Dash lives here

There's progress in the nursery!

It's not often that we follow through with my big dreams and grand schemes, especially when they involve home improvements. It goes something like 'Carly! NO power tools! Stop spray painting in the house! You're going to lose a finger! There's no stud there!' etc. etc. etc.

I try to remind the Husband that I am a licensed builder but he isn't fooled.

Anywho... We actually painted the wall! obviously cause my photoshop skills aren't that mad yet. And we decided on yellow!

It was either yellow, mint green or blue. We slapped them all up on the wall and could not decide for the longest time but clearly yellow was the winner. Green and blue jazzed up the house shelves instead.

So this little Dash the brave banner. Isn't it the most wonderful banner you've ever seen? The wonderful Amy of daydreams and dandelions contacted me recently about little Dash and offered to make him something for his bedroom. I was absolutely blown away by her kindness and then when the banner arrived, I was so impressed by the quality! Girls got skills! I tried to make a banner like this myself last year and it did not go as planned... a wonkier banner you've never seen. Anyway if you're in the market for some beautiful children's decor go and check out her store! Go now.

The other side of Dash the brave's room got some love too. A lightening bolt hook from The Hook Co to hang his fancy dummy clip and a photo of his parents who love him dearly. Also not new, but that elephant mobile there is Dash's favourite thing in the world.

Still have a few more things I want to do and you know I'll do them and then start another list but c'est la vie.

that one half painted wall

I have bought approximately 40% of the things that fill Dash's nursery. Everything else has been moved from other parts of he house, repainted, repurposed. The art and decor is either handmade or I've bought it intending to do little makeovers.

Basically I haven't done a lot because I wanted to get to know our baby before I decided on their space.

Now that I know our boy Dash, I want to slowly create a space for him thats happy and peaceful and full of fun and love. I want lots of handmade bits and pieces and happy colours and really the point of this post is that I've decided what to do with the wall behind his cot...

At first I was all which decal! Spots or crosses or lightening bolts or.... whatever too hard. Then I was all but whhhyyyy is this amazing celestial ralph lauren wall paper so expensive!? and then I dove right in to stick on wall paper but dear lord which one. And then I was like but what on earth do I put on his picture rail to make up for the boring blank wall??? And just last weekend I was asking this shop owner how on earth I can recreate this kickass life sized skeleton they had painted on their wall. Shall I call the artist now or wait until you turn it into a poster?

But this week while scrolling pinterest it hit me in the face.

Just paint a damn feature wall and call her done. Or rather half paint it.

And now begins the battle of which colour. I'm all for a yellow! a bright and happy but also a little on the mustardy side yellow. Nick is waaaaay on the bluer side of life and I've asked every person I've seen since Monday and people are mostly yellow but wouldn't you be if some Mother with a crazy look in her eye was making you choose?

Thought so.

Stay tuned for thrilling nursery updates.

the ever evolving living room

So it's the end of January (that's the fabulous anna rifle bond calendar that sits above my desk) and I don't have photos to show you about it. 

I took my beloved camera with me everywhere this summer and alas, no photos. I suppose that makes it a reeeaaallllly good summer? When you're too busy soaking up sun rays and eating all the things you shouldn't and walking your dogs along the beach where all the other dogs walk and swimming and reading books and seeing friends.... 

What am I talking about, it was definitely the best summer ever. I had a blood test two days ago and my midwife was blown away by my excellent vitamin D levels so really I think that says it all. 

Anyway, anyway! Forget about summer for a minute yes? Remember this post when I was all waaahhhh I have no coffee table, what ever will I do with my life? 

Well, as of yesterday, problem sorted. 

 

We managed a sneaky trip to the best store on earth (Ikea) when we road tripped to Melbourne last week. Oh yeah, we road tripped to Melbourne last week, for Nick's birthday and just because we could. Maybe I'll blog about it later. I warn you now though it'll be sparse on photos. 

At the Ikea we bought baby a cot! and a highchair it won't need until like October... and a play mat! and whatever else I could grasp in my greedy fingers... Anyway the influx of baby gear had us thinking, why do we even need coffee tables in both living rooms? The other living room is carpeted, has a big comfy couch and a TV and baskets and things, its really perfect for many hours of rolling around on the floor with baby. So we threw the old coffee table outside (to the coast it goes!) and moved the media room coffee table into the living room. Confused? I don't blame you. Just look at our revamped living room above and appreciate that we're happy with it for the minute. 

