Winter Solstice.

The shortest day of the year came and went this week and although there wasn't any sun dancing or  chanting to mark the occasion, there was plenty of teeth chattering...yesterday we even had ACTUAL SNOW. It only happens a couple of times a year here, so it was a bit of a novelty watching it fall, out the window.....by the FIRE:-)

Not sure if l was a bit "out there" asking if these gorgeous hydrangeas were for sale, but l spotted them on a bush in the driveway of a house where l was visiting a garage sale, and just HAD to ask. l was so happy when the lady cut them off and GAVE them to me. l especially loved the rusty spots of imperfection on the petals.

Well....the mantle shelf didn't stay the same for long did it :-)....found this lovely old print and just knew it'd be perfect to pop here for a while.

My work room had been a disaster area for years, and l really found it hard trying to create in there, so when l re-organised my cabinets (here) and sorted through all the boxes to find the sewing bits and pieces l needed for the shelves in them, it was the push l needed to redo the entire room. The clutter was removed and sorted, the shelves were painted and the walls washed down. The bench was cut in half and painted white with the paving paint that l also used to paint the concrete floor and all the craft boxes. (There's a before at the end of the post).

No sooner was the room finished and l had this sudden urge to make something:-) l decided on a Jesus cushion made from an old tapestry....tried to make it a bit boho-ish using velvet, fringing and pops of colour.

This is my work room before....very cluttered as you can see and l'd even TIDIED up for the photo:-)


Hope your weekend's warm, sunny and beautiful wherever you are....thanks so much for dropping in here for a visit.

BIG hugs,

Bron.

Queen's Birthday Weekend.

In celebration of the Queen's Birthday it's a long weekend here in Oz, never mind that the Queens ACTUAL Birthday is the 21st of April, who am l to argue about when (and WHY) we celebrate it:-)...l'm really looking forward to it though, as son is driving home from Adelaide (600ks) for a visit, he must have caught me in a weak moment 'cos somehow he got me to agree to cook him a roast tomorrow night....oh and his buddy as well...Eeekkk!! ...hubby said why we don't we just buy Kentucky fried (what's he trying to say:-)....anyway...sounds good to me:-)
A few weeks ago l ordered a new Rachel Ashwell SSC doona cover from ebay and one week later it arrived on my doorstep...I was so excited....It must be fantastic for those of you who live in the States and you can just rock up to any old Target store and buy her lovelies, but none of our Target's stock her lines...wah!!! lt even came in it's own lovely dust bag...l wanted it big and ordered a king but it's totally massive.... more ogre size really:-) ...at least there's plenty to keep us warm.

This is it....covered in lilacs...don't know if you can see l've had to tuck it up at the side so it doesn't fall all the way to the floor.

A couple of changes to the dress form as well, off came the jewellery and l sewed a Frenchy pierrot collar to replace it, cream lace at first, but l dyed it teabag pink....(that's pink with a few teabags thrown in as well:-) l also found another corset which has the patent date of 1937 on the label.

So then l got to thinking about all the different looks l've had in the bedroom since l began my blog (5-ish) years ago....this is one of the first ever pictures of my bedroom that l posted...we then had an old brass bed.

Found this bedhead on ebay and gave it a makeover...redoing the button upholstery myself with a little help from utube.

From last Spring, with all the lovely blossoms.

A damask cover which was dyed a teal blue, l sewed and dyed pillowcases to (kind off) match.

Pink carpet....l know...don't judge me:-)

Our bedroom is my favourite room in the house....l still love the wall colour...Dulux Clay Pipe (1/2), it's been that colour for about 15 years, which has to be some kind of record around here:-) and faces North so it's also the sunniest room. It has a bay window which makes for great views of the front garden....l've planted all my favourites like roses, hydrangeas and camellias right outside for summer and winter blooms.

Wishing you all the best weekend ever....hope it's fantastic whatever you're doing...and thanks heaps for stopping by.

Hugs

Bron.

Winter Is Coming.

