Changes afoot

It's a new week and I'm back in work mode (well sort of, anyway). I have lots of renovation plans for the year, so yesterday I braved the rain and headed off to Ikea. One of my xmas presents was a gift card, so of course I couldn't wait to see what goodies were on offer. I had planned to take some pics while I was there, but you know how it is - once I arrived I completely forgot.<br /><br />I was looking for a few things in particular - I need a new work desk and storage for my studio, an ergonomic chair, and desk for the soon-to-be-renovated home office....none of which I managed to get. I<b>'</b>m thinking that this arrangement would be perfect for my studio:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMnGTOEC_Mp3NjymkgyQxtYbwNX7V28PjaWbIxenx_fJBgdTo__jSS40ODUycdkvUPzdwXUGaAGarZMulzZrVq3n77JPIaExhbWsyVQxAdIstXw6uWwiQmPuxn7vqgvwDS47ZuVfzcWA/s1600/vika-gruvan-vika-artur.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMnGTOEC_Mp3NjymkgyQxtYbwNX7V28PjaWbIxenx_fJBgdTo__jSS40ODUycdkvUPzdwXUGaAGarZMulzZrVq3n77JPIaExhbWsyVQxAdIstXw6uWwiQmPuxn7vqgvwDS47ZuVfzcWA/s1600/vika-gruvan-vika-artur.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">the vika artur combination from Ikea</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And then I saw that Laura Trevey uses the same desk in her gorgeous studio:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPzVMMDbkFGuN0lXw26azbxys2cxtloXAwAmgej9QJdwAWbrNnK1ReRwyApXRFXop-joqK2pryQvjXJLcf2SysBw5Sjqdpgso-4Oi9O4110iMxjJ2-CTyIoP2f7omQ9qDQMKYMA_GSxo/s1600/laura+trevey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPzVMMDbkFGuN0lXw26azbxys2cxtloXAwAmgej9QJdwAWbrNnK1ReRwyApXRFXop-joqK2pryQvjXJLcf2SysBw5Sjqdpgso-4Oi9O4110iMxjJ2-CTyIoP2f7omQ9qDQMKYMA_GSxo/s640/laura+trevey.jpg" width="530" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lauratrevey.com/">lauratrevey.com</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Of course, it was out of stock, so I'll be heading back in the next couple of weeks. I also need something like this from <a href="http://potterybarn.com/">Pottery Barn</a>:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9FkxzXmiY0EeyXYwE3zobn76ILR_u7GXs3a_0EFGh9S56TjqATpGjfo2EpZducPrcZ9oCC4HQxQsirqlOQIxOTXAyy0gVtetPzFxxN3V3unXSNffUoy7ixnqWllyqrbp2S0K5FdquK4/s1600/Home-Office-Design-Ideas-Pottery-Barn-9+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9FkxzXmiY0EeyXYwE3zobn76ILR_u7GXs3a_0EFGh9S56TjqATpGjfo2EpZducPrcZ9oCC4HQxQsirqlOQIxOTXAyy0gVtetPzFxxN3V3unXSNffUoy7ixnqWllyqrbp2S0K5FdquK4/s1600/Home-Office-Design-Ideas-Pottery-Barn-9+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">.....which I'm completely smitten with. I know I'd be so organized if I had this set-up - pity they don't ship to Australia. I'll be on the hunt for something similar.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another thing on my list is some Lack shelving. These are so versatile, they come in different sizes and colours, and are perfect for display and storage of all the necessities:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-6xrsBLWkAgJwYtzjUKDDp8ZvoiAMVMGWb_JHpLukICMRVNTUTWlJiCAAd0_c-y0T7nsx7wVjq0YjrbzinrtQglsWk3o-DfUBeGNJe8hwT_ski-GW1m5LukvTIQvWUaPTkiiY9YWJT8/s1600/11-28-07lackshelf2+via+apartmenttherapy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-6xrsBLWkAgJwYtzjUKDDp8ZvoiAMVMGWb_JHpLukICMRVNTUTWlJiCAAd0_c-y0T7nsx7wVjq0YjrbzinrtQglsWk3o-DfUBeGNJe8hwT_ski-GW1m5LukvTIQvWUaPTkiiY9YWJT8/s640/11-28-07lackshelf2+via+apartmenttherapy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/shelving-storage/12-uses-for-ikeas-lack-shelves-037156">apartmenttherapy.com</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh, and this too....</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGK7FdQk22fQPZ34kY-io7PAluZNQ0GoHbTWTYC7YLltIbkOE5UJ9w6dAJ5fRBMJESPzB1KTXhYevC623pT4XMjPT6h3ZIHVp0jUUc5WyZuYTvsHOmQVtTqFFZuahZlv7SO20zdAcnTko/s1600/alex-drawer-unit-on-castors-white__63414_PE170984_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGK7FdQk22fQPZ34kY-io7PAluZNQ0GoHbTWTYC7YLltIbkOE5UJ9w6dAJ5fRBMJESPzB1KTXhYevC623pT4XMjPT6h3ZIHVp0jUUc5WyZuYTvsHOmQVtTqFFZuahZlv7SO20zdAcnTko/s1600/alex-drawer-unit-on-castors-white__63414_PE170984_S4.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/categories/departments/workspaces/10711/">alex drawer unit</a></div><br />But the hardest thing to find - a decent chair that's not only comfortable, but easy on the eye. I hurt my back a few years ago, so finding the right chair is at the top of my list, but <i>sooo </i>difficult. There is a real gap in the market if there are any furniture designers reading this post!<br /><br />That's just the beginning of what I have planned for this year, and I'll share all the pics as soon as I can. I do love starting the year off with a project - what's on your to-do list for 2011?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85794/shatay01/57292ae3db79c6d939a1f2a85508a076.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>

