In a post from last week I mentioned that I was searching for alternatives to the bed that we had in the spare room. You can read about it here.
I feel as though I have spent the past week buying and selling beds on Facebook Marketplace.
We thought we had found a suitable bed, however, it turned out to be too big for the room as it had quite chunky timber head and foot ends. I managed to sell the original bed quite quickly and thought I would need to make do with the one that was a bit of a squeeze as we have guests arriving on Sunday.
Luckily, I spotted the perfect bed not too far from home and we were able to collect it today.
The bed is assembled, remade and the room is back in order and I am really pleased with the outcome.
Now all I need to do is to sell the one which did not suit our space. It was definitely a ‘whoops’ moment but not the end of the world.
The universe, or at least Facebook Marketplace, delivered today. I had been looking for a small seat to go in our walk-in wardrobe. It would be a spot to sit to put on or take off shoes.
I found this one for $10 and only 15 minutes drive from home.
This is probably not essential during the summer months as I simply slip on a pair of sandals and go but it will be a game-changer during the cooler months when I seem to be forever putting on lace-up shoes or boots.
It was quite hilarious to discover that the family selling it actually had another which they used for exactly the same purpose. Great minds think alike!
We arrived home yesterday and I am working my way through the washing.
We had housesitters staying here while we were away so naturally I left the house clean and tidy for them and they did likewise for our return. Nevertheless, it is really interesting to come home and look around the house after having been away.
It is 2 years since we moved here and it is mostly set up the way we want it. Our home is definitely not cluttered but there are still some spaces that have too much stuff or are not adequately organised for my liking. Other spaces tend to become a bit of a dumping-ground so I need to be more vigilant about leaving things where they should not be. I have returned with renewed enthusiasm to sort out some things. As always, one thing tends to lead to another and can turn into a bigger project than planned. A quick tidy up can become a major rearrangement of storage options but that is OK because it usually has a better long-term result.
Here are a few photos of some things I want to tackle. I will share how I do it and the results in future posts.
The guest bedroom. There is nothing desperately wrong with it. The bed needs to be remade and I really need to sort out what bed linen is required at the moment for both this bed and ours. I find this time of the year difficult as the overnight temperatures vary widely. The other thing that is bothering me about this room is the bed. We chose to buy it from the previous owners and while it is a good bed in excellent condition, I can honestly say that I hate it. The storage drawers are useful but not having any space underneath increases the difficulty of making the bed. The wide timber surround is also unhelpful. So, I am determined to search for a more user-friendly bed secondhand. The trade-off will be the loss of the underbed storage but although I do have some linen in the drawers it is definitely not essential.
The 3rd bedroom which is still trying to work out what it is but otherwise known as a junk room. It tends to be a collection of things that I am certain do not belong elsewhere. The wardrobe in this room is wine storage, suitcase storage and some items belonging to a community group where we volunteer. I do intend to set up the exercise equipment better so that it can be used more readily.
Our walk-in wardrobe. This is not a massive space since we purloined half of it to extend the pantry. We only recently added the shelves and hanging space and it is more than adequate for our needs. The box on the floor is administrative stuff for our volunteer work which I put here while we were away. That is overdue for sorting and rearranging and it needs to find a permanent home in the 3rd bedroom. I also want to look for a small seat which would be useful when putting on shoes and socks.
Chest of drawers. We do not have a dressing table as such as I use the large mirror in the adjacent ensuite bathroom. This large chest of drawers is shared by GMan and me. Our folded clothes are in the drawers and the top is a shared dressing table although it can be a bit of a dumping ground. Time for a clean up and decide what belongs here or not.
These jobs will take some time but I will share my progress of each space in upcoming posts.
Many would say that idle scrolling through your social media feed is an appalling waste of time and a bad habit. Generally, I would agree with these sentiments but randomly checking Facebook has proved to be very worthwhile in the past week.
