The Interior DIYer
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Out of this world


For husband’s birthday, I surprised him with an astronomical themed overhaul. I’ve never written about it here, but we’re massive nerds when it comes to astronomy {not to be confused with astrology}. We will sit for hours discussing, watching documentaries and debating infinity and beyond. Influenced by our most recent television obsession – the Stargazing Live series, I thought how better to celebrate than a space themed setting.

Above – I gave him the moon, or as best as I could draw it on our chalkboard wall …

Bacon sandwiches for breakfast with some added jazz. p.s. Spot the curious cat.

I should say, of what you see regarding decor, the only things I had to purchase for the day were edible items {that’s how much nerdy stuff we have}. I do find the best themed decor can be found within your own home. You just have to invest in some serious brainstorming, allow yourself to get carried away, and some hardcore rooting around cupboards.

In stead of a traditional iced birthday cake, I fancied up some crater cookies for hubby. This is where I can thank the Pinterest gods. I stumbled upon a painfully simple recipe – cookies and cream oreo bark. With its delightfully grey flecked white chocolate with Oreo chunks, it was a perfect fit and became ‘crater cookies’. Not to mention it took about 10 minutes to make. Sweet.

Leftover surplus of Oreos as well as some chocolate stars adorned the coffee table. I pimped out some vases with Mars and Milky Way bars, and finished it off with some of our Star Wars memorabilia. We went to Tunisia a couple of years ago and traveled to far-away abandoned Star Wars sets. The pink ticket you see framed is what I got for my use of the toilet facilities, which I had to pay for merely because I wasn’t a man.

So there you have it! Husband was very impressed and has stated a number of times that I can’t erase the moon for a good while. I’m okay with that. For now.

Happy Monday folks! I hope the weekend treated you well 🙂 xx A

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2012 – goals

It’s the new year and I’m writing a post on goals – shock, horror. But in stead, I’m writing about last years goals. Twelve months ago I wrote a list, and never published them. I kind of forgot about them. And I also thought no one would really want to read them anyways.

Then the other day, I went back to take a look at  the unpublished post, and was shocked when it dawned on me that I managed to achieve each of my goals for 2012. I don’t think that’s ever happened …


Couch to 5k – I always admire joggers. I hate jogging. Probably because I hate sweating. But I’ve come to a point where I want to be fit, and the perfect way to start this is the Couch to 5k program. 
I achieved this, getting up to 50 minutes of non stop jogging. For me – the eternal physical activity hater – that was a huge achievement. I also shed 28lbs/2 stone in the process. I’m hoping to continue this goal into 2013 and I’m proud to say I started kicking my ass again this week after a couple months off. If I can do it, anyone can. For serious. 

Level up – I heart blogging. Since I began, the more I got into it, the more I realized it pushes me to be more creative. I’m contemplating taking my creativity to another level. Possibly stepping into the world of selling stuff online. But I haven’t a clue what I’d sell. Not off to a good start …
I got a couple of magazine features in 2012 which was more than I expected. I’ve had a possible online idea involving revamping items and selling them on, but I’m really unsure how that would go. I do have a daunting /massive/exciting project on the horizon, but for now, I’ll do that annoying thing that people do and I won’t tell you what it is. 
Project Less 365 – I have way too much crap. Stuff I’ll never use, but that can get use from someone else. I’m hoping this year to embark on Project Less 365 – the idea being that you get rid of / give away one item per day every day for a year. 
Having only started this at the beginning of November {delayed by wedding fever}, I managed to almost finish this project by December 31st. And I’m not stopping there. A weight is being lifted the more I get rid of stuff. If you’re curious, you can check out my less is more posts.



Not morph into Bridezilla – I have a pretty tough level of OCD at the best of times. What scares me about our wedding day is that I won’t be able to relax and enjoy it. I’m trying not to put an overwhelming amount of detail into it, that way there’s less to go wrong. And if it does, c’est la vie. Or, I’ll keep a constant supply of g&t at hand.

I was as calm as a Hindu cow the two weeks leading up to our wedding, and I’m very proud. I typically excrete OCD, so this was a big step for me. I reminded myself that yes, it’s our wedding day, but it’s just another day in the end, so calm the fuck down.

As for this year, I’m not yet sure of my goals. And I’m okay with that.

xxA

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It’s the little things …

Ah, life’s little pleasures. Finding the little things that make us smile or giddy, and then acknowledging them. That last bit is quite important.

It’s taking a surprisingly long time for me to settle back to my pre-wedding schedule. I think my body went into a state of shock / hibernation for the first while since I now have all this time on my hands. But I’m taking full advantage and enjoying rediscovering the things that make me silly and nerd out. 

Last weekend I snatched up this piece of amethyst. All that deep purple shiny goodness. It’s been on my list for a while to buy a piece since I think it’s just pure eye candy. This piece is small, but the colour was the most vibrant {photo does no justice}. There were bigger and cheaper pieces of amethyst, but the colour was a bit pissy. I’d love to own a massive piece some day, but for the moment, that stuff is cray expensive.

I’m getting back into baking and cooking. I’m quite certain husband* is elated at this. Since my evenings are no longer filled with scouring shops for wedding stuff, I now fill that time with foooood. The day after we got home from our honeymoon I bought Lorraine Pascal and Nigella Lawson‘s new cook books. Oh hell yes.

Below – Nigella’s gorgeous {and almost no sugar} ruby-red plum crumble, and butternut squash with pecans and blue cheese {which I substituted with goats cheese} along with a yummy side salad, parma ham, and a sweltering glass of red, for good measure.

And last, but definitely not least, hubby graduated with FIRST CLASS HONOURS last Thursday, the 15th of November. But what made us super giddy and blew our tiny minds? The official date he was awarded on his certificate was our wedding day – the 11th of October. That’s getting framed, and you can be sure it will be OTT. I should also mention I’m insanely proud of him. He’s a full on genius. 

Thursday – we’re almost there!

xx A

*Still finding it weird calling him husband. I feel like I’m part of a special club now.