Aztec Bedroom Inspiration

I've been helping a friend re-design her bedroom with an aztec theme - aztec designs are bright and bold colours, symmetric and geometric shapes and repeated patterns. Because these designs are bold, a little goes a long way!

I have lots of ideas of how to pull the aztec themed bedroom together from bedspreads, to artwork, to decorative items.

My favourite part is helping with the shopping list and finding the pieces to finish off the room on a budget and I'm sure I'll find some great bargains along the way too ... because that's me a bargain queen!

Here are some inspirational images helping with the design and shopping list ....

What do you think of the aztec style? Do you like patterns in the bedroom?

[Images via my Pinterest here - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

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Recipes: Home Made Juice

I'm jumping on the healthy home made juice band wagon and have found some delicious home made juice recipes to try.

 

I remember my parents had an electric juicer that we'd pull out the cupboard on the weekend and make a few different types of juices .... no doubt in an attempt to hide fruit and vegetables when we were kids (which it did!). But as with many appliances it was put in the cupboard to collect dust and crumbs over the years until I remembered it last weekend and raided my parents cupboard and took it home with me!

 

Here are some recipes I have flagged to try out ...

 

Super green juice

 

 

Detox support juice

 

Pineapple, Rockmelon and PawPaw Juice

Watermelon and Passionfruit Juice

 

Apple, Spinach and Mint Juice

 

 

Most of these juice recipes look pretty easy to make - buy the ingredients, wash and chop, put into juicer, drink delicious healthy juices and turn into a fabulously healthy person!

 

Sounds easy enough, let's hope it is!

Do you make juices at home?

What's your favourite combination?




[Images via Taste 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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Renovating - 5 Tips For Planning And Designing

With any project you tackle, the most important part is the planning stage. Here at the Jarrah Jungle renovations Mr P and I have been known to spend months planning (also known as procrastinating!) the design of a renovation or project to make sure we get exactly what we want.

 

I did a detailed step by step guide last year on planning a kitchen renovation and as we are now tackling the laundry/toilet it's reminded me just how important the planning stages are.

So with that in mind here are my 5 tips for the plan and design of a renovation project:-

 

1. Start an inspiration folder

 

For our latest project the laundry/toilet renovation we have been planning this for years and I've got an inspirational folder bursting with all my ideas and things I love - product brochures, print outs of products found online, magazines flagged and pages torn out, samples of colour charts, sketches (sometimes mistaken for kids drawings!) ... all of these things help with planning the design of the room.

 

Once you have an idea of the things that you like and the look and feel you are going for, you can work out your design for the room.

 

 

2. Measure the room to work out what you can realistically do with the space

 

We have measured the laundry room a zillion times ... and then a few more times just to be sure! Never underestimate a couple of centimetres because that could be all that stands between a standard cupboard or a fancy pull out laundry chute. Likewise it could mean ending up with cabinetry that doesn't fit!

Getting the most of your room and being smart about storage and space is key to a good renovation. Being practical and functional often comes down to playing around with different layouts and being open to different storage ideas ... think outside the box!

 

 

3. Draw up the design so you can visualise what you want

 

Of course the design can (and will!) change but it will give you a pretty good starting point of the layout, cabinets, appliances, power, lights, plumbing etc. It doesn't have to be fancy but draw to scale if you can. If you're a bit more tech savvy, there's online drawing tools you can use and a few companies have their own such as Ikea and Bunnings.

Putting your design onto paper also shows you whether you will work around existing plumbing/electrics to keep costs down, or if you are going with a new layout/design then you'll need to budget for this. Remember: The key to a good design is for it to be practical, functional and look great!

 

 

4. Go shopping! 

 

This is meant to be the fun part! Shop around and get quotes in stores and also get companies out to quote for you. Everyone has their own ideas and suggestions after all this is what they do for a job so it's great to get inspiration from the professionals to help build on your design and get the most out of your renovation.

It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices out there but if you've followed steps 1-3 you'll have a pretty good idea of what you want so you're less likely to go shopping for a traditional wood look laundry and come home with a sleek modern laundry instead!
 

 

5. Make decisions and finalise your design

 

After your shopping expedition, you should be able to improve your initial design, perhaps with a few changes depending on new products or features on offer. This all helps to concrete your design so you're confident in what you have planned.

Once you've had time to mull over all your options, do some research and read reviews on the products and then finalise your design. You can then take steps to put your design into action .... and turn your dream design into reality!  

 

 

Bonus tip:

 

I don't think you can really settle on a design until you've lived in a space for a while, to know what you want to change and improve on, what you love about it and what drives you crazy. It needs to be practical to suit you and your family and it needs to be functional as to how you live in your home.

Once you have a good feel for that and for some it could take months .... then you are ready to plan and design your dream home renovation!

 

Do you have any tips for the perfect renovation plan and design?

 

Linking up with:
Savvy Southern Style
The Dedicated House
Home Coming - The DIYers
 

[All images via my Laundry Board on Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
 

 

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Happy Long Weekend

This long weekend is the last one for the Summer .... so us Aussies better make the most of it!

 

 

We are helping out friends with gardening, house hunting and nursery planning ... it will be a busy one!

 

I promised I'd give Lexi more attention, starting with a trip to the river and a much needed wash is on the cards for my fur baby too :-)

 

Catching up with family at our favourite Chinese Restaurant will be a great end to the long weekend!

 

 

 

 

You can keep up with my happenings this weekend on my Facebook and Instagram

 

What are your plans for the long weekend?

