For Adrianne with Love

We all have family friends who have been part of our lives for as long as we can recall. 

Often those people are dear to us but not always so near due to geography. 

This is the case with our friend who gifted me this amazing chair. 

It came with a beautiful wooden desk that I have yet to tackle.

In 2004, I had  redecorated a dining room at a friends home. Using a rich burgundy fabric with a fleur de lys pattern. I made table accessories & a window pelmet which thankfully turned out well. Unfortunately my camera skills let me down,  so the photo's below do not them justice.

Nonetheless, I loved this fabric & had some spare from that project. 


Firstly, the chair base was stripped, webbed and recovered 

  Then the repair needed only a little wood glue at its dowel joints 

and a good sanding, stain and a polish. 

I didn't apply a varnish, instead I elected to use a rub on oil 

after the stain had dried which feeds the chair

 & bring out it's colour. 

I have been working on making over this piece for the last couple of weeks

& am thrilled with it's outcome. 

Fleur-de-lys from French to English translation is Flower of The Lily.

The symbol represents a stylized lily or lotus flower. 

Traditionally, it has been used to represent French royalty and it is said to signify perfection, light & life. 

I look forward to starting soon on the matching desk 
and thank our dear friend for trusting me to bring it back to beautiful. 


Thanks Adrianne
You are always in our thoughts 


Big hugs  
  V  x 

Buffet Beauty

Firstly I must apologize for my Blog Neglect but I have been busy, busy, busy with reincarnating relics  buried deep in my garage. I started this piece in July. In August I culled, holidayed in September and I am pleased to say after a little R & R,  October has been fairly productive.

This old pine veneer buffet had seen better days

I had no idea when I first got it home what I was going to do with it,

but as time went on it seemed to transform all by itself !

I started with a primer then chose an Almond spraypaint.

The Almond colour was perfect for the look I wanted, but felt a bit too Queen Anne for this piece so out with the basic flat black for the interior and top.

The weather turned nasty around that time and with cold & rain this piece seemed to take forever to dry.

Frustrated at the lack of progress I decided to ignore the buffet for month.

I went on a short trip to Melbourne & Sydney op-shopping & touring around with one of my good friends.... then came home and spent a couple of weeks of school holidays with my kids.

The weather is now back to beautiful in Western Australia & my boys went back at school.

Time to finish what I started.

Drawers were primed and painted .....

Handles replaced with some nice wrought iron ones.

      and finally....

after stumbling across Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures Hutch Transformation Blog,  

I was inspired to use matching baskets instead of replacing the doors.

 I also added a little labelling to each basket for identification 

        and now this Buffet is a Beauty !!

  

I am feeling really motivated now and back on track having finally finished this piece.

Amazing how a holiday and a little sunshine can make all the difference !

*****

Postcard from the Edge

Well its been a long week & truthfully one that saw me hanging on by my fingernails. My oldest son has had exams at school & he isn't renowned for high marks but has previously managed to usually at least pass. This is his first year in highschool & he is struggling, thou like most teenagers won't admit it nor does it seem to bother him as much as it does me. 

I remember being in his shoes and the transition from primary school to high school was incredibly daunting, not to mention that paying private school fees is financially pretty tough on me, so I guess I had hoped he'de be a high achiever being in a focused academic environment, but like most parents you come to realise that your children are only capable of what they are capable of . I'm proud of him for trying and he is a polite & talented boy in other areas and is healthy & happy. I do the best I can for my boys with what I have & I have to keep reminding myself that it's ok if they don't turn  to be Einstein's.

  I enjoyed a week off from my job this week & I sure achieved alot at home.    I've have been getting stuck into unfinished projects while the boys are at school . The magazine table that was all rusted I showed in an earlier post is all but finished. I have also given this little box from a flea market a new lease of life & now have a place for my postcards family & friends send from overseas.

Before

During

After



This is one of my favourite postcards from New York of the Brooklyn Bridge.
I am itching to get back there on holidays. One day ! 



Tomorrow its back to work for me & exams are done for my boy.

Another bite of the apple taken .. Phew  

&  another day done

Good night all

Ms   V   xx

Not so Oar-dinary !

A few weeks ago I bought a set of old oars from a local flea market for a couple of dollars. Actually they are probably correctly known as paddles being somewhat shorter than oars. I was fairly pleased when I realised they still had the original makers branding on them, but sadly on closer examination the branding was only on the surface varnish, which was well and truly peeling off and I didn't have the expertise to save it.

Luckily I came up with Plan B & I think it turned out really well thanks to a little decoupaging with my new favourite product Mod Podge.
This is the most brilliant product that allows you to glue, seal & finish your project all in one tub using almost anything, paper, wood, fabric ...
the possibilies are endless.
Mod Podge really does rock !


Before

After

So the Oars are done ....

 Now I just need an old wooden boat & it will be

Smooth Sailing

Ms V x

Mirror to Magnetic Whiteboard - Makeover

I found this on the curbside with the mirror intact but although the picture doesnt show it, it was terribly pitted & chipped.
At  the hardware store I grabbed a 600 x 600 sheet of white galvanised tin,
totally magnetic & doubles as a whiteboard  !!
After a torturous time with the tin snips I finally got it sitting perfectly in front of the
mirror which gave it a nice snug fit.

Before

After

I love this cause it stands on its own and can be moved around the house if need be.
Being in a rental I'm unable to attach it to the wall making it perfect as it is for my needs.

