My forever changing home...

I thought I would do a quick post about my home.. which is forever changing. It's forever changing because it's no where near how I would like it to be. I had planned to wait till it was all done before I started posting pics, but thought ' what the heck ' so you can see the transformations as I go along.
I still haven't put up my light fittings in most of my rooms (even though I have them all) except for the dining room. I just love my cherub chandelier!! Would you believe I found this at a garage sale! This is actually made of bronze but of course, gave it the white makeover. After I purchased this, I had seen one in a lighting shop for around $350.. you know how much I got it for.?....... $20!! My heart skipped a beat when hubby, who actually saw if first, lifted it out of the box and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the cherubs and the pink glass beaded thingies,, just can't remember what they're called! That timber table is also going, hopefully I can use it on a pergola as it has a terracotta tiled top and raffia seats. I had purchased that for my other house when I was all into that blue and terracotta look. I have another vintage dining table sitting in the garage for the last 2 years just waiting to be made over and still haven't got round to it..
I love my kitchen, which we put in about 5 years ago, I think the pink blind will be going and replacing with something white. I have a white scrolly light fitting, which stupid me asked hubby to unwire so I could use it as a candle holder, now I want it rewired so I can put that in my kitchen. If you look closely in the pic where my green table is on the veranda you can see it hanging in the background. My ceilings are not high, so that is my only concern, will I be making the ceiling look lower? I know it would look great though! My walls at the moment are painted a pale yellow, by dulux called 'seduction'.. what a name! hey hey! Probably why I picked it! jokes aside.. I picked it before I fell in love with the shabby look.. so that will be changing too, probably to a creamy white as I love the look of white on white.
I find that I like different styles of decorating.. not just shabby chic, even though its my favourite! I definately love the pastel colours and a nice and light, fresh look! I also love the french inspired look, with all the scrolly metal and fancy furniture.. I am hoping to incorporate some of this in my formal lounge.. am thinking all white with gold accents and perhaps touches of blue. No pink for this room. I also like the shabby cottage look... so am thinking of doing this in my bedroom. So as you can see I like quite a number of different looks and this will probably show in my home when its done....can't, can't wait! They say good things come to those who wait and I have waited 8 years so I am expecting super great things.. lol!!
At the bottom of my blog I have posted a slideshow of parts of my home so far, so this will be changing as I go along. I have to say since I started blogging I have come across some wonderful pics of houses and rooms that have definately helped me realise what I really like!! thanks ladies, your pics are truly inspiring!! take care and have a lovely week ahead, 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

keeping busy

My latest creation.. I love shabby.. cushion. Thought I'd do something different and add some embroidered wording to the front. What better way to express what we love. I've made another one for myself and will put it in the hall way (once its built!) so all my visitors will know what my decorating style is all about, for those who still aren't sure. I've had my childrens' grown up friends comment on how my house looked like a fairy tale house, something out of a story book, one said he thought he'd walked into heaven (because of all the white) and another said he "was home" which I all take as a great compliment. Funny though as my house is no where near how I want it.
For now though my cushion sits on my bed and when hubby saw it he said" it should say I love Freddy not I love shabby" lol... might have to make another one. This cushion is on ebay tonight.

I've had a few projects going this past week I had an order for a ballerina wall hanging, so I decided to make 2 so I could put one ebay, but I'm not sure if it will even make it that far. These are just the tops as I'm still waiting on some wadding. Will post some pics when they're done. I also still need to add some loops to the top and get a rod for it with some ribbon to hang it.

Also made a silk lamp with an organza frill for another lovely lady. I was so delighted when she decided to ring me to tell me how happy she was with it... just makes what I do so worth while.

I've had quite a large order come in so I will try to do my best to also make some other pretties to list on ebay, so take care ... bye for now, Maryann~

My home & me

Well, yesterday was my mother in laws 80th birthday (God bless her) so just before we left home I told Lisa to take a pic of me to post on my blog. Now for me to do that is a big thing as I absolutely loath taking photos! I am the most unphotogenic person there is! But I think its nice to put a face behind a name. Well she probably took about 15 photos all of which I hate bar this one, which she herself took with one arm outstreched and quickly snapped it. If she knows I posted this one she'll probably kill me as its not a very good one of her!! poor thing, I'll post some better ones of her and the boys next time...
I've heard nothing from council as yet re my house... what a joke its already been 10 weeks in council.. I hope I'll still be alive when approval comes through! Anyway I thought I'd post some pics I took last spring of my humble home. There is not much front garden, I am hoping to get stuck into this this spring. My extension will be in front of the 2 big windows and will have a front door in the middle with 2 narrow floor length windows either side. I am hoping to find some shutters to add either side of each window.
Then I will have a verandah going right across the front.

This top picture is the front verandah I have at the moment, it doesn't really get used much but when the extension is finished I will hit hubby with another project as I would really love to turn this into a sunroom /sewing room,, notice how I said when the extension is finished. After 21 years of marriage I've learnt not to overwhelm him with all my ideas at once!

This next pic is of the side garden which has a winding path from front to back, its about 10 metres wide by 10 mtrs long. I love this side of the garden as on a hot day its very cool under the big old trees.

Well thats it for today, come spring when everything comes to life again ( including me) I'll take some more recent ones. Bye for now, take care, Maryann~

thank God the sun is out..

We've had a nice couple of sunny days lately even if it is freezzzzing cooold! I have been working on a couple of orders.. just finished a ballerina quilt for a lovely lady and am working on a lamp for another lady which should be finished soon, so hopefully I can make some other things to put on ebay. On the weekend I managed to work in the vegie patch a bit. Its in the back part of the yard so for now I've just got rope going around it till we do the fence to keep prancer ( our pony), out otherwise she'd have a field day!!

At the moment I've got silverbeet, leeks, beetroot, lettuce, peas, snowpeas planted. So I planted some broad beans and chick peas and also some more shallots. I just love my vegie patch as I get such a kick when I go to cut them to use for dinner. I also find it very relaxing and theraputical even if I am digging and weeding. Hubby and I only made this vegie patch last Xmas as it was one of the things on my 'to do list'... I love it even more when I go to the supermarket and don't have to worry about buying the vegies I already have planted.. saves a little money too as all these vegies were planted from seed. If you've never grown your own vegies I can tell you there is nothing like home grown!!

Well last week I had some visitors in the backyard, one of the quirks of living where I do and for 2 weeks running the local kangaroos came to visit every morning and afternoon. This particular day it was raining (actually it had been raining on and off for about 10 days) but I took the shots anyway hoping to take some better ones the next day, ofcourse they didn't turn up and haven't since then, they must have known I'd be waiting... lol!

Well better go and put our fire on as I can't believe how cold it is, had to put a thick jacket on just to hang up the clothes......Take care! Maryann