Time Worn Style

Random architectural pieces...

I was synching my iphone last night and going through some of the pictures stored therein..

and came upon a realisation..

I have an unusual habit of taking random photos

Random photos of architecture..

I actually wanted to be an architect when I was a child..

making houses out of shoeboxes

but in the end found I enjoyed decorating the interior of the shoebox

with matchbox beds

and crooked material scrap curtains a little more..

However that interest in architecture has obviously not left me completely..

And Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

and its surrounding suburbs provides a plethora of opportunities 

for my random iphone shots..

So I thought I would share a few of my favourites

Original Victorian Leadlight, Specialist surgery Camberwell...

Leadlight near furniture delivery ~ Brunswick

 

and facade..

Doctors rooms South Melbourne..

 

 Even an interesting gate latch in Sorrento..

Will add some more as I find them..

Nice little inspiration pieces

I'm also doing a little guest spot over at

Jo Comiskey's gorgeous blog

BEAUTIFUL SOUTH

 

Do pop over for a visit wont you?

I have some beautiful Pink Depression Glass now available at my ebay store...

New treasures ~ mountain studio..

 

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?

From shabby chic to neutrals...

One of the things that I love about my business

is I get to play stylist

with new things every week.

 

Some I like so much in their new spot I decide to hold onto for a while..

others I put in my ebay store quick smart..

I found a wonderful lot of treasures on the weekend, 

some that I would have shoved in my cupboard with much gusto in the days where I loved all things pink and rosey..

 

 

So when I was taking some photos of all these new found delights..

It got me to thinking how much my decor has changed over the years

Don't get me wrong 

I still do love pink and rosey china, linen, furniture..

but not on the grand scale that was..

only here and there

Which in all honesty 

for me

makes it more of feature

that jumps out and says "look at me"

 

To be honest

I think I am going through a bit of a backlash against my earlier frilly shabby chic phase

And again

having said that

I do love a ruffle and frill here and there

just 

not 

as

much..

Because some of our rooms are starting to head in this direction now..

I found this huge old antique basket

which calls to me more

than some pink and roses

for the moment..

and when I stood back and looked at this room..

it struck me just how pared back it is

and calming in a way..

a clashing of horns 

against my earlier hoarding days

I'm enjoying layers and textures 

overlapping and changing..

silver

linens

neutrals...

industrial accents

but don't think for a minute

that all of our house is going down this road..

after all

I still do have a cupboard full of this..

The best laid plans...

Often go astray 

and of course when you are steaming along getting lots done

in the showroom and around the house

well those Spring lurgies appear

and before you know it you are bedridden with the flu

and I don't have time for it

because I've found some beautiful old things during the early part of the week..

and I have an urge to re-arrange some furniture..

 

and deciding which treasures I should keep or sell..

 

 

but really I should just grab a stack of my favourite magazines

(especially Country Style)

(photo ~ Plushka's craft)

 

get back into bed and get well

Decorating with Ladders..

Still loving a touch of the "outside" items inside..

To me it gives the quirky look I'm after

and can also be a very practical option too

For example, I'm really liking the look of a ladder or two around the home at the moment..

So when I found this beauty yesterday I couldn't resist..

Loved the old typeface

and little rubber feet..

 

and very practical for reaching these high ceilings and walls when required..

It really should be outside stored in a shed..

but I like it inside

at hand

where I can admire its sculptural qualities

and to be able to climb it when a light bulb needs changing..

 

I have another in the bathroom to hold some towels too..

Also brought some cut flowers into the home...

These Bell flowers seem to last a very long time

just keep freshening up the water and they keep their pure white beauty  for everyone to enjoy..

 

 Putting all those teapot sets shown in the previous post

into my ebay store tonight

Shipping from Australia

Today I went picking..

Had a great day of treasure hunting today..

Found a beautiful selection of clocks..

I'm thinking one of these mantle clocks may have to stay here with me..

with those Westminster chimes..

singing through the rooms..

bliss..

trouble is deciding

which one..

also found a lovely selection of teapots..

biscuit barrels..

and Crinoline ladies..

Time to clean and catalogue (yes even I must do a tax return!)

then off to my ebay store

and showroom here in Olinda Victoria, Australia

I have mentioned how much I love my job..

I have haven't I??

Embellishments, Colour & layers

One thing I notice about the home we have here

on our Mountain..

is that "Greystanes" is all about layers

as I walk down the side of my showroom..

I'm seeing the hot pink camellia flowers layered across the pathway..

the vintage wrought iron stacked against itself..

the hot pink drawing the eye to the edge of the house.

layers..

I love the colour of Spring up here..

the daffodils demand attention

their colour working in beautifully with deeper shades..

 

And although I am enjoying a bit of colour at the moment..

I'm also loving the plain layers too

particularly when using mirrors..

the bevels and reflections become part of the layering itself..

when teamed with a plain leadlight window panel..

what I really love the best though

are embellishments around the home.

Quirky little noticeables..

like an antique shaving strop

against a 1930's skipping rope..

not related in anyway except in their hanging form

What do you have layered around your home?

Alicia

quite a few layers of delights available in my ebay store this week

 

Pretty sconce pair..

 

swathes of rosey viole for your draping delight..

Linking up with Sarah on

Vintage merchant ~ The "List"

I have a confession

I've always wanted a metal skirt

Long preferably with studs

and a little bit of rust..

So it really made my day when this little beauty found its way into our house

with her embossed metal stand and castors..

because now I can tick this off my "must have" list

its not a very long list but its got a few things on it that are hard to find here in Australia

and these old mannequins with skirts sure are hard to find over here..

and I think I know why

this one has her original sticker that says NEW YORK

so shes travelled the oceans to be here

I'm not sure when

but I'm glad she found her way to our Mountain home

one big "tick"

 

Alicia

 

 

do come and check out some treasures in my

ebay store

too!

 

 

Shop fittings..

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

Renovations and Time Worn Styles "showroom"

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