vintage down under

more backlogged stuff...

2011-11-21T13:21:00.000+13:00

Well here I am trying to be good and catch up.
I have a few projects on the go like this:

dress I am sequinning...

and this:

30s blouse to be...

but mostly just stroking my shinies:).....

shoes!!!

1920s dance set mark 2,just missing its garters...

strange find,dress that could be the real thing...

handbag city...

well bye bye all....

Some of what has been occupying me...

2011-11-21T12:37:00.000+13:00


my current hat collection...

wearable muslin of vintage dance set....


late 1920s coat....

oops,my bad...

2011-11-21T12:21:00.000+13:00

Well it has been just a little while since I posted.The vintage clothing obsession has me in a tight grip but I am going to try to post some of it,no promises though:)

oops!

2010-02-16T22:36:00.000+13:00

We popped into the kitchen last night to check the seam strength on the wallpaper to see if we could do a temporary paint job over it...

Oops!

Guess that answers that question ,but not the question of what on earth is the definition of comfortable to a cat?!!

(its the broken box Nicks school stationary came in...)

nearly done...

2010-02-13T20:00:00.001+13:00

Well this project has jumped ahead...

and now looks like this:

and this...

and this.

I still need to paint the door and window with gloss white and think of a temporary fix for the hideous sink until we can justify replacing it but its basically done and for now that's enough:)

I also whipped up the artwork ,

70 cents worth of frames from the salvation army store , an old line drawing of mine and some scrabble tiles I found on the garage floor of our old house.My kind of price!

Now Im looking at the kitchen and my nearly full free bucket of paint that's left over with a thoughtful look on my face,the family are nervous:).

Night all...

linked to diy day ,take a look...

finally I get to blog again....

2010-02-08T10:54:00.001+13:00

Well the school holidays are over and I get some me time again.I have been picking away at things and have a few things to post...

Ive been getting the parlor sorted and making an office space in there.I'm still looking for a desk I like so its a clever arrangement of cupboard doors and bar stools for now.I also added a pin board and storage boxes I made out of junk from around the house and make a removable cover for Sean's lamp (don't worry brother dearest it is unharmed:)

I'm loving my pot-plant/noxious weed in the fire place...pity it is so invasive in the garden.

Ive also redone a few pictures with retro images I have printed out . It started when I loved these on blogland and didn't want to pay for one...

I just glued on the image to the backing board of an old picture and glazed it with diluted p.v.a. glue.

I liked it so much I made this one too...

I have two others but my batteries died however I managed to get a beforeish shot of the next house project...

I have used up mismatched but texturally similar wallpapers to give a smooth painting surface and I hope to get onto the painting soon.Stay tuned..

posted to make your monday and metamorphosis monday

I'm back...

2009-12-10T13:26:00.000+13:00

I've been very negligent about posting,my only excuse is I'm knackered...
I walk 80 minutes a day doing the school run and then trying to get this place cleaned up and keep up with the daily work takes what little energy I have left.
However some of the xmas decorations are up do to the ~~whining~~ ~~pleading~~ suggestions of a certain small boy.

Mummy wanted a mummy tree this year so we have this...

all the remaining ornaments were given to said small boy to do a family tree in the dining room, proving if you think you can have too many ornaments he will call you unimaginative,the best branch has 5 ornaments on it!

Both the trees are up on boxes as this house absorbs trees ,when the time comes that we can justify it we need to upgrade from 4 foot trees to a 10 footer...

I did a few other places like the main mantelpiece:

I also made a start on some gardening but the wisteria didn't get the pruning it needed...

as someone had already claimed ownership.Shes so pretty I just wish she would come inside and sit quietly on the tree.

I love wetas.Judging by her posturing and threats she unfortunately hates me.Oh well cant win them all.

done!!!well nearly

2009-11-27T17:25:00.000+13:00

Well I finally got to the good stuff.
I only got one coat of floor paint on but I couldn't let Mum wait any longer(you have been so patient :)

So here goes from this...

To this....

and

This hardly looks like the old room and it will only get better.The darkest shades on the floor are the dry colour and another coat will even out the blotchy effect in places.
I'll get the second coat on tomorrow.
Sorry if the photos are a bit shadowy but the sun moved around the corner before I finished and I'm too tired to photo shop.
I even got the surplus wardrobe that will go in here re-shellacked and did about 8 loads of laundry.
I plan to limp pathetically on Monday....

