Common Chaos

BLOG EVERYDAY IN MAY – Something I Know A Lot About!

commonchaoschronicle — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:37:01 +0000

Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic) Well here's an interesting topic!!! I've never really considered myself as a know-it-all about anything really. Don't get me wrong, I know plenty, but usually it's pretty useless information! So in an attempt to crack out a quick post with a screaming baby wanting my every ounce of attention, I have come up with this..... * * * * * * * * * I know a lot about making smooshy cute kiddies!!!!!! Here's the recipe. 1. Meet a cheeky man. 2. Fall in love. 3. Attempt to make babies.... 4. Fail miserably and give up all hope. 5. Discover you're pregnant. 6. Fall head over heels in love with being a parent. 7. Decide a big family is definitely for you. 8. Repeat the process from step 3. So there you have it. 6 little smooshies. Beware the shock you get when you realise that they're not that little anymore..... WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU KNOW A WHOLE LOT ABOUT????

BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY 2013 – The Story Of My Life……..

commonchaoschronicle — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:16:32 +0000

Here is the story of my life in approximately 250 words..... or so. Don't actually count them and we'll all be none the wiser!!! I was born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to an Australian mum and an English dad. We were a middle class, working family that longed to live out the 'Own your own home' dream. Just before I turned 8yrs old, my baby brother arrived, much to my disgust, as I had ordered a sister!!! I spent many years babysitting him while mum and dad worked and although he often drove me batty, I enjoyed 'mumming' him. Today, I can not be any prouder of his efforts and achievements, including my beautiful niece!!! I went through primary school and high school being bullied and picked on for my weight, a battle that I still deal with today. I completed a diploma of Music Business Management but have never had the opportunity to use it. I have worked in supermarkets and childcare in the past but can't wait to try something new in the future. After celebrating my 21st birthday in Melbourne, I decided to follow my mum and dad to the country for a change of pace and to buy an investment property. 12 years later I am still living in my 'investment' property, that has since expanded in size, with the arrival of my 6 gorgeous kiddies to my husband Brian. And for those of you cheeky enough to ask, YES!!!! WE DO OWN A BLOODY TELEVISION!!!! Back in 2005 my Mum suffered a stroke and in 2009 we lost my Dad to cancer. Both life changing events and both help make up who I am today. I get super bored being stuck at home and love to redecorate my house every few months, interior design keeps my creativity at bay while I do my best at being a SAHM. Most recently I have found a passion for crotchet, walking and blogging, which have all helped immensely while trying to deal with my post natal depression. And that's pretty much my life up until today. I have included some links in this post to other pages that talk about my life in case the '250' words just wasn't enough for you! NOW I HAVE SHARED MY LIFE IN BRIEF WITH YOU WONDERFUL READERS, HOW ABOUT YOU SHARE YOURS WITH ME IN THE COMMENTS? Joining up with this linky is the perfect motivation for me to get the blogging up and going properly again. I hope you enjoy the random posts that will pop up.

Bush Fires: Teaching Children About Summer Fire Safety.

commonchaoschronicle — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:33:22 +0000

