Message Board

I got an old cork board from my brother who found it when he was moving house. It was grey colour cork board with black frame. Unfortunately, I forgot to take the "before" photo.

It was a while that I've been staring at that boring grey colour cork board before I got an inspiration when I went to an exhibition one day. I've always wanted to do something with it but just haven't found the right idea. But when I saw a board covered with hessian fabric, I know that's what I want.

I went for a simple look and it was super easy to do. You only need hessian fabric, enough to cover the cork board, string, scissor and an upholstery stapler. 

The string helps to divide the board into sections. It definitely help me to classify informations, such as important phone numbers and events. It can also hold a piece of paper without pin. I'm loving it!

Tent ~ The girls lil' chilling place

Loving my gals new chilling place :))

Low cost, easy to store, sturdy, and it's pretty! My daughter's first word when she saw this was "WOW". My heart just melt. She has made my day.

This is not my original idea, I got inspired by a fellow blogger who is super creative. You can view my inspiration by clicking the following link: http://mycakies.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/diy-frame-tent.html
and just follow the recipe:

Step 1 --- Build the tent.

Step 2 --- Make it comfy!

Step 3 --- Let the kids have fun.
 I put the tent next to the toys area. In this photo you can see that my eldest one has taken the toys out of the box, while my youngest just chilling on the background.

Pallet Chair/Stool/Small Table/Gardener Kneeling Bench (Multi Purpose)

I got the inspiration to create this multi-purpose pallet chair/stool, which can be used as a gardener kneeling bench when you flip it up side down and just add a kneeling pad (In my case I just use a white foam which was from a furniture packaging, it's waterproof and can be removed when not in use), when I visited my local hardware store. 

I love the natural colour of the pallet so I just leave it as is. This chair was actually made from all the left over wooden pallet scrap. As you can see on the pictures, I've used a lot of screw to keep it steady. I always love things that have multi use. This chair is one of them :) 

A Simple and Easy Lightbox

I always want to buy a small lightbox to take photo of my custom jewellery but they is a better way which cost less than $5 (excluding the equipment ;) ).


Things you need:

1. A box ~> size depends on how big you want it to be
2. Tissue paper (white preferable)
3. White poster paper (for the white background)
4. Masking tape
5. Scissor
6. X-acto knife
7. Pencil
8. Ruler

DIY how to:

1. Get your box ready by cutting them into the size that you want and then cut the top and two sides as pictured

2. Lay the white poster paper for background

3. Cover the top and sides of the box with tissue paper and secure with masking tape

4. Viola! you get yourself a lightbox

Here is a sample of a photo taken using the lightbox. This photo was taken without using a spotlight as I haven't bought one (or two) yet and only rely on the room light. You can purchase a minimum 100W spotlight for $10 in your local hardware store and you can put TWO spotlights on the sides of the lightbox to get a better lighting result. You can also add another spotlight if you wish to be positioned on the top of the lightbox. Just play around with the positioning of the spotlight to get the lighting result that you wanted. Have fun!

Laundry Pegs Container

Don't throw your empty plastic container (such as ice cream or jam container) and re-use it!!! Besides helping the environment, it also helps to save some $$$. I like to re-use this plastic container, besides it's made from soft plastic so it's child safe, it also very light to carry anywhere. I re-use an empty plastic container which was a jam container as a Laundry Pegs Container. Just add some words or picture from cut out stencil and using a DVD marker... Voila!!! You got urself a Laundry Pegs Container

Kitchen Bench Organiser

I'm actually very messy, but since I've became a mother to my lovely daughters, I'm a bit more organised. I like things in their place. I find it easier and save time to know where everything is. That's why I created this bench organiser from a left over pallet. 

Kitchen Bench Organiser from Scrap Pallet & Xmas Dessert 

THINGS YOU NEED:

1. Pallets
2. MDF panel ~~~ this actually come as is from the scrap pallets that I used
3. Wood cleaner
4. Wood glue
5. Wood Sander
6. White paint
7. Stencil words template ~~~ I just search on the internet for the Japanese hiragana symbol "itadakimasu" (=let's eat), and type the word "eat" in Arial font. 
8. Black whiteboard marker
9. Scotch tape ~~~ to stick stencil words template
10. Plastic mat ~~~ you can use plastic mat for drawers and cut according to the custom size
11. Mitre saw/hand saw
12. Jig-saw
13. Drill
14. Screws

DIY HOW TO:

1. Once you have disassembled the pallet, cut pallet wood to custom size panels according to your need  --- here I used combination of panels in 8"x3"and 10.5"x3" sizes which need to be reassembled. For the frame (i.e. 3 chunky blocks & MDF panel base), basically I just leave it as is.    
2. Use wood sander to get rid off splinters.  
3. Use wood cleaner to wash the pallet  --- if you want to use it for indoor and especially to put food/drink on it, it's recommended to wash and clean it first.
4. Paint the pallet and let it dry. It's better to paint the base and the panels separately or before assembly to avoid uneven paint
5. Once the pallet dried, you're ready to reassembled. Arrange the wood panels as you wish on the MDF panel base, then use wood glue to stick them. You might need to add screw to secure the MDF panel base first to the 3 chunky blocks. *** Make sure that the pallet base is even so that it won't wobbly when you use it later on. 
6. Stick the stencil words template using scotch tape and with black marker write the words that you like. 

7. Cut out plastic mat to fit the pallet and you can secure it with wood glue or clear scotch tape

8. Ta-da..... now you just need to sit back and enjoy! No more fuss!

All The Little Things That Matter

I always want to make a First Aid Kit that can easily be carried around. Especially now when my eldest daughter loves to run around. Normally I just put most of the things such as sun block, moisturiser, medicine, etc in the diaper bag pockets but I find it so messy as they are all over the place and I have to take out one by one to check if I get the right thing (maybe I carry too much stuff). I need something that is pack and don't take a lot of space, and also see through. So why not just reuse the clear plastic bag which was a bed sheet packaging.