My first piece of furniture, well I helped even if I can't claim I build this myself. My fabulous hubby showed me how and I did a lot of sanding, prep and painting, but I was a bit nervous to do the drilling on such fine legs. Even with my trusty kreg-jig I am not all that good at drilling straight. With a lot of help, and a lot of spray paint (see technique tips below) the credenza went from a drawing to reality and I am delighted with it. This won't be my last wood work project.Wood work tipsFor those who want to make their own the legs are 3x3cm of Tasmanian oak. The top is 45 x 180cm laminated pine, and its stands 70cm high. We used the kreg-jig to make the base and attach the top.
The only problem with a kreg, and this is why I was nervous to join everything myself, is that even if your pieces are very square they are pulled slightly out of shape as you join them. We found the best solution was to clamp the 4 pieces of each side of the frame together, before joining them. You need a lot of clamps and patience, it doesn't take that long but it is a bit fiddly.Spray painting tipsI used at least a can of spray paint more than I should have before I got my technique right.Turns out I had the distance from the wood right, and I was spraying nice and steadily, but I was moving to fast. This made the paint all spackely and rough, not the glossy finish I was going for.
Slowing down the speed of my strokes a lot delivered a lovely glossy finish with no stripes or drips. I sprayed across the width of the piece taking the spray right off the edge on each side to prevent pooling on the edges.Hope that helps, this video helped me with technique the most.
Mr B also made the mirror which is my favourite piece in the room. He cut small wooden "tiles" for the frame to create an effect something like bone furniture, actually I prefer it to the bone mirror we do have.
If you do have the skills and patience you will be rewarded with big savings. A similar table will set you back at least $400, ours cost $80 including wood and paint and took a day to build, and several days to paint properly.
Our room finally feels finished, for now of course. It's never long before I start moving the furniture around again.
We all know bronze and gold are so hot right now, and pink is too, it seems to have been rebranded as blush this year but it's still pretty pink to me. These lovely bits and pieces caught my eye this week.
I cannot trace the original source of this pretty image and I would love to see more of this room. If anybody knows where it comes from please let me know. I love the combination of the golds and pinks, it should be way to much but it's just so pretty.From top left: amazing diy mirror by the ever innovative A Beautiful Mess, Dorwin bronze chair, George Hoy table, Heidi boot with brass details from Forever New, pink dipped vase by Country Road
Fabulous painting by Pat Passlof - Score for a Bird (1958)These colours are just...sigh... so lovely
I love love love my oversize ice ball mould from The Original Whisky Ball. Today I am sharing how fabulous these giant ice balls look in the tipple they were planned for, whisky. I am a whisky drinker myself and these ice balls have made the experience that much more glam. If you are not a whisky drinker see how I made a gorgeous lemon slice ball for other drinks here.
The mould is easy to use, simply fill to water level mark on the side, pop in the freezer, and wait until its frozen. I refill my mould every evening so that I have a supply on hand.
The fab thing is the ice ball melts quite slowly and doesn't dilute your drink as fast as several normal cubes would do. And of course they just look totally fabulous.
It's so James Bond, and yes I know he was a martini drinker, but they hadn't invented these yet! I am a convert, The Original Whisky Ball is officially my favourite product of the year so far, and a fabulous present for the guys and girls in your life that have it all.
The Original Whisky Ball supplied a mould for me to test, but as usual, all opinions are my own. Images by Eva Burgess of Build House Home.
Around 6 months ago we bought a very ugly duckling in the Victorian countryside. It's been hard work but its coming along. We are working on the bathroom and kitchen right now. Lots and lots of paint needed, lots and lots. Here are before and afters of the rooms so far in case you missed some of them.The living room - bargain carpet and coffee tableThe dining area - love that bench seat!
The girls bedroom - with dresser transformed with Annie Sloan paint
Main bedroom - just love this one
More coming soon - still so much to do!
I am loving the homewares that Target has had the last few months and the new range is great. Lots of colour and cool retro themed accessories at a really good price. I know Miss E would love some marquee lights for her room but they have always been far to expensive. I am loving the Target range at $40 a pop. Lots of yellow and pink, and I love the turned candle holders dipped in grey and white, and I adore the vintage travel posters!
Keep it up TargetThis post was not sponsored
I just love these giant round ice moulds from The Original Whiskey Ball, and they aren't just for whiskey lovers. They are just gorgeous in your favourite non-alcoholic cocktail too. Today I am sharing how I made these pretty lemon slice ice balls, just perfect for late summer drinks.
How to make your own lemon slice ice balls- Start by slicing two round lemon slices.
- Using a sharp knife make a single cut to the center of each lemon slice.
- Create a sphere shape by sliding the lemon slices together along the slice marks. Easier to see in the pics below than to explain.
- Place lemon sphere into the whiskey ball mould.
- Close mould and fill with water to slightly below the mark on the side.
- Pop in the freezer overnight.
- Once the ice is frozen the silicon mould is soft and easy to remove.
They came out sooooo pretty! I love the lemon stripes down the side of the ball, and they scented the lemon lime bitters I had made perfectly. I shot these images on a day when it was 37 degrees in Sydney and these cool lemon scented drinks went down a treat!
Let me know your favourite ice combinations and enjoy!! The Original Whiskey Ball supplied a mould for me to test, but all opinions are as always my own. All images by Eva Burgess of Build House Home
