birdcage... come wishing well...

Hi girls, well I finished it.  I had soo much fun turning this birdcage into a wishing well for my niece's wedding.

She wanted me to line the inside bottom half with the lace. The white base you can see in the birdcage above are actually cardboard bases cake makers use to put their cakes on. I still had some left over from my cake decorating days and they were a perfect fit. I used 2 for a little extra weight and covered them in the lace also.

So I cut out a round piece of lace for the bottom and a long rectangle that goes round twice the circumference as I was going for a gathered effect. I basically lined it like you would a bin. I made a hem at the top and threaded through some thin ribbon to gather it and hold it in place.

I put some roses along the top section and bottom section where the swirly bits were and the beading just above and below them.

I grabbed my invitation and cut out her little " DM " symbol which is their initials, David and Marie, added a pretty crystal button for some bling.. you gotta have a touch of bling!

Finished off the top with some large bows from white ribbon and from the lace which I cut into strips and added one large flower to compliment the littles one.

So there you have it. You could really go to town with this sort of thing but I thought this was enough as she is not an 'over the top' sort of gal.

She was very happy with it and with the baskets.. which made me very happy!

take care, Maryann
(sorry about the quality of the pics but you wouldn't believe the trouble I had uploading these.. for some unknown reason!)

tablecoth to cane basket covers..for a wedding..

Hi girls, well my niece is getting married in a couple of weeks and I happened to be at her mum's place the other day when she walks in. She'd just come back from spotlight with some lace and other bits and pieces.  I found out they were going to cover some cane baskets that will hold her church booklets and were also going to try to line a birdcage to use it as a wishing well.

I knew this might be a little tricky for them as they are not sewers, so I offered my help which they accepted gladly.

the lace I used is just a nylon tablecloth from the bargain barn $6! They used these at her kitchen tea which looked very pretty.

it was a little tricky because where the timber handles are I had to leave a split between the inside of the basket and the frill on the outside so it could go over.

I thought it would look nice to add some ribbon to cover the cane that were holding the timber sides. I actually covered two of these.

today I will be working on the birdcage..

this is the lace she purchased. Very pretty..

These past few days have been just lovely. Winter is nearly over and there is new life on the trees. I can feel spring in the air already..hooray!

If your wondering how I'm doing with my diet, all I can say is..who was i kidding!.. thinking I could lose 8 kg in 4 wks. The first week of my diet it was my hubbys birthday, my mum's birthday and my niece's kitchen tea! well that was well thought out wasn't it! Ok so I had some cake....maybe more.. Since then I've bought a couple of things that might help me reach my goal,  but it's definately going to take longer than I thought, but that's another post!

take care girls, Maryann

on a mission...

Hi girls, bet you can't believe your eyes to see another post soo soon after my last one!

Well you see.. I'm on a mission....... to lose some weight.

I've been wanting to go on this mission for the last 18 months...   but it never happened.

I'm either too busy, too tired, too tempted, too unorganised or just plain couldn't be bothered.

but I think the time has come to get off my B'hind and actually do something about it... and I'm even putting it out there for all to see.

firstly I do have a bit of flab under the arms .. so I'm doing alot of these....

but my main offender.. my biggest problem is this...

my muffin top, my waist.. my gut! sometimes by the end of the day my stomach can reach out as far as my boobs.. (yes, hate to admit it)

not to mention  my B'hind! I'm tired of the jingle jangle when I walk...

so what's the plan you may ask?

Well definately no more of this...

or this!

I suppose I could stand infront of the mirror and just wish it away but that sure as hell ain't gonna happen!

No fairy godmother for me.

so the plan is very simple really .. it's just DOING what I KNOW needs to be done..

no more binging

no more procrastinating

no more going to the pantry looking for something to nibble on

no more thinking about food

no more eating food just to get out of something I really don't feel like doing but should be doing

no more eating more past the point of being full

no more making bad decisions

MY GOAL =  TO LOSE 8 - 10 KGS IN 4 WKS ( approx 22lbs)

not  much really.. I have seen people lose way more than this .. so I know it can be done!

So what WILL I be doing..

definately jogging or walking every day for 15 - 30 mins.

eating a healthy breakfast, alternating between eggs of some sort and meusli, i like heart 1, from goodness superfoods which contains barley max. I know oats are the best but I just can't eat  that stuff.

for lunch and dinner I basically have some sort of protein like fish, chicken or meat with salad or veggies. No chips (fries) or bread or pasta and I stop eating when I'm about 80% full.