One evening I quickly checked and happened upon a small cupboard for sale on Marketplace. I showed GMan as he had been saying that he needed a stand for his BBQ (also sourced from Marketplace). He was also thinking that some storage underneath the stand would be useful. I checked the dimensions of the advertised cupboard and we decided that it would be perfect for this purpose.
A short drive and $20 later and we had a stand for the BBQ.
I could not believe my luck when I managed to follow up that win with another. Yesterday afternoon I spotted a sofa which looked perfect for our family room. We had a sofa bed there which we had brought from Queensland and although it is good for a spare bed it is not the most comfortable sofa in the world. This ‘new to us’ leather sofa is in excellent condition and is a welcome addition for $190. The sofa bed has been rehomed in the spare bedroom.
Of course, you can’t pick and choose exact colours when buying secondhand. This shows the colour of the sofa and that colour of the back of the sideboard which is quite close to it.
I am planning to find some fabric which incorporates the taupe and indigo/navy colours to make a couple of cushions for the sofa which will tie it all together colourwise. Perhaps something like this.
With a bit of creativity I think I can make it all work really well together.
The main bedroom and the guest bedroom have been pretty well arranged since we first moved in, however, the 3rd bedroom has not been quite so lucky. It has tended to become a repository for everything that is pending a permanent home in another part of the house, partly restored furniture, pictures that are yet to be hung and various things that we are looking to sell or give away.
When we assembled the restored chest of drawers for our bedroom (see previous blog post), I could actually see what else was in the 3rd bedroom. The temporary chest of drawers which had been a fixture in our walk-in wardrobe were now surplus to requirements. For a short while it looked as though they were going to end up, at least temporarily, in the 3rd bedroom.
Thankfully, GMan decided that he could use them for storage in the shed so we spent a full day moving and rearranging things in the shed. While the overall shed storage is still a work in progress, it was good to get the drawers in position and create some more functional storage. The tall cupboard was also relocated from our walk in wardrobe and repurposed a few months ago.
Meanwhile, I could then work on the pile of assorted shopping and saved bags. I managed to quite quickly change it from this:
To this.
They are sorted into the shopping bags I regularly use, extra tote bags, saved plastic bags and saved paper bags. I can now find exactly what I want at a glance.
On the floor of the cupboard are 3 spare plastic storage tubs. I previously had another 6 empty storage tubs. I had been given some and used them for packing when we moved and the previous owners had left a couple behind. I decided that I really did not need them all and was debating who might be able to use them. It was rather fortuitous that there is a Community Pantry being set up and they put out a call for lidded plastic tubs for storing some of the donated foodstuffs so I was delighted to be able to help out by giving them the ones I did not need. A couple of the tubs had no lids and they have also been given away.
I am pleased to have sorted another small space and rehomed a few items plus been able help out someone else.
When we left Maleny we chose to sell 2 large vintage silky oak dressing tables with plenty of storage in drawers as well as a large cedar chest of drawers. We correctly surmised that these would neither suit nor fit in the bedroom of our new home.
We now have a large walk-in wardrobe which will be reduced in size somewhat when we eventually use part of that area to remodel and enlarge the butler’s pantry. After a bit of searching on Marketplace we found a long, low chest of drawers with a more modern profile. They had been given a fairly quick makeover but we decided to put our own touch on them. GMan completed all of the painting a couple of months ago but we had to wait about 6 weeks for the knobs that we ordered.
Yesterday we attached the knobs and completely reassembled the chest of drawers. I am so pleased to have these finished and the opportunity to finally arrange all of my clothes in some sort of order.
There is plenty of space for all of our clothes which are folded up apart from underwear and socks which are in the small bedside chests of drawers. They are the next thing on the restoration list as GMan intends to paint them white (top and sides) with navy drawer fronts to match the large set. You can see them in this photo.
Once we set up the lounge room with the new furniture, the cedar chest was relocated to the lounge room for use as a coffee table. You can see it here.
We moved into this house 4 months ago and one of the first things we did was to order some furniture for our large loungeroom. We were advised that the wait time would be over 3 months as it is all custom-made.
