Easy toddler bedroom makeover

After Miss 3 got her room makeover I figured it was time to get stuck into Mr 1.5 bedroom. He already has some decal stickers and a few other bits and pieces in there. It was a matter of move things onto different walls. The biggest impact strangely enough was just putting some curtains in there! There was already blinds but we all know black rooms promote sleep so I had to get some black out curtains in there. What I wasn’t expecting was how the cheap Kmart curtain rod & curtains would make such a huge impact on the room! See for yourself.

Before
(with a makeshift piece of blockout fabric on the window)

After

Since taking this photo I’ve also hung up some prints that I finally recovered the frames (see my prev hack post) above the chair.

Soon I hope to add a rug and a 1mtr tall trex dinosaur decal next to his bed.

Photo frame Hack!

So we moved house and I’m slowly still trying to find places to put things. Decorating room by room and I still have all our framed photos to put up. I had a collage at our old house with black frames on a light grey painted wall. Look gorgeous right. Well the new house is all creams. I didn’t want to go out and buy new frames, let’s face it I’d end up getting different sizes and then needing to print more photos. Dangerous slippery slope into procrastination. Well guess what I found at Kmart. $3 Vinyl wrap that has a wood like design. It’s basically like the stuff you use to cover school books but with a modern decor twist. So I got some and covered my frames.

Bit fiddily but such a great way to reuse and upcycle for a couple dollars.

Before

After

Miss 3 gets a room makeover

My eldest is turning 3 in just a couple days so we figured it was time for her to get a big girl room! Plus our youngest is 6weeks old and will need the cot in the coming months. So perfect timing!

Before

After a few weeks of stalking marketplace I pickup up a king single bed frame for $60 delivered. We bought a new mattress off catch.com and a couple small bits of furniture from the local op shops.

The biggest and most exciting addition? Has to be the most STUNNING wallpaper I was lucky enough to win. It was also pretty easy to install as it has a self adhesive backing – no glue required!

After

Shop the wallpaper

I still want to make a canopy over her bed but otherwise it’s all done!

Decal obsessed

It appears I have a new obsession! So we moved into our new forever home in November and now have 3 kids under 3yrs old.

I’m a big time nester and all the blank walls kind of drive me insane. Insert the new obsession with decal wall stickers here!!!

They only take minutes to apply and you can move them around as much as you please. The good quality ones can still be moved around years later and no damage is made to your walls.

Here’s a quick before and after of the kids new toy room. I’m so obsessed with this peachy pink tones and the kids helped to pop the stars up.

Before

After

This is the Large Peachy Boho Rainbow Wall Decal from Miss Pie Designs.

Shop it here

I’ve fallen in love with a woman named Sally!

Yes its true, I’ve fallen in love! Her name is Sally and my husband is pretty happy about it. I just can’t stop telling everyone how brilliant she is.

It all started a few months ago when I purchased 30kgs of bananas and I knew it was time to find a new amazing banana bread recipe. So I stumbled across a blog called Sally’s Baking Addiction and I have not looked back. I am slowly working my way through her recipes and I have to say, every single recipe has been simple, well explained and so so so delicious!! Seriously check her out, you wont regret it http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/. I won’t write out the recipes as her blog includes it all. The only changes I made for dietary requirements were:

• No egg (any banana recipes i simply left them out or otherwise used the Orgran Egg Replacer)
• Used plain Gluten Free flour instead of suggested flour
• Used almond milk instead of suggested regular milk
• Used Original Nuttelex instead of butter
• Dairy Free Choc chips instead

Best Ever Banana Bread (recipe here)

Honestly it is completely worth the 60 minute bake time, this is the best banana bread I have ever eaten… (okay maybe excluding some café ones which would be packed full of excess sugar and other processed nasties). I haven’t bothered with the frosting because frankly it just doesn’t need it. Yes okay I hear myself – clearly I’m crazy because frosting is always amazing but I just haven’t bothered. It lasts a good week in a container and also freezes very well (defrost in the fridge).

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread (recipe here)

So I have made this twice now, the second time was for my husbands birthday (at his request)- that is how much he loves it! Something about the crunch of the cinnamon swirl on the edges? He consumed it in about two days so of course I then made him the Banana Cinnamon Choc Chip Scroll Cake.

