My Front Porch Makeover

I've always wanted to have a lovely front porch to sit on during warm Spring-Summer days but it's been a bit of a dream since we bought the house. Decorating the front porch has never been a priority. Since Little Miss became a toddler, I decided it was time to make it happen so we could sit out here together. This has been my project for the last few weeks & I've really enjoyed it.

This is what the porch looked like before:

very dull & boring. A blank canvas waiting to be transformed.

You can even see a glimpse of my outdoor thongs which I keep here for when I step outside.
Not a very inviting porch & not a great first impression of the house.


This is what the front porch looks like now:

Understated, practical & neutral.

I did a bit of searching for the bench, as I was determined to get a white one. It wasn't easy to find, as most are either plain timber or wrought iron. Thank goodness for my favourite store at the moment - Masters. Both the white bench & the outdoor rug were bought at Masters.

Details for the rest of the items:

wicker table/ottoman is from Early Settler (great for holding a cup of coffee or a magazine),
terracotta citronella candles are from Bunnings (to ward off the mozzies),
star candle holder is from Flower Power (for added ambience),
plastic tray with handles I had around the house (for holding flowers, magazines, candles, & to carry drinks & things in & out of the house),

fresh roses are from my garden,

outdoor cushions were a bargain buy from Flower Power,

white plastic stool is from Ikea (doubles as another chair or small table),
fern is from Flower Power,
white flower pot I had around the house.

Of course, there's so much more that I could add to make it "pop" a bit more (colours, textures, plants, etc), but I decided to keep it classic & simple for now because I will be adding splashes of festive splendour for Christmas next month (hopefully that'll be a future blog post).

A welcoming porch gives a positive first impression to people when they arrive at your home (decorating your front porch when trying to sell your house is a big plus!). Little Miss & I sit out here on warm afternoons waiting for hubby to arrive from work. It's such a nice, cosy space for us & I love sitting out here. It's currently our favourite "room".

Have you done any mini projects at your house lately? Maybe you're getting a few things ready for Christmas. Feel free to share - I'd love to hear about it.

Baby Shower

Baby showers are sweet. Everyone is so happy for the mum-to-be & there's so much anticipation in the air. I was invited to one recently & had a lot of fun.
There were plenty of gifts for the bub in the tum,

 fun(ny) games,

(pin the dummy on the baby)

(guess the number of jellybeans in the jar)

scrumptuous food

(delicious white chocolate mud cake made by Samantha at "Cake Smitten")

&.....a fingerprint tree.

Here's another way to use the fingerprint tree (in my previous post it was used at an engagement party):

get all the guests at the baby shower to pick either blue ink or pink ink, depending on whether they think the baby will be a boy or a girl, & add their fingerprint to the fingerprint tree. Then they can put their name next to the fingerprint. It's a beautiful alternative to a guest book & a fun idea so that the mum-to-be can look at all the baby predictions on the tree. Also nice to pass on to the baby as a keepsake for them to have later on.

There was a 50/50 split on the predictions at this baby shower.

Upon leaving, we each received this gorgeous Thank You

with an ultrasound photo of the baby on the back.

A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Have you been to a baby shower recently? How much fun did you have?

Fingerprint Tree

I recently attended an engagement party for a lovely couple &, instead of a Guest Book, they had a Fingerprint Tree. This was the first time I had seen this, but I've recently also noticed it on Pinterest, so it's not a new idea - but a very creative one.

The idea is that you have a tree printed on a sheet of paper (A4 or A3 are a good size) & you also have an ink pad where guests can ink their finger, then apply their fingerprint somewhere on the tree. You then write your name next to the fingerprint & the couple are left with a beautiful memento of all the guests at their engagement. (Having a packet of wet wipes handy is a good idea, so guests can remove the ink afterwards).

Here's the Fingerprint Tree that I put my fingerprint on:

This is such a clever idea for many other special functions too, such as weddings, kitchen teas, baby showers, birthdays, christenings & so many more, where you might previously have used a Guest Book.

I think a fantastic idea would be to create a Family Tree similar to the Fingerprint Tree (I don't know if this has been done yet - it probably has). With the Family Tree, your family members can put their fingerprints on the tree & then you can frame it & hang it on the wall in your home, along with your family photos.

