Christmas Wishes

Just popping in to wish you all a Merry Christmas, one full of family and friends, good food and a lovely present or two!!

Thank you for visiting my little blog throughout the year - I've appreciated the visits and comments more than I can say. To find something you're passionate about and start on the journey to sharing that passion has been an amazing achievement for 2012 and I couldn't be more grateful. Thank you for sharing in that journey, and can't wait to continue it in 2013.

See you in January,

A Weekend Adventure - Doug up on Bourke

I don't have my usual project post for you today - I have something I'm working on but it's not quite finished (well, not really even close to finished, but you know what I mean ;) ) I've just had an amazing weekend away with a girlfriend to Sydney. Our first stop was an amazing industrial antique warehouse called Doug up on Bourke that I thought I'd share instead.

I can't tell you how completely overwhelmingly wonderful this place is (and in case you're wondering, no they are not paying me to say it!) I actually stood at the top of the stairs and soaked it in for something like 15 minutes - there was so much to see with something different at every step.

What I loved was the little collections they had - the trikes, the drinks crates, or oil cans, reminding me just how much I love vintage collections in decorating. The scooter above is gorgeous; it's just perfect hanging from the ceiling that way! And what about the dress forms??

There were fabulous stools, tables, glassware, loads of signs and maps. I could have filled my bag, car and home with all these amazing finds, and still found more. What I also found was that I loved the greens that seem to come out in vintage things - the green from the table and chair below are just perfect! It's not usually my go-to colour (that's blue in case you're wondering) but these really caught my eye and got me thinking about what I might do with some green paint!

We walked around the entire warehouse twice, just soaking it all in. There was almost too much to see, I think I'd walked past the wooden cash register below twice before I actually noticed it and realised just how beautiful it was. And of course, I couldn't go past a typewriter without getting a snap.

The one thing I didn't get a picture of, and I wish I did, is the basement. The basement has all those pieces that haven't yet been restored -and there were some amazing pieces in there. Some were so completely worn and beaten that I have no idea where I'd even start, and others had just a glimmer that you knew could shine.

We walked from the centre of the city out to Waterloo and I'm still feeling it a day later, but it was so worth it. So many amazing things to see, if you like your interior decorating a little industrial, you have to visit. Even if it's only for inspiration! You can visit their website at http://www.douguponbourke.com.au/

Thanks for stopping by...

Thrifty Thursday #5

If you've been following along you will be becoming familiar with Thrifty Thursday - a post about the thrifty goodness I've found during the week.

This week I thought I'd share something that I haven't actually found, but that was given to me by someone who found it on the side of the road. Now that people are getting know I collect 'stuff', I get calls, texts, and things left on my front verandah, which I LOVE! Nothing is better than free in my book, especially when it yields this kind of beautiful...

Right?? To me it's a writing desk, but who knows? It could be a cool hall table.

It needs a little work, but you can see the potential right? I have my eye on it for Harry, but I'm never quite sure whether I will keep something or not until it's finished. I'm thinking about replacing that centre piece with a piece of chalkboard...and though the pale blue is lovely, the paint job needs a little attention!

It's a little taller than a I would expect a child's chair to be, but the overall size of it screams children to me. If you've seen something similar and now what it is, I'd love to hear about it!

Can you see the little lock below? No key unfortunately, but it's so cute! When I replace that piece it will go, thought I suppose I could try to replicate it. Oh the possibilities!

So it has joined the junk yard that is my garage ready for a makeover. I think it's going to be a busy January!

Thanks for stopping by...

Rocking Chair Makeover

Sometimes I really miss this girl...

I was actually lucky enough to score this rocking chair via Freecycle. When I arrived to pick it up it was sitting on the owners verandah ( they were at work) and I was sure I was looking at the wrong chair. Surely there was another broken down, hideous chair that was the one I was supposed to take. But no, this was it.

Her previous owner had almost done all the pre-work for me, having sanded back almost all of the wood work to makeover the chair themselves. Then life got busy, as it does, and they'd decided to pass it on. While the tapestry isn't my style, it did sit just like that for a while till I got up the nerve to have a go.

This was the first time I'd done any kind of upholstery, so the number of staples in the chair amazed me. I was wearing bandaids for two weeks after pulling the old fabric off, but she was worth it! Lucky for me the chair had been reupholstered before so I could clearly see how they had done it and follow along with their work.

I took her along to my first market and she went home with a lovely girl who wanted her for a reading chair. PERFECT! And I got a follow up visit from her Mum the next market who said her daughter was loving her new chair :) She also told me the story of getting the chair back to their car - a hot day and long walk ending with carrying a rocking chair upside down on her head. Need I say more?

Here she is at the market - I put her right out the front of my stall to grab attention, and she certainly did that!

