DIY of the day: Budget bottle makeover

Martha Stewart eat your heart out. This week, I came over all crafty and thrifty after Gourmet Girlfriend, who has five (FIVE) beautiful sons, put me onto a little secret...

Simply wash/soak the label off a few small Santa Vittoria bottles (I scrubbed mine off under a hot tap in about 3 minutes), find yourself some fun retro straws and get sippy! I found these fun paper straws in a local homewares-y shop, and recently bought these red ones online! I refill the bottles with cordial each night and pop them on the dinner table. They look super cute and the kids love them! PS I also bought this gorgeous glass straw for my green smoothies/juices. (What's a green juice you say? Find out here...)

So, a few days pass and I'm feeling a little unstoppable. I innocently wash a tomato passata bottle, scrub the label off, chuck some ice in, a few limes... You see where I'm going?

A few of these on a Sunday lunch table would look fabbo as a cheap (just $2.49!) alternative to your regular drinks bottle/jug. Woohoo! Happy upcycling Tonic-ettes!

DIY of the day: Bunnings just got chic!

This just in from one of my favourite blogs: It's Claudia of Peep My Style fame's home (I spy a Table Tonic Pink Spot Ikat cushion on the couch!)...

Photography by Hannah Blackmore

And here's the DIY of the day - The "brains" under the dome (below) is actually nylon rope that cost $14.95 from bunnings and it comes in a bunch of different colours! Nylon rope! From Bunnings! Is anyone else digging this on a grand scale? Or have I (and Claudia) lost the plot?

Photography by Hannah Blackmore

Claudia recently emailed me to inform me that the Table Tonic blog has been immortalized in her shiny new blog header...

Ooooh! Thanks Claudia! Isn't it gawjus? Claudia loves pink, by the way... It's a cracker of a blog, so go say hi to Peep My Style. PS Claudia's home is a finalist in the Real Living reader decorating contest!

 

Just in! MORE new Ikat cushions at tabletonic.com.au

Four beautiful new Handwoven Ikat cushions have just arrived at the Table Tonic online store! The TT Ikat range has swelled to 30 designs, so I think there's something for everyone now! Here they are:

(above) Blue Diamond (45cm), $79 - CLICK TO BUY

(above) Pink Zig Zag (45cm), $79 - CLICK TO BUY

(above) Yellow Zig Zag (45cm), $79 - CLICK TO BUY

 (above) Tribal (45cm), $79 - CLICK TO BUY

They join these newbies (below) which I blogged about (only) last week! Click over for a closer look...

Click to do some Christmas shopping on Table Tonic! And Happy Halloween Tonic-ettes!

Kid's room of the day: Flouro pink & grey

Flouro pink tulle over a dove grey day bed. Surprising. Modern. Easy! And if I'm not mistaken Do-it-yourselfers, that would be the Ikea Hemnes day bed ($599), painted a warm grey. Best thing about this room is that the pink is easily "removed". But why is this important?
 

procrastination mama

People keep telling me girls go right off pink when they hit 5 or 6, so I was reluctant to feature it too heavily in Anoushka's room (below), which she adores regardless. In the case of the above room, simply substitute a different colour piece of tulle or even a patterned fabric, and change blankets/throws. This is a good kid's room "formula". I'm giving it a gold star.

Baby Wipes: 21 get-outta-town-good cleaning tips!

On Saturday afternoon, I had a friend popping over. I did the obligatory whip around, scooping up Lego, packing away tupperware, dirty socks, Barbie dolls... Things were looking good. Until I (at the last minute) caught sight of the stove top. Oh my giddy aunt that will NOT do. I frantically reached for the closest thing - a (Huggies) baby wipe. Well. My life changed at that precise moment. It was the easiest, quickest, most painless experience involving a dirty stove top, like, ever! So what did I do? I tweeted about it!

And the response was enough to write a dozen blog posts. But for now, one will do.

spearmintbaby

These were your best baby wipe cleaning tips - too dingin' good not to share (thank you all!):

@lisap1409 brilliant for around light switches!

@shoadley123 baby wipes have taken fruit stains out of new white exxy tshirt yay for baby wipes!! Always use them!! 
@Wrenesse I love cleaning with baby wipes! One thing they're great for is light switch plates.

@LadySmaggle I use baby wipes to clean spilled loose make up off my dressing table. Also as a quick shower for lunch time gym going.
@mauriceandking I use mine to clean little finger marks off my kitchen cupboards and stainless steel appliances. Gold!

@katecooper_ When sippy cups get swung around and milk falls on our "new rug" I like to spot clean with wipes! 

@NatashaG15 If baby wipes strong enuf to clean the stove, imagine what chemicals and allergies we are exposing babies to! 
@lucygol they are great for cleaning shoes and getting spot stains out of clothes too

@kellyexeter You can clean your iPhone and iPad screens with babywipes and like you, I have also cleaned my stove with them! 
@LittlePaperLane Will baby wipes work for Mac screens then? baby wipes are the best thing ever! 
@EmpowerSM babywipes are fab for cleaning the car dashboard...too easy & great results! 

