Things I love
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How to make a small nursery work
You really do not need a massive space for a nursery, a baby’s spacial needs are pretty basic, but what you do need a lot of is STORAGE! Here are some tips on how to make a small space work well for a nursery: * PLANNING: This is probably the most crucial part of using a small space. You need to make sure that your furniture will fit in the space BEFORE you buy and that you can add everything that you need. You can do the following: 1. Start by measuring the room and drawing it out, do the same with your furniture and cupboards and cut them out. Now you…
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Mirror mirror on the wall
My passage desperately needed some TLC, I knew it needed a mirror, but I did not want to spend a fortune on a huge mirror. I ran into these sets of mirrors at Mr Price Home and was able to get 2 sets, but that would have just looked silly. After searching high and low I did manage to find 3 more sets. They are really affordable at R99 a set, but hard to get hold of. These mirrors can decorate a feature wall in any type of room, and they are awesome to reflect more light into the room or area without reflecting too much of whoever is in the room. Here…
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Decorex 2014: My favourites
Decorex 2014 did not disappoint; amazing designs & services offered as always. I generally look for more kid/nursery products to tell you about, but the odd “grown-up kid” item catches my eye, ok loads of them… but I try. Here are some of my highlights, finds and lust-haves: (I tried to supply all the supplier details but I did miss some of them) Lighting Furniture Decor Art There are so much more to see , can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store. Happy Decorating {Mariette} 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…
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Ombre Walls
The ombre trend can be seen everywhere, from walls to furniture to rugs. Personally I think it is easier to achieve the ombre look on something smaller like fabric, furniture, nails or hair, but it can look absolutely gorgeous on a wall if done correctly. I would love to see more wallpaper companies incorporating this idea into their collections. Commonly you see the striped ombre look on walls but I’m not a big fan BUT I do love it done on drawers.. Here’s a quick image tutorial on how to do an ombre look on a wall by PS-I made this. {Happy Painting} Mariette Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about…
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A Little Birdie Told Me
I am totally in LOVE with Cotton On Kids and I just found out that the will be bringing their kids bedding to South African stores soon via the I Want That Blog… Go over there and read all about it. {Happy Decorating} Mariette 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 happy and healthy home for the whole family.
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Felt Busy Books
As seen on Pasella on SABC 2 on 9 April 2014. On the show I created a busy book that anybody can create with or without a sewing machine. Here are the steps to create your own busy books for your toddlers to enjoy and learn. 1. Cut the size of your pages from a piece of felt bought at a craft or fabric store. You can get pre-cut sizes from most craft stores. 2. Do your planning of each page. There are so many ideas on the internet you can use as inspiration. 3. Cut out all the pieces that you want to use on each page. 4.…
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Toy Storage
Your house used to be neat and tidy, AND then you had kids… without knowing it toys crept into every corner of your house. Some people find it easy to discard of toys easily, but when it is expensive toys that have not been damaged beyond repair I tend to keep them… and then there is another birthday and MORE toys come… Here are some options to make life a little less cluttered. Get the kids to help tidy up by playing a game or singing a tidy-up song. The odd threat to throw all the toys in the dustbin also works wonders sometimes. Happy Organising {Mariette” Mariette SakelliouI am extremely…
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Disney themed room
Finally the big reveal… ALEXIA’S DISNEY THEMED ROOM. I just love how this room turned out. It reflects Alexia’s personality perfectly, gives her a place to enjoy her music, reading and drawing in a relaxing environment. In this post I will be going through the whole process of designing this room. Firstly I came up with the concept and I made a mood board with all the ideas that I could find. We were in the process of buying a new house so I did not have any type of room in mind so I could not narrow down the ideas to what will work in the specific room. Here…
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Revamp furniture without commitment
I just LOVE washi tape and I am constantly looking at new ideas to use it in creative ways. My tired and worn office desk needed a revamp and I decided to washi tape the whole thing instead of painting or replacing it. After numerous internet searches I finally plucked up the courage to start. I started by filling all the chipped sides with wood filler and then sanded the whole table lightly. Not to much as it will be covered in washi tape that sticks to anything….. {i really hate sanding}, then I wiped it with a damp cloth to get all the loose dust off. I only used…
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Washi Tape
I have recently been asked to consult on a room that was already done beautifully, but the designer aka mom felt like the walls did not look finished as she wanted it. Because of the roughness of the wall the border still looked unfinished. The most common solution would be to put a wooden half-round dado rail but because of the amount of wood already in the room it would have been to much. I opted to go for a washi tape that resembles a road as it compliments the motorbike design. It was a first time experiment with washi tape and I was really impressed. It is super easy…
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A little tree for this, a big tree for that…
We are happy to announce that we have launched our online shop. Some products are not available yet but we are working hard to get everything available soon. One of our awesome products are the wooden trees. They are not only perfect for kids rooms and nurseries, but mom can also use them. They are ideal for hanging jewelry, hats, coats, scarves or just to look pretty. The trees come standard in white but can be customized to any colour you would want. There is an extra charge for coloured trees. The trees come in 2 different sizes, 1,5m @ R1300 & 1,8 m @ R1500. We are currently only…
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Is it a book? Is it a toy? – Convertibles Books
I was recently looking for a gift for a one year old. I did not just want to buy a random toy, i wanted to get something meaningful that won’t just be chucked into a cupboard and forgotten about, I know what your thinking…. For a one year old…?! My daughter loves books so that is my top suggestion for somebody asking what to buy… So I also tend to look in the book isles rather than toys. I found the perfect gift; it’s not only a book, but also a car, pirate ship or train (there are more options abroad), and also folds out into a track to…
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Decorex Johannesburg 2013
I must admit, I do not frequent the Decorex expo as much as I used to. I became a bit bored with what was on offer, and seeing the same people year after year. I was pleasantly surprised this year. So many new designers, products and ideas…it was really a breath of fresh air. I always go on the trade days or during the week as I just can’t stand the crowds over weekends, and you do get to see a bit more if you don’t have to peek over people’s shoulders. The expo mainly targets “grown-up” décor and design, but the little ones were represented by amazing companies. My favourite stand was the MNet Cares &…
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Disney Peg Dolls
So it was my daughter’s 2nd birthday and party last month, and yes it was a Disney theme. My little girl has only found interest in one tv show so far, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so I had to do a Clubhouse party. I will post some pictures in another post. She was spoiled with so many awesome gifts. I did ask people not to buy toys as she loves to read, draw and paint, and already has so many toys to play with. A very good friend of mine gifted a set of wooden, handmade disney peg dolls. They are so cute, and original. She was not aware that I’m…
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MamaMagic Product Innovation Awards
I was able to help out with some other mom’s to judge the finalist for the product innovation awards for MamaMagic, The Baby Expo. There were SOO many great products. Here are some of MY favourite finalists: (not in any particular order, preference or any indications of who’s winning). I have tried to supply links and prices as far as I could. The Baby Bottle Buddy TM R175 (www.4akid.co.za) I love this because although it’s main purpose is to hold the bottle in place it has teethers at the ends of the ears and arms and it becomes a security toy for babies and toddlers. …
