Spare Bedroom

I finally finished our spare room enough to show you some photos. I say enough because I am sure that over time I will change things around but for now it is done!

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This is what we started with when we first bought the house 18 months ago.

The first thing we did was wash all the surfaces in the room, walls, ceiling, blinds and windows. We replaced the doors and door hardware and light fitting.

This is the smallest bedroom in our house and it doesn't have any built in wardrobes

This bedroom was our study for the first year and then when Nick started his own business and started working from home we eventually realised that he needed more space so we swapped the spare room and the study around

The bed is queen size and fits snugly

I bought the curtains for a rental house I lived in when I first met Nick and they work perfectly in this room.

I bought the drawers from some neighbours of mine years and years ago and painted them white, distressed them and added some new hardware. Sorry no before photos as I did this way before I even new what a blog was.

The artwork is painted by me, also a few years ago

These drawers were from Fantastic Furniture, we originally bought them for our bathroom as they are narrow and we thought they would be perfect for the little gap we had there, they weren't perfect and we need to remember to measure things first!

Both the mirror and lamp were from second hand stores and have received the white paint treatment.

This carafe is perfect for the guest room as it has it's own little glass that acts as a lid as well! I try to make sure that I fill it with fresh water before guests head arrive or head off to bed.

The shelves were put in the room when it was the study but we decided to leave them as they are given that the room is so small and the shelves provide much needed storage space.

A vintage makeup bag contains spare toiletry supplies.

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I bought it from a thrift store years ago

The photo frame and candle holder were gifts from my younger sisters one Christmas

Spare blankets are a must in Orange in winter, actually it's handy to keep them nearby all year round!

Some reading material, not only are they a great read but they look good too

Baskets for extra storage,

I made the tags using my new foam stamps

A pair of slipper/boots to help keep our guests cosy.

Towels, shampoo, conditioner and body wash as well as some lavender bags our Nan made for us using dried lavender from our garden.

The tray was from a thrift store and has some face wash, toner, face cream and some clean face washers for guests to use. The silver sugar jar I bought on ebay and it is full of cotton balls. The glass jar was a thrift store find too.

In the top drawer I have a basket with some more goodies to help make our guests as comfortable as possible!

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I hope you enjoyed the tour of our guest bedroom. I like to try and make our guests feel as comfortable as possible.

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We still need to put some hooks on the wall, probably a coat rack so guests can hang clothes up if they need to, but other than that I am happy with the way the room turned out!

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Thanks again for your encouragement with my weight loss goal. I have just had a two day conference for work and am feeling slightly bloated from poor food choices. I must get back on track tomorrow and get in some exercise too!

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xx

Truthful Tuesday and a giveaway

Judgement Day!

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(If you missed my first post on Truthful Tuesday you can see it here), I have jumped on board with Trish from A Dream Body for Trish to reach our goals of weight loss, improved fitness or improved diet!

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Well it isn't as bad as I thought it may be, I actually feared I may have gone backwards!

This morning I remembered to take my resting heart rate and it was 63 beats per minute. Trish says that as I get fitter this will get lower.

Weight - 64.9 kgs (143.1 pounds)

Chest - 91 cm (35.82 inches)

Ribs - 74 cm (29.13 inches)

Waist - 75 cm (29.52 inches)

Hips - 94 cm (37 inches)

Butt - 98.5 cm (38.78 inches)

Thigh - 59cm (23.23 inches)

Knee - 38.5 cm (15.16 inches)

Calf - 35cm (13.78 inches)

Arm - 29 cm (11.42 inches)

Goal weight 58kgs (127.9 pounds)

6.9 kgs (15.2 pounds) to go

I lost a bit of weight and a few millimetres so I have not sunk into a depressed state and the day is looking good!

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Better news though is that the very talented and lovely Michelle from Paper Tree Designs is having a giveaway!

This is a fantastic giveaway and the winner gets to choose from some tags or some artwork or one of each.

If you haven't entered you can go here for more details and to put your entry in!

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Giveaway closes Saturday 31st July 2010.

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Thank you for all of you who have been encouraging me in my goal to lose a bit (ok, more than a bit) of weight and fit back into my clothes! Your comments are all so lovely and really do make my day!

