xmas ham

We celebrate Christmas with my side of the family. Its a small gathering with about 20 people for lunch. I have been making a xmas ham for the past few years. Its my mother in laws recipe. We don't spend Christmas day with her side of the family so I have claimed the rights to make the ham.  I used cloves for the first time this year and I didn't really notice any difference, but it does make it look more appealing. I have so much ham left over I think we will be eating ham sandwiches for a week lol. I am sure it will be my turn to host Christmas once our place is built. My family is already hinting and we don't even have a roof yet. 

Love this colour scheme

Homeone forum

I found this build on a homeone forum feed. Its ashame she doesnt have a blog. Her house is stunning. Here are some of her pics and mood boards.

Letter box designs

Last night I was starting to plan our letterbox. This top picture is on our plan. We will create it very similar to this but we have some flexibility in the design. I am loving the face plate and letter box slot in one. They are around $250 just for this plate that doesnt include the letterbox or the structure and stone. So not sure yet if its worth it. You can get vinyl numbers to stick on. They give a similar look with the stainless steel but I am not sure how long they will last. Another option is just buying the numbers from bunnings and putting them on or using letter to write the street name. Here are some photos I have been looking at. 

Avo update

My sons avocado plant was going amazing. I was holding off planting it because I was sure I would kill it. Despite this I potted it up and it was going well for a few days. It was in my sons room and the water was spilling so I decided to move it onto his balcony. This was a mistake because I found the poor plant this morning on the ground. I think something (a possum) has tried to eat the avocado seed and pulled it out of the pot. So I have move it into a smaller pot and put it back on the window sill (something I should have done from the start) See how it goes, it doesnt look very good at the moment.

Bricks, Sand and Cement Ready to go!!!

The bricks have landed.

I thought we were done for the year so I havent been back to the block for a few days. I was in the area today so I went by. First thing I saw was our neighbours roof, it looks great. Its a dark grey colour like ours, not sure if its monument or basalt just yet. I couldnt see anyone on our block but I did notice we had a brick delivery. Palettes of bricks waiting all ready for the new year. I wonder what day the brickies will get their. Should I guess now. Ummm maybe the 23rd January 2017.  Not sure if I will love the bricks yet. Urban one Chiffon was my husbands choice. I like grey but I worry it will look washed out and boring or like a prison lol. I liked the dark brick better but the combo would be the same as our neighbours so I am glad we have something unique. The build so far has been quicker than expected. Our other neighbour still doesnt have their frames up. I cant imagine they will be done now only a few days out from Christmas.

Urban one Chiffon

Christmas count down - 5 more sleeps!

Gutters and fascia done

Wow!!!! More work before the Christmas break. I am so pleased to see gutters and fascia today. They look great. We choose Monument gutters, windows and surfmist fascia. I love it!! We just found out today our direct neighbour will be a show home. I am not sure how this will impact us when we live here. Not sure if it will be a positive or negative. I know eventually it will be sold off but it wont be for at least 4 years.

This will be the main lounge room looking  from the kitchen over the future bench top.

Entry

bedroom 2

Alfresco

Front window looking into theatre room

Paint colour hints and tips

Paint Colour Hints and Tips

I always get asked how do I choose the correct paint colours for my home. Painting is a great, cost-effective way to refresh your home. Before you get started, it's important to do some research to help you get the best result. 

1. Choose your colour scheme

Think about how colour schemes flow from room to room in your house or apartment. Then consider your new colour scheme next to key pieces of furniture, like your couch or wall unit. 

2. Look for a focal point

Select a focal point in your room, such as a clock, couch or rug, and base your colour palette around it. That way you’ve got a key item to bring the look together. Alternatively, you can choose a mood you’d like to create and pick colours that inspire that feeling. A shade of green for example may evoke a natural and cooling effect on a space, while yellow can emulate sunshine and warmth.

3. The 60-30-10 rule 

Remember the 60-30-10 rule for interior spaces. It's where 60% of the room is decorated in a dominant colour, 30% in a secondary hue and 10% dedicated to an accent colour. This rule helps you balance your colour choices and won't leave you with overpowering or mismatched walls. 

Remember paint always appear alittle darker than the sample card. The same colour will also appear lighter on exteriors and darker on interiors. Dark colours will make the room look smaller, lighter will make the room feel bigger. 

4. Building a new house

For my build I have chosen Taubman Stonebridge. I originally chose 3 colours and got a sample pots of each. I painted 3 coats onto a panel of gyprock and compared the panels in different lights around the house. I also held them up to my existing bedding and furniture. I didn't do this during my first build and it was a mistake. The paint colour was chosen on the spot from the sample card. When the walls were painted I was horrified that my beautiful beige colour threw a green tone (Taubmans- Still white). To make it worse my husband couldn't see it. it annoyed me especially when guests pointed it out. I was not going to make the same mistake again. 

We chose the darker of the three. We did this because the light beige wall colour got lost in our last house, so we wanted a bit more personality into the house. When you build with Beechwood the builder charges you a fee for every additional colour you use. We decided to use one colour through the whole house and I will go through with feature walls or wall paper when we move in. 

Adding colour and personality to a house is so easy and simple with the right paint colour. Look at trends but use the colours you love because you have to live with it everyday. Do your research and plan well for a flawless result.

Frame is finished!

We could never afford to buy an adequate house in this suburb. If we didnt build and spent the same amount we would only afford a tiny old house that needed work. This has taken so long but we will have a brand new house in a great suburb. I hope I can say it will be worth it.

When I saw the frame up for the first time I started to get so overwhelmed with emotion. I nearly started crying. My eyes were filling with water as I drove home. Its been a long journey to get here. We have been displaced for 3 years. Moving from house to house. Its been so temporary even though its been so long. I dont unpack our possessions. I dont have pictures on the wall. I gave up buying homewares. We have never had Christmas in the same place 2 years in a row. Our furniture is damaged from so many moves. You might think we are mad!

When we sold our family home on the main road we moved so far away but kept our lifestyle the same. The kids went to the same schools and we worked in the same places. So it took a huge toll on us. The extra travel time and we lived in a tiny house in a poor suburb with many social problems. I hated living there and we did it for a year. Then we moved closer and it was good but the owners went and sold the property after 12 months. We had so many open houses and inspection after inspection. Then we moved closer again to our current house. Its old and small the bathroom is terrible. We have no wardrobes and a garage door I fight to get open everyday. With another family member, the 3 bedrooms are cramped.  We didnt move into the same suburb because its a sort after area and rents are so high, we simply couldnt justify spending the money. It is dead money but its been hard living further out. 

I think I got overwhelmed because I can now see the light at the end of a long tunnel. To move here will mean the world to us. Not only owning our own house again but we can final stop and enjoy and relax because we are where we want to be. 

Frames up Day 1

 Frames were delivered on site last week. So great to see them there. We were told that they were due to go up on Monday and be finished by friday. So I drove past Monday afternoon about 3pm. I just wanted to see someone on site. I didnt expect to see the below picture. Most of the frames up and the windows and glass door in. I was so excited to see how quick it went up. I could see the workers walking in the rooms and down the future hallway. The property to the left of the picture started before us. So nice to see us moving quicker than another builder. I only wanted the slab before xmas break. So happy at this stage. Should I hope for brick delivery now??

Had to add my avocado plant. So close to planting. Might do it tomorrow. 

Pools!

We have been talking to pool builders over the last few days. We have so many restrictions and limited space so its going to be abit tricky to get one. It looks like the builder wont let us build one before handover. We want a small rectangle shape but our block is on an angle. Now we are considering a concrete pool. We have to do more research.