Gardening with Foam Boxes

Sunday 31st July 2011



I've collected some foam eskies from work to start my vegetable garden with. They usually get thrown out and I find that such a waste!



Firstly, I found a length of wood (I believe it may be a broom handle that's missing the 'broom' bit) and poked holes into the bottom of the boxes. These will be for drainage. It was surprising easy to poke the holes!



Next, I placed a few sheets of newspaper in the bottom of each esky. This will hold the potting in so it doesn't just slip out through the holes.

Pour in the potting mix, add the plants and voila.

A quick little setup.

Vegetable Peelers

Tuesday 26th July 2011



It occurred to me not long ago that I was missing a vital utensil from my hoard of kitchen utensils.

A vegetable peeler.

Now, I love the one that Mum has at home and saw it available at Woolworths. However, right beside it I also saw a packet of four peelers for less than the price of the one Mum has. I stood there, debating on quality over price. Sure, I know that the one Mum has works and is great. Then again, maybe the cheaper ones will work just as well and I could get four of them?




I decided to opt for the cheaper Woolworths Essentials peelers. The packet of four cost me less than $4.

Big mistake.

I got home and started peeling apples and pears for a crumble dessert and was utterly dismayed at how crap the peelers were. I had great difficulty piercing the skin of the apples and pears. It took two hours to do something that should have taken half an hour.

The next time I was at the shops, I saw these Kmart Home Brand peelers.



Of course, I was seduced by the fact that they're purple and only $2.

The peeler blade was a bit sharper than the cheap Woolworths ones but were not much better overall. The handle is rather wide and not at all ergonomic to hold so using it was always awkward.




At this point I considered going out and buying a bunch of peelers and trying them all but common sense prevailed. I went back to Woolworths and bought the Culinare peeler. Funnily enough, it was 20% off so I paid less for it than those crappy green ones!

Fork and Spoons

Saturday 25th June 2011



I slept in my house for the very first time on Thursday night. On my new bed.

I'm used to sleeping on a single bed since I don't move around much in my sleep so the last few nights it has felt like sleeping in a hotel bed.

I can't seem to find any quilt cover sets that I like nor that match the colour theme in the room so I'm going to have to visit Spotlight and make my own when I have time.

On another note, I have been making some great purchases online. My latest purchase is a set of cutlery.



Stanley Rogers 'Albany' 100 piece set - $129.99

Despite being on sale in Myer and David Jones in the midyear stock take clearances, it is still more expensive than what I found online. Plus, I scored free postage!



I unpacked only the dinner forks, spoons, knives and teaspoons and gave them a quick wash and dry before putting them away in the cutlery drawer. I need to get a sideboard or buffet cabinet to store the rest of the cutlery!

Aquatic Moves

Sunday 19th June 2011

Today my friends came over and we began the epic task of transporting my aquarium from my parents' place to my house.

We had to bag the fish up (poor things!), siphon most of the water out and scoop out as much gravel as we could to make the glass tank as light as we could for moving. Benoit borrowed his brother's car and we managed to fit the tank and the desk that it sits on in the back. Phew!

I also packed up my car, put my TV into Kong's car and drove to the house, where we had to set up the aquarium.

With such a big water change and having the fish in the bags for over an hour, I was worried that some might not survive the move, but they have all made it except for one baby guppy.



I can't wait to restock the tank with some plants and new fish. I've been holding off on making any new additions to the tank before the move...but nothing's gonna stop me now...

Front End Loader

15 June 2011

I like to look around and do my homework when it comes to purchasing things for the house. Especially when it comes to something that's supposed to be a long term investment like a fridge or washing machine.

I have grown up with a top loader washing machine and have never used a front end loader. However, I have heard that front end loaders are more energy efficient and therefore are most cost effective to run and own. However, the cycles are generally longer on front end loaders but you can get some models that have a 'quick' cycle. They're also much more gentler on your clothes apparently.

So, with these points in mind, I started researching online to find out which model was better for me. Once I settled on the front end loader, I started comparing different models. It helped that David has a subscription to the Choice Review website so you can get very comprehensive reviews and comparison guides on there.

I quickly decided on the model I wanted and then it was a matter of hitting the stores to try to get a good price.



The Electrolux EWF1074 7.5kg Time Manager model.

I price-matched my way from over $900 down to only $600!

Dad helped me install it and tonight I took it for a test drive. I was careful to watch for any water leakages but all seemed well.



The clothes are spun really well so that when I hang the clothes on the air dryer, I don't have water dripping onto the floor, which is great since I'm drying the clothes indoors since I don't yet have an outdoors clothes line.

Sunday 15th June 2011



I had some unexpected helping hands to help me finish off most of the painting on Sunday. Thanks so much guys!

I have always wanted to create a little corner of the house with a vintage/shabby chic theme. I decided that I would dedicate the entrance of the house to this project.

I was a bit anxious when it came to choosing the colour of the paint for the wall. It needed to be a greenish blue. I did worry that the colour I chose would not turn out right or would just look awful. However, as I was painting the colour onto the wall, I squealed in delight. It looked gorgeous!



Wall - Dulux Wash & Wear low sheen - Mainstream

Console - from Corner Store on Stirling Highway.

I need to find an antique mirror (or one that I can revamp to look antique) to hang above the console and perhaps a coat stand or some hooks in the wall for hanging coats.

It's looking very pretty indeed!

Colour me Beige

Friday 10th June 2011



To try to make my colour selection for the ensuite, I narrowed down my choices and stood them up against the wall. I stepped back and tried to envision the room with each particular colour. It is going to be such a difficult decision because the colours are so similar, yet oh so different!



I orginally decided to go with Dulux's 'Sago Half' but when I looked at it the next day, I realised it's got a tint of pink in it.

I have settled on 'Beige Royal Quarter'. It's more of a brown hue so it will look much more neutral rather than cream/pink.