To Plunge or Percolate...

Can we really be bothered to renovate?  Or should we buy that other old house in the next street that actually, really is next to the train tracks??  It's bigger.  It's just as falling-down as ours is.  Well, not that I've been inside and not that I know for sure if ours is sliding down the hill (I'm just assuming, since all balls roll into the same corner behind the TV).

How do you make the decision to move or renovate?  How do you take that plunge?  What's the catalyst?  How many times do you talk yourself into love with another person's home before it really does become yours (and all the problems they didn't tell you about)?

I love our home.  I love it's old leaking roof, it's rotten weatherboards, it's wonky ceilings, it's jammed windows and 100 years of DIY dodginess.  I love that I can't put anything new into it's rooms without it shrieking loud and clear against knocked-about walls and cornices.  I love how it forgives all my decorating faux pas and rejoices in my successes.  It loves me back too - fits us all in, stands still whilst we paint it, breathes in while we hammer stuff into it's armpits, turns a blind eye when we don't bother with a second coat...

But there's only so much love a 2 bedroom weatherboard with a postage stamp garden and small back deck can give a family of four.  We squeeze over 50 people in here every Christmas and though it never complains, it's a big effort all round!  Those 2 boys can't always share a room, can they?  Pretty soon they'll look like the guy in the Dr Seuss book whose feet hang out one end, or head out the other. 

Maybe I'll just percolate the idea some more.....

Or did I dream it.....?

It's been a long while and lots has happened, and nothing really - that's life, isn't it?  This bench seat, for a start, is a project so long completed it's almost time to re-recover (note to self, water/stain resistant fabric required for outdoor furniture). 

The colour was the driving force behind the decision to use that fabric (and the fact that it was already the perfect size so no excuse to procrastinate further) so I could be forgiven for thinking it would last in its pristine state.  It still looks great though and has brought to life our "outdoor room" in a way nothing else has.  Having a comfy seat at the outdoor table is so much more inviting than the hard outdoor chairs and we've all been spending more time out on the deck as a result.

The other addition is this chandelier (featured here with Moore & Moore Wallpaper). 

Whilst my outdoor space is nowhere near as divine as this setting, I just love the difference candlelight makes to an evening of entertaining - we all like a little ambience, don't we?  Save for the pathetic Sydney summer we're (not) enjoying - too cold and/or rainy to sit outside much, day or night.  So sadly the chandelier hasn't had a chance to come into it's own.  Although a friend (who spent an evening with us, juggling plastic cups to protect our precious flames from wind) found this idea...

Here, and I thought that could work. I'm now on the lookout for jam jars - though a warm, still summer evening would be preferable...

The Great Outdoors

We had a wonderful weekend.  Looking over at Absolutely Beautiful Things I see we're not the only ones enjoying the beginnings of warmer weather.  A soccer presentation got us all out of the house nice and early and applying some serious sunscreen to stand on the oval waiting for formalities and trophies.  Luckily the sprinklers were running on the grounds so the kids all went for a run through to cool down afterwards.

Home again to do some more work on my project - very exciting!  I'm refreshing a bench seat we've had on our back deck for several years.  I've recovered it before and last year threw a temporary rug over it to hide the worn out cover but now I'm doing the real thing.... here's the "Before":


 Here's the inspiration for the new colour scheme (remember the little bowl from Bison?).  I found the fabric in my sewing box - no idea where it came from... perhaps someone will recognise it?!

So, a bit of a sand and tidy up and the undercoat is already an improvement:

I've chosen a lovely paint colour - Dulux "Adrift" which is quite fitting for my state of mind at the moment.  Watch this space...

So, a resting husband, happy kids doing house swaps back and forward all day with friends and me out the back with a paintbrush.  Still managed to put a meal on the table and all sit down together to enjoy - now, that never happens... just who is that woman?  She's not around here very often!

Hope you had a good weekend too.

Blogs I have loved...

It's so long since I blogged I forgot my password.  But that's not saying much - I'm always forgetting passwords.


There are so many blogs I follow and people I feel I relate to, mostly written by creative-type women, often mothers.  I feel I have this secret community all to myself.  But I don't contribute... why is that?


I think most bloggers consider their blogs something of a journal, a note to self on what's currently going on in their life, a way of both sharing and remembering, throwing a line out to see if anyone bites.  Like me, many are Mums who do a thousand other things and perhaps also like me, sitting in quiet contemplation in the evenings, or day times, or wee hours, is a way to relax and recharge; filter the days happenings and renew oneself by seeking inspiration elsewhere.


I love this piece on Life in a Pink Fibro about growth - our selves and our lives, acknowledging the passing of time. We're not unlike our own Mums, are we?  It may look different on the surface but we all have our support groups, filled with likeminded women who share similar lifestyles and dreams, reflections and challenges.  We may not have on a frilly apron, but when we share our lives the sentiment is the same.

Anticipation

I've just bought a new book.  It happened by accident.  We were shopping for other people's birthday presents, which is of course the best time to buy an unbirthday present for oneself - inevitably finding the ideal gift for... me!

Emily Chalmers has been a favourite for some time.  An innovator of the Vintage aesthetic, Chalmers' styling, her books, her sense of vintage style are all influential and inspirational for me.  Stumbling across her latest offering has me in flutters of excitement but I can't sit down to devour it just yet - lots to do before I can steal some time so I just put it aside and look where it landed: on my Grandmother's sewing table, next to a vintage doily topped by one of my actual birthday gifts - a gorgeous and perfectly formed bowl from Bison - now how's that for modern vintage?!

Loft Beds

There's something about a loft bed.  These beds over at Inspirations Deco made me think of a pair that took my breath away some years ago.  It was a secret loft for Mr's nephew in a beach house built by his sister and her husband.  Bits and pieces literally fallen off the back of trucks cobbled together to make a sublime little getaway on the north eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island.  Inside, within the roof space, a little pair of beds had been created by mattresses on the floor with a mini chest of drawers in between, where the kids would bunk down at night, high above the adults enjoying their nightcap on the deck.  Reclaimed windows swung out to let in an evening sea breeze and it was easy for all to forget there were children present - just the way the kids liked it!  A chunky, handmade ladder was fixed to the wall so only game grownups would even attempt to gain access to their little haven by scrambling up into the eaves.

I have lovely memories of that Batch on the beach, just a little shack really but filled with love and holiday souvenirs of shells, second hand sofas and cordial.  All you need at the beach!

The Special K Theory

I suppose I should come clean... I'm a procrastinator.  If something's worth doing, it's worth thinking about for an extra day or so to ensure you get it right, just in case you can improve on it. 

Or is it The Special K Theory we're dealing with here?

A very dear friend and housemate many years ago stumbled across The Special K Theory quite by accident when we were discussing breakfast - it transpired that Special K was my favourite breakfast cereal, but my way of thinking was that I didn't want to eat it every morning, in case I got sick of it, and then it wouldn't be my favourite any more.  Her perspective was simply, "Eat it until you get sick of it, then find a new favourite".

Simple, yes, but I realised it's just not the way I think.  The merit of my way of thinking is I can enjoy things in small doses for prolonged periods - savouring special clothes, jewellery, trinkets, then carefully folding them back into storage to be taken out and enjoyed occasionally, knowing they'll always be there to enjoy.  Once recognised, The Special K Theory can be applied to many areas of my life, my behaviours.

But why prolong joy?  Why ration yourself to the bare minimum and save things "only for best", or "for special occasions" when they can be enjoyed every day?  It's only stuff afterall.  I can find a new cereal - they bring out a new one every couple of weeks, and if not, Special K's been around for over 50 years - it'll still be there to rediscover again and again.

Is it about being satisfied with what we have, rather than always searcing for something new?  I'd so often rather reinvent something I own - be it furniture, clothing, a recipe, than go out and buy another one to clutter up my life.  Perhaps that's why I have a penchant for things that are preloved - someone else has enjoyed them {and paid full price for them} and all I have to do is reinvent them, rediscover their beauty and celebrate them once again.  If I get bored with them, they don't owe me anything...

Do I feel that buying new is the easy way out?  Anyone can do that.  I want to be different, distinct, discover something for myself.

Meanwhile, it's taken me 3 days to actually post this blog - it wasn't right the first time so I filed it away to revisit later.....