McCarthy Designs

Wonderful Wednesday

2012-01-18T12:02:00.000+11:00

Yes, you read right, today is wonderful. I am not sure why it is better than any other day but I am feeling good!

I know I am alive because I have muscles hurting that I forgot existed thanks to the weights class I did on Monday. So I am definitely keeping my New Years goals in sight I am working on getting fitter and I am generally happier and appreciating what I have. So far, so good.

There is lots happening in my life with new projects that are also in line with my goals. I am full of enthusiasm and excitement and I am really looking forward to the new adventures that this year will bring. Isn't that a great reason to be having a wonderful Wednesday?

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments on my last post and for your best wishes and prayers. It is so great to have your support and friendship!

How are you going with your New Years goals/resolutions so far?

Have a great day

PS. The images have nothing to do with what I wrote but the new Rue Magazine is out and I had a quick look these were my favourites.

New Year, New Me!

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000+11:00

Ha, just kidding,

I kinda like the old me but I do have a new haircut!

A new year is a great time to look back over the year that has been and reflect on your life, what was great, what was bad, the tough stuff, the fun stuff and what you are going to change in the coming year.

For us 2011 was a year full of highs and lows, we had some great things happen and we had some really tough times, but you know what? That's life! Even though we had some really sad events throughout the year we are still really thankful for the year we had.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to repeat any of the tough stuff that happened but when you live through hard stuff,

you grow

and you learn

and that,

is a good thing!

I am still sad,

sad that we lost two babies last year & sad that we aren't expecting a new baby.

It was/still is sometimes, hard to see other families happily expecting or enjoying their babies. What I pray is, that no matter how hard it is for me or how sad I am that we don't have a baby, I can still be happy for others and that I don't become bitter and mean.

Now - moving on to 2012,

What we are praying for this year....

well just in case you didn't guess, we are praying for a healthy baby or two (twins would be just fine).

I would love to be .....

healthier
fitter
thinner (hopefully this just happen if I achieve the first two)
happier

Happier is a big one for me, this is all about my attitude. Sometimes my attitude stinks! Only I can change this, so this year I am going to keep working on it. Yes that's right working on it. You see, like most things it doesn't just happen, you have to work at it all the time, so I am going to keep working on it. This includes thinking hard about the future, what do I want to be doing in five years time? What makes me unhappy and leaves me uninspired? How can I change that?

I would dearly love to have babies and stay at home, being a full time mum, but at this point in time it is not happening so I can't live just for that, I need to make some changes in my life to make sure I enjoy it every day, not just living for the future.

I can be a lot happier with a serious attitude re-adjustment, really sometimes it is as simple as listing all the great people and things in my life and BAM! I feel much better.

There are other areas in my life that I need to change, one of those has been work, I have been seriously thinking about what I would like to do for a living, do I like what I do?, what will make it better? do I need a change? Stay tuned I will let you know when I work it out. Until then I will aim to:

Make sure I look after ME (rest, take time out, say No occasionally)
Keep going to the gym (I joined late last year)
Lose weight (this will just happen when I am healthier and fitter, won't it?)
Enjoy 2012, each and every day I will look for the good stuff and I will be thankful for it.

Thank you

Thanks for being with me this last year, your comments and visits really helped me get through. I have made some really wonderful friends through blogging, something I never expected and something I am so very grateful for.

I wish you all an exceptionally marvellous 2012!

I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

McCarthy Christmas Wrap Up

2011-12-30T19:50:00.002+11:00

I know that now is probably the time to be posting about the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, but in a fashionably late :-) manner I am going to share with you our Christmas celebrations over the last few weeks.

Lets start with a quick wander through Sydney, I happened to be there for work at the beginning of December and only had my phone to snap a few photos.

Our Christmas Party on the 16th was a success (well we think so any way!), we had a great time and we had just over 60 guests join us throughout the night.

Then we managed a quick break in Gloucester at a place called Damn it Getaways, the first photo is the view from our cabin. It was the perfect spot for some R & R and it is pet friendly so Boss came along.

Christmas Day was in Sydney with my family. We ate lots as usual and then we got creative and decorated some Christmas baubles. We do this every year (mostly) and it is great to look back on our balls from the previous years, especially the kids as their efforts just get better and better. Hubby created a bull dog out of his! Blue and white, can you tell who his Rugby League team is?

Our second Christmas was in Wellington (NSW not NZ), again we ate lots and lots and my stack of pressies just got bigger and bigger, I got so spoilt!

........ and that's a wrap!

I aim to spend some time catching up on all my fave blogs over the next few days, I can't wait to see what you have all been up to.

See you next year!

A McCarthy Christmas

2011-12-14T22:20:00.000+11:00

Hello my lovely friends,

welcome to Christmas at our house!

Not many words today, just lots of photos

We are right at the end of our busy period.

The last day of school and work before Christmas

and our Christmas Party is tomorrow night

We are praying for good weather

We invite lots of friends and family for drinks and nibbles

We make it very casual as we know it is a busy time of the year and we invite people to pop in for the whole night or just stop in to say hello on their way to an event or on the way home!

We don't ask for RSVP's

It makes it a little tricky to cater but that's ok, we love it

Tomorrow I have the day to set up and decorate for the party, I am very excited

The Wood fire pizza oven is ready

and we have had a trial run

I will try to remember to take photos

Ooops, I lied there are more words than I expected

Merry Christmas

Christmas Clay Tags

2011-12-11T22:59:00.001+11:00

I love Christmas,

I love getting creative and choosing gifts for people.

I love to give thoughtful gifts

and I try really hard to find something special for every one.

I have almost finished my Christmas shopping and I only have a handful of gifts left to get.

I do know what I am buying so it shouldn't take long at all.

Before I left for my week in Sydney I managed to make all of the clay tags (as well as a few more ornaments for the tree) and left them to dry.

I used the same air dry clay as last year.

You can read my brief tutorial here

Yesterday I got my new Christmas stamps out and my black ink (wish I had some red ink) and stamped away.

