RETRO OP SHOP FINDS

I went on a trip to the Recycle Centre on the weekend and found some awesome retro items. My favourite were these Royal Kitchen Scales - the Swedish lady in the shop even taught me how to use them as her mother had some just like them when she was a child. They are a lot more fiddly to use than my regular kitchen scales, so these may just be used for decorative purposes only. I thought the ceramic planter on top matched perfectly, so am going to make some paper flowers or find some faux peonies to put in there.

I also got these scales which work really well!

And I couldn't resist this 'Quickcube' ice cube tray in silver and gold.

Mx

MY D.I.Y. BARGAIN PUPPY BED

Last weekend we got a new addition to our family - Patches the Blue Heeler pup! Isn't he cute?!

I really wanted him to have a doggy bed, because once he is big enough (and the weather is warm enough) he will be living outside in his awesome kennel with full run of the yard. I thought a nice, comfy spot in the sun  on the deck would be great. But even at The Warehouse, a decent dog bed (with a hard case and pillow) runs you up to about $100! Not really something I could justify. So off to the Recycle Centre I went and came back with the following haul!

Cane Dog Basket: $2

Blue and White check baby blanket: $2

White Sheet: $4

Duvet Inner: $4

TOTAL: $12

Yesterday I set to putting it all together - making the pillow to put inside the cane bed.

There was some cardboard lining the bottom of the bed which came in handy for measuring the fabric.

I laid the baby blanket on top of a single layer of the sheet. I figured that if the cardboard template was the size of the bottom I would allow an extra 12cm for cutting, which should be enough for the seam, and still fill the bed nicely once all the padding is added. I also cut 8 strips of the baby blanket to make ties to hold the pillow in place (as Patches loves chewing and I figure he'll drag it out of the bed otherwise!) 

Once cut, I then peeled back the top layer, placing two strips at a time down on top of each other to make my ties - pointing inwards. I sewed the whole thing up, doing a double row of straight stitching for strength, and then zig-zagging the edges, leaving a 20cm-ish gap to put the stuffing in. Turning it in the right way - I now had the oval shape with the ties sticking out, gap to the back.

Now my preference at this stage was to just stuff the duvet inner inside and sew it up. Done and dusted! But my wise husband came in at the point and made two suggestions/observations.

1. What if the puppy wees all over it - can you wash it?

2. Wouldn't it be better to layer the duvet up then cut it to fit rather than stuff it in?

Both were pretty good observations and that bought about the unexpected second phase of the project - the doggy pillow. This way, I can wash the cover without having to get the filling wet, and if I need to wash the pillow, it will probably dry faster if the filling is laid out nicely.

To make the pillow I laid the inside-out cover out on top of two layers of the white sheet and traced around it with a soft pencil. I then cut it up, and sewed it - leaving about a 15cm gap to put the stuffing through. I then folded it in the right way, laid it on top of the duvet (folded into four layers), and set about cutting around the case.

Once I did that, I stuffed the filling inside then smoothed it all out so it fitted nicely. I figured that seeing as my filling had structure (rather than loose filling), I had better do something to hold it in place, so I put four pin tucks (not sure if that's the correct terminology...) I then hand sewed the hole shut - and viola! One doggy pillow all ready for the case.

For the cover I decided to keep it simple and make a dome fastened opening so that I can remove the pillow when needed. And then it was all done! I put it into the bed, pulled the tabs through the cane and knotted them off, tucking the ends back through to avoid tempting sharp puppy teeth!

So the final test... does it get Patches' seal of approval?

I think so! And he's already trying to pry the pillow of there so those ties were a handy addition.

If you want to make a puppy pillow at home, you will need:

A sewing machine

Polar Fleece Fabric (I would have done both sides in the fleece, but seeing as I was using second hand items went with what I could find)

White fabric (an old sheet is perfect for the pillow case)

Some sort of stuffing - you could empty old pillows or buy it new, or use a second hand duvet inner like me

Some domes (or a zip if you prefer)

A hard bed (if you can find one, however the pillow on its own would still be fine - especially for an inside dog)

About 2-3 hours

If you are not the sewing type - then I also found a great tutorial for a no-sew doggy bed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uVOKTo7iVcU 

Mx

GARAGE SALE BARGAINS & KELLY HOPPEN

Last week I went garage-saleing again and found these little treasures:

BOOK: $2

BOOK ENDS: $5

WOODEN APPLES: $3

I was so stoked to see KELLY HOPPEN: HOME. I asked Nathan to buy me this for a birthday or Christmas present months and months ago - and had completely forgotten about it. As I was searching through the table of goods, I unearthed this and couldn't believe she only wanted $2 for it - it retails for $70 on Amazon last time I looked!