 

[Images via my Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

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Adventures In The Rocks, Sydney

Earlier this month I went to Sydney for a few days with the trip I won with Electrolux ..... If you follow my Instagram or Facebook you would've seen some of photo feed but I can't help myself I have some fun stories and adventures to share from the trip so here is a little more.

 

The trip we won included flights, 1 night's accommodation, dinner at Quay Restaurant and hotel transfers. We extended the trip by 2 nights so we could venture around Sydney a bit more while we were there.

Packed and ready to go!

We were picked up by a chauffeur at the airport and feeling very much like rock stars climbed into the car and were whisked off to our Hotel.

We stayed at the Four Seasons in The Rocks which was a stunning hotel, very fancy with a separate bath and shower which I love. There was a roof top swimming pool that we ventured up to every day and a hot tub which we had a dip in while enjoying an afternoon drink or two!

The prize included airport transfers to/from the hotel/airport

Four Seasons bathroom ... a bath and a shower such a treat!

We went out for lazy brunches in the morning and to fancy dinners in the evening trying some of the places I had looked up on Urbanspoon before we left home and they did not disappoint. Being an organising queen I had our itinerary of where to eat/drink/play and it meant we could fit a lot more into our day and not be wandering around clueless, I think we fit in pretty much like we were locals!

Breakfast pastries at La Renaissance

 

Lunch at The Fine Food Store

 

There were weekend markets on Argyle Street which were fantastic to browse through and I bought myself a few treasures to bring back home.


The food markets



My Supertrooper Studio market find was this artsy tea towel



This Jackie Cooper photo block that I've already added to my dining room gallery wall

A 40 minute ferry ride took us to Manly for the day, it was the perfect place to walk around the beach in the sunshine. We spend a few hours chilling at the Yardarm Taphouse which overlooks the beach, had fish and chips and a few pints of the locally brewed ciders and beers. We also found a micro brewery 4 Pines that we had a sneaky tasting at before we jumped on the next ferry heading back to the City.

The view from the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly

Arriving at Manly Wharf

Walking around the beaches of Manly, it was such a perfect hot summers day

Lunch and drinks at Yardarm Taphouse with a stunning view overlooking the beach

Tastings at 4 pines, a must visit micro brewery not far from the wharf

 

The reason for our trip was to dine at Quay Restaurant and the view and service did not disappoint. Once seated, behind me was the Harbour Bridge and in front was the Opera House, there were amazing views as the restaurant is all glass windows and we arrived at dusk and watched the sunset and then the night time lights came on and it was like a fairy tale scene. Absolutely beautiful.

This is the view from the front of the restaurant during the day,
just a stones throw from Sydney Harbour Bridge

   

As for the food, we chose the 9 course tasting menu with matching wines and the stand out of the menu was the snow egg, even after all the hype and such high expectations it impressed us both. I wouldn't say this was my favourite degustation restaurant as the menu itself didn't really take us on a specific journey the way that other degustations do. Also the staff didn't tell us about each course other than to read off the menu, which again was a let down as part of the adventure of a degustation is to tell us all the effort and detail that goes into the little dish placed in front of you.

It was still an amazing experience and if I were to recommend it to my readers I'd say go for the view and experience and for a very special occassion as it was pretty expensive - the bill for the 2 of us was $700, but thankfully because of our prize we were only out of pocket $50 for our pre dinner drinks.

Ready to be wined and dined!

Our tasting menu ... the food and wine just kept on coming!

The famous snow egg

 

We also did a walking pub tour of The Rocks area on our last night which I highly recommend you do on your first few days here because it will give you ideas of places to visit, drink and eat for the rest of your stay. The cost was $54 per person, which is great value.

This tour is a perfect thing to do as a single, couples, or a few friends. It's a small group with a fun friendly tour leader who will take you all around The Rocks area, tell you about the history and when you're feeling a bit parched you'll be led into 3 different pubs to order whatever drink you like. We even got to go down into the cellar of this old pub in the photo which was a lot of fun if a little spooky!

Our tour group at one of 3 old pubs we stopped at for a drink
This was my favourite as we got to go underneath into the dark and scary cellar!

Larrikin gangs, the rum rebellion, were just a few of the stories we heard about

What to do when the plague is found in The Rocks?
They destroyed and knocked down all the buildings so it wouldn't spread!

How cool is this backpackers with The Rocks ruins underneath
They just build new buildings around and over the top of the ruins to preserve them

On our fourth and final day in Sydney we enjoyed breakfast with a view of Circular Quay, watching the ferry's go to and fro and an uninterrupted view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and all the happenings on the water front. Such a great way to end our few days here.


A morning stroll around Circular Quay

Finding a water side cafe for breakfast with a view

Our  chauffeur then collected us from the Hotel and took us to the Airport.

We had complimentary passes to the airport Business Lounge because our TVs didn't work on the way over ... it was so much fun going into the lounge with it's open bar and top shelf beverages (they even had Little Creatures cider!) and food and snacks set up. I asked about their joining fees but at $800+ for the first year and about $400 each year thereafter it was a little too expensive for me and I think you'd need to fly at least every month to get your moneys worth.

Our complimentary passes to the business lounge

  

Feeling very relaxed sipping on my cider enjoying the lounge

So that was our whirlwind fun and adventures trip to Sydney!

Staying in The Rocks area was fantastic, close to everything, and with a historical twist to it as well.

I'd really recommend checking out this area if you are ever in Sydney.

 

[All images my own, group photo via Peek Tours Sydney]

 

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