DIY Dressing Room on a Budget

Will here is the long awaited post of my new Dressing Room.

 I was so overwhelmed and stressed every time

 I put my clothes away, hubby and I shared a small walk-in robe and it was always a bloody mess there's no other way to describe it.  Also as mention in other posts I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to my clothes, I cant part with anything I love them all, so when I was researching on how I was going to fix my wardrobe dilemma everything I read said cull, cull, cull, I tried with no success I filled one garbage bag.

So then one day walked into my 4th bedroom which was my sewing/craft room and could hardly move through it, if someone couldn't find a place for something it went in the sewing room. So I took one look and thought I don't need all this room I could configure it and  move sewing/craft component around the corner and its an L shaped room and I could turn the rest into my own personal "Dressing Room". Below is the before shot, this is after I had cleaned it a little.



This was my sewing room, I had actually cleaned it a bit before
this was taken, you couldn't even walk through it.







I have put a sign on the door to ward off unwanted visitors,
I have three daughters  and quite a lot of my things go missing.

So first things first, I had to sort a lot of things out I had stored for years in the cupboards, I still had many of my late mothers items which I hadn't gone through, too many memories.  So armed with boxes and bag went through it was a sad and sometimes a tearful process but had to be done. Sorting through all my craft and sewing items took week as didn't just want to shove it in a box and not be able to find anything.  So I purchased  plastic containers and placed everything in those, was amazed how much could fit it them. Then I purchased shelving, I brought  boxes of  galvanised shelving each contained  2 shelves at a cost of $25 each box, I didn't like the silver so spayed 2 of them white for my cloths and left the other for my sewing corner, I will say they were a pain in the arse to put together fiddly little screws but they were worth the effort.

Next purchased 2 Clothing racks they were $35 as wanted to be able to see my clothes for ease of putting outfits together, they were a double rod configuration so they were great to hang scarfs belts bags ect, they had a wire rack on the bottom so brought white round tubs and in these put sandals, flats belts and tote bags great for storage and kept the white theme and they were only $5 each.

This is the view as you walk in the room, hard to think its the same space.

I then decided how I wanted the layout to look, I already had a large bookshelf in the room and I knew I wanted to display some of my shoes so that was a no brainer. I also wanted a dressing table to be able to sit and do my hair and makeup, as we have 1 family bathroom and I always in hurry so this was a must. Then the next step moving my clothes from one room to the dressing room, this took 2 weeks as could only do it when not at work sorting organising I ended up leaving my summer clothes in my walk-in robe.  The dressing table and all of the accessories I already had so was not an expensive exercise.

So then I started putting furniture in place and adding accessories, I brought a couple of tins of metallic gold spray paint which was a great way to incorporate the glitz and glamour I was looking for.  I already had the curtains and this was my point of inspiration for the room so I added the gold and black touches, I still have a bit of tweeking to do but wanted to share the room with you.

I just love it and use it everyday, after my shower I go in and sit at my dressing table and tone and moisturise my face and depending what I am doing for the day I will just wear sunscreen and a cap or if going to town a little BB cream lippy and mascara and dry my hair, I feel quite regal sitting in front of the mirror with my white robe on going through the motions of the beauty routine, I didn't think I would love it as much as I do it my little space of peace and tranquillity. Will post some more photos at a later date when I have added all the little added extras I want to do.  So I hope this has given you some ideas and inspiration.

This is my dressing table  it has everything  I need face creams
top draw, makeup 2nd draw and hair styling and equipment 3rd.
Other draws jewellery and misc 



All my capes jumpers bags jeans pants and winter tops all contained and visible

Great use of a bookshelf



I painted my mums little table I think she would have loved it

My dressing table love it

Love being able to display outfit options

So nice to able to display your loved items

My perfume station my absolute favourite is Narciso Rodriquez have worn it
for years along with Daisy and Agent Provocateur.

Got this idea from pinterest a place for your sunglasses
and nail polish  the basket underneath contains all my clutches
and purses

White tubs are a great storage idea

everything right at your finger tips

found these great little screw together containers for all my earrings
I colour coded them all for easy use

Here is my sewing corner everything stored on the shelving
I purchased and put in containers for easy access



Great way to organise shoes especially sandals and flats


So I hope you have enjoyed this blog it has taken longer than I thought as wanted it to be just right to present to you, I would love your feed back and thoughts and if you also would consider doing the same, its a no brainer from me I couldn't live without it now.