I was a little disappointed as some of the tags weren't quite flat so the imprint didn't work out properly but I was able to use most of them.

A little red and white bakers twine and voila!

I bought a pack of brown bags from wrap write and used some Christmas paper to decorate them, then I added my clay tags.

What do you think? Did they turn out ok?

Wishing you all a great week.

Hopefully I will be back in a few days with some photos of our Christmas decorations.

PS. Thank you to all my wonderful friends for all of the lovely Birthday wishes. I had a great day. Hubby drove to Sydney to pick me up and take me to Ikea for some shopping. I was very spoilt and my wonderful son made me pancakes for breakfast on Saturday. Love those birthdays that just seem to keep going.

A Minted Winner and Christmas Party Planning

2011-12-05T09:15:00.001+11:00

Good morning all, I hope your weekend was wonderful!

We had a great weekend, there is lots going on at our place as usual. I am just so slack at keeping a record of it all!

Hubby finished building the new BBQ area and wood fire pizza oven. Yum! Photos will appear one day! I am not sure that we even got progress shots. I think we get so excited that we just forget.

Our Christmas decorations are up including the outside lights. I really wanted to have some photos to show you this week but alas I am off to Sydney for work tonight and will be away for the rest of the week! If I was more organised I would have taken photos and I could still blog while I am away but I'm not :-(

I am very disappointed. I love Christmas and I am really happy with the way the house is looking.

I have been planning our decor for our Christmas party that is coming up very soon (we'll be serving pizzas).

Here are some of my purchases (can you guess the theme?)

from Occasion by Design

This cute set is from the lovely Rachael's new online store Gidgi

and these two are from Koko Vanilla Designs

Hopefully it will all come together well.

Last but not least the lucky winner of the Minted give away is

Anna D-B

Congratulations Anna, I will contact you with the details of your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered and thank you to all for leaving me comments and stopping by to visit me.

Have a great week.

A Win and a Minted give away

2011-11-30T09:30:00.000+11:00

Quite some time ago I was the lucky winner

of this

Bungalow Cushion in Luna Turquoise

This gorgeous cushion is from The Brown Trading Co.

The lovely Sonia from Raine & Sage held the very generous give away

I was a very happy girl when I found out that I won

You see I love cushions and we have way more than hubby would like but I won it so I had to have it!

Thank you Sonia, I really do love my cushion.

If you know anyone that is getting married and needs invitations don't forget to enter my give away here.

Minted Review & Giveaway

2011-11-24T09:30:00.000+11:00

Are you getting married soon?

Do you know anyone that is?

Do you have a special event coming up and need some gorgeous invites to send out?

I was asked to review some of Minted's beautiful wedding invitations and of course I jumped at the chance.

I just love stationary,

it is really quite sad actually, I love it so much that I find it hard to use it,

I just like to collect it and admire it.

Anyway..... I ordered some samples and made sure that I chose a range of designs and colours.

Ordering was simple, a little time consuming as there are so many designs to choose from, but easy to do once you made your choice.

You can change colours to customise your invites, you also have an option of paper to choose from and you can order matching items such as RSVP cards and Save the Date cards.

I was really impressed with my invites when they arrived. The quality of the print, paper and colour was great and all of the designs I ordered look fantastic.

The best thing is that Minted have generously offered to host a give away to one of my lucky readers. The winner will receive 75 flat wedding invitations (value $198). All you need to do is follow these links:

wedding invitations	www.minted.com/wedding-invitations
save the date cards	www.minted.com/save-the-date

find a style you like, come back here and leave a comment telling me what you favourite design is.

I love weddings and I know how the costs can add up, so if you know anyone that is getting married let them know. Anyone can enter this give away, you don't need to be a follower just make sure you leave contact details in your comment so I can let you know if you win.

Good luck

give away closes midnight, Sunday 4th December 2011

(Australian Eastern Standard Time)

Berkelouw Book Barn and The Gibraltar Hotel

2011-11-18T09:30:00.000+11:00

This is my special gift from our weekend away

It has been on my wish list for a while

We bought it from the Berkelouw Book Barn in Berrima

Unfortunately I haven't read much of it yet but I am hoping to this weekend.

The new carpet and vinyl is in, we survived the school performance, the wedding was lovely and the Murder Mystery Party was a hit. Some photos of some or all of these may follow but no promises ;-)

While we away in Bowral we stayed at the Gibraltar Hotel.

It was lovely and we would definitely stay there again.

Our room had a view over the golf course

On a sad note one of my good friends from high school lost her husband to a heart attack on Tuesday night. He was 38 years young and left behind two young daughters. It was very unexpected and we are all still in shock.

It was a tough reminder that life is short and our time here on Earth is limited, appreciate what you have every day and tell those you love how special they are to you.

Red Cow Farm

2011-11-08T09:30:00.000+11:00

Hubby and I visited Red Cow farm on our last trip to the Southern Highlands

It was featured in the December BHG magazine and on aired TV the night of our visit.

It was lovely to wander through and enjoy

The information below is from the Red Cow Farm Website

RED COW FARM is a unique cool climate garden set on 2.5 hectares in the picturesque rural village of Sutton Forest.

Approximately 1.5 hours drive from Sydney and Canberra RED COW FARM is one of the leading gardens in the beautiful Southern Highlands region of New South Wales.

It is a garden of beauty and deception. The simplicity of its presentation diguises a garden of sophisticated structure and ambitious schemes.

Developed by its creative owners Ali Mentesh and Wayne Morrissey around their historic 1820’s cottage, the garden is abundant and secretive.

You'll be both enchanted and surprised by such wonders as a walled sanctuary where solitude invites quiet reflection.

Red Cow Farm features 20 rooms with an exuberant cottage garden, monastery garden, abbess’s garden, a stunning collection of rare and unusual perennials, woodland, old fashioned roses and clematis, beech walk, lake, bog garden, orchard and kitchen garden.

