Got Taupe?

Yip, change is good. When I was younger I wasn’t a fan but now, I see them as opportunities, challenges and adventures. But for now I will keep this post about change around home spaces.

Here is a simple update on the headboard made some time ago.

After painting our room a soft natural taupe (no.2 – Dulux Velvet Range) to get rid of that stark clinical look, we realised that the headboard and curtains were very similar in colour – oops! Got Taupe? Naa, that’s not going to work for us.
 

I will get to changing the curtains soon enough as I have measured and Google “how to make easy no sew curtains” I am sure something will come up

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Back to the headboard, I went to the local fabric warehouse and bam! I spotted geometric fabric  below and only 2 meters left, texture & design in 1, jackpot

You can have a look at this post for instructions.

Please excuse the poor lighting before photo, it was the only “before” pic I had (way too lazy to search in my archives of projects photos – I blame on Friday afternoon.

Happy Friday.

Bridal Shower – how to

I tell you what! When my bestie Lauren phoned me from the UK to say that she was getting married, I squealed with delight.

Two reasons for my delight No.#1  Lauren is my BFF/ my voice of reason at times and perhaps my sister soul mate for the last 20yrs and No.#2 Lauren and her Mr have been together for 7 years and they are just so right for each other.

Lauren was my MOH naturally I wouldn’t get married without her. Lauren was my life saver. Basically organised my entire wedding for me. I got stuck in detail whereas Lauren always had the bigger picture in mind which meant things got done :) but anywho...

I had to arrange the Bridal Shower for Lauren that would be a prologue to the Wedding.

Something sophisticated and fun and easy on the pocket. We love a challenge to stick it to the man (or wedding industry in this case) that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to make something special.

Here are my tips for making a successful bridal shower:

#1 Create a vision for what you want, ask the bride to be what she wants and doesn’t want.

#2 Host it at a restaurant – they already have enough chairs/tables and glassware & kitchen etc

#3 Be creative – design the invites and wish list on Microsoft Publisher (if you don’t have fancy design     program) 

 

#4  Send invites - at least 3 weeks before the date and confirm attendance at least a week before so you may confirm with the restaurant and you can arrange

#5 Keep it simple – have 3 options available when it comes to snacks and drinks. And this also applies to the flowers. I simply mixed pale pink roses bought from PnP with aloes taken from the garden and arranged them in glass wear and little vintage trophies.

#6 Keep it light and fun – have at least 2 bridal shower games. Bridal Pictionary & Bridal Bingo are great fun.

#7 Bring in your own dessert – we had ordered simple vanilla and chocolate cupcakes from a local baker with white icing dusted with “fairy dust” they are a perfect portion and enough for people to satisfy any sweet craving.  Everyone loved them and I didn’t have to slave away baking them.

#8 Accept Help – family and friends want what you want, a successful shower :)

#9 Placement – let those that are supporting you in on what is expected for the bridal shower etc. When the food is to be served etc.

#10 Enjoy the evening with your Bride-to-be and those that support and love her.

Coffee & Games (and put your feet up kinda) table.

Holy smokes, its feels like FOREVER since I last posted something up on the blog. My bad.

I can say that life has been interesting for me, with exciting stuff happening in my work space and friends getting married or having babies and what not. It’s been a good-busy for us at Casa Fourie.

The idea of having a coffee table in our nest, didn’t sit well with me. I mean we never really needed one – we have been living without one for the last 5+ years and all the coffee tables we have seen would either take up our precious space and give dust a place to settle OR they were really U-G-L-Y ( you got  ant’ no alibi ...) So we have just lived without one. 

Maybe we are getting older? And we have had enough of mugs spilling on our laps or being knocked over if placed on floor, better yet... our cat Dinky is helping himself to whatever beverage we are drinking if placed on the floor while we are watching TV! And of course another health hazard – tripping over books and files that land on the floor after I am done reading or paging through them.

Solution – get a freaking coffee table before Dinky develops a caffeine addiction or someone lands in hospital.

And then, like magic I find this post by Jenna Sue: Easy DIYCoffee Table. Have a good look at where Jenna got her inspiration and then have a look at how we made our coffee table – I am smiling like a Cheshire cat because ours cost under 100 bucks!

We popped over to the workshop and gathered wood off cuts from the workshop next door (totally free) Mr Fourie cut them to size and I sanded the edges down. We sized them up and made a frame which we then nailed under the planks to keep them in place. We then measured and attached the legs (keeping in mind that we still need to add  wheels) 

Now that we were all done with the messy& noisy work of cutting and sanding, we popped it into Gabi Getz. Yes our car has a name.  We attached 4 trolley wheels which you can get from any hardware store and painted the table white.  After letting the paint for a few days you can then get on with sanding. The idea is not to take off too much paint; you are going for a weathered look, not scratched to pieces. Depending on what grit sand paper you have, you may have to be rough with it, as in Christian Grey rough. Whoa, did I just say that? Lol Any who, work in one direction until you see the natural wood colour coming through.

  Dust it down and bring it indoors. The table is low enough so it doesn’t take up to much visual space but within reach to put goodies on ( books, mugs, remotes, snacks and if you having a long day – stretch with your toes and pull closer to you and put your feet up on it) We can shimmy is around without any effort – gotta love wheels.

The above pics were taken on my BlackBerry, it was great fun documenting the process this way. The pic's don't look too bad. 

So what do you think about our coffee aka all-sorts table? 

Oh Figs How I Love you

My heart does a happy dance when I can get fresh figs, but dried fig or fig jam will do if I can’t get my paws on any fresh ones.

So while strolling around on the world wide web for inspiration, I came across this simple and must try out fig snack... so I bookmarked the site and went back to it later to drool over the stunning food shots – I tell you, Erin Gleeson from The Forest Feast should be my best friend.

Her food is simple and it looks so amazing. Erin could be a food fairy...considering she lives in the forest.

Below is Fig and Peppered Honey with goat cheese and mint... so going to make this.  yum-o.

via The Forest Feast

Alternative to Paper Lanterns...

... Cardboard Pendant Light?

Yip, how cool is that. You can dress a naked light fixture with this easy and free (if you have a cardboard box needing to be unpacked) option.

Of course you may worry that the heat from globe + cardboard = fire. Not to worry if you are using energy saving bulb and keeping the bulb away from cardboard light shade...why does that sound odd saying? Light shade = oxymoron?

Any who, thank you to the people at Poppy Talk and Chelsea of Lovely Indeed for the pictures and full write up on the How To for the Cardboard Pendant Light.