A little while back, I thought it would be fun to do favourite things kind of post. Feature books and products, homewares to skincare—stuff I’ve seen on the interwebs in a roundup style post. But then, from memory, it was Afterpay Day. And the very idea of sending out a post flogging stuff, even if it was for entertainment, was a no thanks.
But, some time has passed, and I’ve found more interesting things. I added an extra book and some sunscreen, an old favourite brand has a new offering, and some new-to-me products popped up. And since I feel a little better about the scale of emails in my inbox, I thought it was time. So, here they are, the many things that caught my eye on the interwebs lately; let’s do this.
12. Mr Consistent Mixers are refreshing, delicious and just as good alone or with soda water. Yum yum.
What have you discovered this month, team? I’d love to hear more about what is landing in your cart. Big or small, silly or serious, I’m sure some retail therapy has been helping us all through these weird and wonderful times. Enjoy the post, and as always, shop responsibly.
Putting together a cheese board doesn’t have to be difficult. How to put together a cheese board quickly will have you whipping up a board for your next drop-by visitor, an easy mid-week meal, afternoon session, or bring a plate occasion. Aside from those with lactose issues who doesn’t love cheese, right?
My love of cheese is a well-known fact about me, so much so even my clients send me cheese in the mail as a gift. It doesn’t have to be difficult; most of what you need to make a killer board can live in your pantry or fridge for you to grab when you need it. That’s my first tip, stock your life in preparation for cheese at any moment.
Start with the basics; take stock.
What do you need to have for a cheese board? Think of your favourite things to eat with cheese; fruits and nuts, cured meats and crackers. All of these things have pretty long shelf lives and can be maintained pretty easily. Start by keeping a well-stocked pantry of crackers, nuts and dried fruits and cheeses, fresh fruits and meats in your fridge. Plus, doing things like growing herbs in your garden can add colour and flavour to your board.
You’d be surprised what you already have in your fridge or pantry to get you started. Take a look, and don’t discount anything as possible ingredients for your board. Some suggestions to keep an eye out for are;
Phew. Once you take a look and start pulling things out to assess, a theme will start to appear. Sometimes we have a heap of tomatoes, so we do an Italian style board with soft cheeses, basil, spinach, olives and bread with olive oil to dip. Other times all we have is a heap of nuts, so we pair that with whatever cured meat and crackers we can find. Got vegetables? Keep it simple with a veggie-heavy crudités platter. Look for the theme and things that work together and crush your charcuterie game.
How to put together a cheeseboard – step by step;
Collect and prepare your supplies
Place your cheeses and larger items.
Prepare, fold and place meats and savoury add ons
Group and place crackers; tuck them around
Fill with fruits or sweet add ons
Dollop or place the dips, spreads or honey
And now it is time to raid the fridge and pantry and see what you can pull together. What do you think? Do you have some ideas for how to put together a cheeseboard quickly? The basics are that you need to keep a good stock of items, use what you have and then pull it all together on a board like an Instagram pro. You might just be surprised at the cheese board level that you can pull off with a few basic supplies and very little planning.
And yes, this isn’t even my first ever post about my love of the cheeseboard. A few years ago, after returning from the Barossa Valley, I shared my tips for cheeseboard signature style. Whatever that is. Haha. Let’s face it, any excuse to have cheese for dinner, take some images and write it all off as a business expense*. What can I say? Sometimes you don’t feel like making dinner; cheese for the win.
Lately, I’ve been on the hunt for some low-cost artwork for my office. Artwork? Maybe, calling it something more like decor or wall prints or something would be more accurate. Stuff for the wall, you get the drift. I found a few great, affordable, options during my most recent office makeover and thought I’d share. Plus I’ll share some photos from the office (from before I moved my desk, again).
A gallery wall has always been something that featured pretty heavily in my office.
