Time Worn Style

Antique French Doors

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Not sure if I have mentioned before..

but our bedroom has the most gorgeous Antique baltic french doors..

they open out on to the verandah and are oh so lovely for catching a breeze on a hot summers night...

Unfortunately rather than celebrate the natural wood

the previous owners took it upon themselves to STAIN it (not paint so I could strip it back) the most hideous shade of red stain the hardware chain sold...

Clashing violently with the yellow cream architraves, it mocked us with its ugliness every time we entered the room..

Even the photographer who shot our house for COUNTRY STYLE MAGAZINE did his best to crop it out..

I felt his pain...

I spent a lot of time cropping it out of my photos too I can tell you..

So I finally took it upon myself to paint over the stain

Used ZINSSER 1 2 3 UNDERCOAT SEALER

brilliant stuff (no they didn't pay me to say that but they can if they want)...

I've found it absolutely top notch in sealing out dark colours for a light top coat..

there's been no bleeding of the stain what so ever

not even a smidge....

SO

here's the BEFORES and AFTERS below 

 

The BEFORE shots....

 

 

The AFTER shots...

 

Now to tackle the ceiling next..

I've decided to paint the beams too

there I've said it..

no going back..

Opportunity shop transformations....

Anyone who has been following this blog of mine

will understand that we are renovating on a budget...

And what this means 

is quite simply

things have to be bought for cheap...

For example

most things are a bit expensive brand new

even items for inside the home...

So when I saw this at an Op Shop (Thrift store)

All I saw was the dome..

and the price tag..

$5

I mean 

have you seen how much they charge for these things brand new??

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

So...

all I had to do was prize off the rather "interesting" resin sculpture..

paint the wooden base an antique white...

and there it was

At the moment it holds an old picture...

and an antique paper weight..

tomorrow..

perhaps something else..

I love what you can do with recycled items...

I'm having a fabulous "BEST OFFER" SALE over at my ebay Australia store...do pop over for a visit

 

Around the house...

The summer light has been so lovely around here lately

that I had to take a few photos around the house

whilst the sun shone..

because this mud room area near the back door..

is normally not so brightly lit..

When we moved into Greystanes, this "through" room 

used to bounce...

literally

there were no stumps underneath the floorboards

we noticed when we finally crawled under there..

not a one

the joys of an old house...

she has stumps holding up her wooden petticoats now though

so we don't bounce through this room so much anymore..

Now we sit a while on the old church pew

and remove our shoes

without wondering if the floor will collapse..

This old girl we live in

well

she's full of surprises..

 

Some lovelies over in my eBay Australia store too...

 

Vintage Harlequin glasses

Gorgeous furniture...

Stunning chandelier lamps..

A Delightfully Vintagey Day in Olinda

I have a special guest posting on my blog this week...

A very creative person 

who if you are looking for a photographer for that special occasion..

she would be just the ticket..

There was a collaboration on the mountain recently

between a few creative people

and the result can be seen in pictures..

Please say hello to Kate from Curious Rabbit..

One day in January, I had a brainwave! I wanted to do a photo shoot. One that would involve a couple (as in two adults) who may or may not be getting married at a later time in the future…..what is known as an E-Shoot (took me ages to work out that the E stood for Engagement!) in photography circles.

 

I was rebranding my photography business from k8tography to Curious Rabbit. All of the rebranding had been completed, now I just needed to show the direction that I wanted my business to head towards….Engagements, Weddings, Special Occasions etc.

 

I love vintage. I love retro. I have a brand new ‘vintage’ bicycle and I thought that I would like to incorporate that into a shoot. Oh! Great idea – a vintage shoot! I had a girl in mind as I had worked with her once before in what we called a Candy Girl session. Her name is Nat Price. She has a great look – retro with a modern edge. Piercings and tattoos yet soft and beautiful. 

 

 

 

I asked if she knew of a guy who would like to help out. She suggested the debonair Mitch Beanland who was perfect for what I envisioned!

 

Venue? First I thought of the beaches near me – Hampton, Brighton, Sandringham but that wasn’t the look I was after. I then had another brainwave (they don’t happen this often normally!) Of course, it had to be at Alicia’s home – indoors or outdoors, yet to be decided. She was keen as mustard to be involved! She has such amazing props and a great eye for styling.  Tick! 

 

Finally, I needed a makeup and hair artist – straight away, I called Morgan from www.makeupbymorgan.com and she was in too! 

 

The day came, I was nervous yet excited. I drove up the mountain to Olinda where we all gathered. Alicia had a whole stack of props set out

 

 

 

The sweet dresses were perfect! Mitch had his own clothes and I was thrilled with his taste. 

 

Morgan did Nat’s makeup and hair while Mitch did his own. 

 

 

 

and then it was time to shoot and style and style and shoot. Alicia and I chose a small area in her very large and beautiful garden for a picnic set up. The light through the beautiful canopy of trees was delightful and cooling. My bicycle came in handy and I adored the selection of suitcases, the old blanket  and, of course, the dress that Nat wore – it fit her perfectly! 

