Meg and Mum's

Another Telephone Table

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 03:20:00 +0000

I finally got the opportunity of getting some painting done the other day. I have been taking things extra slow because of my knee (yes, it's still buggered), but I was feeling good so I got out the spray gun and attacked a few of the little things I had sitting around.

I only have one to show you today as I still have some finishing touches on the others. I have had this telephone table in my garage for nearly two years. It was really old fashioned, tired and rickety. I tightened it up, gave it a lick of paint and some fresh happy fabric.

Hey you may like old fashioned and rickety - each to their own. But it wasn't working for me. It needed to wake up!

I found this fabric in the clearance bin at Spotlight which was down to $4 a metre!

Check out my other cute telephone table I finished a couple of years ago :)

I love doing little projects like this, especially with my "leg situation" at the moment. It helps me feel productive without completely wearing myself out or doing any more injury.

I also painted a beautiful old Edwardian chair which was in pretty bad shape. But the upholstery job was just too big for me so I've sent it off to the upholsterer. Can't wait to show you!

Megs :)

My Happy Place

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 04:26:00 +0000

Well well, I bet you didn't expect to hear from me again! I know it's been a while since I've posted (before Christmas in fact), but in between school holidays, trying to get around with a dickie knee and working I have really had no time at all.

But I did get to redecorate my home office! This room is next to a court yard. The sun does come through but it was still looking a little dull, dark and drab. Mr T is getting super busy with his work therefore I have been running his business AND I have also been doing a lot more work from home typing for barristers, so I figured if I'm going to be in here every day I wanted it to feel sunshine-y and happy :)

My before photos aren't that great as it was when it was going through one of the MANY transformations (I could never make up my mind)...

This was the "in between" stage where I didn't know what the hell to do with it. But it worked well as a junk room :)

First of all I start with my boring grey filing cabinet and Ikea drawers:

Some cool fabric and a bit of Mod Podge...

Then to change the curtains and give the room a lick of lovely yellow and VOILA! I have a funky and fabulous home office - and I intend to keep it that way!

It has a bit of a funky vintage feel...

I found these posters at Kmart. There were 8 in a pack for $12. Yes please! Then another trip to Ikea to get some frames. I think they're really effective. Yes my office is totally Ikea'd out, but it was cheap and as well as serving its purpose, it goes with everything.

A French memo board I made :)

The other side of the room (it may look a little messy but believe me, it's organised). I keep all my craft stuff in these shelves and some fabrics in the cupboard...

The space to the left is for the kids. I had to have a TV in there also for background noise while I'm working. I like me a bit of Dr Phil while I work :)

It may not be to everyone's taste but it was exactly what I was going for - bright, colourful, fun and happy. It feels so good sitting in here. It is a little cluttered along the back but I I'll get to it one day.

I hope you've all had a wonderful New Year :)

Megs x

Antique Buffet

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 07:05:00 +0000

HOT TOWN! 39 degrees today! Can't wait for the 26 degrees that awaits us here in South Australia on Christmas Day. Perfect! I am hosting Christmas lunch this year and I can't wait.

In my frantic bid to clear out the carport of stuff before everyone arrives, I decided to start with one of my bigger items. But that's as far as I got as I ran out of time. Oh well, everything pushed up to the wall covered with tarps should suffice.

Aaanyway, here is the said antique buffet I am referring to...

She's a beauty eh? The lady I bought it from had a smorgasboard of antiques in her house. I was in heaven! But unfortunately this was all I could afford on the day so it came home with me. After some lovin' this is how it looks now...

Now someone please tell me I'm not the only one who's irritated when it comes to this. Have any of you been dissed for "painting" antiques? I see so many comments from people on other sites saying how "sick of seeing beautiful old pieces being painted". In my experience the people who usually say these things are happy to let these beautiful old pieces sit in a garage somewhere collecting a family of spiders rather than putting in their house as it doesn't go with their decor. Admittedly I think some look beautiful without being painted, but you get some pieces that are really old, damaged and tired. At least we can get off out butt and give it some elbow grease. It's called "upcycling". There is nothing wrong with giving something old a fresh clean look yet still maintaining it's character and having it suit your home. Kind of like my husband. He's old so I have to tidy him up now and then and he doesn't mind at all. Although his vintage leather pants from the early eighties are still in the wardrobe but they are going in the rubbish. They ~~cannot~~ will not be saved.

So do you see my point? If you don't like the way something has been transformed because it's had some paint and TLC then move on. I know everyone is entitled to an opinion, but why be negative about something when someone has obviously put in a lot of hard work and achieved the look they were going for?

Anyway, enough of that. Here's one last piccie...

Two more sleeps til Santa comes! I wish you all a very safe and Merry Christmas and hope you have a great day with whoever you choose to spend it with.

Megs x

What's "Mum" been up to?

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:24:00 +0000

I thought it was high time that I showed some of the "Mum's" of Meg and Mum's as it's been quite a while now. My bad. Here is what Chris has up to the for the past six months.

