A perfect house takes work and commitment

 

Hello
 I’m posting a picture of my house looking a bit special and tidy but don't be mistaken for thinking that it's like this here every day because unfortunately the reality is, that it's not; as you would already know a perfect house take’s ongoing work and commitment to keep it that way.

 

I am actually quite ok with the wheels falling of the cart every now and then. Are you too? Truthfully, things are a little shabby around here for one reason or another...I have a spare room full of washing that needs folding, it’s also Jen Bishop's #7vignettes on Instagram so styling props are everywhere and my four year old (who thinks he is the real Mr Maker) has been very busy cutting things up and leaving stuff everywhere.

This snap is actually to add to my portfolio on my new website, speaking of which if you live in Brisbane and know a Word Press expert please send them my way... it is just about finished however I do believe that I need to employ a professional on board just to do some extra tweaking.

 

Next time your house is looking a bit fabulous, do remember to take a picture, stick it on your fridge just to remind yourself that it does happen!

 

Rach xx

 

 

Kettle/ Teapot Cleaner Tutorial

 

Hello,

It has been a while since I have done a tutorial on the "HBT blog" so I thought I would share a "Kettle- cleaning tutorial" that has been handed down through the generations in our family. My grandma first showed my mother how to do it and it was sooooo good I still do it today! It's hard not to spot the safety-yellow coloured Berri Lemon juice (since 1942) above but I can assure you this is not a sponsored post on behalf of Berri. It's just berri good ok ;-). Ha, no seriously, I am sharing it because I've been doing a little spring cleaning of late (go figure??) and thought if ever I had a trick worth sharing this might be it; it really works a treat on kettle/ teapot scale without using any harsh chemicals. For the record I have tried to be all hippie and use just plain lemon juice but it does not work, at all. You need to use the real lemon squeeze concentrate!

 

 

Pour Lemon squeeze directly into your kettle at least 2cm deep, swirl it around and close the lid.  

 

 

 Pour a small amount of the squeeze into a small porcelain dish. Using a brush or cotton wool bud, also clean the outside of your kettle. This will remove any build-up and also make it look shiny and happy again.

 

Don't forget to swirl the lemon squeeze around regularly inside your jug so that it will reach the areas up high.  

 

 Leave your lemon squeeze inside your kettle/ teapot for 1-2 hours, this is mine already looking very shiny after about 1 hour. You can even leave it overnight if you would like.

 

When happy with the look of your kettle; rinse and boil your kettle a few times over to remove any lemon squeeze residue. 

Do you too have any spring cleaning tricks that have been handed down through your family?

 

Rach xx

How to make a sweet home!

 

 

I made a chalk board for one of my clients; it's ok to try it out on my kitchen first, right?? Love playing around with different looks and could not resist! I needed a lil kitchen-y type accessory to go with a clock I had previously sourced and a lovely canvas that my client already owned. I am happy to report that all three look very fabulous together in her kitchen and make a lovely wall vignette. I will show you the reveal over on my new site, very soon ;-).

 

The same client also sent this very sweet snap of her children helping paint the kitchen furniture. I know, bless them!

Admittedly the perfectionist within me was a little worried about application... but seriously "phht", who needs perfection! This lovely family will remember this time for years to come and I do think memories are the things that really make a home a sweet place to be.

 

Visiting Ivy and Elephants linky party

xx

 

Decorating with tropical plants

It occurred to me oneday as I was zhooshing things around my house (as you do) that I did not own one single palm tree/ plant. How very un- Queensland of me! I have lived in Qld for over six years now and I instantly knew that I had to do something about it. 

Do you like to decorate with plants?? I do and I think they create much decor warmth and calm for everyone to enjoy. Here is my palm- plant purchase above; it is a Parlour Palm. Apparently and I do love a good quote ;-O "Research has also indicated that growing plants inside can effectively assist in filtering and improving air quality"- Pohlmans; I best get a dozen more!!! I think my palm looks very Queensland/ tropical, cheery and a lovely addition to my home. 

Do you too like tropical plants??