@c_H_i_T_a i use babywipes as make-up remover, laptop keyboard, drink holder bracket in car, outside of my make-up colour palate cases! 
@blushfully I like Curash fragrance free baby wipes and the chamomile baby wipes =) handy and affordable! face feels refreshed

@margaritajg I've always used them to clean my dashboard, cupholders, etc.

@shesaid_aus I saw note about working on leather pouffe but I've also had warnings not to use on leather. So tread carefully. p.s is this really our sat night!

@BelindaJane76 The only thing I use to clean my suede sofa. But must be u scented from Aldi. If u looked at it u would never guess a toddler lived here. Underneath diff. story. Have even used then to remove texta. Also use them to clean Barbies and other toys and if really lazy (or tipsy) will use them to remove make up. 
@TigesandWeince I find them useful to do a mini mop on the floor, cleans marks on the tiles saving your pulling the mop out all the time 
@purple_cath carpet, clothes, shoes, purse everything
@belindagraham They're my fave cleaning product. Even got ink off my leather pouffe! Particularly brilliant for getting spew out of carpet :)

@NatKringoudis BIG fan. (have you used them on the bathroom sink? BIG winner). I totally use them for the walls too! They are aw-sum! But why? I'd hate to think what I'm wiping my mini me's butt with... The best are the wall's by far. Oh and the car interior. Oh oh and the bottom of the shower...you name it they wipe it! 

@jeningermany Hi just found your blog by chance looking at Isabel M, I am in Germany and I will use baby wipes even when my twins are 20!

@laurenskyeacc Just cleaned my leather lounge with babywipes! OMG! 

Blast from the past: The SHOP magazine shoot

Ooooh! I just found some pictures from the Shop til you Drop magazine shoot they did at our previous house, which appeared in their July 2010 issue. I thought these would brighten up the little TT blog nicely...

(above) Wearing a Scanlan & Theodore dress, a Table Tonic tribal necklace and K Jacques sandals. Table Tonic Vintage Suzani, coffee table found on eBay and painted white.

(above) An Hermes box, my beautiful poppy bowl from The Armchair, a mirrored vase from Freedom and some favourite books all reside on a side table found on eBay and painted gloss black.

(above) A few of my favourite things. Kelly Wearstler's "Modern Glamour", Vintage silver coasters from eBay, a Crabtree & Evelyn candle atop a tiger print ceramic dish and a vintage glass bottle with a bunch of plastic succulents from Spotlight.

(above) Rainbow reads in Jasper's room. Arranging the books by colour instantly neatens up a kid's room. Try it!

"The statues", which continue to grow on me every day!

(above) The blue chairs made quite a statement in the living room (looking back into the kitchen). Table Tonic Ikat cushions.

(above) A certain princess's favourite tutu (hanging off some Anthropologie coral knobs, sourced on eBay)!

(above) A Table Tonic Moroccan Wedding Blanket and Union Jack cushions (on the bed that wouldn't fit into our new bedroom!).

(above) This was the bookshelf joinery wall in our old kitchen and I miss it (and my books) dearly. One thing our new house doesn't have is bookshelves (or even spare walls for them!). Wearing: Indigo stripey top, Kookai pants, Table Tonic tribal necklace and a vintage belt from Sydney's Glebe markets (back when they were... vintage-y).

And so the next chapter begins! 

Happy Monday, Tonic-ettes!

Our house: Louvres and lights!

You know you've made a good design decision when something looks like it's been there the whole time. It's a perfect fit. It just feels... right. Which is how we feel about the new additions to the dining room!! (Please excuse the mess, but I just couldn't wait until Monday to show you). So, we now have a vintage Louis Poulsen pendant above the dining table and the "ball lights" have been moved to the kitchen (no more fluorescent glow yay!) and replaced with energy efficient downlights. The louvres are in too, with Mr Tonic and I spending the better part of the morning edging that enormous frame into place! It's damn heavy, but was an absolute perfect fit. Ta-daaaaa!

See the BEFORE shots here.

DIY of the day: Woven baskets as art

Colourful woven baskets can be picked up at homewares stores, flea markets or on  travels abroad, and make for an interesting, rainbow-rustic wall display! Look out for them in tones that match your room's existing decor, or simply stick to natural, straw coloured baskets, which will suit any room.

vt wonen

Our patio makeover: The "during"

Admittedly we're only halfway there, but in case you missed it on my Mamamia post, here is our little patio makeover so far. I love that we have a patio. I just love saying patio. Every now and then I'll say to Mr Tonic: "Mr Tonic, why not turn up the jazz and join me for a G and T on the patio"...*

*Not really

Before (above) and after (below). Obviously.

(above) We have yet to paint the wall, but at least it's not magenta any more. Yikes. PS Got the FAB (set of 3) Terrazzo pots on eBay.

selector

(above) The patio at Rose Seidler House, frighteningly similar to ours from certain angles!

Table Tonic in the press!

