DIY Clothes Rack for your Wee One

So obviously I love a bit of vintage. And that definitely extends to my wardrobe. When we found out we were having a wee girl, the clear progression was vintage baby clothes. And lordy, have you seen vintage baby clothes? They are just gorgeous. And they just cry out to be shown off and displayed. The old saying, they don't make them like they used to is so, so true.

When we were planning how the nursery might end up looking, one of the things I wanted to really have (if we had the space) was a wee clothing rack for all her little dresses - especially if there was no wardrobe in the room. ANd, wouldn't you know it, we ended up in a house with no wardrobe in the nursery. So suddenly the clothes rack became a priority for me. I couldn't find any stores which sold a rack that was appropirate for the size I was needing. Like, I know it won't be ages till she is walking, but when she is old enough, I want her to be able to see and play with her dresses. And maybe even use the rack to play dress ups.

Cue Pinterest research (like everything else I do right?). I found there were heaps of beautiful wooden ones, some really lovely ones made of steel piping, and all sorts made of PVC piping. The issue was, that any tutorial I looked at confused the shit out of me. And when I went to the store to buy a list of pipe bits I got even more confused. Then when I went to build it, I found that none of the methods I found, actually made it stable. And I don't want it all to fall down on Sophie. In the end, I bought a bunch of stuff, didn't use it all, and ended up just building it the way that made sense to me...

Note:
I have a feeling, that at Lowes or Home Depot, you can have your PVC piping cut to length for you. If this is true, that would make things a little easier. Here in Australia, I went to Bunno's. The thinner pipe (15 mm width) comes in 1 m lengths. So, I did the cutting at home with a saw. Yep, I'm awesome. Rob was a little worried so came and supervised me.

Also note, I am back in the land of metric measurements (woohoo) but will list the imperial numbers at the bottom of the page to keep everyone happy : )

Anyway, here is what I bought (and actually used).
4 x 1 m lengths of PVC piping (15 mm width)
6 x elbow joints (15 mm width)
4 x T section joints (15 mm width)


And here is what ended up working (there were a few fails on the road to this win).

Decide the height you want. I didn't want mine to tower over wee one, and the legs will give it a little extra height. I decided on the following measurement scheme:

Some notes with lengths of the sections.

Cut your pipe to size.
So, I cut 2 x 70 cm lengths. I then cut the remaining 30 cm lengths down to 20 cm.
This means, out of the 1 m length, I ended up with 1 x 70 cm, 1 x 20 cm, and 1 x 10 cm sections.
I did the same to get 2 x 80 cm sections and 2 x 20 cm sections.

This is the sets of measurements I used to get the most out of the 4 sections of PVC.

I found it helped to lay all the pipe out like a 2D image, and start putting it together that way.

Excuse the messiness, these are just some notes I scribbled to help me build.

Stability comes from the following aspects of this rack:
- The elbow joints as legs seemed to increase the stability of the base, giving them more of a grip to the floor.
- By using an extra piece of pipe to connect the two T sections, it strengthens the base instead of leaving it with just a connecting joint (this was a lesson I learned).
- The length of the feet of the rack seem to be just long enough to provide balance, to stop it tipping over, without making it cumbersome or a trip hazard.
- The base bar provides the most stability across the rack, and is essential.
- And of course a tight fit between all the joints and pipe sections. Make sure you don't accidentally grab stuff in the wrong size. It wasn't until I got to the counter to pay that I noticed some of the joints were in larger sizes. Which is a reminder to everyone to put things back in the right spots in stores haha.

Hmmm... I like it, but it's a little plain. Help?
So, I appreciate that at this point it is just a bunch of pipes. I plan to keep it just as white piping for now, but may change it later. For now I like that the pipe colour doesn't take away from the patterns in the dresses and rompers. Or my lovely dividers by Lucy Darling Shop. But, if you wanted to make it a little prettier, here are some ideas I have been tossing around..
- Spray paint it the same color as your nursery theme, or your wee ones favorite color.
- Apply a bunch of small round stickers along the rack, spray paint with your favorite color and then peel off the stickers - instant super cute polka dot clothes rack.
- Go nuts with washi tape. This seems to totally lend itself to a neat pattern of washi tape.