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang. While the cool change has been making a sporadic appearance around the country, especially in Victoria, we're not out of the fire danger period just yet, and teaching our children about the dangers of bush fire and being fire ready is still a top priority'. Living in rural Victoria after growing up in Melbourne has really opened my eyes to the dangers of bush fire and my knowledge of what to do has grown from non existent to being fire ready and prepared to leave if necessary. And that’s a great thing. What is even greater though, thanks to the CFA, I am able to pass that knowledge down to my children at a young age and have them fire ready and knowing what to do in an emergency too. Teaching our children to be ‘Fire Ready’ is as valuable as teaching them to swim and here’s why: MYTH: If you live in a residential suburban area you’re safe. FACT: Even on the urban fringe you are at risk of fire. In strong winds, embers can travel up to 35 kilometres in front of a fire, starting new fires. People who travel or holiday in high risk bushfire areas are also at risk of bushfire. Even people considering a day trip should be prepared. MYTH: CFA will be able to send a fire truck or come to my rescue. FACT: If the CFA is fighting fires, they can’t be knocking on doors. It’s your responsibility to make the best possible decision for your family based on the current Fire Danger Ratings and official warnings for your area. It’s up to you to know when to leave. MYTH: Winter has been very wet so there’s less chance of a fire in summer. FACT: Rainfall fuels the growth of vegetation, especially grass, creating more fuel for fire. In years of wet weather, Victoria often sees an increase in the number of large grassfires. It only takes two weeks of hot, dry and windy weather to create dangerous fire conditions. MYTH: If we do decide to leave early, we will be able to go to the local Neighbourhood Safer Places. FACT: Neighbour-hood Safer Places are places of last resort only when all other plans have failed, and do not guarantee safety. They are sometimes just an open space (e.g. a football oval) with limited facilities. There isn’t a Neighbour-hood Safer Place in every community. These are just a small number of myths that people talk about when sprouting knowledge about bush fires and fire safety. The truth is simple. Be prepared, know what to do and get out early. Here’s what we have done at Chaos HQ to prepare our MonsterSquad of 6 children to be ready in a bush fire emergency. 1. The children are not left at home alone at this stage, so an adult is always with them, however we have told them that they need to be responsible and aware should we be running around, checking fire warnings, collecting paperwork and securing the property etc. The most important thing we have emphasized to them is NOT TO PANIC. It will be scary, it will be a shock but when in panic we cannot think rationally and that is not safe. 2. Our older children have a younger sibling buddy to help out should anyone notice or become aware of smoke, fire or receive notice from an emergency service. 3. 5 out of our 6 children know how to access the CFA Fire Ready App on our idevices and have an understanding of our location on the map and how to proceed to further information. The older Monsters can also access that information on the internet and know how to tune in the radio. 4.We have briefed the children on what is important to pack should they have time to do so. Using examples such as “We need water, food and clothing to survive, but we can always buy a new Doll, Block set or Toy train”. 5. If time permits, we have taught the children to dress themselves and their buddy in long sleeves and pants, and to wear sturdy closed in shoes. 6. The children know how to handle the pets and what to do with them if we have be told to evacuate the property. For example, they can overturn a large plastic toy tub, and place the 3 cats inside, pop the lid on which will allow us to transport them to safety too. 7. A meeting point has been set up at both the front and the back of our house to escape the building should it be on fire. It’s always important to have at least 2 exit points in case one is not safe. 8.Listen. Listen to mum, dad, grandma, the neighbor, police, the CFA worker and so on. Follow direct instructions and get to safety. Practice. 9. Create your own fire drill at home and practice it regularly. Practice makes perfect and will help eliminate panic should a real fire happen. It might not be just a bush fire. Role play and practice different circumstances like a house fire, shed fire, neighbors house on fire and so on. Here are some other important things we believe your children should know: How to dial 000 Their full name Their Address Their Phone number A relatives phone number These things are essential in helping emergency service workers reunite children with their families in larger meeting points/areas. I hope by sharing all this information with you, wherever you are in Victoria or in Australia, you too will be motivated to make a survival plan, and practice a fire drill in your own home. Our emergency services are incredible but it is our responsibility as parents/guardians to train our children to know what to do in a fire and to keep safe. To those families that have lost their homes, and/or love ones to bush fire in our region, my thoughts are with you all. Be Fire Ready Today.

Creating A Dinosaur Themed Bedroom On A Budget.

commonchaoschronicle — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:48:37 +0000

For as long as I can remember, Levi has loved Dinosaurs. One of his first understandable words was "Rooooaaaaaarrrrrr", every time he saw one, and he even had a Dinosaur themed 1st Birthday party to go with his big Roar!!!! (You can check it out HERE). Phases have come and then gone but the one that has stayed constant in his almost 4yrs of life is the constant interest in Dinosaurs. Who can blame him really and with a Mum and Dad both into them too, it probably runs through his veins. So after many an argument, eye-roll and sigh, MonsterSquad Dad finally gave in and gave the nod to go ahead an pick out some paint. Of course, I would have done it either way, but let's face it, having a paint roller man on board makes my job easier and so much faster! So I searched Pinterest for some dino inspiration. I had some colours floating through my mind but I wanted to see what else I could do with them to help make the Dinosaur theme come alive and to give my 2 youngest boys a fun and relaxing area to play in. Here's what I found and loved on Pinterest. If you're not already following me on there, you can find me by clicking HERE.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jacqui on Pinterest

I really like the ladder in this picture, and since the boys will be sharing the room for sometime yet it could be a future possibility.

