Time Worn Style

Cabinetry love - finding the perfect piece...

I'm always on the look out for treasures

A friend of mine let me know that a local shop was clearing out some of their display furniture

And of course upon hearing it was an old style cabinet..

I would be the least resistant of all..

 

I don't like open bookcases

Not one bit

the books get dusty and they look messy

I love books

I don't like open bookcases...

We had an open bookcase in this long corridor in front of our main bedroom..

It was a lot dustier than I thought when we moved the books

 achoo

I've actually been looking for one with this sort of feel..

beautiful closed off cabinetry

probably not as ornate as this but you get what I mean..

with doors underneath.. 

Finding this smaller cupboard which does have the look 

will have to do for now..

 

The wardrobe next to it has shelves in it too so more storage there..

Might paint the wardrobe white also to give some continuity..

 

I'm still on the look out for one loooong cabinet to go here

 

But at least I no longer have an open bookcase!

Simple floral displays...

I love the simplicity of vases

Sometimes its the less obvious that are the most eye catching..

This one is a wonderful reminder of a recent visit to Bangkok

with my sister in law Kate ...

It reminds me of the day we went for a ride on these wonderful animals

through a Thai village..

during a thunderstorm

So each time I look at it I smile..

 

Because it also reminds me of our time spent sleeping on water

The River Kwai.. 

 

the delicious Thai food..

 

 and the beautiful Thai people..

 

so there is a lot to be said for simple floral displays..

 

oh and don't forget I do have some wonderful items available for purchase over at my ebay store

 

Making garden steps - Red Brick and Wood

 

This is a renovation to Greystanes that I've been meaning to share for a while..

Our new outdoor steps

 

 

Greystanes is situated on what is considered a "flat" block for the hills

Which means there is some slope to it

Some areas more so than others..

This particular area had a very bad set of stairs

that were quite dangerous - slippery and uneven

and some risers higher than others

(bad when carrying stuff - particularly furniture)

 

So here's the trick that our clever chippy came up with

You know those premade steps you can buy at Bunnings etc??

Put it in place but UPSIDE DOWN

so the risers are facing the wrong way...

 Then fill the spaces in with rubble etc

 

 

Fix the banisters to the sides

 

 

 

and fill in with stone..

or in our case matching vintage red clinker bricks

because our other paths are clinker bricks too...

 

 

  

 

Sprinkle sand in between the bricks..

 

 Simple idea...

lots of work putting in the bricks..

but we are really happy with the end result..

 

 

 

 now what colour to paint...

Keeping motivated...

I've been in this treasure hunting business for more years than I can count..

I love working for myself

but the thing with working for yourself that is tricky is

1. doing taxes

2. staying motivated

The thing with 1. is that you can pay someone else to do it.

 

You can't pay someone to keep you motivated

actually yes you can

but I think its a bit silly

when you know what you should be doing

 

I wasn't feeling motivated this morning

Did my morning walk

checked my post office box

And there was my little bundle of motivation right there

Hooley dooley I do love this Aussie magazine..

Ok ok I am a bit biased because our home was featured in the February issue this year..

But crikey it sure does get my creative juices flowing..

The gardens

the homes

Just my cup of tea.

SO 

motivation therapy

Grab that pile of favourite magazines

and get moving

Me I'm making a list of what I'm going to do..

First things first, 

keeping the shop stock moving

come and buy it so I can put some more in

pretty please

Here's a taste

Stunningly gorgeous fire screen..

Come and get it :)

You can find more goodies here 

Continuing on the Vintage trail...

Well I'm back on the trail again..

My shop is back open..

and I'm back in the saddle..

I've been carrying a bit too much luggage though

and this house and I 

well

we're feeling a bit heavy and tired..

 

So I'm off loading a large number of items 

from my own personal collections

like this lovely antique roses print in a frame below..

 

my beautiful pink Lloyd Loom blanket box that has sat at the end of our bed for a very long time..

 

(photo Mikkel Vang for Country Style magazine)

My favourite Johnson Bros (England) jug that has sat in the kitchen ..

The little numbered bowls that have sat in the front room..

Beautiful vintage clothing - emptying the drawers..

The last of my vintage chenille collection...

I dont use them anymore..

 

 

Canister sets that were just "for display"

Now I'm just using the one set...

with stuff actually in it..

