Exciting Sunday at the Melbourne Boutique Markets.

I had such a wonderful day last Sunday, at the launch of the Melbourne Boutique Market, as I had the privilege of meeting the gorgeous A-M from The House That A-M Built. I have been following her blog for over 3 years, so to finally meet her was such a thrill! I can't wait to catch up with her again next time she visits Melbourne, there's sure to be many a laugh!

I also met up with another fellow blogger Mrs B from Decorating a Modern Home. I have known Mrs B for almost 4 years and have met her several times before, so it was wonderful to catch up with her again. We all chatted about houses, Melbourne, blogging and The Block. We all had our photo taken with our phones to commemorate the occasion, something I will treasure forever!

I also met up with another house builder and decorator 'Trying To Decorate' whom I have known for several years through blogging and forums. It was wonderful to meet her too, but unfortunately, it was just as we were leaving. I hope to catch up again soon when we have a Decorating Forum catch up in Melbourne later in July. It's so wonderful to actually meet people and talk to them in person instead of just online.

The launch of the Boutique Market in Melbourne was fabulous. I have always read about this market in Brisbane through several blogs from Queensland, and to find out that they were starting one in Melbourne was exciting! I knew I had to be there and see in person the beautiful work from the Mondo Cherry Girls, whose blog I have been following for a while too. Their work is exquisite!

Apart from catching up with several friends, I was in awe of the beautiful work the market stall holders produce. I could have spent a fortune there, and many things I have added to my Birthday and Christmas list.

I did come home with a fridge magnet from Almond Tree Designs which sits proudly on my fridge, and a gorgeous owl made from recycled blankets from Quirkie Su.



My Daughter named him 'Blueberry' and since coming home with us on Sunday they have not parted company once! He's even been Wii dancing and to the Pub for dinner!

I have had such a busy time lately, but I have managed to fit in some more crafty things. I have made another butterfly frame for a girl's bedroom in pinks and mauves:



Another set of 'keys' to sell in a shop on the Mornington Peninsula:



...and something a little different in my vintage tags collection:



I'm currently working on 3 butterfly frame orders, another slightly different design in a bird theme and a vintage style Eiffel Tower, all of which will be revealed soon!

I still haven't managed to find the time to paint the other bookcase in the family room white, start on my blue ottoman or create the 5 piece canvases for my Daughter's bedroom. There never seems to be enough hours in the day! With lots of school events during the day, my evenings at the moment are tied up with dividing my time between Masterchef and The Block!

Go Katrina and Amie !!

The Beauty of Glass.

I decided to do a 'head count' of my apothecary jars (since buying another for a bargain at Target during a sale!), and was surprised to see I have 7. Is that too many? Definitely NOT! I actually have my eye on another smaller one that's in Provincial Home Living for $20...I'm tempted, but I might have to wait until some of my butterfly frames have sold :-)

So, here they all are!



I've been 'collecting' them for about 3 years. From left to right, this is where I purchased them from: Target, Provincial Home Living, Freedom, Target, Freedom, Bed Bath N Table, Target.



This is what I have in them currently, but I do swap them around from time to time, especially at Christmas! Lemons, corks (not all mine...I promise!), paper mache and ceramic decor balls, a DIY nest, lemongrass soap, small birds eggs, and rolled up vintage sheet music.









So which is my favourite? I honestly can't decide, but I love the look of the vintage sheet music in this one:



How many do you have, and what have you got in them?

Hoot Hoot.

A quick post on a few little things I've been working on.

I was asked to create an owl picture for the shop where I sell my butterflies, so this is what I have come up with:





If it sells and I decide to create another, I might add 'feet' as it looks a bit empty on the bottom, and I may add jewels for the eyes too. I'll see how this one goes, anyway!

I also made a few more vintage music gift tags, but added black and white stitched gross grain ribbon instead of the string. We'll see how these go too! Easy peasy and relatively inexpensive to do.






