A quick DIY project - recovering a tray

I've had this tray on my coffee table for a couple of years now and I absolutely love it. It's the perfect size to hold a vase, my magazines and a few other bits and pieces. I love popping everything into a tray to keep things looking neat and tidy plus it's easily removed if you have to make space when friends come over.

It was starting to look a little tire, worn and scratched and I had been looking around to replace it but couldn't find another tray in the right size that I liked. So I came up with a solution to give the tray a fresh look.  As I was doing the groceries the other day, I saw a roll of marble contact paper in the stationery aisle and I knew that this was the answer and my quick fix.

It was so quick and easy, the whole thing probably took about 10 mins. I measured the size I needed, stuck it down and trimmed around the edges with a stanley knife to keep it neat. There were slight gaps on one side but I just added more contact paper and it all blended in. I used 2 layers of the contact paper to cover up the black chevron pattern.

Once the flowers, magazines and crystals were back on top of the tray it looked as good as new!

Now I have some marble contact paper left over I'm looking for some more things to cover.

I did this to my laptop a while ago and I heard a friend covered a desk and it turned out amazing!

Have you completed any quick DIY projects around the house lately?

Long Weekend Vibes

We spent the long weekend at home enjoying the sun, lots of sport on tv and a trip to the beach.

I enjoyed pottering around the house, watching the boys make a few sweet treats in the kitchen,  and finishing off a couple of books. I've got a list 2 pages long of jobs that need doing in the garden and around the house but it was hard to get motivated. It was more a weekend for rest and relaxation.

Here are a few photos from the weekend.....

We were sent some gelato on Friday afternoon from Gelatissimo so that started the weekend off right.

Candy wonderland gelato with popping candy on top. The boys loved it!

The boys are loving being at the beach again although they are still wearing wetsuits in the water.

 Still a little chilly!

I couldn't resist buying another washed linen quilt cover from Adairs the other day. I have the linen in grey but I'm loving it in this chambray colour. It washes so well and is so comfortable.

We had a couple of sleep ins this weekend and daylight savings is throwing off the boys at bedtime. 

It usually takes a week or two for us to get back into our groove after the time change.

The boys made some white chocolate bark and a cake over the weekend.

 Mini marshmallows and sprinkles are obviously their favourite toppings ;)

Grand final weekend calls for a platter. 

We were going for the Swans on Saturday and the Sharks on Sunday. So happy Cronulla got the win!

Still so happy with my new rug. I'm loving the pops of colour it brings to the living room plus the pattern should be good to hide the dirt and wear and tear that the boys bring!

Mum brought me a few new crystals the other day. I'm looking for a white tray to set them up in but in the meantime they look very pretty here.

We've got another week of school holidays ahead of us which is great! Hopefully the good weather sticks around for us, it makes all the difference when you get be outside in the holidays.

How was your weekend?

Teen Bedroom - Finn's Room Makeover + Pallet Bed

We made over Finn's bedroom in the holidays. We wanted to give it a freshen and a more mature vibe. We wanted to give him a bigger bed (as he was outgrowing his single bed ) and also incorporate a comfy space to chill out. 

The layout of the room stayed the same as his shelving and skateboard racks are bolted to the walls and I didn't want to have to remove them. Also his desk fits well underneath the window.

I had seen lots of pallet beds on IG and Pinterest and loved the relaxed look of them. It was also a low cost option instead of having to buy a new bed frame. We just had to buy a double mattress.

I've shown how we decided on the size and readied the pallets at the bottom of the post.

I found so many amazing pieces for his room at such great prices. Kmart was a treasure trove!

I am also using bits of our linen in his room as our queen size quilt covers sit well. 

I've listed below the suppliers and items I've used.

Here is how his room looks now.......

How we assembled his bed.......

We bought 4 old pallets for $50 from a local building materials recycler. 

Due to our space constraint we wanted to leave enough room for a double mattress and about 40cm around the edges to use as a little side table/ledge. 

Simon cut approximately a third off 2 of the pallets (these went closest to the wall) this gave us the dimensions we wanted.  He then used the pressure hose to clean them. They were then given a light sand to get rid of any splinters and rough edges. I'm the ideas girl, Simon is the handyman ;)

We were just using up some white paint we had left over from other projects. We used 2 coats of Taubmans Endure low sheen in white. We found a paint brush was better than a roller as it worked the paint into the grooves in the timber. We weren't overly precious with the application as I knew the texture and imperfections would add to the overall look. We started to run out of paint so decided to skip the middle bit that the mattress would be covering!

A new mattress was purchased and then the fun bit began........ the styling!

It really was a team effort as Finn had quite strong ideas on how he wanted his room to look.  

We're all really happy with the result!

Jasper loved it so much he now wants his own single bed version. We'll see........

Did you do any room makeovers over the holidays? What is it about the start of the year that makes you want to change things around?

