our master bedroom and entrance.

This week I assembled my new "bedside table". It's the sweetest bedside table that you ever did see. It meant that my room required some rearranging and photoshoot – obviously!

I am constantly doing things around the home: rearranging, doing up old furniture, changing things... so things don't stay the same for too long and things aren't always in their place. We are currently sanding back and potentially reupholstering the chair in our room (it was swapped out for the chair in our baby's room) so that isn't included.

I realised that I haven't shown you photos of my home, so now is a good opportunity. Who knows what it will look like when you come to visit...

And because our room is just by the front door, I've included some parts of our entrance. Because I'd love to show you around my home.

This is my new bedside table. My mum thinks it will be good for holding lots of books but mightn't be stable enough for a cup of tea. Luckily I have a cloth (aka muslin wrap) to wipe up any spills!

Pillowcase by Gorman x Walala, Doona by Kip & Co, Organic Muslin Wrap by Pure Baby, Cradle by Seed Organic, Flower Crown by Floristik.

Our entrance has a few features: 

As you walk in the front door you can see an original artwork I painted at the Belinda Marshall workshop. Keep your eyes peeled for a review on the workshop soon, but if you want to see some of her work and learn about the artist, check out this post.

We also have our very scary guard deer, which I made from a flat pack, given to me as a housewarming gift. I love him.

Opposite these is an old writing desk, full of character, and topped with an Australian made wooden bowl (used to store our keys), an ampersand, and a bit of greenery – because I NEED greenery throughout my home!

Pot by Jones & Co.

If you then peek into our room, this is what you'll see.

Yes, a beautiful screen printed artwork. This amazing Rachel Castle Tree tea towel (intended as art) was a combined housewarming and birthday gift from a very special friend. I love it in my room – it's often the first thing I see when I wake up. It has such beautiful colours.

It is now surrounded by my old and way-too-practical bedside table and lamp (not within arms reach of my bed) with beautiful cards, a photo of me and my husband and a natural candle on it.

Artwork by Castle and Things, Heart Card by Blacklist, Bunny Card by Maud n Lil, Candle by Natural Tranquility, Pewter Frame by Via Rustica.

Here are the sides of our beds.

We have matching frames above our used to be matching bedside tables: mine filled with dried flowers from my wedding bouquet backed with linen, and Rod's with an artwork we bought on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

Our Gorman pillowcases are beautiful and complement our reversible Kip and Co bedspread perfectly (when it's on its plain side!). I love the character, shapes and colours of the pillowcases, whereas Rod prefers the simplicity of the blue lines. Thankfully they're also reversible so they work well for us.

After the ultrasound of our baby, there were two stand out pictures of her. This one on Rod's bedside table was his favourite so I got it printed and framed for him. You can see just how beautiful she is! I love seeing her next to his bed and how much he loves her already!

Can't wait to have our baby girl in her bassinet, right next to our bed, wrapped up safe and with her mum and dad.

Looking forward to showing you more of our home as it comes together. It's always felt like home but it's slowly becoming more ours and I'm enjoying that!

before and after: kitchen stools.

There are many things I love:

I love my home.

I love a bargain.

I love DIY.

I love repurposing.

So when I picked up these stools from either the side of the road (or was it a garage sale) – either way, a bargain – I saw great bones and new life... and had much excitement.

We have had them for a number of years despite not having a breakfast bar. We used them as plant stands and side tables and step ladders. Trying to do up furniture in a fourth storey apartment with no garage on the Pacific Highway in Sydney is quite difficult. Moving to a house in suburban Melbourne was a good move for DIY projects, especially ones that involve sanding. And nothing gets you ticking off jobs from your to do list like having a baby.

BEFORE: 

Here are the stools. In pretty good nick (we have been using them for a few years in this condition and they were someone else's pre-loved beauties before us). We like what they're vibing, but they're in need of a little TLC.

DURING:

Sanded back. Such a beautiful colour timber.

AFTER:

All finished!

The during and after photos look quite similar. We decided to coat them in a natural wax – to use less chemicals and to keep the natural colour. 

We think they're stunning!

Some of the marks didn't sand out of the tops, but that's ok. We like the stories they tell and their personality. We also decided to leave the legs as they were because their sanding and painting is much harder work... and we like the green. And we like things with a bit of a story... Aren't they great!?

We have also been working on two armchairs: one for our bedroom and one for the baby's room.

Stay tuned for the before and afters of them. Coming soon.

meet the maker: belinda marshall.

The other week, I was fortunate enough to attend a painting workshop with the very lovely Belinda Marshall. Belinda is a Melbourne-based artist and surface designer – painting with acrylics on wood and linen (two of my FAVOURITE things!) and her works are beautiful! 

I have long been admiring her work and I stare lovingly at her calendar hanging in my kitchen on a daily basis. When I found out she was running workshops, I was excited, yet not convinced because I didn't want to spend that money on myself and I've never really painted before. My apprehensions were oh so wrong – check out my review of her workshop in a post coming soon.

I wanted to share Belinda's work with you and to get to know her and a bit about her work, so I had a chat with her.

