Preparing for a market stall

Busy, busy, busy bee.

'The way we wear' fair is on this coming weekend 25-27 March 2011, at the Mount Gravatt Showgrounds in Brisbane and ... big news ... my friend and i will be having a stall there. I had planned to open my own shop this year, and with things not falling into place the way i had planned, it will come to fruition when the time is right. In the meantime i've decided to rejuvenate some of the pieces i have collected over the years sooner rather than later which will be on sale this weekend. Bit of furniture, soft furnishings, homewares, vintage frocks, jewellery etc.

This week i'll show a few bits n pieces and some of the before and after's of the following. It's nice to look at the before and after's because it's such a lengthy process you forget why you bothered in the first place ... until you review the transformation - very worth it in the end.  Today, i finalised what fabric will go with what and this is the outcome:

This manilla cane footstool above will remain raw. I love it and happen to have sourced two, one for me and one for someone else. I completely adore the blue and white moroccan style fabric. It will cover the cushioning with a navy piping.

This little guy above is married, the missus is still drying. I had planned to paint navy or black, but when i happened across this fabric i changed my mind. It's red with beige and white detailing and is so refreshing to look at. The more i look at these things the more i want to keep them.

This chair belongs to the setting i pictured a couple of posts ago. The fabric is black with white and grey palm frongs. Perfect for this piece. So they go off to be made first thing in the morning.

 I'm a proud parent of some seriously growing tomatoes. They've grown at least 2 inches since last Sunday.

The house had smealt beautiful with the fresh roses provided by the markets yesterday ...

... but now smells of roast pork which i am salivating over. It still has about 50 hours to cook. I never post about cooking because i don't really do too much of it worth sharing. As you can see, this roast dish is about 300 years old but it does it's job very well. Sunday roasts are the best!

a saturday drive

On Saturday, A and i went for a drive which is what we do when neither of us can face up to the list of stuff only the weekend enables us to action. We drove out to Nambour and then came back through Montville. Found this groovy store in Nambour called

It was packed with millions and millions of records. There were old music mag's and Womens Day's, prints of different things, jewellery, nick nacks and general stuff.

 for all y'all 80's fans out there this record player was 'totally narly'. I've seen one in a movie before i'm sure of it -  maybe 'back to the future'?

Downstairs little rooms shot off in different directions full of  vintage fashion, accesories, homewares and a snippet of furniture. Worth a browse next time you're in the hood. There used to be other antique stores up there but all i saw were empty shopfronts.

What i did see is this Old fella. Don't see enough of these red and white stripes these days. Cracker.

This Art Deco building is being painted black in case you can't tell - will look a gazillion times better once finished. It looked so good in real life compared to this photo. Black really is beautiful.

The drive up to Montville saw us come across this lovely old tennis court, the fencing was in excellent condition

Complete with a little spectators hut.

These purple trees are in bloom everywhere up there - very pretty

we took the back road down the mountain, which you can access on the main drag of Montville next to the school.

and took different turns here and there and ended up in lovely little Eudlo

That's Eudlo above. Look at that lone petrol bowser. Just adorable.

We also drove through Mooloola which had a store that shocked me called Vicious Vintage. Shocked me because it's the last thing i expected to come across in a little valley town, and also because the bloody thing was closed by 12:30 on a Saturday! Ugh. I'm going back.

Something that was achieved ... our second herb/vege garden that has tomatoes, lettuce, peas and some other stuff in it. I'm very excited about nurturing this, that gate thing is for the peas to climb up. We now have 2 old baths with herbs in them complete with the signs so i know what's what. All hell will break loose if a possum so much as eyeballs this tub!

My mother packed up some pieces of mine still at the family home including my cross stitch case i used when i was in primary school, this was still in the box ... It's love that makes a house a home. Awwww.... 

I hear cross stitch has been making some kind of comeback. Maybe this is a sign? My parents may like another bath towel each for christmas with their name's cross stitched on it like i did for them circa '88'. I was obssessed with making things. Their bedroom was riddled with plaque things similar to the one above. What parent's have to go through. All stopped when i hit great 8. Totes not cool anymore to 'stitch' in highschool!

divide and screen

Are weekends getting shorter? I woke up this morning actually believing that it was Sunday and squirmed around happily thinking about what time i would choose to get out of bed ... then i realised.  The exact same feeling washed over me that i have when i think there's chocolate in the fridge only to find someone else has located it before me ... cheated.

Driving to work i considered how thankful i am to the moon that this year provides a long and hopefully glorious Easter/Anzac weekend. Then my attention swung back around to my 2 week long satisfaction at the purchase of the room divider.