At the risk of sounding like an episode of Game Of Thrones:-).....Winter officially begins here tomorrow and the days are now short and brisk, the fallen leaves have finished driving us crazy in the garden for another year and though we're not quite into it's full chilly grip yet....it's COMING, so l've been happy doing most things INSIDE lately, in the WARM, over the phone.....and l've been on the phone a LOT, especially to my daughter who lives interstate as she and her partner have just signed on their first home.
They're THAT excited and we're hugely happy for them, though we're wishing we lived closer so we could help them shift all their gear and also with a few projects they have planned for the house. We'll fly up and visit some time after they move in and TRY and make ourselves useful in the time we have there:-)
Then our son has decided to SELL his house now he's also moved interstate, and l've been organising a few things so l can make that happen, since he's just not able too. Of course Mum's house is also on the market so l'm starting to feel a bit like a fledgling property developer:-)

l LOVE finding the time to make a big MESS so l can take some pretty photos, hubby came home early the other day to find me shifting cupboards and side tables and all the stuff IN them and ON them so l could take these pics....He's used to it by now and just shakes his head and tells me l've LOST it....hmmm maybe:-) anyway, this post l wanted to share the coat rack l found recently....BROWN originally, but of course it got the white paint treatment:-) It was a PAIN taking out and putting back the millions (felt like it:-) of screws (manual screwdriver) holding the hooks on, but l knew it'd be easier and make for a better finish in the long run.

l haven't actually ATTACHED the rack to the brick wall....l put picture hooks in the back and used wire to hang it, exactly like you would a painting, so it can be moved around the house at whim, and it's still solid and stable enough to hang most things from.

This is (half) a close up of the bottle that was once Mum's.....she found it at our local Sunday market, it was one of her most PRIZED finds....  Thanks to Sis and my brother for allowing it to come home and do it's dazzling here....

Sometimes you arrive at a garage sale and you're thinking....why even bother getting out of the car, there's not one interesting thing, there'll be nothing amongst that shit stuff....but OUT you get anyway, cos maybe.... just MAYBE, there'll be hidden treasure....so it was amongst dusty office furniture, air conditioning pipes and other such dross that l spotted a half opened suitcase, and poking out of that suitcase were plastic bags, and inside those plastic bags l found a wee bit of TREASURE....including the sequinned lace above, (so fragile l don't even know if it can be used) Victorian lace gloves and collar, beaded crochet work, gloves from the 50's and trims of gold, silver and lace....so GLAD l got out!!

l'm about to sell off most of my hat collection so took some photos just in case l one day have hat regret:-)

Hope you all have the best week ever whatever you're up to, and that the sun is shining wherever you are and topping up the old vitamin D stores after your long Winter....haha...thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comments.

Hugs,

Bron.

The Mantle Shelf.

l know it was almost a week ago but l hope you all had a fabulous Mother's Day last Sunday....l woke up yesterday and realised it was Thursday.....could someone PLEASE explain to me where Monday Tuesday and Wednesday went.....since l'm also having a Birthday this week, p'raps my time warp  is just an age thing setting in...haha!!.. Mother's Day l'd planned to visit a pretty tourist town and market, not too far from here, however the forecast was VERY ordinary and since l'd been to the cemetery to visit Mum's grave on the Saturday (in light of this) l didn't bother even poking my head outside....instead l sat on my bed and spent two and a half hours reading the new Jeanette Philipse book...it'd been sitting in my cupboard for 9 DAYS, but was largely funded by son so wasn't to be opened til THE day...(brutal)... but wait l DID and felt no guilt whatsoever in perusing it's gorgeousness most of the morning:-)
We've also decided to begin the process of selling Mums house this week, so have been meeting with and choosing a real estate agent we feel we can trust...It'll be sad to hand it over...the end of an era really, but have accepted that this is what needs to happen....and it's our hope that whoever buys it will love and enjoy it as much as Mum and we have.

So even though three days this week went MIA:-) l still found time to do a bit of spramping here in the family room....An old mantle was one of my buys from a while ago and l've been asking (nagging) hubby to shoot a few nails into the shelf as it was detached from the rest of the mantle...After a bit of eye rolling he finally bowed to my will:-) It WAS dark brown timber so of course it got a few coats of white paint.