Maz xxx

The "Treasures and Gems" hidden in my wardrobe

Last month I spent a day going through my wardrobe finding some "Treasures and Gems" that had been hidden away for years.  I'm a hoarder when it comes to my clothes, I never  cull anything,  I love love love it all, even my op shop finds just can't part with them. I have them spread throughout the house in different wardrobes though.

So........ last month I spent a day playing "Dress Ups" I did my hair and makeup,(as your clothes always look better when they are done), and started fossicking.   I used my Pinterest  boards for inspiration to pull some looks together, OMG their were things I'd forgotten I even had, that had been hidden away for years.  I am going to do this exercise again as was so much fun, but would be even better if you had a group girl friends around, and made a party of it. take a bag of your clothes  then take it in turns maybe swap some, and take it in turns to go to each others houses, and help each other find their "Treasures and Gems" they might have hidden away.  So here are some photos of my day "playing dress ups" 

Dress Right was Ezibuy purchased for wedding 4 years ago
dress on left was op-shop find $5 couldn't pass it up just love the
high waist and colour blocking gives your body a great shape. Also
Nancy Ganz helps. The vintage Glomesh Clutch op-shop $1 have
used it so many time.

Poncho on left goes with everything necklace 50th present from
friend. Cape cant tell you how many times have worn it actually got it on now
Teamed with the Fax Fur clutch and Hat  just love this look.

Here are some close-ups of the Leather Jacket outfit, I just love
this necklace with this look just makes it look "sexy" I think.

This brought through Eziby it is a Peplum with a Bow on the belt
was going to wear to races but they were rained out. Shoes
Target 15 years ago.

This is how I would have worn the outfit, it a bit like I'm  trying to
channelling "Pretty Woman" also I love hats, just had to have this one.

 

Love this cape neutral colours compliments any outfit
This Fax Fur clutch brought from friends boutique 15 years ago 

This Athena Crawford dress Op-Shop find $5
Brought this 10 years ago haven't worn it.

Another way to wear the Pink Blazer, sorry
Precious wanted to get into the action.

Back in Black, another outfit wearing leather jacket.
this necklace was a gift from friend 15 years ago.
 



Brought this Leather Jacket 2 years ago and have never worn it,
forgot I had it this has been my favourite" Treasurer" I found Fossicking.

 

Brought this Pink Blazer haven't seen it in 18 years
I think we will become friends again.






So there you have it my day "Treasure Hunting", now are you going to unearth some hidden gems in your wardrobe.


Have fun Mining Maz xxx

 

Profiteroles

Here is my recipe for Profiteroles, I doubled the original recipe as I like to make mine big, if you like smaller ones then just halve it,  makes approx. 30 to 35 large ones.

Preheat oven 200c/ 400f/ Gas Mark 6.

The finished Product Yumm

Choux Pastry
250g Butter
400mls water
1 1/2 cups plain flour sifted
6 eggs

Cream Filling
300mls Thickened Cream
2 Tablespoons Icing Sugar
( you can have as much or as
less as you like with the sugar
personal taste, you can leave it
out all together if you like).

Chocolate Topping
250g Dark Chocolate Buds



To make pastry, place the water and butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile beat your 6 eggs together in a jug. Once butter and water have come to boil remove from heat and beat the flour with wooden spoon until  smooth.  Set aside to cool approx. 20 minutes

Mix in half of the beaten eggs into the mixture with a wooden spoon,  once you have incorporated them in add the remaining eggs mix this until has a soft dropping consistency.

This is the constancy you want after you
have mixed in all the eggs.

Place baking paper on your trays and place spoon fools of mixture leave a bit of room between as they rise and puff up.  I used tablespoon full if you wish to make small once just decrease the size of your spoon, you may wish to put mixture into piping bag but I never have time for that.
Place in oven for approximately 25 mins or until brown and not soft they should be hard to touch, then turn oven off, put a split in them to release the steam and let sit in oven cool down and dry out, never take them straight out or the will fop.
Once they are cooled fill them with the cream and top with chocolate.

Cream Filling
Beat together the cream and the icing sugar until thick and spoon into cooled puffs.
Chocolate Topping
Melt chocolate bits in the microwave, I do this by placing in microwave  safe bowl and give short bursts of about 25 seconds then take out and give a quick stir, usually around 2 mins and its melted beautifully but keep and eye on it. Then dip or spoon the toping over the filled puffs or you can use a pastry brush.



