Creating with Wallpaper

If you've ever wallpapered a room you've no doubt had leftover paper, i have a load of it sitting in the wardrobde right now. So I looked to see what creative ideas I could use them for and these ideas are what I found.....
 Below are 6 easy ways to spice up your life with wallpaper.

1) Creating a cloud feature, you could do this across an entire wall or a small section to zone a space such as a play corner

Project Nursery

2) Making a wallpaper Atlas is not only beautiful it's educational too; win win!

Kinderzimmer

3) Lining Furniture with leftovers is a great way to put some pizaaz back into an old treasure, I love the use of pattern in this bedside table

Spoonflower

4) Layering strips of different wallpaper can make for an interesting backdrop, you can combine all kinds of retro patterns like this sweet wall

Apartment Therapy

5) A genius idea is to use the paper for your desk's inboard or magnetic board. 

Mokkasin

6) Adding interest to an old bookshelf, the zig zags really lift this piece and make it super kind friendly

Brit

7) Making a wallpaper house on a wall is an easy way to curb some creative play without taking up precious floor space a great alternative to a dollhouse. 

Bambinogoodies

Happy sticking people!

xx

Doll House Renno

I was given my old dollhouse back from my sister after her two kids had enjoyed the house too, and decided to give it a much needed upgrade to 2015 after seeing over 30 years of wear and tear.... I'm not going to lie, the house was a shambles, windows all busted, floors all cracked the roof collapsing it was the ghetto of doll houses. It needed a facelift and it needed it yesterday and hey we had the dough to do it (how I wish the same could be said of our actual home hehe!)

This is the original house:

I told you it was a mess.....

First stop was to take apart the whole house and rebuild the window frames and eaves and then give the poor house a big sand down:

Once this had happened we were able to select the colour palette I opted for grey, white and aqua on the exterior and white and wallpaper on the interior. I was so stoked to be able to use this roll of wallpaper from Pulp Creative Paper I had been holding on to for years that I loved but could never find a home for!

with spray painted the shutters, front door and decrotive eave mouldings (god i love spray paint!)

We then sanded back all the inside of the house and stained the wooden floors a darker tone, in a gloss stain which gave the interior a real boost and we knew would also protect the house for many more years of playing to come.

Tah-Dah! I brand new bitching house:

The house keeps getting filled with random hobos we pick up along the way and is greatly aided by my dear friend who happens to work for Sylvanian Families (totally connected!) I freaking love how excited Sophia is to play with it everyday, she sits and imagines all kinds of dramas going on in her little house just like i did and her niece and nephew too- so cute to carry something special like a dollhouse on through generations. Who knows what it'll look like in another 30 years, maybe flat screens and hover beds?! 

Long live the awesome power of the imagination xx

Easter Gift guide- 2015

I'm not sure what your Easter traditions are but I'd be lying if I said I don't now look forward to our annual Easter egg hunt: now more than ever because my daughter is just at that age where it will blow her mind to look around for chocolate delights! Sometimes it makes more sense to give non sugary treats and this is what we have kept in mind when choosing this special Easter Guide for you guys! We tried to include things in a range of prices and will definitely last you long after all of the wrappers have disappeared.


For the little ladies:

From left to right:
Pink Bunny Pom Pom Playsuit $45
Rabbit faced Booties $44.95
Bunny Snuggle Cushion $89
Bunny Mask and Tail $6
Pastel Easter Wreath $24.95
Bunny Wall Decal $189
Bunny Wall Knob $16
Bunny Poster FREE!!

And the Mini gentlemen:

From left to right:
Chicken cushion $99
Rabbit mask & Tail $40
Egg blanket $99
Blue Bunny harem pants $40
Mint Bunny $21.95
Bunny garland $20
Bunny slippers $29.95
Mint bunny print $15^




Whatever you choose to do on your Easter long weekend we hope you have a smashing time!!

Top Picks from Kids Instyle 2015

Sack Me

Homely Creatures

Mister Moss

Made 590

                               

     Bride and Wolfe

Dreamers Inc

O.B Designs

We always have so much fun visiting the Kids Instyle show, meeting all the creatives behind the brands we use and seeing new product ranges is exciting! This year was no different, with a mass of things to look at and delight, here are our top 3 discoveries:

White Moose

These guys really have a strong sense of colour and form- all their products are quite unique we especially fell for the animal heads and planters in all kinds of colours and styles.