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xx

Beautiful Friends

Firstly I wanted to thank everyone for all of your encouraging comments on my last post! It is so wonderful to have great friends that support you. I am sorry that I didn't get back to you all personally it was just one of those weeks.

I am a bit nervous about posting the results on my week tomorrow because I have a terrible feeling that despite trying to be better with my choice of food (and I did exercise a bit) I didn't really loose any centimetres or weight! Oh well, we will see tomorrow and I will have to try harder!

On a very good note though, I received the most beautiful package in the mail last week.

My lovely new friend Laura from My Summer House sent me one of her gorgeous cushion covers as a gift!

I am amazed at the wonderfully generous friends that I have made through this blogging thing and It is something I never expected when I started.

Laura's cushion covers are just lovely and she sells them via her etsy store here!

Thank you Laura for your beautiful gift, I am truly blessed to have you as my friend and thank you to everyone of my wonderful friends who stop by and visit me I love hearing from you. I am hoping that I will be able to catch up with you all this week!

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Have a happy Monday!

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xx

Truthful Tuesday on Wednesday

The fabulous Trish from A Dream House for Trish has started a new blog called A Dream Body for Trish.

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Trish has many qualifications within the Fitness and Nutrition Industry however is currently not practicing in the field. She has set herself a personal goal to before she turns 40 next year to be Fabulous and 4o. Trish has invited us along to join her and set our own goals. Each Tuesday we will post our results in order to have more accountability and hopefully assist us reach our targets.

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I am a day late because it has taken me a bit longer to get the courage to make this commitment. Once it is in writing for all of the world to see, it means that I need to stick to it or look like a loser! No hang on that's not right, I want to be a loser.... of lots of weight and centimetres!

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I have put on weight since I met my husband and over the last three years have put on almost 10 kilos. I want to get fit and loose 8 kilos. I want to be healthier, thinner and not so tired all the time.

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So this morning I hopped on the scales for the first time in a long time and I took all of my measurements just like Trish recommended.

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Weight 65.2kg

Chest 91cm

Ribs 74cm

Waist 76cm

Hips 95cm

Butt 99cm

Thigh 60cm

Knee 38.5cm

Calf 35cm

Arm 29cm

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Goal weight 58kgs

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If you happened to read my list of seven things on Monday you will remember that I don't like exercise and I like lollies way too much! I dislike dieting and I really need to make this a lifestyle change. I need to reduce my meal sizes and increase my movement. My major downfall is sitting and snacking at my desk in the afternoons. I use food as a distraction more than anything and I need to find ways to avoid that!

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I will do a quick update every Tuesday, to track my performance and because I can't bear to admit to failure this should be enough motivation for me to watch what I put in my mouth and make me get up out of my nice warm bed in the mornings a bit earlier so I can go for a walk!

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Wish me luck and if you want to loose weight, get fit or improve your eating habits you can join in too! Go and visit Trish at A Dream Body for Trish and get lots of helpful advice and encouragement!

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Have a great Wednesday.

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xx

Wins and Awards

Hello all, I hope you had a lovely weekend! We had a busy one with a trip to Sydney and then Newcastle but it was great we caught up with family and celebrated birthdays.

It was my nieces birthday on Friday and she turned 10! She is a very creative little girl and when I found out that I was the winner or Mirela's giveaway I knew that Angela would love it.

Mirela gave away one of her custom designed canvas' on it's own little easel. She did a wonderful job creating the perfect design for my niece. If you have a boy or girl who would love their own custom artwork you need to pop over and visit Melli's Designs. Mirela has lots of different canvases that she has finished for you to look at.

I have also been really honoured by some of lovely friends who have passed on the Versatile Blogger award to me.

I want to send a big thank you to

Li @ Creamy White

Li lives in Alberta, Canada and is a mum of three kids who is creative and clever. She shares about her life in her blog including her makeovers and crafts.

Christine @ Sunshine and Lollipops

Christine is from Western Australia, she has a gorgeous home and her coffee table makeover that she just completed is fabulous.

and Megan @ Design Matters

Megan is from Texas in the USA and her blog is full of inspiring interior pictures that are just gorgeous.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading these blogs then please pop over and have a look, all three are excellent reads.

As part of the award I am to share 7 things about myself so I tried to think of something I haven't shared before.