Back in my first home office in the Jasmine house, I used floating shelves. Since we moved here, it was a million and one plaster puppies (actually name, I believe) in the wall opposite my desk. Which, when I started planning the refresh of the office, I planned to scale back. Which, I have done, but well, I’m not sure how long that will last. What can I say, I love being surrounded by beautiful things people have made, that I love and inspire me. I’m just always going to be a gallery wall kind of girl, I think. Here’s where I got my latest stash from.
Use the things you have
My brother and his partner gave me a Disney calendar from Typo for Christmas last year. The hook was weird and I never really hung it on the wall. But as a Disney fan from way back, I knew I was going to use the images, all of vintage Disney movie posters, as wall art. My first choice was 101 Dalmatians which is my favourite, and I just put the rest of the pages in the frame behind it so I can swap them if I feel like it.
This is the case too with all the magazines I have around. I collect magazines for beautiful covers and to tear ‘inspo’ images out of sometimes. And, that makes them perfect for hanging on your wall. I use a clipboard so I can keep the magazine intact. But you could rip the covers off and frame them or something. Or go full Gigi and blu-tak them to your million dollar apartment bathroom wall. If that’s your thing.
Print free images
Something I did this time that I’ve been saving photos for forever, was print from my collections on Unsplash. The main A3 photo (the chalkboard print) and the smaller prints you’ll see below (in the box and on the wall) are Unsplash images I loved and had printed online. I won’t say too much about where because the quality isn’t that great. But I wanted to feel okay about replacing them in the future, so it’s good enough. In the end, I printed two posters (for the large frame) and six A5 sized so I’ve got plenty of options now. Not to mention I have heaps more saved that if I wanted to, I could print on my home printer anytime.
Shop the Big Guys
I picked up this storm print from Kmart but it could have easily come from any of the big home decor stores with larger scale prints and canvases. Places like Target or Ikea. Sure, every man and their dog will own them, but when you want big you can’t go past it. This one is meant to hang vertically, but because I was covering a bunch of existing holes in the wall from my previous setup, after some fiddling around, I rather it horizontal. There’s a very good chance that if I put a gallery shelf on the brick wall, it will end up there. But for now, I’m happy with where this is situated and the stormy background it now gives me while I work.
Support the Little Guys
There is an endless supply of talented artists online, and when I asked for some suggestions on Instagram you guys came through. I purchased the stunning print you see in the featured image of this post from Jess Hutchison Art. I have two of the Native Floral Prints called the Follow your Heart and In Full Bloom, and Swifty the Swift Parrot. The one in the image is here. Originally I purchased them for the office, but the longer I have them here, the more I want to use them in the house. So, they’re on the move. After I get them some frames.
My recommendation? Ask people you know for suggestions of artists or makers they know. If you don’t see any you like, many artists use community-based platforms to print and sell their work. So, if you’re looking for work from smaller-scale businesses and artists try places like Etsy, Redbubble and Society6. The Do Something Today print in the image is from an Etsy seller YEARS ago. I have stickers from RedBubble on everything I own. And Society6 was the home for some test products back in the day involving a Suger Tee. Don’t ask.
Take a look at my office (sort of)
Now for a sneak peek into my office makeover including some of the other options I have for prints, wall decor and artwork. As I mentioned, I’ve already moved the desk (despite the power points being on that wall). The sun coming in from the top windows was too much. I’m back working under the camera shelves but who knows how long that will last. Watch this space. Maybe I’m finally at the stage where I need to get some kind of blind. But all that natural light, it’s almost too good to give up. Anyway, this post isn’t about the refresh, it’s about the wall art, let’s take a look, shall we?
There we go, team. I hope you found an option that you haven’t considered before. What do you use in your home or office to decorate the walls? Are you a prints kind of person? A wall art, canvas print, photos of the fam type? Want to know more about any of the other items you see here, let me know. Most are one-off buys or things I’ve made ages ago; but if I can help, I will. Until then, happy decorating.
Heading into this post about how to own your own home sooner I checked in with some of the people around me. Some are homeowners. Some give advice on borrowing money or purchasing property for a living. BUT, you should consider your own personal situation before taking on any of this advice. This is general information at best and does not form any sort of financial plan. Got that? Awesome, let’s talk owning your own home sooner.