If I feel like a snack in between it's either a piece of fruit or raw nuts.

I only drink water or fresh 100% juice.

and I definately won't be starving myself, I don't believe in that. 

So that's it and if you're wondering why I want to do this in  4 wks it's because I have 2 weddings to go to early September. Yesterday I went out and bought a new dress and I am determined to look good in it. 

so now that it's out there I hope I don't make a goose out of myself. I started last monday and I have already lost 1 kg! yay, so far so good!

I think it really is in the choices I make. Will I eat that tim tam and feel good in the moment or will I say no and feel good all the time. There is so much information out there about food and nutrition now I really have no excuse.

take care girls, maryann

ps...will keep you posted

( all pics are from www.123rf.com)

trying to declutter...

Hi girls, wow it's been a while since my last post but in all honesty I haven't had much to say. Not much has happened around here. It's still winter here and this year I promised myself I wouldn't winge too much about the cold hoping that it would make winter feel like it passed quicker and I have to say it worked. Only 4 more weeks to go .. yay!

In an effort to do a little more decluttering I decided to redo my buffet and hutch. Here are some before pics. The one above goes back awhile and the one below not so long ago.

This was probably more recent .. mmm.. maybe I should have left it like this!

but I did change it to this..

I did originally have everything white on there but it didn't last long, I found myself putting some pink back!! Clutter or no clutter?? is a question I often find myself asking and can't seem to answer as I like the look of both.  

I picked up these plates for $2 each from house warehouse.. I love the frenchy look of them and they were cheap enough for me to buy a couple of sets for everyday use.

Well for now it stays like this,.. it's soo much easier to keep clean but don't be surprised if I change it all back!

take care, Maryann

lounge room curtains and painted doors...

Hi girls, well I finally put the curtains up in the lounge room. It took me a while as I couldn't decide whether to go for gold rods or white. In the end I went for the white. I decided to keep the gold to a minimal and just have touches of it here and there. I also painted the french doors that lead from my hallway to the lounge room.. come in and have a look...

my hallstand is the first thing you see when you come in

Fred still needs to put the handles on..

from the other end of the hallway

I also hung up a mirror on top of the fireplace but it looks too small for the space

the curtains are just off the floor.. I might put the hem down so they 'puddle' but having a thermal backing they may look a little stiff and not puddle so well..will have to think about that one..

my cute frenchy dressing table/desk has gone from this room, into my family room for a trial and now back into my lounge room. I'm not sure if I'll leave the mirror there but I really don't want to get rid of it as I just love it..

other side of the room .. I don't have curtains tie backs yet ..the fabric is just pushed in where my blind attachment thingy is.. but you get the idea..

this mirror will stay for now .. I do have another mirror.. the frame only that is..  I need to get a new mirror cut out for it and I'm hoping it won't cost me an arm and a leg as it's quite large. Next thing for this room is to get a lounge suite. I had planned on reupholstering a vintage one I came across awhile ago but I am more leaning to getting a new one with comfy cushions and a couple of french style armchairs. So I am on the hunt... thankfully it's sale time at the shops so fingers crossed I'll find something I like at a good price! 

take care, Maryann 

Hallway...

Geez, I can't believe it's been 2 months since my last post.  So what have I been doing?..... not much! My hallway is still a work in progress but you might like to have a look at where I'm at.

This is looking from my family room into the hallway.

I put the hall stand right near the front door and a small sideboard on the opposite wall. This is only here temporarily. I'm on the look out for a nice vintage one with lots of details which I will leave timber and not paint. I love the mix of both painted and timber in a room. So for now this will have to do. I have all family photos on it.

The view from the front door.

I put my china cabinet right at the end. It probably really doesn't go in the hallway but I love it too much to get rid of it and it fits perfect there anyway!

I found the pink light fitting at a garage sale for $4. This is also here temporarily as I have something much nicer to go there but it needs adjusting. I think I have to nag Fred a lot bit more so he can hurry up and do it!

and finally this is the view from my hallway into the family and dining rooms...

take care, Maryann

ps. I put the curtains up in my lounge room but the photos turned out crap, so will have to take some more..!