Boy! Do I have a story for you guys.

Yes another one.

This story is such contrast to the last one I told the other day about the wedding that lasted 10 months.

Let’s take it to the flip side shall we. Ill set the scene. A few weeks ago, I receive a facebook invite to a house warming for my friend and ex-boss. (The best place I ever worked at)

This is the same lady that bidded on the house we wanted while we were coming back from Japan, but missed out on. We choose her to bid for us, because she had just won her house at auction a few weeks prior.

So, the invite is for a housewarming party. I have to work Saturdays, but that is okay, it was an all day thing, extended to the evenings. A few other guests and myself, mention we will be coming in the afternoon. It was all casual relaxed, drop by whenever, it is all good.

I don’t want to give away the whole story of their relationship . . .  but here goes

The bride wore capris and a blouse! (yes, Bride)

It was a wedding disguised as a housewarming. Well, to be fair, it was more like a house warming with a wedding thrown in.

Barefoot and in the backyard, roughly the same spot she was standing when bidding for this house at auction a few months back. Her friend asks for everyone’s attention. To raise a glass for the couple and their new house and FINALLY moving in together and being united in the one house (after. . . let’s just say, more then 1 decade of..umm dating, I guess you could call it). She then says, before you take a sip, I am a celebrant and I would like to marry them first!

Not a flower in sight, not a dress, no white/ivory/off white or otherwise, no tulle, no lace, no diamonds, no rings, no rose petals, no music, no arbour, no bridesmaids. . . . nada.

Nearest and dearest shedding tears of joy, they were wed in a very informal manner, that could not have been anymore romantic. I am still getting goose bumps.

Although I missed the actual nuptials (so bummed) As soon as I finished work, I was there in a flash. I came bearing a house-warming present and feeling very underdressed for a WEDDING. But like me, so did everyone else. But it didn’t matter. They had all they wanted in the world and like the bride always does, just took it in her stride.

We sipped champagne, and slurped on poppa’s (yes tetra pack poppa’s) had a fantastic cheese plate and laughed the evening away with people that did witness it and people, that had to be filled in, such as myself. We reminisced about my own wedding that they were a guest at, to which I replied, “Please now. I had my day, It is time to have yours.”

Sooo tired, I am forcing myself to blog!

It has been cut throat.

I had to work yesterday! On Australia Day.

How un-Australian is that?

At least, the husband had the day off and he went to work on the merry house. Today I worked on the house with my father in law and my brother in law!

Was a productive day.

I did shit loads of sanding. By the end of the day, it looked like someone had up-ended a bag of flour on me.

Here is the picture proof of the progress.

My long term, best friend. We have been places together.

Getting productive.

The essential ingredient, plus a handy door stop.

Bedroom 1. The 2 windows and the architraves (around the door) are READY FOR PAINTING.

Skirtings still to be attached. (Tomorrow)

Bedroom 2. This photo was taken before they were attached, but THEY ARE NOW ATTACHED! 1 room done (for skirtings)

Just need to sand the putty off the window frame and architraves for this room and patch up the screw holes for the skirting boards.

Close-up!!!

Love my floors and that walls and the skirting boards!!

I am being optimistic, but hopefully by tomorrow all the skirting boards are attached!

There will be my husband, father in law and brother in law there tomorrow working.

.  .  .  .  .

In completely un-related news.

I have come up with a new rule!

“If you have been married for less then a year and your marriages breaks up, you have to return your gifts!”

Or

“Wedding gifts are conditional on making more then 1 year of marriage”

Thoughts?

It is utterly disgraceful. I feel ripped off.

I know, I know… I should be sad for the couple blah blah blah and not make it about myself, etc etc. BUT WHAT THE FUCK!

They in actual fact, made it 10 months to the day.

What is wrong with people?

Like, this is not Hollywood. We attended this wedding. In Sydney, not Rodeo Drive.

Then to give it more of a Hollywood edge, one member of this relationship, decided to hit up Facebook and inbox msg all of it’s friends and air the dirty laundry about WHY it was over.

They are both 30 and it is so immature and disgusting.

Marriage is fucking SERIOUS and it is FOR LIFE!

