My Potager.. or as we call it down under 'vegie patch'

We are well into summer here in Australia. Infact we have been having a bit of a heat wave this week.. but what's an aussie summer without a few scorchers. Thought I'd show you something I'm REALLY into apart from my sewing and decorating .. and that's my vegie patch.

 Here are the front views.. the fence is a boundary from my back yard and the back paddock.

Looking from the back...that little shed was Lisa's cubby which I am hoping to convert into a practical garden room one day..

It would be a dream of mine to be totally self sufficient. To be able to feed my family off our land, I would even have cows and sheep. But I don't think that will happen soon, so for now I am quite happy to grow what I can myself to save a few dollars and also know that my vegies are organic. I grow many plants from seeds as this is the cheapest way to go.

At the moment I have growing.. zucchini..

way too many tomatoes, they are growing into each other from one row into the other...

Needless to say we have been eating lots of brushettia (I'm sure I spelt that wrong but you know what I mean) and I also love making home made sauce and freezing it for my next pasta meal instead of buying cans of tomatoes.

Cucumbers...

Watermelon...

I like to put little mats underneath my melons and pumkins.. keeps them clean.

Radichio

Spinach or silverbeet

Climbing beans..

I'm also a very keen recycler and put all my garden and kitchen greenwaste back into a compost heap to reuse in the vegie patch..

and here is my harvest for the day...

Yep, I sure do love summer.

take care, Maryann

ps I've just woken up to pouring rain..hallelujah! Our fellow Queenslanders had to endure cylcone Yasi last night but thank God it was downgraded from a catagory 5 to a cat 3. and there are no casulaties or fatalities.

Farmhouse cabinet re-do and look what I won!

Well first of all I want to show you what I won from Amy over at Maison Decor!
I was lucky enough to be one of four winners of one of her sketches and the sketch was to be of my home! Yay! I have always loved her sketches, they are soo darn cute... so I was absolutely thrilled when I was announced as one of the winners. Here is a pic of my home.. but if you want to see her sketch make sure you head on over to her blog.

I told Amy how I wished my gardens were finished  (as it's still a work in progress) and she immediately offered to put in the gardens and other features for me! Isn't she lovely! So if you don't know Amy from Maison Decor yet, get your butt over there right now! She has one of the lovliest blogs around and I just love her decorating style.

Do you remember my farmhouse cabinet from a couple of posts ago? If not well here it is again.

I really love it the only problem was the blue. It just didn't look right. Too much of a beachy blue and just didn't fit in with the rest of my decor. So yesterday out came the white paint and it now looks like this..

I just love it.. still needs new handles though but I couldn't wait to show you. I went over it with a dry brush. That is not much paint on the brush so it wouldn't go into the grain of the timber. I painted over alot of the blue and got the sander out to reveal more timber and give it an aged, worn feel. It still has a few underlying tones of blue but no where near as much and gives it a different hue to the rest of my white furniture.  As you can see I changed the inside around which also helped change the look! I'm linking up today too with Kathleen from Faded Charm for 'white wednesday'

Well on another note seems like I am slowly (but surely) heading towards 100 followers! I was thrilled when I hit the 10 mark... (after all who'd want to follow me) so to commemorate this grand occassion I have decided to do a giveaway. Can't tell you what it is yet but I do have something in mind that I will be designing and making myself and am sure it will suit ANY style home...and will go to ANYWHERE in the world. So stay tuned.... have a great week girls.. Maryann

my vintage china cabinet..

Today I thought I'd show you some pictures of one of my most favorite china cabinets. I picked up this half round glass vintage cabinet a few years ago now at a garage sale for $150. I didn't know much about vintage furniture back then. It had no mirror backing or glass shelves. So I had someone do all that for me for an additional $150..so all up it cost me $300 . I have seen these in antique stores for way more but sometimes if you are lucky you can pick them up for around that price anyway.. sorry but this is the only pic I had of this before I painted it.. you can still see it in the background..

Today it looks like this...

The dinner set you at the bottom was also a garage sale find just a few weeks ago.. I nearly fainted when I saw it as this is one of my most favorite patterns. If you look at my header pic you can see 4 small plates in this pattern that I have had for ages and just adored. So to see a whole dinner set I had to really control myself to get it at a good price. How much you ask?.. all of $30! Definately a keeper!

I purchased this bowl set from an antique store so it was a bit pricey but I just had to have it. I just love the colours and the floral design.

Here are some more of my favorite vintage pieces ... Royal Albert plate..

A jug set which is ever so delicate..

A 4 piece Royal Albert rainbow trio set.. would you believe I broke the green cup when I got it home .. I nearly died. I did try finding one on ebay for a while.. but gave up..mmm maybe I should look again.

