A Bit of a (Long) Catch-Up

So much has been happening & I just haven’t had the time to blog it all so here’s a bit of a catch-up.

Decorating

The dining area is a lovely space with pretty windows & French doors but it was looking a little boring so I emptied it to start again.

How gorgeous is the red formica table & magic chairs??? They were inherited from my aunt who passed away last year & were sent across from Perth. It has now become a treasured part of our home & family. My aunt & uncle purchased it new in the late 50’s & it’s in fabulous condition for it’s age.

The ladder behind the table holds vintage barkcloth tablecloths which we use & enjoy. There is also a couple of vintage aprons hanging on the sides. The table in the background is one we had just revamped.

Before.

After.

With a barkcloth tablecoth & jug of flowers it gives the room a lift.

A beautiful piece of furniture, the previous owners had stripped it back to raw wood. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be lovely in white & would brighten up our foyer. I took of the old timber knobs & filled all the holes with dowel.

2 coats of undercoat & 3 top coats & It looks great!

I added some pretty ceramic knobs, all different designs.

Mother’s Day

It was love at first sight when I spotted this little bus in a gift shop. I grabbed it, handed it to dh, & said ‘Mother’s Day!’ Rowan didn’t actually see it until I unwrapped it on the day, lol. Not only is it a lovely London bus, I’m a HUGE Anglophile, it has the number 14 on it, my all time favourite number, & it’s going to Marble Arch. Mum & I spent a lot of time shopping in Marble Arch when we holidayed in the UK in 1977. I felt like it was made for me.

Emma gave me these beautiful vintage caravan placemats!!!! Aren’t they fabulous??? I think I’ll have to display them somehow as keeping them in a box in the cupboard would be such a waste!

Sewing

& I’ve been doing some sewing. I actually put this top together last month for my monthly make but didn’t get around to blogging it. This photo is rubbish but I just wanted to get it up!!! I love the fabrics, you can see them better in the cushion below.

I had some left over fabric & made this cushion, yes it’s pillow sized, I like nice big comfy cushions. The white strips looked very boring so I added the ricrac & I love it.

The back, I can’t be arsed faffing around with zippers so I simply overlap the backs on my cushions & it works fine. I leave a generous overlap & they don’t gape.

& I finally finished a birthday block for a friend. I started it years ago for a swap & then put it aside, as you do!!!! I came across it in a clean up a few weeks ago & then she mentioned it so I knew it was time to pull my finger out!!!! Her only request was vampire block, I think it works. :-)

Crocheting

I finally tracked down some more aqua wool so I can get back to my crocheting. YAY! I love crocheting, I learnt when I was about 10, but my skills are still pretty basic, but they are enough for me to make what I like & I’m actually managing to read some patterns.

This will eventually be a blanket, I discovered last night I’d used my last ball of the mauve so I’ll have to go & buy some more. What a chore having to go wool shopping. :-)

Building

We finally got started on Paul’s workshop.

This monstrosity is in our backyard, it came complete with a 12 person spa when we bought the house. We sold that & it will pay for the shed. We brought our 4 person spa with us when we moved, it’s up on the deck. It was near new being a 30th wedding anniversary pressie to each other. Anyway back to this bizarre structure. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it would look great in the right setting, but in the Melbourne backyard of a cute little storybook cottage it’s just plain random. As our friend Graeme said on his first visit, WTF???? I couldn’t have put it better. However, all is not lost, with a new roof to match the house, if we ever find a roofer!!!! & weatherboard walls to match the house it will look good & become a great workshop & will mean Paul doesn’t have to use the ‘Wendy shed’ anymore, lol.

It only took a few hours to get the beams in for the floor. Really it’s like cutting the sashing for a quilt. We’ve also put in the framework for the side wall complete with 2 windows since this shot was taken but it’s now 11.30pm & a little dark outside to take a pic.

The palms will be going too, I’m just not a fan of palms, I might put in some azaleas, they tend to like the shade.

So we have been quite busy with loads more to do. I’ve also been making my bedroom very vintagy & have some cool projects on the list for it, but that can wait till another post.