When did you start painting and what initiated this love for acrylics and colour?

I started painting in high school and fell in love with it then. I took a massive break, which I guess was due to being an adult (earning money, etc) and I reconnected with painting properly when I was pregnant with my first son. I started with oils and moved to acrylics after my second son was born so that I could paint in short bursts.

Who/where do you look to for inspiration in your work?

I don't really look for inspiration anymore. I feel a bit spoiled for it having so much to look at on Instagram. I find that painting in itself gives me inspiration.

We're all creative (in different ways), what would you say to someone wanting to start or reignite a creative passion but isn't sure what to do or who to start?

I would say, start trying things out! If you're loving what you're doing, seek out other people doing the thing and give yourself time to pursue creativity regularly. I think doing creative workshops are great as they are a way to try things without committing time or resources outside the workshop which is a bit liberating. If you had a good time there and want to keep up with what you learnt, you have a group of people who you can follow up with to keep learning.

More and more people are working from home or for themselves; what makes for a productive days work for you? What do you need around you or in your workspace?

Having 15 minutes to myself in the morning with a coffee  and a book before my kids wake is really important for getting into a groove for work. I like to be in the studio to work where there are people around but not always right next to me. I just need music on to help with tuning into what's happening with my work.

Image from @ceciliafox on Instagram

MEET THE MAKER:

Favourite:

• flower: ranunculus (like the picture)

• breakfast: avocado on toast

• colour scheme: pastels (pink and blue!)

• location: Sweden

• thing in your home: a collection of paintings by my sons

• outfit: big dress with leggings

• day of the week: not fussy

To view (and be tempted by) more of her beautiful artworks, check out her website. She sells her work as prints, on cushions, beautiful wall hangings (did you see the one above, it's amazing!), eco-friendly greeting cards (one set shown below) and even has her 2017 calendar out (I've already purchased mine!). Click here.

Or even better, check out her exhibition on at Lumiere Art + Co in Sorrento on Melbourne's beautiful Mornington Peninsula. From October 9, 2016.

Follow her on social media for some beautiful images and to stay up-to-date with what's happening:

facebook.com/belindamarshallstudio

instagram.com/belindajmarshall

All images from Belinda's website or Instagram page.

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aleida pullar.

Aleida Pullar is a lovely lady who sells the most beautiful ceramics. I met her at Avoca Beachside Markets (a long time ago) where my mum and I immediately fell in love and bought each other pieces for Christmas and birthdays. There's something special about buying products directly from the makers.

I am in love with what she creates: their originality and uniqueness. Each piece is handmade and so every piece is different.

Not only does she work with ceramics but also linen. I am in love! I love linen in itself but what she creates is amazing! Hand drawn linen inspired by nature: fish, flowers, shells, spots, landscapes.

Follow her on facebook: Aleida Pullar: Studio Latitude 33 and instagram @aleidapullar. You'll see me there – I 'like' almost everything she puts up!

Images taken from aleidapullar.com and her Instagram page.

pinterest picks: sew sew sew.

I'm a Pinterest fanatic. I really love it. I've been on the Pinterest bandwagon for many years now and have accumulated many and a wide variety of boards and pins. I always find it fascinating to see which pins get the most interaction.

Because some of you don't need Pinterest in your lives, I thought I'd share some "pinterest picks" from time-to-time. I'll either share some of my favourite finds or what my Pinterest followers are loving. Today is all about sewing, because that's what my followers are telling me they like.


This cute fish cushion (from here) is created from a child's drawing. A great way of keeping a child's (or your own) masterpiece. Make your own, or send it my way – hand embroidery is so therapeutic!

Or if you don't want to make your own, check out these by Ava and Yves from The Gathered Store.

This simple heart (from here) has gone cray-cray. It has a full tutorial attached to it and is pretty simple for beginner sewers. These were made for her wedding.

I made a whole bunch of them for my niece's 5th birthday party last year. All of her friends found one in a treasure hunt and got to take them home. The rest of them ended up on my sister's Christmas tree and are still hanging around her kids bedrooms (and my mum's living room).

A work in progress

My niece collecting her hearts from the treasure hunt

Keeping the heart theme, this heart garland (from here) is super simple, especially because it's made from felt. Felt is great because it doesn't fray so you can cut it up into whatever shape you like and you don't have to overlock or anything... The link to the tutorial doesn't go anywhere but I bet it says something like this: cut out hearts, sew vertically through the middle with the sewing machine, then keep sewing for a few centimetres, then repeat until it's your desired height (to cover your window or wall). Repeat until all hearts are used up or you have enough strings of hearts. Hang! See? Easy!

And finally, the sweetest softies (from here) are on my board 'sewing' but to be honest, I think I'd just buy one. They are too cute, and I may also buy many other things too (to justify the shipping from England, of course!).

And some of her other work:

To check out the rest of my pins (not my legs), click here.

a beautiful banner for a beautiful wedding.

This year is a year full of weddings for me. Lucky I love weddings. I love seeing how different people express themselves and celebrate.

