Easy paint swatch DIY

So a lot has happened since my last post...or really not a lot other than sitting on the couch willing away the months before I can meet this crazy little being inside me! Yep, I'm preggo. And while it seems that this nausea is not likely to leave me, 28 weeks on, I am finally up to using my time a little more wisely. We have a small space for a baby room and as we are currently only renting we are limited to fairly temporary and easily moved decorating items. The challenge is on! So far the colour scheme is green although I am swinging between a spearmint-y green and more of a forrest green, while at the same time keeping it gender neutral. 

While at the paint store buying spray paint, I rediscovered my love for paint swatch catalogues. All those pretty coordinating colours in perfect little squares, the possibilities are endless! I grabbed a stash and here is what I came up with.  

These were the Resene swatches and are pretty much painted squares on cardboard, so the first thing was to gently peel them off. I ended up ripping a few so make sure you have enough. I had 3 sheets for a 5x7 piece of card. I used the cardboard backing out of the picture frame. 

I then cut the rectangles into squares, and then into even triangles. For this I used my trusty healing cutting mat, craft knife and metal ruler: three things I will never be without in my crafting stash. They  are the best 3 tools for neat and precise cutting and always come in handy. 

Next I spread a thin layer of PVA glue to the lower third of the cardboard backing. Starting from the centre of the bottom edge, carefully place the triangles side by side till the end of the row. Then turn the triangles upside down and fill in the gaps above, ever so slightly overlapping so the cardboard is unseen. I wanted a graduated ombre look so I started with the lightest colours first continuing through to the darkest at the top. Carry on spreading more glue and triangles until you fill the whole space. I found it handy to use a pair of tweezers to place the pieces accurately. 

And here is is all framed and ready to be added to the photo wall! 

Not to be confused with Scrapbooking...

I have always loved creating, hence why I started this blog, as a way to motivate me to try new things/have another go at things I have attempted in the past. Scrapbooking is one of those things. Many years ago I was introduced to scrapbooking, and I gave it a go. Collecting up old, poor quality photos, smothering the page with coloured tape and stickers in an attempt to enhance said photos, and adding some embarrassingly cheesy captions*. It was a phase. But I still love looking at photos (who doesn't?!) and I am sad to see our thousands of photos, sitting in Aperture, not getting a lot of love. I'd like to think (I hope!) that my photography skills have improved enough to not need to attack them with decorative hole punches and the like, so have decided to put together an album: My slightly less work, slimline version of a scrapbook.

Midas Touch

Okay, so I went a little crazy with the gold spray paint. I have a problem with becoming obsessed with colour palettes! It happens to my wardrobe all the time (I have now banned my self from buying anything else in 'ox blood', last season it was navy) and now it has seeped into my home decor!

It all started with a need for some book ends. I'd seen painted rocks before and so off I went to find some gold spray paint. I tested it out on a terracotta pot, which I liked but it turned out to be a gold tone paint rather than a real liquid metal finish (see above). I found a much more metallic gold at Bunnings and set off to line our drive way with newspaper, all ready to paint!

First up I had in mind to create a coffe table tray to hold all my display bits and vases. I really like cork at the moment so a found an old (unused) pin board which I cut to the size of a quite hideously patterned wooden tray from The Warehouse. I gave the tray a few coats of black spray paint. Then I masked a chevron pattern onto my cork mat and proceeded to go crazy with the gold. I did get proper painters masking tape, as i didn't want it to stick too much to the cork and ruin it when peeling it off.  I'm really stoked with the final look!

We have a micro sized coffee table, but I love having things on display. This way if I need room for drinks or plates I can carry it all off on the tray without a fuss.

Incidentally, I bought a pair or gold speckled socks from Country Road the other day, and my husbands straight faced response was, "woah, have you spray painted your socks now too!" Haha, I'm crazy, but not that crazy....

M x

Cleaning Vintage Costume Jewellery

A super bonus with staying with my parents is getting to rifle through mums old stuff.  While unsuccessful in finding what I was looking for, these holidays mum brought out some of my Nana's old jewellery, this piece above being one that I particularly had my eye on! Although from afar it looked in good nick, it was pretty grimy up close. All ready to submerge it into the good old jewellery cleaner, I did a quick search on whether I should be getting it so wet... Thank you Google! You saved me from ruining my jewellery! Apparently moisture is rhinestone jewellery's nemesis, it breaks down the delicate foil underneath the stone, which leaves them dull and lack lustre. So here is how I returned this beautiful but dull necklace near to it's original condition and how you can give your op shop finds a second lease on life!

You will need:

Glass cleaner
A soft cotton cloth (that doesn't leave lint behind!)
An old paintbrush or a baby tooth brush
Tooth picks or a pin

The key is to ensure you are working with dry to slightly damp tools - do not spray the glass cleaner directly onto your jewellery. 

First you will need to dislodge the dirt and grime. Most of this will be old body lotion or perfume build up, dust, and sometimes built up tarnish (this will be a green or sometimes pink substance). Spay your brush with glass cleaner then dry it off on the cloth so it is only damp. Then start brushing over the jewellery focusing on the gaps between the stones.

