I love Your Home & Garden...

I've been having a few late nights lately. Most of you who know me will know I'm a bit of a nana and need a good night's sleep. But when the new Your Home & Garden comes out each month I spend at least a week's worth of nights scouring the pages for ideas I can use in my "not so pretty but completely practical" rental house.


I must say alot of my ideas are still stuck in that idea stage due to a severe lack of funds. Some days I wish I had an unlimited supply of cash - don't we all? But then life would get pretty boring. I mean there would be no need to take Elijah op-shopping or to garage sales. I would never step foot in a $2 shop or an emporium - those places are like Disneyland for kids (and adults) with all their treasures!

My issue with these shops is that before I enter I know exactly what I need, but as I step foot into one of these treasure troves, well my mind wanders.  I lose all sense of time and eventually leave the store with an armful of "necessities" but not actually what I went in for! 

So how do I solve this huge (not really) dilema?  I need to form a new habit - writing lists!  Not just writing them but actually using them - working through and actioning off items as they are completed.

I recently cleaned out the art box and my sewing stash (which was all over the place) and I don't know why we ended up with multiple sets of crayons, coloured pencils and felt tips.  And I had just bought Elijah all new Crayola felt tips, extendable crayons and classic crayons for his birthday!  Needless to say I packaged it all up and listed it on Trade Me.  It has now been sent off to someone in Christchurch.

Elijah is the most fantastic artist.  I'm allowed to say that because I'm his Mum!  Here is his artwork from his first two weeks at Oratia Kindergarten.  My plan is to cover the wall with his art then once a month take a photo as a record.  I will then use his artwork as wrapping paper or give it to whoever it was intended for.

Ok, back to H&G.  What I love most about it is that alot of the homes they feature have great secondhand finds incorporated.  It's not all brand new, state of the art stuff.  It shows people that you don't need alot of money to create a home - just alot of imagination!    Originally I had Elijah's room decorated with a pirate theme but he was scared of the "jazzys".  When he was younger my sister used to wear alot of skulls -which were in fashion at the time - so Elijah started calling the skulls "jazzys" and the name has stuck.  I don't think Jazz would be very impressed though. 

He now has a Cars room which he loves!  He bought himself the toy box and canvas organiser himself with money he got from having his photo in a magazine.  It makes tidying up alot easier for him because as you can see everything has its place.  And its reasonably big - he has two set of blue Thomas track and two sets of brown track and it fits perfectly.  The toys in his room are all toddler friendly just in case he has friends around.  We now keep the small Lego and books in the "library" which is just the spare room.

Granny bought the curtains and duvet cover.  His friend bought him the Cars workshop and rectangular cushion for his 2nd birthday.  I only bought the two other cushions!  He has the same set of Rimu drawers I had as a baby - they were bought secondhand by my Mum and have never been refurbished!

Well I think I'll leave it there.  For those of you who read my blog, thanks.  Sometimes it just helps to get it all out instead of keeping it all swishing and swirling around in my head :P

(some pics still to come!)