Saturday, September 14, 2019

A little bit of D.I.Y.


Greetings dear friends & readers,

Just after my last post Sid went away with his parents for a holiday to the Sunshine Coast of Australia.
As I didn't have to look after him for the week I decided this might be a good opportunity to paint my Hallway.


My first EVER homegrown freesias picked from my garden - their fragrance is divine !!~

My hallway is only small but it leads to our Utility rooms & - although tiny - it has 3 doorways & 2 cupboards 
leading off it.
And not much room to move either !!
It used to have an exterior glass door at the end but we removed this when we did our lounge reno & made it 
into a craft cupboard - you can read about it in this post Here
So now we have no natural light coming into the hallway at all.

Firstly I needed to nail quarter round moldings to the corner of the wall that the builders never finished off  - this then 
had to be filled & primer/undercoated.

Then I began painting the walls & YES - I had constant unwanted supervision throughout the entire process !!! 😉
It was a very small space to move around in & it is only fair to say - I got paint everywhere !!~!
My dear old Dad was a painter & he would've been turning in his grave if he saw how I worked !!

Once I got two coats on the walls & the door frames painted, I decided to paint the door at the end (my craft cupboard) in pink.
I had a Resene testpot in the colour Pale Rose
Once I had done a coat of this, I didn't like it at all - it reminded me of pink primer paint ... so I tried out some blue colors I had in testpots.
By this stage it was resembling a bit of an ugly patchwork quilt 😉

Finally - after a day of walking past it - back to cream the door went !
In hindsight I am so pleased I kept it the same color throughout as it's such a small space & it helps to lighten it a little

Plus I had decided to apply the leftover transfer from this little upcycle project that I did Here
This whole process was to be very much using up what I had on hand & not buying anything !


The sweet little china cross was a birthday gift from my lovely friend Jane.
These gorgeous vintage frames were purchased last year from my friend Sallys online vintage store - I loved them but had never found the right spot for them to hang
You can see in this picture & the one below, that my hallway had once upon a time, been wallpapered in a heavy duty textured wallpaper.  I simply painted right over this & loved the effect of it all.

A simple bevelled glass mirror - an op shop purchase - was my final decoration to the wall.
As our cat's litter box goes into the hallway at nights I chose not to place any other furniture in the narrow passageway.


But I do plan to make a long rag mat (from scrap fabrics) for the floor - once I catch my breath.


Next up I wanted to do some sort of shades for the 2 lights in the hallway - I found these old wire frames in my sleepout so I chose a pretty Tilda fabric from my stash, that echoed the plummy colors in the door transfer.

I tore strips, ironed them & then wound them round the wire frame - my only purchase was 2 of those skeletal light bulbs that have the filaments showing  (not photographing especially well here today)


It has certainly freshened & lightened it up but gosh I am SO pleased it is all done & I hope I don't have to do it again for many, many years! Give me a piece of furniture to paint anyday in preference to a room !! 😉


During the course of last week & in the midst of my painting spree - I remembered my lovely friend Sally had a birthday coming up.


I found this old wooden box in my sleepout so I painted each of the 4 sides with some black chalk paint & my stencil

Then I lined the whole box with a black rubbish bag & planted it with a punnet of snapdragons (antirrhinums) - these have such a long flowering period & if you pinch the centres out, I find they bush out nicely.


A little chalk board sign & the planter box was complete.


The next day I made up a batch of lemon dusters as I knew Sal would enjoy using these.
 I also made a Citrus Slice - some to enjoy & some to gift to Sal, as we seem to still have an abundance of lemons & oranges on our trees.

Thanks so much for staying with me through this lengthy post dear friends.
Before I sign off, I just wanted to share this delighful photo of dear little Sid on holiday in Noosa.
Isn't this just the picture of a little boy in absolute heaven ?! 💙
Wishing you a wonderful weekend dear friends,
Be kind to yourselves & to each other,
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

23 comments:

  1. My dear old dad was a painter by trade, also. =) Julie, I am in love with the hallway! Love the cream colour; doesn't it add so much light to this passage way. Love the door and the decoration...and the wonderful lampshades. I must say, Sally will be over the moon with her beautiful birthday gift. I cannot wait to see the fabulous rag rug you imagine. Oh....and before I forget Freesias are one of my all time favourite spring bulbs. Isn't their fragrance divine. Mine haven't decided to show as yet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You did a great job on your hallway Julie, and the box, such a lovely gift, and isn't Sid a little cutie, there are a few fires up that way at the moment, poor Queensland and parts of NSW are having a few nasty ones. Take care Julie. Chris xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love what you have done with the hallway! That transfer is a wonderful idea. Love the light shades too. Hope Miss Pippi didnt get her paws in the paint and leave tracks like one of my kitties did once. The gifts for your friend look fab. Sid looks so pleased with himself doesnt he.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HeHe! Perhaps you should have waited Julie till Sid
    got back..being much smaller he may have done a better
    job..though looking at the finish of it..looks great,
    love that transfer..certainly sets the door off..!
    And..perhaps a couple more frames this side of the
    mirror would look nice..! :).

    And..I'm no painter either..not even painting a plain
    wall..and as for window frames..l have to use loads
    of masking tape..! Bless! :o).

