Point and Shoot

When: Saturday, 28 May 2011 @ 3.30pm

Where: Here, There and Everywhere

I ran around like a headless chook on Saturday, the morning was spent shopping for a couch for the man cave, didn't come home with one but have a good idea of what we want (well what Pete wants I keep forgetting he's the decorator in this room not me!). I found a funky mirrored frame for an art card I want to put up in the bedroom and a big decorative vase for the tv cabinet. Then we raced home for a quick outfit change and rushed back out the door to go to a lawn bowls comp which friends organise a few times a year. There are 30 of us and our names get drawn out of a hat and we split into teams and play against each other until there's a winner. Unfortunately we found out when we got there that we couldn't play after dark as the pitch they booked for us didn't have lights. So some had a few bowls in the hour of sunlight that was left in the day. We cooked up a BBQ dinner and enjoyed the club priced drinks. We didn't want the night to end so went back to a friend's house for drinks and a few games of ping pong. Great fun filled Saturday. No painting, sanding, washing or cooking took place what a nice change :) 

So your probably wondering what the photo has to do with my headless chook Saturday? Well I forgot to take my camera out with me on Saturday so I'm showing you this picture of what I carried with me all day, it's my lifesaver. I fill it with water, put it in the fridge, and it stays cold for up to 6 hours. It's great to take out shopping, out for a night, and it always provides a refreshing drink. Those plastic water bottles are not good for you and don't keep your drink cold. This is my lifesaver!

To check out this weeks Point and Shoot head on over to Sunny + Scout

Prosciutto and Rocket Pizza

I had my gorgeous parents (laughing above) and brother over for a pizza feast this week to try out the Pete Evans Pizza Oven by Breville that they gave me for my Birthday. It's got a ceramic plate that heats up just like a brick pizza oven and takes less than 10 minutes to get a crispy crunchy wood fire tasting pizza. I made a few different pizzas from the pizza book that comes with the pizza oven and we all said the Prosciutto and Rocket Pizza was the best. The balsamic and rocket added a really nice zing, you have to try it!

Basic Pizza Dough
(Pete Evans Pizza Book)
Makes four 30cm (12 inch) bases

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons dry yeast

3 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

250ml (1 cup) lukewarm water

425g 00 (strong bakers) flour

Method:

1. Add yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and water to a large bowl; stir until combined

2. Fold through flour until just combined, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes or until a smooth ball forms

3. Place dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap. Set aside in a warm draught free place for 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size

4. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knock back (punch) the dough to remove excess air, lightly knead

5. Divide dough into 4 x 170g dough balls and set aside until required

(I made the night before, double wrapped the balls and put them in the fridge, then rolled them out on the night. They freeze for up to 8 weeks)

Prosciutto and Rocket Pizza

Ingredients:

170g pizza dough

1/3 cup pizza tomato sauce

1/2 cup (40g) mozzarella cheese, shredded

5 basil leaves

3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced

1 teaspoon whole roasted garlic, optional

Salt and pepper, to taste

To Finish:

Rocket

Balsamic vinegar

6 slices prosciutto

Parmesan, shaved

Method:

1. Roll dough ball out on a lightly floured surface until pizza base is 0.5mm thick

2. Lay out grease proof paper, sprinkle with flour, place pizza base on top

3. Pierce the pizza base all over with a fork

4. Spread tomato sauce over pizza base and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese, basil, tomatoes and garlic Season with salt and pepper

5. Place in Pizza Maker for 10 minutes or until the base is golden and the sides crispy

6. Remove from Oven and slide pizza onto a chopping board

7. Sprinkle with rocket and balsamic vinegar

8. Slice into 6 pieces

9. Top each piece with a slice of prosciutto and shaved parmesan

I'm sure you could make this pizza in your oven, on a pizza tray, it might just take a few more minutes

Sorry it was so delicious I forgot to take a photo until it was nearly gone!

Best served with a bottle of red wine and garlic and herb ciabatta on the side

Linking up with Remodelaholic you can check out some more delicious recipes over here

Living Room - Teal Updates

Before I get all caught up in the next reveal of the Man Cave I thought I'd better show you the finishing touches on the Living Room which Mr P and I worked our butts off on over the Christmas summer holidays. This room is the biggest renovation yet we ...

