Tag Archives: HOME

Bathroom essentials & Ecostore giveaway ( CLOSED )

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When it comes to bathrooms, these are undoubtably my ‘must-haves’

 

Practical but pretty  |  And not just pretty, organsied. For me, they day starts better when everything is in it’s place. But with such a small bathroom and limited storage how do I be practical and pretty?  Fog Linen wire storage, thats how. Available from www.fatherrabbit.com . On the subject of pretty, this sweet little dish from Houston Design Co is the holder of everything that needs a transitional home, from rings, to bobbie pins it’s the handiest thing around. Available from www.houstondesignco.bigcartel.com .  And finally, no bathroom is complete without the addition of Turkish cotton towels, light weight but luxurious. Perfection.  Available from www.ottoloom.co.nz

Calm & Serene  |  Like the bedroom, I believe the Bathroom should bea  restful place. A place to collect your thoughts in the morning, or unwind in the evening. And nothing does this more than a delicious scented candle, Midnight Orchid from Ecoya is at the top of my list. Available from www.ecoya.com . Finally, being honest, nothing screams calm and screne to me than a beautiful clean space. Ecostore is the practically only product we use. Not only do the work a treat, they smell amazing and are ‘free from all nasties’ triple tick in my book.

 

The lovely folks at Ecostore have been incredibly generous and have one  Pamper Pack up for grabs! Inculding Hand wash  Body was, hand and body moisturiser and soaps! All you have to do is head over to Ecostore and tell us your favourite bathroom product in the comments below!

Winner drawn at random next Monday.

 

Good Luck!

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

Farewell 2014

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2014, what a year you have been.

Blackbird became my job, we moved house and literally moved a house, moved cities,  began renovations on our first home, had our Coco Darling, Lost our Coco Darling, Gained 15kgs, Lost 22kgs ( and counting ) Celebrated 5 years of marriage, went to Vietnam,  Opened a pop up shop and got ourselves our puppy Frankie Blossom.

It has been a hell of a year, we have been so heart broken, so defeated, but we have been so happy, so thankful and have become far better for it. In saying that, I am happy to see the back end of you 2014. 2015, you better be a great year.

 I want to thank all you beautiful, wonderful and dedicated readers, I never thought anyone would want to read about my life, our Coco, home renovations or my DIY’s. But you did! And you do! So thank you, I cant wait to share what is happening in 2015.

Wishing you and your families an incredible, simple, beautiful and refreshing holiday season.  See you in the new year!!

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

Backyard Fire Pit for Homestyle

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Squabs and Throw Cushions made by me, Fabric from The Fabric Store | Festoon Lights available from Flux Boutique | Paint is Blue Bark by Resene | Palm leaf and leather cabin luggage and Acacia round chopping board both from Paper Plane | Leather Moroccan pouf from Let Liv | Lime and Coconut soy candle from J.Danes MAKER | Palm available from Paradise Palms, Hawkes Bay | Plywood Crate from The Ply Guy | Enamel Mugs from Father Rabbit

It is warming up by the day here in the Hawkes Bay, so having a little spot to sit outdoors is  a must have. And although there are plans for a deck, they are on the horizon still. So in the meantime we focused on the awkward little corner in the back, creating a little spot to sit in the morning warmth and somewhere to toast marshmallows over once the sun goes down. With a few simple ideas and a bit of muscle we made one of our favourite ‘rooms’ in the house.

For the ‘how-to’s’ grab a copy of the latest Homestyle Magazine.

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

MAKE IT | driftwood centrepiece

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It’s true. I love Christmas. Every year the tree is up on the 1st December and I begin preparing around October. But it’s not all love and mistletoe. I love the festivity, the celebration, the gatherering and the chance to decorate and wrapping presents ( Seriously,  put me in a room with paper, ribbon and empty boxes, I will wrap them. And love it. ). But I am not a fan of the frill, red, white and green, the stress and the need for mass consumption. So this year I am getting back to basics, buying purposefully, and trying to strip it back. Beginning with this centrepiece.

Realistically this is something you could use at any point in the year, it’s simple, understated, doesn’t scream HO HO HO and suuuuuper easy to make. Here’s how.

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YOU WILL NEED :

– Driftwood, or any other wood for that matter, as long as it can sit and not roll over

– Drill

– Appropriate sized drill bit, you want this to be ever so slightly larger than the candle you are using.

– Candles, mine were found in a thrift store, but you can pick  similar candles up at your local emporium.

– Pencil and Blutack

METHOD :

Decide where you want your candles, I chose a random pattern, but you can pick whatever you like. Mark with a pencil indent.

Take your drill with the appopriate sized drill bit ( or get a handy someone to help you )

Drill slowly, straight down. The hole should be around an inch, or around 3cm down. Clean out the saw dust.

Put a small ball of blutack on the bottom of your candle and place in the hole, press firmly.

Done! ( told you it was easy )

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Here is to a simple, low cost, low impact Christmas.

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature