Voila! My DIY Kitchen-Dining Makeover

Finally after months of DIY, blistered fingers and paint-in-hair, my kitchen-dining makeover is complete.

I've been wanting to do this for years but somehow it never got beyond the dreaming stage, until I spotted this lovely buffet hutch (above) in Early Settler and realised it was the solution to all my storage issues (not to mention the inspiration for a fresh new look). So bit by bit over the last few months I've been busy turning our wooden-overload kitchen into something fresher, cleaner and prettier...

Part of the reason it took years to get round to doing this was I needed to convince hubby to paint all that wood; he loved the wood as it was and felt it might be sacrilege but the hutch changed his mind...

It was actually really easy to transform my kitchen and dining room once I found out how to do it properly - it just took some sweat, time and elbow grease. I began with the windowsills and one set of cupboards, painting them in-situ....

It's amazing what a difference white paint makes.
Actually the colour is Quarter Thorndon Cream, from Resene, a water-based enamel.
To make the paint stick to the wood and set nice and hard, I first gave each area a very rough sand then applied a coat of Resene's "smooth surface sealer" and allowed it to dry for at least four hours before applying the first coat of paint, followed by one final coat.

I worked in sections, finishing one area completely (while the kids were at school) before moving onto the next.

The colour I chose for the walls was "Quarter Beryl Green" (also from Resene) - a lovely soft vintage green which is very soothing, fresh and clean. It shows up differently in different lights and is quite neutral, allowing other colours to pop. (It's tricky to capture the colour on camera, especially with my dinky point-n-shoot).

[I am in love with my new Summerhill Buffet & Hutch from Early Settler]

The previous wall colour was a mucky pinky-cream; the walls were in terrible condition with dings and nail holes, so before painting I patched them up with some plaster and a sand - not perfect cos I'm no tradesman, but a darn-sight better than they were before.

[Table base imperfectly painted with one coat of Smooth Surface Sealer and one coat of water-based enamel]

I also gave the table a mini makeover, painting the base to match the cupboards. The chairs are from the Early Settler factory shop (out near the airport), bought for $50 each.

[Vintage-style canvases $5 each on sale at Typo]

I love my new hutch dresser. It has given me heaps of new storage space for plates and bowls, platters and serveware, which had previously crowded into our inadequate under-bench cupboards. Now there are drawers for my cake decorating bits, tablecloths and those endless school notices. For even more storage I added cuphooks to the bottom of the kitchen cupboards and invested in some cute new mugs...

[Mix'n'match Mugs $2 each from Look Sharp]

I'm a huge fan of mix'n'match, vintage and retro, so my tin sign collection is right at home in my new scheme. I plan to keep adding to it and extent it into a whole feature wall going up and over the pantry and along the narrow space dividing the kitchen and dining.

The pantry has been panted white too and moved to the wall where the china cabinet used to be (my lovely china cabinet is now gracing the lounge). Our old vintage light fitting has scrubbed up well and now looks perfect over the table.

I wish I had a better camera so I could show you properly how awesome it looks. My previously wooden-overload, cobbled-together storage-poor kitchen is now my pride and joy. Every time I walk into it I smile. It's prettiness is inspiring me to do the dishes, keep the floor swept, fold the washing instantly.
And the best bit is that I did it all myself. Picked the colours (and chose well), painted every wall, every drawer, every cupboard (and did it properly)... had a vision and saw it come together at last.
Yay, me.

So there you have it, my DIY kitchen-dining makeover. A fresh new kitchen for the cost of the paint and a wooden hutch dresser. Brilliant.

MORE DIY STUFF:

• Pantry Declutter
• House Dreaming and Doing (where I first wrote about doing up my kitchen)
• At My House (the page with all my DIY posts)

My Book Will Be Available on Amazon soon!

Last Thursday I had coffee with a lady called Joy. Neither of us can remember how we were introduced, or by whom, but I am so very grateful that somebody virtually "introduced" us (mystery person, I thank thee).

Joy is a New Zealand author of children's eBooks. She specialises in helping new authors get self-published. Joy is a fount of knowledge; I thought I was going to find out about formatting my book better for eReaders, but Joy knew so much more than that.

She put me onto CreateSpace - a print-on-demand publisher which is associated with Amazon, Kindle and the like.
Instead of being hamstrung by Blurbs' high prices and unreasonable shipping costs, I can now self-publish my book through CreateSpace and get it onto Amazon. For one third of the cost to the public.

We are talking about A REAL PHYSICAL BOOK! (It's a Print on Demand service, so when you order it through Amazon, they print and send it to you.)

Joy and I had only just met, but i felt like hugging her (you'll be relieved to know I restrained myself, just).

So this week, while juggling invitation orders, dust bunnies and a headcold, I have finally done it. Navigated US Tax Law, figured out the intricacies of PDF-making and got my book republished and accepted onto Amazon. (Kindle will follow soon; Joy is helping me with that).
Soon dear people, you will be able to buy my book for a mere US$11.95 (instead of $30+)
I am dancing on the inside.

But wait. It's not there yet.
Don't go rushing to Amazon and search for "An Unexpected Christmas" - it takes 5-7 days for a new title to appear in the store, but it's on its way, YIPPEE.
Next Thursday (they tell me, but they're American so they probably mean Friday) my book will be available to purchase on Amazon, all over the world.

OR YOU CAN GET THE BOOK RIGHT NOW: GO HERE and use this discount code to get 20% off when you buy it direct from my CreateSpace page: 4FXUJ2SX
(I just found that out; It will be on Amazon next week but you can get it right here right now)

View a PDF of the book here

P.S. The shipping costs all the way down here to NZ are rather atrocious, so I am going to bulk order 50 copies of the book and sell them to my Kiwi friends and readers through my blog.**

BUY THE BOOK DIRECT FROM ME (NZ residents only)

Prices (incl. postage)
1 = $16.00
2 = $26.00
3 = $35.00 no longer available

42 SOLD. ONLY 8 LEFT.
Due to demand I have ordered another batch of 50, which will arrive shortly after the first lot. the next batch will be at the same price but +P&P of $2.50. (So get yourself a free shipping bargain while you can).

Order your book (s) here now today

**Postage within the US is a bargain, at around $2.50; to the UK it's around £3 at the priority postage rate
................


I am beyond happy. I feel like a proper author, with a book for sale on the world's biggest bookselling website.
Ecstatic. It will be in time for Christmas, at a reasonable price. Just think what a nice gift if will make. Hint hint.

Of course I will let you as soon as it appears, and I hope to figure out the website enough to offer my dear readers a special discount as well (fingers crossed). Then there will be trumpet shouts and celebrations the length of the G-house. In my imagination.

Anyway, by way of thankyou to Joy, for simply meeting me (a stranger) for coffee and sharing what she knows so generously, I'm going to post the details here for her next self-publishing workshop, for anyone in Auckland or nearby who is interested in learning how to self publish their book.
(Joy did not ask me to do this, I just want to)

Findlay Books - Joy Findlay 

10am Saturday 16th November 

Venue: Liberty Christian Church, 96 Lansford Cres, Avondale Auckland 

Cost: $60 

To register: ph 0273257070 or email findlaybooks@gmail.com

*if you like this please share it*

My Book "An Unexpected Christmas" (2nd Edition) OUT NOW

This is what I've been working on. The Second Edition of my Christmas Book, which I started months ago, long before I got sick. Only now -this week, today - have I finally finished updating the layout and design. It's now available on Blurb ON AMAZON!!!
*Sigh* Yes I'm still stuck with Blurb I have self-published through CreateSpace and my book is now available on AMAZON at a much reduced rate. Wahoo!

I love the new version of the book.

[this angel belongs to Hannah and Byron]

I have simplified it, keeping the feel of the original but eliminating some of the fussiness.

I've gone with the simple idea of "angels" - and now they are not all my own offspring with wings attached. I've "borrowed angels" from some of my friends, who supplied me with quirky photos like this one.

[this angel belongs to Remaliah]

I've simplified the fonts too, made it cleaner, but still just a little off-beat, like my story.

[the angel on the right is my adorable Spanish neice]

Scragger is still there, of course. the story hasn't changed, or the main characters...

I just found better images of my Warrior Angel, and my Wise Angel...

[This photo was taken by Meg; I've properly photo-credited everyone]

Likey?
Here's a preview of the whole book, so you know what you'll be getting:
(this is what the book looks like on Blurb; don't buy it from here - buy it from AMAZON (much cheaper).

You can also download the eBook version (for iPad only) for $US3.99
It will shortly be available on Kindle. I will keep you posted.

Phew. I did it. Now to go and order a copy for myself, and the friends who supplied their angels for me.

The profit I make on each book is small, but there is immense satisfaction in knowing that people around the world are reading my story to their kids this Christmas.

So if you like the look of my book, please share it (and I'd love to hear what you think).

P.S. Readers in New Zealand you can order the book directly from me to save on shipping. I have a limited number of copies and they are going fast. NZ Order form HERE

Angels Wanted - Apply Within

Do you have a little angel or two lurking around the place?
I am working on updating the illustrations in my Christmas Book, in readiness for a publisher (crossing fingers), or failing that, for an updated version on Blurb in time for Christmas until the book deal comes...

I'm simplifying the layout and just using lots and lots of angels. Kid angels.
Real kids, photographed happy, sad, angry, shocked, thoughtful, dreamy, gorgeous, cheeky...
With the magic of Photoshop I add wings and turn them into angels.

Til now I have just used photos of my own three kids... but I'd like to invite you to send me photos of your little (cheeky, quirky, adorable) angels for inclusion in my book.

What's in it for you? If chosen, your child will be in my book. You will get a photo credit and (if wanted) your child's name in the credits. If I get a book deal, you'll get a bunch of copies of the book, starring your child as an angel (amongst others).

If I'm not successful (yet) I'll send you copy of the book at my expense, as a way of saying thank you.

What I'm looking for:

• Kids of all shapes and sizes and colours
• A wide range of facial expressions - the angels are surprised and shocked a lot in my story, after all.
• Good quality photos, nice light and clarity, decent resolution
• A couple of photos of the same child if possible
• Clothing - white or light coloured clothing preferred but not essential, angel outfits not required

If you would like to have your child/ren considered for inclusion in my book as angels, please email photos to: greatfun4kids@live.com.

Be sure to include your name (for photo credit) and your angels' names, and write this line in your email: I give my permission for Simone Graham to use my photos in her book, An Unexpected Christmas.

Thanks!

Billy Elliot, Eat Your Heart Out

This is my fabulous nephew, Joel Walsham.
Remember that name.
Joel. Walsham.

Talented dancer. Gorgeous nephew. Fantastic human being.
I feel privileged to say that I have known him from the beginning. Eighteen years ago I caught an overnight train to meet him when he was just a newborn. It was Joel who made me an aunty; my first nephew.

And now he's on his way.
Like, really ON HIS WAY.
As I said, Joel is a dancer. He started lessons when he was a tot, at the age when lots of kids both boys and girls go to preschool dance, urged on by their mummies.
But Joel was different. He might have only been three years old but he knew he wanted to be a dancer. To be in shows, to travel around the world performing, and then one day bring home the skills he learned on the world's stage and set up a dance school, here in NZ.
(I remember having this conversation with him when he was about 11 years old.)
For years Joel has worked his butt off, doing nothing but dance, dance, dance.
He had a plan, he had a dream.
And now he's living it. Nearly.

Joel won a scholarship to the United States to try out for three prestigious dance schools in New York and San Francisco.
While he was there he met up with Michael Jackson's ballet teacher, Irina Brecher Hamilton. She spotted his talent, gave him personal tuition and introduced him to upcoming ballet star Christina Ricucci. They danced together, became friends.

Within a week of returning to NZ, Joel heard back from Lines Ballet school in San Francisco. They wanted him. he was IN. Then he heard back from the other schools too - they all wanted him.
And why not? He's fantastic. And as Irina said, the last time she got this excited about a dancer, his name was Mikhail Baryshnikov.

So watch out world, here comes Joel.

As we know tuition at prestigious American dance schools doesn't come cheap.

My clever sister Kristen (who took these beautiful photos) has helped Joel put together a fundraising campaign, to help get Joel all the way to his dream.
She's an artist (among other cleverness), and has applied her skills to creating some amazing pieces of art and images for t-shirts and suchlike, as a *thankyou* to those who donate towards Joel's education.

As Joel's aunty I figure I can help by putting the word out there on my little blog.
So if you love the arts, and respect clever people; if you want to help a kiwi kid who has worked for his dream and now has a chance to put Kiwi Talent in the world's spotlight... well every little bit helps.
Ten bucks, twenty... whatever you can spare.

I'd love you to check out Joel's fundraising website and share it with your friends.

Then one day when Joel Walsham's name is up in lights, when you see him on TV being interviewed on 60 Minutes, you will be able to say: "I knew him before he was famous. I donated towards his education..." and your kids will go, "Joel Walsham? Really? WOW! that's so cool mum! You're awesome...!"
Or something like that.

And Joel will go, "Wow, you're so generous. You don't even know me but you helped me put New Zealand on the the Map for Ballet. Without people like you I never would have gotten there..."

(Joel is such a great person. I'm not just saying that cos I'm his proud aunty. Like, he is really really NICE. If you met him you would be SO impressed with him. He's going to be such a great role model and inspiration for young dancers all around New Zealand, if not the world. Cos he's gonna be famous, I just know it.)

Seriously. 
Billy Elliot has got nothing on Joel.

[Please help Joel fulfil his dream and take on the world]

[All photos taken by Kristen Walsham at Karekare Beach]

An Unexpected Christmas (the Movie of my Book)

[Photos taken during filming An Unexpected Christmas by Jerome Box]

This is it. The lovely Movie-version of my humble Christmas book. It "premiered" at Glow tonight, to an audience of nine-and-a-half-thousand. I had goosebumps most of the night and more than anything, felt an overwhelming sense of joy at being part of something so wonderful which shares the timeless story of Jesus' arrival on our planet. I got to help tell the Greatest Story Ever Told. What a privilege.




I suspect you'll like LOVE the movie. It's not just cute and whimsical, clever or creative. There's something more to it which raises the hairs on the back of your neck. And as I watch this over and over I am in awe of my young neighbour who plays "God"... When you watch it you will see what I mean.

[Photos From Glow - taken by Glow Team]

The film is at last up on YouTube and I just couldn't wait to share it with you here on my blog. So watch it. Share it. Get your kids to watch it. Get your kids' friends to watch it... and most of all ENJOY and have a BLESSED CHRISTMAS full of Peace and Joy.
xx

A Heavenly Weekend (literally)

I could tell you that my weekend was heavenly because it began with me buying a Smartphone. With the help of gift vouchers and a fab 2Degrees prepay deal, I got myself a Samsung Galaxy Pocket and started downloading Apps galore. 

As you can probably tell, one of the first things I installed was Instagram, which I have been drooling over for years. I know I am probably a coupla years behind the times, but it is so much fun to play with...

(I'm "greatfun4kids" if you want to follow my snap-happy Instagram-ness)

I could also mention that we got ourselves a genuine pine Christmas tree, which is filling the house with the heavenly piney scent of Christmas...

But as great as all that is, it's not what I mean by heavenly...

What I mean is that I actually spent my weekend in Heaven. Literal actual Heaven... 

on a film set.

Not just any film set, not just any Heaven... this is the Heaven of my Christmas Story come to life in a studio. Created by the geniuses who gave us The Christmas Story (which went viral on YouTube).

This year they're making my story. Out of all their script options, they picked mine. MINE! Just thinking about it gives me a warm choked-up feeling of pure JOY.

Not only are they making my story into a Christmas film (to show to 10,000 people at Glow and potentially millions on YouTube) but my kids got to take part too. Two full days of filming. Seeing what was once a story scribbled on a page come to life, complete with feathered wings, candy floss clouds and an Angel warrior Dojo. It's AMAZING. It's gonna make you smile, and laugh, and maybe even get misty eyed. one thing's for sure, you'll have goosebumps.

I spent almost the entire weekend in a glorious rush of goosebumps. Not just seeing the delicious creativity and whimsical cuteness of everything, but the way the people on set were responding to the story. Kids and adults alike. 

"I never stopped to think about how crazy the whole Christmas story is, I just took it for granted how it happened..." one person said to me. 

Exactly! This is what I love about Christmas, the illogical genius of God's ways, how he catches us unawares and takes us by surprise, not coming in power and glory but in humility and weakness.

So in every possible way this weekend was Heavenly. And I can't wait to share the movie with you on December 16th.

• Get my Book here. Order it now and get it in time for Christmas... (plus $10 off your book by entering code GIVE10 at checkout)
• Get GLOW tickets here (December 16th at Vector Arena, 6pm. Tickets $5; all proceeds go to KidsCan. It always sells out so get you tickets early!)

My Book: An Unexpected Christmas

I did it.
Finally after nearly a year of tweaking and figuring out stuff, my Christmas Book is ready to sell.
(Ready for you to buy for your kids / nephews / nieces / neighbours for Christmas).

I feel like a proud mother.
This little book is the beginning of a dream coming to fruition.

It's the Christmas story but from a whole different perspective...

It all began last year when I wanted to make my kids a personal gift for Christmas. I'm not crafty, I don't crochet or quilt, but I write. And I fiddle in Photoshop. And I love Christmas.

So I sat down one afternoon to put down some ideas for a story I could turn into a book and print up for them to read on Christmas Eve...

In the back of my mind was the idea that the way Jesus came to Earth was not really what you'd expect in any way. The whole idea is so out of the box, so radical... so unexpected I thought it would make a great basis for a story. Tell it from the perspective of the Angels (who must have surely been surprised when God told them his plans?)

Central to the story is a cheeky little angel called Scragger. Originally his name was Bob but when I came up with the idea of using the multitudinous photos of my kids and turning them into angels, well, Scrag just had to be that cheeky little chap...

After I started working on the book for my kids, I began to dream about getting it published and having it ready for sale this year.

But I had no idea where to begin. Until I stumbled across Blurb.
Through them I can self-publish and make my book available as both a printed book (soft or hard cover) and eBook.
You can order the book online and have it sent to you anywhere in the world.
Now all I need to do is sell some books...

Wanna help me out with that? Check out the book and if you like what you see, please spread the word to your friends and family.

I know the printed version is not exactly cheap (sorry about that; it's how it has to be unless some giant publisher discovers me and wants to take it on and print them by the truckload nice and cheap). But the eBook version is cheap-as. (now only AUD$2.99)


****UPDATE****
to get 25% off enter code "PERSONAL" at checkout!

Here's a full preview of the book so you know what you're getting...

An Unexpected Christmas by Simone Graham | Make Your Own Book

Pssssst! And guess what else?
My little story has been made into the Christmas film which was shown at Glow this year!
(And my little angels are in the film too, but you'll have to look really hard to spot the boys).



I am so excited about all this... can you tell?

I ♥ Travel

I am living the dream, baby.
Tomorrow at midnight I'm flying off an another travel adventure, this time to China.
Once upon a time a very long long time ago (in the olden days, as my kids say) I left New Zealand to travel to Canada by myself at the age of sixteen. While I was there, the travel bug bit me and ever since then the smell of jet fuel makes me want to pack a bag and board a plane.
I don't mind airplane food. I can deal with minimal leg-room. I enjoy the inflight entertainment and even manage to sleep sitting up. It's all worth it if I get to travel.
Nothing compares to the thrill of take-off. Or even of pulling up outside Departures knowing that it's YOU who is going somewhere.

I am extremely grateful to have married a travel-loving man. My Geordie has been jetting about since he was a kid too. Together we make the perfect travelling pair.
But not this time.
This time I am heading off without him and embarking on an adventure with a different member of my family. My daughter.
She is actually the least travel-inclined of our children. Miss Fab is usually the first to complain of homesickness, the first to miss her friends.
When she was a baby we couldn't take her any further than Fiji because she'd spend the whole flight time screaming to get off.