Banana Choc Chip Cinnamon Roll Cake (recipe here)

I personally didn’t try it as .. well it wasn’t my birthday. However he consumed it for breakfast, morning tea and afternoon tea over a very short time frame. Need I say more? The only note I have is I didn’t have the recommended 9 inch tin so I went with a 8 inch which didn’t allow for the dough to expand… next time I’ll try with my 10 inch. Also the icing was a little runnier than I’d normally like so will cut back on the milk next time.

Peanut Butter Banana Choc Chip Muffins (recipe here)

The mixture was a little bit denser compared to the other muffins, also not quite as sweet. I did use a natural Peanut Butter (100% peanuts only) which I think is the reason so next time I will use a generic PB. They are great for baking in advance and freezing for later!

Nutella Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins (recipe here)

Husband was out on a trail run for a few hours so I surprised him with these little beauties when he got home, wow he was so happy – possibly a top 3 finalist! We didn’t have any nutella so I put some dairy free choc chips in the center and they worked a treat. I was very impressed to see the dipping cinnamon butter mix was the perfect amount to cover all of the muffins – usually there’s an excess with these things. They smelt amazing – just like donuts!

Gingerbread Muffins (recipe here)

These were very simple to make, fortunately I had all the ingredients already in the cupboard as I love to make gingerbread at Christmas! Mixture made exactly 12 perfectly sized muffins, as per the recipe they don’t rise a great deal so fill the cups up. The lemon glaze oh yummy, i’m not sure if my lemon was just super juicy but I really didn’t need to add the milk at all. Again hubby was so very very happy and is currently gobbling them up!

Flat Bread (recipe here)

Yes hello I branched out and made savory, well we do love a good homemade pizza! I just used the flatbread portion of the recipe and we did our own margarita toppings. I actually used my mixer with the dough attachment which made it ridiculously easy to make and used Gluten Free flour. The texture is just so delicious, it is spongy inside and firm/ crisp outside. Do make sure you roll it out pretty thin before adding your toppings. If you’re a big fatty like us, you will need to double the recipe so you get two very decent sized pizzas. One quantity of the recipe is fine if you’re civilized or have sides like garlic bread, personally on its own it left us both wanting more. I didn’t take a photo as i was too busy eating it 🙂

Are you hungry yet? Go check out http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/ she also uploads little videos to instagram (@sallysbakeblog) of her baking … Be sure to let me know what you make 🙂

Simple ways to save money

Life is getting expensive and there’s certain things we just can’t live without. I mean you work hard and deserve to treat yourself every once and a while, but also need to be saving money. Here are just a couple ways that I’ve found to easily save some money here and there.

Groceries

I like to do my grocery shopping weekly, we are vegetarian and buy a lot of fresh produce. Make a list and only go down the aisles that you need to. The only exception to this rule is for your expensive items, those items that you usually have but are expensive at full price. For us this is peanut butter, pet food and a couple cheeky snacks in the freezer section. I have a look at these items every week just to see if they have a really good deal, if they do -stock up. That way when we do run out of PB we have a few stocked away rather than paying full price. If you are running low and need something just check the online prices at all your local supermarkets and get the best deal available.

Meal Planning

This is such a great way to save time and money. Every sunday i write up a dinner menu for the next 6 days (1 day will be a spontaneous/ eat out meal). We do our lunches in bulk -so we make a big batch of something and eat it every work day for that week. I add all the ingredients i need to the grocery list and then every night all u need to do is look at the list and decide what you want to eat. This is so much easier than staring into the cupboard or fridge trying to decide what you feel like and if you have the ingredients to make it. This doesn’t mean it has to be healthy -homemade pizza, pasta, stirfy, shepherds pie, options are endless. If you get a little stuck for inspiration check out hellofresh.com.au they have a list of simple easy to make recipes.

Budget

I do a monthly budget, its such a great way to see where you money goes each month so your more mindful of your spending and know how much u can possibly save. At the beginning of each month i download all bank transactions and load the info into our budget (just a very simple table in excel). You have to be realistic about your budget, look at the things you spend money on each month and allow yourself a set amount for it eg. coffee, groceries, mortgage/rent, utilities, petrol, eating out. Then make sure your budget is less than your income. The difference is your savings. Of course every month you may not be able to save as things come up but at least you’re aware of where your money went.

Buy in bulk

Don’t be afraid to buy in bulk (did you see my post about my 30kg banana purchase??) Look at the things you frequently buy or need and see if you are able to buy in bulk. I’m not talking about those american extreme couponers you see on TV who have a supermarket in their garage. I’m talking a sensible quantity that will see you through until its on sale again or is cheaper than standard store prices. Things like pet food, cleaning supplies, frozen food, toilet paper etc.

