appropriate cutlery

I don't know how I could work this in but I am loving the individuality of the cutlery mobile in this kitchen! I love originality!

desiretoinspire

singular art

A single colour canvas is surprisingly very interesting. It draws out the colour in the room - really draws your eye to it.

desiretoinspire

food trees

I am using OMG too often - but here I go again... OMG I am all over this like a fat kid on a cupcake! These food trees are amazing! They are oh so cute, so simple and so easy to make - timber, dowel, glue and a bit of cutting and drilling - woila! Is that how you spell woila? I don't know and I don't care because I love this so much! You could even do it with little blocks of cheese and cabanossi! Or cheese and olive! There is so much you could do!

Put this on thre list of things for the new house!! I am thinking Daddy Piggy might be good at doing this... ;)

nestifyonline.com

no...these are a few of my fav-our-ite things...

nestifyonline

OMG I could not be loving this more than I am! I was about to pack up and go to bed and then I saw this and I got all excited!

I would love to make one for Mr Piggy and me for our new home! It would be so cool to list all the things that we really love and get a little canvas made up! Or we could print and frame it! I love the typewriter font - its so kitsche and cool!

Must remember - must remember!!

the cheapest new home-owner art of all

Isn't it great when you see something new and it opens your mind to more than just the ho-hum?

I almost feel over myself when I saw this pic. Could there we a cheaper form of art for a new home-owner? When you have all these colour tabs everywhere already, its very unlikely!

Were you not brave enough to run with that colour scheme you were thinking about? Just pop down to Bunnings, pick up a selection and pop it on your wall... oh to dream...

desiretoinspire

monotone love love

How is it that monotone just works??? Its bordering on too-much but its looks so artsy and is so simple!! Cheap do-it-yourself alert!!!

I am feeling a flea market trip coming on!

prettylittlethingsforhome

desiretoinspire

decal a lil bit of awwww......

Then there came thewallstickercompany ... awwww.....

Too cute!!! Love love love!!

christmassy words

Countdown to Christmas!!!

I am loving words used in decorating! We had our initials in painted timber letters at our wedding! But outside of "Happy Birthday" signs, I hadn't really considered Christmas ones! Loving this idea - its a do-it-yourself, you don't have to succumb to the cookie-cutter Christmas decorations out there that EVERYONE is getting and its preddy!!

thehappyhomeblog.com

the artful map

Maps as art I am loving!

1. Because it looks good
2. Is a great DIY
3. Is CHEAP!

What a perfect decorating idea! The whole black and white thing looks fab!

desiretoinspire

Just like this pic from my previous blog! Still loving it!!

home-beautiful

Would also work great with a brown timber frame and an old map for an antique feel. You don't even have to frame it!

desiretoinspire

Or an old-school feel - a bit retro

thehappyhomeblog

Or for a purpose... as curtains!!

desiretoinspire

Or the nifty wall decal!! So much choice!!!!

thewallstickercompany

 

Or you could take it all the way... and wallpaper the whole room with vintage maps!

marthastewart

cute as kitsche

This is absolutely cute as a button! But the bit I am loving most of all is the little cushion with the red medical cross on it! I am doing nursing and am in love with lil' things like that!

desiretoinspire

prize hunt on the wall...for the vegetarians and PETA supporters

I am seeing these deer heads everywhere now and although they are only made of cardboard / balsa wood etc. they cost a fortune.

Check out thehappyhomeblog for instructions on how to make it!

I love how unusual / kitsche it is! I so need a fireplace to hang it over.

I know people will see it and roll their eyes at me - but if you can't have fun at home...where can you have fun!!??

Or you could do it in balsar wood... easy to work with - still cheap and would last longer. Balsar would work with a lot more interior design...

desiretoinspire

A wall decal would be different!! (The colour around the outside is just the colour of the wall)

thewallstickercompany

The stuffed toy head on the wall would be absolutely classic in a kid's room!! I want one!!!

marthastewart

This would be the non-do-it-at-home-designer-alternative but you still have to love it!!

desiretoinspire

pretty? wear a potato sack...

A do-it-yourself!!?? I love one of those! And it helps with my organisation...all the better!!!

desiretoinspire

desiretoinspire.net

art is everywhere

This little display is strung up above Church Street in Parramatta. I haven't thought that much of it, until I have been becoming more heavily involved in design, homes and this blog.

I am not sure what it is meant to represent, but I have taken notice of how beautiful it is - simple cones of mesh, strung up high above the street. Perhaps something this simple would make an outdoor entertaining area or garden something special?

Walking through Westfield Bondi Junction, I cam across a hairdresser with a fabulous screen. Instead of your standard glass, they have layers upon layers of recycled timber. It is quite smooth to touch and although acting as a screen, allows you to see through.