Changes afoot

It's a new week and I'm back in work mode (well sort of, anyway). I have lots of renovation plans for the year, so yesterday I brave...

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Rain, rain and more rain

You know what they say about Queensland - beautiful one day, underwater the next! We've had so much rain over the past few days, with widespread flooding in Brisbane and the coasts. Here at home, there's a little creek that runs through the front of our property, but this morning I woke to find it looking like this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiKeCjO1jNAs3Zv2DGwAzfIodsNdy2YOndva7oMoIYsCUohZ-qw3T5Yc_sHWa5_6kVWll8VPbpM1oG_686x71dmbaOVQdvE97ymziO9erSgdNN_2Zu1ndhJVnh-HVFYtC-CMoqIUNp6M/s1600/Image0143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiKeCjO1jNAs3Zv2DGwAzfIodsNdy2YOndva7oMoIYsCUohZ-qw3T5Yc_sHWa5_6kVWll8VPbpM1oG_686x71dmbaOVQdvE97ymziO9erSgdNN_2Zu1ndhJVnh-HVFYtC-CMoqIUNp6M/s640/Image0143.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDKEBsY5wGlfeHVSWZMH8efxbpR0N_gMStwjuBkqlpdV3q1nraSHcPnmZroSkDNfBM-w7l5x8b1XMbtWMGtv06SlW_9lKDZxhgtTXP0ObAL2g5uuDgG73AAokX0oI2FCUC96l32HBQ-8/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDKEBsY5wGlfeHVSWZMH8efxbpR0N_gMStwjuBkqlpdV3q1nraSHcPnmZroSkDNfBM-w7l5x8b1XMbtWMGtv06SlW_9lKDZxhgtTXP0ObAL2g5uuDgG73AAokX0oI2FCUC96l32HBQ-8/s640/IMG_0091.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl023wrdmmqt3kBieMRCXFRybhAEctQNPD-VkjvtjXSek1DwmwB14tcu95ik8EN1vBCRydk_yK9-ZB2Dnc8YZbiRpEMMhiVjYb2SvHNd-NGHbBi6SCQ7oD7lMA33XAFa5QG7hEIK_WdtE/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl023wrdmmqt3kBieMRCXFRybhAEctQNPD-VkjvtjXSek1DwmwB14tcu95ik8EN1vBCRydk_yK9-ZB2Dnc8YZbiRpEMMhiVjYb2SvHNd-NGHbBi6SCQ7oD7lMA33XAFa5QG7hEIK_WdtE/s640/IMG_0092.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9T5O-jdJeOVCgKlgCly2g78lBOojI2UGMEFnJICCp7b2PCMIEsSJJV_qZ8lc-ICPtcc2aVzpFHDCFJ1dfnKVkRpwltN9seH_24zENWgOExBSJ7VnIrShy6shyVd4Q-zjFQAsENE5teOI/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9T5O-jdJeOVCgKlgCly2g78lBOojI2UGMEFnJICCp7b2PCMIEsSJJV_qZ8lc-ICPtcc2aVzpFHDCFJ1dfnKVkRpwltN9seH_24zENWgOExBSJ7VnIrShy6shyVd4Q-zjFQAsENE5teOI/s640/IMG_0093.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Needless to say, no school for the kids today, and my daughter managed to bog her car trying to make it to her first day of prac teaching. Looks like we have no choice but to stay home, drink hot chocolate and watch movies! I do hope though, that the rest of the Queensland blogging community is safe and well today, and out of the flood-prone areas. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a great day everyone, and stay out of the rain!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85794/shatay01/57292ae3db79c6d939a1f2a85508a076.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Rain, rain and more rain