• removed the old air conditioner
• lifted the ceiling
• filled the gaps in the floorboards and sealed them
• painted a media wall and everything else
• found the perfect rug and sexy leather couches

Just to refresh your memory this is what it looked like BEFORE ... bye-bye purple haze

And this is how it looks NOW ... hello leather and pistachio goodness



What a difference the new colour scheme makes, the purple seemed to close the room in whereas the light grey on the walls and green feature colour makes the room feel really fresh and modern. The media wall is fantastic behind the TV it really defines the area.

The green glass coffee table was a good compromise on the 'all glass' coffee table that I initially wanted, this one is a lot more practical as it has drawers which are perfect for my expanding magazine collection.

This is the first room you walk into when you enter the house and sets the tone for the rest of the home so I love how welcoming and vibrant this room has turned out to be. This is what I love about renovating, totally changing the look and feel of a room and making it your own.

Still on the wish list is .... a round side table either mirrored or glass and some more art for the walls (there's always something on the wishlist!)


[All images my own]
 

The Blog Began .... One Year Ago Today

I created this blog with this first post and at that time I wanted an outlet to share the house renovations with friends and family so when they asked where I got my curtains from or what paint colour I decided on they could go to my blog and check out all the details.

At times I wasn't sure if I should keep blogging, if anyone was reading it or if I talked too much and bored everyone to tears. But persevering was the best thing I could have done and it's given me a lot of happiness to be able to jump online and share my ideas and thoughts with you all.

It's also kept me motivated to keep on renovating (with 4 bedrooms, living room and hallway done I can proudly say I'm at the half way point now). When I moved into the house in September 2009 I thought it would take 1 year to do the inside and the following year to do outside which means I should be sipping cocktails on my shiny new deck looking into my shiny new kitchen by now!

Of course I haven't quite got there yet perhaps I was a little too ambitious (damn those 60 minute makeover shows!). When I'm still working full time and then spending weekends diy-ing (and relaxing, shopping, partying, wining and dining) there's only so much you can get done.

We've accomplished a lot and enjoying ourselves along the way which is what it's all about.

What I didn't expect was to discover so many talented amazing people who are doing the same thing and I've spent countless hours looking at other peoples blogs, checking out their homes and building my inspiration file with ideas I'd love to try, finding tried and tested recipes, reading about others trials and trumps.

I really feel like I'm a part of a wider community with my fellow bloggers and want to say a big thank you to everyone who has stopped by to say hi, your comments and emails are read with a big fat smile on my face and I love knowing that you've visited and taken the time to connect  xoxo

Happy 1 year blog-versary Jarrah Jungle!

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[First image mine, Second via we heart it from the book Decorate]

Point and Shoot

When: Saturday, 21 May 2011 @ 5pm

Where: My house

My Saturday started in the best way possible, breakfast with a girlfriend catching up over coffee and smoked salmon, creamy scrambled eggs, rocket and truffle oil on Ankara turkish bread it was delicious! Headed back home and as we finished painting the Man Cave during the week, I helped Pete hang up the new timber blinds in this room and then left him to give the floorboards a coat of Tung Oil to seal them. We'll be able to move furniture in and set it up next weekend once they've set fully yay. While Pete was working away I got my craft on for a friends 15 Birthday Party we were going to that night, I made her a Birthday Card and turned this candle box into a gift box for the bangles which are from Diva every teenagers (and mine!) favourite shop for bling. That night we headed to the party, not as guests but as chaperone's to make sure everyone behaved themselves. It was a fun night and everyone had a great time even us bodyguards ;) She absolutely loved her gift and put them on straight away, you know you've picked a good pressie when they do that! 

What did you get up to this weekend?

You can share over at Sunny + Scout

Customise Our Hallway Cupboards With Wallpaper

I  promised ages ago to give you a look at the hallway cupboards we wallpapered  .....

As I've mentioned before my dreams become reality when I converted the coat cupboard into a shoe cupboard complete with metal shelving, racks and baskets.

The other cupboard is for linen, with extra storage along the top for suitcases and the like.

The doors were old and would be too expensive to replace so we decided to wallpaper them instead.