Place tablespoons full on your trays

This is how they look after you take them out of the oven




The Finished Product





I hope you get the chance to make some and they become a family favourite like our.

 

Blessings Maz..........

Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce

This is my Sticky Date Pudding recipe, I usually make it when I have all the family together as everybody loves it, and also make it if asked to take a desert for a party or function.  It never fails to impress and have never had a problem making it. Served with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, I also made it once with some praline and sprinkled it over he top when I was tying to be a bit fancy.

The amount in this recipe will make a baking dish approx. 33cm x 22cm  and will serve around 20 depending how big your portions are. If you wish to make a smaller amount just halve the recipe.

Ingredients:

500g chopped pitted dates
3 cups water
2 tsp bi- carb soda
250g softened butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups self raising flour

Method

Pre Heat oven 160c

Put dates and water in saucepan and bring to boil, remove from heat then quickly add and stir in Bi-carb soda this will froth and bubble and double in size, put aside to cool.

In a blow beat butter brown sugar until pale then add one egg at a time and also vanilla.  When date mixture has cooled add to butter and sugar mixture and stir in well. When combined add S/R flour  fold in until combined just use wooden spoon for this process don't worry if their are some little lumps of flour. The less you work it the lighter the pudding.

I spray my baking dish with canola oil and line the bottom with baking paper, pour your mixture into dish ad cook in moderate oven for approx. 40 min just do the skewer test,  you might have to put foil over the so it doesn't burn and sometime I have to turn the oven down. My oven is a hot oven so I always have to keep an eye on things.

Caramel Sauce

600 mls Thickened Cream
2 cups Brown Sugar
250g butter chopped
2 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil stirring with wooden spoon simmer for approx. 7 to 10 min after all melted. Serve hot over your pudding.  This pudding and sauce keeps well in the fridge, just heat in microwave when required so is great if you wanting to make something before hand.

 

Hope you get the chance to make this it a family favourite in our house.

Maz xx

Choclate Lava Cake

I have never made a cake or desert in my slow cooker, but have always wanted too.  Found this recipe for Choc Lava Cake which is really like a self saucing pudding was so easy to make.  I like this one because a lot of the recipes use a packet cake mix for the batter part which I didn't like I wanted to make mine from scratch. Also next time I make it and I defiantly will I might add 1/2 tsp chill powder to bring the choc flavour out or you could add some espresso.
So here it is I hope you enjoy it as much as we did great for large crowds, I also doubled the recipe because my slow cooker is a large one.

Ingredients

2 cups SR flour
1 cup sugar
12 Tbsp Baking Cocoa
4 tsp baking powder
1  tsp salt
1 cup milk
4 Tbls oil
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 packed brown sugar
3 cups hot water.

Method

1.  Spray slow cooker with oil, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and 6 tablespoon's of
      cocoa.

2.  Add the milk, oil, and vanilla and mix with electric mixer for 2 mins until combined.

3.  Place batter into slow cooker and spread evenly.

4.  In a bowl combine brown sugar and the remaining 3 Tbls of cocoa in bowl then stir in hot water
     until dissolved.

5.  Pour over the batter mixture (DO NOT STIR)!!!! cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

6.  Turn off and remove lid  let cake stand for 30 min. Pour the lava from the bottom of
      the pot over the top of  the cake and serve with ice cream.
   

Spray with oil and add batter

This is what it looked like after I cooked it
the sauce is on the bottom let sit for 30 min
before serving.

Serving suggestions sorry the ice cream melted before
I got the shot.

 I hope you get the chance to make it and becomes a family favourite.

Enjoy Maz  xx

Sticky, Spicy Beef Ribs.

I have made ribs before but these are out of the park.  I followed basic recipe and added a few extra things.  I hope you enjoy them I think the secret to the success was that I kept them covered the whole time.  Only taking foil off to turn every hour. Don't be tempted to take the foil off to brown the top they will burn very quickly as I found out.

Cooking time 3- 4 hours depending how many you are cooking,  just keep any eye on them you will be able to tell when they are ready as the meat will start to come off the bone.

Ingredients

Coat meat with marinade.