This next tea set was a gift from a friend who knew someone that was going to throw it out. How sweet of her to think of me! I think it is soo cute and it was still brand new in the box.. looks like an unwanted wedding gift or something! It came with 6 cups and saucers in the shape of a heart and also a leaf shaped sandwich plate. The roses on this are just gorgeous.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little tour of my china cabinet. As you can see I just love old china! take care, Maryann

my farmhouse cabinet.. and a new year's resolution??

Hi girls, well it's already one week into the new year! I hope 2011 will be a good year for all of you, may all your dreams become a reality! Christmas was a great event at my place this year with 57 people it was really a great day. Fred and his brother had the gokarts and buggies ready for the boys .. and girls .. as for me sipping on my wine, just sitting down doing nothing was all I needed.

We went away for a week after that to the south coast. We have an onsite van there, which is very handy as all I need to pack when we go is clothes and food. The kids love it there and James is such a keen fisherman. He'll get up early in the morning to go fishing by the side of the lake and he always comes back with something.. a flathead or bream.. but you know what the funny thing is.. he fishes with cabbanossi, salami or even bacon. No need for prawns or your regular fish bait! He cracks us up every time!

We are now thinking of selling the van but I have had this cabinet which I love in there and decided to bring it home.

Not sure about it being blue though as everything I have is pink or green. Looks like the white paint may have to come out. The handles will have to go too, the ones that are on it look like cotton spools. I love its rough texture, like that of fence palings, and the chicken wire. It used to store beach towels at the van but now it will hold all my tablecloths. For now I just threw anything on top till I get a bit more inspired.

If there is one thing I learnt at the end of last year when I had so much to do in so little time.. is that it's amazing what one can do when one has a deadline.. and that it CAN be done. I was pushing myself every day to get the house and garden how I wanted it. Now if I could apply that to my life every day I could achieve so much more than I have.

In the past I have never really been in to new year's resolutions.. perhaps because I know I'll never keep them, but this year I'm making one and one only..

and that's to STOP procrastinating and GET ON with it!!

So... starting from now, I am going to get off my butt and put all those ideas and designs I've had floating around in my head for years and make them real. I am going to stop putting off till tomorrow what I can do today.  Dreams don't come true just wishing them.. YOU have to MAKE them come true..

So again I hope all your dreams come true, no matter how big or small. Let's make the most of 2011.. as I certainly intend to.

have a good one! Maryann

getting there.. finished quilts and bring on Christmas!

Hi girls, it's been VERY hectic here lately.. but I thought I'd show you some pics of the quilts I finished..
THis is the ballerina quilt.. I love making these.. shame about the fabric being discontinued though. I made this as a gift for my niece.

The other quilt was a customer order and she wanted roses.. so roses she got!!

I also had an order for a cushion but ended up making 3.,, well I was on a roll! They all look like this.(only 1 left)

Yesterday I got the blinds put in my bedroom and lounge ..They are just holland blinds but I am very happy, and even happier that they will only take me a minute to clean when need be.

Ofcourse I still need to put curtains up and am putting just one curtain on each on the sides closest to the walls. Not sure what kind yet as this room will be getting a makeover once I decide exactly what I want.

Finally our Christmas decorations went up to. We are sticking to red, gold and green.. the kids would have my head if I changed it to pink and white, so this is for them..

I even found some mini chandelier ornaments.. how exciting!

and some sparkly snowflakes..

and we couldn't leave santa hanging so we hung him on my archway.. you press his leg and he starts swaying and singing.. he's pretty cool..and always makes me smile..

and what is Christmas without our nativity set.. .

and just to keep me happy a little pink and silver in the dining room....(little do they know I am gradually taking over...he he!)

I WAS hoping to have my dining table painted white by christmas but I don't think that's gonna happen, it's still the same as I left it in my last post.. in undercoat. With all the rain we've had, my garden and the weeds have gone wild so I have spent so much time sprucing the garden up and pulling out weeds and getting rid of snails!  I'll be mainly cleaning my house inside and out in the next few days and believe me it needs it! We are having a family get together on boxing day at my place... about 57 people..(15 people on my side and 42 on Fred's!)  Every family is bringing something which works out really well so I don't have to spend xmas day pulling my hair out ....cooking all day.

I'm a little sad that my flooring didn't get done and my new lounge room is no where near finished... as I would have liked the house to be totally finished... .but I suppose it's something to look forward to next year.

Not sure if I'll be posting again before Christmas so if I don't I truly wish you all out there a wonderful and safe Christmas! Love always, Maryann