Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts

Monday, January 26, 2015

Pink sofa for grey sky days.



After days of full, beaming sunshine, humid heat and swims at the beach with almost everyone in the city, the clouds have come over to give us some relief. Today's grey sky and cool change means cups of tea, cosy-ing up on the couch, reading and watching these pretty sweet Kinfolk films. If only I had a pink, plush sofa...

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Crafty: Dipped Cans DIY.

Cleaning up after a recent Mexican fiesta affair, aka nachos for dinner, we had a few empty cans ready for recycling. The next morning I was on Pinterest and spotted this pin which inspired me to rescue those empty bean tins and get crafty! In a similar vein to the painted pots I did last year, the steps are really easy and simple. Besides empty and clean cans (with labels removed) all you need is some masking tape, paint and a paintbrush. Put the tape around the can where you wish and paint below making sure not to get any paint above the tape. Do one to three coats and when completely dry remove the masking tape and you will have the finished product. Super easy, super quick.

I used blue, pink and yellow acrylic paints that I had lying around however I diluted the colours with white so they would be more pastel like. I was pretty chuffed with the end result and in turn took my little cans to work to give my desk some much needed organisation. 

What neat DIY projects have you tried?

Friday, November 1, 2013

Halloween.







I have always been a bit festive. I love holidays like Christmas and Easter, or any occasion with a theme. Whenever Halloween would roll around when we were young my sisters and I would watch back-to-back special Halloween episodes of all of the shows on Disney Channel. We would live out our Halloween fantasies through the TV shows because it is not widely celebrated here in Australia. One of the benefits of living out of home is being able to do what ever you want - in last night's case it was celebrating Halloween! I made a black and orange tassel garland, covered the chairs in fake cobwebs, made these cute jack-o-lanterns from plastic cups and Donna Hay's jack-o-lantern pizzas! After dinner we took our food comas to the couch, ate some candy and watched our favourite Halloween movie The Haunted Mansion. It was the perfect spooky night in.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

DIY: Jar succulents.





I make no secret of my love for Pinterest. It's inspiration, ideas and everything in between keep me coming back almost everyday. Recently my friend Megan re-pinned and told me about the cute mason jar succulent DIY she had made. It wasn't until today when I was out shopping for another project that I found this jar in a two-dollar shop and remembered the aforementioned DIY. I headed to Bunnings to pick up a succulent (as well as that cool pink cactus) and some pebbles before making my way home to put it all together. First put a hand-full of pebbles into the bottom of your jar, add some wet soil on top of the pebbles and then your succulent in its soil on top. If you keep the soil wet then it will stop it from falling down into the pebbles. Give your succulent a spritz of water every now and then using a spray bottle. And that's all! Cheap, easy and effective way of adding some greenery to your bedroom, living room or kitchen!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Spring Cleaning.

Spring has arrived and I'm ready for a good old-fashioned spring clean. The thought of a big clean can sometimes be so overwhelming that you put it off and never end up doing it to the extent you originally wanted. Raise your hand if your guilty? Over here, yep me, I'm guilty! This time I thought I would break it down to the area that I use most in my home, my bedroom, and focus on giving it a little TLC. Let's start with the wardrobe shall we?

1. Hello Wardrobe!
If you are like me and you get dressed every day then I'm guessing that your wardrobe can get a little hectic and unorganised? Amiright? Here are some quick tips to give your clothing domain it's own spring gleam.

- Put away all of your heavy winter coats that you won't be needing in spring. Leave a selection of jackets that you can pair with your lighter spring/summer clothes for those cooler nights.



- Keep two of your most worn jeans hanging for the in-between days before it starts to really warm up. Put any other jeans or pants you won't wear again in winter away with your coats.


- Give your closet some organisation. It makes everything easier in the morning when you can find what you're looking for in its proper section. From left to right I organise by dresses, pants, jackets and tops. Between these sections I sub-categorise with day dresses, night dresses, dress pants, jeans etc etc. A little bit anal but also a little bit handy when you're looking for that top you really want to wear but can't find and you need to leave the house in 10 minutes flat!



- Any clothes that you don't want anymore try on again and if you still don't want them make a pile to donate to charity.

- Go through your shoes, give them a little wipe to remove any dust or marks and then organise them into sections like flats, heels, sneakers etc. Same with your bags and accessories.

2. Hello my good friend Mr. Bed!

- Nothing says 'spring clean' like a set of freshly washed sheets! I like to give my a really good clean by using the hot wash setting - I feel like it would kill any unknown and unwanted germs.


- Change up your bedspread! You may have a spare set in the cupboard that you could get out for a bit of a change or if you're a little flush with the cash indulge yourself in a new spread. May I suggest something bright and fun for all of the happiness that spring and summer inspire?! Here are a couple I have been eyeing off this one and this one.

3. Hello giant pile of magazines by the bedside!


If you're a giant magazine hoarder like someone else I know quite well, then you will have lots of magazines next to your bedside that you haven't read in months but can't quite part with. Yes, that's me again, guilty! I find it really hard to part with my magazines but in such a small space like my room anything that piles up can make the space feel very cluttered which isn't fun. Alas I have found a helpful solution!


