one / two / three / four/ five

Better late than never……inspiring you with blackboard paint this week. It is all the rage at the moment in all the home decor magazines. Many homes are using it in the kitchen as a way to write their shopping list or to write different quotes daily. Some have used it in the kid’s rooms as a way for the kids to be creative.

These are some ideas that have inspired me while looking through pinterest. I just love how easy these ideas are to do in your home. Black and white is so timeless and it goes with everything!

There was lots of rain this weekend which was a bit miserable, but at least it was good for the plants! I hope you all had a lovely weekend whether it was out and about or just relaxing inside with a good book or movie….

Inspiring you this week with something that everyone has in their home. Used lightbulbs! These ideas are soooo simple but you will want to try at least one, I promise!

1. Twine wrapped lightbulbs that look like pears. Isn’t this genius? Glue, twine, lightbulbs and you have yourselves some decorative pears!
2. Wow, this is beautiful. Very urban and resourceful. A stunning way to have a dinner party or wedding reception. LOVE.
3. Hanging lightbulb vases. This would be really cute if you had a branch in your home with lots of these tiny vases hanging off them.
4. Terranium / name holders! You can adapt this idea to contain anything inside them. Confetti? paint?
5. Make your own Xmas decorations. These are the perfect shape and size to paint or glitter up into Xmas baubles. I’m definitely trying this for Xmas!

We are off to Whangamata for some R&R after a short but very busy week. Have an amazing weekend everyone…..

Hubby and I are in the midst of planning our next overseas trip, the destination this time being Hong Kong. We both love travelling and usually travel to one overseas place per year so we can slowly make our way around the world.

We’ve been looking at maps to see where we should stay and all the fun places to visit. In the process of doing this, I have started to look at maps as a way to decorate. Here are a few ideas to inspire you to bring an element of travel into your home decor.

1. Framing the map of a place that is sentimental to you and use it as a headboard. I love how the vintage frame really adds to the style of this room.
2. Map wallpaper. This looks amazing on such a large scale on the wall. This would be a great idea for a kids room also so they can learn all the places in the world. Or you can use it as a way to mark out the countries that you have been to by sticking pins in the cities.
3. Reverse map art. Getting a silhouette of a well know building or landscape and putting it over a map makes great poster art.
4. Covering knick knacks in maps. This is just a plain MDF stag head that has been covered with a colourful map. You can stick a map to anything by using spray adhesive bought from an art or craft store. It gives your own pieces character.
5. Map chalk art. This is so easy to achieve and the typography of the cities look bold and fun. If you want to do this to a wall, simply paint the wall in chalk board paint and then draw out the outline of the map. Then add in the cities in mismatching fonts. I love this! This is the perfect project for everyone because the less perfect it looks, the more rustic and fantastic it is.
6. Map lamp shade. Get a cheap cream lampshade. Taking a pencil, draw the outline of the lampshade while rolling the lampshade across the map. You should get a rectangular arc as your outline. Cut this out, but ensure you allow a bit of excess on each side to glue over the edge of the shade. Spray some adhesive onto the map and then carefully stick it onto the lamp shade. Tidy the edges and then it’s complete!

Picture sources maps.

Yay, it’s a four day Easter weekend and the weather is warm and sunny. We will be finishing a few projects around the house and starting a few more no doubt!! I hope you all have an amazing long weekend to relax and unwind.

Easter has crept up especially quick and early this year. I can’t believe that it’s only a week until the easter weekend! We are throwing another baking party with easter in mind and I’ve been searching for ideas to decorate a few easter eggs. I’ve never decorated them before so I’m excited to have a go. Have a look at some of these cute ideas I found.

