Rug shopping on Temple & Webster

Today's sale on Temple & Webster includes these versatile indoor/outdoor rugs. I'm drawn to them right now as, with the gorgeous Spring weather drawing us outside, I am always grabbing something to pop the babies on (they are too tiny to lie on the grass just yet). One of these under the pergola would be fabulous. Check out Temple & Webster for their sale prices and free shipping offer!

Log side tables

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Two huge old trees were felled on our block recently and we now have several lovely large logs to play with (along with great mulch and firewood!). Some of my favourite blogs have been featuring log stools and side tables of late. If time permits, I plan to grab some of the left over white paving paint we used on our floors and attempt to make a log table for our living room and perhaps a few stools to sit around the fire pit outside. The images above come from some fab blogs worth checking out: The kid collective, Style Me Green, and Scrap Hacker.

Backyard forts

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This weekend Will's dad is visiting so that they can begin work together on a fort for the kids. Rather than a traditional cubby we have decided to attempt something simple that the children can 'imagine' into anything depending on their current obsession - a boat, space craft, superhero vehicle, princess castle, observation deck, launch pad etc... The observation deck above (from Dude Craft) reminds me of clambering up onto our little semi's rooftop with my housemate in Brunswick, lugging pillows and a mattress one hot Melbourne night - looking up at the orange city-lit sky. Romantic, until we were bitten by enough mosquitos we had to scuttle back inside. I'd love to think our backyard can provide plenty of playful memories for our kids. They may like to embellish their fort with curtains, sails or flags, such as the puppy one above from Imagine Childhood. Part of the plan is to incorporate some landscaping. I love the central tree, dry river bed and rope bridge in the third image above. The kids bought Will an olive tree for father's day last weekend as a starting point. I'm excited for them. I'll post some pics once it is complete. Dad first needs to locate his hammer. My son coolly informed me this morning he had tossed it onto the roof playing 'Avengers'! Good luck boys:)...

The humble tent

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This is where it began for me. My first 'place' to set up and decorate was a tent. A small stripey one with a wire frame someone gave to me when I was four. Naturally, my very own address was established in the back yard - heaven for an independent pre-schooler! Plenty of home-making went on in that tent; all faded and falling apart by the time I'd finished with it. 

Our family camped each summer and I graduated to decorating our tent. It was a heavy old ex-army khaki tent with a large pole in the centre and an annexe. My folks would unload the trailer and leave me to it - I roped off 'rooms' and strung up 'walls' with sheets, set up the 'kitchen', the 'porch' and then got on with those fresh-aired, salty, beach-side holidays content our place for the fortnight was just right.

Child's play

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I can always trust fabulous children's design to get my creative juices flowing. Imagine playing in these..