Playing with a Mood Board

Decided to try putting together virtual mood board, as I need to pick paint colour and bed styles for the kids. Unfortunately, my taste is very eclectic and there are some practical necessities, like storage, but its nice to have a look as I haven't got a particular style in mind.

http://mydeco.com/rooms/detail/child-bedroom-1201370/

On a positive note

Well, today is Thanksgiving, so taking a hint from the Americans, I am thankful that today I could take the kids to the doctor without explaining it to anyone else.

I also purchased two items for the new house today-  the budget is tight, so I'm ebaying hard.

a. A Large Silver Framed Mirror  $167

I overpaid a bit on this item as it was IKEA, and the seller was so thankful, she dropped it off to me! 

This will go in either the living room or the kids bedroom, as we have fireplaces.  I have decided to paint both fireplaces white, as they are not that special, and with the dark wood, stick out like a sore thumb.

b. Beatrix Potter Curtains  $49



One of the curtains is apparently a little sunfaded, but with sunblock lining, so will help the west-facing bedroom.

Poor A was sent to the paint shop a while ago, and asked to match Peter Rabbit Blue (front colour)

4.42pm- just plain tired

I am really tired and I have to find some motivation to get things done.

Its times like this when I wonder why I bother trying to work.  If I just lowered my lifestyle expectations a little, I wouldn't need to work, on a financial level, but I think I would be bored, and I already found out that I don't fit, in the area that we live in, with the other SAHMs.

Today, the TT didn't eat breakfast, and threw up on me at 8.30am.  J is also coughing harder- she has this annoying cough that has run three weeks, but not seen a doctor.

So they stayed home while I attempted to work.  The TV helped a bit, but I also cut out time today monitoring lunch, driving and then sitting in the doctors surgery, for over an hour, while they tried to fit us in.
I held TT while he slept.

Just buggered and need some sort of pick me up.

A new day- a new diary

My Quo Vadis Trinote planner arrived today from the UK.  There was an Australian Distributor, but I may have left it too late as the only option left was turd brown, so I looked overseas.  For an extra $4, I managed to grab a beautiful blue one from the UK and if its the *perfect* diary, I'll just buy a refill next year.  Would have loved a teal or fresh green one, but I was unable to find anyone in the US who was willing to post overseas.

Hopefully, it's the perfect size- bigger than A5 (Kikki K was too small), but less than A4. 

Mental note for next year- you bought it at Bureau Direct, and you googled a coupon.

I also bought a Kikki K family calendar for next year- the small size is just right for us, and even better Kikki K sent members a 20% discount voucher.

Getting Back on the Wagon

I finally made it back to the gym again, after a long hiatus due to being ill.

Hmmm..not so good.  Today weighed in at 82kg, when my goal weight is 65kg.

Huffed and puffed on the treadmill (2.1kms) and the bike (11.72kms)

Now aiming for a 5 kg loss by Xmas (77kg) and 10% loss (74 kg) by Australia Day.

The Xmas Pics and beach pics aren't going to be pretty, but its a start.

Paint-obsessed!

A bit tired- the tiny terrorist is ill with now diagnosed tonsilitis, so he is sleeping with us at night.

Currently obsessed with paint selection.

1st issue- small house
2nd- different light & orientations

The first 2 bedrooms face west.
The 3rd bedroom faces south and has a small window
The 4th/living area has a small north window on the main wall, and a large glass window/door to the east.

Am very confused- light will vary significantly.  Light from the west is yellow-toned, light from the south is apparently grey and it'll be my dark room, and the living area is a bit of a tunnel.

The non-tinted white is Vivid White
Warm whites are recommended for south facing/dark rooms
Cool whites are recommended for north rooms

Should I paint them all differently?

I want to cover all woodwork frames with white, as I don't consider the wood to be a design feature.

Warm whites- options appear to be Chalk USA, but I really like Fair Bianca 1/2 for when we painted our currently dark home.

Also thinking about painting the wall behind the tv area (a bit horrified at the size mentioned to me)- choices (french grey? taupe ie hog bristle? or chocolate ie Toffee Fingers),  not sure how it will go with a non perfect wall.

Yes, will probably end up calling the Dulux paint consultant.

Replica Furniture--is it all bad?

