To paint or to sew???

This seems to be the question I ask myself every morning lately.. will I paint or will I sew?

Last week I finally made a start on my dining room table, actually the chairs...

This is going to be a bigger job than I anticipated. The table itself has sort of split and lifted slightly in the middle so hubby needs to attach some wood underneath so he can hammer it down and he also needs to cut out some seat for the chairs. It did originally have springed seats but they were all out of wack (which was not mentioned when I bought them from ebay) so all that needs to be done.

I have been painting them by hand and it takes me about an hour to give a chair 1 coat. It is so fiddley and it was just last Friday I was saying to hubby I need to buy an electric spray gun so I can just spray them. I would ask hubby to spray them but he has so much on his plate right now I thought I'd just do them myself.

Anyhow you wouldn't believe what I found at a garage sale I went to on Saturday...

Now is that freaky or what..! and only 5 bucks.. bargain!

 I haven't tried it out yet as this week I decided I really need to get some sewing out of the way..

These fabric squares will be a ballerina quilt soon.. I am making it as a gift for my neice's little girl.

She is just adorable and reminds me soo much of Lisa when she was a baby! She melts my heart! The squares in the background are for a quilt for a customer. All floral, it's going to be so pretty.

I'll show pics when it's done.  Ok better go as I have lots more cutting to do.. hope you have all been well..

take care, Maryann



Look what the cat dragged out... finally!

This dining setting has been sitting in my garage I'd say, for about 3 years! Why do I leave things sit so long? I don't know, but finally hubby and I dragged it out of his garage, to his relief and joy I might add, so I could get started on it .  I purchased this on ebay and even though it wasn't really what I was originally looking for, as I wanted a more french provicinial Queen Anne, Rachel Ashwell looking one (get my drift..lol!), I really liked the look of it all and imagined how lovely it would look white!  Now these are all before pics so not so pretty, but we have to see the ugly first.. right, and please excuse the mess in the background. This is actually my lounge room which is a dumping ground at the moment!

I really love the look on the back of the chairs with it's curvy lines up top and timber applique. I actually wrecked one with the blow gun as a small piece came flying off (oh, well..) as this is what I used to get all the dust off first, then a wipe down. They were filthy. I also love the cut out on the back. Ofcourse, it's not perfect as some of the beading has come off, if I can find some to replace it I will, but it really doesn't worry me.

I think what won me over though were the legs on the table! Love the shape and the ornate piece inbetween. It may take me a while to do as when I purchased it, it said nothing about the springs on the seat pads being wonky so I got rid of them. Hubby will cut out timber inserts to which I'll add foam and cover them with calico. Then make pretty removable fabric covers... a must in my household!

I think this will make such a difference to my dining room, I can't wait till they're done, even though it may take me a few weeks as I have some more orders to work on too. So stay tuned.... take care, Maryann

I love vintage..!

There is just something about a piece of old furniture, an old hat box or just a piece of vintage jewellery that has come from days gone by. Have you ever wondered what previous owners they've had and what stories they could tell.

In these modern times, with so much hustle and bustle, there quiet presence in my home give me great joy and a sense of a time when life was simple yet filled with such beauty.  Perhaps they hint to me of a time when my parents were children,  of old Doris Day songs and elegant ladies and real gentlemen. Sometimes I wish I had a time machine and go back 100 yrs (true!) even for just a day, like Meg Ryan did in that movie with Hugh Jackman. I also wish I could remember what it was called!

So perhaps that is why I love going to garage sales, thrift shops, antique malls and swaps. The thought of finding something new to transport me back again and again is just tooo alluring!!!!!!!    take care, Maryann

Shabby armchair make over...

I thought you might like to see what I've been up to lately.. still working on Lisa's room, it's taking a little longer than anticipated but I just finished her armchair today and thought I'd let you have a peek.

These are all the before shots..... I had already taken the swivel back off and thought 'oh yeah, better take some pics!'

Too many nails here so I decided to slice the fabric from the sides of the seat.

Iwas very happy to see burlap keeping it all together underneath

Before recovering it with the proper fabric I covered it with a sheet of wadding to make it all nice and clean and also to give me a light coloured base to work on.

We decided to use a dainty roses fabric by Rachel Ashwell .. (which is one of my fav's)

I'm also going to make a slip cover for it as I don't think it will stay white for long. It looks so pretty in Lisa's room but can't show you that yet!   All I have to do is cover her lamp and her room is done. ! So stay tuned.

 Also My Cottage Charm is having her very first 'Treasures & Trinkets Thursday' if you'd like to pop over and have a look and Cindy at My Romantic Home is having Show and Tell Friday!

Hope you all have a great week end ...take care, Maryann

Lisa's bedroom ~sneak peak~

I have just finished painting Lisa's room. It was green before (as this used to be the boys' room)
and have now painted it the softest romantic pink.. I just love it. Just don't ask me what it's called as it's my own concoction of 3 different whites and 3 different pinks, I just kept mixing till I got the colour I wanted.

The lamp you see there is waiting for its makeover, and I have just put in Lisa's new bed (still waiting for a mattress)  It has the same design at the foot of the bed aswell. We purchased this exactly a year ago so we were both anxious to get it out of the box..  we love it and actually were fighting for it but, ok... I let her have it!!

I've also started painting her furniture as you can see

This wardrobe is nearly finished just putting on the last coat today.. then can start on her drawers.

Hopefully it won't take me long to put it all together and you can see the end result. Have a great day, I think the sun may just make an appearance today, fingers crossed!

Take care, Maryann

week end finds

Well last week actually, I went to a garage sale which was just down the road. It was a combination of garage sales that is held in a local hall, they like to do this once a year and for the last couple of years I really didn't find much, but this year was different! 

