Top Tips for Organising a Party

It's easy to get overwhelmed with organising a get together so we've put together some top tips for organising a party...

1. Mix and match

Don't be scared to mix and match crockery, cutlery and decor. Eclectic is in so may as well make the most of it and throw together whatever you have in your home to create a unique dinner party/party. Sometimes trying to get it perfect doesn't quite work. What things can you mix and match?

- old and new (vintage and modern)

- still and busy patterns (plain and floral materials for napkins or table cloths)

- transparent and non-transparent (cups or glasses)

- rustic and smooth (think hessian and chiffon table lays)

2. Make lists!

Making lists makes organising a party so much easier. You can't host a party without making lists! Here's a list of lists you should make..

- Each dish you want to prepare along with what ingredients you need for each dish (include how long it will take you to make each dish)

- Drinks you need to buy

- What decor you need to buy/get ready

- What order you'll prepare everything for the party! Whether it be on the day or the night before.

3. Kids area

If you're hosting a get together for guests who have kids make sure you set up a 'child friendly' entertainment/task area where the kids can keep themselves occupied. A table with colouring in sheets and crayons, a laptop with movies or toys and healthy snacks are just some good items to have in the kids area!

4. Paper plates

Don't be scared to use paper plates! You can buy some really fancy ones if you're not comfortable with plain white and these will cut down your washing up time! You can also get recylable napkins!

 

5. Get a music station sorted

No party, dinner party or get together is complete without music. Get a music playlist ready the night before, selecting music appropriate for the event. We reccomend hiding the music player so guests can't hi-jack the playlist (unless you're open to that of course!)

6. Set up a bar

Setting aside an area, even something as simple as a table, with glasses/cups and drinks in a cooler is a good way to get organised and to allow your guests to easily top up their drinks as they wish.

Benefits of Reclaimed Timber

As wood becomes less abundant it's good to think about what we can do to make the most of reclaimed timber...

Where does it come from?

Timber that can be recycled can be found anywhere from barns to factories, warehouses or jetties.  Recovered timber may be lumber from trees that has died naturally whilst reclaimed timber is timber that is being re-purposed from something else.

Sources

• Demolished homes
• Old buildings
• Sheds
• Factories
• Warehouses
• Boats
• Bridges
• Shearing sheds

Benefits

It's clear that re-using timber is an environmentally concious decision. Using reclaimed timber helps preserve forests and cuts down the amount of energy used for the transportation and production of timber products.

Often reclaimed timber has 'stood the test of time'. Timber from old buildings would have expanded and contracted for years as well as dried out which makes it far more durable.

The one thing we really like about reclaimed timber is the story behind the timber. Think about a gorgeous table built from an old jetty or old ship wreck. It adds character and is something different!

Buying reclaimed timber

Some suppliers sell reclaimed timber. Make sure you ask or request that all nails, bolts, etc. are removed before you buy it. This is purely for safety reasons. It's also a good idea to let the supplier know what you intend on building to find out if the timber is suitable for the project.

If you're looking for some unique custom made furniture for your home made from reclaimed timber get in touch with us! Or take a look a our work here

Vertical Garden DIY

Looking for something different to get your outdoor (or indoor) area green? Vertical gardens or green walls have excelled in popularity and we can see why - simple or intricate, these walls make for a unique feature and act as an environmental cooler too. They're also great if you don't have enough space for a horizontal garden! Here are 4 DIY vertical gardens you can try at home...

Pallet Garden Wall

Wooden pallets are super multi purposed and can be used to build many things including a pallet garden wall! You'll need some weather resistant crews, roofing nails or staple gun, drill, level, weed cloth (aka landscape fabric), thin plywood cut to size to cover back of pallet, potting soil, plants. In 3 easy steps:

1. Nail some plywood to the back of the clean and water proofed pallet

2. Staple gun the weed cloth to the back and sides of the pallet

3. Add soil and plants!

For a more detailed version of the instructions you can go here

Hanging Flower Box

A little more complicated to put together but a really beautiful feature to have on your wall! Detailed instructions on how to build this can be found here

Bucket Wall

Nail some concrete reinforcement mesh to your outside wall and hang large or small buckets on it. Fill them with soil and pop some plants in there. A super easy way to get your vertical wall up!

