Little Miss Muffet.

l know some people totally freak when they see a spider but generally l'm not one of them. l'll pop them onto a piece of paper (or for the really bigguns) a broom and take them outside. If it's a white tail...(for those of you outside Oz..think nasty flesh eating bite) well lets just say....l'll dispose of them. So when l brought the junk mail in the other day neither l (or he) was expecting THIS reaction.....l opened out the leaflets and even as my throat constricted, l could see it was only a huntsman and YES he was HUGE and HAIRY and sooo in my FACE, but l knew he wouldn't hurt me.....however that SCREAM was unstoppable and gawd it was LOUD...to add to the overeacting l also staggered backwards from the chair, across the tiles and into the wall, (pathetic aren't l) by the time l'd recovered (a few seconds?) later  the spider had disappeared.....l searched and searched for him but he was nowhere....l wonder if  l VAPORISED him!!!

 

Then this......when l went to start taking these pics for some reason my camera wouldn't work. l tried turning it off and back on again (jolly good advice from the I.T. Crowd hehe :-)) l recharged the batteries but nuh...then recharged TWO other sets of batteries (thinkin' l had a bodgy lot) but still nuh.....what could be wrong with it???

 

In desperation l pulled out my old camera. It's got so many buttons and dials l've barely used it....l kept playing with the settings so that's why all the pics have different light. Afterwards l got to thinkin'....l opened the battery compartment and held it to the light and peered in. It looked like something was stuck to a terminal so l attacked it with a pair of long tweezers.....and out nose dived a dead MOTH.... WHEW problem solved.

PS That compartment has NEVER been left open!!!

Anyway l thought you might enjoy seeing some of the sparkles l've salvaged over the years. 

Lots of paste rhinestones....brooches, buckles and earrings mostly from the 40's and 50's. Mostly unmarked but the star brooch is a Simpson which was an Australian company, l hear they're a bit collectible these days.

Some of my enamel collection...the round green one is English from the 20's. The floral spray brooches are mostl likely 50's. The pink daisy is much later.

 

Some of my micro mosaic and petite point pieces from a previous post.You can see and read a little about its history here.

The brooch ( left) is newish however the pendant looks art nouveu to me... which would make it from around 1900. l think it's made from copper and the stone is abalone shell.

More sparklies from a previous post. 

Gorgeous pic from homeofmine.tumblr.com via pinterest.

Saved the best for last. r-o-o-m-s.tumblr.com via pinterest.... Awesome bathroom...what about those lace walls.



PS Thought you might like to know the huntsman turned up on the ceiling a few hours later, l put him on the broom and took him outside....not a sound out of me....l PROMISE.

Well l've had fun and l hope you have too....thanks heaps for stopping by.


Til next time.


Bron.

Keeping Kool.

I'm not sure about your neck of the woods.... but here it's been SIZZLING all week...don't get me wrong Summer's awesome and l love it.... but we really NEEDED some rain and last night it HAPPENED....so the dust has settled and the day's cooled off a tad and maybe now l can wind that bloody hose up for a couple of days....yay!! 

This week l've been working on a few projects....l finally got around to clearing out that dome l bought a couple of weeks ago, (thanks to TAM and SHEL for their great advice). l also did a little (fast) charcoal ballerina sketch for the moodboard update l'm working on.

             

 

 

 

 

 

The dome was taken apart very carefully....l was rapt to save the butterfly.....l soo didn't want to throw him out.

 

 

A few weeks ago l bought a top which may have been part of a suit...anyway it was really blahhh, totally shapeless with giant puffy sleeves....you know the sort, but the lace overlay certainly had potential. Cos it was a couple of sizes bigger l knew l had extra fabric to play with to make something else. Some cutting and sewing later l ended up with this vest....

Now l'm not really gonna wear THAT cross with it...l have one way BIGGER than that.. haha...

Also found at the oppy this week (it's NEVER to hot to opshop) a couple of pairs of gloves...these l think would be 50's...how cute are the little embroidered flowers.

and these white one's with stud buttons might be earlier..... p'raps 40's.

 

 

A few flowers.....you can never have too many. White cosmos and Just Joey rose.

Found at trash yesterday....wooden rose print just $4.00, nice.

 

But the pick of the week was picked by mum........last Sunday l had to work (again) but luckily she was on the job, and found me this foot high Jesus...she wouldn't tell me how much he cost but isn't he awesome.(Even if he does have a dodgy eye).

Apparently she told the guy selling it (and l quote)....If l leave that there my daughter will kill me!!! ...

How very CHRISTIAN she made me sound :-)))  Bless her.