Hobbe Nursing Chairs

Nursing chair luxe brand hobbe have managed to preview a range of comfy and modern chairs that will certainly keep new mums happy in the wee hours. I loved the range of fabrics they've used, all aim at being easy to wash and durable. Looking forward to using these in an upcoming nursery. 

Phoebe Lamps

Not only are the designs of the lamps from Phoebe  dynamic and interesting the simple fact that you can put WHATEVER fabric or paper in the lining of the lamp to suit the decor of the room was a bit seller for me! Imagine the possibilities… You only need an A3 printer and the world is yours. Some options that come to mind would be using maps of your families favourite countries, designing your own animals or using fonts- it's a great idea and one that will blow open the way that lampshades are used in kids rooms for sure.

Keep up the good work, girls at Kids Instyle! We hope you get to relax and plan for the next show :)

A New Year- A New Style!

Styling a room is fairly simple and always the best bit of my job! I love the thrill of putting old and new treasures together and making them a home. If you're changing a room around or totally redoing it there are a few handy hints Ive learnt along the way of Property Styling and design work to pass along to you guys….

1) Create It
Postcards, Linen Tea Towels, drawings from friends are all things we have lying around that with some magic can be zapped to create a frame able artwork, that may possibly conjure some fond memories for your little one to look at everyday. I like to keep an eye out for zany postcards at markets and tea towels that scream "I can't be used I need to be framed!"

3) Mix'n'Match It
Yes the days of boring bed linen has totally evaporated and in turn, left us with so much more freedom when choosing bedding for our kids.... In keeping with their creativity I usually like to mix up pillowcases with quilts that might not ordinarily go together, sometimes that's the best surprise to see a group of stripes offset by some snappy polka dots. This also includes your cushions and soft toys too.

2) Vignette It
What's that catchy term that stylists love to use you ask? It's just a way of putting together a few key items that will flow and look great. Doing so in a kids room can be a great way to highlight space that may not otherwise get much attention. This is always a chance to use some of their treasured toys and books so choose wisely as it can be a way of preserving their life!
HOT TIP: Shelving is always an easy area to cluster, remember KISS (keep it simple stupid)

3) Grow It
I may have mentioned this before in a previous post>> cause I just LOVE to plants…. In every room of the house including kids rooms, I usually go with succulents to keep it simple, clean and easy to keep alive. I like to plant them in quirky pots like old teapots, jam jars or cylinders: let your imagination go wild

4) Bunt It
You may have noticed that most kids rooms that are styled by children interior designers usually have a garland or two draped around the artworks? It is an easy and effective way of softening up the wall space especially if the room is a nursery where you want to evoke a feeling of whimsy. Draping the garlands around the cot always looks lovely too just make sure it's never a safety issue as little hands do love to tug on strings.

Happy styling to you in 2015! xx

DIY- Ice Cream party

A few months ago I decided to do an easy birthday party for Sophia and smash the two things she loves in life; ice cream and dancing. The dancing was easily solved by this bad boy:

which you can buy at hard to find and a playlist on the iPod involving a LOT of wiggles.....

The Ice Cream bit was slightly harder..... I went on a mission to get Mr Whippy to come to the party, it all sounded so easy "just call him up, let you know where you'll be and hey presto he'll be there" but about 50 calls later to ALL the Mr Whippy's in Sydney, made me realise you either have to live in Western Sydney or have  like 500 kids at your party.... So the plan swtiched to the much better and fun plan: to do it ourselves....

I didn't want to go too overboard with this party I learnt from my mistakes at Sophia's first party that you really dont need to do too much after a scour on Pinterest I got some ideas to make some simple ice cream cone decorations. I Went to Pulp Creative Paper in Balgowlah and got some cute yellow and white polka dot paper for the cones and multi-coloured honey comb balls for the scoops of icecream. It took me a few times to map out a legit cone cut-out, then cut big and smaller cones for the honey comb balls, 

then squeezed craft glue around the edge of the cones and popped the honey comb balls on top, I put them in a mug to set dry.....

Then I pierced a needle and thread through the top of the balls ready hang from a piece rope I'd cut out beforehand

The day was a hguge sucess with a certain fairy visiting us to do face-painting and singing

 games of pass the parcel, plenty of yummy food- fruit, popcorn, cupcakes, spinach dip cob & risotto balls!

 and lots of ice cream cones!! We put the selection of toppings in little cups with label in paper ice-cream cones we had oreo's, cherries, sprinkles and marshmallows with sauces to add too.....

I'd say from the look on little Sophia's face she had a great time....

xxx