my kitchen

It's VERY rare that my kitchen looks this clean so I took some pics to capture the moment...

I scored the Ikea Henriksdal bar stools on ebay - $100 for all 4! I bought some brand new covers to keep handy - because I have 2 boys! - but they wash so well it'll be ages before I turf these ones.

I copied this 'EAT' display from my favourite TV house - Cougartown. I watched the show every week but barely even listened to the show, I just drooled over Jules' (Courtney Cox) house.

Got this pineapple cookie jar on our last trip to Hawaii and carried it in my hand luggage on the plane trip home just to make sure it got here in one piece. Even though I don't have cookies in it I love it because it reminds me of the trip and the actual day I bought it.

This lamp is from one of my favourite shops, seaweed and sand. We leave it on most nights until we go to bed as it gives off just the perfect amount of light throughout the whole house.

Love love love this photo frame and photo from our 2010 trip to Hawaii. Trying to work out a way to hang it on the wall as the bracket it came with is far to weak for the weight of the frame. For now I like looking at it while I cook.

I saw this idea on Young House Love - they had posted it from another blog but I can't remember which one. Another pineapple - reminds me of Hawaii.

I love you clean white counters. I hope we meet again soon.

W-O-W did 2010 fly by! We had another great year at our house with a few fantastic holidays, both interstate and overseas, and lots and lots of family time.

I've declared this to be the year-of-the-mortgage-smashing. I'm hoping we can knuckle down and knock off a decent sized chunk of it. That's not to say we wont be enjoying life and doing what we love, it just means no overseas trips (2 trips to Hawaii in the last 2 years is pretty lucky - I acknowledge that) and no silly purchases. My main new years resolution is to stop buying so much crap and i'm doing really well so far. I just have to stay away from Ikea. Not that I buy crap there, I just tend to buy A LOT there.

Anyway, we're planning a yard sale (not a garage sale because Greg doesn't want people coming in to his garage and seeing his tools) in a couple of weeks and i've been sorting through the cupboards, trying to be ruthless about what I should let go. Here's hoping it's a success.

I have a few projects planned for the coming months and look forward to blogging about them. I'm still, ok, more obsessed with design and decorating blogs than ever and thought I'd list my current favourites. All of which I check atleast once a day.


1. http://www.younghouselove.com/
These guys are totally fantastic. I don't know how they managed to let it go, but they've just moved out of their first house in Virginia, USA which took them over four years to renovate and revamp to the PERFECT home. They have such great ideas and the most brilliant taste and share their experiences and tips step by step. They regularly post pics of their gorgeous six month old daughter too, which I love. They've just moved in to a new house and say they'll be sharing each step of the way which I'm so looking forward to. I've copied far too many of John & Sherry's ideas to mention.


2. http://www.centsationalgirl.com/
Kate is from California and I seriously can't get enough of her blog. She has such great taste in decorating and is so clever I constantly find my eyes bugging out at her ideas and unbelievable thrift store finds. I would pay serious bucks to have a tour through her house - the pics just aren't enough. Most of her house is included in my inspiration folder.


3. thehappyhomeblog.com
I recently came to love this one even more than I did after I realised the author, Belinda, lives nearby. I've actually seen her at the local shops a couple of times but couldn't pluck up the courage to approach her. She has some great ideas, quite a few of which I've tried and is always posting child friendly crafts and ideas, which is great because her kids are the same age as Liam and Brayden. She also used to work for one of my favourite magazines - real living.


4. http://www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/
Another one from the states, although I don't actually know where. Sarah writes about anything and everything and I usually laugh whilst reading her posts. She writes just like I can imagine her talking.


5. abeachcottage.com
I love this one because it's written by a British gal who has moved to Australia and sounds to be absolutely loving it. She has great taste and I love looking at the pics of her house and vintage finds. I also love that she sometimes refers to her son as the smelly teenage boy as I imagine myself there with my boys in about 10 years time.


So these are the sites that keep me on the computer til the wee hours most nights - something I tell myself I'm not going to do when I wake up tired most mornings.