Well the madness is stabilising.....

2009-11-15T20:56:00.000+13:00

We are here at last,7/8 ths unpacked and over the third world disease Gary and I caught from the lovely ex tenants housekeeping skills(note sarcasm here)
I've even started painting the first room after ripping up the carpet and peeling off the wallpaper.I'll keep you posted as we go from this...

...to something a little less ~~smelly~~ ~~mouldy~~ ~~gross~~ unusual.

Overenthusiasm rules...

2009-10-14T14:02:00.000+13:00

Well I was all set to post pictures of my new delight my free (gotta love flybuy points) bone china 3 tier cake stand...but I packed it.
I'm at that stage where if you are ~~obsessive, anal retentive~~ organised you start packing frantically but forget to think through what you use as clearly as you think you have.
The house will now ring with cry's of ...
"wheres my...?"
To which the only answer will be...
"mum packed it"

Oh well at least the house is easy to clean...

well I survived the holidays...

2009-10-13T14:31:00.000+13:00

...mostly intact,I don't think I have ever done so much paper mache in my life!:)
Now its back to the packing with only the odd dalience at the op shops on grocery day.

love it just for the handles...

one old ,one new...

another one for my vintage hair stuff collection .Even Nick played during the holiday and here is his purchase...

he fell for it and you have to start them young:)

Well its only 17 days until we get the keys for the new place and clean up begins.I wonder if I can find a cheap bio-hazard suit?....

Last of the big furniture.

2009-10-02T18:33:00.000+13:00

Well I'm finished (if you dont count cleaning the house,packing the house and moving in four and a half weeks of which school holidays take 10 days)

I tackled the biggest one last.
The dresser known as the big blue******** and then the silver thing is now big ,pale and lovely...oh who am I kidding it will soon be called the fridge or something :)

I also threw in Chrissie's bookcase as I don't have enough work to do:)

The finished result is just as I imagined it:

This dresser is a pain to move but who can argue with 14 drawers....

help my cats gone all runny:)

2009-10-02T18:23:00.000+13:00

Very runny,I think he isn't U.V. stable...

despite the rain...

2009-09-25T13:05:00.000+12:00

Well the sky's thundering down didn't stop the march of progress.I got my headboard painted and made something we really needed.
Bedside cabinets!
Apparently here in our town people never sell theirs so they get premium prices,you know how I feel about paying those...
I found this at my local op shop hiding behind the worlds largest wardrobe,standing on one end and covered in junk.

$40 including an extra set of legs from out the back.

I cut out the middle drawer and top then put all the legs on,cut them to length and painted.

The handles had a horrible faux copper finish but a scrub with wire wool found underneath...wait for it...real copper,go figure:)

Here they are along with my repainted headboard. I also made a shadow box for Chrissie from the leftover drawer.

no more backache...

2009-09-23T20:37:00.000+12:00

At my height any normal ironing board makes me want to cry.They are always a few really important inches too short.They are also too small.
I had a cunning plan involving this table:

I made some leg blocks:

(next to the candles just before painting)

I covered the top with tinfoil(to reflect the heat back up),a wool blanket folded over (for padding) and then cotton fabric stretched tight and stapled.One leg unit has casters so I can move it around the house to iron where I want.

The finished table:

Now I might iron as much as should instead of how much I do:)

computer chair...

2009-09-22T13:57:00.000+12:00

Ive gone ick every time I've sat on the chair at the computer desk as the horrible stain on the seat will not come off!
Finally sick of it I used a 50 cent remnant to recover it.First the net research to find out how to get the black plastic back off.It turns out you jam a tyre iron in it and pull for all you're worth until it goes pop.
So this:

becomes this:

Then some time,lots of staples,some elegant suiting fabric offcuts and popping the back on again and you get this:

Much better.

I was meant to be getting groceries...

2009-09-22T12:58:00.000+12:00

Well I couldn't help it and it was under a tenner,so here is what I got:

A second smaller silver plate tray,a glazed blue tureen,a depression glass bowl,a crystal dessert glass,oil and vinegar dispensers,craft stiffening for my next hat,a bird which I''ll paint,a handle for a future project,two pieces of textured upholstery fabric and some fabric for recovering our computer chair...average price 50 cents.Not bad at those prices.This time I got them washed and the photo taken before I forgot what I'd found.