There has been a lot of talk in the media in Australia about how hard it is to save for your first home and how it’s an endless struggle. As someone who purchased their first home really young, my personal experience of this is certainly different to those in major cities or without the privileges of being raised by real estate agency owners… I mean, politicians with millions of dollars in family money and pensions telling us to lay off the avocado toast is laughable.
Come oooonnnnn. *facepalm*
This fascination with real estate, the great Australian dream, has pushed prices up and up for decades. My first home was $115,000. You can still buy a generous home in my town for $300,000. But, that’s a long way from where we started, right? Some people pay one hundred thousand dollars for a car. Not me, but some people. Buying your own home, having something to show for your hard work (post-loan payments) is one of those tick the box, living the grown-up life boxes; for most people. And if that’s the case for you, I decided to put together a few ideas for ways to move your savings/deposit amounts forward to get you there sooner.
Simple ways to own your first home sooner.
State-based Grants.
Most states have some incentive to help first home buyers get into the market and being state-based they all differ slightly. The one that catches my eye the most (given I live in the state, relevant) is the Queensland government one.
Currently named Queensland First Home Owners Grant you may be eligible to receive up to $20,000 from the State government towards buying a brand new home or building one. This is particularly interesting to keep in mind if you compare the purchase price of 2 different properties one old and one new for the similar price you would be crazy not to do some extra sums to see if you’re better off with a brand new house potentially you designed yourself to suit your exact needs.
Are you currently renting and struggling to save the deposit you need. Have a happy parent gift you a 5% deposit or use their property as additional security? It may be worth talking to a Mortgage Broker about which banks have a Rental History policy to get around the need to show genuine savings. Just because your bank requires you to save a 5% deposit (or more) before considering you for lending doesn’t mean all bank have the same requirement.
I had a friend recently who was told by their bank a specific “in house” rule was a government rule when clearly to an experienced investor that just wasn’t the case. Remember you are the customer when it comes to loans. YOU are buying their services. Shop around. Don’t give loyalty to your bank for free. Expect more from them.
Consider your options.
For me, owning my first home was possible because I lived in a rural area where my income was pretty in line with what I was going to have to pay for my house repayments. It was also around 2001, grain of salt. When you’re considering your options for buying a property for you to live in, it might require you to downsize your essentials list a little. And I’m not saying you’re unreasonable, there is no millennial bashing here. Take a look at your wish list, are there things there you could live without? Or is there a less ‘trendy/expensive’ area you could live your life in that doesn’t cost as much?
Superannuation savings scheme
This was first flagged in the budget last year, and it has finally come into effect (or at least more info now provided). From the 1st July 2017, You now can add extra to your super (on top of what your employer must put in) as a way to save money for your first home deposit. You can put a maximum of $30,000 (maximum $15,000 per year) into your superannuation towards your first home.
After 1st July 2018 withdraw this money as well as the “shortfall interest” (which is a not too shabby, currently 4.72%) it has earned to put towards the purchase of your first home. Obviously, there are rules around this and best to talk to a financial planner about your specific situation. But this may be a way to save for your first home and lower the amount of tax you pay at the same time. Win-win.What a great place to save your deposit rather than in a bank account. Especially if you’re like me and prone to spending ALL the monies.
Bonus for the kids.
Plus, a person under 18 can start to make the superannuation contributions too. They can’t apply for the money to be released until they are 18 years of age but that works, right? I bought my first home not long after my 18th birthday, with a savings plan and my parent’s connections. Not something that everyone has access to, obviously. But THIS savings scheme is a great way to get your kids interested in saving for their first property, their super and what is happening to it long before they’ll even miss that money.