What am I doing??? you may ask.
Well, she's improved with age. And also this time, it's just me and her. She has my full undivided attention. No noisy smelly teasey boys are coming with us. It's just the Girls Club.
Plus, at the other end when we get off the plane, our lovely friends will be there to greet us.
Miss Fab and Miss Marvellous have been besties since babyhood.
Miss Fab misses her friend like crazy.

And then there's the shopping. Our Kiwi bucks are worth five Chinese ones, and I keep hearing how everything is so cheeeeap. Miss Fab loves to shop. And she loves Bears (so a trip to the Panda sanctuary will be a huge hit).
Of course the shopping won't be for me. At least not clothes. If I have so much bother clothes shopping in the UK, can you imagine the chances of finding Kiwi-hip sized gear in the teeny tiny people-land of China?
Handbags and shoes, they tell me. Handbags and shoes. (Even then, probably just Bags given China's thing for small feet. Mine are Kiwi-mummy sized).

Are you freaking out? my hubby asked me just before.
No... should I be? I replied.

Really, should I be anxious? Travelling with a child to a communist country on my own when I panic in crowds and can't speak Chinese? Should I be worried?
Nah, we'll be FINE.
We're off on an adventure. And if the worst comes to the worst, I have Travel Insurance, right?

So I'm off to finish packing my bags full of all the new (big enough) clothes I bought in honour of my trip, and tick some more things off my list.
I'll be staying with my lovely friend (and blogger) Gail... so I'll hopefully be able to stop by and see what you're up to now and then. But mostly... we'll be off having adventures.

eeeeeeeeeeeeee

I love to travel!
♥

.................

• My Brand New Travel page
• My Bucket List
• How to Survive Travel with Kids
• Anticipating China

Green Kitchen Envy

I love my house.
You know this, right?
But we all have dreams. Magazine-fueled daydreams. Pinterest-fueled drool-fests.

This one is mine. A kitchen I spotted in a magazine at the Dental Clinic yesterday. The kindly Dental Nurse must have noticed my slavering glazed expression; she offered me the magazine to keep.
So I could sit on my windowseat and dream of what can be.
Shove the page under hubby's nose and say, "See look. This is what I'd love for our kitchen one day..."

Of course hubby glances casually at the page and says, "Oh that's just like your mum's old kitchen."
Oh so not!
Maybe the layout, I'll grant you. But he fails to see the beauty of those details. The green painted cabinetry, the vintage tiles and new-but-old kitchen stove. Just look at those retro chairs, recovered in gorgeous oilcloth. They'd be perfect with the table I've inherited from mum.

The kitchen colour palette, they call it Pink and Pistachio.
So purty. Though I'd probably go for more of an aqua colour rather than green. 
A Soft turquoise. Duck-egg blue.
Yum.

If I am going to convince hubby that the details matter I may have to actually make a plan.
Perhaps a kitchen-specific Pinterest dream-board.
What am I thinking? he's a bloke.
He'll simply scroll down, nod and mutter, Yeah nice, and hope I'll take it no further.

[Even the headline is appropriate]

Never mind, dreams are free. I can pin and drool and dream, loving all this gorgeousness and plotting a way to bring it home one day.

I can see it all now. My kitchen. Cupboards painted turquoise. Bench, a polished concrete slab, with butler sink. A retro kitchen range, with (mis)matching groovy fridge. A working dishwasher (now there's a dream).

Cuphooks and shelves to display all my pretty things.
Mum's old table centre-stage, surrounded by retro chairs. Or maybe bentwood chairs. Or perhaps a mistmatched collection of vintage kitchen chairs.

Knock through the wall and open up the room. Re-expose the fireplace.
Can you imagine sitting on the window seat with fire crackling?
I'll have to do something about those cork tiles on the kitchen floor... perhaps polished concrete to contrast the boards in the dining area?

Ah yes, just as well dreams are free. Cos dream kitchens sure aint.

♥


Do you have a Pinterest board for your house dreams?