 

 

After many shots and laughs we had a break. A bit of lunch, a cold drink and a change of clothes. We ventured down the long driveway taking photos along the way and stopping at the gate. Such a beautiful entranceway to a gorgeous home.

 

 

 

Then we wandered next door to the sweet white wooden church. We left the suitcases and bicycle behind but took along a delightful bunch of blue hydrangeas straight out of Alicia’s garden!

 

 

Two hours from the first image taken we were finished. All so very happy with what had been captured this day.

 

 

 

I could not wait to get back down off the mountain, get home and start the task of processing the images. There were so very many that I loved. I hope that you all enjoy them too.

 

I would like to thank Alicia for her wonderful styling, venue and friendship. Thank you so much to Nat and Mitch who did such an outstanding job AND are gorgeous people. To Morgan – the best makeup artist I know! And also to the divine Imogen for being a terrific assistant to all of us on the day! 

 

(oh and thanks to my dog Finn who tried photobombing quite a few frames!)

 

 

 

You can find me at the following places – my website www.curiousrabbit.com.au

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CuriousRabbitPhotos

Instagram - @curious_rabbit

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/curiousrabbitau/

Twitter – curiousrabbitau

Email – kate@curiousrabbit.com.au

 

 

 

Clearing out the Olinda Showroom...

I guess the start of a new year encourages this sort of thing..

I was having a chat with a dear friend the other day

about the meaning of a "spring clean"

It's not how it is these days with a quick whip around of the vacuum with the iphone in one hand sharing pics on instagram..

No

A real sping clean involved moving all the furniture out onto the front lawn..

washing the curtains

scrubbing the walls

whumping the carpets on the clothes line

So

I decided

this is what my showroom needed

a good "Spring Clean"

but in summer...

I stacked it all up under the Japanese maple..

scrubbed the window and walls..

removed all the dead fly bodies..

(boy oh boy there were some FAT spiders in there after all that gluttony)

and slowly put it all back in..

I came to a few realisations during this process..

1. my injured arm is still not back to full function since the car accident around this time in 2012

2. I have too much stuff..

Point number 1. I'm still working on

Point number 2. I'm selling off some stuff

CHEAP

You can find it over here in my ebay Australia store

Like this gorgeous old desk..

this super cool Church noticeboard..

or this darling old pink as pink hamper / stool..

 

at about this point I should be inserting a photo of myself looking charming, perky and full of beans with excitement at the rearrangement of my showroom..

The reality is I haven't finished yet and have no makeup on let alone a groovy retro outfit and a winky smile

If you buy these treasures and come and pick them up I'll do my best to live up to that image but until then pretend this is me..

cheeky aren't I?

You can find my treasures 

here in my ebay Australia store..

 

 

Wall vents in old homes...

You know those jobs around the home that you keep putting off??

The small ones..

Ones that even YOU don't notice need doing after a while..

that dodgy door handle..

the light socket hanging over so slightly from the wall..

(which reminds me we must do those too!!)

Well we had a problem with old air vents..

When we moved in the previous owners thought we might not notice a reasonably large hole in the wall if they sticky taped a piece of paper over it..

 

In this case one of the old air vents on the wall had been removed rather rudely with a RIP..

We actually don't need air vents in walls these days as they are not required for ventilation (particularly in this drafty old house)

So its quite a good idea to close them up especially if you want to prevent heat loss over winter..

Lucky me though, I found some gorgeous old vintage plaster ones that would suit perfectly (insert husband rolling eyes just at this point)

Instead of the two rather foul plastic ones that were left..

 

We didnt actually want them to work though so my clever husband closed off the area behind them and painted a coat of black to make it look like a void when you place the vents over them..

Using some super sticky builders goop

they stuck on the wall without a problem..

I love using original fixtures in old houses..

there's nothing wrong with reproductions but they are never as 

thick

weighty 

and well made

as the genuine old stuff..

 

 

Well that only took us six years to get done...

now for the next one!

I have some beautiful items for sale over

in my ebay Australia store too..

 

Summer on Mount Dandenong... budget Verandah makeover

I can't tell you just how gorgeous the weather on Mount Dandenong is during the Summer months...

it's a little cooler than Melbourne itself by around four degrees..

it's magic

So we do spend a lot of time outdoors during this time..

The photo above was taken by Mikkel Vang for Country Style magazine of our Verandah that we use in Summer.. It was taken the previous summer..

It's lovely but I wanted it more useable..

I did have a wonderful idea regarding some new outdoor furniture..

nice squishy comfy all weather wicker style couches etc..

ok, there was a reality check when I realised a small set costs well over $1000 AUD

not.. at .. this.. stage...

SO

I thought I would work with what I had..

Two vintage wrought iron plant stands to use as candleholders / icebuckets / drink holders.. what ever required..

