5 Must Pack Items For A Tropical Holiday

Now that the hard work on the kitchen renovation is pretty much finished I'm looking forward to my cruise holiday onboard Voyager of the Seas that I'm going on later this year. As I'm a self confessed lover of planning what to pack I've started my list of outfits I want to take with me and what I still need to buy.

As well as New Zealand, I'm visiting the island of New Caledonia and Fiji and these places require some tropical getaway outfits. Here are my 5 must pack items for a tropical holiday ...

 

1. A pair of shorts - These are great for being a bit more adventurous when you're out sightseeing and climbing across rocks and sand to get to the beach. Just avoid the itty bitty butt cheeks hanging out style, I'm sorry but nobody wants to see that!

 

 

2. A loose tank top or fitted singlet - That you can mix and match with your bottoms ... now's the time to pick a bright colour or pattern and get into the tropics vibe.

 

 

 

3. Day dress - My favourite go to outfit is a simple summer dress, I don't need to figure out a top and a bottom, just put a dress on and I'm good to go!

 

4. Swimwear - I always take 2 bikinis in case one is still wet from the pool to the beach, they are only small so take up no room at all. There are so many styles and patterns to choose from, I'm loving this pineapple print!

5. Footwear - I don't really wear flip flops/thongs when doing lots of walking as I don't find them secure or supportive enough. But I'm a big fan of flat sandals especially ones with an ankle strap so they can't come off. These Ipenama style sandals are seriously the most comfortable footwear ever! 

 

A hat, sunglasses, lip balm, sunscreen and a camera are must pack items too!

What are your must pack items for a tropical holiday?


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Installing A Kitchen Range Hood ... Twice!

Have you ever worked so long and hard on something only to have it break right at the end when you're almost finished and you have to start all over again? 

Well that happened when we were installing this range hood in the kitchen this weekend ...

Picture this it's Saturday night and Mr P and I have been painting all day and then spent 4 hours fiddling, leveling, installing and cleaning the new range hood so it shined like a freaking star and Mr P pulled the inside metal duct vent a little to hard connecting it to the roof vent .... the very last step ... and it split and came unravelled. Which means we had to pull it all apart, insert a new vent and start all over again.

You should've seen the look of deflation on poor Mr P's face. All I could do was hand him a bottle of wine (a glass of wine wasn't going to cut it!) and say shit happens babe! It was 11pm and we hadn't even stopped to eat dinner, or for a break, exhausted, hungry and frustrated to say the least.

So what can you do? 

Put some leftover pizza in the oven, grab another bottle of wine,
and say bugger it we'll fix it tomorrow!!

Regardless, I'll take you through the steps of how to install a kitchen range hood - including when not to pull it too hard! 

We thought we would have a go at installing it ourselves, after all how hard could it be? Famous last words hey!

First things first we had to work out the height and chose to install it slightly higher than the recommended height at 800mm instead of 750mm so Mr P who is quite tall doesn't bang his head on it whenever he's leaning over the stove ... I love my man's cooking so anything that was going to deter him from that was going to be sorted out!

Then we drilled in the holes for the brackets - this had to be done before the glass splash back could be measured so they knew where to cut the holes out of the glass.

We triple checked this was right as you can imagine we couldn't change our mind after the glass had been cut.

Once the glass splash back was installed we could install the range hood starting with the brackets being attached to the wall.

There was a top and bottom bracket that needed to be fitted to the wall and the screws tightened until it was attached securely.

The metal duct vent which we bought from Bunnings for $40 is like a big slinky which stretches and triples in size.

This was cut to size and attached to the inside of the range hood vent with duct tape - of all the uses for duct tape this is actually what it's intended to be used for - who would've thought!

  

The base of the range hood clipped onto the bottom bracket - we spent ages making sure it was level and secured the wall.

You can imagine when it's turned on it's going to vibrate or have some movement so you want to be certain it's attached safely and securely in place.

Now to cut a hole in the ceiling for the vent to go through the ceiling and into the roof space.

We drew a circle around the vent onto our brand new ceiling so we could cut a hole out.

Using a plaster saw to cut through the plaster board ... I actually got on the tools to do this bit standing on a step ladder cutting from the underside and Mr P was in the roof and finished the job cutting from the other side with an electric saw.

We also used some leftover cornice to fill the gap against the wall that will be behind the range hood to keep out any creepy crawlys from coming inside from the roof area.

Because our fussiness doesn't stop there we also got a paint brush and white ceiling paint out and painted over the scuff marks  the vent had made on the new ceiling.

We then gently so as not to damage it this time, pulled the metal vent through got into the roof space and attached it to the roof vent.

We had the roof vent installed by our plumber when he did the plumbing for the kitchen.

Range hoods need to be vented out into the atmosphere so all the yummy cooking smells make your neighbors hungry!

Now back inside Mr P connected the range hood covers - there are 2 and they slot inside one another so it can fit any ceiling height and the top one clips onto the top bracket.