Here he is in all his glory, pictured in the background is my other Jesus.





This pink sofa looks to me like it's outside??....mysweetandsaucy.com via pinterest.



Lovin' the fake doors and the lace valance...crushculdesac. via pinterest.

Cool butterfly ballerina chicaboomfashion.com also via pinterest.

Thanks so much for stopping by....have a fantastic week won't you,

Til next time,

Bron.

In a bit of a Jam.

Well l know l was telling you last post that l'm no cook..... and that's true, but l really enjoy eating jam so each year about this time l make an effort to cook a couple of batches...... l head to mums' to pick the fruit from her pleasantly plump plum trees:-) It was something she did for decades, but now no longer eats sugar, so l've had to step up.  

The recipe is very simple......a pound of plums, to a pound of sugar (brown's good) and an hour of cooking for each pound of fruit. It needs only to be simmered for the entire time it's cooking. 

 



It's great to be able to share 'round...... so to pretty the jars up l've covered the lids with some floral fabric (an old shirt) and torn some of the same fabric into strips to tie the covers on. A rubber band underneath the fabric strip will hold the cover in place.

l then put a few things together from around the house and took some pics.....Not so old jug and bowl set with depression glass vase of roses, the rose is called Julia's Rose and is a lovely faded brown colour. Mauve towels and gilded filligree petite point hand mirror and brush. Teeny bottle of Indian Opium perfume.

Vintage chinese style tin and gold tone mesh coin purse. 

The plush velvet fitted hat is prob'ly thirties shown with various tins, wings and beaded bags.

Gorgeous rusty type bath. ladylavona. via pinterest.

Selection of china from selinalake. via pinterest.

Vintage suitcase and trunk.....uncoeurenprovence. via pinterest.

Quirky and interesting. designspongeonline.com via pinterest.

Divine cushions,  missmustardseed.com also via pinterest.

Thanks again for your visits and kind comments...hope you have a wonderful weekend coming up,

Til next time,

Bron.

b.Gentle Factory.

Last weekend hubby and l... along with about 20,000 other people visited the usually quaint and quiet township of Bunninyong which was the place to be, to see the national cycling championships. The atmosphere was pumping....the whole town really stepped up for the occasion....opening all the shops, cafes and hotels making us visitors feel more than welcome....this combined with perfect weather and big name cyclists assured the biggest crowd the nationals had ever seen.

Here on the main street of the town l mossied into b.Gentle Factory and met SELENA (the owner and founder) who graciously allowed me to snap some pics of her gorgeous shop and wares to share with you. 

What first hits you is the light filled space and how pretty everything is.

Selena (and her mum) make the soaps locally....many are shaped into perfectly formed cupcakes and cake slices that also smell good enough to eat.



There's also a vintage vibe going on...both in styling and packaging. This wall (pic left) is set out much like an olde worlde lolly shop.

A range of kids clothing and toys adds diversity and interest.



 Quilts and cushions in ruffles and patchwork.....something for everyone.
 All beautifully coordinated and styled.

To finish off the post....... l trawled pinterest for some themed inspiration.

Ballet and tutu cookies.

Then thought l'd add some awesome kids spaces. tumblr.com via pinterest.

Great use of space....... for fun sleepovers. sosmartalec. via pinterest.

Light and airy with a splash of colour. homedecoratorscatalog.com via pinterest.

Bold and funky kids workspace. hivingout. via pinterest.

Little girls and their ballet love. vintagemorrhar. via pinterest.

 and teeny ballet slippers. rachelashwellshabbychiccouture. via pinterest.

...... fruffled frock and folly brolly. etsy.com via pinterest.

and kids and pets that make our lives complete.google.com via pinterest.

Hope you all have a fantastic rest of your week..... thanks so much for stopping by.

Til next time.

Bron.

Lazy Hazy Dayz.

Hope your New Year celebrations were fun and let's hope 2012 brings love, peace and health to you all. l never make resolutions 'cos l know whatever it is l'll CAVE.. haha!!... At least that takes the pressure off.
Anyway..... l think we're often our own harshest critics, so lets just aim to be kind to US, and remember all the many things we HAVE and ARE getting done. Life's too short to be kickin' our own sandcastle.



 

 

 Since the weather here is at long last Summerish......hot, sunny and windless.... l decided to take some pics outside under the shade of one the big trees in our backyard. l took all the necessities for a relaxing afternoon.



 

 

 

Music, mags, cold drink and of course chocolates.....l don't mind if they melt a little. A pretty length of fabric to keep the flies at bay



Ballerina dances amongst the rose blooms.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by....have a great week.

Til next time,

 

Bron.