Home Among The Gumtrees

Tara Dennis looked at a fairly common decorating problem

We showed how to get your lawn mower up and running for spring. Basic mower maintenance includes checking the spark plug , cutting blades and the oil. Our Tips: • Keep the mower blades sharp. The blades may need to be replaced if they are wo rn or ru sty. If they...

Don created a great architectural effect using a square concrete pot, trench mesh and some Australian native climbers. The first step was to paint both the pot and the trench mesh with rusting paint, to give an authentic, rusted iron look. The mesh was placed in the...

Tara Dennis looked at the newest tile trends and types of tiles, as well as discussing her favourite all-time tile for kitchen feature walls and splashbacks. Glass mosaic tiles For a big impact in the kitchen you can choose colour for all of your surfaces: cupboard...

Rita Hill used a paintbrush and some fabric paint to transform plain cushions into one-off, hand-painted masterpieces. Materials cushion cover fabric paint design lead pencil Instructions Transfer your chosen pattern to a piece of paper (you could draw your own...

Scott Cam built a simple rack to hold 12 wine bottles, 6 on the top shelf and 6 on the bottom shelf. This easy and inexpensive project was only about one hour’s work for Scottie. He chose maple for his wine rack, but you could use whatever timber you wish. Once the...

Rita Hill used some canvas and a few tubes of paint to create a fabulous geometric work of art. You will need 1 x canvas (30 x 40 inch) acrylic paints (either 2 shades of one colour or 2 contrasting colours) brushes dinner plate tape measure lead pencil Step by step...

Marine shops or ship

Don looked at some interesting gadgets for use in and around the home. Remote control jammer ($9.95 from Gadget Central/Jaycar)If someone in your family dominates the remote control, strike back. This device jams Hi-Fi, TV, and many infra red remote controls. If...

The house Frank Macchia designed for Rod and Sue Thomas is powerful, dominating and unconventional. The building covers 60% of the block, with about one third of the house surrounded by a moat. Landscape designer, Jim Fogarty, didn