Some gorgeous tables...

and my favourite of them all...

Lastly a beautiful pot. I have put my order in.

My mum is pretty bloody awesome.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Megs x

A Little Green

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 04:17:00 +0000

Good afternoon everybody! I'm still here and despite the sore fat knees I've ditched the crutches and the walking stick and am able to get around a bit on my own. I've also managed to finish a few things for my daughter's bedroom. I bought these bedside tables about a year ago. Although the natural timber was a lovely tone and colour, it didn't go with what I wanted for her room.

I know they're beautiful so please don't hate me for painting them. But with the dresser I'm going to put in Afton's room it would have ended up a wood medley. I also found this chair by the side of the road which was in good condition apart from looking a little sad...

Here they all are freshened up with a lick of soft mint green paint and some light distressing...

The fabric on the chair matches the French memo board I made for her room.

Unfortunately the photos don't do the colour justice as it is a lot more greener up close. I am not showing these in her actual bedroom as we still have a lot of work to do in there, e.g. re-line walls, rip up carpet, polish floorboards and paint.

This is the dresser that I will also be putting in her room (UNPAINTED) once it's all finished...

What a beauty eh? I scored this for $40 at the auctions! Yay for me!

With Christmas Day approaching and me hosting, Mr T and I got stuck into the garage and had a big clean out (we're having a typical Aussie Christmas Day outside). It looks so neat and tidy now and he can finally fit his scooter in. With my knee in bad shape I have decided I need to simplify things a little and have listed a few pieces on eBay that I just don't think I'll get around to finishing anytime soon. People keep asking me if I want to be bothered continuing with my furniture due to my arthritis but I'm not giving up yet people! After the clear out yesterday I discovered some things I can't wait to get my hands on and it has given me a boost of renewed energy.

Hope you all have a terrific week.

Megs x

Roadside Rubbish to Royalty

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 04:36:00 +0000

A few months ago a good friend invited me to poke through her shed and help myself to a stack of old furniture her and her husband had been collecting from the side of the road. They, like myself, become saddened when seeing furniture left out to die like that.

Here's the before (minus the spiders that were cohabitating in there):

I had never been into the Union Jack thing much, but as soon as I saw this desk it was screaming at me for me to do it.

I took the insert out because.... well just because. I like the space inside.

I still have some minor touch ups to do before I list it for sale, but I think I will have to give that job to Mr T (in between dropping off and picking up kids, cooking, cleaning and everything else). I did this project before I became incapacitated with the dodgy knee. I have had an MRI, seen three specialists and I have been on crutches for six weeks. Now I have been referred to a pain management clinic in order for them to perform nerve tests. Here's what it looked like the other day:

Yeah it's the one on the left in case you haven't noticed. Although the other one has taken on so much it too has now become swollen and sore. I have sunk a few times into the depths of depression but keep talking myself out of it. I've had to get through the past few months relying on family, friends and doctors. Hopefully I'll have some answers soon.

In the meantime I've been finishing off my French memo boards and making some more doll furniture to sell in time for Christmas and this has been keeping me relatively sane. I'm hoping to have use of both legs by the end of the weekend as I've been only using the one crutch for the last few days. Fingers crossed. :)

Megs x

Linking up to and many more. Check out my Link Parties page!

MIA

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:52:00 +0000

I will be missing in action for a while unfortunately. I have been on crutches for the past few weeks with my stupid knee and have been frustratingly waiting to see the surgeon. A few weeks ago I had managed to do quite a few pieces but haven't been able to put the finishing touches to them because I've been leg up on the lounge. In fact, I haven't been able to go my part time job for five weeks, I haven't been able to drive and this afternoon was my first outing out of the house (a visit to the doc mind you) since the Saturday before last! I have watched two seasons of Mad Men, my legs are fatter and my ass is flatter. It is driving me CRAZY sitting around doing nothing, especially with the beautiful weather we've been getting.

I hope to have it sorted/fixed in the next few weeks once these guys work out who's going to fix it. But they have made me wait too long. What used to be my knee is now a giant ball of mash potato for a lack of a better phrase. Therefore I have decided that if I don't hear from them tomorrow I am taking my butt down to the Emergency Room to check myself in and I won't leave until someone helps me. It's become that desperate.

The story is I had a giant cell tumor removed in my early twenties and had major surgery in which they removed my tumor along with the bone it was wrapped around and replaced it with a donor's bone, which they got from the "Bone Bank" mind you! I had never heard of one of those but apparently they exist. They then cemented it in. I have had a few arthroscopic surgeries since then, but they told me if I could hang until I was 40 they would do a knee replacement. In the meantime the arthritis has hit me so hard this year. I have a torn meniscus in two places, hardly any cartilage left, a Bakers cyst behind my knee and a bunch of bits and pieces floating around the cement. How rude.

Please forgive me for being a stick in the mud and I don't mean to bring anyone down. I just didn't want you thinking I'd vanished off the face of the Earth.

