House finance experiences

brought to you by Loan Market

We’ve been in our mid-century home for about three months now. How time flies when you’re having fun! However, the process of buying a house and moving is not something you can call fun...

It’s a pretty stressful time and it’s not something we’d want to be doing again in a big hurry. From the get-go, we were worried about the house contract and whether our offer would be accepted, building and pest inspections and of course obtaining the much-needed finance to buy the house of our dreams.

exterior shot of our mid-century home at night...

All I can say is thank goodness for mortgage brokers. We have always used a mortgage broker to help us find a competitive loan to buy our houses.

Loan Market is just one of the many mortgage brokers out there in the marketplace. With a mortgage broker, the running around is done for you, if you know what I mean…and it’s a free service. Funnily, it is one of the few free things available to you when you buy a house. Ironic, really, as it will give you the biggest debt of your life. Ha!

Our very first home loan was with a non-bank lender which was suggested by our mortgage broker - mostly because it was the late 1990s and we were too much of a risk to traditional banks given our very meagre incomes.  The mortgage broker handled all the paper work and outlined the best loan options available to suit our particular situation.

Never in a million years would we have even thought to go down that non-bank lender route  The loan also fulfilled our criteria of having no monthly account keeping fee, allowing extra repayments, good interest rate (at the time!) and have it split into fixed and variable portions. It was a very good loan and suited us perfectly.

Most importantly, we were able to purchase our first house and get our big toe in the door of the property market.

When we bought our mid-century house in March this year, we used our mortgage broker again to refinance our loan.  It really was one less stress on our time, knowing our finances were in good hands.

I think it is worth giving a mortgage broker a call if you are in the market to buy a property or even if you are thinking of refinancing. Most brokers will visit you at home and you can organise after-hours appointments which is great if you work full-time or have small children.

Anyway, I’m very glad to have that process of buying a house behind us. Nesting and renovating is way more fun. 

Five ways of keeping cool at home this summer

This post was in collaboration with The Water People 

Summer. It’s getting to that time of year where things are really start to heat up around here.

We’re pretty lucky the Sow’s Ear is a reasonably cool house but on those really hot 30+ Celsius days there’s no escaping the terrible heat. Here are a couple of tricks we use to stay chilled over the summer period.

1. Fans and air conditioning
We have a number of pedestal fans which we keep running 24/7 on those very hot days. It is a low-cost method of cooling the Sow’s Ear. We also have an air conditioner in the master bedroom which we use mostly at night to get a comfortable night’s sleep.

The split system air conditioner is quite old and is actually on its last legs…it was already here when we bought the Sow’s Ear 4 1/2 years ago but it’s just started to condense and drip water.   We’ve now put a new air conditioner on our wish list for the New Year. I’ll be looking at a Queensland-based provider similar to Vic Air (which operates in Victoria) because it might be the easier option than DIY.

2. Cotton and loose fit clothing
Only natural fibres can touch our bodies during the summer months. Even looking at clothing that is slightly synthetic makes me feel hot…and I’m known for my love of the flammable frock! During summer, fashion is a mix of cotton and linen with my uniform being sarongs and singlet tops.


3. Cold food and drinks
We have a complete menu revamp over the summer period…think lots of salads (with iceberg lettuce for the placebo effect), cold meats, ice desserts and plenty of cold beverages.  I dislike turning the oven on when it so hot, as it just heats up the house unnecessarily.  Light and easy meals always seems like the best way to go.

Also ice cold water is the best way to keep cool and hydrated – I wish I had a water filter system or ice making fridge to keep the water flowing. I’ve visited The Water People to see what types of chilled water systems they have for domestic kitchens – it’s given me food for thought…

4. Sprinkler
Since we’ve been working around the garden the last few weeks, the sprinkler is getting a fair bit of a workout. The kids often come out when I am watering the yard and cool off that way. It’s the poor man’s swimming pool! It also kills two birds with one stone – keeping the kids cool and occupied while giving the garden a good drink.

5. Finding a cool shady spot
We change how we use our house depending on the time of day. In the morning, the kitchen and deck are the coolest spots in the house. In the evenings, the front of the house is cooler and gets the afternoon breezes. We are in the fortunate position to have an area under the house which is relatively cool. It is always a few degrees cooler under there. Some days we just set up down there and tinker about during the heat of the day.

So, what do you do to stay cool over summer? 