The April 2011 issue of SHOP Til You Drop not only led me to my perfect winter ankle boots (these ones - and yes, I bought both colours), but contained a whopping 3 pages of Table Tonic products, so let's shop the shoot(s)!

(above and below)  
Large Ikat cushion in Olive & White, $79.

(above and below)
Moroccan Leather Pouffe in Gold, $220

(above and below)
 Mexican Suzani in Dark Blue, $449.

Oh, and I also handed out my best "expert tips" (omg I must be the expert!) for renters to try immediately on page 152:

The April 2011 issue of SHOP Til You Drop is on sale now.

Ikea "Bekvam" spice rack hack: A(nother) progress report

Rightio then, seems we're almost at the end of the "Bekvam" Spice rack journey (I know, sad, isn't it?). With the racks up and Anoushka's room finally painted a colour, the only thing left to do is give them their own final coats of (Dulux Vivid) white. But golly gosh, it's been a wonderful ride, made infinitely better by uber-decor-blog Ohdeeoh giving them a big ol' "hey-ho"!

Enormous thanks to Nicole of First House on the Right for alerting me to it. I know. Who misses their own shout out on OHDEE-bloody-OH!?!!? Me. That's who. Below is Nicole's very own "Reading Corner" - you can catch her step by step here.

Oh, and in case you were wondering what they look like now, here is my Spice Rack wall REVEAL!

Walls painted in Dulux "Sweet Sixteen", Spice racks from Ikea, Tarnby rug from Ikea, Moroccan Pouffes in bright orange and gold from the Table Tonic online store. That's a wrap.

The one picture that inspired our living room

I remember bookmarking this gorgeous page in a magazine years ago - I think it was originally published in Vogue Living (or possibly Inside Out... Anyone?). Anyway, after seeing it I could not get the idea of a floor to ceiling mirrored wall out of my head. We were renovating our Federation house at the time, and it went straight to the top of my "Pleeease, Mr Tonic???" list. Renovations always go over budget, but I begged that we keep this feature, despite the imminent "blowout".

And we did! Costly, sure but some things have a good "cost vs impact" ratio, and this was one of them. In the middle of the picture below (these photos are from the real estate campaign when we sold our house!), you can see the mirrored wall - it really opens up the room.

Not only that, but it reflected the outside greenery back into the living area, along with bucketloads more natural light, which made it a very worthwhile "investment"!

A floor to ceiling mirrored wall is definitely something to consider if you're wanting to open up a small space and looking for "wow" factor at the same time. Here are a few more (rather fabulous!) examples:

style envelope

(above) Bevelled mirror wall at W Hotel residence, Hollywood by Alissa Sutton Interiors

Brown Button

(above) Fashion Designer Matthew Eager's Potts Point studio, as featured in the July/August 2006 issue of Vogue Living. PS There's also a great article on "The Benefits of Mirrored Walls" here. PPS Mini Tonic Jasper turns 7 tomorrow. Seven! Can't quite believe it...

In my home: See how fashionistas live!

The first page I turn to whenever I grab a fresh copy of Shop Til You Drop magazine is their In My Home section - remember when I was featured in their July 2010 issue (below)?

The girls who's homes they profile are almost always in the thick of the fashion, beauty, lifestyle or PR industry, making them the perfect candidates for some uber stylish house tours. Exhibit A - One Teaspoon designer, Jamie Blakey (take the full tour here), as featured in the current issue:

Below: The creator of gourmet food line Lotus & Ming, Karen Lavecky (take the full tour here)

Below: Author and PR agent, Lisa Smith (take the full tour here)

Below: Stylist and PR agent, Collette Harvey (take the full tour here)

Below: Creator of homewares line Castle, Rachel Castle (take the full tour here)

Below: Public-relations agent and co-owner of homewares label Pony Rider, Jacqui Lewis (take the full tour here)

Below: Accessories designer for Lee Mathews, Jacqui Hudson (take the full tour here)

Below: Fashion designer Rachel Gilbert (take the full tour here)

Below: Interior stylist and co-creator of (now defunct) screen-printed artworks PrintDolls, Alice Flynn (take the full tour here) PS Alice recently retuned to her design roots, with the launch of Penny Farthing Design House

Below: Jewellery designer Samantha Wills (take the full tour here)

Below: Co-creator of shoe empire Andrea & Joen, Andrea Tan (take the full tour here)

Below: Owner of Paddington store Sarah – Vintage Jewellery and Accessories, Sarah Green (take the full tour here)

Below: Lifestyle store owner, Prue Trollope (take the full tour here)

Below: Jewellery designer Anna Hookway (take the full tour here) 

Below: Florist and owner of Ruby Slipper Designs, Samantha Mitchell (take the full tour here)

Below: Stationery designer and author Cristina Re (take the full tour here)

Seriously, is there anything better in life than that special place where fashion and decor collide? I love nothing more. PS A bunch of these gorgeous shoots were styled by a super sweet ex-colleague of mine, Eliza - and she has an equally sweet blog called House Mad, which you might just love.