Open 8 months of the year from late September to May this garden has been described as one of the best in the world.

A rare beauty awaits your visit.

Open 10am to 4pm daily, from Saturday 17 September 2011 to Sunday 13 May 2012.

Closed Christmas Day.

Admission fee $8 per person.

Car and coach parking available

in lane way adjacent to garden.

Children must be supervised by adults

and no animals allowed.

For more information please visit their website

I had so many more photos I could have shared the garden was stunning and so much effort put into it.

It is definitely worth a visit if it is at all possible.

Have a great week

PS. I am so excited our new carpet is going in today.

Mount Ashby Wines

2011-11-04T08:30:00.000+11:00

I am so organised this week ; -)

two posts in a row!!!!

While we were away for the weekend in the

Southern Highlands we also visited Mount Ashby Wines

I am so glad that we made the time to visit,

the cellar door and restaurant is gorgeous

Hubby and I would love to build our dream house in a similar style

We were able to speak to the owner about the building and get his recommendations as well as the name of his builder, he told us that really,

it was all his wife's achievement.

His wife is Sally Beresford and her website is here.

She was the driving force behind the building and

it was her design that we were admiring.

In this cute shed off to the side of the cellar door are so many gorgeous antiques just waiting to be bought

I just looooove Sally's style but unfortunately

I did not bring home any of her gorgeous wares

I love visiting the Southern Highlands

There are so many beautiful things to look at and enjoy

I still have more to share so hopefully next week,

but we'll see how I go

We have a wedding on the south coast,

we are getting new flooring through the whole house,

I am hosting a Murder Mystery Party,

work is so busy that I need to be in the office an extra day and we have the first of our Christmas parties ......

The coming week will be a bit busy but I will try

No promises though

PS. do you feel like Christmas starts earlier every year?
Not that I am complaining, I love Christmas time.

Centennial Vineyards

2011-11-03T08:30:00.000+11:00

My wonderful Husband and I

enjoyed a weekend away in the Southern Highlands

We had a lovely time,

I always enjoy being with him.

He is my best friend

We had a leisurely lunch at Centennial Vineyard

It is a beautiful spot

I can see why it is a popular spot for weddings

I hope to share some more of our favourite spots with you soon.

We are now trying to work out how to make oodles of money so we can buy a nice size block, preferably near Exeter and build our dream house.

Where would you build/buy your dream house?

A Lucky Girl

2011-10-31T21:50:00.000+11:00

A little while ago I was the very lucky winner of Kristie's giveaway

Kristie whose has a great blog called Elements at Home

and Julie-Ann from the Decorating Forum

opened their online store the Decorating Emporium

and to celebrate Kristie had a fabulous giveaway that I was fortunate enough to win

I was able to choose from a range of items and I admit it was a hard choice but in the end the bling won and I chose the gorgeous tapered side bowl

If you haven't stopped in to visit the Decorating Emporium you should, Christmas is just around the corner and they have lots of great gifts for all of the special people in your life.

Thank you Kristie and Julie Ann

I love my new bowl.

PS. I have been very very fortunate lately and I won another giveaway hosted by the lovely Sonia of Raine & Sage that I have yet to share. Bear with me though as this is a very time of the year with lots happening. I will get to it soon I promise. xx

Authentic Friends

2011-10-14T14:53:00.000+11:00

I love spending time reading through my favourite blogs.

I have made so many wonderful friends through blogging that I feel like I am out of touch when life gets busy and I don't get to catch up with you all.

Friendships are so important in life,

having people to share your news with

whether it is good news or bad.

Friends care about you,

they listen when you need to talk

and they talk when you need advice.

Authentic fellowship is not

superficial, surface-level chit-chat.

It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes

gut-level, sharing.

It happens when people get honest about

who they are and what is happening in

their lives. They share their hurts,

reveal their feelings, confess their

failures, disclose their doubts, admit

their fears, acknowledge their

weaknesses, and ask for help and

prayer.

by Rick Warren

Thank you my friends,

thanks for your prayers,

your advice,

your hugs,

your kind words

for listening and encouraging

You make life better.

Guest Post from Arcadian Lighting

2011-10-07T08:30:00.000+11:00

Hi there! I'm Jenn and I write for Arcadian Lighting, which is an e-commerce website that specializes in top lighting ideas and trends from around the world. From the time I was little I have loved everything about home decor and details like lighting fixtures, and now I get to write about it full-time! I love great design websites created by experts, and one of my faves is the blog of McCarthy Designs - Nellie always presents fabulous and inspiring ideas, and I'm honoured to be guest posting here today. Thank you Nellie!

One of the best places for chalkboards is in the kitchen - now the family-friendly hub of a home, the kitchen is where all of the action is, and chalkboards are a fun way to keep lists, track appointments and social engagements, and to just let the members of the household get creative. Placed under a light fixture, on a door, or across the wall, these eight rooms feature chalkboards in the kitchen and are terrific examples of how useful it can be to have this classroom fixture at home.

1 Chalkboards on a door

The chalkboard on this pantry is a handy place to jot down phone numbers or missed-call messages. It's more subtle when placed discretely on a door.

2 Chalkboards over the stove

Practically built into the cabinetry, this black chalkboard looks great amongst the crisp white cupboards. It would be an ideal place to write out a favourite recipe.

3 Chalkboard refrigerator

What a one-of-a-kind idea: chalkboard doors on a fridge! Let little ones leave some artwork or easily keep track of what groceries need to be purchased.

4 Chalkboard accent wall

The chalkboard wall in this kitchen is a really fun addition. The island and hanging ceiling lights as well as the wide galley configuration makes this the perfect family space.

5 Chalkboards over a hutch

A chalkboard over a wall-bound piece of furniture makes for whimsical wall art. In this room, a quote is sketched onto a chalkboard over a buffet, while the clear pendant lights add both mood and function.

6 Chalkboards on a working wall

Frying pans that are hung up are only somewhat appealing, but here, with a chalkboard backdrop, it becomes an interesting focal point of the kitchen.

