Another fun project – a bookshelf

I posted a while back (HERE) that I had bought a spice rack that I intended to use as a bookshelf.

It is finally up and being used.  I actually spray painted it a while back, but it only made it onto the wall this weekend. Here are some before and after photos.

As you can see it was in a bit of a state when I bought it.

Before – needing a bit of work.

I had been looking for one for ages after seeing something similar on Pinterest.  I eventually found this one at a charity shop.

I sanded it and spray painted it. And am very happy with the result.  It is very narrow and fits perfectly below the window in Little OL’s bedroom.  When the curtains are closed you would not even know it was there.

cleaned, sanded and spray painted

 

Spice rack turned bookshelf!

 

Little OL doing an inspection. I think it passed.

Fabric Fascination!

OK, I think I need to admit that I have a problem.  It might even be bordering on an addiction…  Its really bad!  

I am stuck on fabrics at the moment!!!!  A fabric fascination.  

I have always had a thing for paper, even collected it when I was little, in fact I still do.  I have a cupboard full of different paper, note pads and sketch books.  This is worse though, and takes up more space!!!! 

Technology is not helping, in fact it may be hindering my recovering.  I see all these gorgeous things that people are making and ahhhh, swoon, the fabrics they are using and I want to rush to the nearest fabric shop.  Luckily or unluckily most of the fabrics are not found in PE, or if they are please don’t tell me!!!!  

At least I am putting some of the fabric I have bought on my credit card collect to good use.  I am making a patchwork playmate for Baby OL – yes, ok, it is not as if she needs another one but I just could not help myself, and anyway, I made the last one before I knew we were having a girl…..

Baby OL playing on the playmat

If you have nothing nice to say….

rather say nothing at all – or did you mom not teach you that????

You know there are just some people that you like right away and then there are the others…. The ones that you know, you will NEVER like. 

I encountered one on Sunday!  And she was standing in my house.  

Her boyfriend had come to help Mr OL out with some rewiring (we are having a kitchen done – yes I agree, fantastic timing being 9 months pregnant and all).  Anyway, they walk in while I am busy painting the last of my frogs – and feeling rather proud of them.  She asks if she can see what I am doing so I said by all means. She walks over, looks at them and asks if she can make a suggestion. – WTF!!! Me, in my dumbfounded state say yes. She says I should do something with the background, not just have it white.  This is the first time I have met this girl, and this is the first thing that she has to say to me… After I recovered from my shock I said, no I left it white on purpose and decide to show her the nursery so she can see the contrast.  Dumb move on my part!  She said she quite liked it, but then asked about the tree I painted and did I come up with it, and she supposes it does lift the room otherwise the brown would be rather flat.  Why the hell did she think I painted it???? 

She looked at some of my other paintings around the house, only to criticize them as well. She asked if I use oil or acrylic paint and when I said I use mostly oils, she says have I ever thought of mixing my paints with boiled linseed oil because my colours are dull.  Excuse me????  I told her I paint for fun, and no I have not thought about it and no I won’t be doing that in the future either.   I am quite proud of my paintings.  The she looks at a set of 3 that I did and asked if I was trying to copy Andy Warhol, but completed the sentence with, Oh, you probably don’t know who Andy Warhol is.  The little $##$%!@#$$!!!!!  I said, I know exactly who he is and these painting are nothing like his style, I have done a few in his style before, but I sold them, as I have done with a number of my pieces.  I was getting slightly irritated at this stage. 

She then had the nerve to comment on my garden, asked if I had thought of covering the patio and made a few other…. suggestions.  I think by this stage I was in too much shock to say anything back to her. And  if I had thought of something to say it might not have been very pleasant.  But my mom raised me better than that.  If you have nothing nice to say rather say nothing at all – her mom should have taught her that. 

The second she left I turned to Mr OL and said – “I intensely dislike that girl!”

More nursery pictures.

Here are a couple more pictures from the nursery.  

It is nearly done!  The only thing left is the bedding, which I have still yet to sew.  I am not in a rush as I will be using blankets for the first little while anyway. 

Here are some pictures of the paintings I did.  I found a picture by an artist Royce McClure that he had for t-shirts (link HERE) and copied it.  I have no intention of selling these pictures, so hopefully he does not mind that I copied them.  I am really happy with the way they came out.  The first 3 pictures are the individual paintings and then the 4^th picture is what they look like in the room.  I have also added a few more photos so you can get a general idea of what the room looks like.

We have left a double bed in it for now.  It might come in very useful (and we had no where else to put it).

I know the dark brown would not be to everyone’s taste but I am SO happy with the way the room has come out!  For all of Mr OL’s skepticism at the beginning about the colour and my plans he now loves it too and says he is really happy I did not go all pastels and stuff. Although if you saw the rest of our house you would know that I would not have gone pastels.

