Horizontal Slat Side Panel

Brett, Byron & Josh put this panel up.

It has turned out great - exactly the look we were wanting!

Thanks boys!









- Posted by Jazz's iPhone

Outdoor Art Re-vamp

I got these (4) metal artworks from Target last year during all the sales (half price I might add).




I love the detail - but white wasn't going to fly.

So we sprayed them (guess what colour).....black!




Brett is a great spray painter!







Here is the final product:





- Posted by Jazz's iPhone

ClimateSmart

We have had the ClimateSmart assessment done to the house.

Its interesting to see how much power you are using in real time.

I will be interested to see what our power bills will be like in the future - only time will tell!

PS. Keep in mind that if you have power saving bulbs installed and water saving shower heads you don't get any for free....

http://www.climatesmarthome.com/

Save Up to $325 per year on your power bill. Find out how much power you're wasting at home with the $50 ClimateSmart Home Service and start saving.

We'll supply and install this little device, called a wireless power monitor, plus up to 15 power saving light globes and, where suitable, a water and energy efficient showerhead.

The service takes less than an hour and you can book an appointment at a time that suits you: Monday - Saturday, 7am - 7pm

- Posted by Jazz's iPhone

Lights Out

Check out our Earth Hour lighting!







- Posted by Jazz's iPhone

Earth Hour

Tonight at 7.30pm (Brisbane Time) Brett and I will be taking part in Earth Hour!

We have participated most years – but this year it’s our first in our new home!
Getting out the candles!!!!

It’s not too late to join in – turn out the lights for an hour, have dinner or drinks by candle light!

About Earth Hour

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.

Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating.

Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries/territories officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

On Saturday 27 March, Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday 26 March at 8.30PM (local time). This Earth Hour we want you to go beyond the hour, so after the lights go back on think about what else you can do to make a difference. Together our actions add up.

Read more here http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx

Housewarming :: To Gift or Not To?

It’s always one of those things re: gift wording on an invite.

Brett isn’t a fan of gift registries and there really isn’t much that we need for the house.

So I have used this wording on our invites:

Your presence is present enough, but if you would like to contribute a little something to our “love nest”, a Bunnings Gift Voucher would be greatly appreciated.

There are a number of projects that we have left to finish so any help by way of vouchers will be put to great use!

• Sky Light
• BBQ Structure
• 2 x Whirly Birds
• 2 x Garden Feature Walls
• Shed

Housewarming :: Invites

To fit in with the Bird Cage and Vintage feel, I have created an invite that features a bird cage and some vintage style carnival/circus typography.

I wanted to keep it simple – black and white with a touch of red (x marks the spot)….

I normally do handmade or custom made hard copy invites, however, this time around I am going for the electronic kind (due to my lack of time).

I think they look cute – even if I do say so myself LOL (Biased Much? LOL)….

Housewarming :: Theme

So the first thing for me in organising any event is the theme – that is where you start.

The theme will set the mood and style of our whole event.

The list of themes and ideas is really limitless!

I have a lot of bits and pieces (event décor and props) so in the spirit of re-using things you already have I want to incorporate them.

Our events will also be held in April and Easter will be in late April this year…. So I am going to incorporate a little bit of Easter into the theming as well.

So what am I thinking?

Informal, Vintage, BBQ, Picnic………

Vintage Bird Cages
Birds nest with Easter eggs
Pink, Purple and White Peony’s
Lots of candles – tealight and church style
Lanterns
Glass Bottle Vases
White Table Cloths with some sort of natural table runner
Punch or a Drinks Station
Vintage looking drinks tubs
Dessert Station
Signature Event Drink
White, Pink, Green, Purple – pastel colours

Saturday Night - Informal Cocktail Style

Sunday Lunch - Informal BBQ Lunch Style

So there is the start of things to come....

Will you theme your Housewarming Party?

Housewarming Weekend Series

So a Housewarming Party is on the cards, so I am busy in planning mode at the moment.

I thought I would share with you my process in planning the Housewarming Weekend (I hope you are interested????)….

So if you are new to the blog you probably wouldn’t know that I am an Event Manager…..

I always say if I were a hairdresser then my hair would look fab at the party, but as an event manager – the event has to pop and be something fab (as that is what I do)….. just pointing that out so you don’t think I am too over the top!

So over the next weeks I will be blogging about all the elements that will make up Housewarming Weekend:

• Theme
• Invites
• Menus
• Décor
• Beverages

Housewarming “WEEKEND”???? Yes we want our friends to see the house so we are going to have a weekend event rather than a 1 day event – just so there is enough space and we can catch up with everyone.

The theme is:

Top Soiling

Our green grass has a tinge of brown as Brett filled in some of the diverts with top soil.