I hope you're all happy to stick around. Wish me luck! I'm sure I'll be back on my feet in no time! Just don't tell me to break a leg.

Megs x

Introducing "Drama Queen"

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:56:00 +0000

After approximately eighteen months of racking my brain as to what to do with this dresser I've finally finished it. This dresser was screaming out for something special, not just a lick of paint. If you have been following my blog for over eighteen months you might recall the freaky/eerie/awesome story of this dresser and how it came to me. Before I tell you about it (and trust me, you'll be absolutely gobsmacked by this), here's some before and after shots of the "Drama Queen":

As soon as I saw this fabric I knew it belonged to the dresser. After a few coats of Mod Podge it came up a treat.

Now as I mentioned there is a very peculiar story about how this dresser came to me. This was one birthda present that I was not expecting! The following is a post that my best friend Charity wrote at the time:

Seventeen years ago a young woman relocated to South Australia to repeat year 12. A young woman with ambition, she knew she needed to be away from friends to 'buckle down'. She set up camp in a cheap rental and was donated some furniture by her father and step mother. Upon completion of the year she paid it forward and gave her meagre furniture possessions away, in turn helping someone else to establish their cheap and nasty rental. She returned to her home in the Northern Territory.

Fast forward almost 20 years. The girl, no longer a girl, flies to South Australia to visit her best friend. They are planning to celebrate a birth and memorialise a death. The friend enjoys explaining her new passion for restoring old furniture. She has acquired some new pieces - just 12 hours earlier her husband had brought home a dresser and cabinet which he had found on an abandoned job site. The woman laughs with her friend, joking that it looks like she had somehow travelled back in time to burlgarise her old cheap little rental. Then she noticed that dresser. "Oh my god this looks exactly like the one I used to have" she said, knowing there was no way it really was. However, she still felt compelled to go and open the drawer, looking for the tell tale sign that surely could not have survived 20 years. As the drawer opened, a gasp was drawn from the woman - there it was. There lining the drawers was the naff purple wrapping paper with the gold exclamation 'Merry Christmas'. In that instant she replays in her mind the day she installed this unconventional protection for her underwear! The logical part of her mind tried to debunk the reality that was now staring her in the face, who could believe it?

So I am the girl, Charity, Megan being my best friend and in a strange twist of fate 12 hours before I landed to stay with Megan, her husband had brought her home my old dresser complete with the old drawer lining to prove the point. I asked Megee "What do you think the universe is trying to tell us?" Perhaps that we are still inexplicably linked after 24 years of friendship through distance and time? Or was it our friend and former housemate Jason (who we affectionately called Noodle) now passed on, whose one year memorial we planned to honour the very next day, playing some trick knowing full well how we would wonder and analyse with awe at such a 'coincidence'?

Charity

At the age of 14 I came to Adelaide to visit family which coincided with Charity's trip to visit her father here. I remember sitting at this very dresser desperately trying, in vain, to fix my fuzznut hair before heading out for New Years Eve. Now out of all the people in South Australia, it found it's way to me.

I sent a photo of the dresser to Charity today and she absolutely loves it. I thought about sending it to her in Darwin, but she feels that I should display it in the window of my new shop when I eventually open one - seeing as it has magical powers and all. Bahahahaha! But you never know, it could just be my good luck charm. ;o)

Megs x

New Old Dresser

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 05:16:00 +0000

Further to my last post (which seems a million years ago), I have been busily sanding, painting, breaking things, swearing, painting, swearing, painting. Did I mention swearing? But I've only actually finished ONE thing! I'm still waiting on some knobs to arrive from overseas and it's still been ridiculously cold and wet for anything to dry properly.

I bought this dresser from a friend who's uncle had sadly passed away. He had a whole heap of bedroom furniture that I happily took off her hands for a great price. They had a big job clearing out his house so I think they were happy for someone to come and pick it up. It had a veneer finish but was still in great condition.

(That isn't me by the way. She's much skinnier.)

I removed the mirror as I found it a little imposing. Here she is now with a few coats of white...

Gone are the plain and boring white Ikea drawers. We now have a classy broad in it's place!

These are the bedside tables before ....

Those knobs on the bottom drawer make it look like some old used up droid from the Star Wars movies.

Here is one all tizzied up...

I have only shown you one as Mr T is still to clean out all the crap in his top drawer. I'm just not ready for that. I would still like to get new lamps and a mirror to go on each side above the bedsides. It is only me who finds it so difficult to style my bedroom the right way? I can never seem to get it right. Aaaanyways, it's where I sleep so it's not like I'll be eyeballing all night.

I secured some storage space the other day in order to give me more room in the garage to paint and, well, move. I can move it all in next week. Until then I think I might have a "swear jar" on hand. I could end up a very rich woman.

Once I have completed every single item I have left in the garage/storage, I will start my shop hunt. We came across a fantastic one the other day, but I have decided to stop looking until I'm totally ready. Don't want to over-commit myself.

