CHRISTMAS PHOTO BOOTH

This Christmas we had just moved house 4 weeks before and I suggested everyone come to our house for Christmas!  Although after I wondered what I had been thinking as sometimes I get so excited I just envision this big get togethers and forget that their is actually work involved in getting prepared for the day... 

I can't help myself... I am a gatherer. I love gathering people together and seeing them enoy, engage, laugh. I love it.  

Thank goodness I have been blessed with a husband who can balance me out in that and helped me have a plan and a few ideas to make the day go smooth.

It was his idea to have a fun photo booth for the day, so everyone can have some great memories of us all being together.

I am also blessed with a talented team of children who helped get the photo booth ready ( I actualy didn't even set it up they did it all!!)   I just supplied the frame from my endless collection of things I keep to re-purpose.

My daughter made the signs out of some chalkboard cut off I had.

They also spent an afternoon (my daughter and older son), doing this awesome chalkboard art and hanging it up on the patio where the guests would be sitting.

My hubby bought the props at the cheap shop and voila! We have our Christmas photo booth....

My Moustache is falling off!!  The cute reindeer next to me is my youngest, He never misses a chance to be in a photo, Not shy at all this one!

A mix of winter with the Aussie summer Christmas!

The table is set and we are ready to go!

Heaps of water fights... 

The day went so well. I put it down to having a plan.  We decided on a few activities and set about preparing for them. But the things we chose to do were simple and did not take alot of effort or hassle,  

I am learning that simple is better.  Christmas can come and it is all over in 24hours.  The main thing that lingers is the memories and the time spent together. 

Merry Christmas 2014 and Happy new Year for 2015. 

I look forward to more things to re-purpose and make 2015 a year of creativity and rejuvenation!

Love 

Fiona xx

How to re-purpose cans into pencil holders

This is the easiest ever!  Turning old cans into pencil holders. Why didnt I think of this before?  All the cans I have thrown away and never even considered re-using them.
 But now I have found a cute way to re-purpose them.

Simply rinse out your can. Preferably use ones that already have white interior. But it doesn't really matter. After they are thoroughly dry, then paint them with any colour you like.  

I just used sample paint pots from Bunnings.  Two coats are plenty. Let it dry.

Then I used a tiny strip of wallpaper and glued it onto the side.  On the computer I wrote the word Pencils and printed it out, then glued it on top of the wallpaper.
To finish I sparayed the cans with a fixative matt spray (usually used to spray  on painting canvases etc) just so the font wouldn't smudge.

So cute! I love how they turned out!
Have  a great week xx

Vintage Chairs

These chairs were like finding gold for me! I love old chairs. I feel like they have a whole history inside them! Secrets or maybe just fun stories to tell of where they have lived, what they have seen.

Well that's what I like to beleive anyway! ( we all have our weird side!)

We found two of these hiding in the back of the recycle shop for $5!

 As we started to sand them back we could not believe the beautiful wood that was hiding underneath.

 Wow!  I am no wood expert but I think it is teak wood.

I just couldn't bring myself to paint them. So I simply sanded back part of the chair and left the white as random!

I am keeping these ones! They have become my new favourites.

Chair love!

Plain Cane turned into stunning Grey chairs

I have always loved cane. We scored these on our furniture journeys..... And tempting as it was to just paint them white... ...  

 We chose an awesome dark grey.

 We simply spray painted them.  I didn't dare do it on my back patio (my hubby would not be impressed if I got spray paint everywhere). Although I have already left patches of paint all over the back patio from other various projects!!

So we put them over the back fence where we back onto a 'nature strip' (I know not very environmentally friendly of me) and spray painted them. 

WE DID PUT A LARGE DROP SHEET DOWN SO WE DIDN'T SPRAY THE GRASS!! 

Turned the back over to paint underneath.

Spray painting is so easy and so fast! We used 2 cans of spray paint to do these lovely chairs.

But they were done in 10 minutes! Alot faster than normal paint.

 AND.... .......NO PRIMING.

Love the end result!

We made some chevron turquoise cushion covers to match.  The material was from Lincraft.

Here is a bush setting photo! I was trying to make it look authentic, like in the outback or something (Ha!)

Have a great week! And be creative.. its good for the soul xx


Love  Michelle and Fiona

Funky Stool Makeover

We picked this stool up from the recycle store for a massive $2!!

Since Stools are having a moment right now we thought we could funky it up and make it awesome!

First quick sand and then a coat of primer.

 Then Michelle started working her art on the stool!  Don't you just love the chevron?

Michelle used a template and drew it on with pencil  first.  

Total finish! Who wouldn't want to sit on this pretty thing.
As I told the guy who bought it from us - there is alot of love gone into this stool and every time you sit on it you are going to feeeeel the looove! (Ha!)

Preparing your chalkboard before use

Recently we sourced a bunch of really cool frames and decided to turn them into chalkboards. It was so funny when we went to Masters Builders to buy the sheets of blackboard, and the guy said, " Is there something happening at pre-schools or schools, because we have been getting so many people buying this blackbaord?" Michelle and I laughed and said, " No it's  just in fashion right now, for home decor." Does this guy not know that most of our children now at school use laptops and 'smartboards'?? Anyway... Old School is the best school and BLACKBOARDS ARE BACK IN!

  But before you write on it, you need to know something...Have you ever written on a new blackboard and the first thing you ever wrote is forever like a shadow in the background? Well that is because it was not
 " SEASONED" first.

 To 'season' your blackboard is very simple. You simply need to shade it all in with chalk! Then after you have done this rub it out and! THAT'S IT!

 Here are the frames that we painted! You can see Michelle's cute red toenails!!

All ready to go. I love all the colours. Red ones have been popular!
Also if you are interested in any creative fonts for your chalkboards here are some links....

http://www.clementinecreative.co.za/free-chalkboard-fonts-and-resources/

http://www.yellowblissroad.com/favorite-free-chalkboard-font-combos/

Have fun. I love my chalkboards, I use them for Birthday partied, events or even in the kitchen for reminders or menu!
Love
Fiona and Michelle xx

Grey and White Tall Boy

This is Michelle's beautiful upcycle on a set of Pine drawers.

 See chose to paint the frame grey, then compliment with white drawers.  

  First a coat of primer.  

Nice grey drawers handles to finish it off.

Beautiful re-vamp Michelle!