Who Said Artwork Had To Be Expensive?

Kayla's 1st Oil on Canvas.  Age 2

I can't believe she turns 6 soon.
Wow how time flies! But these are still up on our wall.
They were meant to be a temporary solution to bare walls, 
but now I just love them because they tell a story.

I had seen this large canvas on sale for $19!
  I had some Oil paints I was dying to try out, 
however my 2 year old, at the time, also wanted to help paint.  So I let her.....
and this is what we came up with.

She helped me with the large painting too.

A few books by the Art to tie in the colours.

Pretty Sticks

Looking for a new idea?

I had these left over temporary tattoos, 

yet I was wondering what I could do with them.

I made one little pretty stick......

However, I thought this box frame could use an update.

I made a bunch more and decided to make an art work out of these driftwood pieces.

A New look for the photo wall.

Little Indian Headband

Recently, Kayla went to a craft birthday party and came home with a bunch of pretty feathers.

She really wanted to make something with them. 

I bought these leather straps while on holiday,

 so I thought they would be perfect for making a

 little Indian feather headband.

I found some beads with large holes and trimmed the tips of the feathers to fit.

We braided the leather straps,

 then put it all together.

One happy little Indian Princess!!

Hues of Blue and Dip Dye Too

I recently found this piece of fabric I tie dyed about 6 years ago. 

 I never made anything from it, but it seemed to catch my eye.

  I think it's the dark blues

 that I am attracted to at the moment.

I actually kept the dye from years ago,

so I mixed some up to experiment with a few different techniques.

Ombre Linen

Simple bottle cap with circles

Fan fold half dipped style

Letting the pieces dry in the sun.

Now to figure out what to make.

Good thing I didn't have too much left over, 

or I might have started dying everything I could find.

This pretty little doily could not escape.

Love the blue and linen together.

 Just admiring how the fabric turned out.....

From "White to Bright"

 The Community Manager at Chairish; an exclusive, curator approved, online marketplace for vintage and used furniture asked me to come up with some mood boards to celebrate color.  She wrote, "We understand when choosing a color palette for a room, it can be hard to step away from basic neutrals, and going bold is a big decision.

 We'd love for you to share your taste for color by creating a style board around a vintage rug by taking a room from White to Bright!"

As someone who loves to reuse, refurbish and rethink, I was up for the challenge.

The website Charish.com is so full of amazing one of a kind finds, I was like a kid in a candy store!

As if I could make just one mood board?

So here are a few ways I would take a room from 

"White to Bright" using rugs I found on Charish.com.

When I help people style, I become their second set of eyes. 

I help them discover how to pull together items they already own.

All of the items I used for these mood boards are from the website Chairish.com.  

This website is the ultimate treasure trove and it is so easy to use.

Going from "White to Bright" doesn't always mean going crazy with color. I fell in love with this teal dresser on Chairish.com so I added the artwork to make the piece feel like it has a purpose.  The art was bright but sharp, so I used soft circles to oppose the harsh geometrics. 

These colors remind me of the lagoon on Lord Howe Island,

 where I just spent three heavenly weeks.  I am truly inspired by the beauty there.

This mood board is influenced by my love of retro items, as well as Kentia Palms from Lord Howe Island.  It combines the two to create a bright green environment that would make me 

so happy to work in.

These Rainbow Wrasse fish swam circles around my ankles everyday on Lord Howe.

  Their coloring is incredibly bright and this next mood board from "White to Bright" is certainly inspired by them.

I love for big ticket items to be versatile, which allows the use of bright colorful artwork and items without a huge commitment.  This vintage navy blue rug can be used for years to come!  Here, it is just one of the many colors used to tie this bright room together.

Yellow, grey and pink.  This rug brightens up such basic white and brown furniture.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

This mood board feels like watching the sunset over the dessert.

I couldn't help but create a mood board from "White to Bright" that incorporates my favourite 

Australian designers too!

 I found the blue rug on Chairish.com, but the rest of the items are from 

Mark Tuckey, Lumiere Art & Co, Ali McNabney-Stevens, and Typo.

This bedroom mood board sums up this Australian Summer.

Thank you Chairish.com for the Challenge.

What an amazing selection of rugs and hard to find pieces.