This made me think - what a great and potentially inexpensive addition to your home. It was quite thin, so it wouldn't take up too much space. You could screen off one area of a room from another - it would work great in an industrial style apartment. Recycled timber means that you could get it fairly inexpensive and I think with the right know-how anyone could put it together safely. What do you think?

i'm late i'm late, for an important date!

Its a giant pocket watch!!! hahahahaha! That is just classic! Love it!

designspongeonline

seeing spots

Ok, are we the sadest dog owners ever?

...Let me set the scene. Mr Piggy and I have a Dalmatian. We love him and would like to include him in elements around the house. I mean, when you have a specific pet or breed it makes you smile when you see something that reminds you of them. We definately want to stop short of a multitude of photos that say 'shrine' more than 'love' though. If you have so much of something in your home that it makes you feel as if you should light some candles and make a food offering - then YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR!

That said you should also not group them together too much I think - something here and there would definately balance the place out much better.

So, I had a look on etsy and found some fabulous little ready to buy items. They're fun - first and foremost and original as they are all made by hand. Who knows these artists could make it big one day and your inexpensive little purchase just become a fortune!

109 Bouncing Spots

 

Fetch, Spot

 

Dalmatian wooden puzzle

Ok, I'll stop being so selfish - here are some other pet art you can find just by giving a bit of loving time to Esty..

Custom Andy Warhol-esqe print

This one is so cool I must admit - you send the pic and they create it into a Warhol-esqe masterpiece! Imagine the possiblities!

 

Dachhund Magnet Set

There are magnets with other animals, but I love it how the sausage dogs can't fit onto one! Classic!

 

Greyhound Silhouette

You could even do something like this at home too I imagine? Silhouettes can be modern/classic depending on colours and style and could really pull the colours in a room together.

maps de art!

A home on the Home Beautiful magazine website has a great idea for some personal art!

It appears as though they have gotten a big copy of a map / picture in birds eye view, cut it up into pieces and framed each individual piece. The colour of the black frames against the stark white walls works well in their chic monochrome home.

This has gotten me thinking - what an inexpensive way to hang personal art!?

Hubby Piggy and I have been talking about what art interests us. We have similar tastes and we love things that are different. I'm the crafty one so no doubt it will come down to me doing it, but I think it would be a lot of fun!

Things you can frame in this way...a

• poster (even a big picture would work)
• photo - blown up and then cut up - a close up of a face or an eye for those more modern, a photo of a meadow or a garden for a country house..
• map from a holiday destination - somewhere overseas, something from your childhood, a place you would love to go (great inspiration for saving!)
• birds eye view of a place (I would love a picture of Paris - would remind me of looking down on it from the Eiffel Tower!)

martha martha martha

Officer, put an ankle bracelet on me and put me under house arrest at Martha Stewart's place - because she is my idol!

My dream would be to work for her - playing with crafts all day, taking pretty pictures and updating the Martha Stewart website. I love her! So...she is going to be on this blog...A LOT!

I have been thinking about outdoor living a lot lately so I thought I would check out what Martha has to offer. She has some fabulous pictures of how to light and decorate entertaining areas in cheap and creative ways.

Love the tiki lamps. They are cheap, look so preddy and are easily stored. On a side point, I love the path in this picture. It is windy enough to appear to blend in with the natural surroundings and it has large stone pavers interspersed between grass. Maybe a way to save money on pavers? Don't pave the whole thing, just a few here and there. It outlines where the path is really well, but doesn't cost a fortune? Also, have a thought about the grass. Even if you are paving, grass is going to grow between the cracks and then you have to physically pull it out yourself. If you leave the path fairly natural, as above, you can just run the lawn mower over it!

You don't need expensive outdoor lighting for your entertainment area. Hang jam jars with tealight candles underneath tabletop umbrellas to save on table space (also keeps them out of the hands of the tiny tots!) The mood would be much improved from that of the glare of a floodlight or starkness of a lightbulb.

Turn a camp cot into an elegent daybed. That would be a lot cheaper than buying some of the day beds out there! Use an old cot frame, sand it back and give it a lick of paint.

If you need a new mattress, you can buy foam by the metre at places in Australia such as Clark Rubber, cover it in a fabric of your choice and whola! I do admit the cushions in complementing fabrics do look fabulous!

Coming into a new home in a new housing area, chances are the only shade you have, is the shade you have created yourself. New home builders rarely have enough money to include a covered verandah or pagola, to enjoy your backyard, so don't wait for the trees to grow - just string a canopy up yourself!

There are ready made styles available in building stores or you can create one yourself with a piece of fabric and some string!

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the hardest ideas to come up with!

Creative and functional is the motto!