Paper Mache Letter

I went hunting for proof that DIY paper mache letters were possible and not too difficult to make, and I found this wonderful tutorial that makes the whole process seem idiot proof.

I am very pleased with the results and even more pleased with the cost ($0!!!).

 What I used:

• Cornflakes box
• Lots of sticky tape
• A large print out of the letter E in a font I liked
• Strips of newspaper
• Paper Mache Goop (equal parts flour & water, a tsp of salt)
• Leftover high-gloss paint from Benjamin Moore that I used for the inside of my desk :)

The finished product has a glossy, cement-like texture.

'Smore Christmas Goodies

My workplace has gotten into the spirit of giving this Christmas, so I jumped on the bandwagon and made these cute little DIY-Smores packets for the staff. I can't claim the idea as mine - I saw several different versions on Pinterest.

Seeing as I had lots of leftover marshmallows and graham crackers, I made some Smore Sticks for the Kids Christmas Party Potluck tomorrow. They are all packaged up ready to go... plus three individually wrapped ones for the hubby to take skiing tomorrow.

Secretary Desk Turned Craft Desk

One of my favourite pieces of furniture is my refinished secretary desk. We bought it on Kijiji for $70 after I fell in love with it and begged hubby to let me keep it. He was less than thrilled at first, possibly because we had to drive to Calgary for it and we had great difficulty fitting it in our old car... but then he sanded it and painted it for me and now he's satisfied and I am OVER THE MOON!!!

 Ta-da!

 I have since filled the top shelves with craft supplies, all housed in re-purposed coffee cans (wrapped in pretty wrapping paper), mason jars and other pretty things. The inside of the desk is a right mess, so it will have to wait a bit.

 

The swirly details remind me of the closet from Beauty and the Beast. Love. It. 

Update: Check out the inside!!!

Repurposed Licence Plate: Book end

We recently bought some glass shelves from Ikea and were thrilled to put all our books on them... only to realize that we should have also bought some book ends. A quick Google search revealed that bending a licence plate at a right angle would suffice. Luckily for us, we had switched our car registration from Quebec to Alberta the week before, so we had a useless licence plate on our hands... HOORAY!
Behold, our repurposed licence plate book end:

Hinged Jewellery Hanger

I have been wanting to make these for AGES and began stocking up supplies before we even moved into our place. The best part about these is that they are drilled into the wall (a homeowners luxury) in order for the hinges to work.

I found some matching frames at the thrift store ($1 for both of them) and removed the glass and backs of them. Hubby spray painted them for me (I am terrible at spray painting) and then I glued in some of the lace from my 'First Attempt Wedding Dress'. I shoved some cardboard strips in on top of the hot glue to keep the lace from flopping out of the frame. We then attached some tiny hinges to some old paint stirrers, screwed it all to the wall, added some hooks to the front and viola! Jewellery hangers!

 

Here you can see the dodgy paint job, the strips of cardboard to hold the lace firmly in place, the hinges and the old paint stirrers (it was the only old, thin piece of wood I could find).

 

I had to tie a piece of ribbon between the hooks on the left-side one, to hang my hoop earrings.

 

 And they open for easy access to get the butterfly clips off the studs :)

Thrift Store Find - $5 Chair

Found a very sad looking chair at the thrift store, so we gave it a semi-makeover by adding some padding and reupholstering the seat and the back. Total cost: $9. I would like to paint the wooden frame because it's quite scratched, but it will have to wait until the summer when I can haul it out onto the patio.

Ta-da!

I thought it would be a great chair to watch movies on in hubby's office (on his new iMac) but Molly has since claimed it as hers. I guess I will just need to keep an eye out for another sad chair...

Molly!

 We have wanted a dog for quite a while and with hubby working from home now, we decided it was the perfect time to adopt. We looked at a GAZILLION different breeds and reviews, but in the end we fell in love with a rescue dog, advertised on the Pawsitive Match Rescue Foundation's website. I have never had a mixed breed before and it seems like a stab in the dark, but Molly is pretty darn perfect.

 

 We are told she is husky x border collie x labrador. We can't see any labrador in her, but with her athletic ability and gangly arms, we think there might be some monkey and kangaroo in there instead. She graduated from her puppy obedience classes and is very intelligent.

Friends of ours were so impressed with Molly, they contacted the rescue foundation and adopted Molly's sister - Siku.

About Us

Quick Facts:

1. My husband and I live in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada.
2. I am from Australia.
3. Hubby is from Quebec.
4. We were married May 20th, 2011 on Hamilton Island, in Australia.
5. We have a dog named Molly.
6. We bought a 660 square foot condo.

Our 660 Square Foot Condo:

Hidden Electrical Switch Box

Ugly electrical switch box between the bedroom and bathroom? Not anymore!

We found a canvas to fit, discovered the inner artist and the problem was solved. It's not an eye catching painting that anyone would want to stop and admire as they go to and from the bathroom, but it's enough to cover the ugly grey panel.

Photos: Before & Progress

Okay, I have been SUPER slack with keeping this up to date. But that is ALL about to change in the space of a few days/weeks(/months?).

Our condo is looking awesome - we have finished painting the furniture, the walls and all the trimmings, except the front and back doors (they need a bit more TLC and may have to wait until next Summer). Aaaannnnddd we got a puppy. But more about her later.

So let me begin by showing you the "before and progress photos" of our place. All of the Before photos are the ones the real estate agent had posted, so none of the furniture is ours but you can see the wall colours etc. A few things have changed again since I took the Progress photos, but you get the general idea :)

This is our living room before:

Living/Dining Before

Living/Dining Before

Living/Dining Before

Living/Dining Before

Notice there is no dining room. This is our main living/dining space. We had to be crafty in our furniture selection so that it didn't make the room look too crowded. At first, we thought we could use the spare room as a dining room...

But it just didn't flow nicely from the kitchen, so we took off the door in-between...

Living/Dining Before

THEN decided to just put the table in the main living/dining area anyway. We have since added a couch to this room (where the white ottoman is), then dropped one of the leaves on the table and shoved it up against the opposite wall. Photos to come.

Living/Dining Progress

Living/Dining Progress

(Please excuse the blue walls in the reflection of the mirror... we have since painted the kitchen but this was one of our earlier photos)

Entrance Before

Entrance Before

Entrance Progress

Spare Room Before

Spare Room Progress

Spare Room Progress

Spare Room Progress

Spare Room Progress

Bedroom Before

Bedroom Progress

More pictures to come once we've tidied up the place :D