7 Chalkboards on a dining wall

Diners, both young and old, will love seeing the day's menu on a chalkboard wall over an informal dining room. The old-school wood chairs also lend a distinct classroom feel to the space.

8 Chalkboards as an organizer

This casual eating area is all about utility - the chalkboard helps track social engagements and reminders, and the stainless steel details like the ceiling light and dishware are chic industrial touches.

Kitchen lighting on your mind? Make sure to check Arcadian Lighting for more creative ideas!

Images: 1 / 2 / 3 /4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Chalkboard

2011-10-05T09:30:00.000+11:00

I am quite embarrassed to admit that a whole school term has gone by and I still haven't finished sharing my projects that I tackled last school holidays!

If you missed it you can read about it here.

One of my goals was to paint a chalkboard wall and after lots of pleading with hubby he finally agreed so before he could change his mind I got to it.

For this chalkboard project I ended up using a mini roller with an enamal based paint so it was a bit smelly and took a couple of days to finish

But it was worth it! I love it.

Hubby still needed convincing.

What do you think? Do you have a chalkboard wall?

If you love chalkboards as much as I do then come back on Friday, I have a special guest post all about kitchen chalkboards.

On another note has anyone had any experience on painting driveways? We are thinking of painting ours so I would love your feedback on it.

Handmade gifts & cards

2011-09-20T09:57:00.001+10:00

It has been a while since I last stopped in and I feel like I am always making excuses for my absence.

I am still alive, nothing new or exciting happening, just life.

I bought some gifts a while ago from Madeit and I was really impressed with them so I just had to share.

Both gifts were for my lovely Sisters in Law

My first purchase was from Bagdebliss and as usual I was a bit late to organise a gift so I arranged for the gift to be delivered directly to my Sister in Law.

My SIL loved her gift and look at the lovely invoice that I received along with a bonus badge just for me!

The next gift was for my other SIL.

I found this beautiful beanie and apron from MirandasCreations.

Both buys were the best value and the quality was excellent.

I often forget to check out Madeit and Etsy for gifts but it is definately worth it.

Unique hand made items make a really special gift.

I even managed to make a special card to go with the gift.

I really enjoy making cards but only when I have the time, not when I am in a rush.

Is it terrible to admit that I recycled the paper from a gift someone gave to me.

It was just so pretty that I wanted to use it again.

Friends

2011-09-08T08:30:00.000+10:00

I am so blessed to have some wonderful friends.

Friends who are there for me when I need them,

Friends who lift me up when I am down

Friends who understand when life is busy

Friends who help out when I need them

Friends who spoil me with gorgeous gifts

A special thanks to Lisa for this thoughtful pressie,

Lisa makes and sells these beauties in her madeit store.

Thank you to all of my wonderful friends who make my life so good

Bags Bazaar

2011-09-05T14:21:00.000+10:00

Guess what????

I wrote a guest post, for the first time ever!

Please pop over here to check it out.

The lovely Hazel from Hazel Loves Design is hosting me while she has a break because of surgery, so please pass on some bloggy love while you're there.

Have a great week

The Nest

2011-09-02T12:46:00.000+10:00

I was lucky enough to win the lovely Sam's give away

and I am even luckier because Sam is just so incredibly generous

The winner of her give away was to receive the beautiful baby sign, so imagine my delight when I opened the parcel and there was so much more!

I feel so spoiled and special, I just loving getting gifts

Sam has chosen so well even the card is so gorgeous that I am going to frame it

Thank you so very much my wonderful friend.

If you haven't met Sam yet you should head straight over to visit her at The Nest or you can browse her etsy store.

I looooove Sam's style, you can buy these cute pebble magnets as well as a huge range of cushions and I notice that Sam also has some Christmas goodies in stock.

Sam even thought about me while she was on holidays in France and sent me a copy of the French Marie Claire mag, I can't understand any of it but the pictures are delightful :-)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, the sun is shining here in Orange today and I am hoping it will last through the rest of the weekend. Nicholas has his soccer semi finals tomorrow so we'll be cheering them on in the morning and hopefully installing a new garage door in the afternoon! What have you got planned?

Nicholas

2011-08-30T10:26:00.001+10:00

I had a fabulous time in Sydney with Nicholas last week.

it was so lovely to be able to spend time with him and cheer him on in the shot put.

Thank you for all of you good luck wishes for Nicholas, unfortunately he didn't place in the top 3 but he felt that he did his best and I was just so proud of him.

Making it to State level was such an achievement in itself especially for a kid who didn't train at all : - )

His event was first up at 9am so we were finished before 10am and because my sister Gail took the day off work to hang out with us and we had the rest of the day to fill we headed over to Featherdale Wildlife Park.

It was great! Nicholas and I hadn't been before.

The park is a really great size to wander around without getting exhausted. Very easy to see everything in a few hours.

There are lots of birds to enjoy, including this cute albino Kookaburra.

and cute animals to pat and feed.

I highly recommend a visit, a lot of the animals wander freely and are happy to be fed and petted.

On Friday we were at the University of NSW in Randwick for the Robocup Competition. Nicholas' school had two teams involved.

Both teams were competing in the Dance section. As a team they designed their robots using Lego Robotic kits. The aim for each team is to program their robots to move around a specified area using as much of the designated space as possible without going outside of it. The program is set to music with the team also performing a dance in conjunction with the robots. The routine is to last between 1 - 2 minutes.

The team was to first introduce themselves then they had to approach the judges and explain their robots.

It was rather dark and I couldn't get any closer so the photos aren't the best sorry!

Nicholas' team performed really well, but unfortunately didn't make it through to the next stage.

I had a great time watching all of the teams and was amazed at what these kids can do. They are all so clever.

It was a fantastic opportunity for Nicholas to be involved in and I am just so very proud of him!

PS. Nicholas did dance a little, he "Shuffled"

A very proud mum

2011-08-24T11:23:00.000+10:00

This will be my only post this week as this proud mother is taking her son to Sydney tomorrow

Nicholas has made it to the State Athletics Carnival for Shot Put

It is very exciting and it is the first time he has made it to state level.