I have so much more to blog about! Hold on to your pants. 

Christmas 2014 // traditions

 

This Christmas we're shifting. We're settling, we're growing, we're taking it all in, we're preparing. This is our first Christmas with the same last name and the last Christmas as a family of 4. 

Husband and I have been living together for a few years so we've been slowly making our own Christmas traditions (or at least talking about them) but this year especially I am thinking about it more, about what I want our children to remember. I want there to be consistency, I want them to have traditions to look forward to and eventually I want them to maybe even carry them on. 

Around our home this year are the beginnings of our family traditions and it makes me so happy I can't even tell you. 

On the walls I've hung some stockings that I fought the sewing machine over. My family never really did stockings but Nick has always had one and I think they're a wonderful addition. 

Inside the stockings are another new tradition. My family always celebrates Christmas Eve, it's bigger than Christmas and it's so special to me. We would always go to my grandparents place, sing carols, eat a delicious dinner and open a few presents. I want to keep doing that, make Christmas Eve special with my family, let my children open the presents that are in their stockings and make sure there are always a pair of new PJs in there.

We aren't a religious family. Nick especially isn't religious but I still have some love for the church. We always had a nativity scene or advent candles in our house when I was younger and I want to carry that on too. I love the message of Christmas, the one that makes family and giving and peace and new beginnings important. I want to teach that to our children, to sit around the dinner table with our advent candles lit and tell stories of Christmas and maybe even of Christ.

I think most families have this one but putting the tree up on the first of December will always be a tradition at our house. I so love a colour coordinated tree but I'm dreaming of a tree covered in hand made ornaments and memories of Christmases before. Also there must ALWAYS be a hedwig watching over us from our Christmas tree. 

Making our dogs apart of Christmas will always be important to us. With Baby on the way I get worried now and then about how they'll cope and if they'll feel neglected. We've made the decision to make dogs a big part of our lives and I don't ever want to go back on that. You hear that Noodle and Muggsy?! We love you long time.

I'm such a traditionalist. Give me wreaths on the door and candy canes hidden in real trees, gingerbread houses and Christmas cookies, presents for everyone and food for days. I'm off to bake something and make a Christmas candle or two.

help me find a coffee table?

We bought this coffee table a while ago see, then we painted her some awful green colour. We quickly gave up on the green and spray painted her black. If it didn't look absolutely dodgy when we bought it for $100, it really, really, really does now. To be perfectly honest I could have ignored it for a little while longer... But now! A baby is coming. We can't have no unstable, flaky table around when theres a baby that's going to lick it and bite it and try to pull itself up on it. Also it hurts my eyes to look at it. I've searched high and low for a new one but I've had no luck so far. I just need a really big and heavy and baby proof table with a little industrial feel. I'm not asking for much, honest. Also, please excuse the dog toys, ipad and dog in this perfectly styled photo, we live in our living room.

Colored furniture / Flynn Coffee Tables Set/2 - Coffee Tables | Interiors Online -... / Ellipse Coffee Table / Coco Republic San Fran Deco

Something like all of these, minus some of the price tags, plus some length and width here and there and with the approval of my Husband who swears he doesn't care but actually I think he sort of does. 

I'm so over the coffee tables. 

Look! Chihuahuas!

Aren't they sweet pretending they're not interested in the camera when really they are. I was trying to take photos of our new plant, they were trying to be on the dogs of instagram page. 

This is the plant by the way. Found him at Aldi of all places! for less than $10, then I found his brothers at Bunnings for $52 and I thought I was very clever. 

We bought two of these cheeeaaaap shelving units to surround our TV unit when we got back from our honeymoon. They make us feel like adults. Our friends agreed, also they make the room feel all super homey. I love that I can hide all of husbands shit in the cupboards and eventually, I'll be able to hide all of baby's shit in there too! I throw his backpack and sports bag in this here basket everyday, I love it. 

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago when I had snuck out some of our christmas gear. The room looks pretty different now that I've covered every surface in something to do with christmas. I'll take more photos soon, it'll be thrilling.