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.
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!)
I do read about this all the time
about bloggers who feel bad about not answering comments left
or visiting other bloggies when they should
So I think we should just all agree
to make no apologies and accept that we all love receiving those glorious comments
the little packets of care at the end of our blog posts
that make you smile
and realise you are not typing stories about your everyday life into the void
that they are actually being jumped at
and held
then let go again
for the next person to gently read...
and that us who write these everyday threads of life and home
SO appreciate it
that it brings such a smile to our home
that we dont need to apologise
or feel bad for not visiting..
because its a given
that we feel the love <3
So thankyou so much Cas over at Peaches and Maple
for this gorgeous award
It was a lovely surprise..
Liebster comes from the word Liebe in German which means Love, Friend or Dearest.
I'm passing it on to all those glorious blogs with less than 200 followers
cause you all deserve it
for sharing a touch of your beautiful life with everyone
How could I possibly pick only five??
Have sold lots of furniture out of my showroom these last few weeks..
so have been doing a bit of rearranging
We still havent finished the outside..
an old rug still sits at the entrance
but at least we have an undercover area now
so rearranging is a little easier..
although not any tidier..
however at least weather proof..
Before below..
brought in a lovely old Victorian kitchen table
I had been keeping in storage outside..
as a permanent shop fitting..
love its pretty green legs
and who knows I will probably end up selling it eventually..
Still not finished as I found some more beautiful treasures this weekend too..
to find a place for in the showroom..
but that is half the fun really isnt it?
I have a couple of friends who have Antique / Vintage shops and I always remember them mentioning how tricky it is to display treasures..
by that I mean in regards to shop fittings..
you see if you sell that lovely table, then all of a sudden you have a space and lots of little items with nothing to put them on..
so I have had to make the easy hard decision to hold onto a couple of things..
Like this.
My husband put it together for me, a couple of old french doors gathering dust on our verandah..
a corner screen to hide the fuse box and hang a few items off as well as a great backdrop..
plus it's in that gorgeous chippy blue that I love..
the doors are a bit too far gone to install in a house but just right as a shabby screen for a shop..
and of course these old green painters ladders are keepers too..
Perfect for displaying quilts and linens..
and in the chippy soft green that I also love..
But of course some things I just have to move on
I no longer have room this beautiful pink roses Antique oil painting
it was always one of my favourites too
but I have found another which is a better size for my wall..
so you see you can part with most things in the end..
except this gorgeous old pressed back chair even though it was in dire need of repair..
here's a handy bit of advice for you..
if your partner has his/her tools out for fixing/creating one thing
make sure you mention those other items that need fixing/creating too..
you see they are "on a roll" so make the most of it, that big pile of half finished items will go down quick smart!
This dear readers is probably the most valuable advice you are going to come across whilst crossing blogland..
So here's the after (but I do need to paint though as I am the official painter in this household) isnt it great how he matched the original seat perfectly?
So lots being moved/ finished / created around this house..
Had some lovely visitors to the shop already who have made quite a few purchases..
will be doing a market stall shortly to clear out some extra goodies too!
stay tuned
Alicia
Thanks for the lovely comments regarding the opening of my little shop space downstairs of this big old house..
I do appreciate each and every little bit of support and I am so very pleased that my dream is finally coming to fruition..
Cause if I am honest with myself..
I've worked pretty hard for this
and now I feel like I'm getting somewhere..
For example..
You may see my new little shop space looking like this..
but what you don't see is the work involved tracking down some of these old treasures..
because I spend a good part of my week
roving around Melbourne and country Victoria..
mostly on my own but usually with my husband on weekends
and sometimes this happens..
when I'm on my own..
cause I'm trying to get to an old house inside that group of trees on the hills behind,
I'm told there are treasures inside that no one wants..
see where the smoke is coming from?
and its been raining..
lucky a neighbours tractor pulled me out..
I did find some fabulous treasures there though cause I did get there in the end..
In someone elses 4WD!
old dresses from the 1950/60's
wicker flower baskets
fabulous old crates..
would have loved the old concrete laundry trough but didnt feel like another "mud moment" again that day..
