And the winner is...

... Clare from Pampelmuse and Me... Yay!!! 

Thankyou for all the kind comments and new visitors!

I'm hoping to get my computer back soon and be back to regular posting, please bear with me,

Yours,

Allana

Giveaway...

Hmm, doing this on my phone and it's not looking good but just wanted to remind you it is the last few hours of my giveaway if you were going to enter but haven't!

Please check previous post for details :)

Yours in computer annoyance,
Allana xxx

Some more re-organising and re-decorating... and a giveaway...

(Green shaggy grass mat by Ikea, beanbag from here)

(Quilt from here, light from here, large owl softie from here, Hot air balloon decal from here, bunting from here, similar  posters from here, the rest handmade by me, vintage or second hand)

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you are all safe and having a wonderful time. Our 'Summer' weather is giving us a hard time by being downright Springy so to keep warm I have been messing around with the Munchkin's room. After setting up this gorgeous reading nook I added a chalkboard that I upcycled  from a faded print (one of the many fabulous items I was able to bring home as mentioned in this post) and the awesome pink lion I have been holding on to until our forever house. Now that this IS our forever house he finally has a home :)

With all the decorating projects going on at the HMH home at the moment I thought I would help you with yours by offering one reader your very own fabulous Inke vintage wallpaper Lion, as seen in The Munchkin's room above! It comes with everything you need to attach it to your wall/door etc and is in two parts to make application easier. I absolutely adore him and would love a whole jungle of the different animals if we had the wall space! On the website each design comes in so many different colourways/patterns it is mind boggling! 

(Open to residents of Australia only sorry as the packaging is beyond what I can afford to send overseas)

So, I'm not going to make you jump through hoops, just leave a comment and I'll draw out someone's number next Saturday the 21st January 2012, at midnight. Don't forget to make sure I can get in contact with you if you do win via a blog, or email etc :)

Yours in ugg boots and a beanie,

Allana xxx

Our big Summer project...

We have decided to take our house off the market and make it our forever home. I'll be honest, we couldn't afford to do that before but circumstances have improved and we are thrilled to be staying here :)

The first thing we did when we took the For Sale sign down was bash a hole in our hallway wall for this fantastic built in Bookshelf. We built them out of structural ply and painted them with Dulux Antique White USA (in gloss) to match the rest of our walls and trims. 

 Because of these beauties I can reclaim our craft/computer room, storage in our linen cupboard and bring up boxes from downstairs in our garage. I have wanted purpose built bookshelves for so long I almost can't believe they are mine! They are my favourite and my best!! 

At the end of the hallway near The Munchkin's room you will spot another bookshelf which we also constructed at the same time. I will show you this later in another post as it is my storage triumph. A customised craft cupboard for all The Munchkin and my art supplies. Yay!

Thanks so much to Mr HMH for making this happen, and so quickly too :) 

Yours in storage nirvana,

Allana xxx

Lamp revamp and other crafty things......

So with Mr HMH being home for holidays this Summer, and us deciding to take our house off the market and stay here (YAY!!) we got down to a heap of crafty and DIY projects. The day we took the for sale sign down we put a hammer through the hallway wall! Haha. Once a renovator, always a renovator! Will show you that project soon but for now:

The nanna lamp above had been on my hit list for awhile. I actually quite liked the timber but it did not match our house at all and the shade that I had hastily recovered a few years ago needed an update. I grabbed a trusty spray can left over from painting The Munchkin's bed and gave it a quick coat and then realised that some hand printed fabric my brother had sent me from the women of the aboriginal community in Manningrida  (Northern Territory) was perfect for the shade. I had been unwilling to cut into this as it is like a piece of art but am happy that the shade does it justice. I have a green/blue piece as well so I am thinking of simply stretching them on canvas screens to show them off the best way.

Next up was a Pinterest Pin that I had been bursting to do and when the said wall was cut open and we found old copper pipes still coming down the walls from the old boiler (thankfully not attached anywhere else so able to be pulled straight out by Mr HMH) I had all I needed to make it happen. I love how they look in our garden, even if I did hammer the copper pipe in a little wonky!

The last project I am sharing today is still in the works as the rain keeps holding me off from finishing. A few years ago I purchased this cupboard from a second hand dealer who had lovingly stripped it back to the bare wood. I cheekily told him I was painting it white and he looked at me in horror - oops! 

So I did paint it white and then a few years later (blogland inspired of course) I painted it the turquoise which didn't quite work out so since then I have had visions of stripping it back rustic style to expose the timber but leave some of the turquoise and white, then finish with a beeswax polish. It is taking a painful amount of time, as these things do, and my patience for such projects is fairly low. Oh well, it's getting there and I'm sure it will be worth it in the end! Maybe now Mr HMH has finished our big project I can rope him in to finish the sanding hehe :)

Yours in home-making,

Allana xxx

Inveresk, Launceston...

On Thurs we headed to the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery at Inveresk to visit the hands on science display that is Phenomena and also to wander through the Museum itself. I had not visited this new-ish site, in fact last time I was there was for the Gone South concerts (1999,2002,2003) so it was a complete change from what I remembered! 

The site was once the tram yards and the history has been beautifully juxtaposed with the new incarnation. The Munchkin and Mr HMH really enjoyed the exhibits, but I was transfixed by the site, the colours, the dappled sky... *sigh* 

All the photo's above are taken on my iphone as of course, with perfect conditions available, I had left the 'real' camera at home! Oh well. 

If you haven't been yet and you live near-ish, I can highly recommend a visit... plus it's free! 

