Who said homework isn't fun...

Over the last few weekends Steve and I have been doing a little research at open houses. We are trying to hone in on the suburbs we want to buy in and hopefully the types of properties and the size of renovation job we are willing to undertake. It's been really exciting to see what's out there and one property that really took our fancy was this sweet little cottage home in Bardon, a suburb within 10km of the city (one of our major priorities).

Bardon property

Now, this one was up for auction so we're very keen to see what it actually ends up going for on the big day. When we went through the open house there were a range of couples along with us. A couple who looked like first time buyers, a young couple with kids and then an older couple who looked like they were keen for a renovation project. We loved the polished timber floors and the curb appeal. It had two bedrooms, one in the front and one in the back. It was very light and airy and had definite renovation appeal in the kitchen and out the back.

The back of the house backed onto a creek so there was no neighbours overlooking the property.

There was, however, no garage and very little room to build a double garage, let alone a single one.

When we got home we got out the sketch pad to jot down some ideas.

Bardon as a suburb is normally a fairly expensive suburb with large properties with grand homes and it's proximity to the city and the coverted Paddington suburb. It makes me think this property may go for a little higher than we had hoped. I did a little investigating for 'like' properties and discovered this lovely home which has been beautifully renovated. It actually has constructed a lot of the renovation ideas we had for the Bardon place. We think it's lovely, as is the price tag upwards of $675,000 asking price?! Ouchy! It has two bedrooms as well, similar proportions and finish but has the lovely extension at the back which we envisioned.

Styling from A to Z

For those who know me well, know that one of my very favourite things to do is to escape through the pages of a good novel. My parents tell me that I've always loved books- even before I could read. And it's probably the reason why I collect books. I can't bare to throw them out after I've read them. I not only keep the books I've read but especially enjoy collecting antique books. I tell Steve the reason we have to store boxes and boxes of old books is for my dream to one day build a library in my house (emphasis on the dream).
I often think about the first pair of bookends my grandmother gave me when I began reading in grade 1. It was a pair of wooden bookends shaped like little ponies. Now I outgrew my pony phase by about age 10 and have never found a replacement. I discovered a project on Pinterest that inspired me to create some A and Z letters as bookends.

Spotlight again proved fruitful for finding supplies including paper macho letters "A" and "Z" and wool that was needed. I wasn't sure on the colour I wanted and after a lot of umming and aching I decided on a navy blue and lighter teal colour in the hopes of making an ombre effect- starting with the lighter colour working down to the darker colour.

As the letters were three dimensional a little creative wrapping was needed.

When switching the colours, I wanted to create a bleeding effect so I was happy to have some of the darker colour mixed into the lighter.

It took about half an hour each letter- adding on a little extra time to take pictures- but it was a very easy afternoon project. I was pretty happy with the final project but I would maybe have switched to white craft glue rather than hot glue gun as it got a little messy with the threads of glue and fibres from the wool.

They may not be family heirlooms in the making but they have added some great colour and a little fun to our room.