Photo Shoots

So ... I've been having fun putting together photos for my new online shop...Bits'A'Bliss.
This was one of them that didn't make the final cut, but it seems a shame to waste a decor pic. I have realised what a lousy photographer I am :(
These are some items I have in my home ... enjoy!

                                                


Bits'A'Bliss

Well ... it's been a long time in coming, but I can now tell you that I am officially the owner of a lil business called ~ Bits'A'Bliss.
The website is still in the design process. I am busy painting and creating and getting ready to hold my first market stall... more details on that to come :)
It will be mostly an online business and I'll be selling repurposed furniture and homewares and lots of crafted goodies... but I'd like to have a market stall once a month and see how it goes.
We're based in Burpengary ... just north of Brisbane. So once the website is up and running and I'm sure of the date of my first market stall, I'll let you know!

It'S BeeN 6 MonthS SinCe I pOstEd ... EeK :)

Well... I can't believe I haven't touched my blog for 6 months. Life has truly gotten in the way, which I don't think is a bad thing. It's nice to be busy, but I love the blogworld and I always catch up on what others have posted... but then come to that point, where I just don't know what to write on my own blog. I'd love to get personal, with photos of our family and what we do...but that's way too scary. Tho that's what I love about Denise's blog. But I can do it in another way...take a part of my life that I feel confortable enough sharing...and tell all :)
That part is my decor/crafting/creating processes and all that is related. Of course, photos are a must. Well... that's the good news... I'm starting a whole new venture very shortly and blogging will be an integral part of it. Stay tuned for more to come...meanwhile... enjoy some pics of our home.

                                                  OUR DRINKS CABINET CORNER

WE'VE JUST SWAPPED A NORMAL DINING TABLE WITH A BAR TABLE AND STOOLS FOR OUR EATING AREA. WILL BE PAINTING THE BAR TABLE WHITE, OF COURSE!

OUR LIL CUPBOARD ON THE BENCH FILLED WITH MY PRETTIES. MADE THE PAPER BUNTING LAST NIGHT TO ADD A BIT OF FUN.

A CORNER OF OUR BEDROOM... THIS HAS ENDED UP BEING THE CAT'S CHAIR...oops... HER MAJESTY'S CHAIR!

A LIL NOOK IN OUR MEDICINE CABINET THAT HOLDS MY ALLADDINS LAMP...make a wish!

THE MEDICINE CABINET AND FRAMED WALL CORNER...A WORK IN PROGRESS.

THANX FOR DROPPING BY!

*Delightful* Notice Boards!

I was able to spend some time over the past holidays with each of my nieces ( including an adopted one ;) ).
While we were together we spent some time creating things and one of those was this noticeboard.  I got each of the girls to choose their own colour scheme... we used a biscuit tray and together we followed the instructions from this blog... Tia came up with the idea that we could use the back of the tray ( which is hollow) to make a pocket and store any treasures in there!
Here are the final gorgeous results :
                                                          Jasmin's Notice Board

Lauren's Notice Board

Tia's Notice Board

A close up of one of the rose magnets

The girls and I had so much fun making these... and I just wish I had taken more pics of the roses... cos they just got prettier and prettier.

xXx

Storage Idea

How's this for a great storage idea?!
This clever lady, 'Ruth' has come up with a very versatile idea. I reckon every mum would have this type of problem...what do you do with the school bags every arvo, without tripping over them?
Enjoy!
Xx

The Flood Crisis

My heart aches at each new story of loss and tragedy.We are ok, but those down the end of our street were evacuated for a night...we're the fortunate ones.
The rain keeps falling in other areas tho and now those down south are in danger as well.

Like so many, I also want to help... Linda  passed on this information to me to help with some 'baked' relief . This blogger has found a way to help the SES volunteers right now with Baked Relief...if you feel like doing some baking,  go to her blog and you will find the drop off sites... http://digella.blogspot.com/

Also this  article in the brisbane times ... gives phone numbers and information on how to join up and help with the clean up effort under way.

Here is another site that gives information  for helping with the big cleanup, daily, from Saturday 15th January as well as other info and helplines.

See you soon
xX

*2011*

Well ~I am now 40 and  it's a new year of promises and adventures!
I was thinking about what I want from this year and came up with these 3 things...
#The one thing I would like to do new is to 'finish the things I start'
#The one thing I would like to change are my 'eating and sleeping habits'
# The one thing I would like to stop is 'wasting time'
At a first impression these things may seem quite ordinary... but they resonate on a deeper level with me and I'm ready to DO THEM instead of continuing to procrastinate.
How do I plan to fulfill these goals ? ...
I have some wonderful projects and a course that needs finishing...
I am working at making my diet at least %70 raw healthy food and going to bed at a reasonable time at least 2 nights out of 7 :)
And I am going to start saying no to things that waste my time and make me feel overwhelmed.
It's a start and the beginning of a whole new decade in my life.
'THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRY AND TRIUMPH IS A LITTLE UMPH'
What about you?