I hope the sun is shining where you are. My right hand is frozen.

Peace out!

Megs x

I'm Registered!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 07:16:00 +0000

Meg and Mum's is now a registered business - hooray! I will be flat out in the next few weeks painting (this STUPID weather permitting of course) and getting ready to stock up and hopefully score myself some shop space.

When I haven't been painting, I've had my nose buried in my laptop getting registered with the appropriate social network sites (there are some great ones out there for local small businesses) and talking to my accountant.

I'm feeling incredibly positive and have chosen to ignore any people around me who have been sipping on Haterade and stomping on my flame. Talk to the hand I say! Not that there are that many :)

Aside from that my family have been very supporting and encouraging, particularly Mr T. We talked about trying the market stalls out first, but I can't seem to find any here in Adelaide who facilitate furniture stalls. Also by the time we factor in truck rental to move the furniture, stall fees, unloading at 5am and packing up again hoping not to damage anything in the process, we may as well have our own shop to store it permanently. I will still work my other job one day a week and some typing at home here and there and this should cover my rent, or at least most of it. I have been looking at bigger shops that sell vintage furniture and home wares and I might approach them about maybe renting out some space from them. I can only try. I'm a total newbie when it comes to this so I may look like an idiot to begin with, but I couldn't care less.

So hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have some more news regarding this, but in the meantime I'll certainly have some photos for you.

Stay tuned!

Megs x

Pinned

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:21:00 +0000

It's still too cold, wet and windy to paint. Oh how jealous I am of all you lovely ladies in the US who are able to paint in their basements. Why don't we have basements here in Australia you ask? I don't know, but I feel cheated dammit.

Anyhoo, after the pin board I made for my home office my daughters demanded that I make them one each also.

And this one...

That's it from me this week. It's Friday night so now I'm going to sit down, relax and have a scotch - oh and try and convince Mr T that he should buy me an iPad.

Ciao for now!

Megs x

Winter Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:18:00 +0000

Hello? Are you still there? I'm hoping so. As far as painting furniture goes, I have done absolute diddly-squat. My hands just won't work in this weather. I don't mind the cold, but I hate the winter rain. Nothing dries properly.

So I have been cooped up indoors trying to finish decorating rooms etc and a bit of sewing. I made a cushion for my daughter's window seat - with a zipper and everything! First time - hey hey! Now it's not the fabric that I would have chosen but it's her room and I wanted to her to put her own stamp on it. AND I had to work around the purple curtains. Don't get me started on them. Because of the odd bay window, I've discovered it's going to cost me a fortune to get new ones made so for now I'm sticking with them. They dominated the room, but now with the new cushion I can break it up and have some other colours on the bed etc.

It's bold, bright and busy but yet so is my daughter so it was a perfect choice. You're probably wondering why the cushion is so thick. We recently had my step kids here with their little ones and we had no idea where we were going to fit everyone. We had this foam handy so I made a makeshift bed for my husband's 4 year old grandson and he loved it! So it'll definitely come in handy for future visits :)

I also made this pretty pinboard for the home office:

I already had the fabric and buttons, but I couldn't find any ribbon. It was too cold and wet to go out so I came across this white chord stuff in a plastic bag stuffed in my fabric box. I don't know what it was for, but I was in a hurry and I thought it looked pretty good. Hey it works for me!

And lastly, one more doll lounge - made out of an old dress that my cousin gave me. She called it her skank dress.

Mr T and I are currently having discussions about me possibly opening up my own shop. I am now on the lookout for some storage space to store my furniture until I have enough for stock and to save up some dollars to get me started. I have listened to that little devil on my shoulder telling me I can't do it (and other people), but I've decided that if I don't take this step I will always wonder. If I fail at least I'd have tried.

Here is one piece that I scored from the auctions back in March. For a change, something I DON'T want to paint!

Isn't it incredibly stunning? Well I love it. And it only cost me about $40. The wood is so beautiful that I would feel like a criminal if I took a paintbrush to it. I considered using it in my youngest daughter's bedroom but unfortunately there's not enough drawers.

So, to paint or not to paint?

Stay warm everyone!

Megs x

Time Out

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 12:01:00 +0000

Gee whiz have I been busy! (Bet you haven't heard "gee whiz" since you were like 4 huh?)

Painted furniture - check.

Band rehearsals - check.

Run around after my daughters because Mr T has left me to be a single mum for 10 days while he works interstate - check.

Start new job - check.

Quit new job - check.