In March, our special friends Fi and Mike got married. Their wedding was beautiful because it expressed who they were and included lots of contributions from so many of their friends and family. They (ok, maybe she) knew what they wanted and what they wanted people to do. I was asked to create a banner for the entrance of their wedding and to live in their home. I was honoured.

Photography: Mr Glen Edwards

I was honoured because Fi is incredibly creative. And she has many incredibly creative friends. I don't see myself as creative around them. I don't let myself shine. But Fi believed in me, trusted me, and gave me confidence to design and create a banner for them. It was a privilege.

In asking me to do this, she has given me great confidence in other things. It's amazing how her small act of asking me to do something for her wedding has empowered me to do more and given me confidence in myself and my abilities. So I want to say thank you. Thank you Fifi for trusting and empowering me, for seeing things in me and for allowing me to grow through that.

A couple of the MANY shots from my living room floor, showing a little bit of the handsewn detail.

My trusty helper (I couldn't do it without him) and the finished product before the guests arrived.

Me with my banner.

Their wedding was beautiful, in so many ways, however the most special part for me were the name placecards. On each and every person's name card (all 126 of them), Fi handwrote three things that she loves about that person or sees in them. I have written about how I am a 'words of affirmation kind of girl' here, and this spoke to me. The words were clear and prophetic. I was honoured to receive the card. And they are incredibly designed (with all of the other wedding stationery) but the incredible Lauren Langley. My friends are pretty great.

This post is to honour my friends but also recognise the creativity in me and show off my banner. I'm pretty proud of it – I put my heart and soul (and many hours and handsewing nights) into it – and I'm looking forward to revealing more creative endeavours soon.

the block elimination rooms.

So last year I went a little crazy on blogging The Block. This year, I'm not going to watch it or blog it as religiously... some of you are probably very thankful!

But I can't help give some thoughts and record some of the rooms I love. My posts will showcase some of my favourite parts; be it a whole room, a piece of furniture or a colour. As I don't know what I'll love I don't know how often these posts will occur, but I'm sure The Block will still be a feature of Thearle Girl.

In case you're not up with The Block Triple Threat, six couples were placed in the elimination rounds to end up with three couples who will actually go through to the show. This meant there have been three elimination rounds. Round 1: bedroom (24 hours). Round 2: living and dining (48 hours). Round 3: bathroom (72 hours).

Here are a couple of things I have loved so far.

Brooke and Aimee's bedroom definitely wasn't my favourite but I fell in love with their soft blue wall and bed.

I like some of the details of Luke and Ebony's room, like the timber skirts and frame, the built-in headboard, and mint features. Also impressed with the blue wall, the same colours as our bedroom!

They say first impressions count, and that is true of Josh and Charlotte. I could see they would be good from when we first met them in Scotty's HQ. They didn't let me down with their living and dining room. My favourite features are definitely the exposed brick wall and timber shelves. I think I'm in love... again. That cascading plant on the shelves just puts the icing on the cake. That wall is a winner... and that proved to be true with the judge's as well.

I am so impressed with the use of colour by Ebony and Luke. I LOVE the pink wall. This photo looks a little overwhelmingly pastel but with slightly different styling, I think the pink would sing even more! I have requested a pink wall in our living room but unfortunately was turned back by my husband. Disappointing.

I wasn't totally in love with Tim and Anastasia's room but it was good! My fave part was the rug though. Often I don't like rugs or am impartial to them, but I actually really like this one.

I love Jess and Ayden's beautiful storage area, using the height of the room and lovely timber, but was a little worried by the candle next to the towels!

Josh and Charlotte's bathroom was very simple, and I liked it. I especially like their large format tiles and custom shaving cabinet which was recessed into the wall.

I'm very impressed with the elimination rooms and am looking forward to seeing what they create in their actual apartments. Good luck to Charlotte and Josho (for the win), Tim and Anastasia, and Jess and Ayden (for the lols!).

Christmas is coming.

I love this time of year: the weather is warming up, the parties are starting to happen, there's an excitement and anticipation in the air. Christmas is coming! For some, there is much stress with organising those parties, making the decorations and wrapping those presents. This is where I thrive!

I love to create.

I especially love the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. It honours something much bigger, the gift of Jesus. How a gift is presented speaks volumes.

This Christmas, I'd love to wrap your gifts for you.

The options are endless, so please let me know if you have something specific in mind or if I can wrap your presents however I'd like. They can all be matching, united in theme, or completely different. Choose traditional Christmas colours or whatever ones you like. It's up to you... or you can leave it up to me!

For gift wrapping ideas, check out my Pinterest page, 'wrapping' (you can check them out even if you're not on Pinterest). Little Paper Lane also has pinned lots of fun wrapping ideas. Check them out. Here are some of my faves:

If you like tags on your gifts, let me know. I am happy to custom make gift tags using paper, gift wrap, photos or fabric, or make ornaments to adorn your gifts. The tags can be hand stamped with 'Merry Christmas' or your loved ones name or whatever words you like, or left plain for you to write on.

The options actually are endless.

So start dreaming, or give me full reign, I'd love to make your Christmas a little less stressful for you!

If you're keen, let's chat. Contact me on social media or thearlegirl@gmail.com.