Unfortunately the blankets at a different shop that I'd wanted went an hour before I got there...

let there be light.

2009-09-21T13:38:00.001+12:00

I was playing around with scrap wood and some discarded bun feet and ended up making some candlesticks.
The wood was a broken old arm that held a mirror on a dresser and with the holes,grooves and damage I knew it would take too much work to make them smooth.

I went with a paint job to enhance the primitive look,spraying too heavily until the paint wrinkled and then rubbing silver craft paint over with my thumb.I quite like how they turned out with some cheap candles from the warehouse.

I'm linking this to Make your Monday ,come and see everyones fun....

spring tool makeover...

2009-09-21T13:29:00.001+12:00

I decided that while my tools worked they looked like something you'd throw in a skip.

(This is after they got new handles.)

I also have a tendancy to leave them on the lawn and if I cant spot them from the kitchen window they will stay there until I trip over them.

Well some left over spray paint,sanding,de-rusting,sharpening and the brightest test pot of paint I had and voila...

A little harder to lose...

please remind me why I had children?

2009-09-16T20:03:00.001+12:00

Well I decided the coffee table was looking a bit tired,stained and a bit "yellowey".

I carefully steamed out as many dents as I could or, as Gary said (rolling on the floor crying with laughter),
"oh look you are ironing out the poor coffee tables wrinkles"
yeah real funny hun...

He insisted there had to be proof so when he could stand he got out the camera.
(why does this before shot look like the after colour?)

Then lots of sanding to remove felt tip pen stains and nail polish and three coats of tinted varnish later we had this...

Not a lot darker but smooth and lovely compared to what it was.

Then this happened...

Twenty five minutes later...twenty five minutes people!! we have this...

Someone probes the surface with his cutlery to see what happens and (big surprise) what happens is a four inch scratch down to bare wood!

Tell me again why did I have kids?

now wheres that shady tree...

2009-09-16T13:21:00.000+12:00

I just got this chair finished and its just lovely.Also these baskets were some of the missing items from my last thrifting mission.They needed scrubbing and varnishing to bring out their colour again.Now they are good as new and will hold stuff in the new walk in pantry.

Ive nearly got all those things posted now ,just two more items and they will be finished soon...

ahh,now I just need a shady tree and a stiff gin:)

another finished job...

2009-09-15T17:32:00.000+12:00

Two of the things that didnt make it to my two dollar bag op shop mission photo just finished drying.

before...

The resin starfish will be a ring holder in my new ensuite and the leaf plate was chipped and works better as an ornament.

after...

now I can reach...

2009-09-15T15:01:00.000+12:00

Even at my height (6 foot)some cupboards are difficult to get to.I found a nasty little step stool for a couple of dollars.It was so nasty this is all I have for a before shot:

I recovered the top( which had been covered in vinyl but had worn to the backing) with some of the nice blue fabric I did the dining chairs in and gave the frame a coat of white spraypaint.

A couple of runs I didn't get to in time but a huge improvement...

thrifting.

2009-09-14T12:25:00.002+12:00

I really should take photos the minute I get back from the shops.
When I just tried to take the picture of Fridays pieces I got one in that Id already posted (the outings blur together)heaps is already in use or in the transformation process.
I found our local op shop was having a' $2 a grocery bag sale' so we went down and filled two bags.

This stuff (minus the glass bowl which got in by mistake)...

...plus 5 pieces of clothing for Nicholas and 2 items that are waiting for their after photos.

The lovely embroidered teacloth I grabbed for the fabric thinking it was a baby sheet and got a wonderful surprise when I unfolded it.The single sheet is for the fabric though.

The shells will turn up in a project at some point and the little shell dish I just got as it is similar to the teacup on my blog page so I thought that was cute.

Then another shop and 4 items (all waiting for photos or varnish) and in the final shop a headboard for our bed which I wont show until I paint it as lime-wash lacquer is not me...

well I think that's all folks but next time I'll take the photos on time.

p.s. just found some white felt and two cut glass stemmed dessert bowls that also should be in this post.

update on one of my finds....

2009-09-14T10:55:00.000+12:00

I got a little corner cabinet op shopping a while ago and that's been done now.
From this:

(on right of picture)

To this:

(don't you love the lino in my current rentals sleep-out)

I'm starting to wonder when I'll get sick of my projects but not so far...

who makes a bathroom medicine cabinet out of cardboard?