A few sea-washed bottles on the mantle with the last of my blooms from the garden...roses and japanese windflowers. The wall art is in two pieces and was hanging on an outside shed wall at a garage sale l visited last week....clearly NOT for sale, but that didn't stop me asking and surprisingly the lady said YES....nice bit of rusty gold:-)

Jeanette's new book...in it she has a vignette of some cut glass bottles...my little arrangement isn't near as pretty as hers... but it was fun trying:-)

l took some pics of the fireplace on it's own, and then experimented with this firescreen.

Looking across to the dining room.

Trying out a painting before the garage sale where l found the metal art.


Well that's most of what's been happening here in my neck of the woods....hope you've enjoyed the post. Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit.

Hugs....Bron.

Trip, TuTu and Roses.

Today l have the second cabinet l painted to show you but not TOO many photo's l PROMISE:-)
Our son finished his recruit course a couple of weeks ago as part of his air force training so hubby and l took a road trip interstate to see him graduate which was a bit of a proud moment for him and us ...though l have to say it was a little weird seeing him in a crisp blue uniform, marching in the parade....it's certainly a BIG transition from his last job working in the environmental field, where he freely admits to being pretty much a hippie:-)
What surprised us most on our road trip was how MUCH MORE populated the country's become since we travelled those roads many years ago. Melbourne has expanded so drastically it seems that what were once the outer suburbs are now almost inner city....and so many housing estates along the freeway now with seemingly no facilities bar for a link to the freeway (and l'm guessing a train station). The larger regional centres are now also huge with fantastic roads and infrastructure, but interestingly many of what were once small  highway towns now seem pretty much dead or nonexistent.


l was a doing a little gardening at Mum's the other day and hidden away behind the apple tree was a couple of blooms on my favourite rose (at her place).... Just recently l planted a cutting in my  garden that Mum struck about 18 months ago...so far...so good:-) but this is my third attempt at trying to grow this rose so l won't start the happy dancing just yet:-)


You might remember the lamp shade l re-covered a month or two ago....well l decided to add a few birds to it. To attach them l used very fine like fishing line which can't be seen, so they look as though they're hovering there.....well that's the idea anyway:-)

l also made a little paper and fabric ballet skirt, wings and slipper set to place under a dome in the new look cabinet. l was inspired by Victoria and Caroline who specialise in making amazing and beautifully detailed miniature cottages/ houses/ trailers and all the accessories that they furnish them with. l twisted some wire into little coat hangers and a stand to hang them on.l enjoyed making them but it was all pretty fiddly and l totally admit they stretched the parameters of my patience.. haha!! When l loaded these photos l realised the tutu looked a bit boring so l've since added a couple of sequins to the skirt,  l did take a couple of pics but they both turned out blurry....sozlol:-)

The cabinet is no longer mustard/orange see here....but an aged grey green, l painted it first entirely in grey and then aged the outside with ink. The idea for this came from Caroline (link above) who uses  inks to age the timber finishes on her miniatures and it works fantastically well.....Thanks Caroline:-) l was hoping it'd work just as well on full sized furniture. l had to add a little yellow food colouring to my blue and black ink mix to create this stormy grey. The photo doesn't show the detail that well as it was such a dull day and l've had to really lighten the picture which drained out all the colour.

I've tried for a frenchy, millinery/sewing cabinet kinda vibe.

l found an old German dictionary at Mums with beautiful text and decided to use it to make some button cards...l simply glued the pages onto some cardboard and then when it dried l cut out a crucifix shape and sewed old buttons onto it.

You might be able to just make out the tutu set under the dome, this photo was taken the day before, as there's no sequins on the tutu.

l also made some cards to wind the various laces around. The graphics design came from here and l printed it onto blue paper. Once again the paper was glued onto cardboard and when dry little niches were cut into the sides which hold the lace. It's comforting to have Mums old Molly Bushell pin tin in there as well.

More gorgeous inspiration from nostalgiaatthestonehouse.

Thanks so much for stopping by and l hope you've enjoyed the post. Thanks too for your lovely comments....l hope you all have a beautiful Mother's Day next Sunday and are able to spend it doing what you love, with those you love most....Hugs Bron.

Til next time.