Vertical Drawer Garden

Not quite a wall but most certainly vertical! Find yourself a vintage drawer and fill it with pot plants. Something different and pretty easy to put together.

Cricket Match Food

Do you like entertaining? Are you a foodie who also enjoys cricket? Then this blog is just for you! We thought we'd put together some inspirational meals or eats to accompany test versus a one dayer cricket match...

Test match 

For those readers who may not know, a test match lasts a maximum of five days (eight hours each including breaks) With this in mind you might consider some slow cooked recipes. With the weather still slightly chilly you can definitely get away with preparing a beef and vegetable curry or slow cooked beef ragu. Why not try some of these marinade recipes for a barbie. If you've never marinated meat before check out this marinating 101

Test match menu

Starter

An easy, eight ingredient 45 minute preparation time starter that can be made in bulk and frozen for later use. A rich and creamy pumpkin soup with a dash of chilli to give it a bit of a kick.

Pumpkin soup with a dash of chilli

Main

A beautiful tender chicken piece, slow cooked for four hours with easy preparation instructions. Served with steamed carrots and broccoli.

Slow-cooker chicken with pesto butter

Dessert

A warm dessert with an hour and a half cook time and ten minutes prep. Served well with cream or ice cream. 

Slow-cooker poached raspberry pears

One dayer

Barbecues and lots of snacks are perfect for one dayers! Here are some of our favourite snack recipes that are really easy to make AND look impressive.

Caramelised onion pastries

• Recipe for caramelised onion
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• Camembert
• Cherry tomatoes

Caramelise onion. Slide pastry into squares (as big or small as you like) Bake pastry sheets as per packet instruction. Top pastries with onion and finish with a dollop of camembert and a halved cherry tomato.

Baby quiches

It's easy to make a variety of options with quiches. Bacon and feta, spinach and feta, salmon - the list goes on. Here's a super easy recipe for baby quiches

Dreamy Cheese Platter

The most important thing for the perfect cheese platter is what you pair it with. Having some good South Australian local wines and craft beers go down amazingly well with the right cheeses but also choosing the right food items to go with the cheese. Here's some examples of foods that pair well with cheese:

• Gherkins
• Nuts
• Chutney
• Ham
• Crackers
• Olives

Things that don't pair well include

• Anything spicy
• Vegetables
• Acidic fruits

Handleless Kitchen Pros and Cons

Handless kitchens give a real sleek and tidy look to a kitchen but that doesn't always mean they are practical or right for you! Here's some info on handless drawers and cabinets and their pros and cons...

Pros

• Perfect for a minimalist look that won't date
• Not having handles means nothing to catch your clothes on!
• If it has a push to open functionality there'll be no gaps, but rather a nice smooth surface
• Finger pull style drawers are cost effective and not changes would need to be made to the cabinet or drawer itself like with a rail cabinet

• You can fit a rail along the inside of your cabinet creating space for you to open the drawers

Cons

• The spaces or ridges in the drawers can often collect dust and become hard to clean
• Handless kitchens are generally quite costly due to specialists styles and designs required to get the cabinet or drawer fitted properly
• They can be annoying. Sometimes it takes a few pushes or pulls before you can open the thing whereas with handles you'll pretty much get it every time!
• Push mechanic may open accidentally if it's being leaned on

Jamaican Style BBQ

Most people's mouths start to water at the sound of jerk chicken - tender chicken dry rubbed or wet marinated in hot spices and ingredients like sugar, garlic, salt and thyme. This week's blog is on a Jamaican Style BBQ!

