My Ikea-Filled Home

It's no secret that I love Ikea, so when I was contacted by them last year to see if I'd like to submit photos of my home for their monthly magazine I may just have squealed once or twice.

Today, the magazine went live, you can see the interview and photos over here.  If you look closely you'll see a Helen Dardik print , a Mizu Designs print, a pajama monster by Jetta's Nest and a quilt by my mum.

Here are a few more photos of the house that I took during the shoot...

My little one's room with her little creative station (her painting area is set up outside).  If only it was always this tidy....

Our kitchen and my little Kokeshi wall, the hanging Kokeshi quilt is also by my mum.  The funny thing is, I was right in the middle of painting the kitchen bench so in the magazine the benchtop is a different colour.

The little one's gallery wall in the kitchen...

I love the kissing couple curtains above our bed...

Some new artwork by myself above our sofa.  I sigh when I see those cushions as the puppy went through a stage of destroying any that she could get her teeth into.  I need to mend / replace them soon as I think the phase has finally passed...

And my beloved studio, I wish it was always this tidy too!

So that's our humble little home.  It may be small but we love how comfortable and cosy it is.

Making This House a Home :: Kokeshi Display

Since we've moved to our new home, so much energy has gone into the yard and the studio that it now feels so good to start making little corners inside really feel like home.

Recently my Kokeshi collection was unpacked and hung, using ikea cutlery trays as shadow boxes.  I will put some pretty Japanese papers in the boxes sometime soon, like I did in this display, but for now it's great to see my little dolls again.  The gorgeous quilt was made by my mum, thanks mum!  

Please excuse the unhemmed curtains in the background, that's one of the next jobs to get done.  

The Before, The After and the After the After

Take an Ikea table and chair set (the only one left in stock).  

Add a primer, some "Red Gumball" and blackboard paint and this is what you get.

Add a small child and some chalk and this is what it becomes.

I love that the little one is now at that age where her toys become part of everyday.  She feeds them milk and sultanas, whether they want it or not.  She tucks her dolls into bed.  Today when we surprised her with the set, some had to sit on the chair opposite and were given a piece of chalk each so that they too could join in the fun.

The toy chest you can see in the background is the next on my list of things to do up for her.  It was the chest my siblings and I used when we were kids and still has that lovely 70s orange on the top.