There was great excitement on Thursday when the furniture was delivered. There is a 3 seater sofa and two super-comfortable armchairs and footstools. The chairs are able to both swivel and recline for maximum comfort.
Although it is somewhat dictated by the placement of the television, we have yet to decide on the exact configuration of the furniture in the room. There are also pictures to be hung and decisions to be made about other pieces of furniture it is definitely a work in progress.
Meanwhile, we are making some adjustments to the location and positioning of other items and furniture. Watch for more details in upcoming posts.
It is over 2 years since my mother died and in many ways it seems like just yesterday. Both of my parents were small children during the Great Depression which undoubtedly coloured their views of taking care of their possessions and mending, repairing and upcycling where necessary. Throwing perfectly good items away was simply not in their DNA. Much of this mindset filtered down to my siblings and me so we felt a certain obligation to ensure that Mum’s personal effects were distributed wisely. Some went to various family members, others were sold and yet more went to charities who could use them.
I was surprised when my younger daughter expressed an interest in the kitchen stepstool. It was sturdy but had seen better days and the orange vinyl seat screamed 1970s. Nevertheless, she was keen to have the stool as it offered a practical solution for accessing the top shelves of her kitchen cupboards as well having some special memories of helping in her grandma’s kitchen when she was a young child.
I don’t have any before photos but GMan dismantled the stool, removed the seat and spraypainted the metal frame. We disassembled the seat, scrubbed the vinyl cover, bought a new piece of foam and cut a replacement base from some leftover timber. I used upholstery staples to recover the seat using the same vinyl cover. This is apparently some of the appeal to my daughter.
Here is the end result.
The seat folds up to allow the steps to be accessed. Note the photobombing dog!!
We will be delivering the refurbished stepstool to its new home this week.
Don’t forget that there are various repair cafes and groups who can assist with restoring/repairing items if they are beyond what you are prepared to tackle.
Remember, the most sustainable items are those that you already own.
A chance conversation about 10 days ago led me to realise that it was probably time to reassess the single bed and trundle bed in my sewing room. We bought these on Gumtree in 2011 when our granddaughters were aged 4 and 2. You can read about how I used them in this post.
I decided that a sofa bed would be a better option as the girls are not here as often as when they were smaller. Also, the bed is too low to sit on comfortably when I am working in this room.
Ready to go to a new home.
So, I advertised the beds and they have now gone to a new home. We also sourced a ‘good as new’ sofa bed from Marketplace which now has pride of place in the sewing room.
I have chosen to place it closer to the corner in order to maximise the space near the doorway. It will be a simple matter to pull the sofa along when it needs to be used as a bed.
This is a good solution as I will use it as a sofa far more often than it is ever likely to be used as a bed. We have a queen size air mattress if the girls decide they do not want to share the sofa bed.
It pays to regularly consider your needs and the best choice of furniture for the purpose. There is ample opportunity to source good secondhand pieces as well as a market for anything you no longer need.
We are not planning a ‘no spend’ year but instead, a year of mindful spending. Spending on things that we need or that will add value in some way to our lives.
The New Year was barely 12 hours old when I made my first purchase. It was a follow-up to some research I had done a few months ago and I ordered some silicone chair protectors from Chair Tips Australia.
The parcel arrived 4 days later.
The packaging was plastic but not too much. The outer bag became a rubbish bag for our small amount of kitchen waste and the 2 ziplock bags will be washed and reused once the contents are all used.
The dining room chairs and stools in the kitchen have timber legs and we really needed something to prevent the chair legs scratching the finish on the floors. I had tried using felt pads on these chairs, however, the constant movement ends up dragging the pads off. Both self-adhesive pads as well as glueing them on with specialised glue were not terribly successful.
This is what they had ended up looking like.
So, the first step was to remove the old pads, clean and lightly sand the bottom of the chair legs.
It was then time to position the new protective covers.
The chairs do not slide easily but that is more than offset by the fact that these will not fall off, will be easy to wipe clean and are barely visible.
I am happy with having spent money on this project.
organised castle 