The Athletics Carnival is on Thursday and his event is at 9am so we will stay at my sisters in Sydney tonight so we have a little less travel time in the morning.

Then on Friday my talented son, along with his team mates from school will be competing in the Robocup finals held at the University of NSW

Friday will be another early start and I am not looking forward to travelling in the traffic to get to Randwick.

I haven't been able to see Nicholas compete in Robocup before so I am looking forward to it and it will be nice to have some Mother & Son time as we travel to Sydney and back.

I will also get to catch up with my sisters while I am in Sydney. I have arranged to spend a night with each of them (cheap accommodation lol!)

Enjoy the rest of your week and have a great weekend, wish Nicholas luck and I will let you know how he goes next week!

Guest Post Arcadian Home Decor

2011-08-17T14:27:00.000+10:00

Hello, everyone! My name is Lindsey and I'm a writer for Arcadian Home Decor, a website that provides wonderful home decor options for any home. I get to look at gorgeous things all day long and write about them. I work as a guest blogger, focusing on interior design, home furnishings, lighting, and art. I'm so excited to write a guest post for Nellie's fabulous blog; I love her craftiness and DIY ethos!

Ladders are probably the very last thing that comes across anyone's mind when it comes to home decor. But, take a look at these homes and you'll see ladders that are not only useful, but are also pretty and chic. Even if and when you need to reach high-up in the kitchen, closet or library, you can use them for other things -- as a side table, a rack, even a pretty accessory.

Coastal Living (via)

While the old-fashioned metal ladder aboard this yacht has practical applications, it sure is cute. The use of yellow as an accent - seen in the ladder, the painting and a fishing coat - is adorable as well.

Woman's Day (via)

This would be a great project for those crafty/DIY blog readers. It's a step ladder that was converted into a pot rack; it would look great hanging over a rustic kitchen island.

Moodboard via Vogue Living

Another great idea for using a ladder as a home accessory is to store a small collection of your favorite , fashionable shoes. Here, the ladder shoe rack is topped by a cute black task lamp for additional lighting.

Skona Hem (via)

An oak step ladder adds a bit of rustic touch to this bright white, custom made kitchen. The designer took the customization a step further and modified the cabinetry to fit the step ladder.

Pride of Place via Lotta Agaton

A distressed stepping ladder becomes wall decor when installed on a wall. This actually looks like another easy DIY piece, too. Install some chunky wood blocks vertically up the wall alongside the ladder and use those as displays for mini vases or a colorful glass collection.

The great thing about using something as simple as a ladder in your home decor is that it's basically up to you how creative you want to be with it. As you can see, a ladder, while lovely on its own, can also be used for more practical purposes. Either way, it's a chic addition to any home!

Content provided by Arcadian Home Decor, a site that specializes in top quality home accessories at extremely affordable prices. Come visit us today!

The Rocks

2011-08-15T22:16:00.000+10:00

Happy Monday!

Did you have a nice weekend?

I had a lovely weekend,

it was my Wonderful husband's birthday and I treated him to a night in the city

We stayed at the Amora Hotel

Had dinner at the Bavarian Beer Cafe

Had dessert at Max Brenner's, best chocolate ever!!!

Had brunch the next day at Rossini's in Circular Quay

Wandered around the Markets at the Rocks

Took the big bulky camera all the way to Sydney

and home again without ever taking it out of the car

Had to take photos of the markets on my mobile phone so I had something to show you

This was my first time at the Rock's markets and I was surprised at how big they are

Almost bought one of these wall plaques but I couldn't decide on a favourite : (

The weather was gorgeous

it was a lovely break!

I have a special treat for you later this week

For the first time ever at McCarthy Designs

There will be a special post by a guest blogger.

Check back to find out who

Have a great week!

Making Gold white

2011-08-09T21:59:00.000+10:00

I think I need to retire,

now that I am back at work I am just not able to visit all my favourite blogs as often as I would like!

I still haven't finished sharing all of my holiday projects with you, well anyone who is interested!

Remember my little vase that I scored for $3

A bit of white spray paint and presto!

It is always best to apply spray paint in thin layers to avoid runs in the paint.

I love how easily you can transform stuff with a bit of paint!

What about you?

House of Fifty

2011-08-02T22:25:00.000+10:00

Look what I just discovered!

I know that I may be behind but just in case you haven't discovered this great online mag go and have a look it's great.

Chalk placemats

2011-08-01T12:34:00.000+10:00

Ta da........

One of my projects while I was on holidays was to make some chalk place mats like these

So I scoured the op shops and found six of these smaller place mats for $1

Then a week later I found these slightly larger ones from another op shop in Bathurst, 17 for $6

I had some left over water based paint that I used for the smaller place mats.

I had to buy some more paint to do the large place mats so I grabbed this one and didn't even check to see if it was water based or not. It wasn't so unfortunately it took me a bit longer to finish the larger place mats.

The small place mats were all finished in a day, I used a brush to apply two coats of paint to each one and being water based I only had to wait two hours in between coats.

I used a mini roller to paint the larger place mats using the lovely Tamarah's method that she so kindly shared with me. As I used an oil based paint for these I had to leave them spread out over the dining table for the weekend. You need to allow 16 hours between coats and I applied two.

The little place mats are too small for putting under a plate so I will use them under the glasses like this

or I can use them as signs at parties.

The larger place mats worked well and I have more than enough to use when we have people over for dinner

I am really happy with them and pleased that I was able to make my own and save some money.

How was your weekend?

Mine was nice, we had a lovely social weekend and caught up with family and friends

Today is a Bank holiday here in NSW so I am having a relaxing day at home catching up on some reading and a bit of paperwork.

I hope you all have a lovely week.

Hearts of Clay

2011-07-25T23:12:00.000+10:00

Hello my friends, how was your weekend?