2009-09-14T10:48:00.000+12:00

Well the last owners of my new abode knew and as one would expect the main bathroom cabinet was dissolving.
I found a solid wood replacement cheap on trademe and with a bit of varnish and Zinsser white we have something to replace it when we get there...

bigger,solider,stronger,we have the technology...:)

fit only for the dump...

2009-09-14T10:43:00.000+12:00

Well the dresser my landlord left in the rubbish pile certainly looked that way!
I decided it was nice and slim and the legs were cute so I'd have a go at making it into a hall table.

I found various scavenged handle sets and began filling in all the missing wood with builders bog and putty.

The finish still wasn't level enough so I had the great idea of covering them with wallpaper.I have one thing to say I will never do that again.I spent two days cutting out the air bubbles and its still not perfect... I also added some embellishments I took off an old mirror.

Then out came the Zinsser white paint and the mini roller.The handles got sprayed and finally it's almost right.

Just please don't look at the finish on the drawers too closely...

lots coming...

2009-09-11T18:58:00.000+12:00

Ive been quiet for a good reason. I have been living in my garage.
I move in 7 1/2 weeks and so I made a self imposed time limit of 2 1/2 weeks to get as many furniture projects done as I can.
After that the time before we go is for cleaning and packing.
After we move then the house itself (painting and gardening) will take (nearly)all my time.
I'll get my camera out soon and show all the afters.....

another great thrifty morning...

2009-09-08T12:53:00.001+12:00

Had a good one today...still uncleaned but here goes:

Some are repairs or repurposing.The lid of my change jar fits the missing cork hole in my coffee grinder and the lid at the back replaces the missing one on my stockpot.

The door chime will get a new/painted face panel as my new house is huge and has no knocker and the corner shelf will get a paint job to go in the main loo for necessities.

The other things just need a clean or silver polish.

The other thing Ive finished is making a ~~cheapo~~ thrifty bowl for my now repainted Salter brand British kitchen scales.Paper mache,music paper and spray poly but it does the job:)

The best bit?all up they were under $20 dollars...well under.

you love me:)

2009-09-07T13:06:00.000+12:00

Yay!! 1000 visitors to my page,not bad for 8 days.
Thanks so much for your comments,they are so sweet and nice and I really do appreciate them...

didn't come out so bad...

2009-09-07T12:29:00.000+12:00

Well I finally got around to getting the place mats,coasters and the little wall cupboard finished that was my thrifty treasures the other week.
I took these and with a bit of paint, some homemade scrap booking paper and some of my precious time they became these:

The little tag is some of the homemade paper Ive made into a waterproof tag for my bluing jar I'm making.

They all got a coat of gloss spray poly. It's not because I like shiny but the cubby is going in a steamy en suite ,I know my kids and their ~~horrendous misuse~~ accidents with tomato sauce and I'm out of anything but hi-gloss.

Between these jobs,doing the lawns and the housework which I'd neglected while doing this I feel about 103.

I'll post this on metamorphasis mondays ,come join the fun...

New couch coming...

2009-09-04T15:49:00.000+12:00

While we love our little deco couch we all have a good laugh watching Gary trying to lie all of him on it to read after work.
A new couch was called for but we dont like too much modern stuff let alone the price.Then we saw this on trademe.

It needs recovering but love that shape,love the price and it is huge so no more precariously balanced hubby.

grrr.....

2009-09-03T14:05:00.000+12:00

Just had to go out in freezing wind to pick up the contents of my rubbish bags because next door cant keep their gate shut.
With three dogs ,one a pitbull-X-houdini you would think this was a given.It tore the bag to shreds looking for meat wrappers.
mutter,mutter,grumble!... but Im being polite as they have what I suspect is a rubbish pile down their driveway with a potential future project in it.

why I love my hubby...

2009-09-03T10:28:00.000+12:00

While working at a mall renovation he was told to dump everything in the side rooms.This got dumped in the car instead...

I see it with a coat of dark stain varnish and a white throw under the magnolia on a hot summer day...bliss.

planning the look.

2009-09-03T09:56:00.000+12:00

Ive had the fun of waiting months for the tenant in our new home to finish up her fixed lease but this has given me time to plan.
I have finally picked a colour plan for the house so this one is cohesive instead of thrown together,I cant wait...