Yeah you read right. I hated it. Do you ever get those "a-ha" moments when you realise you're a complete dick for not listening to your intuition in the beginning and then want to bang your head against something hard? Yep, that's me. But I gave it a go and now I'm moving on. The women I worked with were wonderful to me but also extremely miserable in that place, mainly because of the appalling management and the parent child relationship they insist on maintaining with their employees. EVERYTHING had to be recorded. Every dictation I typed had to be recorded as far as what time I started, what time I finished, how long the actual dictation was, how long it took me to make a cup of tea, how long it took me to go to the loo... and it goes on. Then to have an assessment at the end of every month picking out every single negative thing and completely ignoring the good work I do. Well, that's what apparently happens to the others. I was only there for five minutes. I appreciate that as firms get bigger they have to implement systems where they can monitor what everyone is doing. But seriously, I'm not a 16 year old junior. I'm a 38 year old responsible woman who has been doing this for 23 years. There was no way I was going to be sitting there in ten years time wrapped in cobwebs bitching and moaning about being there yet feeling like it was too late to change things. So I did something about it. I am now moving on to a new job tomorrow and I'm soooo looking forward to it. This one feels right for me.

All that aside, I now give you my latest project! The before...

Not much wrong with it really and it was in great shape. But those knobs! Seriously? What was that person thinking?

So I gave it a coat of paint and a clock-face-lift!

I used scrapbook paper for the front and Mod Podge. I also painted the inside of the drawers for a bit of a surprise. Do you like? You may have seen these knobs in some of my other projects. I love 'em, and I think they are perfect for this desk.

Now I'm going to get some beauty sleep before my big day tomorrow. It's unlikely I'll have time to post again this week, but stay tuned for next week with my next project. My first gig with the band is this Saturday night so I will fill you in on how things went. Fingers crossed that they don't serve tomatoes at this event... :-/

Megs x

Chippy Cupboard

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:04:00 +0000

...or armoire, whatever the appropriate word is for a cabinet like this. This old 1920's cupboard came to me early last year but had been hiding among the mountain of other stuff I have piled up in my garage. When I decided to transform one of the bedrooms into a home office/study I really needed something for storage and this was perfect.

I believe the previous owner was using it as a TV cabinet and it had no backing and one shelf. And it was very red!

With a new backing which I covered in material, painted white and roughed up a bit here is it how it looks now in my home office...

I LOVE it and it's a great little storage area for vases etc hence the reason I chose to keep the one shelf for those tall items.

I could have chosen a nicer fabric, but I really wanted to use this one up which I've had forever and I figure since it's hidden it doesn't really matter.

I wanted to keep the original little latch at the top which keeps the door closed. I think it gives it character. Although I think I will put little glass knobs on the doors later down the track.

I've also been on a roll with my doll furniture having made a number of sales and yesterday someone offered to buy ALL pieces I currently have listed on eBay. Hooray! Here are a few I've made recently...

I started my new job last week. The first day I came home to my husband saying "Oh no, what have I done?!". But it's now week two and I have settled in nicely. It feels soooo good to earn money. Weirdly enough it has also prompted me to get stuck into my furniture again AND the doll furniture! Oh and of course there's the new band I've joined. After a few months of rehearsals and getting playlists together we have our first gig on 30th June. Have I taken on too much? We'll see. But for the time being things are good and I'm enjoying staying busy.

Megs x

Featured on Beach Vintage

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:26:00 +0000

Good morning! Some of you may remember my black and pink dresser I posted about late last year. Well the fabric that I chose for the chair and the inside of the drawers was a purchase from Fabric Traders, who I always refer to when I'm looking for that something extra special. I also made over my daughters' desk chair and lamp with some of their beauties! Here is a reminder:

See full post here!

Fabric Traders also have a terrific blog called Beach Vintage and they have been most kind to feature me today!

So if you have time, please mosey on over and take a look and if you're on the lookout for some beautiful home decor fabrics check out the Fabric Traders website. I can spend hours on their site drooling over my keyboard.

Megs x

Hello, are you still there?

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:52:00 +0000

Please accept my apologies. I know it might seem like I have dropped off the face of the earth, but I am still here - albeit sore. I have had an extremely sore knee for the past few weeks, even requiring crutches for a while. It didn't help matters when I travelled to Melbourne to see NKOTBSB only to afterwards spend two hours trying to get back to our hotel after the concert. No trams, no taxis, nothing. We walked all over the place and by the time I got back to the room my knee was the size of a football. After a really crappy sleep, I had to get up early in the morning to go to the airport. I managed to fight the tears whilst limping through the huge airport. The flight was ok, and I was so relieved when I landed. But then I forgot I had to hobble all the way from the gate to the exit and down the escalators. I made it halfway, turned the corner and saw how far away the exit was and broke down in a heap in the middle of the airport. During my outburst a famous footballer walked past and stared at me strangely. Yeh thanks buddy. Keep walkin'. You can imagine how relieved I was when I saw my husband's car pull up the front. Then the waterworks really started, but I was so relieved to be home.

My step-daughter rings me up last night telling me that the NKOTBSB after-party was in the same street where we were staying. Yeh right Bec. Because I could have done with some with some extra walking and disco dancing.

I have an appointment with the specialist next month so am hopeful things will be sorted with some minor surgery.

Therefore, I have nothing to show you. No furniture - nada. As well as band rehearsals I have now landed myself a part time job so I haven't even looked in the garage for the past two weeks.