My weekend flew by just like my two weeks holidays flew by.

It is all over and today I was back at work and Nicholas was back at school.

I really enjoyed having some time at home, hanging out with my boys and getting creative.

I managed to get a few projects finished that I'll share with you over the next few posts.

Do you remember when I made my clay tags here?

I had some left to play around with so I made this clay heart hanger.

I used some floral wire, satin ribbon and some pearls on wire that the florist ties around my flowers.

I still have another one of these to make that says HOME, maybe I'll have it finished in another six months time or so!

I'm still loving my bag ; )

Have a great week my friends.

A Tray

2011-07-21T12:08:00.000+10:00

My projects are slowly progressing,

slowly because hubby downloaded 2 seasons of the Tudors for me and I have become slightly distracted watching them.

Remember my $4 tray I bought?

I thought about painting it white

but I found a home for it in the kitchen holding bits and pieces, you know, bills that need to be paid, letters that need to be mailed and change for milk and bread along with the control for the reverse cycle.

For now, I quite like it silver,

so it will stay as it is.

For now.

Thank you for the lovely comments on my ruffled bag, I am still loving it and have it hanging where I can admire it often!

Making a Ruffled Bag

2011-07-20T13:30:00.001+10:00

It is finished!

What do you think? I am really happy with the way it turned out and better still it cost me $0!

Gotta love a bargain like that.

I'll attempt a tutorial for anyone who is interested but be warned I am no expert and I made it up as I went!

* * * * * * * * * *

I used leftover drop canvas (from my lounge covers that I made) and I used a magazine as a guide to the size that I wanted. I will mostly use the bag as a book bag for when I am teaching kids church etc so it needs to be a good size for books! I allowed enough room for a few magazines/books to sit comfortable in the bag along with my purse, phone etc. Make sure you allow enough material for seams (I left about 1cm all around). I cut out two rectangles about 32cm x 40cm. I allowed an extra 3cm at the top of the bag to fold over the lining and leave a tidier finish.

I stitched two long sides together to leave one rectangle 62cm x 40cm

I cut out four strips of material 10cm wide, 1cm either side for hems leaving my ruffles 8cm wide. Each length is about 2x the total width of the bag (120cm). I hand stitched loosely along the top of each strip and then pulled the thread until achieved the ruffles and a strip that was 62cm long, then tied of the thread. This is apparently not the easiest way to do this. After my bag was finished I was informed that you use the sewing machine on the longest straight stitch setting to sew three lines along the strip and then pull the threads together to create even ruffles, work with about 40cm at a time.

I arranged and pinned the ruffles along my 40 x 62 rectangle starting at the bottom of my bag, I pinned then stitched each ruffle before starting on the next ruffle up as I overlapped the ruffles. Each ruffle is 8cm wide however because I overlapped them they take up 28cm of the bag (remember to leave 1cm for a seam at the bottom).

Fold the bag along the stitched seam with the ruffles on the inside and sew along the bottom and the other side, being careful not to catch the ruffles in your seam. I don't have an over locker so after using a straight stitch to sew the bag together I trimmed the seams neatly and then used a zig zag stitch to prevent the material from fraying.

Once the bag was sewn on all three sides I measured the inside of the bag and made an inner bag to become the lining using cut off jeans (an old pair of Nicholas' that I shortened for him). I didn't have a lot of the denim and in order to have enough material to make the lining I had to unpick the seams and hem to stretch as much out of what I had. Fortunately I had just enough to line my bag. I stitched the right sides together same as the bag then turned it out the right way. I made pockets using some more scraps of canvas.

Because I used offcuts I worked with what I had but I made sure I had a pocket for my mobile phone. Any thing else was a bonus. I hemmed/edged the canvas pockets and then pinned them onto the lining remembering to allow for the hem/fold at the top of the bag. It would have been easier to sew the pockets on before I had sewn the inner bag together but I didn't think of it before hand.

Once the pockets are in place the inner bag needs to be turned out the other way and then slipped into the ruffle bag. Once you have it all lined up then pin both bags together at the top.

I made the shoulder straps by folding a long strip of material in half and sewing it together than turned it inside out. I ironed the straps so that the seam was in the middle.

To finish putting the bag together I sewed the lining and the ruffle bag together at the top about 1cm in from the top edge. Once I had zig zagged around the edge, I then folded the top over to create a hem of about 3 cm. I folded the straps in under the hem and pinned them in place. This way once I had sewn around the top of the bag the finish was all neat and tidy. I decided to stitch around the hem three times because I like the way it looked and it held the shoulder straps in place better.

I attached a safety pin to the back of each of the material flowers I made, that way I can change them around whenever I want.

Not perfect but it is handmade and I love it!

I hope I explained it well enough and if you want to know anything else please ask I will try to help you as best as I can!

Happy Hump Day!

PS. My inspiration was this bag from Jeanne Oliver Designs.

Bookends

2011-07-18T13:09:00.003+10:00

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

We went to Sydney to celebrate my nieces birthday and then stopped in Bathurst on the way home to celebrate my Sister in Laws birthday, very family orientated and nice.

I have finished making my ruffled bag and took it with me to celebrate. It must look alright because I had lots of lovely compliments, but then again they are my family and should be encouraging : )

I'll show you some time this week when I have uploaded the photos.

My bookends were a nice and easy makeover and look much better with a bit of white paint.

A reminder of what they looked like before

and after dabbing on some white paint, here and there

I wanted a worn shabby finish so I used a paintbrush to apply the paint in layers until I had a look I was happy with.

Another project ticked of the list.

The White Shed

2011-07-15T13:06:00.000+10:00

I have had some gorgeous bookends from Letitia's store on my wish list for a while however I have been on a spending budget (and still am unfortunately) but after what seems like ages I finally was able to buy them and seeing as The White Shed had a sale I was able to buy a little extra as well.

Getting parcels in the mail is so exciting,

especially when they are packaged so prettily.