Local buy/sell/swap facebook groups

If you’re on facebook you need to join your local buy/sell/swap page, you can pick up a great bargain on anything! Furniture, clothes, books, homewares, plants you name it. Also a great way to make some money selling things you no longer need around the house. How to locate and join – On your computer (not sure if it works on your phone) on the left menu there should be a “favourites” heading, under that select “sale groups”. There will be a map and a list of sale groups near you, scroll through the list and select “join group”. Once you’re in (you may need to be approved) most pages will have rules about how to sell and buy so have a read a get started!

Pets

We have two dogs and two kittens so i know how expensive these furbabies can be. Our local pet shop is Petbarn, what you need to know is that Petbarn price matches any online australian website. You’re welcome! So every time i need to buy them food, shampoo, medicine (tick/flea/heart worm etc) I spend a bit of time googling each item to find the very best price available online. Once in store grab what you need, at the counter show them the cheaper price found online (i do a screen shot on my phone or keep the safari page open). The staff member will look at the web page, put the sale price and site name into the computer and wolla, you pay the lower price. You will be stunned how much you will save, it is TOTALLY worth the effort! Cat food i find either Coles or Woolworths will have 50% off every 2-3 months so i stock up. Buy your dogs bones from the butcher rather than the supermarket dog treats. Butchers will usually sell a bag of dog bones for a couple dollars; they are so much cheaper, great for their teeth and will keep them occupied for longer.

Loyalty cards

• Fly Buys – We shop at coles and i am a huge advocate for Fly buys! I receive coupons (triple points on weekly shops) in the mail, at the bottom of your coles docket and also emailed to me. Various places accept it – coles, kmart, shell petrol..just check the website fir a listing. I save our points and redeem them for Gold Class cinema tickets, we get at least 8 tickets a year (hello free date night!).
• AMEX – where possible i use our AMEX card (coles etc) this accumulates points which can be redeemed for many things including gift cards (we getting Bunnings or Westfield)
• Myer One – i find myer often has really good deals especially on big ticket items, so where possible i shop at Myer so my points turn into instore gift cards which get sent to you automatically.

Online shopping

Who doesn’t love online shopping, so many great bargains. You know when your finalising your order and there is always that section for you to enter/redeem a coupon. Well you should be utilizing this! All you need to do is google “(store name) coupon code”. There are multiple coupon sites that will tell you current coupon codes available. My favourite is retailmenot.com. Sometimes its trial and error as some may have expired, but just keep entering in those codes until one works. If you can’t find a valid code most online stores have a “sign up for newsletter” type deal where you may get 10% off first purchase etc. I also sign up to my favourite shops so i get notified of sales.

Birthdays & Christmas

My family always asks me what i want for my birthday/ Christmas and if i can’t think of something i ask for gift cards (westfields, coles myer, bunnings etc) and use them for later big purchases. So when we team these up with the gift cards received from Fly Buys and Amex we have gotten some great deals – like a new TV or Dyson vacuum.

You work hard to earn your money, make sure that you are getting the best deal possible. Don’t be afraid to ask for a great deal, ask if they will price match, do your research. At the end of the day you have to be comfortable with the amount of money you spend on something and try to save where ever possible. I hope this has been helpful 🙂

 

 

 

Floor Lamp facelift – super simple DIY

I love a bargain especially when it comes to home wares and decor. So i was sitting in the lounge room thinking – the room needs something. Okay honestly the room needs quite a few things still but i’ll continue to add to it until i feel the room is complete. So i came to the conclusion that the room needs a bit more pops of colour and i focus in .. the floor lamp. I bought it from Kmart probably a year ago and it was on sale, so safe to assume around $20.00.

I start looking online to see about buying a new lamp shade, after countless sites i discover you can very easily recover it yourself. Off i go to spotlight, i purchase a can of spray adhesive and the most gorgeous material, yes it was love.

The steps are ridiculously simple, click here for a great tutorial i found on you tube.

