Easter Wishes.

 

 

 Here's hoping you all have a fantastic Easter break.....it sure has come around quickly hasn't it.

 l've been looking forward to it this year as our girl will be home for a few days.....lt wasn't surprising that she asked if we could have an Easter egg hunt since it's always been a bit a family tradition....except that for THIS hunt she wants me to write clues as to where the eggs are??

Usually l'd buy those small solid chocolate eggs and "hide" them all around the yard. Problem was l could never remember (exactly) HOW many there were, or WHERE they were, and apparently l didn't hide them very well either.....'cos hubby still likes to joke about how he'd be mowing over easter eggs for weeks afterwards...haha...

  

 

When l saw this bunny at the opshop l thought he'd be great for an Easter display, he cost just a tinsy 20 cents, so what did l have to lose..... though at the time he didn't look too Easterish with his brown painted face, red checked shirt and denim overalls, but here he is...a NEW bunny entirely after three coats of white paint:-)).

The old hat was decorated with paper "easter" daisies, perfect for an Easter parade....



 

l really wanted a blue cushion to match in with all the other blue things l've been adding around here lately:-)) so this one was made using the frill from an old dress. It was gathered at the centre and sewn onto a circle lining...for the back l used a matching damask. The lace and vintage brooch were added to neaten up the centre. 



 

 The rosettes were made from scrappy strips of cotton and silk....their centre pieces are old earrings that have had their clips removed....they were then handsewn on.



 

 

Stacked florentine trays and empty (Madonna) JP"Gaultier" perfume bottle  that l found at the market. Floral candle and Victorian painted glass.

 

 

 

This funky rosary was found at the opshop...it was made in El Salvador.... l love the primitive style painting and the sun and flowers seem to happy it up.



 

 

  

Some more pics of part of my religious collection....all in the spirit of Easter:-))  

 

 

l'm lovin' THESE Easter bunnies....dearlillieblog. via pinterest.

 

 

l hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing and fun break....thanks so much for popping in here.

Til next time,

Bron.
 

Thoughts Of Paradise

 

  

 

 

Has anyone been watching The Paradise series, on the ABC... l've been lovin' it...full of costumes, romance and pretty things....apparently it's an adaptation of  the novel Au Bonheur des Dames by Émile Zola. (thanks wiki). 

 

 

l gathered together what l could in the way of old hats and hatboxes...vintage dresses and gloves, laces and ribbons.....candles and flowers, to create my own mini "Paradise" (which is the department store the show is centred around).

  

 

Old hats smothered in flowers and petals:-))....which l guess would have been the height of fashion back in the day.  

 

 

 

All the years l've been vintage hunting....and still l'm drawn to the same old things l've always loved.... laces and linens or anything sewing related, hats and frocks which these days are becoming harder to find.

  

 

  

 

What an elegant time it must have been in the 50's and 60's, when ladies never left home without high heels, hat and matching bag (and lippy).....It's a different world now isn't it, and thankfully a lot more relaxed....though l'm not quite as relaxed as the young girls l see roaming 'round the supermarket in their jim jams (pj's)...hahaha.

 

The pink and white roses came from my garden, but with soaring temperatures, storms and hailstones over Summer, l was lucky to get a bunch at all.

 

 

These hatboxes are handy storage in my workroom....the top one l decoupaged MANY years ago, but still well remember applying many of it's 40ish layers of varnish:-)) The one underneath took almost as long to complete as it was painted top to bottom in small pansies and daisies (and varnished) to look like old English chintz china. 

 

l still have a couple of plain ones as well....just waiting for a makeover. 

 

The parasol has since been dyed blue but l want to experiment by overdyeing it pink to hopefully turn it  mauve:-))     

 

 

 

This is a pic of the "real" Paradise. BBC.

 

 

Here's hoping you all have an awesome weekend coming up....thanks so much for your lovely visits and kind words.

 

Til next time,

 

Bron. 

 

Backstage Pass.

It's a bit of a mixed bag today which l hope you enjoy....l have a few new photos to share and l've also added some of my favourite pics from other photo sessions that never made a post. The bedroom pics were inspired by this vintage crochet bedspread l found at the opshop, l don't think it's ever been used as it still had it's tags attached. The two colours perfectly match my bedhead so that's where the pics were taken.

.....so using the bedspread as the "kicking off point" for this post, got me to wondering about how other people begin the creative process for THEIR blogposts.

Do people write the posts first and add pictures later....or like me, ALWAYS begin with the pictures.



and l wonder if people take LOTS of photos, or not many at all... and do they edit them.
 l usually just take a few pics, but rework them in my editing program...for me that's where the fun really begins, especially if l have the time to tinker, but if not.... it's just a lighten and brighten...l find this most useful in dull old Winter:-))

 

 

Once l used to wander around the house taking photos spontaneously, but don't do this so much anymore, usually the pics are a bit more "staged"..... not so much that l spend time artfully arranging things, but l DO like to co-ordinate a colour scheme and try to "constuct" a theme.

 

The writing is where l most often come unstuck....maybe that's cos l'm wanting to come across all interesting, smart and funny.....but of course l'm just not..... so that takes WORK.. haha!!