There you go, team. Obviously, all of this is just to bring you some great options for owning your own home sooner. You should take into account your own personal financial situation before committing to any sort of savings or financial plan. I’m here to direct you towards something you might not know, not provide a one size fits all answer. Got it? Awesome. I’d love to hear from you how you’re going about saving for your first home? Or if you’re in there, what was it like for you? What did it take?
We’ve been in our home for over two years now. It’s about time to show you guys around. A few of you have asked for this. Anytime I share a video to my story taken inside the house, you’re like, show us more! Well, you asked and I’m obliging. I started recording video, from every angle imaginable and soon I had way more footage than I needed. Not to mention so truly rubbish footage. Haha. But I’ve cut together a video that gives you the gist of what it’s all about.
Take a look at our living areas including the ridiculously good looking hallway. Which, probably shouldn’t be a thing, but it is. Don’t you just love a house with charm and character? When I first walked into this house I knew I could be very happy there. I’d been looking for something unique. Something with style. After years in spec houses, I wanted something with heart. When I found this house, I knew straight away it could be the one.
But, for some people, it looked like too much work.
I heard them talking it over on their way out of the inspection. It’ll cost thousands, they said. It’s so worn out. But, old real estate brat me, well, I knew better. Even if the painting would cost an arm and a leg. After taking Kel through the house, finalising a reasonable time frame for settlement, we were the proud owners of a piece of our town’s history.
Our project began before we moved in. We started with a few minor renovations in the form of a cut through from the kitchen and ripping out the carpets. Then we applied some paint (loads of paint and about 6 weeks) to cover the faded green and salmon walls. As this progressed we ditched the old curtains and blinds; never replacing them. This house was made to let light in. We wanted to let it in.
Soon this 1970’s beauty looked as good as new.
Take a look for yourself.
Want to see more about this house, the renovations and things like that? You’re in luck. Here’s one {some} I prepared earlier. There are even a couple in there from our old house. I miss that place sometimes, but I’ve got to say, this new place feels like home. And didn’t I say that we have a pretty cool looking hallway? I wasn’t lying, right?
There you go team, I hope you enjoyed this look into our house, I can’t wait to share more. In the future, I want to do a walk through how I have my office set up right now, so that’s on the list. Plus, I have some work coming up with Sheridan, so I’ll have to take you into our bedroom. Watch this space. More to come!
Back before we had finished painting the house I received an email from The Canvas Factory asking if I’d be interested in reviewing their products on the blog. After a bit of back and forward we reached an agreement and my photos from the photoshoot last year were winging their way to me on canvas for my very own Canvas Factory review!
When they arrived I tagged our photographer Bambi in a photo and she was excited to see them printed. Photos are for printing, she said, and I couldn’t agree more. These photos are beautiful, I love them, I’ve shared them online and on social media, but they really came alive after they were printed. Now they exist. I highly recommend you print more of your photos too. Which also happens to be a really nice tie into the fact that The Canvas Factory review was the reason behind this post. Win.
I’ve printed online and via kiosks before, with varying results. Some majorly varying results. So bad has been my experience that I was worried that too much post production will be done and ruin the quality of the images. That had happened to me before. I was worried that the images would be blurred. Also happened. Or that the colours would be off. Happened, we were almost green.
Then they arrived and I was really, really, really happy. I mean look at the photos, the canvases from The Canvas Factory are amazing. I feel like they are a little more saturated than the original images, but I like the impact of the bright blues against my creamy coloured walls.
The process to get me to delivery was smooth too. I ordered above the agreed amount on my gift certificate and had my pop portrait by Marie O’Neill printed too. I’m glad I did. It’s the best. So fun and vibrant and cool. I’ll share some pics when my office is set up. I guess I just wanted to let you know we are settling in. There are things on the walls. The house is coming together. It’s funny how a few family photos on the wall will do that, right?
Want to try out The Canvas Factory for yourself? I’ve got a link that will give you 70% off your first purchase. Click here and take a look. I hope if you order you share your canvas prints with me when they arrive. I’d love to see them. Enjoy!