I have to say this is one of my favourite fabrics, it's just beautiful and has a really lovely texture. Damask isn't really my go to (I love stripes myself ;) ) but this is gorgeous. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by...





I'm sharing at...
Sugar Bee Crafts
Not Just a Housewife 
Domestically Speaking
Primitive & Proper 
Primp 
Live Laugh Rowe
Miss Mustard Seed 

Thrifty Thursday #4 - Suitcases

This week I found a new favourite friend...

This suitcase was $10 at my local op shop and he's definitely a keeper ;) In my rapture over this one, can you see what I did? Right side photo, just above the handle? That's right. I pulled the price tag off without a thought and it pulled off the top layer of board. !!!

I spent an our kicking myself (I even vacuumed the floor as punishment) and then decided that I could solve this easily with another one of my favorites. Map Pages!! So look out for that project soon.

This suitcase was actually my Pops and is now the signage I use at my market stalls. After cutting out the general shape I used Modge Podge to secure a vintage sheet from my stash to the top side, and then used a scapel to cut round the edges. Even after being dragged to a few markets, thrown around in the car and stored in my garage, it's still looking great. I think a retro style suitcase works great as signage, especially in  my kind of business!

My last thrifty share is a work in progress...

Emma's bedside table is a retro vanity case attached to an old side table I found for $2. I love the style, just not the colour, so it's scheduled for a paint job in the new year. I'm torn between making her all white or hot pink. Or even pale pink. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So what about?? Love an old suitcase?

Thanks for stopping by...

Industrial Style - Old School Chair

This chair was given to me by a friend who was in the process of cleaning out her office. There were loads of old props and when she saw this chair she thought of me! :)

Originally it was covered in a goldy kind of varnish, it had started to peel and though I was kinda liking the look, I eventually decided it had to go. The photo above is about half way through sanding the chair seat (I nearly always forget to take 'before' photos) and you can make out the varnish on the right hand side.

When I posted the above photo on facebook someone mentioned she'd had these beauties at her school for assembly. I can just imagine ;) The fold up flat, so I can just imagine the kids folding and packing away after the formalities.

I followed the chalk paint recipe shared by The Apprentice Extrovert, which I loved. I'm definitely up for using it again! You can see in the picture above how great the peeling looks, and with a coat of wax over the top it's smooth, and beautiful!

As I go along I'm finding my taste in furniture and home decor changing. I love the look of the chalk paint - the character it gives is amazing, and something I would like more of at home. I'm searching for a set of drawers for Harry that I'd love to use this technique on - I just have to find the right piece!

Thanks for stopping by...







I'm sharing at
Sugar Bee Crafts
Primitive & Proper 
Domestically Speaking 
Miss Mustard Seed 
The Shabby Nest

Thrifty Thursday #3 - Vintage Plates!

So obviously I like all things old school. ;) For this Thrifty Thursday I thought I'd share a new love, and a new project, vintage plates!

The biggest kick I get out of op shopping is finding a use for whatever is in abundance at my local stores. I mean, I love maps, globes and gorgeous old frames, but I have never ever seen any at any of my local stores. But what I have seen loads of are plates!

Can you see the plate above? A lovely lady in a yellow dress? I almost fell over when I saw it, and then again when I saw that it was $25!!! The plates from the cake stand at the very top were all $4 to $6. As much as I love it, I just can't justify $25 for a plate I'm going to drill through, and could actually break. I should mention - yes I tried to bargain. They were not in a bargaining mood.

One their own I think these plates are beautiful, (how lovely is the yellow cabbage leaf above?) but together they are really something else!! I made two cake stands for my most recent market stall and sold both early. For me, the key is finding plates that aren't to matchy matchy, but that have a bit of a theme; so colour (yellows, pinks, greens etc) or pattern (flowers, fruit etc).

I'm thinking you could also grab some more modern looking plates from the dollar store that would look just as good - spots, stripes and chevron in the same colour way  would look great together!

I bought my kit on Craftumi, and bought a tile drill bit from Bunnings, though you can also get them from eBay. The most time consuming part is drilling the holes - it's a slow process, and while I have been lucky so far, everything I've read warns about how easy it is to crack or brake a plate.

The drill bit works by slowly scrapping away the china, hence the slow pace. Speeding up the drill means the bit doesn't seem to grip (yes, I'm impatient and got sick of slow, but quickly realised going fast didn't get me anywhere!)

So what about you - do you like vintage plates? Got a stash of your own? Do you have an amazing plate display on your wall?

Thanks for stopping by.






I'm sharing at
Scandi Coast Home
Simple Home Life
Sugar Bee Craft
Primitive & Proper 

Little Yellow Table

I've been dying to paint something yellow...