Now you can see the more stubborn pieces of dirt. For this you can carefully use a toothpick to poke and (gently!) scrape away the visible bits. I had to go in again with a pin because there were very small gaps. Be extra cautious when using anything sharp as you can easily scrape away the foil that is under and around the stones. Then go back in with your brush and sweep away the grime. Repeat this until all the dirt is gone.

To polish up your jewellery, spray your cloth from a distance so there is only a fine misting of glass cleaner. Then carefully polish the stones to make them glisten. You will be amazed at how clean your piece of jewellery looks!

Leave your jewellery to throughly dry out before wearing. Avoid body lotions and perfumes when wearing your vintage jewellery as this is a sure way to dull and age your piece.

Pattern-tastic!

I'm a neutral lover at heart. But for months I have been admiring collections on pinterest and seeking inspiration from some of my favourite bloggers and how they mix and match colour and patterns. From the runway to home decor, pattern mixing is big at the moment. However it's something I tend to shy away from, too scared I'll get it wrong and end up producing something that resembles the outfit of a three year old that has just learnt to dress herself!

To get past my fear of pattern mixing, I set myself the task of creating some new cushions for our lounge. Thankfully we have a very neutral dark brown couch, so it was an easy backdrop to add colour to. I skipped off to the fabric store with a vague idea in mind, and here are a couple of lessons I gleaned in the process:

1. Find a pattern you love as a starting point. I spotted a cool modern fabric which I was immediately drawn to and matched from there. I was a little unsure how it would match with other fabrics so kept putting it back on the shelf, but as soon as I lost that initial inspiring piece, I would get more lost and have nothing to tie the other fabrics back to. Stick to something you love and build a palette from there. 

2. Stick to a limited colour range. I love navy, and knew I wanted to delve into that colour family. It goes with loads and is in some ways almost a neutral base to start with. It goes well with warm colours like orange, red and yellow, and I think it also helps keep things modern. I'm hoping the more confident I get at mixing colour and patterns, the more adventurous I can get!

3. Mix classics with moderns. I used classic stripes and florals, to match with a modern ikat type print. As much as I love the 'granny chic' look, I definitely like to have a modern bent in my home.









4. Find a common element between all your fabrics. I had a dark navy theme running through all my cushions, which meant I could have four different patterns that didn't clash with each other. The common colour theme helped to tie them together nicely. Similarly, you could do this with a common pattern in a range of different colours.


I varied the sizes of my square cushions and also made a couple of circular ones to add interest. They are all reversible with a different pattern on each side so I can mix a match how I like. Ultimately, when pattern mixing, I have to keep reminding myself that I want all my patterns and colours to compliment each other to create a cohesive look, rather than detract from each of the patterns. I'm pleased with how my cushions turned out, but definitely want to be a bit more adventurous next time. Will keep you posted!

M xx

Hearts & Leather

I recently purchased this cute cardigan from asos which I really liked, but it was missing a key component of a comfy long cardigan...pockets! So inspired by the leather accents seen everywhere at the moment I went on the hunt for some cheap leather. I hit the jackpot at DressewSupply, a store similar to Ikes Emporium in New Zealand, but with a lot more sewing supplies. They have cheap, $2-$5 a piece leather scraps and I chose a couple that would make the perfect pocket for my new cardi!

It's a little too simple for a full out tutorial but a very easy way to add a bit of life to a tired piece in your wardrobe. 

I cut my pocket to a 17x13cm sized rectangle (in true Myra style I just eyeballed the first one then measured the second pocket to match) then folded the leather in half length wise to cut an even curve along the bottom. I then used an almost darning sized needle with some black embroidery thread and used a basic hand stitch (whip stitch) to sew the three sides onto my cardigan. I used leather that was just thin enough to push a needle through and was still a good weight for a pocket. And voila, my cozy cardigan now has warm pockets and I think it actually looks better with than without them! 

A Snoowl?

Let me start by saying I don't like the words 'Snood', 'Cowl' or 'Infinity Scarf'. Don't know why I just don't. But what's in a name? So I have been getting my knit on, and this year I finally got stuck into knitting a scarf before the cold weather set in! I spotted this pattern a good while ago and had it in my bookmarks folder waiting to be made. And let me tell you, this is one quick scarf to whip up! The Lion Brand Thick and Quick Wool is mostly acrylic so it's pretty soft to wear around my neck and is also super affordable, I think I paid about $8 per ball at Michaels. I love the colour and am yet to find an outfit that it doesn't match with (obviously my wardrobe is a little on the neutral side!). I am now onto making a second scarf for a friend in this cool grey marl colour, flecked with a gold-brown.

I had size 17 (12mm) needles on hand which were a little thicker than specified in the pattern so I compensated by only casting on 23 stitches instead of 25. This also meant I only needed 2 balls of wool rather than 2 and a half. This is my first attempt at doing a ribbed knit scarf and as a very in-experienced knitter, it was dead easy: you begin with a row of a straight knit row, then alternate it with a knit 1, purl 1 row. It grows amazingly fast, especially with the thicker needles. The only issue I had was when stitching the scarf together; the seam is a little chunkier than I would have liked. When finishing the next scarf I would love to try this 3 needle bind off to make it even neater and less noticeable. All in all, an easy pattern, super thick and chunky - which I love right now, and an easy Christmas gift idea for you Northern Hemisphere girls and guys (just secretly I think this looks pretty cool on my man too!). Now to come up with a better name...