Let me tell you about the wallpaper saga, I went to a few wallpaper shops and took some sample books of the papers home to see what they'd look like in my house but the cost was $150-$220 a roll and I'd need 2 rolls to do what I wanted because you need to match up the pattern. So I put it on hold.

When I went to Europe last year (where all these gorgeous papers are made) I made it my mission to bring something home. The last day we were in Amsterdam walking around in the rain when I spotted a wallpaper shop and bolted inside only to realise it was the same as back home, I'd need to order it in (which we didn't have time for) and the cost was about $100 Euros ($130 Aus) a roll.

Sulking as I walked out the door I passed another shop which was an art and craft shop and those magic words on the front window SALE and you wouldn't believe inside they had a whole floor full of wallpapers and it was all $5 Euros a roll ($6.65 Aus) - Yes I'm serious! 

I wasn't sure of the quality of the wallpaper but it was worth the risk so I picked up 3 matching rolls for less than $20 and managed to ram them into the suitcases and bring them home. There's 15 metres to a roll and we've only used 1.5 rolls so far. 

Ok so here you have it, it was pretty easy to put up so don't 

be scared to wallpaper you can do it! 

Firstly, clean the surface and remove the handles.

Buy a cheap paint tray and roller (so you can throw it away afterwards), wallpaper paste (we got ours from Bunnings), mix with water and stir well to get all the lumps out.

Pour it into tray and you are ready to paste.

You need a large bench to lay the paper out on (we used the kitchen bench). 

Lay out the paper and roll on the paste making sure its well covered, fold over so the paste doesn't get onto the print and then keep pasting along the roll until its all covered.

Coat the back of the cupboard doors with paste as well so that you have a bit more movement to get it straight, start at the top, leaving an overhang which you can trim later. 

With the overhang on the top, smooth it all the way down from the top to the bottom using a plastic scraper removing all the lumps as you go.

The first panel is easy, the next one along you need to line up the pattern on the paper. 

Cut around each panel with a sharp knife as you go. The first few panels we had to reapply the glue as it took us a while to get it straight, but once you've done a few you get a bit quicker. Once its dried a bit cut around the hinges and tidy up the paper - if you do it when the glue is still wet it can tear.

We picked some satin chrome handles (the shiny ones leave finger prints so I prefer the satin matt finish), measured, drilled and screwed them on.

What a difference it makes, from a boring hallway with old doors to something special when you walk through now. 

The paper is subtle pale grey, blue and white with a silver print through it that shimmers when the light is on and from different angles.

So there you have it, I've entered the world of wallpaper ... there's no going back now!

So what does it cost to customise your hallway cupboards, see cost breakdown below:

Doors Total $71

Wallpaper $12 (used 1.5 rolls)

Handles $44

Glue, Tray & Roller, Scraper $15

Shoe Cupboard Total $340

6 Shelves $138

1 Heel Shelf $28

2 Baskets $100

Brackets $53

Mirror (not shown yet) $20

Paint (already had) $0

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[All images my own]

Can you teach style?

I guess I'm about to find out I'm going to my first Interior Design session tonight. Interior Design is a huge interest of mine and I've always wanted to learn more about it but I wasn't sure how to go about it. To me design is such a creative thing I didn't think it was something you learnt, but more something that you picked up on, using your feelings and imagination and style.

I have lots of inspiration, it's all around me in my ever growing magazine collection, my recent book buying binges and of course the wonderful blogs I read daily with their constant stylish posts are my number one hit of inspiration. Yes I have lots of inspiration but what I need is the knowledge and practical sense to make it all come together. Maybe I'm just being a sensible Taurean but I just feel that I don't have that down pat yet.

What do you think ... Can you teach style?

[Image via interior design sense]

Book Review: Decorate

I've heard lots of gushing on the blogosphere over the new book Decorate by Holly Becker (from the inspiring blog Decor8) & Joanna Copestick. It has only recently been released and has been on back order at a lot of bookshops because its so popular, so you can imagine my surprise when I spotted it on the shelf in David Jones last week. Being a Bargain Queen and not wanting to pay full price if I can help it I was contemplating whether to get it or not when I saw a sign All Top 20 Books 30% Off which meant this book which retails at $60 I managed to take home for $42. The Bargain Queen strikes again!