But I just wanted to say thanks for sticking around and I will be back very soon. I have a dresser I'm about to make a start on this weekend (with Mr T's help as I'm a little physically challenged at the moment).

I hope you all have a fabulous week.

Megs x

I've created a Monster!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:03:00 +0000

As well as Mr T being interstate for work since last Monday, the rest of the household has come down with the flu. Thankfully we are on the mend. It's been cold and wet outside which has stopped me from getting to all my furniture projects waiting for me in the garage. So while I've been cooped up indoors I continued with decorating my daughter's Monster High dollhouse. For ages I had been surfing the net trying to find furniture for these dolls but there are only a couple of pieces, and all of which are very rare in Australia. They are also extremely expensive. I came across some gorgeous handcrafted ones, but they were from the other side of the world and either didn't ship to Australia or I would have had to fork out double the price just for shipping. Bugger that for a joke! Being the resourceful woman I am, I decided to make my own!

I started with this (I made 2 of these):

I had so much fun I couldn't stop!

...and more...

I made them with wood, strong glue and fun fabric and trim. It also involved a bit of sewing. Very fiddly but FUN! And therapeutic.

I'm putting the final touches on the dollhouse in the next few days and then it's off to Melbourne to see NKOTBSB with my stepdaughter and her friends (in case you're wondering, that is "New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys). I hear you laughing. But I bloody LOVED New Kids on the Block when I was a teenager, particularly Joey. I have fond memories of my girlfriends and I lining up the stairs of her house doing the dance to "Step By Step". We became pretty good at it too. Although these days my dodgy knee would limit my moves to just standing on one step tapping my foot. My stepdaughter and her friends are more interested in seeing the Backstreet Boys, so I will be the old girl embarrassing them when I'm screaming like a banshee at NKOTB.

Mr T and I are ships in the night at the moment. He flys in from Melbourne on Wednesday night, I fly over to Melbourne Thursday morning. Then I fly back on Sunday morning and he flys out again on Monday morning! I miss him like crazy but the work is good and worth the trip.

I'll be back in the garage next week to make a start on a dresser. Hopefully I can convince Mr T to sand it for me while I'm gone :)

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.

Megs x

Two Toned Hall Table

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:45:00 +0000

I finished this hall table the other day. I wasn't too sure about it once I'd finished it as it is a little ornate for my liking. But I do think it looks pretty.

Here's how it looked when I got it at at the auctions...

It looks quite ok in the photo, but up close the top was in pretty bad shape. So I stripped the top and started from scratch by staining it again. I also painted the bottom half in a nice blue colour that I mixed myself.

My Mum is in love with this table but I think she'll be out on the street if she brings anymore of my furniture home. She's already ditched their entire bedroom suite (except the bed) to replace it with my stuff.

As I said, it doesn't really lend itself to the style of my house so I'll be listing this one for sale.

I will be a single mother for the next few weeks as my husband is going interstate for work. Therefore I may be a little slack with the blogging for a while. Although I am still working on the dollhouse so I will have some photos soon.

I hope you all have a fantastic day :)

Megs x

A Boy's Desk

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:02:00 +0000

This student desk had definitely seen better days and it took me quite a while to fill in the scratches and smooth the top out completely. But I've finally finished. Here's how it looked before...

The white stuff at the bottom is overspray from my spray gun. I didn't really care as I thought I was going to end up throwing it out.

(Depends on which David you're talking about, although I don't mind Eminem.)

After lots of sprucing and Mod Podge-ing...

The paper that I picked out for the front...

Am I the last person who knew what Instagram was? I've just discovered it and couldn't help myself.

I was completely lost as to what type of fabric to use to line the drawers. I searched everywhere for a fabric that would look cool but not be too busy as to clash with the drawer front. My Mum suggested old jeans (washed of course). I kinda dig it, but I'm not too sure yet. I just placed this bit inside to see what it looked like. What do you think?

The top just needs one more coat but we have been having crap weather at the moment. I LOVE winter but it does have it's restrictions.

I'm hoping that whoever the desk's new owner will be that they won't attack it with a knife like the last owner. I'd hate to see my glossy top ruined :(

My poor blog has been so neglected over the past few weeks with rehearsals and then school holidays. The kids have just gone back to school this week but over the holidays I was *ahem* instructed that I had to remodel their big dollhouse to suit their Monster High dolls (which they are absolutely nuts about). I must say I have really enjoyed redecorating it and "gothing" it up. Makes a nice change from the typical Barbie pink and plastic. It is still a work in progress and is taking me a little longer than expected (because I'm too fussy). I have made lots of things out of recycled materials etc. I will have some photos to post very soon.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend.

Megs x

My Mini Makeovers for Under $10

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:14:00 +0000

These are a couple of small makeovers I did the other day. I was so sure I had taken proper "before" photos but I can't find them anywhere! I'm losing my mind. Anyhoo, I came across a couple of accidental ones.

