Some cushion love…. a mini couch makeover…

Our couches have been screaming for new cushions for ages now. I found the perfect ones at Pottery Barn…

The Brief: I wanted really lovely ones but didn’t want to go to the expense of getting them made as they are for the living room and are constantly used for making oceans, beds and little reading nooks so they had to be reasonably priced, functional and look good…

The Product: We wanted linen as we like the feel and look. It’s a smart, elegant and classic fabric. I was trawling around the web one day and knew pottery barn did great reasonably priced cushions so had a look and really liked these… thankfully I am near Bondi Junction so was able to head in store to have a look. They were going to work so I needed to work on cushions to compliment it. I went for this one first…

I bought both cushions and took them home to try them… knowing I could return them if I got it wrong and head back soon to get the balance… When I got them home…. they worked!!! YAY! Now to work out the configuration of what I wanted/needed. YIKES!

The Result: I went back the following day and discovered these…. they were beautiful and were double sided…  I was a little unsure about that at first but love them now as they offer more depth in the colour combinations and more configuration choices and are tonally complimentary.

I am typically a symmetrical person but really wanted to step out and try and mix it up so we went for 3 on each couch… 1 big and 2 middle size. When I got home I still had the small one here and put it on the couch too and thought it worked so I kept it… we have 4 on one and 3 on the other… I recently read in Jason Grant’s new book that items are best grouped in pairs, odd numbers or even fours… so it’s a win/win!! Who knew!

Side note: When buying from pottery barn you do need to buy the inserts. This is an initial larger outlay but they don’t change their cushion sizes so you can update your look by replacing the cover and reusing the insert for relatively little cost down the track.

Is linen your fabric of choice? Did you know about pairs, odds and fours? Think they’re too big for the couch like my husband does?

Jx

DIY: chic and affordable children’s artwork…

I made these when I was pregnant with E. I looked around on the web and couldn’t find exactly what I wanted (an initial on a canvas) and what I did find wasn’t quite right or not in the right colours. So, I decided to make my own and this is what the finished product looks like…

I bought my supplies at Eckersley’s and Spotlight. I have provided links below for each item you need for the project.

To make these you will need…

• Canvas
• Letter or any other decorative item. More letter’s here
• Paint – minimum of two colours – one for the canvas and one for the initial / decorative item. You could use as many colours as you want if you want a rainbow effect or just something more colourful. The sky is the limit. I used acrylic paint but I think any paint would do. Depending on how many you are doing you won’t need much. Some more options here and here.
• Glue

1. Paint the canvas – I gave it a base white coat (in hind sight I don’t think this is necessary) and then two coats of colour. Allow it to dry in between coats. Most paints come with instructions of time recommended left between coats.
2. Paint the letter – I gave it at least two coats. Just judge for yourself what the coverage is like and stop when you are happy.
3. When everything is dry line the initial up on your canvas where you would like it and very lightly with a pencil mark some small guidelines.
4. Put glue on the back of your letter and place it carefully on the canvas being sure to look for your guidelines. apply some pressure for a little while to make sure the glue bonds.
5. You’re all set to hang or place around your child’s room.

You could also do smaller versions, larger versions, fluro or glitter versions. Really the only limit is your imagination and your decor aesthetic.

I hope you have fun with this…

Have you made your own artwork before? Ever made something similar?

Jx

Pineapple Love…

I have such a fondness for Pineapples. We have a lovely Pineapple print framed and hung in our entrance way. Pineapples are a sign of welcome so it’s only fitting we have one in our entrance welcoming people into our home.

I am finding pineapple everywhere at the moment and I have to be careful or run the risk of ending up with a house full of pineapples…

Here are some favourites I found on the web whilst looking around…

1. Driftwood Pineapple | 2. Yellow Pineapple lamp | 3. Pineapple wrapping paper | 4. DIY Pineapple ring dish | 5. Watercolour Pineapple print | 6. Pineapple candle holder | 7. Nickel Pineapple lamp | 8. Girls Pineapple print t-shirt | 9. White porcelain Pineapple | 10. Free printable wrapping paper | 11. Ceramic Pineapple Jars | 12. Pineapple gift tags | 13. Pineapple and tropical print set

Do you like the pineapple craze at the moment?

Have any pineapples in your home?

Jx

Friday Flowers… On a Sunday

What a weekend… openings, birthdays, gardening, colds and IT issues… just to name a few.

I was racing against the clock on Friday and this post just didn’t happen. On Friday night we had a wonderful event… very close friends of ours realised a dream and opened their brewery… It’s called Modus Operandi Brewery and it’s going to be a huge hit. I will write more on this later.

