the after shots of my Masters mini makeover

Sponsored by Nuffnang

 

 

OK, so you might remember from this post that I was making over 2 areas of my house. The back porch/patio and the nursery. Now it's very important when you do some work around the house to be in the right frame of mind - I parked myself on the step with a coffee and mag as project manager. An essential job.

Meanwhile retro daddy put everything together for me.......with his own little helper.

Now just to refresh your memories, here is our back porch/patio area which is in need of a little attention with some furniture. All I want to do is be able to sit outside and watch little people play, have a cup of coffee or do some work on my laptop.  At the moment I just sit on a step and it's not very comfy.

 

Ordering from the Masters website is super easy. And registering and making a wish list made it super easy when I wanted to finalise my order and keep everything under budget. You also have 3 options for collecting your goodies. Collect, Post or Delivery. I chose to have all of my goodies delivered by truck which cost $75 but meant I didn't have to lug furniture or a big carpet roll home with me. I also didn't have to ask retro daddy to pull out seats from the van which he doesn't enjoy. And best of all I didn't need to leave the house to order all of my outdoor furniture. Normally that would require taking retro daddy with me which also means taking all the kids with me. And I don't need to tell you that taking kids furniture shopping is a nightmare. You already know that.

Now the outdoor setting I chose is the Del Terra Sussex timber setting and we just love it. For $179 you get a good sized table and 4 chairs. It fits the brief perfectly and it actually came all assembled and just required a few little adjustments before putting it into place. I also picked up the lantern at Masters to add a little more of a beachy Hamptons feel to the space. And at $19 it didn't break the bank.

 

The outdoor cushions also add a little Hamptons feel to the space and by keeping it all dark navy it will withstand any spills from my little ones - there are plenty of spills and messes in this house. The wall hanging was $24 and suits the space perfectly. There are lots of different designs to choose from and over 40 outdoor wall art products on the website. Masters are always adding new products to their website and this is a new one that I would have loved. And I added a bench to the back patio too as I wanted some extra seating. And considering that I didn't see it in person I'm very impressed with the quality of it. The bench came in at $178 and was worth every cent. Co-ordinating your children's outfits to the cushions is totally optional, by the way.

 

The total cost for creating our outdoor area was just under $600 including delivery with most of the budget going on the outdoor setting and bench seat. But you can spend more than $600 just on furniture. I also threw in a lovely white tub for ice and drinks which looks so much nicer than a great big esky. 2 pots for plants and a few citronella candles for the windowsill and dinners outside (minus the kids).

Now let me take you upstairs, just turn left at the top of the stairs and it's the second room on the left. Here we have the nursery. Here is the before shot - remember no styling went on.

No one had slept in this room since we moved in. What a difference a few things make. The rug is a huge change covering up most of the green and was the most expensive purchase for this room but I knew would make the biggest difference. And at $129 here, I'm thinking about a couple more for the rest of the house.

 

The curtains are blockout curtains which are great if you have little people as the sunlight doesn't come in and wake them up. You need to buy 2 as each pack contains just 1 curtain but at $44.97 you can cover the windows for a bit less than $100. I kept these neutral because this room could be used by any of the other kids later on but you can get some really gorgeous blinds on the website like this one which would be perfect for little one's rooms.

 

the decal was cheap and cheerful and gives the room a fun and playful feel.....it also breaks up the pink as I'm a huge fan of pink but there is a little boy in this room. Can you spot him in the picture?

the little light was also another bargain at $20 and I've got it up high at the moment just while elodie is so little. To finish the room I also raided other rooms and the playroom for vintage books, some toys, quilts and blankets to accessorise.

and then there are the amazing lights that retro daddy needs an electrician to install. I did marry an accountant not a handyman and he really tried to get the light up in the nursery, he really tried. But I was hearing the swear words from upstairs and it turns out we need longer wires so we're calling in the professionals to install both lights for us. 

 

We love our 2 new makeovers and I love that I didn't need to leave the house to purchase what I needed. Everything was delivered quickly, left at my back door as I requested, arrived safely and saved me a big trip out to the shops. Decorating with new furniture and furnishings is a quick way to makeover an area of your house and it doesn't have to cost a fortune. And no paintbrushes or hard labour was required which keeps your other half happy. I found that Masters had really great prices on everything and a really great range of products. I'll be back.

Thank you Masters........................and now to announce the winner of my giveaway. Nuffnang chose the lovely Christine of Monkey & Bee who chose a few things for her outdoor area. A BBQ,  the same outdoor setting that I chose (great choice), cute bird feeder, poppy wall art  and $5 leftover to use for bird seed for the feeder. Well done Christine and I hope you'll share your own before and after pics for us all to see.