I hate seeing this, it PISSES ME OFF. I actually don’t like giving people engagement party gifts, because I have seen too many couples throw engagement parties, purely fueling their own greed for gifts, only to never have a wedding, because a) they broke up or b) “ohhhh we are just not ready to get married, we are happy being engaged, maybe in the next 5 years of so!!!”

Now I feel the same for weddings.

I want my fucking money I put in a card, the fucking words I wrote on the card, the fucking fun I had at your wedding BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You wasted all of our time!

I never thought I would actually know people like this, enough to be a guest at their wedding and see this happen, it is like something you read about in the news (as my husband said) But at the end of the day, shit happens, but taking it to facebook. . . . . .  well that is enough said.

I love this light fitting!!

If anyone knows where to get it.. let me know. Looks ultra designer though (read: $$$$)

This room layout is very similar to our lounge room.

I love the navy couch too. Thinking of upholstering my settee:

Navy velvet and a slightly goldish frame

I love this living room too:

MMMM Lilac! Love.

That artwork is stellar too.

This room is by Brendan Wong and features in the latest Belle magazine.

The skirting boards are very similar to my skirting boards.

I want a moody sort of palette to our home. Lots of light, but punctuated with grey and black.

“Moody/chic”

I am coining the phrase.

You heard it here first.

That reminds me of a Sex and the City episode where Carrie has her book launch party.

“I think books are coming back. You can quote me on the side of a bus if you want: “Books are back.” Isaac Mizrahi.”

Things I own:

Bedside tables x 2 (stained a similar colour to floors, might need to change them)

Bed (but need to make a new bedhead)

Things to buy:

Ceiling light fitting

Bedside table Lamps

Antique dresser

White/creamy WOOL rug (I wish silk, but I am not a $$$$aire)

Things to make/do:

Jacquard velvet bed head

(in floral pattern in light pastel/creamy colours)

White linen Roman Blinds

Curtains

(in a punchy colour, thinking a blue colour)

Add mouldings to wardrobe door fronts and paint them a putty/beigey/grey colour

Add handles to wardrobe doors

Strip Bedroom door and stain Feast & Watson Black Japan and add gold hardware (handle and hinges)

.  .  .  .  .

I wonder if I have missed anything….

But that is the plan for the moment. Pr

My cypress pine floorboards are finished!!!  I love them and I am so overwhelmed. They were stained a slightly toned down walnut colour and the final polyurethane coat was a satin finish.

I think they look expensive but it is nice you can still see it’s imperfections and character.

Now to get our glossy white skirting boards on and paint our window frames and architraves.

It is echo-ee in here. Need to do something about window dressings and rugs. Ha! I saw a stunning rug the other day. I touched it. It felt amazing. I enquired about the price, I fainted!!!

It was a handmade rug from Kashmir. It was silk. It was $18k.
And that is just 1 rug. I need 1 or 2 rugs for the living room. 1 for our bedroom and 1 for the other bedroom. Not sure on hallway runner.

Hhhhmmmmm.

Going to go browse kitchen showrooms now and go to a lighting shop.

I’ll take one, thanks.

Mmm yummy, this coffee table is sexy!

Tis a sad day today. The blog received it’s first negative comment. I haven’t published it. But I did formulate a response. Not sure if I want to really bother my other readers with it’s ridiculousness.

hmmm hmmm.

I would get a second opinion from my husband, but the cute, grown man is sleeping so soundly.

It kills me how cute, that Croatian guy is and how ignorant I must be.

I do love and appreciate every comment I get (not the spam, that is just ridiculous and relates to nothing)

I never thought I would receive a scathing comment here, because I just didn’t think I would attract this sort of comment with the things I write as I am easy going and not discussing heated topics here.

We are all nosey and want to know more, comment below if I should delete or post it! hahaha.

One reader has already said to delete it, but she knows me personally.

Oh Em Gee, have I been Bus-ay!

No rest for the wicked!

Okay, so the LOUNGE ROOM, HALLWAY and the 2 BEDROOMS have been

FRESHLY PAINTED!!!!

I am in LOVE.

I am extremely happy with my painters!

It was a group of 4 Korean men that went above and beyond. I fell in love with them.

I also had another Korean in the house that was doing our floorboards. (He was friends with the painters)

So in total, 5 Koreans, my father an law and myself.

