On a Budget
- Baby Interiors, Decor News, DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, Mood Board, On a Budget, Things I love, Trends
Cutest flamingo room inspiration
Let’s Flamingle! I’m a little flamingo obsessed this week. It is my daughter’s 7th birthday next week and I’m all flamingo and glittered up and in full party prep mode. While looking for some party decor I kept on being distracted by the gorgeous room decor that jumped up onto my screen. So I thought I will share some inspiration with you. The beauty of this theme is that you can use flamingos in a very fun, tropical room setting as well as in a very subtle and elegant setting. I love it either way. Fun tropical room with some flamingo accents The soft pinks paired with greys This…
- Decor News, DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, Mood Board, On a Budget, Play Rooms, The Collaborative, Trends
South African Chic Girls Room
A minimalist contemporary girls room with a South African flair – because local is chic! In this room reveal we wanted to again incorporate what we love about our beautiful South Africa, into a very chic girls room. Modern simplistic designs inspired by Scandinavian styles merged with touches of simplistic South African inspired design. This room is the perfect fit for any tween to teen girl. South African Chic We decided to use a blush pink in this room as it is more of a mature pink compared to other pinks and it is an amazing colour to combine with metallics. Using blush pink in an all white interior like…
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We heart South Africa nursery
We heart South Africa In the next nursery reveal we want to share how we love and experience South Africa. This country, located on the most southern tip of Africa has the ability to offer the best of everything this continent has to offer. South Africa offers an amazing canvas rich with colour and texture. With the use of natural raw materials like wood and concrete and colours mimicking the African landscape against this very white background we were able to create a modern minimaslist look into the beauty of this land. We ❤ South Africa…..This is our local! Suppliers used in this style session: La Fede Designs: Heirloom…
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How can you use your high contrast dangles?
Our LittleME high contrast dangles are amazing when using them with our frames, but they bring out very creatives sides of moms when they are one the move or just do not have the tools necessary!! As a standard we recommend using the high contrast dangles on the steel frame that fits over the changing table as well as the wooden baby gyms. They also work great on the move when attached to the car seat handle or the headrest of the car. Chenel from Life with James & Jaxson shared how Jaxson rolls when they are out and about. We often receive images from happy mommies showing us how…
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Back to school decor inspiration
After 5-6 weeks of school holidays most moms are happy for schools to start up again, I sure am. We did a round up of some back to school décor inspiration to get the kids easing into school and homework again after this long break. A few tips to set up a study desk or area: Keep the desk clutter free to avoid distractions during study time. It helps if you have a desk area with some additional storage Add a good lighting source. Having good lighting is useful in creating an optimal space where a child can sit and read and do homework. An area that is too dark…
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Holiday Activities – DIY gingerbread house
Our holiday activities normally include loads of beach time or visiting some family friendly spots during our visit to the coast. On the odd rainy day we get up to some fun indoor activities and I found this no baking DIY gingerbread house kit that we all enjoyed making. The kit included everything that you will need so it is the perfect accessory to travel with. I was worried that it would bread but it was really well packaged. Your pack includes: All the house panels with a Christmas tree and a sleigh icing sugar piping bags some sweets to decorate, we added an additional pack of sweets as the jelly’s were a…
- DIY Ideas, Kids Educational Toys, Kids Interiors, Mood Board, On a Budget, Play Rooms, sourcing service, The Collaborative, Trends
The Collaborative – PLAY
To PLAY means to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. In the latest, The Collaborative room reveal we got to do just that, PLAY. We wanted to create an area with bold colours and a serious accent on FUN! We wanted to create an accent wall to create a focal point with the teepee, and I love how corners disappear when you paint them dark. How cute is the teepee bunting that we draped over the grey teepee! Another accent that we created was with the alphabet cards that was hung on the wall with wooden pegs on a string. We’ve added…
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Alexia’s confetti room
I could not wait to share this confetti & pastels room designed for a very special girl. My brief from the very adamant 6 year old was that she wanted a room with pink, purple, gold and glitter with unicorns and confetti – a brief I’m sure that most 6 year-old girls would give and that most mothers dread, so I did an interpretation on this look in a bit more sophisticated yet age appropriate look. I started with a very neutral grey base and added in some pastels to the bedding and headboard and rugs. I designed a custom headboard inspired by the silhouettes of dutch houses. On the…
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No Fuss Nursery
