Don't You Love It When...

Don't you love it when a family member takes an enormous amount of time and effort to research the family tree and collate it all in books, spreadsheets and DVDs! I know I do, my cousin -law -has just done that. I am so grateful to her for her passions when it comes to history and families.

On the cover of the first book is a photograph of my paternal grandmother at age 14 with her brother John.  And, I am afraid to say there is no mention of a Liam Neeson in any of our family ties...would have been nice! I will admit I have done a little research to try and find a link there...but to no avail.

I have a large family network in New Zealand which includes 58 first cousins. Yes, 58 cousins..it's huge!Thankfully, none of  my family  were anywhere near the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch. 

I have also been making hearts for my sister to hang in her home. They are scented with Attar of Rose which is a very concentrated form of essential rose petal oil. A very gorgeous friend of mine brought me some from  Egypt  a few months ago and I have now put it to good use. The perfume is divine,  soft and  yet very subtle.

Don't you love it when your children still come up to you (no matter what age) and tell you that you are the best Mum in the world? I am so grateful for my warm and very loving family.

My heart goes out to the grieving families in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Weekend Finds

Opened the shutters this morning and the sun was streaming in the lounge just catching my new thrifty silver purchases from the weekend.

Doing a bit of research, I found out that this teapot is called a 'bedroom' teapot .One for the tea in bed I gather.  I would have called this a coffee pot myself - shows you how much I know about silver!  It is a vintage Kenson silverplate EPNS A1 'bedroom' teapot with a matching Kenson pedestal tray. The funny part is I bought them from two different thrift stores and they have the same pattern - bunches of grapes.

I don't usually see any silver in thrift stores but it was my lucky day and both for under $15 I was happy. They are in beautiful condition, and with a bit of polishing up now and again they are looking shiny and fab.

Do you have any silver in your home?

The roses are from a climbing rose that just opened this morning. They have the most sweetest velvet-like petals in the richest red. I have no idea of the name, but in response to a few emails requesting the name of the rose in my previous post I can tell you it is a fragrant Hybrid Tea rose called 'Eiffel Tower'

Here's to a Very Happy Monday and a Happy week!

There is only one...

 

...only one rose blooming in my garden this morning. Just had to pick it and throw put it into an orphan Royal Albert Tea Cup that I bought at the markets for 50 cents. This is my inspiration for this morning.

Sunday In My Backyard

Thought I would share a few pics of my backyard that I was working in today. A bit of weeding and planting more space-filling and neglect-loving agave plants. A hot day in Brisbane today with a temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius. The backyard is looking very green, lush and  tropical at the moment because of all the previous wet weather. Be my guest and take a stroll...

Queensland has been experiencing a severe salt shortage after the Bajool salt mines south of Rockhampton were flooded. Compounding the problem, one of the refineries was also flooded and transport routes south were affected.

Our pool is a salt water pool and we had already been using extra salt (just like every other salt water pool owner!)  because of the heavy rain we had been experiencing. The good news is that it is now back on the shelves today and after adding 125kgs of salt we now have a healthier pool.

I hope you enjoyed a quick stroll through my sub-tropical backyard. 

Uuuuummmmm!

Playing around with the camera settings last night on our the back deck. All I wanted was images of the moon and this is what I got!

I was waiting for ET to tell me he wanted to 'phone home!'

Meet Andrea and Kate

French inspired pegs anyone?

Just had to share my latest purchase from the lovely Andrea from The Pink Poodle. You can find Andrea's Ebay store here.  I have been following Andrea's delightful blog for a while now, she's a lovely person with a fab sense of humour and a gorgeous decorating style with a penchant for vintage... An amazing crafter as well!

Andrea has given these babies a light "whitewash"....then stamped them with FRENCH inspired phrases. Just perfect for what I need them for. Thanks for making these Andrea. I love them.

Also, there is a newish blog that I have been following that I wanted to share with you. Pop over and see the inspirational Kate at Lilies for Kate....a Brisbane blog full of creative ideas, make-overs and vintage.

There are so many inspirational blogs and bloggers out there, we are certainly are a very talented bunch!

Weekend Finds and Around Home

I picked up this gorgeous vintage mirror which I am now hanging in the bathroom as is. No painting required on this one, and under $5.00!

Here is another one that I probably will not paint. It's made in the USA and a sort of very hard plastic. It looks great in it's little spot next to the hallway... for the time being anyway!

My passion fruit vine is thriving as it weaves it's tendrils through an old white iron gate that I purchased from Katherine at the theoldboathouse. I have only green passion fruit on mine, nothing like Simone's lusciousness from Beach Vintage.

I have been playing with doilys and plaster for a bit now. Anyone would think I was reverting back to my childhood.....or going mad, but I am having so much fun with this messy stuff. I was inspired from here.

I wonder what this week will bring!

Quick Lamp Before and After.

Before...

...After.

Just wanted to share a quick lamp makeover that I had been meaning to do for quite some time.

Painted the brass base leaving the alabaster natural. The brass is painted white.

 (Sorry, I didn't have a 'before' photo of the base)

The old shade was then covered in my favourite white delicately stitched doily's that I have been  collecting.  

There was a bit of crafty 'doily patchwork' going on because I wanted the whole shade filled in with crochet. I had no problem cutting them to fit and fill up the spaces.

I attached the doily's with spray on fabric adhesive, using only a single side spray so that they can be removed at my whim.  I kinda like this lamp and will be keeping it like this for a while though.  

Just one little tip regarding the spray adhesive: The best way is to spray the adhesive on to the fabric of the lamp fabric of the doily, as sometimes the adhesive can add a nasty 'yellowing' effect to your white doilys. I found this out the hard way and no soaking or bleaching will remove it.

You may have noticed the armchair to the right...well....it is still a work in progress.

I will show you this space when it has been completed.

Have a wonderful weekend x

I Often Wonder...

When I am feeling restless and thinking I want to pack my bags and just escape to see more of the world, I often flick back in  my photos and wonder....

...what this little corner maison in the French Countryside would look like in the spring and the summer months. To me it looks so cute and romantic. I can just imagine the leafy green vines adorned with flowers or fruit, the hanging baskets jam-packed full of geraniums and the window boxes a riot of colour.

When we were walking past an elderly lady popped her head out of the french doors and smiled, then quickly scurried indoors. Just lovely.

....I wonder who created this piece of backyard UK family life...

...I also have wondered how this outdoor setting is supposed to be used...we saw a few of these designs in the West Country in the UK and ever since then I have always wondered . If any of my lovely UK readers can enlighten I me, please do.

Being a total romantic and the biggest dreamer ever, I am then brought back down to earth when the old bank balance says 'not just now'...know that feeling?