Hear no evil!

Speak No Evil!

See No Evil!

Pictures up in the room.

The opposite wall

And one final picture.  I found this doorstop and Mr Price Home.  Isn’t he so cute!!!

The cutest doorstop.

Art classes!! Woo hoo.

My art classes start again today and I am very excited.  I think I am being rather optimistic taking in a painting I want to finish as I doubt we will actually pick up a paint brush.  The last class we had was in August so there will be lots of catching up to do and wine to be drunk – unfortunately I will have to give that part a skip.  But it will be fun to catch up with the girls.  Our classes are always more social than anything else. 

I probably will only be able to make the next 3 or 4 before this baby comes so maybe it is best that I do actually try and do some paintings.  I have 3 paintings for the nursery that I would like to finish before the baby actually gets here.  Maybe I’ll start them next week…..

The finished product

Here are some photos of the padded playmat I made.  I am very impressed with my little self and love how it came out. Although I am sure that proper quilters or seamstresses would be hanging themselves with the cord of thier sewing machine if they took a closer look!

The finished playmat

The inspection

The approval

Bacardi seems to think I made it for him…..

The bump and nursery

Here are some long promised photos.

Firstly the bump (pre haircut). From the side…

28 Weeks!

Yes, my cats are looking at me as if I have lost my mind.

And from the front….

28 Weeks

And finally – a picture of our nearly completed nursery.  I still need to get the bedding for the cot and put up pictures on one of the other walls.  We are also still going to get white skirting boards put in and a rug for the floor.  Other than that we are pretty much done.

Brown and Green Nursery

 

Well, it is pretty much brown and white, and we have brought the green in with the frogs.  I recovered the chair myself and painted the tree.  I am very happy with the nearly final result.  What do you think???

Getting there!

This weekend I was pretty busy getting the baby’s room ready. 

A few weekends ago I made a slip cover for one of our chairs (that I got given in about 2004 and intended to cover then).  I finally took some photos of it and moved it into the nursery. 

I also bought a compactum and have decided that I am the Queen of Flat-packs!  I put it together while Mr OL was at the soccer.  I just need his help to hang the door as I could not hold it and put the screws in at the same time.  As soon as we have completed that I will post a picture. 

I also found a fantastic little box thing for the stuff that goes next to the changing mat.  I could not believe how fantastically well the colours went – so I closed my eyes and handed over my credit card….. Yip it was EXPENSIVE!  But for now I am saying so worth it! 

Here are some pics.  First before and after of the chair and then the little box thing.  I am still waiting for Mr OL to organize the skirting boards.  So picture the room with white skirtings.  I am sure it will look much better.

Before

After

 

Chair, in place.

 

A perfect match?

Weekend round up

I don’t really have very much to say at the moment. 

My In-laws came down for the weekend and bought us a cot for the baby, which was very nice of them.  It was also nice to see them as we don’t meet up that often – maybe twice a year.  Mr OL’s mom is so excited about becoming a granny it is very sweet.  We will have to make more of an effort once the baby is born to ensure that they see their grandchild more than they are seeing their son at present. 

I also did a bit of shopping for the baby but I realized I am way out of my depth!!  I have NO idea what these little creatures need.  Some serious research is going to need to be done before now and February.  I bought what I thought was important though – a baby monitor.  Other than that I have borrowed a few things but will only start buying anything much later. 

Also in a place where I felt totally out of my depth – I went to a spa on Friday.  Nice but not really my scene; I would rather go for a sports massage than a spa treatment.  It was ok though. 

I also finished the second book in the trilogy that I am reading.  I have decided that I am not enjoying it, not because it is badly written or anything like that, but once I start a book I need to finish it in a couple of days.  Fine if you only have one book to read but with this the story continues over the 3 books and I need some closure.  3 books is a long time for continous reading – so I have ½ of the final book left!  Let’s hope she actually finishes the story and does not leave me hanging.  I might just put me off fantasy books for life. 

The yesterday I also did a bit of gardening.  My peas that I planted have germinated so I planted the seedlings.  I also planted some spinach, lettuce, cauliflower (a first for me) and some peppers.  Let’s see what happens.  I don’t usually have much luck with peppers, but am going to plant them in a different part of the garden and see if that makes any difference. 

Ok, so from not much to say I got a bit carried away. 

Hope you all had a good a weekend as I did.

Weekend Project

Look what I got up to this weekend.

Before!

 

Stage 1

 

And finally!

 

 

I found a picture of a similar tree on the internet and decided to try and paint it on our wall.  I thought it came out pretty well.

I drew it free hand, then did the lighter shade in 2 coats and then the dark brown around that (and around the rest of the room). 

I love the colour, and with the white in the rest of the room I think it will look great.  We are not going to be buying the furniture for another 2 months or so, so it will be a while before I see the final product, but I am happy so far.