Showing posts with label DIY projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY projects. Show all posts

DIY project: How to style your toilets

| Monday, February 28, 2011 | 0 comments |
I've just finished my contributor post on Poppytalk to explain how I re-styled our toilets in France...I know there is more glamorous subject than this but bear with me on this...It looks better than it sounds :-)
You can read the full article here. Have a great evening. This is stock take evening for us at B&F and as I don't intend to spend the evening at the warehouse, I shall leave you. Bises


(C) 1. Kong bar re-designed by P. Starck, 2. Shot styled by Sweet Paul

Je viens juste de terminer un article sur Poppytalk expliquant comment j'ai re-style nos toilettes en France...Je sais, il y a plus glamour comme sujet mais faites-moi confiance...C'est plus joli que ca en a l'air :-)
Vous pouvez lire l'article en entier ici. Passez une bonne soiree. C'est la journee ou nous comptons nos stock a B&F et vu que je n'ai pas l'intention de passer la soiree au bureau, je vous laisse. Bises

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White stairs....

| Friday, February 25, 2011 | 0 comments |
Half-term is coming to an end...Two more days left in France until our next get-together in April and some great memories of our few days skiing in Andorra with Mila (5 1/2 years old) and Lily (7 years old) before heading back to London (I strongly recommend Andorra to any families who want to go skiing with young children...).
And to top it up, Steve has finally agreed to try white stairs at home so now I can't wait to get back and get rid of our old carpet to get something like this!
I'm also thinking that I may even revamp one of the top bedrooms using Piet Hein Eek's scrapwood wallpaper on one wall...I'm still hesitating between PHE-1, PHE-2 and PHE-3 but I think it would look great against white floorboards. What do you think?

Stairs from Paul Massey's house
Les vacances de Fevrier arrivent a leur fin...Encore deux jours en France avant de tous nous retrouver en Avril et de super souvenirs de nos quelques jours au ski en Andorre avec Mila et Lily (je recommende l'Andorre a tous ceux qui ont de jeunes enfants et veulent aller skier...)
Et la cerise sur le gateau, c'est que Steve a enfin accepte qu'on passe notre escalier a Londres en blanc, du coup il me tarde de rentrer et de nous debarrasser de la vieille moquette pour arriver a un truc canon comme ca!
Je me disais, je pourrais meme refaire une des chambres du 2eme etage en mettant le
papier peint Bois de recup' de Piet Hein Eek sur un mur...J'hesite encore entre PHE-1, PHE-2 et PHE-3 mais je pense que ca aurait l'air super beau contre le plancher peint en blanc. Qu'est ce que vous en pensez?

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DIY project: wooden headboard

| Saturday, February 12, 2011 | 0 comments |
For a while, I have been wanted to share with you how I double the height of a basic Malm bedframe by IKEA and and covered it up with grey linens to create a stylish, French-looking headboard for less than £60. Unfortunately the photos I took at the time are pathetic and needs work so in the meantime, I thought I would share this headboard done by House Tweaking. I love wood at home especially recycled wood so I think this one is a great way to make a statement in your bedroom and to create a modern, rustic look.

Alternatively, you can source an old French iron bed and use the top and bottom of the bed to create a headboard for two single beds which is what I did in Mila's bedroom, in our house in France (see below).

Cela fait un moment que je souhaiterais vous expliquer comment j'ai double la hauteur d'une tete de lit Malm d'IKEA pour ensuite la recouvrir de lin gris et creer une tete-de-lit contemporaine pour moins de £60. Malheureusement les photos que j'ai prise sont nulles et ont besoin d'etre retravaillee. En attendant, je vous montre cette tete de lit cree par House Tweaking. A la maison, j'aime avoir du bois surtout du bois recycle et je trouve que celle-ci est une bonne facon de creer un impact visuel dans votre chambre tout en apportant une touche moderne et rustique.
L'autre solution est de trouver un vieux lit en fer dans une brocante, le repeindre et d'utiliser la tete de lit et celle du bas sur deux lits une personne comme je l'ai fait dans la chambre de Mila, dans notre maison en France (voir ci-dessus).