Sometimes less is more and sometimes more is more. The brief for this nursery was to create a gender neutral, stylish and clutter free area form mom and baby. I did not use a specific theme in the room but the LittleME Cacti crib sheeting inspired a more tribal feel but I did not want the theme to overpower the room. The Umthi Meyer von Wielligh lamp is made from solid Ash wood and an amazing feature in this room. I added in pops of colour with the shelving, bedding and ottoman but I kept the rest of the colours and finishes very natural and neutral. The room is not…
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Home Renovations by Prominent Paints
We live in a house built in the 70’s, so home renovations were inevitable for us and we have been prolonging it for way to long. A few months ago we woke up one morning and decided to actually just start the renovations. Our plan for the first leg of the home renovations were to plaster the face brick walls, paint all the walls, remove the standard brown (ugly) skirting and replace it with a nice wide white skirting as well as paint all the door frames white. One thing that has always bugged me in this house was the brown veneer doors and cupboard doors, you know the really old…
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The Collaborative: Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland The first chills of winter came creeping in this weekend and this means it is the best time to share our WINTER WONDERLAND room with you. This is one room that exceeded our expectations by miles. We used shades of blue and mint and played with pops of pink and green and loads of textures to create this tranquil, dreamy and light room design. We wanted to imitate a fairly tale like design, yet still sophisticated enough for older kids. The headboard is framed by fairy light filled stars hanging right above it, turning the room into a magical space when the lights go out and naturally doubles as a night…
- Baby Interiors, Decor News, DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, Nursery, On a Budget, Play Rooms, sourcing service, The Collaborative, Trends
The Collaborative – Boho Chic Room
Boho chic is top of the current trend lists, the style is influenced by both bohemian and hippy styles. We used florals, pastels and macrame as key elements in making this boho theme work well. We used more pastel colours which makes an amazing nursery theme but can also be ideal for an older child by adding more jewel tones. We love using natural wood with this room. Macrame has made such a huge comeback and this art of knotting cords and ropes has been stepped up a notch since it was popular in the 70’s and the more modern updated look even pops out in jewellery. See some Macrame projects here. Supplier list for…
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Room Tour – Zach’s Room
Zach’s Room Tour Tanielle from @watchzachgrow allowed us a sneak peek into her newly done room for her little Zach. This gorgeous little boy has the most beautiful smile and the vibrant room really shows of his energy. Zach’s favourite colour is green so Tanielle decided on go with a soft mint colour to go with a black and white colour scheme. Mint is a colour that is unisex so by adding the super bunnies and thunder bolts the room is unmistakably turned into a boy’s room with the mint softening it just enough. I love all her DIY touches to the room especially the book trolley, it is so functional and an…
- Baby Interiors, Decor News, DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, Nursery, On a Budget, The Collaborative, Trends
The Collaborative – African inspired nursery
African inspired nursery This theme has always been my favourite nursery theme. Both my kids had a version of an African inspired nurseries. All our fellow South African suppliers had some awesome contributions for this room. The colour scheme was a wash of white and natural colours with pops of green coming from the Lielies kids nest, the Madiba doll from Fox and Moon and the pillows in the crib. Animals have been a very big feature in the nursery trends and nothing beats some of South Africa’s most loved animals. The Drakensberg shelf made an appearance again, and was a perfect fit for this room. By utilising items like the…
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Room Tour – Hudson’s room
This room tour of Hudson is by Chandre from Styled_by_mama. She is mom to Hudson and a brand representative to some local South African brands on Instagram. Hudson is almost two and it was now time to upgrade his room to a toddler room. She did not bind herself to just one theme, so the room and decor will have a long lifespan as Hudson gets older. The black and white colour scheme is still extremely popular in nurseries and children’s rooms. Having a room in a black and white colour scheme has a lot of advantages: A black and white room can help to calm the crazy of all the colourful toys that a…
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Hoppity poppity EB is coming to town
“EB”, as my daughter refers to the Easter bunny, is coming to town and I’m loving all the bunny decor around. I felt inspired by the glass bunny jar with pearlised hazelnuts that I bought from Woolworths a while back. I had one of those happy accidents with it when I tried to get the stickiness from the tape off with nail polish remover, and accidentally took of the gold, but decided to leave the bunny gold. I just love it more now. I love jar storage and I always suggest using it in a nursery to keep the cotton buds and other small necessities on hand. Why not…
- Baby Interiors, DIY Ideas, Gallery Wall, Kids Interiors, Mood Board, Nursery, On a Budget, Things I love, Trends
Decorate with photos
I love to use photos to decorate a nursery and at a recent baby market I met Andelle Schenach and I fell in love with her display.. It is such a beautiful way to showcase maternity and newborn photo shoots in a non conventional way. *Photo Credit: Andelle Schenach Photography There are so many creative ways to display photos, please share some of your favourites bellow. Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and learning but spaces that grow with your child. Apart from creating gorgeous, functional spaces I love doing DIY projects and I am devoted to share tips and tricks to create a…