Decorate is a compilation of advice, quotes and pictures from well known designers and bloggers. It has delicious glossy pages and is jam packed full of gorgeous pictures and quotes like this one from my main swoon Nate Berkus.

What I like most about this book is that it isn't just a book about beautifully styled and staged rooms but they seem to be actual lived in rooms. It also explains step by step how to achieve each look so you can re-create it in your own home. I especially love the pages on arranging mirrors and frames this is a look I really want to have in my home. There's also a sweet section on arranging flowers which will have me never just popping the whole bunch in a vase again.

This book is a gorgeous read full of inspiring pictures and is a must for any home lovers bookcase.

[Images via here and here and here]

Point and Shoot

When: Sunday, 15 May 2011 @ 6pm

Where: My House

This weekend's Point & Shoot is a special one it's on my Birthday! You have probably noticed from my last post that I get a wee bit excited at Birthday time and I thought I might grow out of it, but no I seem to spoil myself more and more each year, maybe its my way of dealing with getting older. My Birthweek started on Thursday when I thought I was going out for an easy dinner with the girls, but ended up at a surprise party with all my best friends there, Pete was cranking the BBQ, there were balloons and streamers, they made me a deliciously sweet and creamy birthday cake, wine and champagne and really special pressies and cards. I felt so special and loved by my friends for organising all that for me and I had absolutely no idea what they were up to! It had me on a high for days. Just had to share the build up with you all!

Now for this weekends Point & Shoot ..... Sunday morning I woke up in the Swan Valley with my gorgeous man and we had a stunning drive back  through the wineries to home. My parents came over and Pete cooked up a delicious brunch for us which we enjoyed outside with a glass of champagne. Another Birthday cake (I really need to get onto that x-trainer!). I opened my pressies and cards I got very spoilt! The Derby was on in the afternoon so we settled back to watch that and my team won .... Go the Eagles! Dinner was whatever I wanted (creamy chili prawn spaghetti mmmm delicious). A nice relaxing day after the last few days of being out and about was just what I wanted and to be with the people that mean the most to me on my Birthday was all that I could wish for.

I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend too I'm off to catch up on your Point & Shoot now over at Sunny + Scout

It's a lot of fun, why don't you head on over and join in too!

My BirthWeek

Yes you read that right its my Birthweek (not Birthday 24 hours just aint enough time!) I tend to milk it for about a week and treat myself to a few days off work and take some me time, some girly time with friends, some family time and of course some romancing time with my gorgeous man. This Birthday I'm feeling a little strange ... I'll be stepping over the 30 line ... yep this sprightly youngster is turning 31. Surprised aren't you? That can't possibly be my age? As you squint at my little profile pic! What can I say I owe my youthful appearance to my freckles and good genes from my folks  :)

My 30th last year was a big celebration so this year I'm playing it down a bit no huge party planned but still a decent amount of spoiling over the next few days. Starting tomorrow I'm taking a few days off work, treating myself to a massage, then a romantic night in the Swan Valley with my gorgeous man and we're having a degustation dinner with matching wines which I've wanted to do for sooooooo long, catching up with my folks, drinks with friends, and of course a bit of retail therapy thrown in.

A few celebrations and spoilings definately makes the thought of getting 1 year older a lot more enjoyable. I'm always one to celebrate the small things in life any excuse to bring out the bubbly and say CHEERS!

How do you spoil yourself on your Birthday?

[Image via weheartit]

Point and Shoot: Rockingham Foreshore

When: Sunday, 8 May 2011 @ 12.30pm

Where: Rockingham Foreshore

I had a pretty busy weekend with equal amounts of work and play! 

The ceiling and all the skirting in the man cave got painted so it is finally ready for some colour to go on the walls. The hallway cupboards got a coat of paint around the frame and as I was a bit eager to wallpaper the doors without painting the cupboard frame first it meant we had to remove the doors so I could take them outside and sand the back of them ready for painting. I'm a bit worried I'll get paint on the gorgeous wallpaper will have to be pretty careful. 