One wicker table found at Camberwell market for $5

One cane double chair found at op shop (thrift store) for $10

Cushions which I bought at target a few years back and had packed away under a bed as I no longer used them..

Hydrangeas from the garden plonked in an old Fowlers bottle..

Blue hammock found at an op shop for $30..

I didn't realise that it came with cushions, the lovely lady at the op shop let me know they came with it..

BARGAIN!

It looks brand new...

White vintage scrolly table I found at Camberwell market years ago, I've used it in nearly every room of my house over the years..

it has no top though so an old silver tray will do just as well..

 Found a fabulous idea on FACEBOOK on how to make a bird feeder out of an old light..

I knew I had one hiding under the house somewhere that I found on the side of the road so my husband put it together for me..

 

I think it would work a treat for a candle or mosquito coils too..

The Vintage metal table base I bought at a garage sale a while back (thanks Jenny!)

The scrolly chairs I bought on ebay years ago..

I think this will do whilst I scheme a way to get that mooshy outdoor setting..

It's lovely sitting here with a cool breeze coming up through the valley below..

I think a glass of wine whilst sitting in the hammock chair may be in order tonight..

hmmm might have to set up a hammock time roster though..

 

Don't forget I have some fabulous treasures available at my ebay Australia store too...

What a new year?? 2013

 

Oh my giddy Aunt

Can you believe it?

Another year has begun!

2012 was a, let's say "interesting" year

Take away the drama a bit but lets face it 

I was nearly killed in a car accident at the beginning of 2012

My friend and I 

both of us

nearly killed

Crikey

and yet here we are

battle scarred but moving on in this crazy thing called life.

My friend is moving to Queensland

I'm staying at good old "Greystanes"

for now

but something has shifted.

I see things a little differently now

People

Stuff

it's different

I guess that happens when you dance a little with the grim reaper

I love my husband and family with such a passion now I can't use words

2013 eh?

a number

but a clearer number

I can see what counts

clearly, simply

I still love my old stuff

but boy oh boy do I love life

That car accident of 2012 could be yesterday for me, I still struggle with the ongoing problems of it

Friends and family pretty much don't mention it anymore

But in a weird way

I'm sort of glad it happened

I feel different

more focused on what matters

I see people a lot more clearly now, how they fit my life

Hard to explain

Some of you may get it, those who have touched the lip of life

it's good 

but not

you know?

Have a rocking and totally totally awesome action packed full and freaking amazing 2013 

I know I will 

and appreciate the beauty in all things

especially the stuff of Old

I still love it with a passion

nearly as much as my family

Things happen for a reason

embrace it

and take from it those truley awesome lesson that it presents you in all its facets of ambiguity and clarity...

and here's a pretty picture of our wrap around verandah because life is beautiful and precious...

An Australian picker goes Country..

My husband and I go treasure hunting most weekends..

its part of the job to search far and wide..

and that's not to say its always a chore either..

This weekend we ventured to the Bendigo area

and the historical homes it embraces..

this beautiful Victorian glass house would look divine in my backyard I am sure..

sadly I don't think this particular country town would allow me to take it..

but I have to say my favourite find was this gorgeous old galvanised bath..

with it's cast iron lion paw feet..

this is going to be just the ticket on those hot summer days

filled with cool water

apple cider in hand 

whilst my toes prune from a lengthy dunking..

it was meant to be..

I already had a very very old brass plug 

it fits this bath perfectly..

like cinderella's slipper..

or a slipper bath..

We fossicked through an elderly couples verandah out country too..

they had these old tins..

kept and used from the days before disposable plastic..

ice cream in a tin..

frozen, icy to the touch, frosty drips rolling down the sides 

Streets Vanilla ice cream..

a whole half gallon..

I love these sort of finds, memories from the past kept by the older generation not for sentimental reasons

practical storage..

stacked high in an outback verandah..

Found a lovely old item for my bathroom this week..

I was a bit tired of the roadside find ladder holding our towels..

so thought this old Hospital baby basinet would be perfect

it turned out to be just the right size ..

I found it at a Vintage showcase hosted by 

Shabby Vintage Junk

and 

Vintage Influence..

I hope they host another one again soon..

it was magnificent!

and of course don't forget to have a look at some of the treasures I have in store

Vintage Teachers "good work" stamps..

beautiful French Cameo portrait..

stunningly ornate brass door handles..

Delight in a jar ... Violet & Rose

I've been a little spoilt lately..

One of these delights found its way into our home..

Violet & Rose candles..

so beautifully packaged..

gently embracing 

a vintage jar of scented delight..

80 hours of scented delight in fact...

you can find these jars of perfection here

Violet & Rose

handmade Soy Candles 

 and if you are after any other unique and fabulous delights..

get on over to my ebay Australia store..

I've got a little sale going on over there 

or come and visit my showroom 

here on a mountain in Olinda..

(open by appointment)