Home is where the heart is, right? Tell that to someone who has relied on the kindness of their sister and her family for almost six months and see what they say. They’d probably say, despite missing your sister, your BFF and your adorable nephew desperately, that having your space is awesome. Being settled in is the best. And I’m happy to report that it’s pretty much all systems go here.
Sure there are boxes yet to be unpacked.
Rooms with no furniture to speak of.
My office is still half filled with items we plan to garage sale.
But we are here. The painter is not. It’s our place, and we are settling in just fine. We curl up on the couch, lie in bed at night and shower in our house. We complain about the stairs, and the glass cook-top and laugh because finally, we have the opportunity to because they are ours. This is our fifth house together. The second renovation.
This is our fifth house together. The second renovation. And the 6th time my name has appeared on the title of a property. I feel lucky. There is a chance some in my generation won’t know the satisfaction of owing a bank shitloads of money for your home. But I do, we do, and I couldn’t be happier to do it.
I’m sure there’s more to say on that topic, isn’t there always especially at the moment, but I’m going to leave it there. Let you know that we are doing ok. That we are getting there. That the new couch was worth the fifty-billion years wait to get. Stay tuned, there will be more updates as each of the room are finished off. I mean, I promised to bore you to tears. I plan on honoring that.
Welcome back to another Suger’s Place update! Last time we talked about the house, the glossy for sale pics (from 3 years ago) and the style of the design, now cozy industrial. The renovation is in full swing, the pieces are falling together. The painting is almost done, the servery window through to the kitchen is finished and we have cleaned, sanded and prepared the house to within an inch of its life. We have removed some carpets and old blinds, repaired a few broken doors and changed the locks. And that doesn’t count the work to come outside. And as proof, here’s an iPhone pic collage of our adventures so far. We are totally Block worthy, don’t you think?
So it is with fingers firmly crossed that we say that we hope for it all to be done this week. In theory. Probably. We’ll see how it goes. If you’ve got any magical wishing dust or spare prayers, throw them our way behind our very first world problem. Thanks muchly. And now for some photos taken yesterday afternoon. The latest and greatest update. I call this update, ladders for days.
Eeeep. So close now. And for those playing at home, we move in this weekend fully and officially. So if you had plans to set up camp in my yard, you missed your chance. Oh shucks. Haha. This is me, signing off. I’ll update you all when we move in. If I can pry my eyeballs apart.
It’s been longer than we expected, after the first house we were hoping to purchase fell over weeks and weeks into the contract period. With money already spent and time running out, we went back to the market looking for a house that met our criteria, that we both loved. We found that house.
We found THE house. And Monday, in conjunction with our bank, we made it ours. A home sweet home that turns us from benevolent house guests to homeowners once again. Phew. An hour after we collected the keys we had started the work we want to do before moving in.
Including removing a wall in the kitchen and repairing the house, top to bottom inside. We are removing carpets, there are more polished floor below and it’s looking like will we be painting a concrete floor in my new office. Lots to do with an aim to have it all finalised in 3 weeks ready to move in.
With this house it was love at first sight. The angles, the light, the timber, the huge block. I knew it would be mine and I started forming a plan for what I wanted to do with it. Then came what I could afford to do now and what would come later. Then I pinned like a mad woman planning the room layouts and design. Piece by piece the concept came together in my head.
When ended up with a slight detour to that plan when in February, we had a lot of rain. A lot, a lot. It poured down so long and hard it flooded our storage shed wiping out a large portion of our furniture, electrical items and my cook book collection. Not the cook books! It became one more thing on the list I would need to do.
You know, replace ALL the things?
Overwhelm set in as Mr Suger and I ventured to the shops to replace our couch, main bedroom and dining room furniture. I was also looking for a rug or two and maybe a bunk bed for our guest room. There was an idea forming, but nothing set in stone. We left that night without buying a thing.
On the weekend just gone I met with my friend Marylou of Your Sanctuary Design for a sit down to talk paint colours and design type things. She helped me cement my thoughts into a clear idea of what I was going for. Shopping, she said, would be easier if I could make choices and change my mind on the spot based on an overall theme. A clear picture of what I want. And can I tell you, she was so right.