Yours in visual overload,

Allana xxx

Flinders Folly... or how to make your own herbal bath salts...

I thought I would share with you today the recipe for the bath salts I was making here...

They are very simple and smell lush, and are just perfect for starting the new year all relaxed and revived.

I am fortunate to have access to lavender, rosemary and sage in my garden. If you do not you could use what you have or check out family and friend's gardens. Maybe you have access to a fabulous farmers market that sell fresh herbs at a great price? 

I collected a bowl full of the three herbs and it made five decent sized jars full. You will also need:

1/2 Cup baking soda (bicarb)

1 1/2 Cups epsom salts

1 1/2 Cups sea salt or regular salt

a few drops of an essential oil of your choice. I used a gorgeous blend from Bloom.

Blend:

 1/2 Cup Bicarb

1/2 Cup epsom salts

1/2 Cup salt

a few drops of essential oil to suit,

and the fresh herbs in a blender until finely chopped and blended together. This took a bit of work in my lousy blender, hopefully you have a decent one that doesn't just work on the bottom few centimetres!

Once it is all precessed tip it in a large bowl and stir through the other cups of:

epsom salts

salt

I found this added a bit of texture to the quite finely milled batch that came out of the blender/processor.

You know have glorious home made bath salts which you could add directly to your bath, or put a few scoops in a muslin bag or similar if you don't like herbal floaties so much! 

Would be amazing as a foot soak too or used directly on your skin as a scrub.

The Munchkin renamed it Swamp Salts for the fantastic green colour it made our bath water and she says when she gifts it to friends that is what she will label it. Luckily it doesn't smell like a swamp ;)

I hope you enjoy making some salts of your own. Let me know if you come up with any other delicious combinations! 

NB. Please remember to use herbs and essential oils with caution especially if pregnant, and seek a medical/alternative practioners advice if you have any doubts :)

Yours in new year bliss, 

Allana xxx

Summer days...

... breakfast at a new favourite cafe...

... water fun at the octopus's garden...

...plums straight from our tree...

...cheeky pups...

... learning from nature...

... fairy tea parties...

... plum tree caves...

... teeny visitors, on plates...

...and in hands...

... "I'm setting up a bloggy photo Mummy"...

... stunning Day Lillies...

... delicious homemade plum and bacon oysters...

...new scooters...

... vintage records...

...beach walks...

...beach scoots...

...and quiet time with babies wearing gifts from near and far.

Happy Summer!!

Allana xxx

Things that have been making us happy...

Our She & Him Christmas record arrived all ruby red and pretty. 

(FYI: it comes with a code to download a digital copy for free - that's lo and high tech at its best don't you think!)

I intended to play it at my Nan's while we set up her Christmas tree but with a broken stylus and no replacement it wasn't to be. She did however send us home with a record player she just happened to have stashed in her cupboard (!!) that wasn't quite working. I admit to not having high hopes for it's resurrection however while surfing (the net that is, it was midnight after all)) I heard Zooeys gorgeous voice coming from the lounge room and raced out to find Mr HMH had got the motor going!! Yay!! 

Since then, every afternoon, The Munchkin and I can be found rocking out to Christmas carols done the She & Him way in our lounge room - super fun! Thanks Nan, thanks Mr HMH and thanks Munchkin for not caring how Mummy dances and still looking at me lovingly with your gorgeous big blue eyes xxx

The Munchkin and I made some little handmade treasure for some friends of personalised photo puzzles (photo printed at home, laminated on my awesome laminator and cut up = easy and fun!) and tiny crystal or treasure pouches based on this tutorial. We used some cheap hessian to make little pouches and The Munchkin cut out the shapes and glued them on. We tied them up with string and they were personal, handmade and fun to give.

We spotted this little beauty after our library visit this week and I wanted to pop it in my pocket! Flawless yellow paint, yellow wheel detail and sunny yellow curtains - I was bursting to see inside! I haven't seen one of these so small before and it would be perfect for my dream of setting one up as a cubby house/Summer house in the backyard. Sadly it is over here on holidays from Victoria and not for sale :( *sigh*

Mangos - enough said! Happy, happy, happy!

And here is a sneak peak at a little botanical potion making activity I've been up too... as a friend said "you really are a hippy!" hehe, yes, I think I am ;)

I will share the recipe for this very soon, lets just say it smells sensational and it is just what you will need to relax after a busy Christmas/Holiday season.

Happily yours, 

Allana xx

An impromptu play at the river...

Sorry this ones just for me really... sigh...

Today we were headed to a meeting for a local group looking at setting up a Steiner school and providing support for homeschoolers too. It is something we are really excited about and can't wait to see it get off the ground! Our closest Steiner school is 4 hours away past Hobart so to have local support is fantastic!

Today, at least for us, it wasn't to be. As we were heading that way I realised that our petrol tank was dangerously low, as is my bank account so we made a split decision to go to a local park instead to explore. 

I am so glad we did! It was magic! 

There is something wonderful about unplanned adventures. No expectation I guess.

 Mr HMH left us to explore while he raced off for hot chips and lemonade and The Munchkin and I waded in and found a nice rock or two to sit on, dangled our feet in the water and listened to the sound of the water and the birds flying by. 

The river was low and had exposed a lovely gravelly beach area that we chose to enjoy our feast on. With a vintage duvet and melamine cups from the car we had a moment that wonderful memories are made of.

I could not wish to live in a better place to raise our daughter. 

Happily yours, 

Allana xxx