Salvaged building materials

in partnership with Quicksales

We are very big advocates of sourcing and using salvaged building materials in our renovations. It is the ultimate in recycling in an industry which is notorious for its high level of waste.

Most of our casement windows and other joinery were salvaged from old Queenslander houses to replace windows which were not sympathetic to the era of our 1928 home – the Sow’s Ear. It is a little bit more fiddly work to use salvaged materials but the results, from our experience, have been well worth it.

Using second-hand joinery is easy on the renovating budget too. Having timber doors and casement windows made from scratch is gut-wrenchingly expensive when you are renovating an entire house. Salvaged VJs, weatherboards and joinery can cut down the costs of renovating substantially, particularly if you are a DIYer.

Salvaged French doors which we replaced in the sunroom/kitchen

When we plan the next stage of our renovation, which is to fit out the underneath of the Sow’s Ear, we will try to source internal high-waisted timber doors and more hopscotch French doors to be consistent with what we have upstairs.

Anyway, I was pleased to hear about a ‘new to me’ website called Quicksales classifieds which is an online auctions and classifieds website – it is the Australian version of other well-known auction sites but without all the fees.  A big hooray for more buying and selling options!

It sells everything you can imagine both new and second-hand, so it is another good resource for renovators looking for elusive heritage building materials to suit old homes.

Have you used salvaged building materials in your home?

Australian Modern Design Giveaway

We have a great new Australian design book to give away on Fun and VJs.

Australian Modern Design: Mid 20th Century Architecture & Design is all about modernist architecture, art, design and culture. It is a collection of stories paying tribute to Australia's rich design culture. The new book aims to promote a better appreciation of this particular era of design.

There is a wealth of interesting stories contained within the 160 pages of Australian Modern Design.

Some of the fascinating stories include:  a glimpse into  Robyn Boyd's Appletree Hill housing estate; an enchanting story by Victoria Grounds, daughter of architect Roy Grounds, about the Betty Ramsay House; a peek into a secret location in Brisbane containing significant mid-century architect-designed homes; an examination of the life and work of the renowned furniture designer Fred Ward, and my favourite story is about Patrick Ogilvie, a milliner, who left a legacy of exquisite creations...

It is a beautifully produced book and it now has pride of place on my coffee table. I just wish I had a Noguchi coffee table to do it justice...

The hardcover design is a blueprint using a mid-century garden plan by landscape architect Arne Fink, whose sophisticated work is slowly being rediscovered by a new generation. The gorgeous cover is designed to age over time to achieve the patina of a well-used blueprint.

Australian Modern Design

Copies will be hitting stores this weekend in Brisbane, with other capital cities following suit next week.
Designed, printed and edited in Brisbane, Australia, this is a fabulous independent publication from the publishers of Brisbane Modern and Australian Modern. Recommended Retail Price is $80.

You can also obtain copies by ordering online at Australian Modern HERE. Please support independent publishers giving it a go.

Slipcovers being  assembled for Australian Modern Design

And if you're feeling particularly lucky, you can win your very own FREE copy by leaving a comment on this blog post. It will be our Christmas present to you.

Please make sure to leave an email address with your comment, so that we can contact you. The competition is open to Australian and international readers. Yay! Competition ends on Wednesday 4 December 2013. As always, Jason will pick the winner.

Good luck! 

The scent of Christmas is in the air...

Sponsored by RedBalloon*

For some people it is almost sacrilege to even start Christmas preparations, despite the retail stores already decking the halls with boughs of holly.

But not for me and especially not after I received a RedBalloon MarketPlace box containing an Ecoya Christmas scented candle delivered to my door step (actually, delivered to the carport in this instance).

And no, the Ecoya candle doesn’t smell like an Australian ‘prawntastic’ seafood Christmas either – it is a more refined Caramelised Plum Pudding scent, which is simply divine. It smells deceivingly edible…like warmed plum pudding drizzled with brandy custard…

Caramelised Plum Pudding scented candle by Ecoya from RedBalloon MarketPlace

It was an absolute treat to get the package which is the ultimate aim of RedBalloon MarketPlace, providing a little bit of luxurious delight to those on the receiving end of such a gift. It was a nice surprise too even though I knew it was on its way...Ha!