1.5kg Beef ribs
1/2 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
1/4 cup brown or malt vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp yellow mustard powder(keens)
2 tsp black pepper

Place in fridge for 1 hour
or longer if you have time.

little salt not much as the soy sauce is salty

Method

Place all of the ingredients into bowl and mix together, place the meat in and coat, then put into baking dish making sure they fit snuggly. Place in fridge for about an hour longer if you can I didn't and they were very flavoursome.  Take out of fridge cover with foil tightly and place in pre-heated oven at 120 to 140 C my oven is fan-forced, you want it low and slow.

After an hour take out and turn the ribs spoon sauce over them cover again put back in for another hour, then do the same again. in an hour should take about 3 to 3 1/2 hours don't be tempted to take the foil off they will burn very quickly, keeping the foil on keeps the moisture in. When they are ready serve with mashed potatoes and coleslaw.

 Next time I make them ( and I will defiantly be making them again), I will slicing up some onions and peppers and put a layer on the bottom of the dish, they would be make a delicious topping to go over the ribs when serving.

Also if I was making them again for my  family I  would need about 2.5 to 3kg of ribs as they shrink quite a bit, and there is a large bone attached to the meat you would need to double the recipe and it would be the perfect amount for a family of 6 you would also have to adjust the cooking time maybe an extra 1/2 to 1 hour

For the BBQ sauce I used " McCormicks Tennessee style Brown Sugar Bourbon",  you can use whatever you have, we are big BBQ sauce fans in our house and have a huge selection. Also you can eliminate the chilli sauce if you don't like them spicy or add more for a bit of extra heat.

I hope you get the chance to make them, and share them with friends and family I cant wait to make them again.

Enjoy Maz xx

This was the BBQ sauce I used.

Don't be tempted to take the foil off I did only for about 10 mins hence the colour but still moist

Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Coleslaw delish

My Little Slice of Paradise.

Our family has been coming to the Gold Coast for over 20 years, first holidaying when the kids were little and then when older they attended boarding school here. Back in the late 90's we purchased a unit at the Hibiscus on the Beach in main beach, a small boutique building only twenty two units in the whole complex, two per floor. The units aren't huge but what it lacks in size it makes up in position, right on the beach, you could literally throw a stone into the ocean from your balcony (but I wouldn't recommend it). It doesn't have a lot of  the amenities that your large resorts do (eg, tennis court, gym), but you can jump out of the pool or spa open the front gate to a patrolled beach go for a dip in the ocean who could ask for more. I noticed on my last visit that two families had booked both units on one floor which we have done over the years as the family's can go between both units and you have the whole floor to yourself. We later sold that unit which was at the back, and purchased at the front over looking the beach on the second floor, I could literally call out to the kids when they were on the beach and tell them lunch was ready (but not in a bogan way). We've had a lot of great memories over the years, such a laid back spot and now with the light rail just down the road you can go anywhere on the coast without a car. But sadly we sold it when we moved back to the country though we still stay here as it is such a great spot and I never tire of the view.

It is in the suburb of Main Beach just above the hub of the Gold Coast, a fantastic little spot five minutes from Sea World, just across the bridge you are at Australia Fair Shopping Centre and really quite central to most things. It has a great vibe everyone makes you feel like a local, it has great restaurants that cater for any budget and a fantastic surf club with a view to die for, you have a great restaurant across the road  which serves the best coffee, breakfasts and lunches while you sit and watch the world go by, and next to that what everyone needs on holidays 711. Then you have your newsagents/supermarket, bottle shop, lots of dress and shoes shops also catering for most budget's, I have picked up a few bargain's. You might also rub shoulders with the odd celebrity, as the Palazzo Versace Hotel is just down the road, I have seen a few over the years and just recently Johnny Depp whilst he was making Pirates of the Caribbean!

I hope you have enjoyed this post and if you are considering a trip to the Gold Coast with your family and want to stay somewhere that is relaxing laid back and self contained and on the beach, then have a look at their website or ring them direct.

I would also like to add I have not received anything for writing this post, I just love sharing information that may be helpful to people.

Blessings Maz xxx


The view from the pool and spa

Hibiscuc on the Beach

view from 10th floor

Bbq Area and Gazebo

Tedder ave Main Beach

Its position on the Gold Coast

That's how close it is to Marina and SeaWorld.

10th floor front main bedroom

10th Floor 2nd bedroom

10th floor living room

10th Floor kitchen dinning