You will need some binders, loose plastic sleeves and some dividers. Go through the magazines and tear out what articles you want to keep and put them in the plastic sleeves. Use the dividers to put the articles into sections. For example my sections include: fashion, beauty, writing and living. That way you are saving room and saving the best parts of the magazine. Remember to recycle them when placing them in the trash!

4. Hello vacuum and cleaning products!

Let's be honest, it's not a spring clean unless you actually do some cleaning. Put on some music and break out the vacuum. And give everything a once over with the spray 'n' wipe. You will feel all the better and cleaner for it.

5. Hello new room accessories!



Once you have done your spring clean reward yourself with a little something something for your space. This could be anything like fresh flowers, a new vase, a scented candle, some fairy lights, whatever tickles your fancy! You've worked hard, you deserve something new to celebrate!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Crafty: Painted Pots DIY




Last weekend I put on my new overalls and got crafty! Two tone painted pots had been sprinkled throughout my Pinterest feed recently when I thought, "Hey! I have some plain pots with dead herbs in them that could use a little loving". I made a trip to Bunnings, the two dollar shop and Zarrafas before coming home and getting to work. It was so nice to spend the afternoon outside in the low autumn sun just listening to music, painting and sipping on ice coffee. There was no rush or urgency, nowhere to be and nothing to do but sit there and paint my pots. Bearing in mind I'm no Martha Stewart, I was pretty pleased with my final product (except the white one, it was a bit of a disappointment). With more knowledge about herbs than my previous attempt I hope to keep the parsley and rosemary thriving and healthy for as long as possible. In case I fail and they die, there will always be the succulent!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Loving: Bunting







I think I'm a bit late to the party with this bunting trend... but better late than never, right? I saw a picture of some pretty bunting on Pinterest earlier in the week and haven't been able to get it out of my mind since.There is something so fun and free about it; it reminds me of festivals and all the sweet things that accompany them like adventures, balmy early evenings, fairy floss, coloured ride tickets and rollercoaster romance. I'm now on the hunt for the perfect pattern and colour combinations for my room! 

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Merry Christmas + Happy New Year!

A very Paton Christmas

A belated Merry Christmas to you all! I hope everyone had a wonderfully, relaxing day off yesterday, ate plenty of yummy food and got spoiled by Santa. I love Christmas, it's hard not to when you like food, gifts, celebrating and being all round festive. It's the best holiday to take quality time out to spend with your closet family and friends and just enjoy life. Speaking of, life is looking very exciting at the moment as I only have two more sleeps until I leave for a 16 day adventure around Japan! I am looking forward to starting 2013 in a different country with new inspiration and  fresh perspective. I have been busily writing down my goals and resolutions for 2013 and have been so eager that I may have started a couple already! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, amazing, time-of-you-life New Years and I can't wait to come home and share with you my Japan photos! 

May 2013 bring you lots of love, happiness, creativity and good fortune!

Monday, August 27, 2012

White party II.











So we had another White Party! It was just so much fun the first time that it needed to be recreated for a second; and hopefully a third, fourth and fifth! The Gold Coast was out it it's most spectacular form last Saturday as you can see by the first photo up the top. What you won't be able to see are the many whales that were out and about enjoying the spectacular day and giving everyone a show with their frolicking. We ate home made hummus, baba ghanoush, pear, olive and ash-coated chevre on toothpicks, red velvet, white chocolate and pink/vanilla cupcakes, banana and macadamia loaf and much much more. Everyone went above and beyond getting into the classy spirit of the white day. Especially the boys who all looked very smart! Unfortunately, or fortunately, I am not in any of these photos, I had to leave early, so I left the camera behind for everyone else to play with and this is what they got up to! I for one can not wait to see where our next white adventure takes us...

x.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

White.

image: luxpresso.com via Reuters

The French are so sophisticated. Seriously. Or they just have a great marketing department in their tourism industry that makes them appear that way. Or they could just be really freaking sophisticated. I was recently shown this article about a Parisian organised and participating "flash mob" called "Diner en blanc" (Dinner in White). It is organised through social media and participants must meet strict requirements to attend including wearing head-to-toe white, bringing their own table and chairs, "quality menu items" and china. The "flash mob" part comes in as the 'Dinner in White' takes place in public places with the location only being announced to attendees at the last minute. So in homage to this great event we thought we would bring some white sophistication and elegance to the Gold Coast!

...Us, 'The White Brunchers', bringing the white party to Kirra Beach...

...Our "quality menu items": baguettes with brie cheese, rocket and butter, white chocolate dipped cherries, bruschetta with tomatoes, goats cheese, olives and herbs, white chocolate cake and some not so quality items: non-alcoholic mojitos, dorritos and top deck chocolate...

...Fresh pineapple juice...

 ...Digging in...

...Raquel with her amazing white chocolate cake made with chickpeas instead of flour!...

White is also having an extended moment as a "must-have" colour in any woman's wardrobe. Read through any fashion magazine at the moment and you will almost definitely see a collage of celebrities and models wearing white on white. I always admire how good it looks on paper but never really buy into it because the slightest mark can ruin the garment and make you look like a messy fool! However our white brunch was so much fun that there was talk of locking in a date for a second. If that is the case I will be investing in something along the lines of the little white outfit below; for special white brunch occasions only.