Turning Handmade Paper Into Art

My well travelled bestie gave me these handmade papers from Paper Ya in Vancouver which she cleverly picked out in the colours of my Living Room - green, white/cream and gold.

I wanted to do something special with them and decided to frame them and turn them into art for the Living Room.
 

 

I had a set of 3 small frames that have pretty pattern etched onto the glass so I cut the papers to size and put them into the frames

 

 

I wasn't happy with the plain white frames not only were they a bit scuffed but they didn't make the papers pop enough - I wanted them to be the feature I was framing.

So I embraced my wanting to use more colour and went through my half empty cans of spray paint and decided on gold to match in with the copper tone in the Living Room.

Now the fun bit of hanging them on the wall, it took a while to measure the frames and find the right spot for them to hang evenly - you've got to take your time and be absolutely sure before you start drilling holes and hooks into the wall. The little spirit level we use is a Godsend, never trust your eye to be straight the level knows the truth!

We hung them centred and next to the art print I got from Target a little while back.

 

 

 

 

 

My wanting to bring more gold and copper tones into the Living Room is getting there and I'm really happy with how the frames look.

This little project cost me zilch! The papers were a gift and the frames and paint I already had so with a bit of creativity and time I've turned my handmade paper into art!

Have you tackled any artsy projects lately?


Sharing with this weeks link parties:
Savvy Southern Style
The Dedicated House and
You Are Talking Too Much

 

[All images my own]

Meatless Mondays

On the weekend I pour myself a glass of wine and grab a few cook books and write up a menu plan for the week.

 

I've started a trend with Meatless Mondays because I think it's good to have a break from chicken/meat/etc every day, it's healthier and a cheaper meal too.

Admittedly I get a funny look when I say we're having salad or a fresh lemon and herb pasta ... what  no meat?! I have to make it filling so we don't gorge on ice cream afterwards so usually add some carbs with potatoes or homemade bread or open a tin of tuna (I figure it's not meat so it's ok!)

Do you have any Meatless Monday recipes?

Please share, I'd love some more recipes to try!

[Image my own]

10 Reasons To Go On A Cruise Holiday

When I share my enthusiasm for going on a cruise holiday I always get surprised looks from people who aren't use to young lasses like myself taking a cruise ... 

Trust me a cruise holiday it's not always like a floating retirement village!

Here are my 10 reasons to go on a cruise holiday

1. You unpack once - When you board and get to your cabin, unpack your suitcase and you don't need to pack it again until you get off. If there's one thing I hate about travelling it's living out of a suitcase!

2. No uncomfortable trying to sleep while flying - You aren't wasting 10+ hrs on a flight trying to sleep with crying kids and that annoying person kicking the back of your seat. Instead you retire to your cabin to lay back in your nice big bed enjoying a chocolate left on your pillow by your lovely stewardess.

3. Less luggage restrictions - If the ship is coming back into the Port where you live you don't need to worry about luggage restrictions. Yes that means you can shop to your hearts content and fit it all in your suitcase because it won't get weight when you get off. Those Airport luggage charges bite!

4. No waiting at Airports - You don't waste time travelling to Airports and waiting around for planes and dealing with delays etc. You cruise around in luxury wining and dining being entertained or just kicking back on a deckchair whilst you head to your next destination.

5. Free Entertainment - There is a different show on every evening that is included in your cruise fare - no extra money is spent on your entertainment. It can be a musical, circus acts, laser show, comedy, magician, singing, dancing the list goes on. Yes free!

6. Free Food - The food is plentiful and included in your cruise fare - breakfast lunch and dinner you can dine in fine dining restaurants with silver service waiters pulling out your chair and fussing over you or in the casual buffet service if you're feeling relaxed and want to help yourself. There is the option of paying to go to certain restaurants on board but you don't have to when you have these already included.

7. Portrait Photos - Ever wanted to get a family or couples portrait, well there are photographers snapping away when you get on/off the ship and they also have Portrait nights for you to get dressed in your best and they'll take special photos of you to purchase.

8. Travelling Solo - You don't need to get lost in Airports, catch taxis by yourself or dine alone. Once on board you will make instant friends to explore Ports with, you'll be seated at group tables for dinner and can then spend your evening drinking cocktails with your new found friends.

9. Exploring New Destinations - You have a full day to explore the town that the ship takes you to. There are plenty of tours to pick from so there is no organising what to see and do yourself if you don't want to, just pick a tour and let them plan an enjoyable day for you.

10. An all inclusive experience - The best thing for me is that everything is taken care of, there are no flights, transfers, tours, hotels, restaurants, etc to book. Once you walk up that ramp and onto the ship you just kick back and enjoy a relaxing holiday and let the lovely staff look after everything for you.