Firstly, here's a lamp that was given to me that had been severely hit with the ugly stick. The photo is really bad but I had to crop it quite subtantially to get a close up of it. But be it near or far, it was still butt ugly.

I was going to attempt to recover the shade but it had almost a carpet-like texture and I thought it would test my patience too much. After some spray paint and a new lamp shade I got from Target for $9 here is it how it looks now:

It'll look perfect in my home office once I've finished doing it up (photos soon).

Next up is an old cane chair I found by the roadside. I LOVE these chairs and funnily enough had been looking for one to go into the office.

Again, the photo is terrible, but it's the only one I could find to show you the colour it was at least (excuse the shoulder)...

Now sprayed white, but still with the hole in the seat...

I initially wanted to make a cushion cover with a zip and everything, but it wasn't to be after I tried getting my head around how to make it. So I cut a piece of board, cut my foam and sewed the front of my cheap Ikea fabric to tidy it up and make it look like a "box", then stapled underneath.

After it was all done, I changed my mind and put it in my 7 year old daughter's bedroom and it looks terrific!

Side on...

See at the bottom right leg where the cane has come away? I didn't know how to fix it and frankly I didn't really care, neither does my daughter. It still looks great in her room :) I might attempt this a bit later down the track.

It's far from perfect I know, but I love it AND it all fit perfectly within my price range :)

Megs x

Indi's Dresser

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:50:00 +0000

A while back a friend mentioned how much she admired my blue side table I did last year. She had asked me how I did it and after I told her she must have come to the conclusion that she didn't have the time or inclination so she commissioned me to do a dresser for her in the same finish for her daughter.

The before...

It was really easy to work with as it didn't have any paint to strip nor did it have any varnish or stain to strip off. This is what I did over the Easter weekend:

The table top originally had two square chunks taken out at the back where there obviously used to be a mirror. Rather than try to block them up, which would have really stuck out like dog's you-know-whats after staining, I decided to cut it back therefore bringing the top back a little and having it all squared off nicely. It meant the part at the front hanging over was shorter, but it still looks good.

The colour I used is Aquajet by Solvers. I then rubbed a walnut stain over the top to dull it down as it's very bright. I used Ash Brown stain for the top.

The original handles were a poo brown colour so I sprayed them black. Much nicer.

I had this fabric in my collection which I thought would be perfect for a 7 year old girl.

One happy customer!

I am working on a couple of desks at the moment that I'm hoping to have finished in the next week or so.

There is still a mountain of projects sitting out there screaming at me to finish them, but now with rehearsals taking up my time and school holidays I just can't seem to finish anything. My New Years resolution was to have everything done and cleared out of my garage by the end of April. Yeah pfft. Not gonna happen.

Megs x

Mosaic African Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:56:00 +0000

I've often wondered where my mother gets her patience from when it comes to her mosaics. I would have cut out my eye with the tile cutter in frustration after only an hour, but after about three or four months of hard slog she's finally finished this spectacular African lady (although I'm sure if you ask her she would tell that you it felt like a year)...

She has been asked by her teacher to to display it in some upcoming shows. Hell yeah, after taking that long to do it I would be displaying it to the entire world!

It's even more beautiful up close and in person. Even though it took a lot of time and work, the end result was well worth it don't you think?

Megs x

Bedroom Furniture for Mum

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:57:00 +0000

I bought a whole heap of old bedroom furniture a while back with every intention of doing something glamorous to them (e.g. black and white stripe maybe?). But as soon as my mother laid eyes on them she told me she wanted them for her bedroom - and all in white (yawn). But she also told me she wanted them to have the rustic look so at least I was able to do something more creative with them.

Here is the tallboy and bedside tables as they were...

These originally were an off white/cream with quite a few dings in them. Here's what they looked like after I'd finished with them (and not what I expected mind you!)...

See the third drawer down? It's a lot lighter than the others - FAIL!!

This is the fabric that Mum wanted for the interior (China vases).

I thought maybe it was the light that was making that certain drawer look lighter than the others, but when we set it up in Mum's bedroom it stuck out like the proverbials. I have now fixed it to look like the others. I think my problem was putting the poly on too quick after the stain therefore lifting the stain off.

She also wanted a dresser in the same style and we scored this one for $30 off Gumtree:

I love the hardware!

Here she is now (minus any stuff-ups):

Same fabric as the tallboy but with white background :)

She LOVES this one especially. I think it turned out great. So I may have missed out on making some money, but when it comes to doing things like this for my Mum it's worth more than any money I could make.

On another note, after a very successful audition last Saturday I have been invited to join a very cool band! Hooray! I received this news yesterday - on my birthday mind you! It's been about seven years since I left my last one and after focusing on family etc, I am now ready to step behind the mic again. They seem like a great bunch of blokes and their music is right up my alley (soul/jazz). We will mostly be doing gigs at wineries, weddings and corporate functions and about twice a month which fits in perfectly with my busy life. Don't think I could handle fannying about on a stage twice a week that's for sure!