Apart from the Ecoya lifestyle boxes, you can select boxes containing products like Maggie Beer, Republica Coffee, Valrhona Chocolate, as well as a wine and beer products. It would make a fab corporate gift for work clients or colleagues as well as a great gift for loved ones…particularly for loved ones who are very hard to buy for.

You can buy a RedBalloon MarketPlace subscription starting from $29.99 per month which includes all delivery and transaction costs. The subscription is available as a one month trial, or a three, six or twelve month subscription. The Ecoya candle subscription starts from $49 per month.

So, potentially you could indulge a candle lover by giving them a candle every month if you're feeling very generous! I think it’s an awesome gift idea this Christmas even if it's just as a once-off – something a bit different too.

p.s As a special offer RedBalloon have offered a discount offer for Fun and VJ readers. Receive $20 off when you spend $79 or more on any RedBalloon experience. Visit www.redballoon.com.au  and enter the code REDBLOG14 at the checkout to receive your discount. Code can only be used once per person. All purchases are subject to RedBalloon T&Cs
Expiry: 31/12/2014


*I received a complimentary subscription box to facilitate this review, and an administration fee from Digital Parents Collective. As always, all opinions expressed are purely my own.

Books for Christmas and a huge giveaway!

This post is brought to you by Bookworld

Books: they are one of my go-to gift choices during the silly season because the love of reading and an appreciation of the written word should always be encouraged. 

Christmas is also a time of year that most people tend to unwind and take days off so books, especially among my friends and family, are a much appreciated gift.

The inky smell and crisp touch of a new book, yet to be discovered, is the most delectable of feelings. It doesn’t matter if it is a literary novel, design book or beautifully presented cook book – the promise of what is inside those pages is seductive.

I am super-organised this year and I’ve already bought the children some books to go with their toys on Christmas day.  But I didn’t realise the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 8: Hard Luck was out and now I will need to get a copy for my boys - they’re nuts for that serial and are loyal Greg Heffley fans.

On my wish list this year are a few design and cook books and Bookworld has a huge selection of popular and affordable titles which will fit the bill.

I’m eyeing off Donna Hay’s The New Classics and New Suburban: Reinventing The Family Home In Australia And New Zealand by Stuart Harrison. I love having books on my coffee table to flick through over the Christmas holidays.

And in big news we have a $150 book pack to give away to make sure that you and yours are busy reading this Christmas too. What a terrific prize!

All you have to do to win the Bookworld book pack is to leave a comment below telling us what genre of book you love best.

Entries close Tuesday 19 November 2013 with Jason selecting his most favourite response. Only Australian readers may enter and you must have a valid email with your response so that we can contact you as soon as possible.

Good luck!

EDIT: Congratulations to Courtney from Foodmuster who won the Bookworld book pack! Thanks to everyone who entered the competition. xx

Thinking of a design career? And a giveaway!

Sponsored by Nuffnang

I love this quote by Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen (father of Eero): 

Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context—a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.

Good design: there should be more of it. The world would be a far better place (at least aesthetically), if a more holistic approach was taken to the design of our spaces and objects. Design affects us in more ways than we realise; from the coffee cup we use in the morning and the cars we drive, to the layout of the work office and the design of our homes to suit our lifestyles.

When I visited CATC Design School to view the graduate exhibition, I was heartened to see the quality of the students’ work – the next generation of ‘creatives’. The exhibition featured the amazing work of its current intake of Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration, Diploma of Graphic Design and Diploma of Photo Imaging students.

Examples of the quality of the students' work

I focused mainly on the Interior Design and Decoration students, who as part of their assessment were asked to design a new hotel development.

Detailed mood boards

It was quite impressive the extent of detail which was displayed in their very professionally-presented exhibits - 3D models, drawn renders and meticulous mood boards. Inspiring.

Models and renders

The CATC Design School Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration is a 12-month full-time course or two-year part-time/or online course. Course content is developed in consultation with the industry and gives students the skills they need to do well in their field.

After completing the Interior Design course students will then be qualified to work as interior designers for decoration consultancies; furniture, furnishing and fabric suppliers; furnishing department of retail stores; and shop fitters. They can even obtain work as stylists and colour consultants or set up their own business.

Apparently there is a good mix of young and mature age students doing the course. CATC is a good platform from which mature age students, wanting a change, can gain the confidence to make that next career move.

I know so many of my friends are returning to further study after a career break and generally in fields which are so far removed from their first career!