So tell me, have I convinced anyone to take a cruise holiday?

If you are keen to go on your own cruise adventure check out the awesome deals on Travel Factory here

For exclusive extras and daily updates ... follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

[All images via P&O Pacific Jewel]

Fridays Letters - Dear 30 seconds of fame

I've had a few weeks off from Friday's Letters but I'm back into the swing of things now. Thanks Ashley for hosting Fridays Letters Linky Party, why don't you head on over to Adventures of Newlyweds and join in too.

 

I'm imagining I'm writing this weeks letters in front of this calm collection of artworks sipping on a glass of sparkling passion fruit wine.

 

 

Dear 30 seconds of fame - I have been holding in my excitement of being interviewed and photographed recently and hope to be able to share my 30 seconds of fame very soon!

 

Dear Girls Weekend Away - 3 nights of eating, drinking, dancing, laughing, talking and just being girls! I had such a great time away and I'm so lucky to have found such a great group of friends to road trip with.

 

Dear Sparkling Passion Fruit Wine - You have not lived until you have tasted the sweet sensational taste of passion fruit wine. So damn delicious!

 

Dear MAC Make Up - I'm treating myself to having my makeup done by a MAC artist on Saturday ... smoky eye and false eyelashes will make me feel super girly. Can't wait.

 

Dear Salad - You don't win friends with salad, but you do get a fitter look bod for Summer! So I guess we'll be friends for the next few months. Mmmkay?! 

 

 

[Image via My Pinterest]

 

Book Review: 50 Shames Of Earl Grey By Fanny Merkin

I won this book 50 Shames Of Earl Grey By Fanny Merkin (aka Andrew Shaffer) ironically whilst I was reading 50 Shades Of Grey

 

 

There is so much fuss and talk about the original book 50 Shades of Grey, especially the terrible writing style and the constant repetition of words like Oh My and Inner Goddess etc so it was timely that a Parody book was written to get us all laughing.

Basically this is the same story line as 50 Shades of Grey, except much more entertaining including Anna working at Walmart and Grey's idea of dressing up is wearing a smiley face tie! Grey lists his '50 shames' at the back of the book which is hilarious too.

 

I would recommend this book to those that have read 50 Shades of Grey and whether you loved or hated it, this is a good read to follow for a laugh. I give this book 4 stars.

 

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch re-runs of Neighbours than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

 

[Image via 50 Shames of Earl Grey]

 

The Painted Stripes Project Take 2

My tears have dried since the stripe sabotage incident and a few weeks on, a bit of plaster and sanding, painting again and the art is hung - my stripe wall has evolved and is complete and what I've learnt from this is life's little stuff ups can sometimes put you on the right track ... keep reading you'll see why!

 

To refresh your memory this is my painted stripe entrance wall at front door of my home

 

 

The not so awesome chunk that got knocked out of it only 1 week later

 

 

I needed to paint another stripe over the patch that was fixed but was unsure what colour to use - I didn't have enough charcoal paint left and was too much of a tight ass to buy more so I decided to bring some colour into the equation.

I got a 0.5L pot of Wattyl Atlantica paint in the gift bag at the School of Real Living workshop I went to earlier this year. I was a little scared but a little excited about how this colour would look, but as it's the same tone as the charcoal and I learnt all about colour tones in my recent studies I felt confident that the colours would blend well together.

 

 

 

So here we go again measuring, drawing the lines, taping it carefully and ready to paint

Don't laugh but I couldn't find the small roller sleeve so I attempted to use a large one but it was just a mess! So a mercy dash to Bunnings was necessary to get me another roller and do the job properly.

 

 

 

Unfortunately you could still see the dark charcoal line I had tried to cover through the paint, so I got some sandpaper on it and lightly sanded the line back and then did 2 thick coats of paint - I tell you this stripe sabotage was a pain in the butt to fix!

 

 

 

 

I forgot about this metal wall art I had bought on sale at Target. It was looking a bit scuffed so Mr P gave it a few coats of white spray paint and it came up a treat. The whitest of whites was going to look fantastic against the dark charcoal background, I love the use of colour behind artworks it really makes them pop.

 

 

These are the 2 pictures that inspired me to paint the stripes and hang up some art in the first place

 

 

 

And this is my finished project

 

 

Ironically I have now used both colours in my inspiration photos teal and charcoal which just goes to show that everything happens for a reason and if you always see the positive in life things will always work out ok in the end!

 

Sharing with Link Up Parties:
Savvy Southern Style - Wow us Wednesdays
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty
You Are Talking Too Much - Meet Me Monday

 

[All images my own]