It's funny how things manifest themselves. I was going through my filing cabinet the other day and came across all my folders of music from my previous band. I was about to throw them out and then decided against it. The next night out the blue I checked out the "music" section on Gumtree and saw the ad for the auditions. I replied and immediately got a response that they were about to remove the ad as they'd had enough girls but that they could fit me in at the end for about 20 mins. So I had the Friday to learn the song, went in on Saturday and did that song as well as few others and here we are! I can't believe how quickly it happened and am absolutely over the moon. I have a feeling it was meant to be.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody! I will be busy practicing my warbling in the shower. Here's a tip: don't sing in the shower while applying face wash. It takes forever to get the taste out of your mouth :(

Megs x

Play it Again Sam!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 05:19:00 +0000

You may recall these two tables that my husband Mr T found by the side of the road about six months ago...

They had been sitting in the garage for ages when Mr T had an idea for both of them. He thought PIANO KEYS! Ummm, I wasn't so sure so I let him do only one first as I thought it would look ~~crap~~ not that great.

Turns out the Mrs was wrong (for once). Check it out now!

Personally, I totally dig it!

The only problem was he was supposed to have the keys the other way round so they were facing the same was as the drawer. Still looks great though.

Oh ok I'll admit it, I didn't really think it would look crap. Maybe I was just worried about being upstaged! Haha, just kidding. I do love it when he gets in the creative mood.

What do you think?

Megs x

Linking up to and many more! Check out my Link Party page.

How to get the French/Rustic Look - A Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Meg and Mum's) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:53:00 +0000

Woo-hoo! I've found a spare five minutes to scratch myself so I thought I'd pay some attention to my poor neglected blog.

A couple of months ago I was asked by Becca to do a guest post over at her blog From Gardners 2 Bergers, where I did my first tutorial on how to achieve the French/shabby chic finish.

Since I haven't actually done a tutorial on MY blog, I will share one with you today. I'll begin by showing you some of my work...

Now I'll start by saying that my way might be very different to others, but you do what works for you right? Also, the descriptions of the kind of paint I use may be different to what you use in whatever country you may live.

1. I start by sanding the table back with 120 grit sandpaper. I normally don't go heavy handed with this, but if it looks as if the varnish or paint is coming off too easily I will go hard at it or take my heat gun to it and scrape the paint or varnish off.

2. After sanding I obviously get rid of all the dust and give it a good clean. Then I give the table one coat of acrylic undercoat/primer. If I am going blue or green (like the photos above), I will normally undercoat with grey. Just normal acrylic paint is fine.

3. Once this is dry I will go over the whole piece with a fine tooth comb to see if there are any dings, scratches or holes that need to be filled. I always give the piece one undercoat first as any flaws will really show up once the first coat of paint gets to it and they're much easier to find. Then I will use painters bog or builders bog to fill it up.

(This is after one coat so you can see all the yuckies)

This isn't the actual table I'm referring too, but it's the only photo I have to give you an example. All the holes will be more visible after the first undercoat. Once you fill it, wait until it dries and then give it a sand with a 180 grit to give it a smooth even finish. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of filling.

I also have a look to see if there are any gaps or light cracks. I will use a gap filler for this. (My husband is a painter so I've been lucky to learn all the tricks).

4. I give the whole thing a very light sand, wipe down and then give it another undercoat.

5. Then I apply two coats of my colour choice in acrylic, with a light sand in between with 600 grit sandpaper. This makes it feel really smooth. Acrylic usually dries pretty quick, like about half an hour. But I always wait overnight before I start the distressing.

6. For the distressing, I get a 180 grit and lightly sand on the edges or "peaks". The more you distress furniture, the better you'll become at knowing where the best places are to distress. I was really quite messy and heavy handed to begin with. At the end of the day, it all depends on what look you're going for.

7. Once it is all distressed, I apply a dark English Walnut stain by brushing it on in sections. So I will start with a leg, brush the stain on, quite sloppily I might add, and then wipe that section down with a clean lint free cloth. Then you'll see it magically transform before your eyes! The finish is spectacular.

8. Once that is dry (give it a day) I apply a coat of poly, and that's pretty simple to use. Just follow the instructions on the can!

As I said, my way might be very different to someone else's but it works for me. I've been asked by some people whether I use a brush, roller or spray gun. For me it depends on what the weather permits. Normally use a spray gun attached to my compressor. If it is really cold or scorching hot outside I might bring a piece inside to paint with a brush. I find using the brush can be quite relaxing and therapeutic. I've only used the roller once and I wasn't that keen on the effect it left. I can kind of zone out when using the brush. On a couple of occasions I have used can spray paint for really small projects if I happen to have some sitting around. But these are really expensive where I live so I rarely use it.

So there you have it! I hope this inspires you to tackle that busted up dresser that's been sitting in the corner of your garage pleading with you to bring it back to life. And so what if you balls it up - you can just try it again!

Megs x