While I was at the exhibition, I was given a quick tour of the school and teaching rooms. It’s a great creative precinct and there is a genuinely warm and friendly feel about the place. I kind of felt like enrolling into something, because the school had such great energy!

There is nothing nicer for a design junkie than stroking the fabric swatches and colour samples which were stored in one of the teaching rooms.

The CATC Brisbane campus is located at 10 Costin Street in Fortitude Valley, which is easily accessible by public transport. CATC Design School also has campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast. 

To learn more about the CATC Design School Interior Design and Decoration Diploma or any of their other courses, visit their website HERE. The next CATC Design School intake starts on 14 October 2013.

I’m also very excited to be giving away 10 CATC ‘goodie bags’ to my readers. The packs contain a sketchbook and art materials for the budding interior designer. To be in the running, all you have to do is answer this question:

How could an interior design course at CATC change your life?

Just leave your comment in this blog post, entries close at 5pm Monday 14 October 2013 and is only open to Australian readers (sorry international readers L). Please make sure to leave your email address with your comment, so that we contact you if you win. Click here for the terms and conditions. Jason will pick the winners. 

Good Luck!

Five tricks for stress-free entertaining

 Sponsored by Reckitts and Benckiser

My plan over the next few months is to host a few more long lunches to enjoy the gorgeous sunny weather we’ve been experiencing.

The Sow’s Ear is a great place to entertain, ever since we renovated our kitchen and deck.  It’s been a lot easier and stress-free to host gatherings, particularly now we have a dishwasher – no more hand washing the night away when all you want to do is sleep off the meal!

lunch on the deck

Hand washing wine glasses and dishes after a big party is a thing of the past, especially with the new ergonomic dishwashers that are available to suit small spaces like the Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer series – pull out a small drawer and wash as you go! It’s one less hassle to have to worry about, even in compact apartments or small kitchens.

Anyway, here are a couple of my top tips and tricks for stress-free entertaining:

Tip 1 - Beverages and responsible drinking

Make sure you have great drinks and cocktails at the ready and lots of them. As the host, consuming a few before the event is also a must. Instant rancho-relaxo!

The worry about whether your filet mignon is cooked to perfection will be but a trifling matter to you and your tipsy friends.  Jason generally picks up our guests before lunch, so that they don’t have to drive and leave their car behind. Have a taxi telephone number pre-dialled into your phone to make sure your guests get home safely.

Jason's enjoying a martini on the deck...you only need one to feel relaxed!

Tip 2 - Simple menu planning

Planning and picking meals that are simple to prepare, yet still have the wow factor is what I strive for when entertaining. I personally don’t like cooking a whole meal, from go to whoa, in front of people.  I purposely choose meals that just require serving after it has been cooking in the oven. Think slow cooked osso bucco, delicious roasts, and baked hams - meals which basically cook themselves when all the prior preparation has been done.

Love a roast when entertaining - turkey, lamb and pork are my holy trinity of meats

Tip 3 - Preparation

Prior preparation is the key to stress-free. If you can do most of the hard work the day or night before, then do it. The day before is when I make sure the house is clean and fit for guests, all the shopping is done and dessert, like homemade ice-cream or crème brulee,  is made and refrigerated.

On the morning of the party, I generally like to have all the dirty dishes done and have an empty dishwasher ready to load as we progress through the meal.  Easy and quick, is the name of the game. It’s a good feeling when you know the dishes are being done as the last guest stumbles home.

Ha! Pretend that's me wistfully loading a DishDrawer dishwasher in my compact yet adorable kitchen!
Aren't I cute? image from here

Tip 4 - Delegate and outsource

The children and Jason are employed as unskilled labour during the lead up to a party. The kids are used as wait staff and can do jobs like clearing the table and filling the dishwasher between courses. They’re also a good resource for finishing off the left-overs.  Jason’s role is to top up drinks and he’s very good at it!

I am also of the belief that there is no shame in buying dessert or asking your guests to bring a salad or side dish to have with the meal. If you’re going to feed a crowd, sometimes it’s just easier to get your mates to lend a hand or to buy something pre-prepared.

A Greek orzo salad is a meal in itself and is one of my favourite salads for bringing along to events

Tip 5 - Cool tunes

And last but not least is to have music playing in the background. Music goes hand in hand with a great meal and it gets everyone in a good mood.  Good food, good company and good music are the perfect combination.