The Suger’s are now proud owners of a couch, lots of cushions, a dining table and chairs and a floor lamp. Phew. Plus a colour palette and a theme for lack of a better word. To share that whole thing with you guys as we go, to give a feeling of what I’m going for, check out the collage below.
What do you think? More house updates or less? I’ve already voted yes to house updates, so you’re going to have to live through that. Haha. To bore you to tears is my plan. Brace yourself.
I was dragged kicking and screaming, sometimes literally, into packing up the house while I was on holidays over the past two weeks. I huffed and puffed. I sooked. I wanted to be at the beach, not in the recesses of my house pulling things out of cupboards, sorting, and packing. The phrase I don’t want to was whined through the house on more than one occasion.
Such a grown up.
Don’t get me wrong. Selling our house is something I am on board with 110%. One hundred and ten percent. But this part, I hate this part! The packing, the trips to the bank and solicitors to organise the transfer and settlement. I’m self-acting, of course, doing all the running around because I don’t have anything better to do. Derrr. This part displeases me. Lots! So I pack and phone and complain and things will eventually get done. They always do, right?
We settle next week and I need to be out asap. Putting our lives for the past 6 years into boxes is an interesting thing. I’m learning a lot about us and our relationship packing those boxes. We like to keep things. We have boxes full of stuff that reminds us of something. I have show programs from every musical or show I have ever seen. Mr Suger has folders of recipes from high school. We are walking a fine line here people. We almost have too much stuff. Way too much.
I’m tempted to throw the entire lot and start again, let me tell you. Go minimal or something. Can those memories really be captured by those things? Can they be stored there for a rainy day in my distant future when I open those boxes? I wonder about that. I love to be able to hold these things up remember. But could I remember just as well without them? It would certainly make the load carry lighter.
Or is that just something that pops up its head when you are packing endless boxes? The urge to get rid of everything. The want for a clean slate? Maybe it’s moving in the New Year/fresh start for everyone crossover time of year. Who knows but the urge to dump is high, and for the most part, I’m accepting the challenge. Everything must go!
It’s been a while since I announced on here that we were putting our house up for sale and gave you a look inside. You must be a little curious about how all that is going, right? If you’re not then, I’ve severely misjudged my importance, and I might need to reassess my mission in life. HA. So if you are interested, awesome, follow me. Otherwise, moving right along folks, see you tomorrow with a new outfit post.
It was pretty much six months ago that we decided to list our house for sale. Since then we have had some ups and downs. As some of you around here for a while would know, my background IS real estate, so I know what to expect. This is also my sixth home. I get it. It’s hard not to tear your hair out though when problems with the company who built your home are overshadowing everything.
We sorted those problems out last Monday.
We signed a contract Thursday.
Can’t complain about that! Haha.
So by the middle of this month we will know if we are unconditional and moving early next year. The idea of packing our lives into boxes is exciting. I love moving. I love the challenge of building or renovating new homes for us. I’m firmly of the belief that if you stay too long in the one place you get stale. And while, for us, we don’t move towns too often, a good house swap is just what the doctor ordered.
I know you’re probably wondering where we are going to go when we sell. Well, I’m even in a position to answer that! Nowhere. Haha. We are staying locally and will probably take up an offer from my sister to crash in a room or two of her house while we finalise the purchase of a new property. The double move will suck, but I don’t like to be rushed. Plus we live together well, and it means she can pack my lunch for me. A double win.
If I told you have a house in mind already, would you think I was nuts? A family friend is looking to sell their property, and it’s THE place I want to be. Mr. Suger agrees, now it’s a case of making it work if we can. People would say that’s a bad strategy for buying a house, to let the person know how much you love it, but I don’t think so. I know that for some people knowing that you will love their home as much as they do is reassuring.
And that, my friends, is an update. I’ll keep you posted, ok?