We needed a new oil pourer as our old one below has had enough. We got it for a wedding present and it worked really well until the rubber seal that sat on the inside of the bottle died and disintegrated then fell into the oil!

We are also looking for a refillable oil spray bottle that works for longer than 2 weeks. We have unsuccessfully tried a few and have not been able to find one that we like the look of and that works. So if you have any suggestions please let me know!

See my $1 version of a salt pig? It works well!

Thanks Letitia for the great service and super fast delivery.

If by some chance you haven't visited Letitia or her shop please do. Her blog is here and shop is here.

Have fun and don't forget she currently has a sale on.

Have a great weekend!

White Paint

2011-07-14T12:46:00.000+10:00

I love how paint can transform something so easily and dramatically and inexpensively.

I whipped out some white paint that I had and in no time ended up with this

A reminder of what it looked like before

and now

I had a little sample pot left over from some touch ups we made at our last rental house so I used that. I don't intend to use the board and dome for cheese or food of any kind so I wasn't concerned about the type of paint I used.

I wanted a shabby finish so I used a chux cloth to wipe on the paint and then wiped it off again after each coat. I ended up doing three coats of paint to get the finish I was after.

I managed to salvage the last few roses on our bushes before hubby pruned them.

What do you think? $4 for the board and dome and paint for free , leftover from a previous job.

I also had a go at making some material roses and I am pretty happy with the results

I had some denim offcuts lying around. I think there from a pair of Nicholas jeans that I had to hem up as they were too long and the fake pearls are from the flowers Nick buys me. The florist winds them around the bouquet and I always keep them just in case.

I tried a few different ways to make them and watched some tutorials on YouTube then just made it up as I went. What do you think. I quite like them. Now I need to find something to use them for.

Hitting the Shops

2011-07-13T12:58:00.000+10:00

Op shops that is! We have three decent op shops that I like to check out when I get a chance and in order to make my holiday projects I decided to see what I could find.

I had a great day and found some bargain items that I can use for some of my planned projects and some of the other things will get a quick makeover and a new home.

Queen size bedspread for $6. It does have some stains and if I can't get rid of them I will just use the material to make some cushions etc.

120 x 120 table cloth in excellent condition for $2

I loved the shape, size and colour of this serving plate and for $1 it was a steal.

Footed silver tray for $3. I might paint it white or I may just leave it as it is.

Beautifully scented, unused candle for $2.

Set of six small placemats for $1. Smaller thanI was hoping for but all that I could find. Good practice set.

Bookends for $4, a little bit of work on these and they will be perfect.

Cute little bud vase for $3, a clean and a few coats of paint and it will have a new lease on life.

Lovely little white bowl with lid for $1, perfect for my version of a salt pig

$4 for this cheese dome with board

I don't plan on going to this many weddings in the near future but I do like to make my own cards and these will make a great base to work with.

So far my holidays have been pretty productive with my bargain buys, a visit to the accountant to complete our 2011 tax - very early but given it was Nick's first full year with his own business and he hasn't paid any personal tax through the year I figured we should bite the bullet and just get it over and done with : )

I have made a start on the ruffled bag and I have a whole new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into ruffles and would never be able to make these to sell them unless someone was willing to pay me hundreds for each bag!

Fingers crossed that I can keep this up and hopefully I will have some finished projects to share with you soon.

Creative Holiday

2011-07-11T13:49:00.000+10:00

Here at the McCarthy house 2/3rds of us are on holidays for the next two weeks (someone has to work to pay the bills).

Nicholas has another two weeks of school holidays and I thought that I would take some time off as well so he can hang around at home and rest, play, ride, etc and not need to get up early every morning to either come in to work with me or get dropped off somewhere while we both work.

While I am at home I have plans to get busy and crafty and make some stuff! I may get to the end of the two weeks and find I have done nothing but if I do manage to stay motivated this is what I want to try and make....

here

Another Donkey Design - Etsy Store

here

I have a thing for chalkboard paint at the moment and I have managed to convince my Wonderful Husband to let me paint a wall in our house, he has agreed but I am not entirely sure he is happy with the idea. I will give him a bit more time and show him lots of beautiful images like this one to warm him to it more while I start hunting for gorgeous frames to use.

here

What do you think? Most of my projects seem easy enough, but we'll see. If you have any hints let me know as I am more than happy to learn from peoples experience rather than fumble my way through.

Enjoy your week my friends.

Imagine

2011-06-28T13:57:00.001+10:00

Imagine

Having a best friend for 65 years

Imagine

You woke up next to your best friend for the last 62 years

Imagine

Together you watched your children grow up over the last 56 years

Imagine

Together you dreamt about your future

Imagine

Together you watched your grandchildren grow up over the last 29 years

Imagine

You sat together and remembered about the way things were

Imagine

Together you watched your great grandchildren grow

Imagine

Waking up and your best friend is no longer there

Good bye Pop.........

It was an honour to know you and have you come into my life.

I remember when Nick was jumping through hoops to convince me I should take a chance and let love into my life again he pointed out that he had living examples of how a marriage should look and how his Gram and Pop had been happily married for almost 60 years.

I am glad that he was able to talk me round because I got to know you and that was a blessing.

In memory of Darrell Dick

22 February 1927 - 25 June 2011

Thank you

2011-06-22T15:12:00.000+10:00

Just popping in for a quick one today to say thankyou so much for all of the lovely and encouraging feedback I had from last weeks post.

Today I am feeling really good and in fact this week has been so much better. I think that becoming aware of how I was feeling and that I was not coping well has helped alot.

So thank you my friends

In yesterdays post about our backyard makeover I mentioned that my wonderful hubby went out and planted the mondo grass just before it snowed.

Well this is what he looked like....

So dedicated.....LOL!

He tells me that he was nice aand toasty on top due to the four layers of clothing however he may need to invest in some long johns!

A work in progress - backyard

2011-06-21T23:22:00.001+10:00

I hope you can bear with me through this post, I think I had to include so many photos just to emphasize how big this project has been and how long it has taken!