Source: flickr.com via Jacqui on Pinterest

We also like this bunk bed design, however since Elijah is still so young, we thought the teeth may be too dangerous at this time. I must add though, this is Levi's favourite bed and he wishes he could have it 'right now!!!!'.

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Jacqui on Pinterest

This is the idea we liked the most. It could be built to fit the room, it's not too high for the little ones and it incorporates a play area that could be 'Dino-decorated' to suit the room. The only problem with this is Elijah is still in his cot and will not be in a bed for another 12months or so... Since the bed inspiration was taken care of, next I wanted some decorating ideas. And I found heaps!!!! I'll just share a few here but if you want to see more find me on Pinterest and check out the Album.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jacqui on Pinterest

Ikea leaves. I love them. I love them so much that I even have one in my own bedroom. True story. It's just a shame that Ikea is 3hrs away and I have to wait to get down there, but I will definitely be getting these for the room!

Source: craftcritters.blogspot.com via Jacqui on Pinterest

How cool is this idea? Saw some cheap plastic Dinosaurs in half (I will totally have to do that while Levi is at Kinder!!!!) and use them as wall hooks to hang dressing gowns/coats etc....

Source: blogs.babble.com via Jacqui on Pinterest

These jars look great and could be used to store any of the smaller bulk toys that boys love to collect. I'm working on something similar at the moment!!

Source: kidsdecoratingideas.com via Jacqui on Pinterest

This I LOVE!!!!!! But I found it online for a whopping $260.00. Certainly not in our budget so I'll have to give it a miss this time but it really does look so cool. If you know where I can get it cheaper in Australia please let me know! And Lastly, a little bit of wall art for the room!!!

Source: etsy.com via Jacqui on Pinterest

I am certainly inspired by these but I am thinking ...... Wood! Yey for wall art!!! On top of all of that I love buntings and crotchet too. So add into the mix some greens and greys, (yep I love these colours together) and you'll be on the same wavelength as me. As for Monster Squad Dad...... He's still shaking his head at my latest 'wonderful' ideas!!!! Do you have even more cool Dinosaur Ideas to share with me??? What have you seen in the past that looks effective and suits young boys??? Stay tuned for Part 2, where I show you what the room looked like and reveal the colours I have chosen.

My Biggest Critic Is……

commonchaoschronicle — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:00:42 +0000

I have been doing a hell of a lot of soul searching lately. Depression has kicked in hardcore on top of my anxiety. While I still have some good days, there have been many bad ones. I find it so hard to be enthusiastic about anything. Well I get excited but soon after comes that voice in my head that has to ruin it for me. You know, the one that always brings up the negatives, the 'what if's' and so on. That's right, I now declare myself my own worst critic. For as long as I can remember, I have been hard on myself. I think it stems from childhood feelings of 'never being good enough'. I have struggled with being me my whole life. It's always been comparisons after comparisons. That constant need to please and do whats right by others. The feelings of self doubt, not fitting in and not making the cut. For years the words that some people say have cut right through me and it's instantly personal.... to me. But these words aren't always meant that way. By facing all of these feelings, I have realised that I judge myself far too much. And I judge negatively, time and time again. A sophisticated woman looks me up and down while we're out and I automatically assume what she's thinking. "That lady is so fat" "She's got too many kids" "Wonder if they all have the same dad" "What does that man see in her" and so on..... Except maybe the sophisticated woman wasn't thinking that at all. Perhaps she was thinking... "Wow, look at her kids, she's doing a great job with them" "I wish I could start a family" "Have I left it too late?" "She's so lucky to have 6 healthy happy children" and so on.... I guess my point is, we never know what someone else is thinking unless they say it to our face. I am a professional at assuming what people are thinking, and letting those thoughts bring me down. It's an easy enough thing to do. Changing my thought processes and concentrating on positives is going to be a huge change for me. Like somebody trying to quit smoking, it's a bad habit, that I need to break and I don't think I am alone. Women judge other women, far too much. I too have been guilty of it. We probably all have. But why do we judge ourselves? As if society is not hard enough on us!!! I long for the day where I have practiced changing my thoughts so much that they're no longer instantly negative. I long for the day that I can say I have a purpose and it's worthwhile and truly believe in myself once again. It's time for the low to make a move and go.... Have you ever felt like this before? Do you self judge and criticize yourself far too much? What are you doing to love you for you?