  I managed to pick up this gorgeous chest of drawers.  I am thinking of putting these either in the lounge room or Lisa's bedroom. I had been wanting some drawers and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them and cost me all of $40. There is a bit of a story behind them though as when I asked the gentleman the price he told me to wait for his mum to arrive as they were hers. So I did. When she did finally arrive I asked again and the elderly lady said I could have them for $40, which I snapped up and paid for immediately. But whilst I was looking at other stuff there, the gentleman who sold me the drawers came up to me with this other woman (who was claiming she saw them first) and said that he had promised the drawers to her. Now I saw this woman come in and it was after me! That alone started to make my blood boil and I was already shaking my head like 'no way' are you getting these drawers. I told her I paid for them fair and square and besides the guy happily took my money and the deal was done! I did feel a little sorry for the woman for missing out on a bargain. Just a little...

I also purchased this mirror from the same guy and the little ornate bedside table which I just fell in love with, I'm thinking of leaving it just the way it is.

It is blue that has been distressed in some areas more than others so I might just "even it out" a little. It has a concave drawer in the front which I thought was cute, but I might add a little crystal knob as it has no handle. I am thinking of putting this in the lounge, and the other mirror in the family room.

These were all purchased from the same gentleman as he had a lot of furniture there and I would have probably kept looking if that silly woman didn't keep whinging about the drawers, so I just went home before it got ugly!!  Well, atleast I HAD the drawers, yay! Have a great week end, Maryann

Saturday finds..

One of my favourite things to do is treasure hunting! I go to garage sales, markets whenever possible, vinnies, etc etc... Sometimes I don't find anything, which is really disappointing, sometimes I might find one or two things, which is really good and sometimes you hit the jackpot.



Well I think this week I hit the jackpot... I managed to get all sorts of things.. I found these gorgeous trios .. I have a fetish for trios and have them everywhere. A very nice lamp and these are sitting on a lovely shaped plant stand which I think I may use as a little table to go with 2 french scrolly boudoir chairs that I already have.. to sit on my front verandah when its built. I also found more crockery some of which will go on ebay. I just love the other garden stand they are sitting on and I will also be painting this white eventually and am thinking of using this in my dining room as a phone table or it might even go in my lounge room when its built with a beautiful big old fashioned fern on it .. will have to wait and see. I just love anything iron and scrolly and even if they are meant for outside doesn't mean I can't enjoy them inside!

This next find is a brass frame which was originally a mirror. I fell in love with this instantly and will go in Lisa's bedroom when its finished. Its going to be a memory board. She's been wanting one for a while, so we were very happy when we found it. It will also be painted white with some pretty ticking fabric for the board.

I also found this scrolly phone table/stool. I just love it! Can't wait to do it up but for now will have to wait as this will be going in my hallway. The pretty little brass mirror is also for Lisa. She's been eyeing my one that I have in my bedroom, which is bigger than this one, so she was very happy when we found another. Also found a vintage metal hat box. I was thinking of painting this pink and having it open with scarves, gloves spilling over.. Lisa suggested to use it as a planter box with pretty flowers in it for the garden. Not a bad idea either, I suppose it depends on how well it turns out.

I was also lucky enough to find this boudoir chair! I have always wanted one. The fabric ofcourse will have to go. I'm not sure yet whether to get it professionally reupholstered or just make a slip cover myself. This will definately be going in my bedroom!!

I managed to make this ballerina bag as well for an order. Turned out really sweet. Will be making another one soon to put on ebay.

When I make over all my finds will post some pics so you can see them finished but it may not be for a while as some will have to wait till my extensions are done, so for now I have to find more space to store them in and that is not an easy task! Ok back to sewing... take care, Maryann

from trash to treasure

I can't believe its been 4 wks since my last post.. gee I'm a slacker, but honestly I just don't know where the days go. Since my last post we have all been sick with the flu, one..at..a..time..! luckily I was the last one to get it, I was hoping I wouldn't but what were the chances of that! Atleast it didn't hit me hard.

Well approval has come through for our extensions.. yay..and hubby has started digging up the front and levelling it out. What a mess! Hate this part. See top photo.. sorry, I still have to figure out how to get the pics where i want them in my posts!!!!

Anyway, we had to cut into the land so I will have a retaining wall in the front and I remembered a long time ago I had seen a picture of a lovely retaining wall that stuck in my mind in one of my hundreds of magazines. Well for the last couple of nights I have been going through them slowly to try and find it, which I haven't yet, but came across this old house which looks like its ready to fall into a heap. The article read from trash to treasure... a couple purchased it and transformed it from that...

to this....... wow!! white picket fence and gorgeous pink trailing roses! Just goes to show you what can be done if you put your mind to it.

I managed to do some of my orders and finished the wall hanging, which is sold already and a boudior chair for a very lucky little girl. Still have heaps to do but sometimes when I see my house falling apart around me, like the dust setting in and the floors need washing and the garden in such a sorry state that it starts to depress me and can't really concentrate on my sewing properly. So yesterday and today, while the sun was shining I got stuck into the garden and did lots of weeding, trimmed the roses and threw out old straggly plants. I can't believe the difference. I feel so much better already. I still need to weed around the hedges and roses along my driveway. I have about 17 iceberg roses and about 100 hedges that need to be trimmed too but that can wait till next week now as tomorrow I plan to get stuck into the house. Week ends now have to be dedicated to helping hubby with whatever on our extension. I can't wait to see the frame up but thats a while off yet.

OK, will go now and have a cuppa with hubby and a lamington which I made last night, another find from one of my mags,, didn't turn out too bad either! Seeya all sooner than last time,

take care, Maryann