1. Lay out the fabric upside down on a flat surface and iron if needed.
2. Roll the lampshade along the material and use a pencil to outline either side of the shade. Make sure your material design is the correct orientation for the end result (eg flowers are the correct way up).
3. Cut at least  3-4 cm outside the template you have now drawn on the material.
4. Spray the back side of the material and the lamp shade with a spray on adhesive (follow the instructions on the can). Ensure you lay down some paper so you don’t get adhesive everywhere (i put down cling wrap between the material and newspaper as i was paranoid the ink from the paper may rub onto the material.)
5. Roll the lampshade onto the material and press down/ smooth as you go. When you get to the end fold over/ tuck under the end of the material.
6. Spray the inner edges of the lampshade and fold over the material.

Reassemble the lampshade and then stand back and admire what a fantastic job you have done! Honestly i am so happy with how it turned out and how simple it was.

Should your job make you happy?

After months and months of applying for jobs and essentially hearing nothing in return i bit the bullet and quit my job. We went on a pre-booked holiday and upon returning i restarted the monotonous task of applying for jobs. Man i hate cover letters, its just so awkward talking about how fantastic you are.

So i landed a temp job doing reception through an agency – brilliant i thought, a few weeks, nice and simple work I’ve done before that wont leave me stressed or thinking about work in my personal time. Two days in and i end up doing finance work for the company… Now don’t get me wrong, i like to help out and i’m certainly competent in the work. However, we all know that one person at work that does nothing and gets away with it. I was hoping that perhaps that person could be me for a change. Now i’m two weeks in, the people are lovely and the pay is good …. however …. working for the company itself is a huge conflict of interest for me … as i am a vegetarian (for ethical reasons) and lets just say i’m not a big fan of the industry.. Do not get me wrong, i am not preachy, if you want to have a steak with a prawn topper and chicken tenders on the side you go ahead, that is your personal choice. Unfortunately the conversations and content i hear in the workplace makes me feel quite uncomfortable. I was certainly not filled in when told about the role and very much get the feeling that they want me to stay on permanently, needless to say i wont be here long.

So all of this lead me to think: does anyone actually like their job? On a few occasions I have stayed at a job because of the amazing co-workers and the work was just a secondary minor blimp on the radar. I hear so many people say  “do what your passionate about”. Well, i’m passionate about sleeping in a little, going for a walk, playing with my furbabies, keeping my house clean and my husband happy….. I’m not so sure that will pay the bills though. Guess i was born in the wrong era.

I hear stories of how a few generations ago they had one job for 50+ years (after walking 100km in the snow) and then they retired. Are we now expecting too much? Are our attention spans too short? Or are companies and management now conducting themselves in a way that makes it hard for us to commit long term? Maybe its just me… So many thoughts as i sit here on reception wearing a silly headset, waiting for 5pm so i can go home… to my happy place!

Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it’s tuna.

I’m going to feel extremely old saying this but at least 10 years ago i had a big girl crush on Jessica Simpson. Who am i kidding, yes i follow her on instagram i think she’s great. So back when Jessica Simpson was married to Nick Lachey (from 98degrees just in case you’re scratching your head), they did a reality TV show called Newlyweds. I’m pretty certain that this was when reality TV was just starting out. Of course back then (as far as i’m aware) we didn’t get many of the american shows over here is Oz. So naturally i just had to get my hands on Newlyweds! Thank you Amazon! I remember being so excited when the package arrived, i put it straight into the DVD player …. and then…. it didn’t work …wrong region. Say what??? I was so upset but you know its okay, because i worked out that i could watch it on my computer.

Fast forward to last week and i’m doing my daily FBW (fat burn walk) on our treadmill in the garage. We have the old TV and spare DVD player in there to keep me amused whilst on said treadmill. I usually like to go on YouTube but sometimes our internet can get a bit patchy which gets annoying when you’re trying to learn the correct way to apply mascara. So i go through our DVD collection, which is getting quite old (seriously who buys many DVDs these days) and i see it … my Newlyweds box-set and I know that i have to watch it. So i put it in the DVD player… and then… it didn’t work.. wrong region. Clearly i’m not getting too much smarter in my “old” age. However i have a light bulb moment. I’m going to google this. Okay so realistically at this point i’m just trying to avoid my FBW by focusing on the more important task of getting these American DVDs from 2005 to play.

Google to the rescue. I found a site called lifehacker.com that says:

Electronics manufacturers have to include region coding by law, but many engineers provide hidden unlock codes that enable your DVD player to view DVDs from any region.

Why does region coding exist? When DVDs first appeared in the late 1990s, films that are slated to be summer blockbusters in the United States may end up being a Christmas release in Europe or Asia. When that happens, the DVD release of the film in the US may proceed the theatrical release elsewhere and impact the box office return in that country. Region Codes allow, in theory, for a film distributor to determine the release date, price, and other variables.