Have I Finally Found My Voice???

commonchaoschronicle — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:15:57 +0000

So it's Friday afternoon. Normally I am tossing up whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Good because it means no lunchboxes and no uniforms, and if I am lucky, no freakin' alarm clock either. Bad because it means that I have to catch up on all the things I haven't done, while entertaining 6 MonsterSquad members and dodging cats under my feet. So you can see, I usually have mixed feelings about the weekend especially when it's going to be a long one. But after chucking the mother of all spack attacks because the kids had pulled all of the clothes pegs off the line, I retreated to my ~~sanctuary of air conditioned luxury~~ muggy half cool dining room, and checked the emails on my phone. To my excited surprise, I discovered some pretty awesome readers of Common Chaos Chronicle have nominated me in the Kidspot VOICES OF 2013 Bloggers Competition!!! Wow. Kidspot. Voices. Soooo cool! I'm just a little bit proud really! Something I never thought would happen and a spark of light at the end of the dim and gloomy tunnel I have been residing in lately. It's a great start to my new found 'positive thinking' (oh how I am trying to keep up with that one!!!) and I am overwhelmed at the awesomeness of a simple nomination in the personal and parenting category. When I first started blogging, it was just a record of my life, something for the kids to look back on and a timeline of events in our chaotic lives. To know that people are out there, reading my work, being inspired by our chaos and even enjoying it is incredible and I personally thank each and every one of you reading this, for your support and communication within the Common Chaos Chronicle community! Now it's not all celebrations and happy dances at Chaos HQ. I have to go and drown myself in sweat once more while I hang out yet another massive machine load of washing on the line. Seriously, I may actually melt in these toasty temperatures. Then, sometime before midnight, I am going to rediscover the kitchen bench and refill the cupboards. I swear, the bench is there somewhere. So tonight I am wishing you a very happy weekend, I hope it's full of fun, love and tons of productivity. I will keep you all updated on the Kidspot front, they'll be checking us out over the next week or so... Keep your fingers and toes crossed and wish us luck! Thanks again, Love Jac xoxox

Less Time In The Laundry! Washing Made Easy With Colour Catchers + {An Awesome Giveaway}

commonchaoschronicle — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:00:57 +0000

