[ totally wired ]

WITH ALL THE hustle and bustle around here with gifts and wrapping and card writing, I need to reorganize a bit (ok, more than a bit - it's a disaster!). I've always been fond of wire baskets and I love how every one of these little office spaces incorporates wire baskets. Much more charming than those cheap plastic office organizers!

Cute wire baskets aren't always easy to find so if you want to try your hand at transforming an old freezer organizing basket from white plastic-coated to something a bit more chic, you have to see what Tina did at Rubies' Place!

lisa

[1, 3, 4 little emma english home; country homes & interiors; cath kidston; rubies' place]

[ homemade chalk paint console makeover ]

REMEMBER THIS console we shipped here from Muskoka?

Well, I've been meaning to give it a facelift for a while now and was really excited to hear about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint {partly because the results are always so pretty, and because you don't need to sand or prime first - I'm lazy}.

Well, my excitement fizzled when I discovered that no one in Dubai carries it and no one will ship it to me here either. :(

Plan B: homemade chalk paint

I stumbled upon a couple of suggestions on how to make your own so I thought I'd give it a try.

I had some pretty Duck Egg paint from Laura Ashley and decided to use that {eggshell finish} 1/2 cup and mixed it with 1 tbsp of Plaster of Paris.

The best part is chalk paint requires no prep ~  just start painting.

I chose to do 2 coats. The paint dries fairly quickly.

Once the second coat had dried for a couple of hours, I distressed the edges a bit with some coarse sandpaper.

I wiped it clean to remove all sanding dust and then it was time to wax.

I chose Lundmark Clear Paste Wax. Why? Because that's all I could find in Dubai. I was hoping it would be as lovely and soft to work with as Annie Sloan's Wax is supposed to be.

This wax was awesome! I applied it with an old cotton sport sock on my hand and it went on smoothly in a nice thin coat. After about 10 minutes of drying time, I buffed it with a clean sock.

Some new knobs to add some sparkle.

All done! Can you see the lovely sheen the wax gave it?

You can add a coat of a brown wax over top if you want to add a bit more age. Since I couldn't find anything other than my clear wax, I left it as is.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out. The homemade chalk paint worked like a charm and was so cheap. My favourite part was the waxing - it was quick and it gave the perfect sheen.

Now what else can I paint?

lisa

[ oar decor and my oar makeover ]

I'VE BEEN coming across quite a few examples of oars being used in decor and I love the casual, seaside feel of it.

I was hoping I might stumble upon an old oar somewhere but was sure it wasn't going to happen in Dubai. Until, Pottery Barn was having their summer clearance sale and I scored this one for only $13!

I wasn't crazy about the navy colour but I knew that I could easily give it a fresh new look.

And here you go! 

I love the cottagey look and the pale turquoise is always a favourite colour of mine. I'm not sure if I'll hang it or not, but for now, I'm happy with it leaning in the corner.

lisa

[lydia christensen; house of turquoise; decorpad; knockoffdecor; blueclearskies;

houzz; via shorely chic; newenglandprepster.tumblr; coastal living; 

whiteironstonecottage; mysweetsavannah]

[ all bottled up ]

HOW WAS your weekend? Hot water is back up and running! Slept in, made pancakes, went to see The Help which finally arrived here {loved it} and shopped around for a few things for my guy's office. All in all, everything a weekend should be. Oh! And it RAINED! The first time in the 6 months I've been here - too bad I slept through it!

How cute is this display idea? Using clear wine bottles to display antique photographs! I love the addition of the book pages tied on with jute string on the bottle tops. Have you seen any creative ways to display photos lately?

lisa

[ got fleas? ]

NOT ONLY WAS yesterday Halloween, it was also Dublin Flea Market day! Held the last Sunday of every month, The Market has grown into one of Dublin's most loved markets. It's got everything you would expect from a flea market from vintage clothes to retro furniture and random odds & ends to an organic food store, homemade falafels, waffles and greek food. And with stalls inside and out, it was buzzing!

The thing I love about this market is that for each month, a poster is designed by a different well-known local artist and are available for sale at the market, with the profit going back to the artist. I love the various styles and knew I would be going home with one to frame for my studio. After choosing a couple that were sold out (no wonder, they were great!) I chose this one which I love in both style and colour:

What a fun way to spend an afternoon and I'll definitely be planning to go again next month!

lisa