Looking a little murky at the moment, but I am told in 2 weeks it will be look fab!







- Posted by Jazz's iPhone

Uses for Denture Cleaning Tablets

Thought I would share this little gem with you....

I used denture cleaner to clean up some of my vintage decanters and vases last weekend.

I also found some other items you can use denture cleaner on to bring the sparkle back!!!

Happy cleaning....

FYI - no I don't have false teeth LOL


Glass Vases
If you have a glass vase with a hard spot to clean, drop in a denture cleanser tablet, then fill the vase with water. The cleanser will clean the glass as the stains soak in the water. Later, spill out the liquid, rinse the vase with fresh water and dry.

Dried Cheese on Dishes
If you have a dish with dried cheese on it, put the stopper in the sink and fill the sink with warm water. Drop in a denture cleanser tablet. Place the dish in the sink water. The denture cleanser will eat away the dried-on cheese. Rinse the dish with clean water and let dry.

Coffee Mug Stains
If you have a coffee cup stained from coffee, fill it up with warm water. Drop in a denture cleanser tablet. Wait 20 minutes and pour out. Then rinse the cup with clean water. The coffee stains should be gone.

Clean a Clogged Drain
Drop 4 tablets of denture cleanser into a stopped-up or slow-running drain. Pour 1 cup of white vinegar down the drain, then fill the sink with hot water and let it run down the drain. The stoppage should open up.

Casserole Dishes
Don't scrub casserole dishes that have hard, crusty food left in them. Drop a denture cleanser tablet in them and fill the dishes with warm water. Let the water sit for one hour. Pour out and wash clean.

Baby Teething Items
Denture cleanser tablets can remove dried-on baby formula and germs without scrubbing. Place baby teething items and pacifiers in the sink. Fill the sink with warm water. Drop one denture cleanser tablet in the sink and let the items soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the sink and rinse the baby items clean.

Diamond Jewelry
Denture cleanser tablets can make your diamonds shine and sparkle again. Place diamond jewelry in a glass of warm water. Drop in a tablet. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Pour the water out of the glass and rinse the jewelry. Your diamonds should be sparkling again.

Toilet Cleaner
One easy way to clean a toilet with no scrubbing is to drop a denture cleanser tablet into the bowl. Wait about 25 minutes, then flush the toilet. The bowl should now be clean


Read more: Household Uses of Denture Cleanser eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6903253_household-uses-denture-cleanser.html#ixzz1GC87U6ci

Telephone Cabinet Re-vamp p1

I purchased this telephone cabinet on eBay for the bargain price of $30 (no one else bid against me?).

My intention for this cute cabinet is to be used as wine storage in the dining room.




Of course it's going to be painted black to match the dutchess.

Grand used the same grey under coat as the dutchess.




Grand took the wooden handles off.




And did some drilling.




While all this was happening Nan was upstairs make scones, jam & cream!




- Posted by Jazz's iPhone

Lazy Susan Re-vamp

We purchased our square 8 seater table about 7 years ago.

Don't you love the pink chairs!

When you have short arms you really need a lazy susan to reach the middle of the table!

We quickly found out big lazy susans were expensive. So we made this one & painted it eggplant to match our old dining room feature wall.




Just made out of a pre-fab table top & a plastic tv rotating thingy (see below) - shes a bloody beauty!




This time I wanted to paint it black to match the new dining room theme - black, white, pink & New York glam!

During the spray paint session...




And done.... This room isn't 100% finished yet.

Love the Empire State Building centre piece.

1920s Dutchess Re-vamp

Ok the big Dutchess Reveal!

Well here is how she turned out!

This is the Dining Room (black, white, pink, New York Glam).








Love the legs!




Replaced the knobs!








Added black felt to the draw!







These cute little black stem glasses are my Nan's!




The silver tray & decanter with glasses are my Mums.










This Decanter is from my Nan & the silver us from my Mums tea set!




Brett made the shelves & painted them black!










- Posted by Jazz's iPhone

Stool Re-vamp

We had these stools from our original furniture purchase 7 years ago.

Red was mine & blue was Brett's.




We needed some more stools for around the kitchen bench and ended up with 4 new black ones.

So instead of chucking these out we thought we could use them.

We went to Spotlight & spent $25 on materials.

I enlisted the talented Val aka Nan to help me recover them.

Nan's a perfectionist & her profession was in the dressmaking trade, even though there are no sewing machines involved in this project her skills came in very handy.




Nan was more than happy to have a her pic on the blog (she couldn't have Grand taking all the limelight with his projects)!

Here is the final product - so much neater than I could have done!














- Posted by Jazz's iPhone