Have I left anything out? What do you do when you entertain? I would love to hear your tips too.

Having your say in The Queensland Plan

Sponsored by Nuffnang

I’m quite embarrassed to say that I wasn’t aware of The Queensland Plan to create a 30 year vision for the state until I was approached to write this post…

Clearly I’m a part of the Queensland population who generally tunes out or flicks over the newspaper, preferring to read Hagar comics and the movie reviews instead!

Yes, a most vacuous life I enjoy!

But a 30 year plan, where we are canvassed our opinions, is not something to ignore. I’m all for giving my two cents worth and if enough people, like you and me, wrote in with their ideas and vision, perhaps the future will look brighter.

The aim of The Queensland Plan is that it will be created by Queenslanders, for Queensland. It will go beyond politics and personal priorities; to be a genuine reflection of our collective aspirations and priorities for the future.

One of the questions is about sustainable landscapes: How do we strengthen our economic future and achieve sustainable landscapes?

Obviously there is no right or wrong answer… but for me, in 30 years time, when I am a sprightly 70-year-old, I would like to see the preservation and conservation of not only our national parks and forests but also our urban landscapes as well.

I don’t think there is enough done to save many of our historical buildings (that includes mid-century and post modern), which is a shame for our future generations. I’m from the school of thought that we will never appreciate our future if we don’t appreciate and know our past.

Many of the great cities and states in the world do a booming trade on the fact that they have a story to tell with their architecture. Why can’t Queensland do the same with its interesting sub-tropical flavoured urban landscape?

What is your take on this question? It could be about water quality, protecting nature corridors or investing in energy efficient bio-fuels… I’d love to hear your thoughts because I will then collate your responses and complete the survey as a reader collective.

Are you in?

If you would like to contribute to the responses, please add yourcomments below. Just remember to keep your views apolitical because it will be wasted in this particular forum.

p.s. if you don’t want to air your views so publicly you can just go toThe Queensland Plan here and fill it out online. I’m getting my eldest son to fill one out – he’ll be 41 in 2043 and hopefully living a goodquality life in Queensland.

* This blog topic was commissioned by the Queensland Government to raise awareness of The Queensland Plan. Content and ideas are entirely the author’s own.

Isn’t dish washing your job?

Sponsored by Reckitts Benckiser

A few months ago I asked Son #1 to put some dirty plates in the dishwasher.  His response was along the lines of, ‘Isn’t dish washing your job? You know… you’re the mum around here.’

Well, let me tell you, that child got the ear-bashing of his life. Spilling from my mouth were phrases like: who do you think you are; where did you get this highly-developed sense of entitlement; and I’ll show you who’s mum around here…

The cheek! I should have filled the sink with suds and made him do the dishes by hand if he thought he was hardly done by.

Actually I should have just said, ‘No, son. That’s your father’s job or it was, until we got the dishwasher!’

I don’t want him to grow up with that attitude of domestic duties being only for females. I’m not even sure how he would even think that way, especially as Jason does take on quite a few domestic chores at the Sow’s Ear?

One of Jason’s many shirtless domestic duties is hand washing the larger pots and trays and then making sure the dishwasher has a Finish tablet in it before switching it on.

Anyway, I was pretty cranky with Son #1. The man-child has never known a life BD (before dishwasher), where a sink load of washing up and a drainer full of drying up was the nightly ritual. Not that I really want to go back to that time because hand washing dishes is a time suck. Life AD (after dishwasher) is so much better.

Our older boys now have to pack and unpack the dishwasher as a daily chore, to teach them they can’t be lazy gits and that it’s men’s work. It is also an easy task they can take on at a young age.

Fisher & Paykel Dishdrawer Dishwasher series

Speaking of easy tasks, I still like the cool Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer dishwasher series. I was told the definition of luxury is the absence of difficulties, so those DishDrawer dishwashers seem very luxurious to me.

They’re a great option for smaller kitchens and apartment living, where space is at a premium – there’s no excuse to go without a dishwasher in small spaces. The DishDrawer dishwasher requires less movement to open, load and close and you don’t even need to bend. Fisher & Paykel are trying to make dish washing even easier by increasing the height of the drawer to al­low for even larger plates and platters.  

I wonder if we had one of those, whether I’d still get resistance from the boys about dish washer duty... 

So, do you agree that dish washing ought to be men’s work?