1. I am a lollyholic , I love mixed lollies like the ones in this picture. If I open a packet I can't stop eating them. I will eat them until I feel sick, have a cup of tea and then continue eating them until they are all gone. Unfortunately I always get a craving for them in the afternoon at work. Not very good!!!

image from here

2. I didn't learn to iron until I was in my twenties. It was something my mother didn't trust us to do so I never learnt. As a consequence I am not very good at it. I don't mind ironing but I do pour myself a glass of wine while I iron and that seems to make the chore much better. I set up in front of the TV on a Sunday night and iron away (could possibly the wine that affects the quality of the ironing....).

image from here

3. I really dislike exercising. I do it (sporadically) because I know I have to but I never get to the point where I jump at the chance to exercise. Even at my fittest where I joined the gym and I went to a minimum of 4 classes a week I still had to force myself to go a year later. After 2 years I didn't renew my membership! I try to walk as much as possible and incorporate movement in my everyday life for the whole family!

image from here

4. I have a lot of grey hair. I am not sure how much because I keep colouring it, more and more frequently. I really should touch up the roots every 4 - 5 weeks because all the grey seems to come through where my hair parts and it is wiry and sticks straight up! I always expected I would be grey early in life, it runs in the family.

image from here

5. One day I want to start investing in shares. I want to learn all about the stock market and buy and sell and make lots of money..... One day when I have time that is.

image from here

6. I don't really like to cook. I cook from necessity and I usually will not use a recipe. I cook with what I have in the house and try to make something that is edible. I haven't killed anyone yet! I do like to have dinner parties and that is when I will cook from a recipe and create something special and I like to make slices and biscuits, I try to bake cakes but they never really seem to work very well.

image from here

7. I am really really short sighted. I am getting so bad that I can't read in bed without my glasses on any more. The book has to be so close to my face that it is just ludicrous. I need to visit the laser eye surgery clinic and see if I am able to get the laser surgery done. It really does restrict my lifestyle and I wear my contacts most of the time as my glasses are just annoying and I am a wee bit vain.

image from here

If you haven't fallen asleep yet and you are still with me I want to pass the Versatile blogger award on to these new friends that I have met recently and I really enjoy catching up with.

1. Alicia from Bella Card Company

2. Natasha from Northern Light

3. Michelle from Divine Finds

4. Jane from The Girl in the Brick House

5. French Doors and Verandahs

Ladies please do not feel obligated to play along but if you would like to the rules for the Versatile Blogger award are to thank the giver, list seven things about yourself and pass the award on.

I also want to thank the lovely Simone from Honey and Fizz for giving me the sunshine award. I am really chuffed to get this mention.

Simone is from Sydney Australia and has a delightful blog full of gorgeous pics. You must visit Simone if you haven't already and have a look around.

I have another busy week ahead and I am sorry if I don't get around to visiting you all but be assured that if I get the chance I will! Thanks again for all of your lovely comments and support! Have a great week!

xx

Madeit - in White

I don't have a Madeit Store but I have some lovely friends who do and I get the tempting newsletters emailed to me. I will often follow a link over to the site and fall in love with something new that I would love to have.

Madeit is....

The handmade market open all day every day :: buy & sell Australian handmade :: art :: craft :: design.

I thought I would share some of my favourite white Madeit items that I came across.

image 1 here, 2 here, 3 here, 4 here.

image 1 here, 2 here, 3 here, 4 here

image 1 here, 2 here, 3 here, 4 here image 1 here, 2 here, 3 here, 4 here

image 1 here, 2 here, 3 here, 4 here If you haven't discovered this great site please go over and have a look, there are some really fantastic items made by some very talented people!

Thank you for all of your lovely comments on Monday's post. I am feeling better and I am back at work today!

I hope you all have a lovely Wednesday.

I am linking up the White Wednesday at the Faded Charm

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Surprises

A few weeks ago my WH surprised me with this lovely easel. I have been admiring them for ages!

I am not really much of an artist but I like to pretend and if I never paint another work of art I can just use my easel for displaying the artwork I already have!

The easel folds up and has a drawer with a handle that makes the whole unit portable. I dream of packing my paints and canvases and heading off to a beautiful spot to create.

The canvas sitting on the easel is one of my WH's photos

I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday and that your week ahead is lovely!

I have been sick all weekend and am home sick today, so I am attempting to rest up and get rid of this head cold!

xx