Two Little Dicky Birds » DIY

Train Theme Birthday: The Details

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:51:30 +0000

Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments and emails about Noah’s birthday party, and a big thanks to Cyd for featuring our party over at The Sweetest Occasion. It seems to be party season at the moment, I know quite a few of you have been celebrating birthdays and anniversary’s. If you are planning a celebration, take the time to pay a visit to Amanda at Homely One – she has put together some great tips for planning your next party, from choosing a colour scheme to the food, getting organised and encouraging guests to mingle.

I thought I would share some of the details of our little party. As you can see it was a very small celebration, just our little family at home, which was nice and a bit more relaxing for Mum (me), who didn’t have to run around after lots of kids!

Suppliers:

Brown paper for wrapping gifts – local office supply store

Paper Straws -Imprintables

Ribbon – Ribbons Galore

Washi Tape for the flags – Upon a Fold

How-to:

Washi tape food picks tutorial at bento zen

Train cake topper at Cake Journal

Coconut Ice recipe

Best wishes for your next special occasion!

Heirloom Chenille Cut Quilt

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:59:44 +0000

2010 seems to be the Year of the Baby for our circle of friends. I guess we’re all around 30, most of us are married or engaged, and as is often the way, people want to start sprogging up. Three of our close friends are about to give birth, two for the first time, so I’ve been wanting to do something a little bit special. There are so many great gifts that can be given and I was hunting around for ideas when I came across this clever tutorial at Aesthetic Nest.

I’d never made a quilt before, so I was a little bit nervous, but Anneliese had written up such a great set of step-by-step instructions, I figured if I could manage to follow her tutorial, I should be okay.

The outcome actually exceeded my expectations, for a newbie, the steps are very easy to follow; I had no problems at all working my way through it. Some of my lines are a little wonky, but you can’t really tell unless you look closely, and the chenille just looks fantastic after a burst in the drier.

So thank you, Anneliese, I so enjoyed making this blanket. Now I’m going to make two more!

NB. The fabric I chose is Amy Butler’s Optic Blossom in Linen from the Midwest Modern collection.

Dining Room: Before and After

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:02:16 +0000

A few weeks ago I knuckled down and finished painting the dining room. It was a fiddly job with all those windows, but the pay-off is that we now have beautiful crisp white trim, don’t we - Grubby-Little-Boy-Fingers and hairy dog who insists on lying against it?

Before

Now, I know the ‘Before’ isn’t at all offensive – but I was just not feeling the love for that two-tones-that-doesn’t-quiet-mesh-right look, and you all know I’m all about the grey walls at the moment.

After

Now, the details.

Paint for the walls is British Paints ‘White Albatross’, the trim is Dulux ‘Vivid White’.

Curtains – Ikea Aina, a bargain at $89.95 a pair, I’ve decked out the lounge and dining rooms with these, and they are great! I couldn’t buy them online at Ikea Direct and I tried to get them from Sydney, they don’t do shipping. Finally, after weeks of shopping around, and with winter setting in, I revisited their online store in the hope of finding something else… and low and behold, there they were. They are lovely. They’re thin, but I love the way the light filters through them. I’ve seen a few people use the unbleached – linen look, and they’re gorgeous, but I wanted more white so I took a (small) risk and went with the unseen bleached. I couldn’t be happier.

The cute little cruet set was an ebay find.

I’m totally over our dining setting, but it is staying… for now.

One more project down.

Sunday

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:03:00 +0000

Wooden fruit, my latest find at the local second-hand store, a bargain at just $1. They’re receiving the white paint treatment as I type.

Image Details:
Nikon D60
Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 85mm F3.5G VR
Manual
ISO 400
f 5
1/25

Happy Yellow Chair

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:52:00 +0000

One chair before and after – as promised. There is another one too, but my other half has acquired it for his shed aka “The Man Cave” and wasn’t keen on giving it back. Seeing as it cost me all of $5, I think I’ll let him have it. I am nothing if not a generous wife.

Disclaimer: Please note that said chair may be subject to DWLS (Dodgy Wobbly Leg Syndrome). That would be his chair, not mine.

Happy Feet – If it weren’t for your gumboots, where would you be?

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:51:00 +0000

How was your weekend? Much of Australia has been shrouded in cloud and subjected to varying amounts of rain, and we were no exception. I’m embracing winter with a new pair of gummies (gumboots/wellington boots/boots for splashing around in) and heading off to the park this morning.

We spent the weekend painting our dining room. It looks fab, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you later this week…

Boots: Abby Designer Gumboots by Wellies Online (how could I resist – they really did have my name all over them!)
Bird dish: Pure Homewares
Books: Burnt Sunshine by Estelle Pinney and Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Yellow chair: I’ll show back you the “before” soon

Furniture Upcycling Inspiration

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:54:00 +0000

If you’re into revamping vintage pieces, and after a hit of inspiration, go check out Nordic store Precious. Loving it.

Image Source: Precious

Recovered Ottoman

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:46:00 +0000

I was so excited when my fabric arrived from Signature Prints. Did anyone else go a bit over-the-top at their sale? I know, it’s hard not to. Now I have lots of projects underway. This is the first one I tackled, the brown was a little tired and we’d just painted the room. There is nothing more frustrating than a freshly painted room filled with stuff that doesn’t “work”. I know you’re supposed to pick you’re fabrics first. I never do. I’m all about the paint colour.

So, the ottoman was a cheapie from ~~K-Mart~~ Target. I’ve had it for ages, and it gets stacks of use. Mainly as a train (the little seats are the trucks); a close second would be as a foot rest, usually with the computer propped on my lap while I stalk all your blogs ;P

Boring, hey?

Apologies for the poorly styled photo, I had little people hanging off my ankles, literally.

Crafty Nest Feature

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:55:00 +0000

Hi everyone, are you all gearing up for a fantastic Easter Break?

I have more painting in the works. This time, the living and dining areas. I’ll be a busy girl, but will hopefully still (okay, okay, definitely) find time for yummy easter treats and lots of cuddles with my boys.

If you have some time, hop on over (yes that was a pun, sorry) to visit the lovely Monica at Crafty Nest. She has kindly featured my dressing table makeover, with how-to instructions. If you’re into DIY or upcycling homewares and furniture, Crafty Nest has plenty of projects, and some gorgeous ones to boot.

Thanks Monica!

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for our Poppies for Grace Giveaway here!

Lamp Revamp

Abby at Two Little Dicky Birds — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:18:00 +0000

I’ve been looking and looking for a lamp for the nursery for months now. I was beginning to think that Sam would be packing his bags and leaving home before I found one, when I stumbled across this at the local secondhand shop the other day.

The base was in pretty good condition but the shade had seen happier days. No big deal, a quick trip to Target for a cheap shade and some lovely Tanya Whelan fabric and voila!

Much better!