You know what they say about Queensland - beautiful one day, underwater the next! We've had so much rain over the past few days, with wi...

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Grain sack ideas

I'm trying to decide what to do with my grain sacks, so this morning I popped this chair outside in the sun and started playing around to see what it would look like with brand-spankin' new burlap cushion covers. As you can see, they're just draped over the top, but you get the idea. What do you think? Oh, and please forgive these awful photos - my camera battery died midway through taking the shots, so this is as good as it gets today!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2WyftaIZbCqFmLidcAZuLqSiZKTrKYJd3D8_GdXNhbMNwHkbvqPNhUCSCCXIkEgt16dM5AgDPN7-aWpLLUweYGoqXfYtVlmOfimufsyK7SMfaTaIcPKjPbM0-tt8i419zecYu4nIS-g/s1600/DSC03521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2WyftaIZbCqFmLidcAZuLqSiZKTrKYJd3D8_GdXNhbMNwHkbvqPNhUCSCCXIkEgt16dM5AgDPN7-aWpLLUweYGoqXfYtVlmOfimufsyK7SMfaTaIcPKjPbM0-tt8i419zecYu4nIS-g/s400/DSC03521.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> the lilac of the top grain sack is much brighter than it looks in this pic</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvr7b-XIndJMtVi2tgx01_yn8SHkcNhDJR_N1-nWIokZ4VFTWpBKNQ64vMIaSMt6SxOoJAtZcizSTh2bNMUMQCS4JqpLH_U8NC5LrR3P_dVyv5CgHUR2MSj-OMgsGJUZfvwSh3-xH9CNs/s1600/DSC03520copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvr7b-XIndJMtVi2tgx01_yn8SHkcNhDJR_N1-nWIokZ4VFTWpBKNQ64vMIaSMt6SxOoJAtZcizSTh2bNMUMQCS4JqpLH_U8NC5LrR3P_dVyv5CgHUR2MSj-OMgsGJUZfvwSh3-xH9CNs/s400/DSC03520copy.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx1FVDeGZRTxb97B10PD9LZDUgauM6rVOB0kytIdsCD7NN39XSP2GMsbNK7PYfZ5Yem1weedL26MHsiZ4SZdUniPZ5S4q5DNDGv_ydzOwUbH8Ynd27YwN5SiY1APURmg2xjmAPUQCR9g/s1600/DSC03557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx1FVDeGZRTxb97B10PD9LZDUgauM6rVOB0kytIdsCD7NN39XSP2GMsbNK7PYfZ5Yem1weedL26MHsiZ4SZdUniPZ5S4q5DNDGv_ydzOwUbH8Ynd27YwN5SiY1APURmg2xjmAPUQCR9g/s640/DSC03557.JPG" width="372" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While I was outside, I couldn't resist taking a few extra photos. It's a beautiful winters' day here in Brisbane (if you can ignore the wind!) and the dappled light filtering through the trees was lovely. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm0KKk2vj3R6XE6rKkWCFAOwc-bLIZ3RK4Czzm4A-q53K3db42lqn7vh1UM2XLMItYqI81MyeLjduajKhSIgc9UkqwZfjt4P5-hN5ZfPB5JBF_W7GLLgXmkQRgQB8nCsuO6x74LEbYqg/s1600/DSC03550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm0KKk2vj3R6XE6rKkWCFAOwc-bLIZ3RK4Czzm4A-q53K3db42lqn7vh1UM2XLMItYqI81MyeLjduajKhSIgc9UkqwZfjt4P5-hN5ZfPB5JBF_W7GLLgXmkQRgQB8nCsuO6x74LEbYqg/s640/DSC03550.