 

That extra table I'm going to need for something..

Let's face it

I wont..

 

 

Barbola mirror and sweet little postcard in frame..

time to go to a new home..

Things are looking a little cluttered..

 

 

I'm feeling lighter already..

You can find all these items available for purchase in my 

EBAY AUSTRALIA store

Looking for Zing..

I'm taking a little break after a very long time and a rather rough start to the year

My ebay store and showroom in Olinda are closed from the 1st April 2012 to the 23rd April 2012.

I will not be able to process any sales or post/ship items out during that time. 

Will be back with more treasures just for you after this date!

Time Worn Style - the little showroom...

My little shop here at home is constantly changing..

I'm always bringing in new treasures

and watching happy buyers carry their carefully selected wonders out the doors..

We had quite a few customers this weekend

so thought I would share a few pictures of our little showroom here in the hills...

 

(click on the photos if you would like to see them full size)

 

Some of these items have since found a new home..

some are still available

do email me at timewornstyle@ihug.com.au

if you see anything you like..

I can post it out to you if you cant make it up here

(and its not over Australia Post size limits!)

Decorating with memories..

Although I'm not getting around as much as I normally would

due to my non driving predicament I am in currently..

I'm still doing what treasure hunting I can

and because I'm home a lot more

I'm enjoying the moment...

in the little things

by adding some vintage French books to a grouping..

 

 

Playing with my three boxes of vintage scrabble pieces..

 

 

 

Enjoying the aesthetic beauty of old bound ink...

 

 

A tin panel from the interior of Melbournes iconic 

Red Rattler train..

memories of catching the train to school..

hanging off the luggage racks with pretty tin above

short plaid skirts and tucked up school jumpers..

cursing that we had been stuck with the smelly red train again

hot red tin in summer

sticky windows and doors.. 

the sniff of braking metal wheels against track

 

Surrounded by Art Nouveau pressed tin panels

polished wood

and detail to beauty

Brass and Leather

 

Craving instead in teenage ignorance for the sleek new serpent with wizz bang automatic doors..

 

How I wish I could ride in that Red Rattler one more time...

 

 

 

Thats the beauty of old things

they evoke memories

your own and those of others

Remember when..

My grandmother had one of those..

I used to play with one just like that when I was little..

A small smile plays at the lips as these memories surface

precious

so precious

Well its been quite a few weeks now since this happened 

I was in hospital for a week..

and had two operations..

the first to remove peices of the road from inside my arm

and the next to bring it all back together

I'll be honest with you

It hasn't been easy

not at all.

 

My eye is still swollen after 7 weeks due to scaring

Arm in bandages for a week..

an upgrade to a splint..

 

and working with a compression stocking and silicon 

because my arms a bit of a weird shape now 

and has a fair bit of scaring..

I still cant bend it very much

so have a long road of rehab ahead of me..

Have to stay focused and keep stretching

or I'm going to be stuck like this..

 

My body needs to make new skin

and it will only do it 

if it is reminded by stretching

constantly..

 

This has been a very big learning curve on so many levels

and in many aspects of my life...

But I've had some great support

A huge thankyou to Victoria and Heather for getting my youngest to school each morning - so so appreciated, you have no idea, I am truly humbled by this help.

I'm not used to asking for help but how freely it is given

The frippery of life...

and why you really shouldn't feel guilty about it..

because sometimes I do feel guilty if I dont feel like I'm doing anything 

"productive"

For example after a rather life changing experience of say a car accident..

well you sorta feel like you should make every moment count..

So ok 

I didnt go and write that novel..

and I didn't find a cure for the common cold..

but I did spend the day 

fluffing around

Smelling the roses that my lovely friend Gail brought over..

adding that antique glass drawer knob I found at an op shop to the vignette as a little highlight

rearranging cushions down the farmhouse bench..

(avoiding the drip zone of aged skylight above)

 

Adding an Italian brocade throw I've had folded away in a cupboard to the chaise lounge in the bay window..

Swapping the chairs around ...

and just generally enjoying "the moment"

because thats what life is really..

a string of "moments"

and I'm enjoying wearing those moments

relishing each and every one

as much as I can...

Oh my goodness

hand to my heart

THANKYOU so much everyone for your beautiful comments and emails regarding my last blog post..