Dubbed 'The Queen Of Taupe', Kelly Hoppen has a very distinct style. You can read an article by Kelly about her 'title' HERE, along with some tips.

Love the dark wooden coffee table, this is Kelly's own apartment

I adore the wooden shutters

Mx

MY OFFICE/DESK MAKEOVER

Remember this?

Well after $13.50 plus a little bit of painting and craft, I have finished my mini office/desk makeover and I am now loving my de-cluttered and tidy workspace.

PURCHASED:

(All second-hand from The Recycle Centre)

$5 -      Holder for my printer (painted)

$1.50 - Fabric for the bunting (mainly bought to make cushion covers at a later date)

$7 -      Under desk storage container

            Jar for pencils

            Tin bucket for other bits and pieces

            Wine bottle box for folders

            Grey in-tray

            Ring-Binder

I am really pleased at how the painted corkboard looks against my wooden pallet lid, and the wooden pegs make a cute way to hang the bunting. 

I painted the ends of the wine bottle box because they had the winery logo burnt in. Although you can still see the logo, it is much more subtle and adds a nice vintage feel, without being clearly branded (see above).

Mx

SATURDAY GARAGE SALE

This morning we forfeited a Saturday morning sleep-in for three garage sales. With our house move in a month we need a double bed for the spare room, and a couple of chest of drawers (plus anything else that catches my eye). The hunt is on. We live about 15 minutes out from town and got in a bit early so popped to get a pre-sale flat white.

I was skyping with my buddy Hollie last night and she showed me some decanters she has collected for her December 6 wedding and low and behold - what did I find at garage sale number one? A crystal one for $10 and a glass one for $5. A steal! We also found the most amazing glass mirror there for a mere $1 - formerly property of the Wanaka Theatre Club. It is heavy, naturally shabby-chic and I am delighted.

At garage sale number two we found this solid wood chest of drawers. One down, one to go. So now I just need to figure out what to do with it to make it a bit nicer. There are a few options; I am partial to the simplest one - which is leave as is - but change or paint the handles. Nathan is leaning more towards sanding it and either painting or re-varnishing. 

This is our current bedroom furniture. The white one is mine (I inherited this for free from my first flat on Old Farm Rd in Hamilton - the drawers don't shut properly, it is missing handles and very grubby - but I love it) and the brown one belongs to our current house. I really like the contrast between the two - and love the green handles on the brown one.

So what do you think? I don't really think I can paint it white, because then it might clash with the one I have already? (It being mighty dirty...) Some research below:

There's a theme developing here. I think green drawers might be in order. It has the husband seal of approval, and I'm liking the handles on the dressers on the right hand side.

Mx

SECOND HAND FINDS

I made a trip to my favourite place today - The Recycle Centre. And look at all the goodies I picked up for my work space make-over for only $7!

The lady at the counter told me it was a rather eclectic selection, and the man next to my car couldn't help peering into my loaded arms to enquire as to what everything was for. He asked, might I need a stove off the back of his ute for my office redecorating perchance? No sir, I do not. But I was mightily pleased with my haul - although gutted when I got home and realised I left the awesome Rolodex I found sitting on the shelf! Twenty bucks says it's still there next time though. I was also very disappointed when I got home with my ring binder, all hyped up to file, when I realised I do not own a hole punch..... (Can I borrow yours Hol??)

The steel bucket caught my eye because of this lovely pic on Pinterest, the grey in-tray and ring binder are purely functional (while inkeeping with my colour scheme - see below), the glass jar I am going to paint for my pens and pencils, I bargained with the shop lady for that rectangular box (it was holding all the miscellaneous cards, so I had to find a new home for them before I could take it) and - that apple crate. Well. Will you just look at the colours! Very cool and I think I can make it work as under-desk storage.

I've decided my (very loose) theme will be grey, white, wood and green.

PS: I am IN LOVE with that kitchen top left. STUNNING.

Mx