Top 5 tips to refresh a room and remove eau d’op-shop smell

Sponsored by Air Wick Australia

The Sow’s Ear has a distinctly musty boy smell to it... that would be because five of its occupants (that’s including the budgie) are male.

Being an 85 year old house with dust floating from the ceilings probably doesn’t help the Sow’s Ear’s freshness cause either, nor does the thrifted vintage furniture. When the Sow’s Ear has been closed up for the day, it smells faintly of eau d’ op-shop!

So here are my top five tips that rid the Sow’s Ear of its uniquely male ’vintagey’ fragrance:

Nothing smells as clean as clean does. You can never underestimate the power of a good vacuum and mop to make things right again. I know you’re going to say, ‘Der, Freddy!’  But the males in the Sow’s Ear would look at me blankly and not put two and two together. This tip would be mainly for their benefit!

Opening up all the doors and windows on a bright sunny day to air out the house is insta-fresh. Again, you would think that was a given, but Son #1 has his bedroom doors and windows permanently shut. The difference that opening up his room makes is almost miraculous - from stale to fresh in the space of one afternoon.

Opened windows and clean linen helps to refresh the boys' room...

There is nothing like faking it with burning a scented candle, which comes in so many different fragrances or even using an air freshener. Lately, I’ve been dabbling in the reed diffuser for the lounge room and I’ve had fun experimenting with all the types you can buy from either the supermarket or boutique home stores.

The reed diffuser is the lounge-room helps our battle against eau d'op-shop!

The kitchen bin is the harbinger of unwanted aromas. We invest in those scented bin liners for the kitchen, not that they can disguise the scent of the things that go in the bin… It does however comfort me that my rubbish has a romantic lavender waft to it. Anyway, again to the boys of the Sow’s Ear…empty the bin, please!

Changing the towels, sheets and cushions is my cheat’s way of refreshing a room when I haven’t had a chance to vacuum and mop.  When you have freshly washed linen and towels, you can bury your nose in that for a while and hope that the love spreads around the room. Ha!

So, those are my tips for a fresher smelling home. Do you have any tips you could add?

I Will Week

It is a little known fact that most Australian home owners do not possess a will.

Apparently there's a whopping 36 per cent of first home-owners who are walking around without a will. Yikes!

Considering our homes are one of our biggest assets, it seems reckless not to leave clear instructions for what to do with our estates after we're gone.

Who wants to rely on intestacy rules if your dodgy cousin Barry could possibly inherit the lot? It just seems like you would be leaving a lot of extra confusion and administration for your loved ones if you don't have a legally prepared will.

And scrawling a note on the back of a napkin as your will is just not going to cut it in a law court, so I've been told...

Jason and I had our wills drawn up when we bought our first home together and have updated it after each child was born to make sure that our children are provided for... if the worse should ever happen to us.

Preparing a will is something that is really easy to procrastinate about, but it's a good feeling when important things like that are organised.

Still haven't decided which one of the boys will get the mid-century furniture...

It is a relatively simple process to get a will. You can either use your family solicitor, if you have one, or contact your relevant state or public trustee who can advise your best course of action.

Have you got a will? Did you cut anyone out? And what did you leave me? Ha!

p.s This week marks I Will Week in Victoria with State Trustees encouraging Victorians to prepare their wills. If you live in Victoria, you can find out more information here.

Welcome to a new sponsor Thea & Sami

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums out there!

I just wanted to give a shout-out to our brand new sponsor Thea & Sami who design and hand screen-print fabrics and linen locally in Brisbane. We are so proud to be associated with such a fine innovative business with an environmental conscience.

Using only water-based and non-toxic inks, Thea & Sami's creations are 100 per cent eco-friendly - their ethos is all about surrounding oneself with natural style. When you purchase Thea & Sami products, you can be confident that it is hand-made and not mass-produced.

Thea & Sami also make limited edition natural linen homewares such as ottomans, cushions and napery which you can purchase through their online ecostore or, if you live locally, you can pop into the Thea & Sami studio shop on Fridays (unit 1/6 Jones Road, Capalaba).

Custom made lampshades in the Fretwork pattern which is inspired by the Queenslander gable.  

If you want to find out more about Thea & Sami and the beautiful linens they produce, visit the website here.

Please help us to support the small businesses who so generously support us. 