Yesterday was Mr alittlepartoftheworld’s Birthday and we celebrated lunch with his family. It was such a lovely afternoon. H was just so excited… what’s not to love… cake, cousins and lots of playtime. He kept running around and saying best birthday EVER!!!… and it wasn’t even his day! He’s too cute I tell you.

Today we are all feeling very tired and a bit under the weather thanks to the usual winter bug that does its rounds. Today has been filled with gardening and I have a attacked the study with gusto. There always seems to be one room in a home that’s a work in progress. For me it’s the study. It becomes a dumping ground for everything and it’s just too easy to dump things in here and close the door on it… well not any more!!! I have it organised and nice and clean. Helped in huge part by the laundry being finished and I have lots of lovely new storage!! I can’t tell you how excited I get about storage!!

On Friday I made my first attempt to arrange flowers… I usually buy a bunch and plonk it in a vase. Pretty and effective but I wanted to try and get a little creative and do something I hadn’t before. So I bought 3 little bunches and had a go of making little arrangements. I’m quite happy for my first attempt. I know I won’t be giving up my day job any time soon but you’ve got to start somewhere right?!…

3 bunches went soooo far and we have flowers all over the house…

What have you been up to this weekend?

Anyone fighting an awful winter cold?… Jx

 

Coastal Vignette Inspiration…

I’ve been looking around the web for some coastal vignette’s inspiration. I am filing these images away for future reference.  For when I want to change up our living room…

All images via Pinterest

Jx

Coastal Vignette…

I had a lot of fun putting together a coastal vignette in our living room on top of the new cupboard to compliment the seaweed prints…

I’m looking forward to changing it up now and then and finding the right lamp/s to add some ambience into this corner.

For similar vase try here…

I found the shells here…

 For similar frames try here…

The little aqua leaf dish is from here…

Jx

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Looking for one thing… and finding another…

Have you ever found yourself looking for one particular thing and finding another?…

Allow me to elaborate…

We have found the right pieces of furniture for either side of the fireplace in our living room. They are not what I originally thought we were going for and I love them even more than what I had planned…

I had pictured commodes there but I knew I needed to be careful about them looking too delicate for the space. So I had envisaged a long search to find the right ones…

When we were in the Southern Highlands a few weeks ago we were having a look around and found these… well actually, N found them and pointed them out. They were the perfect measurement and I loved that they are a cupboard rather than a commode. All of a sudden it made sense this was the style of furniture we should had been thinking of all along…doh!

I was hesitant about how distressed they were at first and worried it could be too much but once I got home I knew they would compliment the mirror nicely and therefore balance each other. I was still a little nervous though because until I get things into the space I’m never completely sure it will work.

When they arrived I was VERY relieved to see they suited the space and I’m happy with how they look…

I am now on the hunt for some baskets to go on the bottom shelf for storage. It will help hide some of H’s toys on one side and provide handy storage for DVD’s on the other (under the TV).

Have you ever thought you were looking for a certain piece of furniture and ended up with another?

Jx

P.S To see similar and lots of other goodies visit here…

You can also find us on Facebook here…

White Hyacinth…

I’ve never had Hyacinth’s in the house before but I will definitely be buying them again as I love them. I wanted something I could put into my little test tube vases. Hyacinth’s are perfect for this don’t you think? 

I wanted to share them with you as they make me smile. To me, they look elegant, pretty and happy…

I hope you enjoy them…

Have you had Hyacinth’s in the house before? If so, how do you arrange them?

Have a great weekend everyone… Jx

Our Front Entrance…

I have been working on our entrance way. It’s a tricky space as you will see…

I’m pleased with how it’s come together so far, it needs a little more styling though!! I’d appreciate any thoughts you have on that…

I’m thrilled with how the Pineapple and Mango have come up. I bought the prints from here and had them framed by Master Framing…

All images copyright Jessica Flett

Please excuse the lack of styling but I wanted to show you how it’s looking so far. 

Have any of you got a tricky spot in your house to decorate?
If you have, where is it and what have you done?

Jx

P.S… you can find the lamp here, the table here and the candle here…

Blue and White China prints…

As mentioned previously here, I bought some large blue and white china prints from Driftwood Interiors…

I had them framed and hung at the same time as the seaweed prints. They were originally going to be hung in the sunroom but once I saw them I knew I wanted to see them more often and that spot is quite hidden so we wouldn’t see them very often.

Instead, they found a home at the top of our stairs. I knew I wanted something for that spot but wasn’t sure what. When I took these up there to have a look, they were perfect. So there they now hang.

All images copyright Jessica Flett

I’m thrilled I get to see these all the time and so is my husband (they are his favourite)… 

Jx