and the countdown till school holidays is on. 4.days.to.go.....
Kate x

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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

road testing chalk paint & a few snap shots

so i finally got my hands on some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. about flipping time!
and because i had to keep a child home from school today, i had the chance to get out my poor dusty paintbrush!

this cute number has been painted in Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue. the paint gives a fabulous coverage, and i couldn't believe it only needed one coat of paint. no prep coat either. just a quick wipe down before i started.
once dry, i applied the clear wax with an old cloth. it definitely deepens the colour tone of the paint when rubbed on. i can see now i've uploaded the photos that i've missed some spots- i think i need a little practice with the whole wax application. the clear wax gives a lovely smooth sheen to the finished product.
i love how it also brings out the timber colour where the edges have been sanded.
such a pretty piece now :)
 
i also painted up a timber frame in Duck Egg Blue, but didn't apply any wax.
you can see the difference between wax and no wax below. again, only one coat was applied.
this little frame was painted in Annie Sloan's Pure White Chalk Paint.
as you may have noticed, my poor blog has been terribly neglected :( i suppose that's just life when you work almost full time!
school holidays are just around the corner, so i'm hoping to pop in here a bit more frequently with a few more furniture makeovers in a couple of weeks time.

here are a few snaps from around the house.
hanging shell garland one of my girls gave me for Mothers Day
happy agave
:)
new pink barnacle and a cushion from the Keren Brown sale. sigh. love.
side table before....
 enjoy the rest of your week 
Kate x
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Sunday, April 28, 2013

and the winner is...

and the winner of the giveaway is...
yay to you!
please contact me at mlewisd@bigpond.net.au 
and i'll get your little parcel in the post!
 thankyou to all those who entered :)
have a great week everyone!
Kate x
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Sunday, April 21, 2013

it's giveaway time!

good morning lovelies!
last week i hit 300 likers on my facebook page, so decided to celebrate with a little giveaway.
so what do you get?
a gorgeous handmade, wooden bead tassle necklace and an 'aged' look cross bracelet.
worth $30, both brand new and totally in at the mo!
here i've paired the necklace with another fav :)
and the bracelet looks great teamed with a few other bracelets or bangles.
all you have to do is 'like' my facebook page here, or be a follower of my blog. if you do both, let me know in your comment and you will be entered twice :)
if you share my post, you will get another entry!
overseas entries are very welcome :)
i will draw a winner next weekend!
good luck!
Kate x
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Saturday, April 20, 2013

peacock chair makeover

here's my newest love. found on eBay.
a week and a half ago, i was sitting in one of these in Bali wishing i could bring it home!
i've been on the hunt for one of these babies for about 6 months. i found lots in Melbourne, but a courier was going to charge around $350 to get her to my door. umm, thanks but no thanks.
so when this one came up on eBay i crossed my fingers and bid at the last minute.
she was bought in Bangkok in the 70's and bought to Australia at some point. obviously destined to belong to me haha.
my home is in serious danger of becoming overrun with cane and crochet.
surely you can't have too much of either?!
the little stool was recently made over too. it has a reversible cushion.
vintage blue chenille side...
floral side. tempted to keep it as it matches in so well with my chair!
for sale on my facebook page.
 chair before....
stool before....
Kate x
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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

our holiday to Bali

it's hard to believe our long awaited trip to Bali is over and we are now back into the swing of another school term!
on Good Friday, we were up before the sun, and off to the airport. we arrived at our hotel in Ubud just before midnight, and ordered nasi goreng and pad thai to share before collapsing into bed.

and here's the following morning's view from our little porch!

                                          intricate stone work. all carted in and laid by hand.
this shot was taken from the pool area. Mike is wandering down to join us. our 2 story bungalow style accommodation "Water Spies" was the original house, built in the 1940's.

refreshing coconut drink.
we visited Ubud markets where i bought one of these beautiful brightly coloured crochet throws. i shouldn't have stopped at one. you can never own enough crochet you know.
sunrise over the mountains
on our 2nd day, we trekked off to soak in the amazing views offered from the rice fields.
talk about steamy!! the weather in Bali is hot hot hot!!
so relieved to have made it to the top! those little thatched roofs shaded us nicely while we took a drink stop.
lily covered ponds filled with the fattest gold fish are everywhere.
the Balinese women are such workers! from what i saw, they seem to do more of the labour intensive lifting and carrying than what the men do.

next stop. Monkey Forest. $7 entry for our whole family!
such beauty through here. we chose not to feed the monkeys-  i was not going to risk having to unnecessarily use my extensive 1st aid kit, or a trip to the hospital for that matter!
mumma with her babe. so sweet!
this cheeky monkey decided he was thirsty, so bit straight through the water bottle Mike was carrying!
apparently the nut in his other hand was more interesting than our supply of ice cold water- which was then emptied onto the pavement!!
after a 3 night stay, we left the mountains in exchange for Legian's ocean views.
definitely more my thing.
hair was braided
 henna was applied
and much bartering and shopping was done.
how awesome are these lights?! i bought a teeny tiny tiny home with me!
the sunsets were so pretty.
 us :)

capturing the sunset
fabulous Potato Head restaurant and beach bar. the outside of this huge place is lined with vintage timber shutters.
we ordered some fancy schmancy drinkies overlooking the infinity pool and out to sea.
sun sparkles over the surf
we moved onto Ku De Ta for lunch. with water views of course.
and freaking amazing food. lobster and pork gyoza, and a sushi horn. heck yeah!
dinners on the beach were a fav!
ring purchase
bargain peacock chair! reduced to $159!
funnily enough, i found and won an exact replica of this on ebay yesterday! i will be back with a makeover soon ;)

our last few days were spent in quiet Nusa Dua, south of Legian. the beaches were beautiful. (and so were the pina coladas!)
the grains of sand were the size of mustard seeds!

the 'i'm such a tourist' shot
these goldies couldn't get any chubbier if they tried
The Rock Bar. accessible only by carriage that took us down the side of a steep cliff.
we were given umbrellas to shade us from the extreme heat!
the view? breath taking
last stop. Jimbaran Bay. for and assortment of freshly BBQed seafood.
with spectacular views. again!

a bit of beach fun!
goodbye Bali. what an awesome holiday you gave us x
Kate x

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