This post is sponsored by Colour Catchers. Those of you with a larger family would know what I mean when I say "The washing pile never ever ends". In fact, I think that any size family creates a decent pile in the laundry but with 8 people to wash for, 6 being kids, you can imagine the state of Mount Washmore after I miss a day or two. The people who make the COLOUR CATCHER sheets have been in touch with me after my constant moaning about the state of my laundry and the amount of time that I spend in it. They believe that their product will dramatically reduce my time in the wash house by eliminating the need for me to separate the colours and the whites. HUH? Yeh that's what I thought. So I replied with a great big YES PLEASE as I am willing to give anything a go to escape the mundane and lessen the housework load. As it stands, we already have separate piles for * Uniforms * Clothes * Towels & Linen * Whites * Other To wipe one of them out would..... a) Obviously save me time in the laundry. b) Save me doing an extra load of whites even though there is sometimes only a few socks and jocks. c) Make a little more room in my already tiny and squishy laundry room. d) Wait for it....... IT COULD POSSIBLY BE HUSBAND-PROOF AND BE THE LAST TIME ANY OF MY GOOD CLOTHES ARE ACCIDENTALLY RUINED BY A WELL-MEANING BUT NOT PARTICULAR ENOUGH MAN!!!!! Hallelujah! [caption id="attachment_3803" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="{Excuse the photo-bombing cat 'Luna'. She is looking forward to me spending more time with her and not in the laundry..... Hahahaha.}"][/caption] So I gave them a burl...... I approached the laundry with as much caution as I usually do, and opened the washing machine lid like a woman on a mission. Firstly I placed the Colour Catcher sheet in the bottom of the machine. We have a top loader but they can also be used in front loader machines too. This 'magical' sheet looks and feels a bit like a piece of hand towel paper you get in public rest room only a whole lot thicker and stronger looking. Then I put in some white and light grey items in the machine, with an added bonus of a delinquent pair of bright purple denim shorts that seem to make a menace of themselves each and every time they're washed. I closed the lid and hoped to hell these Colour Catchers worked as I was going to be in a world of girly whinging if the 'favourite white and pink shirt' ended up a cute shade of purple. An hour later I slunk back into my own personal hell hole.....ahem..... I mean laundry and grabbed the washing out of the machine. The Colour Catcher Sheet had ACTUALLY WORKED!!!! Whites were still white and the much loved shirt looked as clean as ever. Awesome. Success. Community Announcement: "Prepare yourself men of the world, the laundry now awaits you.... It is now completely 'MAN-SAFE'". You're welcome ladies, you are welcome! (No seriously, I know there are many man-folk out there that are perfectly wonderful and do washing without a hitch, if you have bagged yourself one, freakin' awesome, but from my own personal experience, and heck, honesty is what I promised you all, men just don't obsess over the small things like women do, hence my new found excitement!) [caption id="attachment_3806" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="{I have included a fresh new 'Colour Catcher' in the photo so you can compare the colour difference. There is a big difference in natural light. These purple shorts have been washed 3 or 4 times already and were not brand new, and it still collected a heap of colour out of them.}"][/caption] So, the best part about me reviewing these laundry time savers, is that I have scored a giveaway for 10 lucky readers! Share the love I say. All I want you to do is head over and 'LIKE' the Colour Catchers Facebook page so they know that I just don't blog to myself, and tell me (in a comment on this blog post) what you will be doing with your spare time once Colour Catchers are in your washing routine??? I will then judge the answers on creativity and entertainment value! It's that easy. The Fine Print: * Competition is open to Australian Residents Only - Apologies to my international readers. * Competition will run from 7am 5th March 2013 - 7pm 19th March 2013. * Entries will be judged on creativity and the judges decision is FINAL. * Please use a valid email address as winners will be notified by email. CHECK YOUR JUNK BOX TOO! What are you waiting for? Don't forget to check out the Colour Catcher's FACEBOOK PAGE as they're running a competition to win $1,000.00 to spend on a new wardrobe. Click HERE! {This is a sponsored post. All views are my own and payment does not and will not sway my judgement of an item. Payment simply locks in a publish date on Common Chaos Chronicle.}

Did I Tell You About The Time…..?

commonchaoschronicle — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 04:52:58 +0000