...so when I picked this little table up at my local auction house I thought she would be perfect! Unfortunately I forgot to take a before photo, but essentially she was just brown ;) When I got down to it I decided that I had gotten the wrong yellow, and then I had second thoughts. I'm SO glad I got over them!

These photos were all taken at my market stall over the weekend, so apologies for the lack of styling. She had actually sold when I realised I hadn't taken any photos at all! Lucky for me her new owner was keen to check out the rest of the market and pick her up on the way home, so I could quickly snap a few pictures.

I think the colour makes this perfect for a little girls room, however her new owner was telling me about a very gorgeous sounding sunroom that she will move into. And what made this little table unique (well, I haven't seen it before ;) ) was a little latch underneath that unhooked one side of the table top, so you could lift that side up to be vertical and store her away. So perfect for small spaces!!

And now I'm off to sort through my stuff from the market - I had a great day, but I'm so exhausted!! I think I might be down for a nap when little Harry goes for his after lunch!

Thanks for stopping by...






I'm sharing at...
Under the Table and Dreaming
Primitive & Proper
Domestically Speaking
Live Laugh Rowe 
Simple Home Life 
Miss Mustard Seed 
The Shabby Nest

Thrifty Thursday #2 - Roadside Gold Edition

Last week I started a new bloggy tradition - Thrifty Thursday. Every Thursday I'm going to share what I've seen, found or generally lusted after. This week it's roadside finds, and I've got some doozies!

It constantly amazes me the stuff people throw out. Driving around my local suburbs this week I've been amazed at what people have decided is rubbish. Take this girl for example...

There was no way I was leaving her, look at those arms!! And though it took me a while to get her in the back of the car, I did eventually get her home! I think this arm chair could be gorgeous, I've already bought some fabric and piping and now I'm psych-ing myself up to do it. There is an amazingly talented duo in Lismore, NSW who save these chairs all the time, and I'm so inspired by their work. They're called Flourish and Blume and you can find them here.

The ones that got away this week were these chairs. When I did the school drop off I saw four of dining chairs and wanted to go home unload the stuff in the back of the car (pram, picnic blankets, bags etc etc, you know the stuff), then come back to get them. Not an hour later two were broken. :(

Apologies for the terrible phone photo - but hopefully you can see two chairs standing, and two broken. Makes me sad when people do this! BUT, rather than end on that sad note I'll leave you with my best ever roadside find before and after. I found this dresser on the side of the road and am SO glad I stopped for her! You can find out more about this project here.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bird on a Wire Telephone Table

I rarely find amazing pieces on eBay, especially in my price range, but I think this piece is an exception!

Her previous owner had originally bought her to makeover but was busy with a house move and decided to pass her on. Lucky for me she was in great condition and just needed an update.

I love the blue grey colour - it's Class Blue by Dulux. I was originally going yellow, and I bought both colours home, but once I started I knew I'd made the right choice. And the yellow is destined for another project ;) Then she sat for another few days before I decided I'd add some birds, I think they're a cute detail that add a bit of character.

While I think she'd be lovely as a telephone table, or a hall table, I also think she'd be great for this...

Is getting shoes on a nightmare at any one elses house?!?! This would make a perfect little station for the kids to get their shoes on on the way out the door ;)

Thanks for stopping by...






I'm sharing at...
Under the Table and Dreaming
Tip Junkie
Not Just a Housewife
Primitive & Proper
Domestically Speaking
The Shabby Nest 
Scandi Coast Home 
Live Laugh Rowe 
Miss Mustard Seed

Thrifty Thursday

I'm trying to get myself into a regular routine of blogging, exercising both my writing and photography skills, so I'm introducing...

Every Thursday I'll share what I've seen, found or just generally lusted after! Some big pieces some small, but hopefully inspiration!

If you follow me on Facebook you will have seen this picture. I walked away very sadly, having promised I would not bring any more furniture into our home with getting rid of its predecessor first. So my orange dining table stays in place, but take a look at this beauty!

Can't you imagine her reupholstered in chevron or grain sacks or drop cloths? She was in perfect condition, all the chairs were comfy (yes I tried them all) and no wobbles. I'm not saying that I won't go back and look at it again next week, or look lovingly at my husband in an attempt to convincing him...

This one may actually end up in our home sooner rather than later. Harry needs a set of drawers, the poor little man has a set of melamine drawers that have been handed round till they are falling apart. Now I'm getting to the 'just get something else' point, these could be great. And at $30...

This piece has been at my local op shop for a while now. I think it's beautiful, but at $200 I doubt anyone will pounce on it any time soon. It could be lovely though...

So what did I actually buy? A little side table, and she's going to be yellow!

So what about you - what have you seen, bought or lusted after this week? I'd love to hear about what you've found.

Thanks for stopping by...