Yesterday, we met with our handyman to discuss the work needed to get the house ready. We are very thankful that the vendors agreed to let us in before settlement.

The list is extensive
- knock a wall between the kitchen and dining area to open the space (he's a little bit worried about this, but I think it'll be ok)
- build a combined storage unit/desk in bedroom 3
- paint every room except for the hallway
- install a kitchen exhaust fan and washing line (not sure how they got away with this for 15 years)

Unfortunately, we can't install a proper door between the living area and the hallway- I will have to see how we go, sound-wise, as at worst, we can install a concertina door.

I also signed into floorplanner.com to work out how to get all the items to fit.

I uploaded the real estate floor plan (which sadly wasn't measured correctly) and then dropped in the items like beds etc to see how it would look.

Sadly, its very tight and being me, I haven't figured out how to get the 3d view to work, but now I have a better feel of what may work before I redo the plan against our measurements...

http://pl.an/f1shhw

I really wanted each of the kids to have a separate space for their treasures, but the hard part is fitting something in to allow for it.

I love modern gear. I really like the componibili, especially in the red and white, and I have seen great pics of it as a bedside table. 

Now to ponder the question of whether I can justify the fact that its a replica as (a) I cant afford the real thing and (b) its for little kids, who damage things anyway!

http://www.mattblatt.com.au/Replica-Tables/Replica-Anna-Castelli-Ferrieri-Componibili-2-Round-.aspx?p4167c6

Fabulous, Fun Gear from the US

Ok, I shouldn't have looked, but I snuck a peak at Pottery Barn Kids.

It all looks fabulous relative to the boring gear you can purchase here.

I love this one! 

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/dr-seuss-quilted-bedding/?pkey=cnew-to-sale


Thankfully, it doesn't go with my theme(???) for the kids room, so I'll have to content myself with just reading the books.

A warm glow in the cockles of my soul!

Setting up my new business has been pretty much like a game of snakes and ladders, as just when I feel I'm getting somewhere, something unexpected seems to happen.

But some good news- I rang a contact to ask if he would be interested in a referral arrangement and....

he said YES!!

and even better, he said he TRUSTS me to do the right thing.

Thankyou!! I am so thrilled that someone trusts me.

Bedroom ideas- a little boy and girl sharing

We are moving to a new place shortly, so I am obsessed at getting it a bit more like "us" as soon as possible.

The kids will be sharing, which is a little bit of a challenge, as the Tiny Terrorist, is all boy, and Jubby, is all girl.  They are now at the stage, where Jubby will carefully build a sand castle, and TT will take a running leap and smash it.

Their room isn't big but:

-I want to carve out two separate areas for them.
-I want to fit a chest of drawers and a toy bookshelf/unit.
-I'd love them to both have space for their treasures (still not sure what to do with TT's agile climbing)

So far, I am in love with apartmenttherapy.com, for ideas (especially their seperate kids section)

I want to be brave and not paint their room in white (as usual).

I really want a beautiful duck egg blue for the walls (I love houseofturquoise.com), but given that I love colour so much, I now get lost in the paint shop colour charts. I've now resorted to finding items that I like & sending my poor husband to the paint shop to try to match it.

I would like white timber beds with trundles to maximise storage. White picture frames for their drawings.

I have no clue how to do this, but I see TT's area, including cobalt blue and shots of red.  J's area including pastel pink and soft green.

So many ideas, not sure how to do this!

I made my first purchase today, from Etsy. I hope it arrives safely and clears customs, but I thought it would look so cute on their bedroom door (the shop is called Mountain Brook)

I also love the Christopher Robin decals, probably because Jubby is extremely attached to her Pooh bear.

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think"   Christopher Robin

Coolartvinyl make a fabulous version, but I'm not sure its going to fit.

http://www.coolartvinyl.com.au/braver-wall-quote-decal-p-275.html?osCsid=ub8r8g9n55nhuuprkun21r9jl3


And I also love the children's bus scroll with the morning routine:

http://hollyandeddie.com.au/item_465/Bus-scroll--morning-routine.htm

hello- if anyone's out there (big laugh sound effect)

I am probably a complete weirdo but I set up a blog tonight to set up a virtual filing cabinet of the things that I have found, mainly on the internet, that inspire me.

I don't expect anybody to read this.