So there’s a website (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks) that has a  DVD hack database that allows you to change the region of your DVD player. All you have to do is search the database for your DVD player (info usually found on the back of the machine) and it will give you step by step instructions. I changed our DVD player to region “0” which means it will play DVDs from any country. It was so ridiculously simple to do and i just love when things actually work.

I actually look forward to my FBW now as i get to watch Newlyweds. It’s so interesting to watch because back then they didn’t have smart phones or social media. If Jessica had a random question she couldn’t just google it, they would sit there and discussed it, or called someone to find an answer. I know she cooped a lot of flak from her tuna question but i honestly would’ve questioned it myself. I mean you know that it’s tuna… but the packaging says Chicken!! Or am i the only one?

30kg of bananas.. what was i thinking?

Yes it’s true, two days ago i purchased 30kg’s of bananas for $17.55. My hairdresser looks at me dumb founded and says “What are you going to do with that many bananas?”. I continued to tell her, look they are selling at coles for $2.50per kg, woolies is $1.50per kg .. all the local fruit shops i called were telling me $1.99per kg (which funnily enough a couple told me they weren’t allowed to give prices over the phone due to competition – who would’ve thought the fruit veg market was so cut throat). When i need a box of bananas i try to get under $1kg. So i eventually admitted defeat and went into the lowest priced fruit shop who quoted me $1.29 per kg. I parked the car, walked up and there it was…. 66c per kg for cavendish bananas….HELLO! I asked the man if i can have 2 boxes of the 66c bananas. Yes, it happened, i bought two boxes. It wasn’t the plan but i knew at that price i would kick myself for only getting one box… i mean that’s only 15 kilos….. right..

So my lovely hairdressers again says “okay yes, they were cheap i get it. … but you still haven’t told me … what are you going to do with THAT many bananas???” At that moment i realised …. ah crap. My husband loves bananas, he makes a PB nicecream for breakfast everyday that uses probably 5-6, then i’ll have one. So that leaves us with 25kgs, naturally I search the internet for new healthy recipes to bake with bananas.

Chewy Banana “Granola” bars – care of Flannery’s

I have made these a few times now and adjust the ingredients with whatever i have in the cupboard, it is so easy, healthy and delicious! Original recipe can be found here.

1. mash 2-3 bananas, mix in 3tbsps peanut butter and 1/4 cup chia seeds.
2. Add 1.5cups rice puffs, 3/4cup of an assortment of nuts and seeds (i use Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pepita seeds, sunflowers seeds all mixed in a bag then crushed a little with a rolling pin) and, 1tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup coconut. (Add some choc chips if you’re feeling cheeky or even dried fruit)
3. Mix it all together. It should be sticky enough to just hold all the ingredients together.
4. Spread out on a baking tray lined with baking paper and put in a 180 deg c preheated oven for 15 mins or until slightly golden/ firm to touch.
5. Allow to cool then cut into pieces using a pizza cutter. Store in a container at room temp.

*note my measurements are approximate.

Healthy Banana Choc Chip Muffins – care of little spice jar

I came across this recipe in my googling yesterday, fortunately had most of the ingredients in the cupboard and whipped up a batch. Oh my word, this went straight into my kitchen recipe book to be used many more times -so delicious and hubby gave them his stamp of approval! Original recipe found here.

1. In a large bowl sift & mix – 2cups GF flour, 1tsp baking powder, 1tsp baking soda, 1/4tsp salt, 1/2tsp ground cinnamon.
2. In a separate medium bowl – mash 1.5 cups of banana (apx 5-6) and mix in 3/4cup packed brown sugar, 1/2cup greek yoghurt, 2tsp vanilla and 1/3cup melted coconut oil.
3. Slowly add wet mixture into dry mixture and fold together. Add choc chips (as many as you want – i probably used less than 1/4 cup) and be careful not to over mix.
4. Grease muffin pans with an oil spray and fill 3/4 full with mixture and bake at 180 deg  c in preheated oven. Mixture made 12 regular size muffins (baked for 18mins) plus 18 mini size (baked for 15mins). Will be done when lightly golden and spring back to touch.
5. Allow to cool on wire rack and store in container at room temp. Ok to freeze if they last that long 🙂

Next week i plan on trying a new banana bread recipe, banana oat cookies and maybe some banana berry muffins as well. Enjoy xx