Furniture Reno - Chest of Drawers

When it comes to covering books with adhesive contact paper I am the bees cankles...dismal!

Maybe contact paper was never really meant for books anyway.

It is great on furniture though as I recently discovered.

The Bargain: I picked up this brand new chest of draws, which was reduced to $30 (from $100) due to the damage on the front of the drawers.

 The Process:  A quick trip to Reverse Garbage for some contact adhesive for $4.
I took off the handles. Traced around the draws on the contact and then added some extra  to fold over the edges. I started on one end of the draw and used a squeegee to push out the bubbles as I pulled away the the backing. After trimming of the excess with a kraft knife, I folded over the edges. Reattached the handles and  finally I put the drawers back in. 


The Verdict: The contact is so glossy it looks like a 2 pack finish.
Now I have some storage space in my studio - all for $34.   I'm wrapt! (literally)

Linking up this Elle and Lou post with:

Release Me Create

Filthy to fabulous - Bathroom renovation

There are a lot of things I take for granted.

 But my bathroom isn't one of them...

and this is the reason why.

A Sad Beginning.

When we bought this 100 year old cottage back in 1999 it had been a rental. 

The poor neglected thing had been let to uni students (like myself) for the better part of 20 years.  Our house was known as "the party house".

That is 20 years of uni parties...drunken, naughty, nasty uni parties.

I'm pretty sure it didn't get cleaned..EVER!

Tiny filthy steps.

In any case, we made BIG improvements and  so the bathroom looked like this...

Hours and hours were invested in this room to make it look this good-honest!


Despite our best efforts it still leaked in all directions. Visitors thought that the ceiling was grey paint,  but that was actually the bleach resistant mould silently pervading the room.


We lived with with this fungal freak-land of a  bathroom for 10 years...10 long years! 
The low light was spending hours and hours in this room with my toilet training toddler. Uhggg! As a tribute to this special time, in this special room, I made a feature of the Cushy Tooshie as you can see in the photo above.

Fabulous at last.

Two years ago we counted our saved pennies, took a deep breath and dove into an extension and renovation project.

We moved our bathroom to the west side of the house and positioned it facing the backyard. It is now a room with a view.

It is so relaxing to lie in the bath, almost nestled in the tree tops, and gaze out at the view.

As for the loo?

I was proud to hang the Cushy Tooshie on this wall when toilet training our 2nd child.

Incidentally, the ceiling is white... like a ceiling SHOULD be.

I never get tired of noticing the small things...

 like the light hitting the wall through the shower curtain creating patterns,

 or the still life outside the window...

I know it took over a decade to get it

 (and it actually isn't quite finished there is still some tweaking to do)

 but it certainly was worth it the wait!

Linking up this Elle and Lou post with:
Whipperberry
Chicks on a Shoestring

Duality in Art and Life : city vs forest

I love the city.

I love the architecture.

 Its just BIG functional art.

 When I catch the bus to work, I travel past all the city's eclectic mix of structures...

I love maps.

I love their aesthetic quality. 

They remind me that we are like little ants going down many different pathways.

I love the forest.

I love the multitudes of trees, with branches that overlap and intertwine...

and roots that become part of the earth.

I love to be.

I love to be in these places,

 that are so different, and yet so connected.

So I've been working on a diptych of dichotomy.

 The dual of people vs planet.

What are side are we barracking for I wonder?

The forest or...

the city.




It is International Year of the Forest - lets take care of them
.... invest in them and we invest in us!

Brooches: Upcycling symbols, materials and meanings

Is this a modern day symbol for a spin cycle on a washing machine?

OR an ancient spiral symbol of potential power?

Is it a hash key?

Actually, pharmacists of former times used to draw this symbol (minus the buttons) on prescriptions, where the basic meaning was, May this be good for you. 

Isn't it interesting how symbols can be universal and survive through time and culture .

However, they are a language and we know that language is alive and changing constantly. Ask any English teacher  or parent of a teenager... EOD (end of discussion).

Consequently this invocation cross,  spiral of life, curled cross and cosmic orbit may just be a bunch of curves upcycled to make new brooches out of old felt. 

Regardless, my humble hash key does it for me.. T+ (think positive)! 

Texture in Nature -Year of the Forest

"A nation that destroys it's soils destroys itself.

 Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people"

Franklin D. Roosevelt

This forest's mojo is ever apparent to the humble guest, and so my snaps are merely a clumsy attempt to convey its  verve.

Recently we spent four nights in the Bunya Mountains National Park, which is 200km northwest of Brisbane, Queensland. The Bunya Mountains are an isolated section of the Great Dividing Range that played a significant role in Aboriginal culture.  The Bunya's are simultaneously peaceful and energetic.  But, if you look closely, you see great textures...and colours... and lines..and shapes...........   

It is International Year of the Forest and in the name of balance I couldn't resist another forest quote:

"If a tree falls in a forest and lands on a politician, even if you can't hear the tree or the screams, I'll bet you'd at least hear the applause"

Paul Tindale

Sharing at this great photography blog:

Atlas Journaling: drawing hints from an eco artist

Sometimes a white blank canvas is so stark it almost stifles creativity and mark-making.
So I've binned the whole pristine visual journal concept and have replaced it with....the humble atlas.


Mine is the Road Atlas of Australia 7th Edition. It is circa 1980's -the kind of atlas I had at primary school. It was such an unloved book that it was in the "Free, please take" bin at a Rotary book sale (sniff).

These sketches are just observations with a sharpie and pencils. The lines of the roads in the background provide great distraction, omitting the need for perfection. The maps provide an additional layer of interpretation. 


I would try this style of drawing journal with a written book too, as text works wonderfully with illustration e.g my previous dragonfly work.

Dragonfly Project Link

A great benefit of atlas journaling is that any drawing can simply be torn out and framed. The other benefit is that you are recycling....yeah eco-art materials!


Incidentally, the works are from our recent holiday in the Bunya Mountains, a rainforest smack bang in the middle of country Queensland- who would have thought?

'Dreadlock' Felt Off-cut Brooches

A Winter Equation
Coats+Brooches+Recycling = Elle and Lou Brooches

For local Brisbanites I purchased the dreadlock lengths for 30 cents each at good old Reverse Garbage.


Enjoy the curves!