The Little Red Scales!

Did you ever wonder what I did with those scales?
Well... they now hold two little bluebirds on top of our apple green shelves ... in our kitchen.
Here's a peek ...

And a little more of the shelves ...

Very soon, I'll reveal our whole kitchen....... oneday .....when I've finished painting it ...  it won't happen overnight, but it WILL happen :)

Nest of Tables

So here is one of my latest garagesale bargains.
I love the colourful and quirky and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these beauties just waiting for me :)

They go perfectly with the eclectic boho feel of our lounge area... and who doesn't need a side table to rest that cuppa on :)
I also found this little treasure ...

And I finally found a gorgeous silver tray to put on our footstool ... voila!... another sidetable OR a place to put your feet up :)

Now that we have so many side tables ... I'm seriously thinking about getting rid of our large coffee table ... it takes up a lot of room and our lounge area is rather small. The only thing we use our coffee table for is putting our feet on and once again, because it's a nice flat, available surface... it collects 'junk'.
Do the flat surfaces in your home become a dumping ground for 'stuff' ???

MAKEOVER on CHAIRS

Hello Again!
I've finally recovered some chairs I bought off ebay. I was going to paint them white and as you will see, I decided to just paint the little carving in the top white instead. I recovered the seats in red polkadot material and am hoping it gives our quirky little home an edge. Our eating area is primarily white/apple green and red  ... and since I ran out of material and need to recover another three chairs, I won't be posting the dining area just yet. Tho I can't wait to show you what it looks like when it's all put together.
But I do have some photos of what I've done so far. They're not the greatest of photos, but you'll get the idea anyway. O... and I just undid three screws to take off the seat area and then used a good old staple gun to secure the material over top of the existing material. Screwed the seat back on and Voila! Sooooo easy!
                                                                        BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER I PAINTED THE LITTLE CARVED AREA WHITE

THE FINAL RESULT

My Attempts at some Art ...

I have now got a lovely craft room to work in ... finally!
Pics to come soon ( after I find somewhere for my sewing stuff :) )

Meanwhile, I now have space to create .... and create I did.
I cannot draw and I'm not an artist by any stretch of the imagination.... let alone a painter. But I do love the quirky and the enchanting and thought I would play... yes... just play.
So this is what I ended up with ... it was fun and time just flew!

A LIL OWL

 A QUIRKY TREE ( OCTOPUS TREE ??? )

 A SWIRLY WINDSWEPT TREE

WHAT A HOOT !!!

It's no secret that I love owls ... why you ask?
I truly don't know ... maybe it's their big owlish eyes?
Is it because they're nocturnal?
Are they really wise?
Do they exude an aura of mystery?
Or could it be just because they're so darn cute :)
Whatever the reason, I can't help it. Maybe it's the same reasons I love cats and cows ... they have a wonderful curiosity that makes me laugh.
I've collected a few owls over the past months ... here's a peek!

A letter Holder

A Card

Love the ornate carvings in this owl statue

A Tealight

A money box

A magnet

Hoo R U?

Well...well...well...I've just noticed a sticker attached to the front of this one still :)

Isn't this picture gorgeous?... you can buy it from Arian Armstrong on Etsy ... here ...

GARAGE SALE TREASURES

Garage sales... I love 'em!

You tumble out of bed and try to leave as early as is humanly possible, for those of us who are not early risers :) You've got change in your pocket ... a cold drink in your drink holder... music drifting through the speakers and a whole morning of 'treasure hunting' to yourself. Aaahhh the possibilities .... what will I find this time?

Our little town is soft... and slow... and silent in the morning light. I was on my own this time ... giving me space to dream and to ponder on things. I take my time and always have a coffee along the way.
The people are friendly and you smile at the other 'bargain hunters' who you inevitably seem to follow or be followed by, along the way .... with that inner knowing, that they too want to find themselves a 'treasure'.
Older ones love a lil chat and others sit shyly in their folding chairs, not sure whether to leave you be or to offer assistance... a friendly hello is spoken and the awkward moment is no more.
Breakfast smells waft through the cracks of the doors ... some folk are bleary eyed ...while others are cheery and bright. As the morning wears on, the town wakes up... traffic gets busier and people get louder ...joking and laughing. You meet children playing 'shop' and letting mum know they're hungry ...then the car is full......... and it's time for that coffee.