After working all day we partied all night ... one of my best mates and her hubby have been travelling the globe for the past year (and in the midst of it we joined them in Ibiza for a Spanish style wedding!) and have just come home so we had a welcome back dinner for them at Maya Masala in Northridge absolutely delicious Indian and lots of wine, then onto a friends party until the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday was Mother's Day and I spent the day with my Mum and Dad, Aunt and Uncle and Nanna down on the Rockingham foreshore. Mum loved her silver necklace and earrings. Everywhere you looked there were Mums with huge bunches of flowers next to them it was such a sweet sight. I'd had a huge Saturday night so being a bit worse for wear, spending the day down by the beach having fish and chips was a perfect hangover suppressant! The weather has been surprisingly sunny still, it's meant to be Autumn but as you can see the sun is still shining, there is no rain in sight and people are still walking around in their bikinis and laying about in the sun.

Hope all the Mums had a lovely Mothers Day!

I'm off to Sunny + Scout to catch up on your weekends now.

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[Image my own]

My Fish Tank + Wine Buffett

I thought I'd show you how my aquarium and wine buffet look in their new spot.

They were moved from the soon to be man cave (Mr P is doing a second coat of paint on the ceiling as I type this!) and into the old dining area.

As we've gone for the outside dining option, we are going to sell the old dining setting and this space is now perfect for a buffet along the wall, with plenty of room for bar stools along the kitchen bench so my girlfriends can all fit along and chat to me when I'm cooking up a storm. It leaves this area open for the future dream of having this as a walkway through to french doors and out onto the deck (just ignore the cabinet under the window it'll be moved back in the man cave once its painted).

Before 

After

Before

After

This aquarium was actually a housewarming present from Mr P who I'd been dating for about a month when I moved in with some friends .... who would've thought 2 years later we'd be moving into our own house together.

The other 2 fish tanks we had (yes we had 3 in total) we gave to friends when we were getting ready to renovate the Living Room.

I don't like the proper aquarium stands which are plain metal stands, practical but not very attractive so I found this wooden wine buffet second hand out of the quokka for about $200 and its perfect to sit the aquarium on and has cupboards and drawers for storage plus a wine rack in the middle for my wine collection so it is the perfect piece of furniture to be near the kitchen.

The fish are swimming around happily and enjoying the change of scenery. Its better light in here for them, there are lots of windows nearby so they'll see a bit of sunlight.

I love having them near the kitchen it gives me something to look at when I'm chopping veggies. Plus they'll be seen everyday so they'll be looked after and appreciated a lot better too.

The fish tank needs a bit of styling - I've kept it plain for now as I have a bit of a fun project in mind for the tankscape ... stay tuned for that!

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[All images my own]

Read em and eat

The latest issue of Australian House and Garden magazine landed in my mailbox yesterday and once again I'm loving its glossy glorious pages of goodness. But what really caught my eye this time was the recipes. I've spoken before about my love for toasties and there are a few recipes for gourmet toasted sandwiches that look absolutely scrump-diddly-umptious.

Here they are:

Taleggio, Apple & Pistachio

Smoked Mozzarella, Radicchio & Golden Raisins

Fillet Steak with Goats Cheese & Balsamic Onions

Usually if I find a recipe I want to try I'll either tear it out and put it on the fridge to entice me to make it or if I can't bear to tear into the magazine (like this one it's only 1 day old I just can't do it!) I'll post-it note the page instead and leave it out to remind me to try it. If it stays on the fridge unmade for too long i'll put it away into my recipe book and this is the first place I go when I'm writing out my weekly menu plan.

If its a winner and something I'd make again I'll write it into my recipe book and stick the picture in next to it (so I remember what it's meant to look like!).

If its a dud well its bye bye into the bin it goes.

Where do you keep recipes you want to try?

[Image via here]

My First Guest Post at Welcome to Heardmont

You have no idea how excited I was when the talented DIY Queen Meredith from Welcome to Heardmont asked me to do my very first Guest Post.

After doing a bit of a happy dance around the house the first thing I thought of was how many zillions of miles apart we live, but that our interests are still very much the same.

So with travel in mind, a post about the best bits to do in Perth Western Australia came very easily for me and I'd love for you to head on over here to check it out.

While you're there have a good ole browse around Meredith's blog she is full of enthusiasm and passion for doing up her home and has some amazing before and after photos which will blow you away!

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[Image via Welcome To Heardmont]