Blogging blues...

Over the past few months that I have been blogging, I have to be honest and admit that I feel very restricted because I tried to limit myself to interiors, furniture and decor. There is just so much other (totally blog-able!) stuff going on in my life that I have made the decision to broaden my blog's subject matter.

From Chez Fifi

So expect something a little bit different over the next few weeks...

Xxx
The Girl Belle

Glass Jars, Mondays and Motivation

As you may have noticed, I'm a massive fan of glass jars and bottles. We have quite the collection in our house and I'm often looking for new ideas, tips and tricks as to what to do with them.

The dresser in our open-plan kitchen area in the last house, with recipe books and jars containing all sorts of useful things, from rice and sea salt to pasta, dried chillies, almonds and chick peas

I certainly don't think that this is the first time I've mentioned glass jars on my blog - and it probably won't be the last. I hope these pics inspire you as much as they do me.

I found a wonderful post on Iuliana's site, Procraftination Station this morning and it's just totally re-inspired me to get my a into g and get creative with the hundreds of jars we have floating around our house just begging to be re-purposed...

Hanging baby food jars with ribbon and flowers

So organised and efficient! I think I might need to rethink my current jar-strategy! How tidy and cute is this?

Love this centre-piece! Classically elegant, recycled, gorgeous! And the name tags in the jars are a cute touch too.

Uh-dorable! I want goldfish!

Perfect decoration for an office desk. Going to need some on my desk when this season rolls around...

Home-made terrariums in Consol or Mason jars.

How to get your jars ready for hanging. Twisted wire (although I think I'd put it right at the base of the neck), some sand and candles. So easy.

Love this centre-piece for a coffee table! Martha Stewart, of course:) So cute, so fresh! The rest of one's house would have to be so very tidy to pull this off as a centre-piece, so I think I'll skip this idea, as much as I do like it...

Painted jars as vases

Fairy lights in large glass jars. So pretty! And love the antique books as part of the table display, along with the paint brushes.

This actually kind of reminds me of the table decoration for the birthday brunch that I threw for my family.

Centre-piece of mismatched jars used as vases. Made extra-cute by the mismatched flowers - gave the table a bohemian, casual feel.

Left just two on when the food came out - still cute and quite striking though.

And now that I've done my post for today, I've got no excuse to keep procrastinating... I need to sort this apartment out for once and for all! And this week is the week. There is so much still to be donated, put into storage, taken out of storage, sanded, painted, made. And I have a sneaky suspicion that commercials season is just around the corner and this will be the last of my time off... Fingers crossed!

Packing Pains...

I've discovered a really good way to start an argument with one's partner. I've also discovered a way to create instant dislike between each other, to really get under each other's skin and an excellent way to throw any preconceived ideas you may have of a future together out the window:

Pack up a house together.

Aaaaaargh!!!!! Love him as I do, I had no idea that the differences in our packing styles could irritate and frustrate me so drastically! They say that you only get to know a person when you move in to a home together. No way, it's only when you move out of that home together that you are able to really see who you've been living with! :)

Anyhow, I shouldn't moan - I'm very lucky and he is a wonderful man whom I adore. And perhaps I am a bit grumpy today, ok...

So on a lighter, prettier, pleasanter note, here's a sneak preview of the upcoming decor project that I'll be starting when we move into The Cute Apartment...

I had a moment of inspiration the other evening - we have such beautiful African collectibles and the new place just lends itself to having a bright, British Colonial style. And it's something we can really achieve without having to start from scratch - we've got the colour scheme already - cream couches, lots of dark wood. We'll just need a few more accents to move it in that direction and we're in business:) Anyhow, I did an image search for 'colonial chic' and this is just some of what came up that I liked...

A few shots from the beautiful Londolozi, as seen here.


The way I see the decor unfolding in the new place can only be described as "Colonial Chic" - very Old-World British meets Plantation meets Safari meets Ralph Lauren with a few collected treasures thrown in for good measure. A great-grandfather's pith helmet, an african mask or 2, a traditional wooden kist from Zanzibar...

from the Decor to Adore Blog

The above and below pics from BellyButton's Jet Set. I do just adore the yacht in the background and the lampshades on old-fashioned tripods.

What I'm really going to need to get my hands on is an antique globe...