    Sal's flowers look lovely to..and..as l've said before..
    that's where l like to see flowers, in the ground, in the
    earth, growing away happily..and getting bigger! Heaven!

    Well, best get on..just gone seven over here, usual lemon
    tea, getting ready for the vigours of the bathroom, and
    in the bath this morning, is a huge spider, second one
    in a week, the last one l put under the stairs, this one
    will have to go into the spare room...! As they don't
    survive out of doors! And..l love spiders..! :o).

    And Sid...looks a though he's having fun..maybe he'll bring
    some sand back for his Granny...and a few pebbles..! :).
    ´*•.¸(*•.¸♥¸.•*´)¸.•*´ 🐾 ´*•.¸(*•.¸♥¸.•*´)¸.•*´ 🐾

    ReplyDelete
  5. My husband is a painter and decorator, but not me. The last room I painted was years ago and I couldn't manage a normal sized roller, so I used a mini 2" one! It too forever!! It looks so light and bright and I love those lightbulbs that are designed to be seen. Long gone are the days of bare bulbs meant you were to poor to afford a lampshade! I love the wooden flower box, such a thoughtful gift that can be used again and again. Jane :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh gosh Jane - I can just imagine you using the mini 2 inch roller!! How long it must've taken you! Yes I love those lightbulbs & light shades too ... my friend has them right throughout her Home & they just look great.

      Delete
  6. It turned out lovely, and I also hate to paint. I am bad at it. I can paint furniture no problem, but put a paint brush in my hand to paint a room and watch out. Paint everywhere but where it belongs. It must be creative thing. Love all your doings. Makes me want to do the same but no time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kim - I am glad you don't enjoy painting either! You are so good at all that you do my friend, that I thought you would be a real pro at painting too. Its such a messy job but I do love the end result when its all freshly done.

      Delete
  7. Love your hallway, it looks fabulous. The garden box looks lovely. Aww Syd is so cute. Hugs,xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. You have done a fantastic job Julie,I had to smile when reading your comment about your Dad, mine was a painter and paper hanger by trade too!! He would also be shocked with some of the painting we have done 😁. Love the decoration on the door and the treasures on the walls. Of course your helper had to help!! You have made a beautiful present for Sally, I am sure she will love it. Sid is such a cutie!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Julie, That picture of Syd is adorable. So many things to comment on. Your little hallway looks so nice now and I like what you put on the door. Love the light shades too. Your friend will be happy to receive your lovely gift. I love homemade gifts. Enjoy your week-end. Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  10. You did a lovely job of your hallway....when you say you got paint everywhere, does that mean on your bottom!? I love my lemon dusters you gave me, I'm down to the last one, your friend is lucky!

    ReplyDelete
  11. lovely job on the hallway, i think i would've just painted around the trim in the rose rather than the door; you have done a wonderful job as usual
    hope they are having the time of their lives over here, it's just into spring & Noosa is usually lovely this time of year.
    great post
    thanx for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your lovely comment Selina. I think that's a great idea just to paint around the trim of the doorway - I never even thought of that. I might give it a try as I still have some pink paint left over. Thanks so much Selina xx

      Delete
  12. Do you know Julie..it's been bothering me..
    What the transfer said..l knew the top bit,
    but not sure of the bottom bit..My french
    is not good..HeHe! But then neither is my
    English..! :).

    So it says..Translated..
    Welcome..
    Here is our corner
    Of happiness..

    Nice! :o).

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your hallway looks wonderful and beautiful Freesias too. Gorgeous Pic of Sid and hope Queensland continues to shine upon him for his holidays xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. You made a lovely job of your hallway and I love the transfer on the door it is gorgeous. It is a big job I just completed my hall, stairs and landing this summer. I do enjoy looking at your projects you have such clever ideas and give really thoughtful gifts. Take care. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your lovely comment. Gosh here I am complaining about my small hallway & you have done a hall, stairs AND a landing!! Well done - what a huge accomplishment!

      Delete
  15. It seems as if lots of blog sisters are painting walls these days. I love your transformation, Julie! It looks wonderful! I found tiny rollers for my recent diy. They are soft rag and they make a nice finish. Well done! Oh, Sid looks so happy! The beach is the best!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your hallway looks fantastic! It is amazing how a lick of paint and some decor can create a whole new look.

    I love the gifts you made for your friend Sally, especially the snapdragons in the wooden box. I am sure she loved them!

    I want to see your sleep-out haha!

    Such a lovely photo of Sid enjoying some warm Aussie sunshine. Looks like he is having fun :)

    Wishing you a wonderful week Julie xxx

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Julie wow your freesia's look so pretty and i bet they smelt so lovely .
    Your hallway looks awesome love what you did to the door,well done on your beautiful work and thankyou for the citrus slice link i am going to check it out now ,hope your day is a good one my friend xx

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh my, what a difference you've made in the little hallway. It looks beautiful! We have have a very small dark hallway too that I've been planning to paint, so I really enjoyed this post. You are very talented! Little Sid looks like such a sweetie pie.

    ReplyDelete

Hello, & thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts - I read and appreciate each and every one of your comments :-)
I always prefer to reply to your comments by email unless you are a no-reply-blogger in which case I will reply to your comments in this section here. Thanks so much for stopping by to read & comment on my blog x0x