Sounds easy enough, but it  took a while to get the covers to sit flush up against the ceiling, no gaps and totally straight.

Note: This is where we got to on the first night and then had to do it all again the next day ggrrrrrrr!

The side panels from the overhead glass cabinets which were taken off so the splash back could be fitted flush against the cupboards could then be put back on.

I had to take most of my wine glasses out to do this and those that I didn't take out got filled with sawdust that'll teach me!

Finally, the glass canopy was fitted to the top of the range hood with a few screws and it was done.

It was a very tight custom made design this kitchen right down to the millimetres left on either side of the range hood.

There's always that oh s**t moment when you hope that it's all going to fit .... Thankfully it did!

I got out the stainless steel spray again and wiped off all the millions of finger marks all over the pretty new range hood until it shined brighter than a star.

Then we turned it on and listened to it hum like a jet engine, yes it's a little loud but I have heard worse.

I love the 2 LED lights at the front and the touch buttons, it even has a timer which is pretty handy.

I really like the black panel at the front which matches the black ceramic stove top and I think the glass and silver play up nicely against the glass overhead cupboards.

So what have we learnt from this DIY take two project? That sometimes shit happens and you can't give up. See it all turned out ok in the end, it pretty much always does!

Doesn't it look pretty? All lit up and ready to go!


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Kitchen Renovation - Glass Splash Back Install

On this kitchen renovation journey I've taken you through our dilemma of deciding between tiles Vs glass splash back and the unsuccessful tile shopping expedition which lead to our decision to pick glass over tiles and comparing companies and quotes to get the best deal on a glass splash back.

I wanted our splash back to have a wow factor but at the same time not be something that I love for it's uniqueness but a future home buyer might hate for the very same reason! We decided on a modern glass splash back in a fairly safe colour with silver and blue tones it's not too bright or out there and picks up the colours of the shells in the black granite bench tops.

In preparation for the splash back install Mr P and I have been frantically trying to finish the painting after work in the evenings and over the last few weekends amongst other things and almost got there, the rest we finished painting after the install. We had to screw in the brackets for the range hood so they knew where to cut the holes out of the glass. Remove the side panels off the overhead glass cabinets so the splash back can sit flush against the wall and then the panels over the top - it looks much neater this way. Lastly, we needed to have the bench tops cleared, power outlet covers removed and stove hot plates out of the way so the glass could be carried in and put into place without a hitch.

So here we go check out the install on Friday which happened in under an hour!


The Frosted Ice sample of the splash back was a lot lighter, more silver and less blue than the actual product turned out to be
Thankfully I don't mind the darker blue tone but when they say variations in colour can occur they are not joking!

The stove area before the splash back went in

The stove area after the splash back is installed

 

The holes for the range hood brackets - we had to pre drill 5 of these so they knew where to cut the holes when they did the final measure. You don't know how glad I was to see the holes made in the right spot!

Ta da splash back installed now I can cook and splatter away at the stove as much as I want!



The sink area before the splash back went in

 

The splash back installed around the window frame and bench area

The splash back is in and I absolutely love it!

 

The glass colour looks darker at night time which gives it a more formal and sophisticated vibe and then during the day it looks lighter and a bit more casual. I really love the colour choice and think it suits people who like classic colours as well as those who are a little more daring and want bright pops of colour like how I plan to decorate with my eDesign mood board.

 

This week I'm going to fluff around styling the bench tops - while I'm not one to clutter the bench tops but I do need the coffee machine out of the garage and into the kitchen so I can set up my much anticipated coffee station!

 

What do you think?  Have I convinced you to get Glass over Tiles?

 

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[All images my own]
 

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A Confession From A Magazine Addict

Hello world, my name's Michelle and I'm a magazine addict ... there I've said it step one is admitting I have a problem! But times they are a changing and I've accepted I have an obsession with glossy shiny magazines and it's time to cull the collection.

 

 

Over the last 4 years I've subscribed to Real Living, Australian House and Garden, Delicious and Super Food Ideas .... now if you multiply that by 12 months in a year you have yourself a stack of almost 50 magazines a year ... that's a lot of reading and I hate to admit it but a bit of time wasting as well. 






To me there's nothing more exciting than getting a fresh crisp new magazine in the mail box ... I love the way they look with their beautiful bright colours and smooth glossy pages. At this moment I subscribe to two magazines Real Living is my go to bible for home inspiration and I cashed in my Flyby points for a years subscription to Super Food Ideas which have really simple and easy recipe ideas. 

With the steady flow of magazines coming into the home each month and my 6 magazine holders full, 2 huge drawers in the coffee table filled to the brim and now a secret stash building up in the study it's time for me to part with my much loved magazines. See that's my problem, after I've read them I can't get rid of them .... Well until now that is.

 

 
So I've been going through the food magazines and tearing out recipes I want to try and after I've tried the recipe if I like it and i'll make it again I write it into my recipe book. I now have a stack of 2 years worth of food magazines to pass onto friends.