It's beautiful. What do you think of the Fingerprint Tree? Do you like it as much as I do?

Storing your Batteries

I saw this great idea on Pinterest & thought I'd do it for myself, & share. Definitely not a new idea, but a very practical one for organising your batteries.


This is how I have been storing my batteries (in an old paper bag from a store):

I removed all the batteries from their packaging:

& placed them in this very handy container:

They're so much easier to access now, & I know when I'm running out so I can buy more.

I had this container lying around the house, but you can buy similar containers with compartments at Howard's Storage World & Ikea.
You can also use this type of container to store buttons, tea bags, kids craft supplies, nails & screws, makeup, hair clips & so much more.


Do any of you have any practical ideas like this that you'd like to share?

High Tea at Sofi's at the Hotel Sofitel-Melbourne

My friend & I visited the Hotel Sofitel in Melbourne yesterday for High Tea at Sofi's Lounge. We were celebrating her birthday so I was hoping it would be a memorable experience. It was! She was thrilled!

After doing much research on Afternoon/High Teas in Melbourne, I decided to take her to Sofi's Lounge at the Sofitel because they were one of a few places that provide gluten-free options & a beautiful atmosphere. Also, the weekend afternoon tea at Sofi's is a buffet, so you are welcome to go back for seconds, & thirds...

From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel very welcome. We started with a glass of sparkling wine & from there, the delicious afternoon began.

Here are some photos from our experience:

There were tables with a variety of sweets, including panna cotta, creme brulee, opera slice, fruit scones, & a multitude of cakes. Also on offer was a decadent chocolate fountain with different options for dipping, such as fruit, turkish delight & marshmallows.

As if that wasn't enough, there was a pancake station, where a chef was cooking fresh crepes & pancakes, with accompaniments of berry coulis, warm caramel sauce & thick cream.

Also on the menu were hot & cold savoury items, including mini shepherd's pies (which my girlfriend loved), cream cheese & cucumber sandwiches, egg & mayonnaise sandwiches & mini quiches. The sandwiches were so fresh & soft that I lost count of how many I ate.

As my friend has a gluten-free diet, she was given a 3-tiered stand with a selection of gluten-free savoury & sweet items, in addition to all that was on offer.

There was also unlimited coffee & tea, & a pianist was playing beautiful music in the background.
To top it all off, one of the songs he played was Happy Birthday & at that moment, several waiters came out with plates of cake with a birthday candle for the people celebrating their birthdays. Such a nice surprise!

High Tea at Sofi's was a  beautiful afternoon to celebrate the birthday of a beautiful friend. For anyone struggling for ideas on how to make someone feel special, consider a High Tea. It's such a treat & it's nice to spoil or be spoiled every once in a while.

Shopping Tip - Buy Multiples

Mums don't have a lot of opportunity to shop for themselves, so when you get the chance, make the most of it, ladies. I was lucky enough to have an opportunity not too long ago & thought I'd share it with you.

I have a lot of everyday tops at home that no longer fit very well-they're either too tight or too short. Buying some new ones was long overdue, so I went into Target recently & this basic Hot Options long sleeve cotton top caught my eye - great for everyday.

It was on special (although even at a regular price of $18, they're a good buy). I only needed 1 or 2, as I wanted to be budget-conscious. I could always go back to Target later & buy more if I needed them, right? Probably not!

I realised that I wouldn't be back later to buy more, so I decided to:

buy basic colours, as they match with everything,

buy one size up from what I used to wear (especially as I didn't have time to try them on),

& buy 2 of each chosen colour.

I walked out with 6 tops: 2 white, 2 grey, 2 black.

Don't you love shopping during the sales!!

So, a quick tip for you when shopping for basics: buy multiple quantities in different colours (because you may not be back to shop for yourself for quite a while!).


Happy shopping....

