Weekend fun in Melbourne

Waiting for the tram outside Ikea.

Hi friends, well not surprisingly I had a great time in Melbourne last weekend.

If you didn't know, I flew over there for a friend's 40th birthday celebrations. Most of us (including the birthday girl) live in Tasmania, so it was nice to get away.

Random but attractive house down the street.

My friend Stephanie and I arrived late morning on Friday and met up with the others at our lovely Edwardian guesthouse in Fitzroy.

We dropped off our bags and took everyone out to Ikea for a bit of a shop. I bought a few small bits and pieces that no doubt will pop up on the blog in the near future.

Our guest house

After that, Steph and I popped down to the South Bank DFO for a spot of shopping. We then met up with the other 9 of us and dropped by the Finders Keepers Market in the gorgeous Exhibition Building. It was fantastic, with around 120 stalls, music, a bar and food. We all made some great finds.

Not wishing to wait the 45 minutes for a taco from the van outside the market we walked up the street to a pub where we sat outside and enjoyed a lovely meal. Home to bed for all of us!

Lots of tram cables.

The accomodations were lovely, quite grand in fact and so I thought I might share some pics...

Funky wallpaper in one of the many bathrooms.

The lovely entrance. No, the phone didn't work.

Remnants of stained glass.

Looking down the stairs to the foyer. I loved that geometric white wire light fitting.

Loungeroom with 12 foot ceilings and lovely fireplace.

Funky kitchen with yellow pressed tin feature.

Dining room and below, the small but pretty courtyard.

It was really lovely, but boy, I'm glad I live in a one storey house!

Thanks for reading :)

xx

ps a couple more posts on my adventures to come :)

pps a big boo to Mr Blogger who has made the new format a big pain in the butt for me. I lost this whole post and had to start from scratch. It won't spell check for me and I'm just a tad over it!

Bemz couch covers

I recently discovered the Bemz website. They make slipcovers for Ikea sofas. I'd love some new covers for my sofa and chair. I absolutely LOVE the gorgeous Designers Guild fabric in the image above, but could it be too much? (A bit out of my budget too).

I really like the soft blue and greens but I know I should be going for something in a muddy brown with a paw print pattern - much more suited to Molly and her dirty paws! Yes, I know she should never have been allowed on the couch but too late for that now.

Nice, don't you think? Such a great way to freshen up and change the look of a whole room. Plus, I love how you just throw them in the washing machine. Deciding which colours could be a big problem :)

PS would you believe I had just swapped over my covers to the pale ones (after just drafting this post) and in bowls the furry monster from outside with muddy paws. She runs straight up onto the couch! Sheesh...

Oh well, life goes on....

Shades of blue

It seems like such a simple thing, choosing a paint colour for walls. But, let me tell you it's not easy. I know I want to do my studio room a super pale blue but am tearing my hair out with which 'sort' of blue I might like. I found some lovely blue shades in my magazines and chose a bunch of colour cards at the hardware store.
The wall in the magazine on the left is painted in Blue Glace and the swatch is sitting on the page. They look quite different. It looks almost white but when I stick it up on the wall it definitely looks blue. My other choice is a more duck-egg colour. I'll work it out eventually.

My other dilemma is the light. I just love the Ikea Maskros dandelion light but at a diameter of 80cms I would barely fit in the room with it! Darn, the search goes on...

Lots of new things

Lyndon and I went for a quick trip to Melbourne last Thursday and whilst we were away the last coat went on our 'new' 100 year old floor. It has taken a little adjusting to, but the results are good as you can see.

Lyn was a very creative person today and made our new tv cabinet. We had searched everywhere but couldn't find anything we thought suitable. I like the simplicity and the castors. We might limewash it but haven't decided.

One of the things I like about Melbourne is going to Ikea. I love love love Ikea. I bought a new set of couch covers, some lovely storage boxes ( in our new tv cabinet) and a gorgeous little glass light. I couldn't photograph it very well but it's so lovely! And only $16.95!! I love Ikea...

It's nice to be able to start enjoying our 'new' room.

Gardening update tomorrow hopefully :-)

PS We went to see Wicked! whilst in Melbourne and I thought it was absolutely amazing!! Not suprising as I am a big Wizard of Oz and musical fan. Do yourself a favour and see it - it has now gone to Sydney.