What do you think? Have you tried a similar project? Are the instructions clear, let me know if anything needs clarifying. This took me a few different attempts to get it stable and just so.

Travel Thursday: Sunrise along the Seine

Oh how I want to go back to Paris... I have said so many times on this blog. I just love Paris.

A lot of people don't rate travel to Paris in November. But, I love Paris in November. It's a bit cold and grey. But it just feels so much more Parisian that way. Does that make sense? I love the crisp mornings and the Autumn leaves whipping past. The chilly mornings, warmed up with chocolat and mittens. Seeing your breath in front of you as you watch the currents in the Seine swish by and crunch into that baguette.

Here are some shots from a particularly crisp, beautiful and clear Autumn morning in Paris.

Voila!

18 Months in the USA - the bucket list revisited

Bloody hell guys. How fast has the last 18 months flown.
Every now and then we will look at each other and just be like "wow, we live in Texas" or, "man its weird that we are in America". Cos you know, it wasn't something we thought we would be doing, like, ever. So that is rad. Its a good lesson to not plan too much, and take each opportunity when it comes to you.

Anyhoo, as it is 18 months into our stay, it is time to update y'all on what we have done so far, and what we have ticked off our US bucket list. If you have been around here for awhile, you will have seen the updates at 6 months and a year. If you haven't, here is the tall and skinny of it...

Rob, basically, should have been born here in America, he was made to be American. He loves the food, the people, the sports, the politics, everything. And he knows sooo much about stuff  here. I know far less, but like most people my age, I was raised with a steady flow of Police Academy movies, Baby Sitters Club books, and of course, all those American sitcoms of the 90s. Hence, before we moved here, we had a massive list of things we wanted to see, do, taste and experience.

Here is a summary of the things we have managed to check off our USA bucket list. We have a few more months to get stuff done, and then the list will be put away till we move back here again.

Cities We Would like To Visit

Done and Dusted

New York - June 2013 and June 2014
Chicago - July 2013
Austin - March 2013, June 2013, October 2014
Hill Country - April 2013 and May 2014
Las Vegas - September 2013
New Orleans - February 2014
San Antonio - April 2014

Not Yet

Seattle - September 2014
San Francisco - September 2014
Portland - September 2014
Dallas
Boston
San Diego
Hawaii
Alaska 
Georgia - Wanna see where my Pal Jeremy is from!

So, State list to date:

Arizona

California

Colorado

Illinois

Louisiana

Nevada

New Jersey

New York 

Pensylvania 

Texas

Utah 

Food We Want To Try

Done and Dusted

Twinkie - yeah no I can't bring myself to do this. But Rob tried one. I think he liked it, he had three more right away, but hasn't touched them since. 

Deep Pan Pizza - had a Deep Dish in Chicago. OMG. Amazing.
Pasta in Little Italy - like, the best Pasta ever.
Hot Dog - I had a a "dog" at the Cubs game, they very proudly serve it with no Tomato Sauce, only mustard and pickle.

Sweet Iced Tea - this on second thought, does not appeal at all.

Lemonade - like, the kind on movies about the South. We have had it so many times, man it is so yum. Especially in the middle of a humid Houston summer! 

Po Boy - This is like a chip butty but with deep fried sea food. Its so good and so bad all at the same time. 

Budweiser - not very good, don't know what the fuss is about.
Chicken and waffles - Rob had this for breakfast one day, still a mystery to me.
Handmade flour tortilla - Oh man. These are good. So good. Sooooo good.
Queso - it took a year but we tried some Queso. And that shit was amazing. Even though all basic instincts were telling me not to, I ate a whole bowl of it. There, I admit it.
Apple Pie - Rob loves this. I am still not sold on sweet pies.
Pecan Pie - I LOVE PECAN PIE. The only exception to above statement.
Pumpkin Pie - we had a lot of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. 
BBQ - we have had a lot of BBQ. It's amazing.
Shrimp and Grits - I LOVE SHRIMP AND GRITS. That is all.
Gumbo - Rob tried this and loved it.
Giant Soda - I got a two litre cup of Soda from Buckys. Yep. Two litres.
Turkey - Rob had a turkey leg at Eeyore's birthday, and we ate a shit load of Turkey at Thanksgiving!
Kolache - Tried these bad boys. Literally the most amazing thing ever.