62 days to go.

a little sorting never hurt.

2009-09-02T20:38:00.001+12:00

Before we moved I was used to having a council recycling system with bins, only to find out the local council said "stuff it in a plastic bag".
Uggh where do you put the rinsed out cans and bottles all week?The cardboard box option was not working for me.
I went looking in the rubbish pile the landlord had left and found a nearly dead cane planter with the greying varnish peeling off.
A bit of a scrub and sand , some cheap black paint and $2 square buckets and voila...

a custom made recycling unit.

It is done...

2009-09-02T13:12:00.000+12:00

The grinder that is.
I wanted a wall mounted retro coffee grinder but they were $25-50 dollars and I dont pay that much for anything....
I found this one on trademe for$1,much more my price:)

It was in a sorry state so after I cleaned and sanded it got a coat of paint ,new screws and ta daaa....

Much better.Otherwise a quiet day ...if you dont count a half hour round trip to the shops on foot,delabelling 2 dozen jars,making bread and the housework:)

todays trawl....

2009-09-01T13:18:00.000+12:00

Not a bad day,excuse the pics as I haven't washed anything yet so very much still before shots.

The little luxor jug and some of the glass and metal just needs a good wash,but some of it will get the treatment.
The spirit pourer will be an oil dispenser in the kitchen.

The coasters and place mats will get decoupaged with a texture and paint effect,the little cabinet will get paint and maybe paper inserts and after a wash and some silver polish you wont recognize the cutlery and vase.

The luxor jug is 1930's English pottery but unfortunately has chips which I didn't see in the gloomy shop but still,it's pretty.By the way no, the little cupboard isn't broken,it just has the drawer pulled out to show its not a faux effect.

Well that was fun, now I have all week to clean and polish and find homes for my new toys:)

Heres hoping...

2009-09-01T08:58:00.000+12:00

Well its off to town so cross fingers some nice treasures today!Just wish it wasn't thundering down outside.
Hopefully I'll also get the after pictures of the retro coffee grinder makeover done as well.Its looking good just needs some screws and a photo.
Going quietly nuts waiting for our tenant to give notice so I can get out of our rental and into a massive redecorating project instead.I'd rather be busy than bored:)
I'm trying to get all my furniture do-ups done before packing time so I can concentrate on doing up the house and restoring/creating the gardens.

what to do?...

2009-08-31T21:38:00.000+12:00

Picked up this lamp for under a tenner and it was covered in layers of ick.I took to it with every solvent in the house but finally had to go to elbow grease.
An hour scrubbing with 0000 grade steel wool took it back to the solid brass but now I look at it I'm not sure it works.Its lovely and polished and looks cared for but now Im wondering if it needs oil rubbed bronze spray paint or something similar.Its only an '80s knockoff so I wouldn't be wrecking an antique.

Thoughts?

the table is reborn...

2009-08-31T12:39:00.000+12:00

I paid a grand total of $20 dollars for a table and 4 solid chairs on trademe but the old lacquer was damaged and it was totally ugly.
I tried scraping and sanding back the top and painted it black but just doing the top was a nightmare.I couldn't face the rest.
...enter white stick-to-anything zinzzer paint, a couple of days on the lawn and its a different set of furniture.
I knew I liked it once and now I can remember why.

before.

after.

Some more of this weeks treasures..

2009-08-31T12:24:00.000+12:00

This was one day trawling my local secondhand shops $2 shelf...
They were all filthy and I used 6 rags getting all the black tarnish of the big tray but it was worth it.The little cruet set is junk metal but it will do until I find a better one.
Ive put this one on thrifty mondays at Southern hospitality.

some of my pretties

2009-08-31T12:02:00.000+12:00

Well I thought I should start listing some of my projects.

A simple one first...A little basket for $2 on trademe.Very tarnished and it turns out the plate had worn off in the middle.
Now with silver polish and an old plate a great little key tray.

Ta daa!

well here goes…

2009-08-30T18:29:00.001+12:00

I thought I spend so much time following other blogs in secret that I should finally get one of my own…

A chance to join Mr. Linkys and show everyone my treasures.

A chance to keep the family up with our dramas and a chance to meet some great people.

Bear with me as it will take a while to get it all set up.

Thanks

The management.