Suppliers List

(Note - I bought all of the products myself. None gifted or sponsored. Just things I truly loved)

Pallets - $50 from a local supplier

Lamp - Kmart

Plants - Palm from Bunnings, Fern from a local nursery, Fakes from Kmart and Freedom

Rug - Kmart

Side table - Kmart

Desk - Officeworks

Peace sign - Typo

Skateboard racks - Ebay

Wooden surboard (Alaia)- Simon shaped it himself from Paulownia wood

Tall white lockers - Kmart

Bookcases - Ikea

Roam Free banner - Pony Rider

Baskets - Freedom

Quilt cover - Kip and Co 

Throw and Cushions - Adairs

Wednesday Wish List

Here are a few things I'm loving this week x

Find them here

Crown

Candles + Cream

Cushion

Tea towel

Purse

Daybed

Heels

Dress

Cushion

Shoes

Ice cream float

Which ones would be on your Wish List? x

Our Home in Adore Magazine - June/July 2015

The latest issue of Adore Magazine is out now and I'm so excited to let you know that our home is featured in it.

The photo shoot was the perfect excuse to get all those little jobs finished and show off our recently renovated white floors whilst everything was fresh and new ;)

Take a look -

The house has never looked so good! 

It's also really lovely to have these photos as a record of how our home has changed over the years and that the inconvenience of the renovation was all worth it.

The boys were all stars and were very comfortable in front of the camera! ;) 

It's amazing to look back and see how much the house has changed since our last Adore photo shoot 2 years ago

I'm always getting asked about where I got certain items so I've listed the suppliers below x

Main Bedroom

Bedside tables & bedside lamps - From Freedom (now discontinued)

Grey linen - Adairs

Bed - Domayne - Sunday bed
Leopard print cushion - Children of the Tribe
XO prints - Blacklist Store
B&W plates - Domayne
Prints - Peppa Hart
Chandelier - Alfresco Emporium

Noah's Room
Bed - Fantastic Furniture (now discontinued)
Rug - Freedom (now discontinued
Bedside locker - Ikea
Wild Thing print - Adairs
Quilt cover - Adairs (reverse side)
ABC print - Leo and Bella
Star light - Target
Elephant - Moochiboo
Sheepskin throw - Ikea
Round Mirror - Kmart
Faux Cactus - Freedom (similar)
Tiger print - My Messy Room
N cap - Rookie and Co

Jasper's Room
Bed - Fantastic Furniture (now discontinued)
Bedside locker - Ikea
Mini lightbox - Typo
J Marquee Light - Typo
Round mirror - Kmart
Blue quilt cover - Cotton On Kids
Navy/Grey blanket - Country Road
Adventure Print - Typo (now discontinued)
Rug - Freedom (now discontinued)
Gold lamp - I spray painted an old one

Finn's Room
Bed - Fantastic Furniture (now discontinued)
Quilt cover - Adairs
Grey throw - Adairs
Lightning bolt light - Little Letter Lights Co
Hell Yeah tea towel - Rachel Castle
Faux Cactus - Adairs (instore only)
Clipboards - Officeworks

Kitchen
Lightbox - Page Thirty Three
White Stools - Fantastic Furniture
Marble caninsters - Target (inshore from the Lisa T range)
Concrete houses - Zakkia

Living/Dining Areas
Round dining table - Op Shop find painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
Chandelier - Alfresco Emporium
Replica Ghost Chairs - Life Interiors
Mirror - Freedom (discontinued)
Round wicker tray - Pottery Barn (discontinued)
Slim Aarons Photography - Surface View
Shell/Feather Neckpiece - Seaweed and Sand
Faux Orchid - Freedom (similar)
Peace light - similar
Angel bookends - Target (discontinued)
Leopard lamp shade - made myself with fabric from Spotlight
White lamp - Freedom (discontinued)

Desk Area
Light - Freedom
Gold Desk - I spray painted this desk from Officeworks
Desk Chair - replica wishbone
C'est La Vie print - Blacklist Store

Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to know x

Make sure you pop over and take a look at the latest issue of Adore here

Friday's Favourites - what I'm loving this week.

 A few of my favourites this week are - 

This blanket

 jug

ring

Wing sandals

Sweet heart vase

This book

This kitchen cart

These black, ripped jeans

This calendar

What are you loving this week?

Anything here on your Friday Favourite's list?

Home Tour - Lotta Agaton - Stockholm apartment

Today I'm sharing some photos of freelance stylist Lotta Agaton's Stockholm apartment that she recently sold.  I came across a photo of Lotta's kitchen and I was curious to see how the rest of the home was styled.  It is very light and Nordic in style. Monochrome tones and natural finishes.

I think I was attracted to the white scheme as I think that is the direction we are heading in with our refurbishments/renovations.  With white floors, walls and some white furniture I'm looking at ideas to add warmth and colour with plants and homewares.

Take a look - 

More of Lotta's styling below

What do you think?

Are you a fan of the monochrome look?

All photos via http://www.lottaagaton.se