Momofukus - Rob has always wanted to try this place. And we did. And we ate truck loads. Had amazing Ramen at the restaurant, and then Rob ate nearly all the cookies at the Milk bar. 

Giant Pretzel in NY - done! Although this was mainly to keep away morning sickness, it still counts!

Proper American Mac n Cheese - YES> YES> YES. A place here does it with hot sauce, grilled chicken, bacon and blue cheese. I am drooling thinking about it.

Shaved Ice - SUGAR RUSH!

Not Yet

Chicken Fried Steak - A Texan classic apparently, still haven't done it yet.
Chicken Fried Chicken -

Chowder - Haven't gotten to Boston yet. And I feel like you gotta do this in Boston, we shall see how we go.

Crawfish - haven't tried mudbugs yet. But we kind of have to.

Things We Want To See

Done and Dusted

Fire flies - OMG. These are the most beautiful little creatures ever. We saw them in PA this year. They look like little fairies having a fight with candles lol. Loved them.
Dave Chapelle - saw him, sung him Happy Birthday. Yayah. And just to brag, saw him again in NY in June this year. Cannot describe how amazing all this was.  

Someone chewing Tobacco - Wow, I saw this for he first time in January. It actually happened. Haha I thought it only happened in baseball movies :P 

House of Pies - Went for midnight Pie after the supercross.. SO GOOD!
Grand Canyon - the number one thing I have seen or done here!

Hoover Dam - Flew over this on the chopper ride to the Grand Canyon Wrigley Field - saw Cubs v Cardinals.

Stumble down Bourbon St - Stumbled. Loved it.  
Famous People (Yes, I wanted to see some famous people, so sue me) - Rick Ross, Pauly Shore, Tommy Davidson, Dave Chapelle, FOTC, Phil from the Amazing Race, a real Housewife, Backstreet Boys.. oh and Mike Tyson. Sucre off of Prison Break.   
Central Park - got lost, saw turtles and HEAPS of squirrels. Brooklyn Bridge - walked across on the sunniest, most beautiful day.  Then we did it again on the next trip. Actually our favorite place in New York.
Beluga - Saw them in Chicago. And when I saw them I cried. I was so excited!  
Gators - Saw them in Louisiana. Crazy Shit.  
Squirrel - I have some squirrel pals who I see on the way to work.
Buckys - after Austin; on the way to New Braunfels.  
Times Square - it's so busy. And we loved all the billboards. Colorado River - Parked next to it in the chopper and had Champagne! Hippy Festival - yeah, so we totally did this when we went to Eeyores birthday with Jarrod and Rachael. It was so much fun. There was a lot of beer, hula hoops, and aging breasts.
Renaissance Fair - OMG we had the funnest day ever.
Cirque De Soleil -So good. Trippy as all hell 
Las Vegas Strip - Strolled from Excalibur down to Treasure Island. Funny people watching! 
Broadway Show - saw Book of Mormon last year. Saw All They Way this year. Both amazeballs.
Gulf of Mexico - Galveston, TX; Holly Beach, LA.
A jousting renaissance dinner - Did it. It was amazingly cheesey and awesome. Thanks Vegas lol.  
Great Lakes - Saw Lake Huron from Chicago
Bon Jovi - Saw him at Chicago Field in Chicago.
30 Rock - Twice! The second time we went to Top of The Rock and saw one of the coolest views ever. New York is an amazing city. It was tall and pretty cool. Unfortunately we didn't see Tina Fey at the same time.
 Ranch - We stayed at a beautiful ranch in March this year for our friends wedding. Awesome.
A Cactus in the desert - Done - Midland rig trip. Cactus everywhere.
Jersey Turnpike - We saw the sign. And drove past it. 
Rocky Mountains - I flew over some of the Rocky Mountains on the way to a field trip this year. AHMAZING.  
Mardi Gras - We came, we saw we conquered. Otherwise put, we went, we drank, we got beads, we ate a lot of good food, it was worth the 10 hour drive yo.  
NBA game - Rockets v Mavericks, Rockets v Clippers, Rockets v Thunder, Rockets v Heat (Just quietly, we saw Le Bron, Epic moment)
NFL game - We went to our first NFL game in November last year, and we are seeing Eagles v Texans in November this year
Roller Derby - This was so much fun. Those girls have balls. Big balls.
Ice Hockey - Even got to hug the mascot. We saw the Aeros before they left Houston. Was really fun to watch. Way more fun than on TV. MLB game - Red Sox v Yankees, Red Sox v Astros, Cubs v Cardinals, Astros v Angels, Astros v White Sox and Astros v Red Sox again