Chalk paint makeover of a milking stool

The good people from Annie Sloan sent me paint and wax* to sample as part of their launch of chalk paint into the Australian market. I had heard about the new paint...however I had only ever seen it used in that distressed antique-style finish...

And as regular readers would know, that's not the sort of finish I normally favour. I wanted to use the paint in a clean, mod-style and had the perfect piece of furniture to rejuvenate.

In 1993, as a young unemployed graduate, I committed crimes against furniture when I decoupaged a perfectly innocent milking stool. Yes, the horror!

DIY decoupaged stool.
Believe it or not, I was so proud of my efforts...clearly as I 've kept it intact since 1993!

But it was the 90s and I had a perm...Decoupaging seemed like a good DIY hobby while trekking between dead-end job interviews and the dole office...

This poor old milking stool is so handy - it's used as a ladder, spare chair, side table and play surface. I set about rectifying the sins of the past and sanded the stool back to its vintage goodness. It deserved another chance at life.

Think belt sander with a very coarse grit to remove the Victorian-era inspired decoupage and then hand-sanding the hard to reach areas around the legs.

The milking stool sanded right back 

I painted the milking stool in graphite chalk paint. I didn't want to paint it entirely in one colour and decided to try my hand at that paint-dipped look which is so fashionable.

J Crew ad with fluoro (neon) paint dipped stools 

All you need is good painter's tape and a ruler to get everything level and at the right height. I didn't primer the stool and just painted straight onto the wood. This particular stool needed three coats of chalk paint.

Going for that paint-dipped look with chalk paint

The Annie Sloan chalk paint dries to a matte finish, which you can then lightly sand with fine sandpaper.  After it is dusted clean, apply a couple of coats of clear wax to make the finish more durable - it has a lovely satin sheen. I applied the wax onto the unpainted legs too.

Chalk paint dipped stool.
It almost has that minimalist designer look 

black dipped stool

It turned out much better than I had expected...but I think anything was going to be an improvement. Ha!

I just hope I won't be recoiling in horror in 20 years time, wondering what possessed me to paint dip the milking stool...Anyway, I like it now, so that just will have to do.

*disclaimer I was given a tin of graphite paint and wax to sample by Annie Sloan

Mother’s Day peace and Magshop

Sponsored by Magshop

Every year the boys buy me gifts from the Mother’s Day stall at their school. Jason gives them some cash (the richer boys use their pocket money) and they each choose a small gift. It amuses me to see what they have personally selected.

Son #1, without fail, buys me something hygiene or grooming related. Think soap, face washers, emery boards…you get the picture. I’m not sure if he’s giving me subtle hints to lift my game. If he gets me deodorant, I’m going to really worry.

I suspect Son #2 buys me what he would like to receive as it always involves chocolates or sweets. He’s a bit of a gourmand and he knows I will share my chocolates with him. Luckily, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, as I love sweets.

Son #3 is still untested. This will be his first year that he chooses something and I’m just dying to know what he will buy me. That is truly the magic of Mother’s Day for me, especially while the boys are still young.

The one Mother’s Day gift I always ask for is “Peace and no fighting.” I’m hoping this year will be the year they can deliver!

Belle and a very retro Wood & Sons trio in Cordoba pattern

And if it happens this year, an interiors magazine subscription from Magshop (hint to Jason) will be the perfect partner for the occasion (plus endless cups of tea and coffee as I put my feet up)!

I had a quick look at the magazines on offer at Magshop online and was excited at how varied the interiors titles were. Not only are there the standards like Australian House & Garden and Belle, but you can also subscribe to smaller titles such as Queensland Homes or purchase overseas mags like Elle Décor USA. What a great Mother’s Day gift for a house and garden junkie!

Magshop Mother's Day promotion

At the moment Magshop have a promotion running until 28 May 2013 where new subscribers will be automatically entered into a competition to win one of four trips to The Golden Door Health Retreat. Only the titles listed at Magshop Mother’s Day will be entered into the draw. Check out the details HERE. I’d probably choose Belle (hint to Jason).

EDIT: Now you can create your own online Mother's Day e-card which can be shared through email or your social media network. Click here to see how it works. 

So, what do you or your kids buy for Mother’s Day?  Is peace and quiet on the top of your wish list as well?

Thanks and welcome to new sponsors

Happy Easter everyone!

I'm just stopping in to say thanks and welcome to a few new small business sponsors who are supporting Fun and VJs through advertising. Hooray!

Please welcome:


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