1. This is very on trend at the moment. The Pantone colour swatches can be found on placemats, mugs, artwork – this idea is bright and colourful.
2. Masking tape easter eggs. Cut out shapes or strips of masking tape and stick it onto the eggs. Paint or dye them. Once dry, peel off the masking tape. Easy!
3. Polka dot easter eggs. The aqua blue is stunning! This one might be a winner. I LOVE polka dots!
4. Vivid doodled easter eggs. This looks fantastic. How easy would this be to clean up instead of paints and dyes!
5. Washi tape egg wreath. Washi tape. Eggs. Glue. Foam wreath. Genius!
6. Temporary tattoo easter eggs. This is such a good idea! The tattoos on these eggs are extra cool though so you would have to find some funky ones to make your eggs look fab.

Photo sources easter eggs.

I can’t wait to put it all together for our baking party. Our last one was so much fun and the baking that came out of it from everyone was amazing! I hope you all have something fun planned for the long easter break.

Happy weekend everyone! We are keeping our fingers crossed for a sun-shining weekend!

I’m in LOVE with chevron at the moment. The simple zig zag pattern is so bold and graphic and looks great in any room. Here are some crafty ideas that I found on pinterest that I wanted to share and inspire you with.

1. Painted chevron mat. The colour chosen here looks so fresh and summery. Get a low pile mat or rug that’s woven, these are usually the cheaper rugs which makes this project even better! Tape down your design with masking tape and then paint using acrylic interior house paint in your choice of colour. 
2. WOW. This looks amazing! I wish that our staircase was not carpeted, that’s how much I would love to have this in my house. This can be painted or wallpapered depending on the look you want. If using paints, ensure you use oil based enamel paint for a harder and better wearing finish.
3. Painted chevron flooring. This is more of a permanent idea for your house but it looks so good.
4. Chevron blanket. I don’t know how this has been done, whether it’s knitted or crocheted, but it is going on my project list.
5. Chevron chest of drawers. Painting only the outside of the drawers gives you just a touch of the pattern.
6. Chevron planter. The wood has been cut into angled pieces and then fitted together into a chevron pattern.

Picture sources: chevron

There hasn’t been many posts this week, but rest assured that I have many DIY projects on the go at the moment that are almost finished which I will be posting over the next 2 weeks! Watch this space!!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Inspiring you this week with something a little bit unusual…..apples!

On one of our recent trips away to Whangamata, we picked some apples out of our tree in the backyard and the vibrancy of the colours got me thinking about using it as a decorative piece in the house. So when I got home, I went on pinterest to look up creative ways to use apples and I found so many beautiful images. Enjoy….

1. Simple idea for a table card holder or even as a name holder. This was used at a wedding reception. I think it would be stunning for a rustic country wedding.
2. Cute diy craft idea! Use the cut apples as a stamp. You can adapt this to a wall painting by using acrylic paints or like here, on fabric to make tee shirts or tote bags by stamping it into fabric paints.
3. Apple garland to use on the back of chairs for the bridal table. This is such a pretty idea to bring the red into a wedding theme. You can even make these garlands to stick in your house for a party?
4. Floating apples tea lights. I LOVE this idea, it’s so clever because of the floating nature of apples in water! Also, once they are lit, I’m imagining the aroma of the apples would fill the air and it would smell stunning!
5. Use apples on a dessert table for a pop of colour.
6. Toffee apples! One of my favourites. I love going to school galas just so I can get my hands on one of these. YUM.
7. Apple wreath. This would be a pretty wreath for Autumn (Fall), you can even do a mixture of red and green apples. I’m thinking this would need to be sprayed with preservatives so they don’t rot too quickly, but for a weekend party – its perfect! The green is stunning on the grey door.

Picture sources: apples

Happy weekend everyone! We don’t have much planned at all so it will be a quiet one for us. Are you guys up to anything fun or crafty?

On a different note, this will be my 30th post so far! It’s a very small milestone but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has visited this site and also the ones that have returned again and again. I have LOVED sharing my projects and being creative so far on this journey.

I would love for you to get in touch, feel free to leave me a quick reply here or say hi via email. hello@inspirewiththis.com.