I'm well and truly stocked up on vintage sheet music now, thanks to another quick trip to the Op Shop! I also scored myself a rattan trunk for $17 which, after little TLC, should look great! It's just a tad 'orange', but for the price, I couldn't resist it!





Not a good match for my French Grey trunk, but for the price it had to be mine!



So....Remove the leather straps (will rivet them back on after), spray paint it with Zinsser BIN Primer, and then perhaps the same satin acrylic as the desk and shelf. Ideally, I'd love it to be the same as my other one, but I couldn't physically scrape off all the existing stain and varnish, so paint it will have to be.

What will I use it for? Perhaps to hide some of my crafty stuff which seems to be stacked next to the table, or even a dirty clothes hamper at the top of the stairs for the kids. Not sure yet, and I'll wait and see how it 'turns out' after I've painted it.

Seeing Double....almost.

Every so often, in the last year, I have driven past a little dead end street with a new house construction. Being a dead end, I hadn't actually driven past the house, but admired from a short distance. I had assumed it was a Porter Davis house, but when the 'For Auction' sign went up not long after construction was finished, curiosity got the better of me and I looked up the house on the internet.

The staircase was a dead giveaway, and I knew I was looking at the updated version of my house! This floorplan (although not available online) is only slightly different, even though all the rooms are in the same place. The biggest change is in the Master Bedroom, Ensuite and WIR, and there are a few subtle changes in the kitchen/meals.

Quite amazing to see similar colours too...and the same urn I used to have sitting on my entrance hall table!





























All images courtesy domain.com.au

I only wished I had thought to look online sooner, gone through the house and hid in the background at the auction! It has sold, but no idea if it went over it's suggested price range of $1.74M - $1.88M.

Royal Wedding Fever.

As it's only a couple of days to the Royal Wedding, I thought I should celebrate with a little bit of Britain. For those loyal blog followers, it's no secret that I am a huge fan of British things, and my Son has a passion for The Union Jack.

There are several pieces around my home, including the original vintage London Bus Destination Blind in the family room:



...and the cheap art ($7 sheet of wrapping paper in a $70 IKEA frame) on the wall opposite of the London Underground:



Then there is my gorgeous Union Jack paper weight on my desk on the study nook:





You may remember the set of 4 flag canvases I created for him for his bedroom:






For his Birthday last year, my Sister in Law from Lululollylegs created the most amazing Union Jack quilted cushion for him, which sits proudly on his bed. He loves it....and so do I!









...and then there's the Union Jack case which sits on his bedside table!




So, will you be watching the Wedding? I certainly will. I have fond memories of watching HRH Prince Charles marry the beautiful Lady Diana Spencer back in 1981 when I was 9 years old, the age of my Daughter now! Secretly, I can't wait!!! I love all the pomp and ceremony associated with the Royal Family, and it will take me back to all those wonderful places in London that I just adore.

And Then There Was Light.

We've finally had a chance to install 2 of the planned 4 exterior lights on the front facade. I've had the lights since October, having looked and looked trying to find the right ones! Each weekend, it was either raining, or we were busy! So with the sun shining, school holidays and no Ballet or Parties to go to, the lights were installed!

The weather proof wiring covers (spider homes!) were removed and the position of the lights was marked:



It was a little tricky trying to hold the large lights up while wiring them in place, and then trying to attach them to the wall.

So after about 4 hours, both were up and they work!







...please excuse the 2 odd agave's, they both need repotting and 'straightning'!

Time For A Change Part 2.

Following on from my last post, I've been trying a few different things for the empty birdcage, including putting old books in it, but you really couldn't tell there was anything in there. Instead I left it empty and put the old books (some lovely ones I picked up for 50c each at Op Shops) on the table with a bird sitting on top. I also bought a small bird metal picture and lent it up against the birdcage.





I also finally redesigned the birds nest in the apothecary jar. I found some decorative 'bramble vine' on sale at a nursery and twisted that into a nest shape instead of the raffia. I think it looks a bit more realistic now!



I will probably still move things around a bit further...can't seem to make up my mind!