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDDb64oOKFUd1P34JBeXeZGBF8b25TChvzEKXrN7qL5tLnAOMrapK-2XkcFMt-rLNFbcCAz9J-3kFeSYgHY1WhiIh05o2oOkWdehmzGI54tyyU8d2O84cpCDGIEDLsjrGadLKkqnW1Aw/s1600/DSC03535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDDb64oOKFUd1P34JBeXeZGBF8b25TChvzEKXrN7qL5tLnAOMrapK-2XkcFMt-rLNFbcCAz9J-3kFeSYgHY1WhiIh05o2oOkWdehmzGI54tyyU8d2O84cpCDGIEDLsjrGadLKkqnW1Aw/s640/DSC03535.JPG" width="360" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> the kids' old tyre swing has had quite a workout over the years</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3VJLxaMnPkkctrJmVJkhG3Vzv1UnAkNoiBmRpHMRcTmZsvIYCQIH6PuhDGmo965OOevLL3IQUt_kjCHw5_Vy3itrtH8snbQUk-Gj_NT8SUPvFMfwlNQJe2WwRrNnNMl0QgIUEOkXMlU/s1600/DSC03544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3VJLxaMnPkkctrJmVJkhG3Vzv1UnAkNoiBmRpHMRcTmZsvIYCQIH6PuhDGmo965OOevLL3IQUt_kjCHw5_Vy3itrtH8snbQUk-Gj_NT8SUPvFMfwlNQJe2WwRrNnNMl0QgIUEOkXMlU/s640/DSC03544.JPG" width="368" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">and their cubby house has seen better days, but I can't bear to part with it! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPHkY75pZSCE5pyr0lT7bv0yP8KYghubvAEz6DvAGfc-wj6mqu93Ldyfyu4yKu-Lh-UDt9nOnW6Rhquetwk9MzkehwdhlmsD4ui1UkDiUb2CeldKZWigKr7V6MWvvDcv2Pujtq1-wZEw/s1600/DSC03547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPHkY75pZSCE5pyr0lT7bv0yP8KYghubvAEz6DvAGfc-wj6mqu93Ldyfyu4yKu-Lh-UDt9nOnW6Rhquetwk9MzkehwdhlmsD4ui1UkDiUb2CeldKZWigKr7V6MWvvDcv2Pujtq1-wZEw/s400/DSC03547.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">our driveway winds its way up this hill</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN-LtjroCjFqPQMNuCOUck5v4cXwYSe31HNYqu39iPapw_SoYNuJ2tXBxZ_by-kGPAsuojUDnVNTkvUfpO-dtbe55NoGuIUfS80a36Q3opLgWsWPJ-V8gd1TvrjNR8NbZr9x8QY8z_S8/s1600/DSC03552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN-LtjroCjFqPQMNuCOUck5v4cXwYSe31HNYqu39iPapw_SoYNuJ2tXBxZ_by-kGPAsuojUDnVNTkvUfpO-dtbe55NoGuIUfS80a36Q3opLgWsWPJ-V8gd1TvrjNR8NbZr9x8QY8z_S8/s640/DSC03552.JPG" width="492" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">the last leaves of my Jacaranda tree - aren't the colours lovely?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a great day everyone</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85794/shatay01/57292ae3db79c6d939a1f2a85508a076.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a>