I just really like anything that can divide a room - plants, half walls, screens, brick ... whatever. i don't enjoy really open plan unless you're a complete minimalist which i am not, i like something to add interest and intimacy to open spaces. A couple of example's of this 'dividery' is necessary for me to share and then the topic will be dropped for a little while...

The above divider reminds me the block screening used for exteriors. I just love it - always have and always will - must have a house with it. You'll remember it's featured in the post i did on 'Torbreck'.  So many people think i'm crazy but any home that has this stuff on it ... is sure to be a hit with me - looks fab in the pool area with a vine growing over it too.

I think it's had numerous names, breeze block, besser brick walls, brick perforated sceening walls and i'm sure many more. I imagine that Palm Springs and Miami are riddled with this stuff! I love the wooden detail on the one below.

Meanwhile, my makeover of the cane setting is coming along - i'm very much looking forward to getting it completed. White is so fresh and uplifting. The fabric for the chairs is going to finish it off perfectly i think.

summer breeze

The air has changed. I walked last night and noticed that summer is coming to a close, the Autumn feel is upon us. To celebrate a hot and always fabulous Queensland summer, i must share one of my all time favourite songs ever, that when i play it ,it makes me feel fine ... 

'Summer Breeze' by Seals and Crofts. Released 1972, for all you 70's babies out there. This one's for you. (Click on the pic)

See the curtains hangin' in the window, in the evenin' on a Friday night.
A little light a-shinin' through the window, lets me know everything is alright.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

See the paper layin' in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door.
So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune.
And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world.
See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two.
See the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

ticking it off the list

I would be a complete head case if i didn't have lists...

On friday night, instead of cracking a wine with the girls, i condensed these lists ready for a very productive weekend. I mentioned a few posts ago that i had re-found a stash of Chanel makeup that had been pushed to the back of the bunch and neglected?

Well, it was on my list to go through and see what i want and what my mother may use. Done and done. Massive tick. Majority has been unopened, but what i am wondering is what on earth possessed me to buy the paint set for lips, cheeks and eyes? of course they're still in the box!

I also dropped into a vintage fashion store called 'La Bella Donna' at Morningside.

Anna, the owner, has some beautiful pieces. She takes some things on consignment and other pieces she sources, like this dress - a 1950's velvet gown. The shade of green is breathtaking.$350 - absolute steal. I can't express it's stunningness in this photo.

There were other's Anna had sourced from the same owner in Toowoomba including a burgundy floor length gown with a jewelled thin belt and jewelling around the neckline. It came out blurry on my phone. You can kind of see it in this shot, rediculously beautiful, it'd be sacrilege to cut it off, but good lord it would look superb. The one at the front divine too.

I wonder who owned them and what life they led? A very glamorous one indeed. This gorgeous little number jumped in my bag before i could say no. I pictured it with the bow at the front (traditionally back to front) but looks great either way.

Someone must go and buy this hat too - don't let the freaky model turn you off.

Anna reminded me of the annual vintage fair that's held at the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds. It's coming up on the 26/27 March, i feel it's my duty to share - always a treasure trove.

So that was actuallly a tick as i went there to talk to her about some gowns i have she may like to sell ... and there was also a reward because, well just because.

Next stop was Woolloongabba antiques to look at fabric. This ended up being a huge X on the list front but a big tick on the rewards front. It's all about compromise.

I snagged this teak 1970's room divider.

 

It's not a great shot and it has feet so is completely freestanding.

My heart raced like i was climbing Everest when we saw eachother. I messaged a friend saying 'i need someone to tell me to buy this' and got back 'do it'. I did what i was told. I then immediately exited the building.

I have nowhere to put it and definitely do not need it like the fabric i was actually there to buy, but it is most certainly an instant fave and lifelong friend.

My next tick was commencing the makeover on this setting.

 

These are the chairs so far. Tricky work with all the curves. Going to be a long road. Half tick.

 

You're probably thinking i'm low on ticks for what i termed a productive weekend? I also, cleaned the s*** room. I'm afraid it's the only term, and everyone has one - ours is the office. A perpetual mess always bombarded with the rejects of anything and everything - a thorn in my side. Huge tick. Plus, washed, ironed and took out the bins. That's four more ticks which equals a total of 6 and a half. I earned that room divider - look how hard i work!

ebony and ivory ...

live together in perfect harmony ....

i don't know that it's possible to not love black and white, anytime, anywhere, anyplace

interiors (i'm head over heels for that basin)

photography

embellishments

fashion

art

and utterly adorable little characters like this.

Look at those darling faces, the cat seems a little concerned.