Wrestlemania - why? because I love Rob, that's why. And it was hilarious. And we were on TV!

Tornado - given how dangerous these things are, it is a stupid thing to have on the list.. but, we actually saw a water spout in the Gulf of Mexico on Fourth July Weekend.

International House of Pancakes - done just recently. Was okay. Baby was craving pancakes :P 

Hike some of the Appalachians - while we didn't get to hike at all, we drove over some of them on our roadtrip to meet Laurie  

Not Yet

Music Festivals - Saw a great Festival in Houston earlier this year, and we are going to Austin City Limits in October

College Football game - Will see Wisconsin v LSU in August 

Multonomah Falls, Oregon - GOing in September

Crater Lake - THIS YEAR!! (I am a little excited lol)  

Mount Hood - Ditto. Mount Rainier - See above.

Mount St Helen's -See above above.

San Juan Islands - Clearly this last trip will be epic. 
Mexican Wrestling
Monster Jam or that kind of giant monster truck thing 
Niagara Falls  
Fenway Park  
Chipmunk
Bear  
Pink Flamingo  
Disneyland - I think this will wait till we have munchkins  
Narrows, TX 

Wear white linen pants in The Hamptons   

Margaret Cho

Hooters

Lake Tahoe - I have been here, but I really wanna go with Rob. It may be one of the most beautiful places on earth. I think, anyway.
Yellow Stone Park
Catskills
Rodeo and/or Stampede ( and yes, I know this doesn't count as it is in Canadia)

Things We Want To Do

 

Done and Dusted

Thanksgiving - We had such a great Thanksgiving with our Texan family!  

Fourth of July - see this post for details on our Independence Day. If you are familiar with the story you will know that I am still holding out for a good fourth of July.  

Carve a pumpkin - Nearly chopped my hand off but I did it!

Trick or treat - This was so much fun! Buy Cowboy Boots   
Get stuck somewhere due to a snow storm - thank you random January snowstorms (actually ice rather than snow) in Houston. And thank you Midland for being so accommodating.  
Go to a Pumpkin Patch - We did this, had so much fun and did a corn maize! And it was like 99% humidity so we nearly melted haha

Grill - We have done some grilling with pals. The results so far have been encouraging.
Shoot a gun - There is no way in hell I am picking up a gun. Ever. But Rob went shooting with Jeremy in November last year.  
Snow Day - Yes, that joyous moment I have seen on the Simpsons so many times. Although there was no actual snow there was some sleet and ice, so that was fun!  
Mardi Gras - Oh yes we did.
Buy a box of Girl Scout cookies and eat the whole thing - Well I bought them, I didn't manage a whole box butmade a good effort haha Shop at Walmart - So, Rob refuses to do this. But I have!

Buy Cowboy Boots - Spent two hours choosing a pair with Liz in Austin, and I LOVE them!