Grain sack ideas

I'm trying to decide what to do with my grain sacks, so this morning I popped this chair outside in the sun and started playing around t...

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Shh, I have a secret....

...ok, quite a big secret, actually. As I've mentioned before, whoever built our house had quite the love affair with timber. Oh, and exposed bricks, but that's for a whole other post. So, as I was saying, we have timber everywhere. I've just covered a whole lot of it when I painted my <a href="http://driftwood-interiors.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-big-planthe-epic-part-ii.html">kitchen cabinets</a>, and the difference is amazing. But now that the kitchen is a lovely, glossy, gloriously bright white, the surrounding areas look a little, shall we say, <i><b>shabby</b></i> in comparison.<br /><br />We have cathedral ceilings in our kitchen/dining area, and while I love their loftiness, I'd love them a whole lot more if they looked like this:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0GhwNUi13yL3_Q8OTHYRqP6FaDV0B6xYGzitNE3mFZoAfAnI21SE1BX54qtm2Nvxzv60CkWKM-3K-urFBtprjVdB-w0mbBFTZADUAXN5PWLAidf9yeUKCDLlZah6Ja5iVIL3BLtf0mE/s1600/Beams-livingetc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0GhwNUi13yL3_Q8OTHYRqP6FaDV0B6xYGzitNE3mFZoAfAnI21SE1BX54qtm2Nvxzv60CkWKM-3K-urFBtprjVdB-w0mbBFTZADUAXN5PWLAidf9yeUKCDLlZah6Ja5iVIL3BLtf0mE/s400/Beams-livingetc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://livingetc.com/">source </a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReRum_OAWRxuPMU0loAItrrn9XwInxpGw7ajxpC0UShim6fpkodKHDZQMDiq8eSUUlxKhf1DFxBDa1Vzeckxx7QbGkD743XuCNdZtYpjy8EJUVolecOVXESgdT-CcMsITlXI5lUjbbMI/s1600/farm4dotstaticdotflickrdotcomspslash3343slash3575489223underscore3e6407d03ddotjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReRum_OAWRxuPMU0loAItrrn9XwInxpGw7ajxpC0UShim6fpkodKHDZQMDiq8eSUUlxKhf1DFxBDa1Vzeckxx7QbGkD743XuCNdZtYpjy8EJUVolecOVXESgdT-CcMsITlXI5lUjbbMI/s640/farm4dotstaticdotflickrdotcomspslash3343slash3575489223underscore3e6407d03ddotjpg.jpg" width="628" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/3575489223_3e6407d03.jpg"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source </span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhHk9pBrUVoFz7Wmpg-HPTo-i8lXRpyHJLrbWebbs8RxPCUWgvutmddlzZibR7oJkiwVKMWhyrKwdUCOz0Fap5CAWrc_9PGkHlzaOj2Bt4sHBIeDm5C3y203wBDgmDsLHiTREGHfs7XA/s1600/kitchenbathideasdotcom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhHk9pBrUVoFz7Wmpg-HPTo-i8lXRpyHJLrbWebbs8RxPCUWgvutmddlzZibR7oJkiwVKMWhyrKwdUCOz0Fap5CAWrc_9PGkHlzaOj2Bt4sHBIeDm5C3y203wBDgmDsLHiTREGHfs7XA/s400/kitchenbathideasdotcom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://kitchenbathideas.com/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAOHFXi04FtKwNZamfIcGrUjJMn95UjbgsGZk5jbyoywD349jV3UEyzu85BKyRB9WGUfqcWbuyRZlZl0jVsCY1UKpwmndCwa5-nw_UWuzZNWZeUptFbm9fhMy5kwXIHMCoIDM3bDLvjg/s1600/beam+3paulagracedesignsdotblogspot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAOHFXi04FtKwNZamfIcGrUjJMn95UjbgsGZk5jbyoywD349jV3UEyzu85BKyRB9WGUfqcWbuyRZlZl0jVsCY1UKpwmndCwa5-nw_UWuzZNWZeUptFbm9fhMy5kwXIHMCoIDM3bDLvjg/s640/beam+3paulagracedesignsdotblogspot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://paulagracedesigns.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source</span></a></div><br />Sadly for me, my ceiling looks nothing like these beauties. Yet. But it's now firmly on my soon-to-be-tackled list, as I can't stand it for much longer. Ok, just between you and me, this what my ceiling <i>actually</i> looks like:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYpAcE4UqB_6ZMIqccSfay50aphBIUjqUAh_nOJ7TNP2s0pjJFsqTbqg7715E4hSUrE-_xLPHV9-aN_b96SrKJRWG2-5E7D6uXZAlEVbuHOQ2yRq8Djy7HppIPeLvNIYbudMoLecuFRA/s1600/1.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYpAcE4UqB_6ZMIqccSfay50aphBIUjqUAh_nOJ7TNP2s0pjJFsqTbqg7715E4hSUrE-_xLPHV9-aN_b96SrKJRWG2-5E7D6uXZAlEVbuHOQ2yRq8Djy7HppIPeLvNIYbudMoLecuFRA/s320/1.22.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">oh dear!! and don't worry, the lights are on the hit-list too</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtFFsnhpJwnEY5u7FRhKXMgZ0EGU05TyPEnGA5ndofiW2PHrbT0ZLrWfnkpRLl8knzJcW2lTA3NeZImJAjEBRKnk1-QlbwfKhmlYRiHi8kWDWUd7mCaAxQANdELcfvE2vxXsDOlWMp5A/s1600/1.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtFFsnhpJwnEY5u7FRhKXMgZ0EGU05TyPEnGA5ndofiW2PHrbT0ZLrWfnkpRLl8knzJcW2lTA3NeZImJAjEBRKnk1-QlbwfKhmlYRiHi8kWDWUd7mCaAxQANdELcfvE2vxXsDOlWMp5A/s320/1.23.