Blog Update

Just a quick note today to let my readers know that, if you're subscribed to my posts via email, you may get some past blog posts in your inbox.
I've been doing a bit of housekeeping & editing on the blog this weekend & some of the previous posts have been re-sent to subscribers. If you've previously read the posts, feel free to read them again or delete them as you please. If you haven't read the posts before, I hope you enjoy reading them & maybe you'll get some inspiration & ideas.
Thanks for being a Hugs For Mummy subscriber & I look forward to sharing a whole lot more of my ideas, projects, recipes & other little bits with you all.

Toy Storage - by Age

As my Little Miss is accumulating more & more toys, I've had to think of a way to store her toys but be able to access them if I need to. The big & bulky ones have been dismantled (where possible-some can't be pulled apart once they're assembled!) & put in large garbage bags with a sticker on the bag with the name &/or description of the toy & put away. The smaller ones (which I want to be able to access) I've decided to organise into plastic tubs, by age. That way, when we have younger kids that visit, we can easily grab some age-appropriate toys for them to play with.

Here's how I've organised the toys:

Wash &/or wipe the toys.

Write the age range of each toy (usually found on the box or packaging) on the bottom of the toy with a permanent marker/texter (I don't use stickers in case they get peeled off & end up in a little one's mouth). I usually write the age range on each toy when we first get it, before throwing the box away.

If there's nowhere on the bottom to write the age range, I write it on the side or somewhere else inconspicuous

I bought myself a whole lot of these great tubs from Bunnings. They come in different sizes, they're stackable, they have wheels & they are cheap. Perfect for storing all sorts of things

This particular size cost just under $10. 

So far, I've labelled the tubs with the ages:
Birth - 6M
6M+
12M+

Little Miss is at the 18-36M stage, so she's currently using her toys in that age range.

The toys' age ranges are sometimes quite broad. As an example, for toys that are recommended for 6-36month olds, I've put those toys in the 6M+ tub. That way, I know they're safe for children 6 months & over, but may not be safe for any children younger than 6 months.

I filled the tubs with the toys, stacked them & stored them in the garage. Out of the house but easy to get to if we need them.
Once we've finished using the toys again, they can be stored in the corresponding tubs easily because of the age range printed on the bottom, rather than trying to guess which tub they go back into.

I've found this storage system is working well for the moment. However, I'm not sure how many tubs I'll end up with in a few more years!

Organise your Greeting Cards

There have been times when I've found myself with a beautifully wrapped gift but no card to attach to it, & then I've had to rush off to a newsagency/shopping centre/supermarket to buy a card. I decided that, whenever I find beautiful cards whilst I'm out shopping, I'll buy them & keep them for future use. Those unique hand-made cards that you find at markets & at small gift shops are my favourites.

The challenge is, how do you store them?
I came up with this idea:

I bought this white box at Officeworks (a set of 3 different sized boxes cost about $20 - this one is the largest in the set). You can use a shoe box or any other box you may have around the house that is big enough to fit greeting cards.

I also had some previously used plastic A4 dividers

& I removed the old yellow labels from the tabs. I cut the dividers to size, so they would fit inside the box. (You can use traditional cardboard dividers if you like). 

I put a blank white sticker on each tab & hand wrote on each one.

Then I sorted through all the cards, grouped them & put them in the box.

I ended up with these groupings:

Baby (includes Christening, Birth, Baby Shower, Mum-To-Be, etc)

Birthday

Easter & Xmas

Get Well Soon

New Home

Sympathy

Thank You

Wedding (includes Kitchen Tea, Wedding, Engagement etc)

Various (any other cards, including blank ones)

& one for Stickers, Seals etc

You can label your dividers any way you like, depending on what cards you have.

I hand wrote on the tabs to give them a personal touch, rather than using my trusty labelling machine.

I did, however, use my machine to label the front of the box

It's neat & compact & stackable. Very practical!

The box is organised well enough for me not to have to spend too much time searching for the right card. Of course, there are cards that I can't buy in advance (eg. kids age birthday cards, Anniversary cards, Farewell cards, etc), so those cards won't be stored in this box as I'll buy those cards when I need them. But for most other cards, this storage box works quite well. 

I'm still trying to work out a good way to store my wrapping paper & ribbons, but I'll be sure to let you know if I come up with a storage idea for those. Feel free to share if you have a great idea that works well for you.