 No idea where to start looking, but think I might be spending the next few months trawling antique antique and thrift store for the perfect one.

 Found this pic on Favim.com - source is listed as unknown. Love the feel of the room, but the dead animals are just a bit too much for my liking.

Also from the Decor to Adore Blog, just love the excessive use of candles on this plantation-style verandah.  Just sprinkle a few drops of citronella oil on the candles and you can dine without any disturbance from mosquitoes! Nasty little buggers! :)


And how can we forget the new wardrobe that will need to accompany the decor? ;) Found this beautiful selection of Safari-inspired wear on the Italian Style Notes site.

I love how colour has been used in the above palette instead of the usual neutrals and khakis, yet the safari element is pulled through quite effectively in the leopard-print cushion.

I have decided my primary palette will be Light Sandy Brown for the soft furnishings, Mahogony for the wooden furniture, a variety of browns & khakhis peppered through and accents of blue to enhance the whole look.

I've decided that I'm going to sand and stain my beautiful white-washed coffee table a deep mahogony; I'll be making all the cushions for our existing cream couches myself - I'm currently debating leather and faux-fur pillows, but I might tone this down considerably (it might be my excitement talking), I'm going to need to get my hands on some vintage leather cases to properly accent the look and finally, I think that our new bed will either need to be a four-poster or a mosquito net will definitely be in order!

I'll keep you posted:)

Belle

Terrarium Affairium

I'm having a love affair with plants grown in water in glass containers - from terrariums to a simple fern floating lose in a vase of water, as I came across yesterday. There's something so pure and pretty about it, isn't there?

Love the idea of using moss in a small glass container and then adding a tiny, adorable element to bring it to life: like these:

Too cute for words!!!

So terrariums are apparently pretty easy to make and manage? I think I might just try out my own... I have a number of empty glass containers that would be ideal just for this.

Below is a list of good plants to use in a terrariums:

Acorus
African Violets
Creeping Fig
Moss
Maidenhair Spleenwort
Needlepoint Ivy
Oxalis
Peperomia
Prayer Plant
Peacock Moss (Selaginella uncinata)

Reindeer Moss

New Zealand brass buttons

Sphagnum or Spanish moss

Time to get those green fingers creating!

 

 

Recipe Scrapbook

Something that I have on my list of things to do (yes, that particularly long list) is to create a scrapbook of all the recipes that I've collected over the years. Recipes from my mom, gran, from my time in London, my time in France and even from my old school days when I couldn't imagine food much beyond delicious pastas and 'meat and 2 veg' -type dishes (long-before Top Chef was regular viewing!).

I've had all of these recipes tucked (unpasted, unsorted) into the pages of a very old, unused scrapbook which has been lying in the bottom of a trunk in storage for years, however that trunk has now found its way into my home, beckoning to be dealt with one of these weekends. I do have many recipe books in my house, but it's all of those collected recipes, like your great-aunt's super-easy but yummy cheesecake or your great grandmother's recipe for mielie bread that are so important. Let alone that recipe for duck rillettes that you tore from a French newspaper one day while in drinking coffee on the Cote d'Azur. :)

Can any readers make any suggestions on making the entire process easier? I did particularly like this collection of recipe storage ideas from Design Sponge, but I do kinda have my heart set on sorting through all the recipes one rainy weekend, finding obscure sentimental ticket-stubbs, notes, ec and creating something of value to me. With my own 2 paws and to proudly prop in my bookshelf, only to whip it ut oneday when I sit my daughter up on the kitchen counter one day and have her ask "What's that, mummy?". If I ever have kids, that is. Otherwise I'll just have to fatten up my friends and family - and any potential pets that may find their way into my home in the future :)

From Design Sponge Shop

I googled "recipe scrapbooks" and found the following great pic from Life SA:

Very cute idea... A wonderful heirloom for one's kids oneday. Well, one of 'em at least :)

A great source for tips and tricks on scrapbooking is Scrappy Tips - worth a visit? Of course, lest we not forget the Queen of all-things-crafty, Martha Stewart. I remain a big fan - tax evasion, et al... Check out her exceptionally useful scrapbooking slideshow here: Martha Stewart on Scrapbooking.

http://womenonthefence.com/2010/03/26/fridays-recipe-exchange/

I've encountered the term "scrapbooking" loads since I've started blogging and researching blogging, etc and it hasn't yet been a realm that I've explored. Now call me old-fashioned, but I currently have no idea what that would be - I imagine it would involve quite a bit of cut-and-paste, scanning, etc, etc, etc. However, I suspect that I am wrong and promise to do more research into the matter because it seems to be a pretty uselful (and frequently used) tool in the Blogging community.