Our backyard has been a work in progress, we started in January 2010 and my last update was the chook house in November 2010.

You can read about it here at the Chook House

It all started here you can read about it all at

"The beginning part 1, part 2 & part 3"

Then in November 2010 we started working on this area again.

We levelled it and we built retaining walls and we moved an awful lot of rock!

During the work we also installed the new sheds

read about it

here and here

you can see them in the background.

We worked hard and just in time for our Christmas Party on the 23rd December 2010 we left it at this.

In April 2011 my wonderful hubby started work on it again

We also decided it was time to finish the other unsightly areas that we had left around the place.

We had uneven surfaces around the new sheds, we had dirt around the side of the house, drain that still needed to be installed and messy areas that were just hard to mow and looked unattractive.

After much deliberation it was decided that the best way to fix this and avoid lots of back breaking digging was to use crushed limestone.

Is it really sad to get so excited about a finished path and an installed drain?

Hubby worked hard yesterday in the freezing cold and today just before it snowed to add some finishing touches

and were done....

except for all of the plants that need to get planted in spring and the lattice that needs to go in the veggie garden to support my climbing plants.......

and I am sure there is still more......

but I was just too excited about our progress that I just had to share it with you.

What do you think?

I think that if you made it this far you deserve a big hug for being a great friend and sharing my excitement!

I may follow up with some more detailed explanations in the future including some really interesting stats like how many tonnes of rock, dirt and sand we have moved. LOL!!!

How much money above mentioned stuff has cost us and how much I have saved on gym fees by working hard in the yard! : )

A life worth living

2011-06-17T11:18:00.010+10:00

I disappeared again,

I am sorry.

I have been around and stalking you all just being antisocial and not commenting much.

Actually that pretty much sums up my life at the moment.

Around when I have to be, but anti social and hiding whenever possible.

I got back from a trip to Sydney last night for work and I was anti social while I was there, hid in my room with room service for brekkie and dinner, opted out of joining the others at the pub while we waited for our flight home and stayed in the hotel lobby reading and playing solitaire on my phone.

That is how I have typically been behaving lately and finally it dawned on me that I am probably suffering a bit of depression following everything I have been through during the last year. I suffered slight post natal depression after I had Nicholas, I didn’t realise anything was wrong but the doctor picked it up during one of my post natal checkups. She recommended that I make myself get out and be active and social. The exercise boosts your feel good endorphins and being social ensures that you have lots of opportunities to chat and not dwell inward for too long.

On top of the anti social tendencies I also noticed that I really struggled with making rushed decisions, really simple things like what pizzas to order for dinner when we had family over to watch the footy or one morning on my way out the door to work Nick reminded me that his folks were coming for dinner and asked me what we were going to eat. I hadn’t thought about it at all and I was running late and I found it all too hard and snapped! I did apologise once I got to work and had calmed down but it shouldn’t have happened and normally I don’t get flustered over such a little thing.

So I need to get out and exercise and I need to be more social, Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t spent the last few weeks holed up in my room in my pj’s, I have actually been quite busy and around a lot of people. A weekend conference, meetings, church, lunching with friends, dinner with friends and family but the whole time I have been around people, including at work I feel like I haven’t connected and have been there in body but not in spirit. I can have a conversation with someone and nod and smile and sympathise at all the right times but then when they leave I have heard what they said but I haven’t really connected. Does that make sense? That needs to change and I need to consciously make that change and keep making the decision until it is natural again.

So while I am working on cheering up I will be round to visit and comment,
not just silently slip by.

Have a lovely weekend.

Image 1, 2, 3 & 4

Bag Lady

2011-06-01T14:34:00.000+10:00

Earlier this week I read the post from

i love pretty things

titled “How many bags does a girl need?”

and I have realised that I have a slight bag obsession

it all started with a guest post on Mamamia where Kate Hunter confessed she owns just one bag

I immediately clicked on the link and read Kate’s post as well as all of the comments left.

Sure I have many bags (I am actually too afraid to count) but I only ever use one at a time! I mean I usually use the same bag through the week and perhaps swap it over on the weekends or in the evenings!

I confess I have bags that I bought and I have only used once or twice because they aren’t practical but they look too good to get rid of so they sit in my cupboard looking pretty.

Of course as I read through the “I love pretty things” post I stopped a few times, once was to visit the bragbags site because apparently they make great bags that are affordable, so of course I had to check them out.

One of my favourites

and then I saw this Epiphanie camera bag….

and that’s when I decided I need one in order to carry around hubby’s camera! I don’t mind that it weighs a tonne I think the red bag is just perfect! Do you think he’d mind carrying his camera around in it?

Even more disturbing is that when I saw this ensemble

Isoki reversible baby bag

I added the link to the shop as a favourite, hopefully there will be a time soon that I need to buy it! My favourite is this set

So what about you are you a bag lady or a shoe lass?

Back to the grindstone

2011-05-30T21:01:00.003+10:00

I survived my first day back at work and it was easier than I thought. I didn’t burst into tears at any stage and I only had 497 emails to go through!

I am always surprised at how little things change when I am away from work for a week or two or even a month. Prior to going on annual leave I always spend the last few days working like crazy to make sure that everything is in order and that all my colleagues know where all of my deals are up to, what all the clients are up to, just in case.

Even this time when I got out of hospital I went into work late on the Monday evening to check my diary, put my out of office on and distribute my current workload amongst my colleagues.

The funny thing is that when I get back to work nothing has changed. We still have the same issues with the same clients, the same frustrations, just as many outstanding reports to complete and it feels like I was never away!

I hope you don't mind me sneaking in pics of my Mother's Day gifts, I wasn't much in the mood for blogging then but I did want to share my new cushions and birdcage with you.

I included the one of Jemima just because ......

I was very spoilt on Mother's Day and every day since! My boys also bought me a Nespresso (unfortunately it doesn't come with George, but my Hubby is much better anyway!) and I have at least one yummy coffee made for me everyday.

I hope you had a great start to your week!