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> in accordance with blogger workplace health and safety regulations, the size of the above images has been kept to a minimum, as enlargement may cause serious eye injury</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ok, so I thought I knew exactly what to do - paint everything a clean, crisp white and live happily ever after. But then, the lovely Jules from A Diversion Project (of course you all know about her most excellent blog, don't you? If not, you need to get on over there stat...as soon as you're finished reading here, of course!) threw a spanner in the works. She posted this image:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT2C66tYPoYZnc2uwqZpwLW2VGRmKi-fogE9ApXSY2XbYAWeuH16VR3qmAhqXb-uo6ko-azMG6SBpZCJl9gtmDU0DN7Q0x1Ua6VEjcSr6mSjF_ZG2NHz3wjQERoM2XR4egvWF50y5hPA/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT2C66tYPoYZnc2uwqZpwLW2VGRmKi-fogE9ApXSY2XbYAWeuH16VR3qmAhqXb-uo6ko-azMG6SBpZCJl9gtmDU0DN7Q0x1Ua6VEjcSr6mSjF_ZG2NHz3wjQERoM2XR4egvWF50y5hPA/s640/1.png" width="530" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://asheleandro.com/index.html">source</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Aargh! I'm now torn between a complete whitewash, and these dramatic charcoal numbers! What to do? Do I stay true to my original vision, or do I go with something like this? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ok blog buddies, I need you to set me straight. Is it black or white? Or something in between? Each and every piece of advice will be gratefully received, I'm all asunder! As I've said before, i find it so much easier to make a decision for someone other than myself.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a great day everyone, and please feel free to send your opinions my way!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Generator"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Originator"></meta><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTony%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTony%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTony%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><style><br /> <!--<br /> /* Font Definitions */<br /> @font-face<br /> {font-family:"Cambria Math";<br /> panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;<br /> mso-font-charset:1;<br /> mso-generic-font-family:roman;<br /> mso-font-format:other;<br /> mso-font-pitch:variable;<br /> mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;}<br /> @font-face<br /> {font-family:Calibri;<br /> panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;<br /> mso-font-charset:0;<br /> mso-generic-font-family:swiss;<br /> mso-font-pitch:variable;<br /> mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;}<br /> /* Style Definitions */<br /> p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal<br /> {mso-style-unhide:no;<br /> mso-style-qformat:yes;<br /> mso-style-parent:"";<br /> margin-top:0cm;<br /> margin-right:0cm;<br /> margin-bottom:10.0pt;<br /> margin-left:0cm;<br /> line-height:115%;<br /> mso-pagination:widow-orphan;<br /> font-size:11.0pt;<br /> font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";<br /> mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;<br /> mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;<br /> mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;<br /> mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;<br /> mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;<br /> mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;<br /> mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";<br /> mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;<br /> mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}<br /> .MsoChpDefault<br /> {mso-style-type:export-only;<br /> mso-default-props:yes;<br /> mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;<br /> mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;<br /> mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;<br /> mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;<br /> mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;<br /> mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;<br /> mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";<br /> mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;<br /> mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}<br /> .MsoPapDefault<br /> {mso-style-type:export-only;<br /> margin-bottom:10.0pt;<br /> line-height:115%;}<br /> @page Section1<br /> {size:595.3pt 841.9pt;<br /> margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;<br /> mso-header-margin:35.4pt;<br /> mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;<br /> mso-paper-source:0;}<br /> div.Section1<br /> {page:Section1;}<br /> --><br /> </style> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85794/shatay01/57292ae3db79c6d939a1f2a85508a076.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">oh, and unfortunate images of ugly timber ceilings by me!</span>

