Painted Rose Banners.

I love how life works out sometimes......you know, those little synchronicities. Well yesterday l was at the hospital with Mum and we were reading some Country Style magazines in the waiting room when one article in particular caught my interest.The shop featured was called The Crafty Squirrel and l was showing it to Mum....as l read down l realised the shop was in OUR town, but neither of us had ever seen or heard of it....There was no time to google it since Mum was called away right then, but as l was taking her home l accidently took a wrong turn. Driving along l saw a sign on the side of the road and when l looked up l bet you can guess what the shop's name was....yep...The Crafty Squirrel, isn't that amazing.....it was also OPEN so in we went for a peek and it was even better in real life:-)

Thought l'd share with you guys a few pics of the banners l've been working on. l hung them here on my dresser for the pics so l could put pretty things all around them:-) but of course they won't stay here..hehe...The roses were painted onto canvas which was then sewn onto overdyed linen or hessian. The edges of the canvas were painted to resemble a French Aubusson fabric with the curlicues. The Art Nouveau writing was painted in gold to match....l wanted to turn my art into banners because they're less serious and can be hung pretty much anywhere.

 

                

This is a close up of a similar pink one....pretty but not too fussy. Keeping it simple:-)

 

 

The cups were bought at the market for only $5.00 but were stained inside and the glaze had crackled, but a little trick l learned once was to fill the cups up with bleach and let them sit for thirty minutes or so and all the stains and crackling just disappeared like magic....yay!!

 

A close up of the blue one.

Pretty rose wreath found in a bag of wedding accessories.

 

After 20 years of brown l still can't believe how great it is to have a white kitchen.



Wishing you all a super happy sunny weekend whatever you're up to,

Catch you soon,

Bron.

Artist Greg Irvine.

Hi everyone....l hope you all had a lovely weekend. Thanks so much for your lovely comments and feedback as to whether to paint the cabinet or not. l hope you enjoy today's post even though l was a bit pressed for time getting it done......You see my Mum had a fall a few weeks ago and it's taken until these past few days (and a hospital stay) to figure out that her continued pain was due to a ruptured kidney.....anyway she's home again and recovering ok :-)....though it's Drs orders to take it easy for a couple of weeks, sure....that'll happen he he:-))



A video of artist Greg Irvine's home in Melbourne was the inspiration for this post and l've included the video below. l hope you have the time to take a peek and enjoy it as well. Not only is he a wonderful artist, his home is so characterful and totally unique.....l especially love that it tells HIS story from the moment you enter the front door right through to his back garden.



....and even if his home isn't what we'd have ourselves, l think it shows so well how important it is to decorate with things we truly love and not to let our ideas be corrupted by time, money, fads or other such things that may sway us. Surely then our home will authentically reflect who we are and what we're about. Of course if we live with partners and/or other family members some compromise is inevitable but it's all about holding onto our true vision and staying the course. 

 

 

and even if realising our DREAM home isn't possible all at once we can't  let that deter us from creating a place that "rises up to greet you" when we enter (Oprah's words:-).... a fresh coat of paint can go a long way to creating beautiful spaces reflective of our vision. If we're into vintage, retro or antiques these pieces can be found at reasonable prices at markets or opshops just about anywhere, or for a more modern look there's always Ikea for a cost effective option.....we're only really limited by our imagination, aren't we.

l would say Greg's home has evolved over many years as indeed we do ourselves....We change, times, tastes and circumstances change.... Through all of this our homes are usually evolving right along with us.....what, why and how we choose to surround and immerse ourselves with and in tells the story of US....and that's the happiest, comfiest home in the world to live.

  

Pretty beaded and sequinned dress found at the opshop....not something to wear but as a future project. 

 

 Chipped and shabby chalk ware crinoline lady.

  

Lovely lot of chalk ware statues found on pinterest. 

 

 

 

 

 Greg's awesome house.....If the clarity's not great you can also watch it here. The Design Files.

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by, l hope your week is fantastic.

 

Til next time,

 

Bron. 

 

 

Vintage Trends... A Pretty Cabinet.

A few months ago at the Mill where l have my stall l spotted a friend of mine sorting her wares into a fabulous cabinet. l asked....l BEGGED...but it wasn't for sale.....Long story short, things have changed for my friend and knowing how much l loved it she offered me first dibs. As you can see l haven't exactly artfully arranged anything into it, since l'm not sure whether or not to paint it. l quite like the mustard coloured finish however it doesn't really match anything else in the room.....What do you think, should l give it a splash of paint or not??

A bit Frenchy and nicely crafted, each section of the door contains a separate piece

of glass....imagine having to cut out each of those oddball shapes.

 

              

 Anyway besides messing round here, l've also been doing a bit of "market research" to find out what vintage trends are happening at the moment. It's good to look with a fresh eye (or two:-) when l'm out junking around.....l've noticed people are very specific in what they want to surround themselves with, they want their homes and how they present themselves to the world to truly reflect their OWN personal style...so they're very particular about what they buy, which means it's not so easy for us to predict EXACTLY what will cater to peoples desires. l'm hoping my list might be of help if you also like to do a bit of trading:-)

  

Vintage Clothes. Especially outfits from the 50's, rockabilly style. Beaded handbags from the 60's....70's tooled leather handbags. Poodle jewellery. Pearl necklaces. Clip on earrings.Wedge shoes. Beaded/angora cardigans. Tiny floral print sundresses...and then there's always a market for era trends like tartan skirts, doc martens, cowboy boots, western shirts for guys and band t-shirts of popular artists. l believe 80's frocks are selling well too...eeek!!!

 Bar Carts....and 60's champagne glasses - Bond martini style to sit on top. Vintage ice buckets and harlequin sets of glasses.

  

Metallics- Silver and brass candlesticks. Copper plant planters. Galvanised buckets and planters.

Linen. Irish linen tea towels- souvenir or novelty. French style ones with stripes. From old to the 70's....and preferably unused. Old quilts especially the paisley and floral ones from the 60's. Genuine wool blankets.

  

Bird Cages  Old or new....light colours sell better than black....

Bottles-  Perfume bottles preferably art deco style. Cut glass or crystal, the coloured ones sell better. Unusual avon bottles, novelty or animal shaped. Anything glass that's turned mauve with age. Uranium glass.

 

 

Other top sellers.

Vintage model cars preferably in their box. Yugioh cards and figurines.

Specialty blades...swords, knives and pocket knives. War memorabilia.

Old tools. Old lamps. Old clocks, oil cans and bottles, enamel signs.

China dinner sets. China ornaments-often animals (birds and dogs) or lady's. Novelty salt and pepper shakers.

Pre digital age cameras.

Storage items. Cane baskets, laundry baskets, old wooden/metal drawers.

Records and more Records....vinyl that is:-) from the 70's 80's and 90's.

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for visiting.....l hope you all have an awesome week ahead.

Til next time,

Bron.