So even after a day like this..
the funny thing is
I LOVE the hunt for treasures
its my favourite part of the job
So I pretty well have my dream job and now I get to play shop too..
I've only just started filling it up
I still need to price everything..
and I have a lot more upstairs to go through yet..
but I think I feel like a little bit of order is coming into my life
and I'm REALLY looking forward to that!
Alicia
People who know me well
know this one thing about me
I've always wanted a shop to sell my treasures from..
Rents here in the hills are horribly expensive for a shop front
Its a wonder retailers make ends meet up here even with the tourist trade..
and we do live in one of Victorias major tourist areas
so the thing is
Build it and they shall come..
As a result, the last few months..
So much painting
so much rearranging
so much storing of treasures
its been a long haul from building a studio in the garden
to a complete change of plans
and building a shop under the house..
or rather refitting a room that was no longer being used.
These had to be removed..
and these were moved on to a new home via my ebay store
Then all this
had to be moved upstairs..
We needed to change the aspect of the room to the side so customers can enter via the front of the property
and have a nice display area inside too..
So this old window had to go, lovely as it is, to be replaced with french doors..
I was going to sell it on as it is an original old sash window with cavity weights but once we took the plaster off underneath there was quite a bit of water damage..
Seems the previous owners installer didnt use flashing to keep the water out ..
So there was quite a few insects and rotten wood in the wall cavity and window frame..
Shame really as it was a lovely old window..
I kept the sash window weights to make a wind chime for the garden
the rest had to go in the skip :)
Next some new powerpoints on each wall for all the divine lamps and light fittings I will be selling ...
and a new fuse box with safety switches, time for an upgrade.. fortunatly the whole house had already been rewired by the previous owner so a big saving there
A new door to let more light in to the laundry area which is behind this room..
and those "Bunnings" lights had to go too..
There was a purplish carpet in here which was water damaged so that was pulled up to reveal a maroon concrete floor
with duck feet..
and a cat that followed the duck feet..
I filled in the bigger holes in the concrete..
I have kept the duck and cat feet, they have a story to tell..
and decided just to paint rather than tile as we will be moving furniture around a fair bit on this floor..
This maroooon colour (I think its called Indian Red??) had to go.
After the concrete patching had dried I used some
"white knight Paving paint" in Shell Moon which is a grey but does appear a bit more blue than I originally planned.
I think it will be ok though..
Lovely new Vestibule door bought second hand although never used installed with original Antique porcelian door knobs I had stashed away in my hardware collection..
and these three basket chandeliers that I have had sitting in my home for ooooh probably three years, finally a home all together in one place..
I love these chandelier type light fittings because you dont need an electrician to install them, they just screw onto a batten fitting ~ too easy!
Then the french door installation
Well lets just say that could be a WHOLE blog post in itself
actually the story of the LOCK on the french doors could be another story in itself...
It involves a company called STEGBAR and a domino effect of poor communication from day one..
You get my drift..
I'm still waiting for them to finish the outside..
hmmm
Anyhow, here it looks fabulous on the inside..
and will look even better once I paint it white (Taubmans "Snowy White") to match the other mouldings..
The mouldings I had made especially by a local company called the "Australian Moulding Co." as these mouldings can't be found anymore (too old) so they basically matched the old ones we already had.
Too easy!
As of today the shop space has had its second coat of wall colour and looks like this...
That lovely old factory trolley is going to become one of my display tables..
And just to remind of a "before"
to "after"
I think we really are starting to get somewhere..
Many thanks to C M W Renovations & Property Management ~ a great team to work with!
Alicia
and I'm still madly clearing out more treasures in my ebay store too!
I'm going to blog more
I need to 'cause I like it and I also want to keep a record of the changes going on here at Greystanes..
And there is a lot going on lately.
My downstairs show room is coming along nicely
the doors should be in at around 3 weeks (fingers crossed)
and then the landscaping outside will begin..
In the meantime
the old TV room (as we call it) at the top of the stairs is getting a bit of a makeover too..
Here's a few befores..
Remember the mirror wall?....
that green is going as are the green trims and yellowy cream ceiling..
here are a few "durings"..
patching the walls..
creating a special stand across the stairwell so the large window between the two rooms can be painted..
and then the undercoat begins..
