a box of sweet old bottles

i love old vintaged bottles.
but only at the right price.
i stumbled across a box of tiny bottles this morning.
i talked the guy down from $10 to $5 for the lot.

i was instantly taken by the gorgeous cobalt blue one, with 'NOT TO BE TAKEN" printed down one side. i wonder what sort of poison was stored in this one?

and here they are after a good going through the dishwasher. one came with a cork and one with a glass stopper. see the little beaker at the front? i didn't know they came in teeny tiny size!

don't you just love the old print?

pretty on their own or bunched together.

each one the perfect size for a single stem of flowers.

i'd love to know the history behind each one, but part of the fun is in the guessing.

the blue ones are my fav :)

i'm linked up to junkin finds friday and funky junk interiors

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pretty storage for your bedding

if you are anything like me, you love all your storage- whether on display or tucked away, to be pretty.
when i open my drawers and cupboards, i want what i see, to make me smile ;)
i make a point of using floral boxes (that might have had a gift given in them) to hold all those things that don't need to be seen- notepaper, gift wrap, birthday cards.
i use pretty containers to separate clothing, pink tins and buckets to hold hair elastics, bathroom and laundry cleaners, ribbon tied and labelled wicker baskets for herbs and spices, and my newest storage idea- orphan pillowcases to hold my bedding.
i mostly like to use pillowcases in pairs, but i do have some lovely single ones that seem to just sit in the cupboard.

so why not use them to store that blanket, doona, quilt or throw that is not in use?
it will keep them dust free and makes you smile when you open the cupboard!
the cotton doona below is king sized and fits easily into a standard pillowcase. a great way to use and view pretty linen that was picked up from an op shop, or was a hand-me-down from nanna.

i found this tassled chenille beauty at a church garage sale for $5, and it fits perfectly into a pillowcase. when it's not being used, it can be thrown into the top of my walk in robe and not get covered in dust bunnies!

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my 1st win!

my 1st ever blog giveaway win!
i was so excited when this arrived in the post yesterday!
Jen over at "MADE BY GIRL" had a giveaway just before Christmas.
and i won one of 12 little posters!
Jen's blog is so colourful and inspiring. Head over and take a look.

it was wrapped and packaged so nicely for it's trip across the world.
i just love the colour, and love what it says! it's me to a tea!!

i found an old frame to pop it in. it's the perfect addition to the study- both in saying and colour co-ordination.
have you ever won a blog giveaway? if so, what did you win?
i'm off to make that coffee.....

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mirror display

after finding the bevelled edge mirror with the pretty etched bird yesterday in an op shop for $8, i knew i finally had enough to do a wall display. i have been wanting to do this for years, but don't like to 'mix' my mirrors. what i mean is, the display had to consist of mirrors with a similiar edge- ie- all these have either a bevelled or pic crust edge. no actual frame.

i thought the 'rule' to hanging mirrors, or displaying anything for that matter, was to group items in odd numbers. so, when i first started to work on mirror positioning, i was working with 5 large vintage mirrors.

and it wasn't working!
so i grabbed the cutie off my daughter's wall and chucked it in the middle.
then it finally came together.

taking at least a couple of photos of your display on the floor helps to get them in the right place when transferring your 'design' to the wall. i measured out approximately how much room the display would need on the wall, then hung one at a time- starting with the diamond shaped one at the top, then referring back to my camera before hanging the next. i did it all without any man power too!

and here's the end result. yes, the A/C is cranking out the cold air on this super hot Australia Day!
we have enjoyed a quiet one at home. the day started with a sleep in for all, followed by a huge cooked breaky.

i also picked up this sweet $1 scrolly frame yesterday. i scratched through some old photos and found one to fit. i can't believe this photo of Emily and Kacey was taken over 8 years ago. my how the years fly past!

linked with Funky Junk Interiors

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the entry is done!

after almost 8 years in this house, i can finally say one room is officially completed! yay! of course some of the smaller decor will move around, but all in all, the entry is done. (that door takes you through to our study)

here's a breakdown of what is in the entry and the costs involved.

this chandelier was the final purchase and addition. i found it when flicking through a 'Home Beautiful' mag last year, and decided it was perfect for the entry. it is from Beacon Lighting and was on special for $89.95.

the birdie was about $10 from a garden shop. the twine a couple of dollars from Bunnings.

i've had this resin frame for years. a $6 cheapie from Target. i added the fabic.

you are probably getting tired of seeing this stool! it is happy here at the front door and adds a pop of colour. it was a $3 market find and the fabric used to cover it was about a dollar.

these 3 frames were originally bright yellow with country pics. i revamped them with some white paint, a light sand and some fabric.

this side of the entry looks through to the formal lounge room. the walls have been painted in Antique White USA.
the lamps you can see through there were also markets finds- $5 each.

the table was an eBay purchase for about $70 and came with the cut glass knobs. i have recently repainted it white to freshen it up. the mat at the door was an Ikea find at $4. i bought 2 so that one can be washed/soaked while using the other.

and lastly, the mirror. the most exy piece at $150. a birthday pressie years ago.

so there you have it. an entry complete, and not done on a huge budget at all.
i think it pays off to buy pieces over time, rather than jumping in and buying everything at once. it gives you a chance to work out what you really love.

i have a few other rooms that are almost complete. i'll share those as they are finished too!

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HUGE blackboard

here's my finished blackboard i promised i'd show to you. um, it was meant to be for the girls, but i'm kinda liking it for my own "list of things to do"!!

i had originally stapled foam and fabric to this mdf and hung it above our bed as a feature. i tired of this pretty quickly (fairly normal for me!) and decided it would make a fabulous blackboard.

once the fabric and foam was removed, i sprayed the mdf with blackboard paint left over from my previous smaller blackboard project.

i then purchased a tin of Dulux blackboard paint and gave it 2 more coats with a brush. White Knight also does it in a tin, but washing up has to be done in turps as it's oil based paint. The Dulux version is water based- made it an easy decision for me, as i hate washing up in turps!

i then left it to dry for a couple of hours, and rubbed it over with chalk. this helps to make writing and drawing a little smoother.

my trusty staple gun helped get it back into the frame.

i had the chalk in an old jar,

but think i favour the chalk sitting in this soft pink mini bucket.

i started with an array of mirrors on my desk,

coupled with some mercury glass items.

but, as usual, i change my mind without even meaning to.
my little artists are busting to have a draw on it, so i'll move it temporarily to the floor for them.

i've decided the blackboard is more practical than the mirrors, and being a "list" person myself, it makes more sense for it to live right here ;)

linked up with Funky Junk Interiors

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so thankful

over the last week or so we have been bombarded with the awful news and images of what the rain and flood waters have done across Queensland. and now it seems to be Victoria's turn.
we live on the north side of Brisbane, about 20 minutes from the city and have not been directly affected by the flooding at all. and i'm feeling so thankful. so grateful. so blessed.
whenever i walk through the door into our home, i see this blackboard, and am reminded immediately of all we have, and all that others have lost.
and the generosity of Australians, both through time and donations, is truly overwhelmingly wonderful.
it is a good time to sit back and think about how we can give to those who have less than us. and the perfect opportunity to look around us at what we would normally take for granted.
as a family, we plan to use this blackboard for quotes that inspire us, and for small words of encouragement. my younger daughter has decided she would like a larger blackboard, so i'm working on one :) halfway finished. just need more blackboard paint!
i'll show you when i'm done....

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