I'll keep you posted....

Xxx
The Girl Belle

As Promised...

I want to cry - I've just written a WHOLE post, only to somehow lose it into the deep, dark recesses of cyberspace! Aaaaaaargh! Has this happened to you before? What did I do wrong? Is this the karma from being - shall we say - slightly off-hand to the exceptionally rude cashier yesterday? Oh dear...


Let's try again then, shall we? The abridged version...

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I intended to tackle my linen closet. And tackle it I did! Well, not quite in the traditional sense... But what I did manage to do was take out my favourite pieces (and those that happened to correspond with the colour-scheme in my bedroom) and find them a whole new home of their own on the selvaged bookshelf that is now the TV stand for The Man's extra-large bedroom (which, I might add - hesitantly - that I have grown to love and spend an inordinate amount of time with... Yup. Just me and the remote...)

Quite pretty, I think. And super-easy to keep tidy:)

The actual linen closet itself however.... Hmmm, I'm hesitant to head into that discussion. Not only does it remain a mess, chaotic would be a better term. For some reason we have the most ridiculous collection of mismatched single-bed duvets and covers, continental pillow cases, currently not working electric blankets... And not a single bed in the house, nor a continental pillow in sight and we're only really interested in electric blankets that serve a function, really. SO yes, the actual linen cupboard remains on my list of things to do. But ten-out-of-ten for the above open-plan bedroom improvisation, right people?

Ok, and secondly.... I almost feel that perhaps it is too soon for me to share the below project with my readers, but I've decided to just 'put it out there'! I do ask, though, that you bear in mind that this was my first home project and it's not entirely finished...

A few weeks ago I mentioned my father's impending visit. And, well, me being me, I left myself exactly 1 day to get the spare bedroom / storage room / laundry drying area whipped into shape! And given my time-frame, I think I did a pretty darn good job...
Here are some pics of the blank, um, canvas that I had to start with:

Ugly...

Uglier...

Ooooh... Without a doubt, ugliest!

From then, with a bit (lot?) of elbow-grease, some TLC, some dedication and a really tight time frame, here's some of what I did to get things a bit more ship-shape:

Although this was my very first time using wood-filler, I learnt a very valuable lesson in the process... When the directions tell you to dilute the filler with water to a ratio of 1:1, THEY'RE LYING! Whatever you do - don't. If you must, mix the water in slowly, bit by bit. Particularly if you are focusing on smaller areas. Personally, I managed to get away with it as I had vast stretches of the cork-like covering to seal, but when it came to the actual damaged areas of the wood / cork you're better off just smearing it on straight - this way you have far more control.

Attempt number 1 - far too runny.

Sewing the inside hem of the envelope-style cushions I made for the bed.

And so... the end result looks a little something like this:

 I ended up finding 2 metres of turquoise towelling fabric for an exceptional price at y local fabric shop, so quickly sewed up a rug and a cushion (see below). The intention for the empty frame above the bed is to frame some of the same (or similar) fabric that I used for the envelope cushions just to continue the theme. In the background there is a turquoise lantern which I'm hoping to supplement with 2 more smaller ones - thrift store finds that I'll paint in similar blues / greens to create a focal point.

White-washed cane chair with towelling rug and matching cushion. Refurbished bookshelf looks much better in white!

On the top right-hand corner of the above pic are a serious of small frames containing individual seas shells - I ran out of time before my dad's arrival, but really feel that they would look great with the frames white-washed, as would the antique mirror. What do you think? And what are your feelings on the dark bedside tables? I definitely don't want to keep them dark for this room. But my concern is that with the white-washed wooden floors and all other exposed wood being white or white-washed it could be too much?

I'd appreciate any comments and suggestions... I'm learning as I go, so please share your thoughts and any inspiration with me - all input is appreciated.

Xxx