Do have a great week everyone! 

Rach xx

Join the "wardrobe-revamp marathon" too??

Hello,

Did you catch the beautiful super moon last night? As you can see, it was a beauty! This is the view from our back deck, on a clear night we can see almost three entire buildings... no, you would never say that we have Brisbane city views however I do love that we enjoy a mini city glimpse or two ;-).

 

 

I am so chuffed to report that I have just finished revamping one of my lovely antique wardrobes from last week, I still have two more to complete. You should see the look of determination I am sporting right now! The Suburbans Stylist is on a mission to get her own wardrobe revamp's and storage issues out of the way. Can it be done during School holidays?? Watch this space lovely people, we shall see!

Method- I used a white chalk paint and a little distressing to achieve a quite conservative looking wardrobe; I believe the perfect look for a linen cupboard!  Can I tempt you to join in the "wardrobe-revamp marathon" too? 

Rach xx

 

 

 

Bought and Sold by The Suburban Stylist

 

Hello,

How has your weekend been?

I do hope it has been lovely! I've been busy... doing a little wheeling and dealing. As you do; and as a result I now have a huge list of "To do's" and it's all a little bit overwhelming but in a good way offcourse. I don't know how it happened exactly but suddenly in the space of two days, my house is looking more like an antique store than a home.... seriously!  I do believe that suburban stylist is still buying more wares than selling!!

 

The Suburban Stylist's record thus far

Sold

1 x Art Deco Mirror (dreadfully hard to part with!)

 

Purchases

Vintage Mirror

Lamp 

Vintage Ladder

Antique Wardrobe's x 3

Dresser with antique Mirror

 

 

Keeping ;-)

Vintage Mirror

Lamp

Vintage Ladder

Antique Wardrobe's x 3

Dresser with antique Mirror

 I am actually super smitten with all these new purchases; We have had storage issues for a while now, more specifically since our bathroom renovation. In order to make our new bathroom more spacious, we had to say goodbye to our hallway linen cupboard; it had amazing Tardis like capabilities, everything including the Christmas tree happily lived in that space. Anyhoo, thought I'd just share that I now have three beautiful antique cupboards and vintage dresser with mirror all waiting in line for a lil restoration (can't wait to show you!). I also have my new website and styling portfolio to finish in order to launch this next phase of my styling business. The upside is that I don't mind having lots to do at all and I am super excited about getting all of this completed!

Rach xx

Do you like to get the look for less in your home?

Hello, 

I have been quite preoccupied working on developing my new website... between you and I, I am a web novice so this project literally eats my time. I guess, there is always a huge learning curve when you embark on a new adventure too. Stay tuned, I am hoping that one day soon.... I will eventually be able to share some more news  ;-0.

Now tell me, do you like to get the look for less?

Well, this post is all over that!.

Getting the look for less is one of my favorite things, mostly because I get to recycle, reuse and be creative all at the same time. As some of you would already know this makes my heart flutter and puts a huge smile on my face especially when the project is completed.
 

I wanted to create a wall vignette just like the one you see on the front page of this Elle Decoration UK magazine. For the record, it did not turn out exactly the same. The look on the magazine is all about lovely neutrals; it is subtle, interesting and beautiful all at the same time! My vignette did not achieve the same result however I definitely feel that I have put my own style and creative spin on things and that is very important too!

Thrifted picture frames

 I bought these picture frames from a thrift store, they ranged in price from 50 cents to maybe around $1.00 each. Just saying, they were super cheap! I simply painted them; some I distressed white and a couple I painted charcoal.

My wall vignette

As you can see my wall vignette is a mixture of snaps of my children that I took from our last family holiday and also a couple of Instagram pictures that I recently photographed and liked. It was a specific design decision to mix up the subject matter; I wanted the wall to be interesting and have few layers of appeal. I believe that I have made a good start to achieving this and I know that the wall will continue to develop from here.

 Have you had any thrifty bargains of late? Please, do tell me about them.

 

 Rach xx

Hooking up at Ivy and Elephants linky party