My {little golden nook} and some weekday creating

Can you hear my big Sunday night sigh?

The week is done and a fresh one begins tomorrow. I can't even remember why its been such a busy week. Harper has been sick and I now suspect a UTI, the poor poppit. Our 'Maisy' had her first ever sleepover party. We've all gone from forever hot and sleepless, to cold and just a little crazy.

And we ticked a few things off our 'finishing touches' (long) list...

:: Our little reading/cuddling nook is almost complete

:: My current favourite homey book 'Granny Chic' by Tif and Rachelle, best read IN the nook

:: I finally sewed together my vintage hankie curtain for the cubby shelf (there was such joy all around when we found my 'lost in transition' sewing machine this weekend)

:: A fun lamp upcycle project for Miss M's room

:: Every day is a crafty day for little H plus evidence that all is far from perfect here with boxes still to unpack

:: A 'tea and cake date' in the cubby was a big event for the stay-at-home two

xoxo

An imperfect home and a full heart

This morning my friend Sarah popped in for a cup of tea and a peek at our 'new' home. We sipped black tea and munched on my 'rustic' looking almond meal choc-chip cookies while we chatted easily about our surroundings, and about our little ones.  We discussed birthday parties because her little boy's is coming up and my biggest little has been invited to her first sleep over party and lets just say there is only one person around here who is excited about it!*

Sarah, my amazingly talented thrifting friend brought with her the best house warming gift for me: A vintage Atlas for decorating, an Eloise Wilkin 'big' Little Golden Book, and some gorgeous vintage wallpaper which I'll be using to upcycle a chest of drawers. Excited!!

She peeked at my untidy work-in-progress wardrobe and I gabbled about the plans I have for each space to make up for the current disarray.  I noticed all the unfinished paintwork through her eyes and we could have tripped over numerous yet to be sorted 'miscellaneous' piles and boxes.  But there are a handful of corners in our home that are complete enough to make me glad to be here and glad to share it.

 There is enough order in the pantry and the laundry and the bedrooms for me to be content and get on with life.  We wholeheartedly agreed that an imperfect home that still has order to it is much more inviting than a perfect home.  But oh my, you should see the garage and the front lawn, and the study/crafty space.  Blake is finishing our en suite vanity as we speak and then I have a list of shelving for him to tackle.  Its hot hot hot this week in Geelong and the cooling system is not yet up and running and this time last year we were having regular swims at the beach before autumn really hits. I have rugs to make and walls to decorate.  We are keen to get a little more order happening so we can have church here for our new Sunday afternoon meetings.  Its a crazy season for this little family.  I'm glad I have friends like Sarah to help keep me sane.

*Blake and I have been dreading the sleepover parties starting. We feel like if we let her go it will be the start of hundreds of them (huge exaggeration but easily done when one is as mortified as I am), she will want one for her 8th birthday in April (which we will say 'no' to), we don't know the parents very well, and she will come home exhausted and will take out her sugar hangover on us!

xoxo

A sneaky peek...

I know I know I promised you a sneak peek into our 'new' home three posts ago!

It all just seems to be going at snail's pace and its tricky to get good shots of each room when the windows are still covered in stained protective film and there are dirty painting sheets all over the benches and tradesmen dotted throughout the place.

But here is a tincy wincy peek for you.....

The world's best husband has created the concrete benchtop, still to be polished, and the walls are ready for open shelving  

The two cream pendant lights have been voted out (by me) and I'm hoping to replace them with a little DIY styling....

 Do you see what I mean? Its all so unfinished still.

But we are so close now.

 We are moving in next weekend! Really truly we are. The unpacking will take forever and ever but it will be lots more fun than the packing was four and a half months ago. And we will finally be home.

xoxo

A Christmas Mantel

We won't be in our home for Christmas this year.  Our little two bedroom cottage is being extended and we are staying with family or house-sitting while Blake works his fastest to complete the reno.  I've been missing our own space for the past couple of months, missing my home and its imperfect style, my place to create and play, and be at rest.

And I miss my mantel! A mantel is just the most fabulous blank canvas for christmas decorating, and its a central spot all year round for decorating fun depending on your mood or the occasion.

Well, The Lettered Cottage (the first blog I ever loved) is having a christmas mantel link party and I thought I'd link up with my mantel from last year just for fun.

We'd been in this house for just under a year and after we knocked a hole in the living room wall to assess the old fireplace behind it we realised we were going to have to build a whole new one, mantel and all! Oops. Thankfully my sister and hubs had just bought and an old character home in Geelong to open her project, The Birth House and they had a few too many (seriously!) beautiful old fireplaces and we scored one!  

So it went from this (at the original house)....

To this (in our home).......

To this! (thanks Josh & Jenna from The Block for the wall paint colour idea).....

A few months later it was November and my Christmas creative craze began....

 I made these white trees with white wool (yarn) wound around cones made out of paper, and the little stars with twine and glue make it firm.

 The felt ball garland I made by threading the balls onto embroidery cotton (  I wish I could say I hand-felted them)

 I created the Nativity scene out of MDF wood and a vintage copy of 'The Christmas Story' Little Golden Book.

 The wreath I made from plumbers tubing from Bunnings, masking taped the ends together and stuffed wet, scrunched paper in the hollow to (try) to stop it from being floppy (NOT something I'll be doing again, its easier to pay the extra $4 for the polystyrene ones from Spotlight) I wound twine around it, added some lace and found some vintage baubles from the Oppy/thrift shop in the right colours and finished it off with some white felt flowers I'd already made.  

Meanwhile over in our tiny dining room I suspended a branch to the ceiling, attached flowers I made from old lace curtains and hung from it a little 'hope' (my favourite word).

xoxo