These are my treasures I found today ... all bought for the grand price of $25.00

2 old scales in RED!
A hammock
A shelf for hubby's new study
A pot plant holder
An ornate mirror~ to add to my collection :)
Old silver spoons~such intricate designs on a couple
An iron paper holder
A glass decanter

Hope you enjoyed my wanderings as much as I did!

I'M BACK !!!

HeLLoO!!!

Well, it has certanly been a loooong break between posts. We have moved house and gone on holidays and I've pretty much been crook the whole time ... BUT ... on the positive side I'm well and truly on the mend and can't wait to achieve some long awaited goals :)

I'm working on taking before photos, BEFORE I actually DO the projects :)  

See You Soon!!!

My Work Area Today

Today I've finally gotten out my paint and brushes and made an area under the verandah to start the makeover process.
This is where the 'magic' happens  ...  with clothes on the washing line and all  :)
 Do you remember the hall table I bought... well... after I gave it a scrub, I couldn't get myself to paint over the gorgeous bluish green paint with white...so I've decided to change the knobs to some lovely glass ones I scored from the demolition yard and live with it for a while to see if it really needs that paint job.

I bought 2 swivel stools from a garage sale and gave them their first undercoat today... yes... they're going WHITE!
Those ornate frames also got an undercoat today.

A friend of mine has bought 2 gorgeous pot hangers and we were going to paint them white as well .... but after some thought we've decided to give them a coat of 'fire engine red' ... on the dark background the red should make a bold statement and since she has that colour throughout her home, it will echo the colours she already has.

So ... today I have pictures of my work area ... we all love to see eachothers work areas,dont we?
Tomorrow, I will have some great before and after shots.

This post is just a tease :)
O... and yes... that is an empty wine glass on the work table .... (bailey's actually) ... can't help mixing work with pleasure  :)

PROJECTS

Lots of projects on the go at the moment... plenty of befores and afters.
I'm taking photos galore and can't wait to share them with you.

I will also have some new decor home pics cos we are moving!!!

Can't wait to 'fluff n stuff', when we get into our 'new' place. It has loads of potential!

You want a taste of what's to come?..... Hmmm...thought you might. OK...just a snippet :)

Here is a gorgeous hall table I have just bought off ebay. Even tho I love the blue, it just won't match our home.(This photo is deceptive, because the colour is a lot darker than this, still unusual tho).So of course... it'll be getting a coat of white and some lovely crystal knobs.

What do you think?

The Mad Hatters Tea Party 2 ...

SO... I thought it only fair, that since the girls had gone to so much trouble with their costumes.... that I show them ALL. The other collage cut two of them out :)
We have : The Mad Hatter...The Red Queen ... Alice and The White Rabbit.

Then there is the cheshire cat... ( or a very happy fish)... the white glove that the white rabbit left behind :)
A place for the mums to sit afterwards and my creations ... the 'card guards' ( made from white/red and black card board and paint) and the crazy teapot... which originally looked like this...

THE MAD HATTERS TEAPARTY

I had a Mad Hatters Teaparty for my nieces this weekend past.
O ... how much fun it was preparing it for them... all the old characters were hiding amongst the props. The dormouse... the white rabbit ... the cheshire cat... the mad hatter ( MOI)
Games were played and food was eaten .... the girls came dressed as characters out of the book ... ' Alice in Wonderland' ... stories were told and gifts were opened.
Enjoy the collage of photos ... I've just learned how to do it on Picasa 3 .... SO EASY!!!
xXx

I'VE LEARNED ...

YAY!... I've learned how to make my pictures bigger on blogger... thanks to this wonderful post by Nicole...Madsen Madness .
Hope it may help some of you out there as well :)

FIRST MILESTONE REACHED!!!

I'm so excited to report that I have sent away my first assignment. I'm doing a Professional Interior Design Course with the Sydney Academy of Design and for the past 2 months I've been trying to get this assignment put together (to my standard ) ...needless to say, it's taken FOREVER!!!
At this rate ... I'll take two years to finish the course!

Here are the two pictures I believe had good design.
I am in love with these rooms are divine!

This room has the most gorgeous textiles and how can you go wrong with white and wood :)
It has a shabby bohemian look to it, as well as an understated opulence.... luuuurve it!

And this gorgeous room .... ooooh... it belongs to the very talented Lyn Gardner. Here is a write up of it here at Villa Anna's blog

I just love the unique use of this space. The cool white colour scheme and the flow of the furniture, such as the bench seat legs that echo the claw bath feet. Timeless...