Time Worn Style

My First TypePad blog giveaway!! ~ French Ormolu

I have actually been blogging for quite a while..

But....

At the start of this year I changed to a new blogging platform ~ TypePad ~ away from Blogger (you may notice this in my older posts where the photos are squiney tiny and the whole feel is a lot different and rather yawn worthy unlike the super exciting latest posts ~ wink)

I wanted a fresh start, a new feel and a new emphasis and TypePad was the way to do it!

So to celebrate my new home (now that I have found my feet),  I thought a little GIVEAWAY was in order, take a look below....

I have had this sweet little Ormolu Mirror Tray for a while,

the mirror has the perfect amount of foxing

AND

it has been sitting in my ebay store for a while with ~ wait for it ~ 25 watchers, lots of postage/shipping questions but no takers.

SO

I thought ~ why not?

Lets give it to a lucky blogger for free, I'm sure it will make someone happy ...

Its velvet underneath and perfectly perfect for that oooh la la look..

 

Its old, French and time worn just the way I love it and I'm sure some of you do too..

All you have to do is..

1. Leave a comment for one entry (too easy!)

2. Become a follower for two entries (how hard can that be?)

3. Tell your friends on your blog for two entries (love it!)

Make sure you let me know by leaving a comment!

 

Entries close 6th June

Good luck :0)

Oh and I am happy to post (or ship!) in Australia AND Overseas!

Wanted ~ The Cloche...

I read on a blog the other day (have just realised it was the lovely Kym over at Kyandra Rose, sorry Kym!) about cloches being quite hard to find here in Australia.

Looking at all the wonderful blogs, there seem to be a plethora of them in the USA and Europe (you lucky ducks)

But here ~ not so much

Unless you want to pay big $$$$

So whats a girl to do?

Well make do of course!

ok the one at the back is actually an Antique Wedding dome and there isnt many of those around I'll give you that

BUT

the one in the front is a dome off one of those cheapy anniversary clocks. You know, the made in China type ones, you see them at the opp (thrift) shops reasonably often.

Buy the clock, throw away the clock, keep the dome (cloche)

Cost of old clock dome above ~ $2

This etched glass cloche above has the most gorgeous scrolled design on it.

When I found it at the opp shop it was hanging upside down in an ugly metal holder

Yes thats right, its actually an outdoor candle holder.

Throw away the metal handle and place it the wrong way up on an old mirror

Cost of cloche (outdoor candle holder) ~ $5

These tall and thin cloches I actually was lucky to find in a box lot at auction.

I'm not sure what they originally were used for as they do not have bases..

But they do make great cloches!

Tall thin cloches (thingamajiggies) ~ $10 for box lot

So you see, they dont have to cost much, you just gotta use some imagination...

And do plenty of treasure hunting and thats never a chore is it??

oh...

and dont forget those glass cheese domes, they work a treat, just throw away the wooden board underneath!

Do check out my ebay store this week too, have just listed a few treasures..

My favourite this week..

Silver Erpegne Candlestick holders, very oooh la la..

Autumn gardening in a very old garden

Another beautiful sunny Autumn day here on our mountain..

Not long to go until winter but the autumn leaves up here are truly beautiful..

The Canadian Maple has really coloured up..

 

The fairy toadstools are making their magic circles under the silver birch trees..

but our garden has been a bit neglected lately, too busy working on the house..

You needed a machette to get through this garden path..

I cut my way through with only a few scratches from the blackberries..

Now we can see all the way through to the lower garden...

 And the old orchard is in dire need of a prune..

We rediscovered the old cubby house under a heavy veil of ivy..

aaah we do love the sound of a chainsaw on a sunny Autumn day...

  Needs a few little repairs and the huntsman spiders to move back out

Then the youngest girl will move her things back in...

Our Bantam rooster loves it when we garden too..

Lots more bugs to eat..

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

I'm having a little SALE...

In my ebay store..