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I like this....

| Friday, December 10, 2010 | 0 comments |
A 'countdown to Christmas' tree...beautiful photo and stylism by Annaleena



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White leaves

| Wednesday, December 8, 2010 | 0 comments |
I saw a lot of beautiful Christmas decorations and wrapping recently. Sadly, the lack of time prevents me from sharing them all but these white leaves painted by Torie Jayne are divine! Don't you think?


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DIY light

| Friday, November 26, 2010 | 0 comments |
I don't know...there is something very homely about this lamp made out of fabric scraps and I think it would make a wonderful little DIY projet to turn a one cold, wintery weekend into a creative one...Although I think I'll try mine with scraps of white and grey fabrics

(c) Photos: MARCUS LAWETT and SY - SINCERELY TEXTILES from IKEA Creative IKEA...

Je ne sais pas...Cette lampe fait a partir de bouts de tissus degage un truc tres agreable et je pense que ce sera un merveilleux petit project a faire un weekend pendant que nous restons a la maison bien au chaud...quoique je ferais surement le mien avec des bouts de tissues blancs et gris.

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Rob Ryan's good news!

| Friday, November 19, 2010 | 0 comments |
Bon...so the first good news is that the Rob Ryan Four Seasons plates will arrive in our warehouse on Monday (just bear with us because we have a HUGE number of back orders).

The second good news is that we will also receive the Rob Ryan mugs, the Rob Ryan bunting.
The third good news (let's go crazy, it's almost Xmas!), we've also added the gor-geous Rob Ryan ceramic vase and the Rob Ryan canvas shopping bag (and you have no more excuse not go green with one of these!).
The 4th good news (and yes....you can send me gifts to B&F Headquarters to thank me) is that you are now going to learn how to make a paper-cut ornament necklace yourself!! You know little chain-like necklaces like the ones he hangs in his studio around his desk lamps which will look amazing around bottles and foodies gifts


What you need
Coloured paper of a good thickness - Piece of string - Pencil - Scalpel - Scalpel blade size 3 with 10A blades (Ryan uses Swan Martin scalpels and blades) - Masking tape - Ornament to put the necklace on

1. Attach the blade to the scalpel very, very carefully. Then wrap masking tape carefully around the blade, exposing just the tip - this will enable you to cut out the fiddly little bits without cutting your fingers.

2. Whether you're making a necklace-label for a bottle or an ornament, you first have to measure how long the necklace needs to be. Take the piece of string and measure the neck of your bottle/ornament to calculate the length. Then loop the measured string on to your paper in the oval shape of a necklace and draw around it to make the template.

3. Draw the pendant on to the necklace - Rob made a bell shape. Then make the necklace thicker by drawing a chain-line effect.

4. Next, begin cutting the necklace out with the scalpel, starting with the small fiddly bits (ie the centre of the paper chain).

5. Write your "label" on the pendant - whatever you write, draw the letters in thick capitals so that they can be cut out to leave a silhouette effect. (Ryan opted for "Life's too long", but feel free to make it more upbeat.) Now carefully cut the letters out.

6. And voila! Ryan made a bright pink necklace for a kitsch cat figurine. But, of course, it can be anything you want.


★★★★

Bon...la premiere bonne nouvelle c'est que les assiettes 4 saisons de Rob Ryan arrivent a notre entrepot Lundi (mais soyez patient parce que nous avons une tonne de pre-commandes a envoyer). La deuxieme bonne nouvelle est que nous allons aussi recevoir les mugs Rob Ryan et les fanions Rob Ryan. La troisieme bonne nouvelle (soyons fous, c'est binetot Noel!), nous avons aussi ajoute ce su-per-be vase en ceramique de Rob Ryan et ce sac en coton de canvas (et la vous n'avez plus d'excuses pour utiliser des sacs plastiques et ne pas utiliser un des ces petits sacs canons!). La quatrieme bonne nouvelle (....vous pouvez m'envoyer des cadeaux aux bureaux de B&F pour me remercier) est que vous allez maintenant apprendre a tailler et decouper un petit collier comme Rob Ryan les accroche dans son studio autour de ses lampes de travail pour decorer votre sapin ou accrocher autour de vos cadeaux, une bouteille de vins, des bonnes choses a manger

Via The Guardian


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Happy thoughts for the weekend...

| Friday, October 8, 2010 | 0 comments |

What are you up to this weekend?