So you guys want to know more about me huh? Well I have put together a list of things that I may or may not have told you all before, so I hope it fills in some gaps for you all in amongst the chaos of my MonsterSquad and the review and sponsored posts I also like to write. Here goes..... 1. I grew up in Melbourne with my Mum, Dad and Brother. I'd say I had a fairly 'normal' upbringing for a middle class working family. When my dad was made redundant, my parents moved back close to where my mum spent her childhood and a month or so later, I decided that I too would like a 'country' break and moved too. I purchased my house with my previous partner and took up some part time work to pay it off. I was 21, owned my own home and planned a 2year renovation of our purchase before moving back to the big smoke with an investment property under our belts. Although life never goes to plan and that relationship fell apart. I brought my ex out and remained in the house with no idea of what to expect next. Shortly after all of that I met my hubby Brian, and the rest is basically history. We're still here in the house I purchased 12years ago, although it's a tad bigger now and the renovations are still not complete! [caption id="attachment_3791" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="{Here we are at our engagement party that seems like a lifetime ago!}"][/caption] 2. Before I had children, I was the most amazingly organised, neat freak you could have ever met. I was so particular about things that even my CD's were in alphabetical order. I love being organised and it has taken me all the strength I have inside to begin to accept that with kids, there will always be an amount of chaos and clutter. Our house is far from tidy, and is a constant issue for me. I like to call it 'A work in progress'. It's either that, or I could simply tell people we've been robbed and I can't touch the mess until the insurance people have been?? But seriously, it bothers me. I am not interested in a display home, just a tidy place where everything has a spot to be put away and the 'Hoarders' team are not required! [caption id="attachment_3788" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="{This pic would be 2 years old or more.... When i first had my hair chopped short again}"][/caption] 3. My husband and I have had our fair share of ups and downs. I don't want any of my readers to ever assume that we have the perfect life, as there is no such thing. I like to keep it real and real is what you will get here at Common Chaos Chronicle. There have been times when I have given up and threatened to throw it all away. And there have been times for Brian too. I think that's fairly normal really. Relationships are a bit like a roller coaster I guess. Up, down, up, down, slow down, puke (oh wait that was pregnancy!!!), and start again. You get the idea. The most important part for me though, is that neither of us have just completely given up. We're still here 24/7 working on our family, our marriage and all that it encompasses. 10 points for trying! (Trying..... my patience!!!LOL) [caption id="attachment_3789" align="alignleft" width="428" caption="{A dance mum..... Something I never thought I would be!!!}"][/caption] 4. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Still to this day I am unsure of what I want to do when nurturing Monsters is not enough. At first I wanted to work with children, but now I'm just not so sure, and everything I consider doing means years and years at Uni.... Which will be impossible to pay for and I'm unsure if I could keep up with the workload with the demands of this house. I guess that's one reason behind the choice to monetise this blog. Imagine if I could produce a steady enough income to remain a Stay At Home Mum allowing me to be here for the kids before and after school etc... That would be a perfect world and like I said earlier, life never goes to plan so perhaps I wont plan the things I really want!!! [caption id="attachment_3787" align="alignleft" width="588" caption="{Taken a few months after Elijah was born.}"][/caption] 5. I am never satisfied. Ever. Seems that just when I think I've got things right, had enough or can't juggle anything more, I want more. I am my own worst critic and nothing is ever good enough. Things could always be improved and so on. Honestly, it's a pain in the arse. Why can't I ever just be happy with the way things are??? I used to blame my creativity. Friends tell me it's not 'normal' to rearrange a house every few months, but I get bored easily, tired of the same 4 walls so to speak. I love to redesign and create 'spaces' for the kids, and even for myself too. And just when I think the set up is perfect, I decide to tweak it. Will it ever stop? Probably not. I could always just keep tweaking other people's houses and that would be a blast but who knows where I'd find the time to start that up too!!! Imagine if I got the go ahead to design my home from scratch...... oh my..... I think you get the picture. [caption id="attachment_3790" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="{Oh and one last thing....... I'm addicted to oversized sunglasses.}"][/caption] So there you go. There's 5 somewhat boring things about who I am and what makes me, well...., ME! As we travel along the chaos adventure I am sure I will enlighten you all with some more crazy random facts about who is behind the screen.

DIY Funky Notice Board & Pen Holders – Rust-Oleum Project 1.

commonchaoschronicle — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 06:54:20 +0000

In today's blog post, I am going to share how I created a unique Notice Board and Pen Holder Set for my home office. I really love the idea of recycling everyday items to create new and useful things around the house. When I attended the mid-year Bloggers Brunch in 2012 the DIY craft freak inside of me just about did backflips as I approached the 'Rust-Oleum' stand. There were spray paints, and chalk board paints and even a white board paint!!! Oh my how excited was I to walk away with a sample bag of metallic silver and gold sprays. WOOT! The only problem was that as soon as I got to the airport, my precious spray paints were confiscated for security reasons and I left Sydney with a frown. Once home I contacted the lovely Rust-Oleum reps that I had met and begged for them to get some samples to me. After all I had already worked out in my mind several different projects that I wanted to use their products for. A couple of weeks later, a giant box arrived at my door! I was in paint heaven. They had sent me my sample spray paint plus more. Happy Dance! First project on my list was to re purpose an old pin board and create some funky looking pen holders for my new office area. Now my office is grey and lime green, so the best choice in the box was the silver paint. I forgot to take a proper before photo of the notice board so I have taken one of the back so you can see the original colour around the frame. I purchased the notice/pin board from a local Buy Swap & Sell page on Facebook. It cost me $5.00 and you can also pick them up in discount variety stores like The Reject Shop too. The first layer of paint that went on was a metallic silver. We gave the board 2 even coats to conceal the greeny-brown colour of the board. Once it was dry we then added 2 layers of silver glitter spray paint. Very awesome indeed! Now with the glitter sprays, they quite literally just spray out a glitter type coating, so you do need a sliver base coat (or any colour really) before you apply the bling!!! To complete the project, we applied 3 coats of the clear glitter sealer. This made the glitter really sparkle and stopped it from rubbing off so much onto our hands! And there you have it, a revamped notice board that co-ordinated perfectly in my new office area. What's a new notice board without co-orinating pins??? In my clean up I recently came across these cool sparkly beads I had purchased in a craft sale yonks ago. I simply applied a dob of strong hold craft glue on the back of each bead and placed a thumb tack on them. A few hours later they were dry and ready to use. A simple way of 'prettying' up a boring old pin! Now for the pen holders...... A while ago I started collecting up Aldi powdered gravy containers. Much to the head shaking and annoyance of one very perplexed MonsterSquad Dad, who would rant "What for??? It's just rubbish" at the growing pile. Now I didn't know exactly what I wanted them for but I knew I could make use of them. When shopping for office supplies, I saw some lovely silver metal pen holders and I had one of those 'Lightbulb' moments that you see in the cartoons. I COULD MAKE MY OWN!!! And they would totally match! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) Now I think the Aldi gravy containers have now changed a little but you could substitute these with Pringles containers as they come in small tubes as well as the longer ones. We first sprayed these containers with a white base coat. The colours on the containers were quite vibrant and blocking them out with a white first made sure that it wouldn't show through on the finished product. Then we added 2 coats of the metallic silver to get an even finish all over. Next came the glitter spray again followed by a couple of clear coats to seal the glitter on. Make sure each layer is dry before applying the next one. 3 perfect sized pen holders for my desk. Too Easy. The rust-Oleum spray paints are easy to use as the can has a tapered head that makes holding it on different angles a breeze. Although it was quite warm here, the paint dried quick and did not leave a 'painty' smell once dry. You can check out the Rust-Oleum website HERE for some great crafty ideas using their products, and you can also find them on Facebook by clicking HERE. To find a stockist in your area, click HERE. Stay tuned for more awesome 'recycling' projects that I have coming up! {This is not a sponsored post. I was not expected to blog about these products. They were gifted to me to try as I had a genuine interest in what they could do! I loved them so much I couldn't help but share!}