For lunch, the 5 of them sat in our tiny little covered porch/entryway, with a little table and stools that are maybe even too small for kids and ate noodles that they cooked on my gas stove top.

So cute, I nearly died. Only 2 of them could speak English.

All in all, the painters took 1.5 days to do extensive prep and then .5 day to roll out the 2 final coats of wall colour.

I kept asking him if he was certain he would be finished by the afternoon, but he kept laughing at me.

But he did deliver. I am extremely happy.

So here is some pictures for you!

Here is 3 of them.

There was no way, I would have done what they are doing in this pic.

Sorry the pic is a bit fuzzy, I was doing it on the sly.

Look how cute our floor guy is. He has a skateboard that he made himself. So cute to watch him. He was banging all the nail holes as he slid backwards across the floor. It even had a section at the front to put any rogue staples (that I must have missed) into.

He was then putting putty into the nail holes.

Here is completed painting in Bedroom 2!!! (plus putty on the floor)

Wall colour, again in Bedroom 2. Now we need to paint the architraves and our internal doors!

Our cornices in Bedroom 1. A million times better.

Our lovely built in wardrobes in our bedroom, plus some of the wall colour.

(I am always thinking about what I am going to do to these wardrobe doors to spruce them up)

That is all later… later though.

We have a NEW architrave on this doorway. This is in the living room where there was previously that sliding door and NO architrave!

Also, you can see the cornices in this room and the wall colour.

.  .  .  .  .

Then the flooring guy came back and this is what happened!

He brought his friend! (and his son too)

Not the final finished. But they were stained a walnut colour, then sealed and then 1 coat of polyurethane gloss

And then a satin polish (but I haven’t seen this as yet)

Ta-Da!!!!!!!!!

So, next.

I need to sand off the putty I put over our nail and screw holes on the architraves and window frames

I then need to putty them again, then sand again, put a little more primer over anything that becomes bare as a result of sanding and then put 2 coats of glossy enamel white paint.

And DITTO goes for the skirting boards, that need to be painting 2 coats first and then attached to the walls, then patch the holes and then touch up paint over them.

Then the electrician will come and install our power points/light switches, connect the power and then. . .

WE CAN MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!

Cannot wait. I have been a moody bitch I tell ya!

All pictures courtesy of my new phone, which I also love. I got the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

(but I really should be taking a better camera for these pics, but I can’t find my camera charger, Oh fun! This whole living/moving thingo is so OLD)

Going to pull the kitchen out next, but that is another day, another story, another post.

I am worried my house will have too many lantern style lights. Because I love them so much Oh well.

I have been working all the weekends and public holidays and in the days when I was not chained to my desk doing 11 hour days, I was renovating my house with my husband and his father.

Things are moving along! All but one of the architraves have been attached!

The only one that hasn’t been is the one around our bedroom door that leads INTO the bedroom.

I have done the 1st coat of glossy white paint for the living room skirting boards, going to give them a light sand and then do the second coat, I think on Wednesday.

Here is picture proof!

Inside living room looking into hallway. (BEE TEE DUBS (by the way, that is how I say it in real life) I have found DOORS to go here, this it he door that we pulled the etched glass sliding door off! I found 2 french doors that shall fit here nicely, with some tweaking!)

Front Door!

(Need to change that ugly screen door. It is UGLY)

From Hallway, looking into the Living Room.

Bedroom 2 and Bathroom 1 from the Hallway

Inside Bedroom 2

Inside Bedroom 1, these are our 2 little windows! They are so cute. Can’t wait to whip up some nice roman blinds for them!

1st coat of glossy enamel paint. These are the short pieces for the living room. I did the long pieces too.

We have booked our painter in to paint the ceilings and the walls of Bed 1, Bed 2, Hallway and the Living Room. He is coming on Wednesday the 11th of Jan and will take him 2 days (4 people lol)

And then I am booking in the flooring guy and then we will put the skirting boards on (some where in all this I will paint the architraves, they are just primed at the moment) and then the electrician will come to attach the POWER and THEN WE MOVE IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, the end of January is looking good!! I think we can get there.

I can’t wait to see how our furniture is going to work in the space. I can’t wait to search for furniture, I have denied myself from even looking, until I know exactly what sort of piece I want where and how big it is.