Shh, I have a secret....

...ok, quite a big secret, actually. As I've mentioned before, whoever built our house had quite the love affair with timber. Oh, and ex...

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Well look who we have here!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />We had a little bit of excitement at our house on Saturday night. At around 1.30 in the morning, we woke to hear our side gate being almost shaken off its hinges. The dog was barking, we flew out of bed, half asleep and wondering what we'd find outside, but it wasn't quite what we expected at all:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bExRRovN_XWIXUVRhtA6PD4Ko-m6HkqCDANKBizuOEH4iHCgdz913Vf59Qjl_Vz3Z7QzrxXI8en2ESei2CIpx85-2zkcwMGQOhdhKR9l20YCxW_UQ8M3ctrgu-1SozuSHXAIgbuC4Cs/s1600/koala1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bExRRovN_XWIXUVRhtA6PD4Ko-m6HkqCDANKBizuOEH4iHCgdz913Vf59Qjl_Vz3Z7QzrxXI8en2ESei2CIpx85-2zkcwMGQOhdhKR9l20YCxW_UQ8M3ctrgu-1SozuSHXAIgbuC4Cs/s400/koala1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now it's nothing unusual to have koalas in our backyard. We have over two acres of gum trees, and more often than not there are koalas here most of the time. What was unusual was that this little one decided to squeeze under the gate, probably to get away from the amorous male in the next tree to hers, and managed to get stuck in the process. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8WK9nGkwu3zchK7d9uhaHFx2ZPdsLwaJAldwc4BxpWudpse896GWJE6Q4GeDuLBtCcEYxIsznmCiR-81QS2TLT-Ad-ArJoyF0Wo01hkZBQ2hy8LbGzpN1ABIfAcBu5XqdkC2xC4iFgU/s1600/koala4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8WK9nGkwu3zchK7d9uhaHFx2ZPdsLwaJAldwc4BxpWudpse896GWJE6Q4GeDuLBtCcEYxIsznmCiR-81QS2TLT-Ad-ArJoyF0Wo01hkZBQ2hy8LbGzpN1ABIfAcBu5XqdkC2xC4iFgU/s400/koala4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvUHpXQ6CcJtKSSGEDG06PsRqHGm-dYSpuVD8xzHCKm_j0u7BqRmO4IuDJdufs-MwM0cFdY60wqa9y9ZuFIJCGbw19R4xJEqlbUBzxhO12XflVcPWgxWJJk0K-LyBAga01nBkW9WZlY4/s1600/koala2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvUHpXQ6CcJtKSSGEDG06PsRqHGm-dYSpuVD8xzHCKm_j0u7BqRmO4IuDJdufs-MwM0cFdY60wqa9y9ZuFIJCGbw19R4xJEqlbUBzxhO12XflVcPWgxWJJk0K-LyBAga01nBkW9WZlY4/s320/koala2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">After finally wriggling under the gate, she found herself stuck in the fenced section of our backyard. So, in the middle of the night, hubby had to remove one of the fence panels to let her out.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6uzh3tdEee_PKgUZFg8Y7wF_uH0OmQYRt_P5JG0ED4pADNC3tWGLfzTnBYqtQ73eFYHGsYWNXrhBoXhKFr0LF4B_0ePH6CSxxVUj9-Mqy2gXqomhoEsCaAIWSC-Iobhhw-yc5SA2Z0c/s1600/koala5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6uzh3tdEee_PKgUZFg8Y7wF_uH0OmQYRt_P5JG0ED4pADNC3tWGLfzTnBYqtQ73eFYHGsYWNXrhBoXhKFr0LF4B_0ePH6CSxxVUj9-Mqy2gXqomhoEsCaAIWSC-Iobhhw-yc5SA2Z0c/s400/koala5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">all images driftwood interiors</span></div><br />The next morning she was there, snoozing happily and oblivious to the ruckus she'd caused the night before!</div><div style="text-align: left;"> I do love the fact that we have koalas in our backyard, and never take it for granted. Sadly, in the years we've lived here we've noticed their numbers have been dwindling, so while ever they're still around I'm happy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Just a run of the mill way to start the week hey?<br /><br />But make sure you pop in tomorrow, I'll be back with a little update on my '<a href="http://driftwood-interiors.blogspot.com/2010/03/perfect-queenslander.html">Perfect Queenslander</a>' post, so stay tuned!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy Monday,</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Kerri xx</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>

Well look who we have here!

We had a little bit of excitement at our house on Saturday night. At around 1.30 in the morning, we woke to hear our side gate being almost ...

Read more »