Tag Archives: HOME

Before & After | Chair Makeover

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One of the major motivators for moving from Auckland to the Hawkes Bay was the want for more time, a slower life and to do all the things that we never had the room, time or head space to do in ‘ The Big Smoke ‘.

Restoring a beautiful old chair was on that list.

She was a bit rough around the edges when we found her, but for $20, how could I say no. Like a puppy at the pound I scooped her up and took her home. Weekends of sanding, and she began to look good again. Next, I called up my trusty girls at The Fabric Store. They supplied me with a heavy weight dark charcoal wool coating, perfect for recovering the old girl. Then there was the task of actually re-upholstering. Enter my ever apt Mama. ( Can I just say, Hooray for Mums and their bountiful knowledge. ) Sewing, Oiling and some self covered buttons later and she was as good as new. Or maybe even better, charcoal is far more her colour.

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

Kitchen Sneak Peek | Giveaway CLOSED

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Industrial lights from Kiwi Living | Tea Towels from Mavis & Osborn | Cleaners and brush by Ecostore | Ring dish made by yours truly | Coffee machine by Espresso Unplugged | Leather for pulls from Lapco

Renovating on a budget is hard at the best of times, let alone when you are living in it too. But the perks are seeing the finishing touches.  Once again we painted every surface white with Resene, this time opting for Double Alabaster. We also chose to make our own handles again and sourced leather from Lapco. The raw industrial lights came from Kiwi Living, the linen tea towels from beautiful Mavis and Osborn, and I finally got my mits on a a Presso from Espresso Unplugged ( delish and silent, perfect )

 So finally it’s done,  and with a bit of elbow grease (and the help of our friends at Ecostore) the grime, dust, tile adhesive and paint that gets EVERYWHERE in renovations was gone and we were able to cook our first meal in our new kitchen.

Also, we have a giveaway! A set of napkins from the delightful Mavis & Osbourn and a few goodies from our pals at Ecostore!

To Enter comment below what you would like most from Mavis & Osbourn and what your favourite Ecostore product is!

Giveaway CLOSED

 Full reveal in Homestyle magazine in the new year!

Good Luck!

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

MAKE IT/ fridge makeover

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If you follow my instagram you would know that we are up to our eyeballs in renovations, and if you have renovated before you would know that before you know it the kitty is empty and you still have a lot to do ( even when you have watched every bloody penny ) so there is always room for fast, effective and cheap makeovers.

Here is mine on our old beast of a fridge.

First of all I need to diguse the not-so-cool retro exterior ( which, in my haste I failed to photograph ) think grey, cream and pink. ugh. Before I painted I gave it a thorough clean and then a light sand with wet and dry sandpaper. Then using Resene Blackboard paint I lathered on one coat, letting it dry, then applying another. ( Note: Don’t try to be a speed demon like me and not tape the edges, or it will result in messy little brush marks where you don’t want them )

With it finally dry, I had to decide on a little decorating of sort. After countless ideas and drawings I decided for our kitchen, it need simple and classic, enter the laurel. This time I slowed down a little and actually measured out where I wanted the laurel to sit and the writing to go. Still wanting to keep it hand finished I drew and wrote with CKS Window marker from Warehouse stationary.

For the finishing touches I needed somewhere to put my chalk, so I repurposed an old wood scrabble rack and blue tacked it to the side. Then super glued a small magnet to a bulldog clip to use as a handy docket, postcard or voucher holder!

All up this makeover was super fast, and pretty cost-effective too.

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

One year on // GIVEAWAY CLOSED


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( To see the full article you can request back orders here )

 A year ago Homestyle featured our little house in Hillsborough. At the time we were renting a little open plan garage, I was dreaming of being a stylist and just beginning the blog. A year on, I am a regular contributor with Homestyle, we are renovating our first home and I am working as a stylist. Pretty happy about that!

So to celebrate the year and my new renovation segment in the magazine I have a giveaway for you!

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GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, check out our Facebook for the winner

This bangin’ Jamie Kay cushion was featured in our master bedroom peek in the latest Homestyle!

Feather and down inner, tweedy lambswool, what more could you want! Annnnd, she has opened it WORLDWIDE. What a champ!

So here is what you have to do!

1 : Visit the Jamie Kay website

2: Have a gander and pick you favourite item

3: Tell me about it! Comment on this post!

You can score extra entries by commenting on Instagram and Facebook too!

Giveaway ends Wednesday the 2nd October !

Good Luck!

 

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature