it's beginning to look alot like Christmas.....

well it's that time of year. the Chrissy decorations have been up in the shops for a while, and Santa is having his photo taken with the kiddies at all the Westfield stores!

i have usually done all my shopping by now- i normally shop throughout the year, but this year hasn't worked out that way. i have had some fun shopping with friends and my fabulous cousin though. nearly done now! and then there's all the wrapping!

i have taken all the Christmas decorations down out of the linen cupboard ( and had a "linen cupboard" clean out at the same time) and am all ready for tomorrow when we put up our tree.

we have a bit of a family tradition in our home- lots of nibbles, Christmas music and of course a glass of bubbles while we decorate the tree on our chosen afternoon. the girls also choose a new decoration each year and love to choose their own advent calender with choccies to see out the 24 day countdown until Christmas morning.

they each have their own pretty stocking- one of which is pictured above.

i hope you also have fun during this hectic but fun season!

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mirrored tags & garden pics

i have enjoyed some time in the garden over the weekend, and took some snaps of what i've planted and what is growing happily in our back yard. this vine is thriving along my timber fence and the flowers are coming out in gorgeous bunches

i got these pretty soft pink daisies from the markets

i finally decided on lavender and rosemary for my claw foot bath. it smells divine! if you look carefully, you can see our cat Heidi sunning herself underneath :)

my hydrangas are very happy in this lovely old Norco milk box i found on eBay for $1

and i have been to Ikea- again!! i will never tire of that wonderful store. i was so excited to find that they had put out all their Christmas stock. i found these mirrored tags and decided to tie some of them to the tops of these jars. they look so sweet! at $5.99 for a pack of 3 stars, hearts or angels, they are a perfect pressie topper too.

of course i had to add some to these old jars as well

here are all the spoils from my very quick visit to Ikea before closed on Saturday afternoon. i couldn't resist the Christmas paper with matching gift tags, the cherub cards or the red and white ribbon.

it's hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner! now i have my gift wrap sorted, it's time to start thinking Christmas pressies...

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for the love of candles

here is my latest candle purchase. i found it in Sussans. they have a gorgeous selection of soaps, candles, gifts and Christmas decorations at the moment. this lovely Fig & Nectarine candle in a tin had to come home with me :)

i adore mercury glass candle holders. they sparkle all on their own. i have these beauties in my entry. they aren't scented. just a couple of scented candles in the house at one time is enough for me.

what about a handful sitting in an old $2 jug?

i am loving them bunched together in vintage glass jars. they don't always have to be lit for you to enjoy them :)

this french style candle holder looks great with a good old chunky white church candle.

i even don't mind a rose scented candle in a fancy footed ashtray!
candles also look fab in a cute bird cage. we are going to hang this up in the corner of Kacey's room. she's a bit into birds and cages at the moment!

here are some button candles i made with my girls. they live in the bathroom for when we 'need' a candle lit bath :)

as you can see, i have a bit of a candle obsession. i don't need an excuse to light them up. i have them pretty much in every room of the house, and i light at least one every night. even when it's not quite dark enough. just for the smell of them. i find lit candles so soothing, so relaxing, so ambient. they change the feel of a room and the light is so much softer.

i'm always checking them out in the shops and home magazines. my fav would have to be the 'Glasshouse' range. their perfumes are out of this world and they last forever. the perfume fills a whole room- no matter what the size! i'm in the market for another one. i've burnt my last one right to the base.....

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'Perfectly Vintage' Finds

on sunday i managed to visit the markets (as usual) as well as an antique collectable fair. i was very controlled and only purchased a few things. i could have gone crazy, but my sensible side kicked in. probably because i have recently had a huge spring clean and chuck out, and it would be a waste if i was to refill the house too quickly with more finds!

at the markets i found a set of six ceramic name card holders. the family were selling a mass of wonderful pieces, so i couldn't help but chat away to find out why. it turned out they were moving their elderly parents into a newly built granny flat, out from their huge 2 storey home. i don't know if they have ever been used, but there are no chips at all on the sweet little blue roses which is quite amazing! and they also came in the original box for a tiny $3 :) :)

it was then home for a quick breaky and then off to the collectable fair! 1st find was another 'Fenton' piece- a white bowl with a clear ruffled edge. all the Fenton pieces i have spied at this fair start at over $45, so when the price tag read $15 i was happy happy! my trusty market/fair friend suggested i bargain, so i offered $12 and he said yes!

my gorgeous Sydney based sis-in-law has helped develop my taste and eye for vintage fabric and linen, so i was a little excited when i happened across a pair of vintage Sheridan floral pillowcase- still in the packaging! don't they go well with the Sheridan queen size sheet i already own?!

i am forced to miss my routine market visit next sunday, as hubby and i am off to a family wedding in Young NSW, while the girls stay on the Sunshine Coast with their grandparents. i'm looking forward to a little couple time as well as a few nights of no cooking/washing up!

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busy weekend

i've had a great weekend filled with vintage buys, painting and markets. i bought a stack of lovely items from a church garage sale on Saturday, and could not help but to start washing, cleaning and painting most pieces as soon as i returned home.

you can see the stash i came home with here- furniture, lamps, linen, etc. while i cleaned up items ready for painting, Emily made pancakes in the jug/bowl that i found. it came with a great recipe for pancakes on the side of the bowl!

i painted up 2 lamp bases, a sweet stool and a ceramic photo frame. i also purchased 2 silky oak chairs off eBay knowing i could revamp them with a little vintage fabric. and that i did!

it has been such a nice change to have the sunny weather back.. and a little less gusty wind today too.

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pink rosey paper lanterns

this morning i ventured out with a friend to the Garden Centre at Darra. i'd never been there until today, but had heard it had lovely things in the shop... and it didn't disappoint! i could have easily spent many $$$$!! after a great coffee and muffin for a late morning tea, we went back into the shop for a 2nd look.
i came across these pretty Robert Gordon paper lanterns. they come in a pack of 10 for $19.95, so were a bargain if you ask me! now that i've hung a couple up, i wish i had bought more! they are so pretty. perfect for a girly party, or just sweet hanging along a curtain rod. i'll definitely be going back for more.
i also bought a cute little french inspired bird. he is sitting pretty in between a lamp and a candle.. for now anyway :)

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moving things around

on the 10/10/10 (Sunday) Mike and i spent the best part of the rainy afternoon moving furniture around and 'changing up' a few of our living spaces. it's never planned; i'll just be having a think and will say something like "you know, the lounge in the study might fit over here." and we're off and running! it's one thing we really enjoy doing together. sounds weird, but i just love changing things around. it helps keep clutter at bay, as we're always having to move things off shelf and empty drawers to move one thing out of a room and into another. and often, a couple of things will end up on eBay once i've decided we don't need them anymore!

we have the most comfy gorgeous lounge in our study, but it just doesn't get used being so tucked away. so, i decided to make another little sitting room, and put ALL the computers into the computer room. yes, that's my little desk under the window :) so far, it's working a treat! one of the bookshelves had to come out of the study, so it now lives in the dining room ( as you can see) which is on the other side of the wall that houses the lounge. the old display cabinet then got moved out to the family room. all my pretties are now in full view rather than being tucked behind a wall.

today was supposed to be Kacey's Swimming Carnival, but it was cancelled due to the awful weather. plan b was for a friend to come over for coffee, but she ended up with 2 sick children at home instead. so i had to resort to plan c- buying all the bits and bobs for Kacey's birthday party 'thankyou favours', a little op shopping and a blog post! so not all bad :)
oh the things we busy ourselves with when it rains so continuously!!

time for a hot chocolate.....

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