We're off to Nothing Hill on Saturday night to celebrate my friend Charlotte's B'day, over from NYC for a few days then Sunday, we're having friends, kids and dogs around to enjoy Steve's kiwi roast but I hope I will have the energy to go to Kensington Gardens to check out Anish Kapoor's sculpture.

This week, I loved...

Spool and Sparrow's tips on how to make a banner

These super cute clouds

This bag for men

Paranaiv in Oslo (wow!)

These party invites from Belle and Boo to download

Elle...on the street of Milan

and the Allandale house

Remember...You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf
Have a great weekend ❤❤❤

Image via Oh Look That's Pretty
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Creative mum

| Sunday, June 27, 2010 | 0 comments |
Last month, I hang up Mila's drawings using cute Bird clothes pegs but I'm very fond of what Carmella managed to do with these vintage wooden spools and the blackboards she put together so that each of her three boys would know exactly what his day job was...




I asked Carmella how she fixed the spools to the wall...Here are her explanations:
'We just used wall anchors in the sheetrock wall and affixed the wooden spools using long strews through the spools and into the wall anchors. Then, tied jute twine tightly between the spools, and there - done!'
Images from Assortment Via Bloesem kids

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Blue and Grey....little DIY project

| Sunday, June 6, 2010 | 0 comments |
Last Summer, I dyed some vintage cotton sheets....you know the ones that have an amazing texture to them and that we can't find anymore on the high street unless we get linen bed linens that cost the earth...the result was this....

And today, spotting these beautiful images from Cinq Mai, reminded me that really I should do this again for or home in London and dye some old fabric in hues of greys....It is such an easy DIY project for the weekend....




Feeling blue....go here

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Little DIY project...painted bottles Part 2

| Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | 0 comments |
Do you remember this little DIY project I posted last month...well... I found these gorgeous images by photographer Bonnie Tsang and I thought they were a perfect example of what could be achieved if we were using gold paint for our little project...




See more of Bonnie Tsang work here
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My Yves-Klein outdoor wall

| Thursday, May 6, 2010 | 0 comments |
I don't know if you've got a copy of the May issue of Living Etc but last week, I got totally inspired by their suggestions to add colours on outside walls on pages 34 & 35 especially by the contrast of the Yves Klein-style blue (see IKB 79, 1959 which you can see at the Tate Modern) against a lighter, summery blue.


Living Etc suggests to use the Summery Blue Masonry paint from Homebase, £2.49 for 225ml and the Fidel Lime wash by Francesca's paints at £24.68 for 1l.
I went to check out B&Q on my way to work but sadly it was a waste of time as they only had white, off-white and cream paints for brick walls (so much for creativity!) and I couldn't face the same outcome from Homebase but I went to our local shop who saved the party.
The guy there (very helpful and friendly) offered to mix the paint for me - something that B&Q failed to suggest. and I was like..... OH YES! TELL ME MORE BABY! (well I didnt call him baby).
So he pulled out various swatches and I had the time of my life selecting the hues for my wall....It was so exciting! In the end, I went for the Delft China (pale blue) and the Sapphire Springs 2 RB7 for the Yves Klein-style blue, both mixed with Dulux Trade Weathershield Smooth Masonry paint (about £18.50 for 2.5 Litre).
Et voila!!!



Ignore the state of the garden....Steve has some master plans for it
I love how my blue wall has turned out, it looks better than I expected and I wish I could take a decent picture of it but once we start planting some evergreen, they are just going to look amazing against the blue background. I also love how we can glimpse these uplifting hues of blue from various rooms at the back of the house. It makes me feel like I'm on holidays...bliss at home

How to do this (it's super easy):
- For a better visual effect, paint 2/3 of your wall with dark paint and 1/3 with light paint
- draw a line across your wall with masking tape then paint both upper and lower parts of the walls. Finish the area above the masking tape with a small paint as the surface is bound to be too rough to be precised with a roll or a large brush
- Once dry, move the masking time to the bottom of the upper area which is now all painted and finish painting the lower part with a small brush and that's it....
Next step is to make our little garden a haven of peace but that's Steve's territory who by the way I can't thank enough (and is Dad) for making this come true so quickly and looking so fabulous.