Time to clear out a few bits and bobs..

Such as these gorgeous scrolly stacking tables, I'm tripping over them currently in the bedroom...

Or this beautiful old print in Antique Frame...

Or this divine little Florentine Tray...

Ormolu anyone?...

And even more to see in store..

Sales on at my ebay store for one week..

See you there!

(ps. to my lovely overseas friends, keep in mind that postage/shipping is from Australia and Mr Postman charges a bit for those parcel flights across the seas from the lucky country so do ask if you would like to know costs)

Mirror mirror on the stairwell wall...

Our family room is a funny one, thats what you get in these original old hills cottages...

Strange rooms that started with a couple of rooms and then kept going back and back further into the property...

In this case "Greystanes" went down too..

There was space under the house and so a room was built..

And the staircase comes up into the family room...

It's dark, it's tall and it turns...

It needed something to bring the light in and down...

But one wasnt enough

Not even two or three...

 

Perhaps a few more...

Like a wall full of mirrors...

I had a few lying around...

Imagine a ladder balanced on the steps..

Hammering in that last picture hook...

Scary stuff eh?

I cant even remember how he did it, that husband of mine, without breaking his neck..

But he did..

Till they were all in place...

Its not so dark down that stairwell anymore... 

All mirrors shown purchased at:

Garage Sales

Trash and Treasure Markets

Opportunity Shops

Church Fete

Antique Auctions

Can you guess my favourites?

The old French one smack bang in the middle ..

and the etched glass Barbola mirror..

(but you knew that already didnt you?)

Do you have a mirror wall too?

Middle of the Road...

I wonder if it looks like I spend a lot of money decorating this house....

I've been thinking...

my decorating style is not middle of the road, not fashionable...

After all, I stick old wrought iron doors on my outside walls...

So I guess I'll never get featured on the regular sites and magazines..

And I have a tendancy to use old prams to plant flowers and herbs in...

So I guess I wont make it into any gardening magazines...

My daughter intends to hang her old Dragster Screamin' Demon on her wall (yes thats right ~ her WALL)...

So I guess I wont be getting featured in any parenting magazines on how to decorate teenagers bedrooms....

I hang old wrought iron house signs on INTERIOR walls so I guess I wont be making it into "home beautiful" magazine any time soon...

The majority of furniture I found on the side of the road or at garage sales so I guess I wont be able to contribute to a 'get the look' page...

But as I was painting some more old bits and bobs out in the Autumn sun today I was thinking...

I love all this old stuff...

I love throwing it together...

And I love having my "own" look, a bit of this and that...

My husband says I'll be famous after I'm dead ~ like Van Gough he says (he's my biggest fan)...

I can live with that ;0)

A mud room...

The front entry to our house is rather large...

The original door is regular size but its surrounded by glass panels in that old Victorian style...

It leads into a tessellated tiled area...

They are a bit cracked and chipped just the way I like them, showing their age...

The stone wall is the back of the big old fireplace...

This is an area thats always wet and muddy this time of year with autumn leaves blowing in from the huge Liquid Amber (Sweet Gum) just outside...

so although it is the FRONT door, it is also a Mud Room...

So where to put the brollies and shoes?

Had a bit of a play around today and finally sorted it out (for now)

Brollies go here...

In this little AMERICAN cutie ( I am feeling the love with lots of American antiques at the moment, they are just so RIGHT for this house)

This lace work ex-stove is a long way from home but well loved especially by our brollies...

so where for the shoes?..

Brought this old Carpenters tool cabinet up to photograph for my ebay store from outside and found it fitted perfectly under the wrought iron planter (we drain the water off the wet brollies on this)...

Front pops open, shoes go inside....

Think it will stay here with us a bit longer...

Plus isnt the colour just perfect?..

And because I do love Architectural salvage..

well these old cedar wardrobe doors fitted nicely on each side...

I'm thinking of perhaps putting some old hooks on them to hang the raincoats on..