There are high ceilings and lots of strapping on the walls and ceilings
so not an easy job..
but its coming along nicely
can't wait to move the furniture back in..
there is going to be a lot less stuff too
so easy to clutter when you are a "Vintage merchant"
Will share the "afters" once its all back in place.
Alicia
Help me declutter
there are a few lovelies in my ebay store!
So much going on around here, I havent had much time to blog lately
Which is a shame as I do love to share what is happening here at Greystanes with the renovations..
Time Worn Styles new "showroom"
is moving along
We have had a new fuse box put in with safety switches
and some lovely "heritage style" light switches on the wall
to replace those ugly plastic white ones.
The ones I had put in are the switch just above here (bottom left corner) with the scolloped finish but with a white porcelain base.
These two were put on a wooden mount block and fixed to the wall by our wonderful electrician.
And you know what is REALLY exciting about these switches?
They normally cost around $60 EACH but I found two brand new ones at an op shop for $4 each and the mounting block for 50 cents.
As you know I do love a bargain..
and speaking of bargains
I purchased a beautiful old leadlight door to replace the boring plain wooden door that leads upstairs to the house
Currently it looks like this..
|
But it will be painted a nice gloss white once we get it home..
I wanted one with glass panels to let more light into the room as it is a bit dark towards the back wall.
The old double hung window I mentioned in the last post
is going to be the new front of the showroom
and will be replaced with double french doors and matching double hung windows on each side.
A bit like this but with the windows on each side of the central doors..
They are on order so will probably be about four weeks before they are in
It is good to know that progress is being made though,
and that is what I am focusing on at the moment!
And of course I am clearing out more and more goodies to make more room for painting walls etc.
Theres a bit of Vintage industrial going on in my ebay store currently
Auctions finish this Monday night here on Australian ebay so be quick!
Vintage Enamel coffee percolator and Red FIRE bucket..
Gorgeous old Willow Australia meat safe in original chippy cream, great for storage of CD's etc..
Fabulous Vintage National Australia Bank Cheque filing trunk, great for storing paper work, craft work etc or display items.
And I've got plenty more coming this week too!
Alicia
I'm led to believe
thats these gorgeous blue jars are not difficult to find
in the United States
but here in Australia, well you don't see them around much at all.
Which is a shame, cause they are the perfect shade of blue..
so I was very happy to find a few over here
that graduated down in size beautifully with the larger one
I bought in the states..
So this is the direction I am going now..
displaying my most favourite things
even if they are just blue jars with zinc lids
cause I like them
Well I have had quite a few people ask
about the progress of my Mountain Studio
and you know as they say
"The best laid plans of mice and men..."
the original plan has definitely gone astray..
but in a good way
and a better way in my opinion
because I think this will work a lot better.
This is our downstairs storage room..
Its big and its not being used very much
So this large window here..
is going to be removed
and have some large shop doors installed..
Its a big room..
and it is going to be a great shop..
So these are the befores..
the husk of a shop
but I can visualise it already..
cant wait to share it with you..
Alicia
I have to confess
and it does happen to us all
I have become a bit sidetracked from this blog
by life
and family
but I also know
that you serious bloggers out there
totally get it
cause it happens to you too
so I feel warm in the knowledge
that we all get off track from time to time
by life
cause that track is indeed a windy one...
Thought I might do a little update on this blog
about my Mountain Studio too..
Its still moving along
but as anyone knows when building anything from scratch..
the planning permits take some time to work through..
and this being one of the original houses in this village
well it has a few "overlays" on it
which puts a lot of restrictions on what you can do..
but we are getting there.
The original plan was to put it near the old stables shown above
but due to a certain "overlay"
you are not allowed to build anything within 5 metres of large trees..
which is fair enough really
cause I do love our large trees..
so we have changed sites to across the other side by the pond..
so we wont need to take down any of the pencil pines...
Just move some of the hydrangeas instead..
and the pile of wood...
So it is happening
just very slowly
a bit like this blog really!
Alicia
Lovely treasures in store!