 

 
The home magazines are so much harder to part with because they have so many pictures I like, interesting articles, how tos, they are like my inspiration bible. But to beat this addiction now when the magazines are about 6 months old I can finally bring myself to tear out pages I like and put them into my lever arch inspiration files - I have 4 files full of magazine pages, brochures, paint charts etc with inside and outside ideas that I can refer back to.
 

 

I'm proud to say I'm slowly getting through my magazine hoarding and culling the collection. Keeping what I like and then passing them onto friends ... I know they are going to be in good hands and it's one less thing collecting dust piled high in the corner of the study!  

 

What's your favourite magazine you just can't resist?
 

 

[All images my own]

 

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Recipe: Sour Cream and Chilli Bread

There's nothing like having a sneaky slice of bread straight from the bread maker while it's still warm and you butter it and all the butter melts in the bread and it tastes absolutely divine. Mmmmm yum! So I've been using my bread maker a bit more lately, last week I made Cheese and Herb Damper to go with a slow cooked sausage and lentil stew and this week I made Sour Cream and Chilli Bread to go with my chilli con carne and rice.

The Sour Cream and Chilli Bread was beautiful and soft with a hint of chilli at the end. I thought the sour cream would make it dense but it was quite the opposite it was light and fluffy and really soft on the inside with a crunchy crust on the outside. 

 

Sour Cream and Chilli Bread

750g loaf in bread maker

 

80ml cold water

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs skim milk powder

1 tsp bread improver
440g plain flour

1 and 1/2 tsp yeast

 

Get all the ingredients out and get ready to get your bake on

Into the bread maker pan place the water, sour cream and chilli powder

 

Followed by the rest of the ingredients in the order of the list above with the yeast going in last

 

 

A couple of hours later once its mixed, kneaded, risen and baked the bread will turn out like this

 

 

It was really easy to slice it had a firm crunchy crust and a soft and fluffy inside

 

  

It was the perfect bread to serve as an accompaniment to a Mexican inspired dinner ...

Chilli con carne and rice with a generous dollop of sour cream

 

 

What's your favourite type of bread? 

 

 

[All images my own]

 

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eDesign Mood Board - Dining Room and Kitchen Bench

I have a pretty clear vision of how I want the kitchen to look when it's all finished and have created an eDesign mood board to bring my ideas to life.

 

Taking a cue from the clocks and art I have ready to go up on the dining room wall once the painting is done and with the frames, art and clocks in pops of yellow, black, silver and gold these are the primary colours I'm using for the decor and furniture for the kitchen and dining room.

 

So here is my mood board for the Dining Room and Kitchen Bench ...

 

 

 

 

Dining Room and Kitchen Bench by jarrahjungle on Polyvore

 

1. Kenwoods Kmix toaster and kettle - The new colour range of appliances in bright colours make a really bright bold statement. I think every kitchen deserves a new kettle and toaster after a renovation and my old leaking kettle just isn't going to cut it in the new kitchen!

 

2. Replica Xavier Tolix Stools - If I'm brave enough I'll get 2 of these yellow Stools for the kitchen island bench. The rubber feet and legs on these stools are what I like the most because they are practical when it comes to jarrah floorboards they won't scratch the floor when they get dragged out, unlike some of the heavier solid base bar stools.

3. Black granite bench top - A sample of the black granite kitchen and island bench tops to see how the furniture and decor will contrast. The colours are really going to make a statement against the shiny sparkly granite.

4. Pineapple ornament - The new ornament craze is all about pineapples! I'm really liking this one from Freedom and my other favourite shop Pigeonhole have a pineapple jar which would serve a dual purpose both practical and fun.

5. Gold apple - From my go to store Typo I found this apple pen holder which I'm using as a salt dispenser on the bench near the stove. Even Mr P has given it the thumbs up and I quote "that's probably my favourite thing you've bought for the house" and that's saying something because I have bought home a lot of housey things over the years!

6. Replica Tolix Table - This table matches the kitchen stools which should tie the different seating in together. I really like the contrast between the wooden top and metal legs and it's quite streamline so won't overpower the small dining area. It will just be a matter of whether the table will fit in the space and if the ottoman can slide underneath the table legs and sit under the table out of the way.

7. Fabric Rectangle Ottoman - Instead of bench seats I'm looking at a fabric ottoman for seating at the dining table against the wall and then chairs along the other side of the dining table. This ottoman comes in a range of fabrics and I'll go for a bold graphic print. I just hope the ottoman is at the right height to sit at the table and that it can be pushed underneath the table out of the way to save space.

8. Replica Eames Dining Chairs - The remaining dining chairs I would like 4 chairs similar to these Replica Eames Side chair in a grey fabric with timber legs. The timber legs will go with the dining table top and the grey fabric will go with the wall colour paint.

 

You can see the mood board on Polyvore here with links of where you can buy the items.

 

So what do you think of my dining room and kitchen bench design?

Thoughts? Suggestions? I'd love to hear them!

 

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