Jerk Chicken

Originally cooked in a fire pit, jerk chicken should have a smokey flavour. This used to be achieved by cooking the chicken in a smokey fire pit but in modern days people use wood burning ovens, oil barrels or steel drums.Here's a recipe for jerk chicken seasoning

Jerk Seasoned Corn on the Cob

Make extra jerk seasoning and rub it on some corn on the cob! Quick, easy and delicious! 

Jamaican Rice

Jamaicans call this "rice and peas". A simple side dish of long grain rice, kidney beans and loads of flavour from lime juice, ginger and coconut milk. See recipe here. 

Jamaican BBQ Sauce

If you like BBQ sauce you'll LOVE Jamaican BBQ sauce! This flavoursome sauce has a bit of bacon, jalapeño peppers, mustard and thyme - just to give you a bit of idea of the wonderful flavours this sauce has and it only takes about 20 mins to make! Recipe for Jamaican BBQ sauce.Don't know about you guys but we're feeling pretty inspired to host a Jamaican style BBQ this weekend! 

Latest Kitchen Trends

We're always interested to hear our client's ideas and thoughts and they often want to know ours. What's trending, fads, what's in and what's not. Here are our latest five top kitchen trends...

1. Metal

Whether it's a pressed metal splash back for practicality or metal artwork for aesthetics metal is a great material to have in a kitchen! It's not only a strong and durable material but lends itself to loads of design possibilities and adds real character to a kitchen.

2. Polished Concrete flooring and benchtops

Polished concrete is the fastest growing flooring solution in the Australian commercial sector. The lifespan of concrete flooring is just one of the appeals. The fact that it doesn't scratch or dent is a huge plus for a kitchen floor. Functionality aside polished concrete is a sleek material that looks great for flooring and benchtops!

3. Vintage Style

Vintage style is a fast growing kitchen trend indoors and outdoors. Although you might not be able to do as much decor outdoors you can definitely get away with some vintage style crockery or semi-permanent decor.

4. Eclectic Mixes

Mixing and matching items in your home is a huge trend but you've gotta get it right! The coffee table below is a good example of a successful blend of two materials. Mixing the right colours, textures and materials in your home can give it a wonderfully eclectic feel. Don't be scared to break some design rules!

5. Timber

Timber is a beautiful material that gives a house a real homey feel! Adding touches of timber throughout your home or building timber cabinets in your kitchen is a great way to give your home a natural and modern look.

Kitchen Flooring Options

There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to selecting flooring for your kitchen (indoor or outdoor) Durability, design, longevity and how often you use your kitchen are just some of the factors to consider. We've selected a couple of kitchen flooring options to give you an idea of the what to think about when selecting the right floor for your kitchen...

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring is a good option if you don't want your kitchen to go out of style. Timber is a timeless material for flooring. Even when it ages it only adds character to your kitchen. Other properties of hardwood flooring:

• Low maintenance
• Durable
• Moisture resistant

Porcelain Tiles

This material is prepared at exceedingly high temperatures to produce a hard and durable final product. Porcelain tiles can withstand high temperatures and are extremely durable. Just make sure you select slip resistant tiles!

• Durable
• Suitable for modern kitchens
• Low maintenance

Cork Flooring

This kitchen flooring option is considered a bit more environmentally friendly. It's also a good option if you're looking for a softer floor.

• Naturally textured
• Slip resistant
• Needs to be sealed every three to four years for to prevent moisture from seeping in

Concrete Flooring

Concrete is a good kitchen floor option. This materials looks great in modern, industrial type kitchens and is really durable! It's a difficult to material to damage so can withstand a lot of furniture bumps and scratches. Concrete flooring is also easy to maintain. It only needs to be waxed or resealed every three to nine months.Other factors include:

• Endless design possibilities: mixing and setting of concrete has come a long way allowing many different colours and textures
• Environmentally friendly: seeing as most houses have a concrete subfloor, it's possible to simply remove what ever is above that and make use of that as your flooring.

Did you enjoy this blog? Here are some others you might like to read!

Fire Pit Building Materials

Kitchen Layouts - What's the difference and why does it matter?

Picking the right kitchen sink