Not Yet

Tubing - hopefully we do this later in the year, when we went it was the end of the season and there was waaaay too many people (ewww drunk people pee).. But I am hoping to do it still! 
Make a pumpkin pie
Tailgate - maybe this year.. need to find some lovely pals to tailgate with! (any offers people?)
Meet a Cowboy

Expat Life: Interpreting Kiwi English

 Image Source

I say I speak three languages, English, French and Broken English. Haha nice joke, polite way of saying I swear like a trucker. But, as Laurie says, sorry but not sorry. However, I have noticed since coming here, I really speak Kiwi-English and Aussie-English, and am slowly learning American-English. In preparation of my trip to see the lovely Laurie this weekend, I have prepared a list of the things I have learned so far, so that I can help prepare her for my Kiwi-ness.

Enjoy.

Kiwi - Murica words that I have gotten confused

Shout someone – Buy someone a drink or meal – “it’s my shout”

Bag - Purse

Purse - Wallet

Boot - Trunk

Bench - Counter

She’ll be right – Don’t worry, everything will be alright

You’ll be away laughing – You will be fine

Away with the fairies - Daydreaming

Jandals - Flip flops - Thongs

Togs - Swimming costume

Do the dishes - Washing up

Loo – Toilet - Restroom

Bless your little cotton socks – Bless you

Undies – Panties

Knickers (for kids underwear) – Panties

Ice block – Popsicle

Nek Minnit - Next thing you know

He’s a gun – He's an expert

Pom – English person

Have a go at someone – Attack or insult someone, start an argument

I'm flat out – I am really busy

What’s that when its at home? – This just means “what is that?”

 Bill - Cheque

Coriander - Cilantro

Capsicum - Bell Pepper

Gherkin - Dill Pickle

Grill - Broil

Barbeque - Grill

Eftpos - Debit

Drink Piss - Drink alcohol

Maori Words that I use A lot

Whare – house

Puku – tummy

Kapai – Good

Kia Ora – Hello
Aporo - Apple
Aroha - Love
Paki paki - clap your hands
Are your tarengas painted on? - Are your ears painted on?
Whare Paku - toilet

 

See you soon Loz!

Travel Thursday: Hamilton Gardens

Ain't it pretty!

This week's Travel Thursday brings us to the Hamilton Gardens. A large, botanical garden full of native bush, themed gardens, water features, rose gardens and lots of beautiful green grass. When Rob and I lived in Hamilton, it was our favorite spot to explore, picnic and take a dip in the river. When we were back in December we had a picnic at the park with some dear friends, and met their wee one. Here are a few shots from our fantastic day in the park.

Our Texan Christmas

What an amazing 3 days of Christmas! As we slowly recovered from our first Thanksgiving, we had our Texan Christmas. Since we are heading home on Friday, we thought we would have Christmas with our Texan family before we left. We were excited to do some winter Christmas traditions - since we have always had a summer Christmas.

Here is a breakdown of three intense days of Christmas!

We listened to Christmas carols.

We painted ornaments.

His name is Errol.

Rob's trees.

Rudolph and Errol.

We made a ginger bread house.

We made angels.

Her name is Jean.

 We watched The Grinch. And Elf.And Shrek the Halls.

We put up trees. Nine trees. One of the tallest trees I have seen in a house. 

This tree is gigantic.

We fluffed trees. Nine trees.

We trimmed the giant tree.

We made snow. Kind of. Then spent the next two days chasing the the dogs as they tried to eat it.

Snow and reindeers.

I patted a rain deer. Kind of. Well, not really. It was a dog that I was calling Rudolph.

We made hot minty cocktail - recipe coming soon!

We ate. And then we ate some more.

I laughed my ass off at Laurie's Elf on the Shelf antics. 

We exchanged presents. We got the most beautiful gift - Steph and Jeremy made it from scratch! Can't wait to get it on the wall. And I finally got to give Steph her present that I have been working on for ages.

The beautiful frame that Jeremy made, and the photo frames and decorations that Steph made!

Butterflies for Steph

I wore some excellent Christmas jerseys. (Which I had never done because well you know, we have Christmas in summer). 

Only one selfie all weekend!

All  in all, it was an amazing weekend! I feel proper Christmassy now, and can't wait to get into my Kiwi Christmas traditions with my Mama next week.

All finished.