As Oprah said on her last ever show :(

"Till We Meet Again"

Ms  V

Finished Finds

   Tool  Box  to  Soap  Box   -  Makeover

After a stressful week I have managed to fit in a little R & R ... thats repair & repurpose, not to be confused with rest & recouperation ... something I never get much time for !

I have been busy getting my little vintage toolbox find finished (I showed a few blogs back) and decided to make it into something neat for my Laundry.

So here's a memory refresh of the original find

....   Before  ....

....Followed by a Stain, Varnish &  Little Light Sanding Later ....

 

  

Finally  She's  All  Done 

A  New  Home  in  the  Laundry !

 

Practical  &  Portable

 


 Laundry Sign was originally a brass plaque I found at the local op shop for $ 2.

I used white primer, a lime wash paint & a little antiquing medium.

Happy Tooling

     Ms V   x



For The Birds

Today I have decided to show you around my home, well its not mine, but I call it home.
Sadly 18 months ago I finally succumbed to selling my home due to separation. This has taken me a long time to come to terms with , being a house I designed, built, decorated passionately & brought up our children in for over 10 years, so it was with huge regret we had to sell. I always said renting was for the birds. Now I live in a rental property.                                         Famous Last Words ... 
Its a brick & tile,  large 4 x 2 with a separate office & play room for the boys & a huge paved yard only a street from their school.One of my best girlfriends lives over the road with her hubby & 3 children so its not all bad now I am getting used to the move. I think the most difficult for me personally is living with rules of renting... such as not being able to paint the walls, having vertical blinds which I hate & freaking out if a plant dies or if my kids put a hand print on the walls. Now any of my friends will tell you I am so fussy you could eat of my floor & my kids wouldnt dare draw on walls etc for fear of my rath , so personally I think I am a dream tenant. Shocked I was yesterday when my real estate agent commented on the house inspection by saying....   "It Went Well ! "......... Could I consider this praise ??? Well I guess ?? maybe ??  I might have preferred " The Owners will be thrilled you keep their property so nice " or  " Thank you for keeping the home so beautiful & paying your rent before its due date " .... I got " It Went Well " . Not even a comment on the hours spent in the garden.  I was rather deflated to say the least.
So what do you think ?? Am I being too hard on my agent expecting her to feather my nest a little ??? 
                                               Brutally Honest Comments Welcome



                                                          Dining  Room




Loving The Bird Cage




Bird Cage Wall Decals - so easy & so cheep !!!




Chair - an Op Shop Find ...
I think its groovy with the red cushion




Cute little table - as shown in my previous blog




 Moving around the room a little more




My CD Cupboard ... I Love Music 
The Beaded Lamp and The Crystal Cut Bowl were also op shop finds



Brilliant Books & My Beautiful Boy !

Tea Anyone ?

                                                        *************************



On Sunday at the local market I picked up a neat little stand for my hanging bird. 

I didnt want him in the cage where I couldnt admire him.  

50 c  flea market purchase

Respray done

For The Birds  !!

Just Hanging Around !



Sweet Tweet



Feel free to leave me comments  &  please rejoin my blog.

For some bizarre reason my followers all dropped off the face of the earth !

Such an enjoyable pastime blogging, yet so frustrating some days.

Big hugs 

Ms V  xx

Bargain Buffet

As if I dont have enough projects happening at the moment I have to go and buy another relic to repair and renew but who could resist this for 10 bucks !

I had stashed away 6 vintage knobs a while ago, that will be perfect for this buffet & so it's given me even more motivation to get started. Roll on Tuesday I say, which is now penned in my diary to get into the garage & get dirty.  

Can you believe this was $ 10 ?  I'm still gobsmacked !
Great potential ! 


Before

 Stay tuned !

Best Wishes too for a Happy Mother's Day today ... 

May all your hugs be tight ones

Ms V x

What a Weekend !

Well what a great weekend for collecting cast offs.

I scoured a few roadside chuckouts and scored a few freebies.

These frames are amazing ... not fond of the fruit but the pictures will go

and the frames will be fabulous when I have finished with them ....

    

      I just love this bok choy vintage plate ..... 

     It astounds me what people consider as junk. 

     

     Not a crack or a chip. Perfect little piece.

     ... and it was Free !!

                     

                        My Bargain of the Weekend .....

I discovered this item at our local Sunday Markets & only just by the skin of my teeth because I had just paid all of $ 4 for this beauty and another lady almost ripped it out of my hand ... You gotta be quick at the markets !! 

I have the perfect place for this in my room and I have seen the perfect oil painting to go on it .... just hope the oil is still at the shop where I saw it. It was only after buying this easel that I am now convinced to buy the oil painting to go on it .... so stay tuned and fingers crossed .

My Next Project

I cant wait to restore these little cute pieces.

The table was $ 1 & the chair ( labelled Ikea ) was $ 2  at the local flea market.                  

The chair doesnt need much work just a good clean with some sugar soap.

My intention for the table will be as a little side coffee table.

I'm undecided as to whether to give it a white wash & let a little green shine through subtly or maybe do a  decoupage top with some sheet music and a vanish ......

any other suggestions ???

Other Sunday Bargains

These are some of my other purchases and freebies from last weekend. 



$ 1 Scrapbooking Lot



Free Fire Shovel

Free Silver Candle Holder

$ 2 Madison & French Glass Vase

20 c Photo Frame

Free Blue & White Ceramic Bowl

So I have to say that was a very successful weekend !!