I was just so overwhelmed by the caring and beauty of the response that I have struggled to reply to so many 

So can I say here, I am touched really really so

Thankyou <3

Jumping the void and looking back in...

I wasn't actually going to put this in blog form

This strange floating static part of my time

But many are asking how I am 

what happened..

So I thought I would

I may remove it

Like I sometimes do the memories

I dont know...

maybe it will be cathartic

 here it is

 

On January 18th 2012 at around 10.30am my friend and I were involved in a car accident

on the Calder Freeway

I was a front seat passenger

It was quite horrific

Obviously I survived

 

as did my friend ~ I wont speak for this dear friend of mine

That is her own story

 

but I will tell you mine

in part..

 

 

The 4WD lost control at high speed (within the speed limit)

and it flipped

and it rolled

quite a few times

I think I may have lost conciousness but I'm not sure

It's true how it happens in the movies

for me anyway

 

A long drawn out moment of silence

where all you can hear

is nothing

slow motion...

and a voice in your head

telling you

this is going to happen

right now

it's going over....

I place my hand hard against the roof above my head in anticipation of this fact

the thing that IS going to happen

 

So LOUD

metal and glass 

against the hard road

I used to pay for a ride like this at carnivals...

How ridiculous such a big heavy car could roll across the road like a feather

the momentum taking it on some macabre dance

those inside forced to partake within

 

Thankyou thankyou thankyou for that piece of webbing across my chest

without you I would have died

 

The Seatbelt..

 

I do remember finding alertness and sprinkled in glass

sharp snow

Windscreen glass doesnt always shatter, it slivers too

that I know now

shards sticking in fingers

and my favourite sunglasses swinging mockingly from one ear

 

Wetness down my face

appeared to be some grazing to my forearm

much much worse underneath I later find out

lucky I couldn't see it from the top

My arm went out the window making contact with the road metal as the vehicle rolled

I'm glad I still have that arm, I'm quite fond of it..

 

You feel no pain at the time

its funny

how the body copes 

 

I could open my door so I got out to find something I could use to stop the bleeding for my friend

Two plain clothes policeman told me to sit back down

So I did - I couldn't see what I looked like

but I supposed they knew best

 

Someone dialled triple 0

there were other cars behind

One even held a doctor who stayed till the ambulances arrived

Random strangers pressing jumper compresses to injuries

Blood...

 

I saw an ambulance coming down the ramp to the freeway

towards us

crikey they were quick

almost like they were waiting up there for something to happen

Predators waiting to do good

to save..

 

The roof was squashed further down on my friends side

Doors wouldnt open

Later I was told they had actually called out a helicopter to airlift us to hospital as the accident appeared so bad

I overheard them in my ambulance telling them to turn the helicopter back

I was happy to take the ambulance ride

answering continually

what day it was

did I know where I was

how many fingers was he holding up

what is my birth date..

A black eye an "egg" to my forehead a long ragged cut down the side of my brow

Apparently head trauma demands answers to these questions..

I wanted to hug this ambulance man with the blue eyes

he made me feel safe...

 

Neck brace to keep the spine straight muffles noises..

"you'll feel a bump as we take you out"

the wheels of the trolley do as they drop from the ambulance

and I am swooshed through the doors of

The Royal Melbourne Hospital

to view their ugly ceiling fixtures as I move down a corridor

 

Kindly parked in front of a row of random emergency department visitors

whilst admittance papers are quickly organised

I am on display to the public on a tin tray and a neck brace

 

My injuries are a bit too much for some of them

From the corner of my eye I see several rise and leave

Blurry outlines through the blood

I feel like apologising for upsetting them..

 

Moved into a room to stabilise in the emergency ward

My body has had enough of being brave

I shake uncontrolably

teeth chattering

I've gone into shock

 

My nice brand new top I bought for the trip

cut gently across the shoulders and down the side

my cut off jeans plastered in blood

nurses sweet and caring

teeth chattering

I feel horribly nauseous

I'm not allowed to move

 

Ahead of me were two surgeries..

I just didn't know it yet

 

 

This has been hard telling this story

its been one of those events that puts a line through your life travel;

splits it so you look in other directions

 

It's made me look at what I do and the people and things around me in a different way

Some good some not as good

this is a long road

maybe blogging about it will help

You can't make a blank white screen uncomfortable can you?

 

 

 And recovery begins.. 

next step getting the use back of my arm :)