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Little DIY project...painted bottles

| Tuesday, April 27, 2010 | 0 comments |
I saw these lovely images and thought they would make a lovely project for a Summer party or a Birthday. It's one of the most simple DIY project I ever seen and one that is likely to make you feel satisfied.

All you need is any glass container (preserves jars, milk bottles) then pour a dollop of paint into the bottle and gradually rotate/swirl the paint inside until the paint coats the entire interior.
Best to do this on a plastic drop sheet or outside in case you drop some paint but other than that, it's pretty easy.

See before and after project below done on The Marion House book...It looks pretty neat doesn't it?!


Via Poppy Talk and House and Home (Canada) and Real Living (Australia)
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Blackboard inspirations: little DIY project for the WE

| Friday, April 16, 2010 | 0 comments |
Last month, I mentioned Asia's stunning house in Poland. What caught my eye was how she managed to make a banal cupboard tucked under stairs, a bit more interesting. To achieve this, Asia painted the door with blackboard paint and the surrounding walls in white which creates a striking, modern contrast.

Since then, I have found a few more blackboard examples which look equally good and would work well in a family home. Personally I think the bigger the better as a large area creates a real contemporary feature and gives the room a bit of a Deli/industrial vibes which I quite like.



However if you don't have the space to paint a whole wall, here is a little DIY project that you can do in a couple of hours...
First source a beautiful, antique picture frame from a second-hand shop. You should get a decent one for no more than £5. Then paint it. I initially painted mine in gold but hated it once it was on the wall as it looked too much like a blackboard in a pub and didn't fit the room so I re-painted it in white (see below).

Then go to your local DIY and get a board cut to the inside dimensions of your picture frame. Bear in mind the thickness of the frame so you don't get a board thicker than the depth of your frame. Blackboard paint can easily be found from any DIY shop for about £12 a pot. Apply two or three coats of blackboard paint for a nice easy finish and fix the board to the back of the frame to hang it.

I made this blackboard for our rental house in France, so rather than leaving it blank, I also added a few beautiful lifestyle images and wrote my favourite chocolate cake recipe which I shared in easy Living magazine here, to make the whole thing a bit more inviting when people walk in the kitchen.

Happy weekend
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Our tree house in the making....

| Wednesday, April 14, 2010 | 0 comments |
Last year, when Steve and I went for a run near our house in France, I showed him a cute little tree house (hoping that he would feel like making one...and BINGO!)
This was enough to light a fire under my favourite Kiwi (now re-named Charles Ingalls by Elodie) as he spent the rest of our holidays building us a tree house!

Actually I use the term 'tree house' very loosely as given the size of it and height (7m high/22ft high), it's more like a DIY project that's got out of hands but thanks to Steve's folks over from New-Zealand, the tree house now has walls and a roof and my Kiwi is feeling extremely proud of his achievements (well he should be because frankly I think it looks really impressive!)





Putting the walls up...





Putting the roof...








The view from the top....


Almost there...

For those who are familiar with the famous kiwi bach (beach house), this looks very much like a kiwi bach in a tree...I'm loving it big time! It's not finished yet as Steve wants to add a couple of windows, etc but that's where we are going to sleep next time we're off to France in May!

"Well done"..... "Thanks, good job!"

the view from the garden....

Between all the banging, nailing and a bit of swearing, we also enjoyed a lot of BBQs and now that the clocks have gone forward (hooray!) and we're back in the UK, we are making the most of what is sure to be a great British Summer!
Now I'm off to bed because tomorrow I'm off to Paris very early to celebrate my best friend's 40th B'day and also to have a meeting with...guess who?
Marie-Claire Maison!! I cant tell you how excited I'm to go to their offices!

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