 

l've read that sometimes people will have posts sitting in their drafts section for months before they publish them and can see where that'd be wise if the story's important or a bit controversial... Even though the writing here is generally brief.... l still like to give myself a bit of reflection time before l hit that publish button.

 

Well there you have it..... a bit of a glimpse into what goes on around here..hope it was of some interest:-)) 

 

Fold upon fold of fabric in this 50's wedding dress. see screen test.

  

 

  

This swirly flowered wrought iron table is one l've had for many years, and is so pretty and useful it's lived in almost every room of the house at some time.

 

 

Lots of light through the dining room window.... see think pink



The spare bedroom with a few of my faves.....  rosary, lace and embroidery.


Hope you're having a great week, thanks so much for popping in for a visit,

Til next time,

Bron.

White and Shabby.

 

  

 

  

It's only 2 years since l painted the lounge and hallway, but l recently did it again. l was sick of the mural that l painted back then and the colour of the walls just looked dull.  (see here...post updated ). 

Also l'd also spotted this scrubby, shabby bench/shelf and couldn't stop thinking about how great it'd look on this wall, and how useful it'd be to drop our keys, sunnies and phones as we come in the front door. 

 

lnstead of a mural l wanted to paint a big canvas to match the bench, but (oddly) a large blank canvas wasn't to be found in our town....We ended up having to travel to find this one, but it fits well between the sconces. (1.5m x 1m) l did it in "splashy"style with a little hummingbird in there to add interest and focus to the chaos:-))   

 

The bench looks to me like it might have been dragged out of an old potting shed....this was the inspiration for pots of colour and cloches....l also taped some botanicals to the wall above.

 

 

These terracotta pots were aged with watered down paint and nicely hide the black pots the flowers came in. 

 

  

The pot cover began life as a fruit bowl, tipped unside down and a bit of reshaping with the pliers..... it becomes a wire cloche. 

 

 

Found this woven wool lightshade at the opshop....l've hung it from the (hallway) chandelier for the pic.

The old louvre doors fit perfectly beside the bench to fill the entire wall.   

 

 

Down the hall, through the french doors and into the family room.... As you can see the lounge/hall is nowhere near as light as the family room area, even though it's now it's all the same colour....

A metre wide veranda prevents any direct sun coming in during the Summer....though in the Winter when the sun's low in the sky it's a lovely sunny space. 

The colour is (Dulux Hog Bristle 1/4 strength).

   

 

l love the timeworn look of the drawers and that the bench is made entirely from recycled timber.

 

 

 

Still not sure what'll be permanently displayed on the bench....it's being changed at whim:-))  but that's half the fun, isn't it.

 

Lovin' this potting shed and what about those bulbs!!!   blomsterverkstad. via pinterest. 

 

 

l hope your weekend's a fun and interesting one, thanks so much for stopping by,

 

Til next time.

 

Bron.

Summer Afternoon Downunder.

 

Although Autumn begins today l thought you might enjoy seeing a few pics l took a couple of weeks ago on a lovely Summers' afternoon.

l think everyone appreciates some quiet time every now and then, and what better way to enjoy it than to grab some mags, a few comforts and head out into the sun to lay about for an hour or so....l admit l do often get distracted listening to the birds and trying to figure out what kind they are by their songs and cheeps....l have to say though..... my pink flamingo's  pretty quiet :-)) 

 



These warm and dreamy days encourage my thoughts to wander a bit...when hubby and l were young (pre kids) we lived for many years on the (Gold) coast....l remember some mornings before work l'd stroll along the beach to yoga classes at the surf lifesavers club.....half the time l'd accidently drift off while l was supposed to be oomming and have a little kip..... but hey l wasn't the only one.....our teacher had a VERY calming voice.....anyway it was a nice relaxing way to start the day:-))

 

 

We once rented (half) a house just a stones' throw from the beach...the place had a bit of a beach party vibe 'cos at the time we also lived with my brother and the guys next door were mates...

Back then l really believed awesome home decor was a (feature) wall of surfboards, towels over the balcony and flippers on the floor :-))

Having just moved out of home, l wasn't much of a cook either (oh wait...l'm still not haha!!) and once l almost set our little place on fire. l popped the roast in the oven and (ironically:-)) covered it with foil to stop it from burning and off l went to the shops.....On the way out l had a quick chat with the neighbor, and was about to drive off when l realised l'd forgotton something and ran back inside....only to discover the kitchen full of smoke and flames pouring from the oven.....somehow the foil had caught alight ....by some miracle l was able to put it out....but it was a lesson learned and l've never gone out while cooking again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few pics l've taken over the last few months.....books!!!  always a great source of inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

These wooden dolls are used by artists to position so they can get the body anatomy correct....l've tried using them a few times....never very successfully:-)) 

 

 

 

Last weekend son competed in a 10 k run in Geelong, as it required a VERY early start he was heading there alone...that is until l realised that the start line was within walking distance of the Geelong market.....l somehow managed to convince him that it would be to his benefit to have me come along too:-)) WIN WIN***

 

Son took this photo about 7.00 am...overlooking Eastern beach...it's not been edited in any way.  

 

Hope you've all had a wonderful week and enjoy a beautiful weekend coming up...hubby reminded me last night that we'll celebrate 29 years of marriage on Sunday...it's a fair effort haha!!

 

 

 

Til next time.

 

 

Bron.