Friday night no-no

If you're looking for suggestions for what to do on a Friday night, I can't help you. I can, however, offer a suggestion for what not to do.

Don't sit up in bed and read while your kids play around you, until your 4-year-old launches his whole body at you head-first, slamming his head into your mouth.

All you'll end up with is tears of pain and a fat lip.

Shabby chic desk

Okay, so here's the decorating project I've been working on.

In the corner of the studio is this little pine desk that was very kindly given to us by my friend Julie when she moved back to the US.



It's a nice, solid piece of furniture, well made and sturdy ...



... although the boys have managed to mark and draw on the top.



The problem was ... pine just isn't my thing. Plus it didn't go with the rest of our furniture which, with the exception of our dining set, sofas and headboard, is all white.

For a while I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it. Should I paint it white? Paint it white and distress it? Paint it green and distress it? Stain it dark? Tile the top?

Then I came across this post - specifically the coffee table makeover - and knew that that was what I wanted to do!

So I primed the drawers and legs and painted them with four coats of off-white satin paint and lightly distressed them with sandpaper ...



... and stained the top with dark, water-based satin varnish.



Ta-da! Look how beautiful it is now!! I totally LOVE it.



And did you notice those beautiful glass knobs??



I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I am with this makeover. I love it! I wish I'd done it a lot sooner.

As you can see in the first picture this desk used to hold the boys' computer, which has now died. So I get to dress it up a little with cute containers to hold pens and pencils and they can use it for drawing and crafting. And if it gets a little beat up, well it will only add to the charm.

See how well it goes with my ancient flea market chippy chair?

Yes Man

We watched Yes Man last night and this scene made me laugh till I cried. Sorry, can't embed the video as they have disabled that function, but click on over and have a laugh.

Cool links

Totally genius solar blind design

Then and now

Bathroom tap that is also a vase

Your camera as a tool (also here)

One handbag, many different looks

Look-alike photographic project

MIA

I feel like I've neglected my poor blog lately. I am so distracted right now, I can't even come up with a coherent post so here it is in bullet points.

• Grant's parents are still with us, although they will be leaving late Sunday night / early Monday morning.
• I'm busy with a decorating project and will post it as soon as it's done, so watch this space!
• I am ready to throttle the cat who keeps on coming into our garden and using the vegetable bed as a litter box - who wants to grow food in a litter box?? And who wants to keep planting things because the stupid cat scratches up the seedlings while it's doing its business? GRRR!!! We've tried putting down pepper which seems to help except that we've had a lot of rain lately so it's all been washed away. GRRR!!
• Grant and I went here, which was enjoyable, and he made me go on this, which was NOT. Watch the video and see the scariness. And then be impressed at how brave I was :oP
  
• I went back to Weight Watchers and was SHOCKED AND APPALLED at my weight. Seriously. Am stunned into action and have turned over a new leaf. (Thankfully I am still within Gold Member range so don't have to pay, but that will change soon if I don't put the brakes on my eating.)
  
• We had my friend Taryn (who I met when I started Primary School, oh, 27 years ago) and her boyfriend Kent to stay for a couple of days. They live in New Zealand, so we had fun grilling them for information. Taryn never.ever.changes. Seriously. She looks exactly the same as she did in high school. It's uncanny.
  
• They were houseguest 11 and 12 of the year. I'm not even kidding.
• As much as we've loved having everyone to stay, I am looking forward to having the house to ourselves and getting my head straight and back into routine.
  

Spring bud

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting
to improve the world."

- Anne Frank

Kitchen curves

I love kitchens with curves. The look just screams "custom design" and the gentle flow it adds to the kitchen is just beautiful. Big curves and small - I love them all. Here are a few curvaceous kitchens that caught my eye.

Red and white tulips

We need not power or splendour,
Wide hall or lofty dome;
The good, the true, the tender,
These form the wealth of home. - Sarah Hale

Pea blossoms

"Too many people believe that creativity is a talent with which some people are born and the rest of us can only envy. This is a negative attitude that is completely mistaken. Creativity is a skill that can be learned, developed and applied."

- Edward de Bono

Chocolate chip cheesecake cookies

These cookies are insanely more-ish. They are soft and light with a delicious cheesecake tang. You won't be able to stop at just one, especially if they're warm, fresh out of the oven, and the chocolate chips are all melty. Don't say I didn't warn you!



Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies

225g unsalted butter
225g cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, cream cheese, and vanilla extract and beat until well-incorporated.

In another bowl, combine flour with baking powder and salt. Add by cupfuls to the wet mix. When that’s all mixed together, fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Be careful not to over bake because they will lose their lovely cheesy tang. They seem to be done just when the edges are starting to darken.

Island inspiration

Are you wanting to freshen up your kitchen? Looking for ideas for adding a little wow to the room? Why not try painting your kitchen island a different colour to your cabinets. Here is some fun inspiration for you.

Pink (love this!)



Blue













Red









Black

































White







Brown / wood























Green



Grey