 
I think it makes on ok mud room for now and I didnt have to buy anything new, this was just stuff I had around inside and outside the house. 

Doesnt hurt to mix it up sometimes...

Actually the cedar doors I found in the stables, just needed a quick brush off of dirt and here they are!

See look there's mud on the floor already!

Have joined..

Kitchen scales & Mums day...........

I've been looking for ages...

The very right kitchen piece to put into special service...

It had to be quite old ..

with its original pan..

and big enough to hold some fruit..

Well I finally found it!

in all its 1930's green enamel loveliness...

the very sweet little blue USA one I already had

don't they make the cutest scales over there in America?....

Look at its sweet little face..

But too small for all the fruit...

(but great for sitting our mobile phones on whilst they are charging!)

But these old enamel ones are from Birmingham England

and they tick all the boxes...

My mums day present..

along with strawberry pastries made by our middle cherub..

a favourite CD (Vanessa Amorosi) from my eldest cherub..

and Frangipani room scent from my youngest cherub, plus earrings she made herself...

and a big bunch of Liliums from my husband...

Breakfast out at one of our favourite Cafes in the village...

BLISS..

Happy Mums Day

everyone...

Table makeover completed...

Remember in the last blog post I showed you this?

Well we finally finished it ready for its new home in the family room...

This table which has been sitting out back with paint cans all over it for the last 12 months two years is now being used as a craft / study / drawing / hobby table inside for everyday use by the three cherubs (but mostly the littlest one)...

 

And you know whats really special about this table?

If you need more space you can make it bigger....

Otherwise it sits nice and sweet under the window...

And how about those gorgeous legs?...

Yes there sure is some table love goin' on at the moment, you know when you cant stop staring at your favourite piece of furniture (come on admit it!)...

of course the kids wonder what their whacky mum is staring at this time (visualise eye rolls and head shaking)....

But it sure is nice when it all comes together isnt it?...

~ How to ~

Heavy duty belt sand to top of table by ever patient and wonderful husband to remove glue, gunk and most of the holes and dents (quite a few remain as they were deep!)

Two coats of Sealer / Primer ~ I love to use Zissar as goes on and covers like a glove that wont come off.

Three coats of Acrylic Semi Gloss Enamel to Table top ~ Antique White USA by DULUX

Two coats of Acrylic Semi Gloss Enamel to base ~ Shell Grey by PORTERS PAINTS

(my new favourite colour)

Normally I would seal the table top with a non yellowing acrylic varnish but honestly this top is already so damaged there wasnt much point as I expect the kids will add to it time worn style over the years..

TIP: You dont have to go to Porters Paints to get their colours, you can use one of the other brands ie. Dulux, British Paints, etc and they can mix the same colour for you. Bunnings has all the PORTER PAINTS 'recipies' just tell them what colour you want from the Porters range and they will mix it for you.

Mind you the real PORTERS PAINTS are damn fine and worth every cent!

 

Oh and did you notice the door?

It used to look like this....

I do love a little architectural salvage in the mix...

but not that water bottle on the small table ~ which naughty girl didnt put that away?

Ok back to staring at my table aaaahhh...

>

Linking up with...

Its coming along nicely...

I'm so pleased with how my old table is coming along I had to share a preview pic.

Can you believe that someone used this old beauty to drill, paint, hammer and glue upon?

As a result the top of this table is quite damaged so I'm going for a bit of a weathered look as a result

Should be finished real soon so do check back for the afters!

Have also had a bit of a change around in the kitchen, nearly all of my pink kitchen items have gone.

I will be selling these beautiful pink canisters in my ebay store this week..

and the matching biscuit barrel...

I never thought I would sell this set as the pink colourway is SO hard to come by...

But it was this or get rid of the French Enamel set so the latter won the day! (see first canister photo)

They are so sweet but I have always loved enamelware...

Thanks for dropping by!

oh and if you do drop by, please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you..