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How important a budget is when you design a room
When you get to redo a child’s room or do a brand new nursery you can get overwhelmed by what you find, and spending too much can be a reality. This is why planning and budgeting form such a crucial part of a room design. Impulse purchases can be detrimental to a budget, so try and steer clear of those. Start with a design and then price all the items and extras like labour and tools in a spreadsheet. Then you can see what you need to bargain hunt for or completely remove. It is key to have it on paper (or pc) in one place. Keep track of your spending,…
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How to space decals
For a while now decals has been a trendy wall decor option, not only because it can be removed easily but also because it is so easy to install. It can however be a little daunting when you have to space the smaller decals an equal distance from each other. I have a fairly accurate eye and can pick up a slight difference easily and it would bug me until I fix it so I looked for an option that is easy and accurate. You will need to do the following: 1. Determine the width (and height) you want them to be apart. 2. Cut a piece of cardboard…
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Spring Clean
Spring is in the air and this means spring cleaning time for most of us. I use this time to reflect on what I really need and what has gathered dust because it has not been used for a year. For the kids, because of the change of season I also need to check what clothing does not fit anymore etc. This I normally pass on to The Grace Factory, they do amazing work and I try to get the kids involved in letting them know where it goes. Spring time is a perfect time to get rid of the old, I’ve had a need in me to get rid of…
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DIY TeePee
I LOVE teepees and I love a good DIY even more!! They look so cute in a room and the kids can have fun indoors and outdoors. I’ve had this project in my to-do folder for some time. The pattern, instructions and fabric has been lying nicely next to my sewing machine for MONTHS but finally I got to do it this weekend and it is so darn cute!! Alexia is already planning her first camping trip in the playroom. I used the tutorial from Pink Toes & Powertools, and it cost me the price of dowel sticks (around R10 for a pole). I used old bull denim curtains that I was not using anymore,…
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Crochet/Doily Rug
I have always felt that we have a limited selection of rugs in SA. I needed something a bit more girly, NOT SHAGGY and easy to clean for a toddler room. I have been drooling over crochet doily rugs. I had some spare t-shirt yarn and I started with my own crochet rug, take note that I have never even held a crochet needle in my life so this was all new. I did a lot of reading and watched a lot of tutorial just to get the stitches correct, but I’m not doing to bad. I chose t-shirt yarn because I wanted a bulkier look. Here is my attempt so far.…
- Baby Interiors, Craft, Decor News, DIY Ideas, Gifting Ideas, Nursery, On a Budget, Play Rooms, Storage, Things I love
DIY: Fabric toy bags
Want to make your own fabric toy bags? I made these fabric bags for the African Themed Nursery I shared recently. The smaller one is being used to store baby toys and teddies and the taller one as a laundry basket. I reinforced both the barrels with iron on batting but I had to use cardboard for the laundry basket between the layers, just to keep it from falling over. It still has the effect I wanted but it’s just a little bit more stable. I cut my own pattern for these two sizes and tweaked a little as I was sewing. Here is a very nice tutorial I found…
- Baby Interiors, Choosing colour, DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, Mood Board, Nursery, On a Budget, Storage, Things I love, Trends
African inspired nursery
African Inspired Nursery Finally the nursery reveal that I’ve been dying to share. I had so much fun doing this nursery, it definitely came with its share of challenges for such a tiny room. I did not have a massive budget, so a lot of the items were DIY projects and it was a teeny-tiny space so I had to be very creative with the space layout. I will be sharing some of the DIY projects in the coming weeks. This was the initial moodboard I did for the room I made changes to the location of the crib and the type of changing station I was using. This was due to some…
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DIY: Knitted pouf/ottoman
I fell in love with the knitted ottoman as soon as I saw it. I had to have one, but they were not available in SA yet, so I had to make one. I did all my research, and found countless tutorials on how to do this, but noting gave me the specific details I needed as my knitting skills were basic and I knew nothing about crocheting. I did not know how much t-shirt yarn (I decided to do it with that) to use, and could not find the same colour (very specific grey) in more than 6 small balls. So I went to our local fabric shop and…
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Staying on budget with Gumtree
Designing a nursery does not necessarily need to cost you an arm and a leg, you need those, and should be within your means. In today’s financial climate it is not always possible to spend money on extravagant items for a nursery, even the basic items can cost a fortune. Budget should not prohibit you from having the nursery you’ve always wanted. www.gumtree.co.za offers buyers (and seller) the opportunity to buy (or sell) products that are previously loved, securely and conveniently. I am going to design a nursery with secondhand items only found on the Gumtree site, in my area, proving that you can have the nursery you want ON BUDGET! Modern Upscale Gumtree Nursery:…