A Common Chaos Work Space… Creating A Home Office Space!

commonchaoschronicle — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:07:49 +0000

Earlier this week I blogged about setting up a Homework Station for my kids to do their nightly readers and homework at. If you missed it, you can find it by clicking HERE. What I failed to mention is that I have been quietly putting together an area of my own to work from, in order to keep the dining table clear and have a space of my own that allows me to clear my mind and think. I just cannot function and complete work when I am surrounded by clutter and chaos, so the space I have now created is just perfect for me to sit at and put together my blog posts and other writing commitments. YEY! THE PROJECT: Create a place where I can feel calm and do what I need to do work wise. THE PLAN: Move Elijah's cot and change table out of our bedroom and into Levi's bedroom. Set up a desk area in the space that Elijah's cot was in. HOW: Purchase desk and recycle things from home. BUDGET: No more than $100. So here's what I did.... (oh and when I say 'I', I really mean 'We' as there's no way I could have lugged that furniture around on my own!!!) [caption id="attachment_3768" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="{This is the area I had to work with. I painted this tree when we were expecting Elijah, so I added some googly eyes to it! I used a bookshelf from Levi's bedroom and have stored all my 'everyday' type papers and things there. When I have some more time I will change it around and make a much better filing system for all my papers and so on. Oh and where would I be without my computer????}"][/caption] Elijah's cot and change table were moved in to Levi's room, which was the 6mth plan from day 1. Usually MonsterSquad Dad would really fight me on rearranging half the house but I think this time he was almost keen to get our bedroom back and to have that space from the little man! I went on the search for a budget priced desk. Nothing too big, nothing too small, but something cheap that would do the trick. I found the desk at Crazy Clarks. They had choc brown ones on special, reduced from $50 down to $30, but they had a white desk on display. I rounded up the manager and asked him if he could match the price of the sale desk. You see it pays to ask because it was exactly what I was looking for and I got it for the $30. Bargain! I also picked up a cork notice board on a local Facebook Buy Swap and Sell site. It wasn't the right colour, but that's an easy fix! (I will share how in another post coming soon!) I created some unique pen holders and push-pins and I am set and ready to WRITE! All for under $50, so well within my budget!!!! So for the price, I think it looks pretty great and feels wonderful to sit in and take some time to get my things done. DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL SPACE IN YOUR HOME? [caption id="attachment_3769" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="The cork board and pen holders have been spray painted to tie in with the room, and my diary is displayed on a recipe book stand so it doesn't get lost in my papers etc when I am working.}"][/caption]