Patience is a virtue

This is my dining table.

I'm not a person who buys stop-gap pieces. I'd much rather go without until I find the exact piece of furniture I'm after.

I went without any sort of dining table for five years while I searched for 'the one'. Five years of eating dinner on our laps, and only entertaining in summer when we could use our outdoor dining table. One Christmas we even brought the outdoor dining table inside.

After all those years of searching, eight years ago I finally found this table in an antique shop in the city. I fell in love with its sturdy straight legs, its solid shape, and its wonderful patina.




It was originally a farmhouse table, on a farm just outside Lobethal, a little town in the lovely Adelaide hills. I often wonder if the farmer made it himself. The antique dealer I bought it from found it in a big shed on the farm. It had been sitting there unloved for many years, before the dealer bought it and had it brought back to life.



The restorer was careful to keep all the marvellous dings and dents and stains that give this table its character. We've probably contributed a bit more 'character' over the last eight years.

This bit below is my favourite part - an indentation on the railing. I often wonder if this was from where the head of the household rested his booted foot every night over dinner. I also love how the bottom of the legs are wrapped in a metal strip.

It's nice to have a little piece of history in my home. I think it warms up my very neutral, very new home quite nicely.

Best wishes,

Some photos around my home

Hello ladies! (I'm assuming it's all ladies who read my blog - but if there's any men out there, make yourself known by dropping me a comment!)


I hope you all had a lovely weekend.


I had a quiet day yesterday. I really savour my time alone, so it was a good day! I spent some of this quiet time catching up with a lot of blogs I hadn't had time to visit for a while. Then I took some photos of some new things around my home.


First up, I've finally managed to photograph my son's new driftwood sailboats from White Flower Farmhouse. They normally sit in his room, but I needed some natural light for the shot so I put them in my bedroom. I have to admit I'm liking them here! Hope you are reading this and admiring your handiwork Megan!






Here are some old apothecary jars I found in an antique shop and had to buy. Oops, they need a clean! In front of them is a little sand dollar.

In this photo below is my 110 million year old accessory! It is an ammonite fossil. I love its shape and texture and I find it completely intriguing to think of where it came from and how ancient it is. It's sitting in my bathroom now.

One of the blogs I caught up on the weekend is Erin Ferucci's blog - Designs 4 Living. I really like Erin's style and she shows lots of fabulous shops and insider's places in LA. So if you haven't visited Erin's site yet, click on the blog header below. Be prepared to spend a little while there because you'll be hooked!

I also want to say a big thank you to all the kind and generous people who leave comments on my blog or email me. Some of them make me laugh, some move me to tears and through it all you bring joy to my day!

Thank you, lovelies!

Best wishes,

East meets west....in my home

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Mine was spent with my little man and we had a lovely time. I have been very happy, as he managed to get through his first week back at school this term without getting into any trouble! Yay!

Anyway, last week I posted about how much I like Asian touches in a home, here. So now I'm posting some pictures of my own Asian pieces I have around my house.

First up, my little Buddha head, which I've posted about before, because it was a bargain buy from a discount store.


Then there's my antique Chinese table, which was also a bargain buy as it was 50 per cent off. It caught my eye from the moment I saw it, but it was too expensive for me. I waited patiently for months, going back to the store from time to time to see if was still there, then one day, finally, it was on sale and I snapped it up. It fits this little corner in my hallway perfectly. I'm always changing the stuff that sits on top of it.

This next little table sits under my plantation shutters in my bedroom and holds a rustic wooden container filled with shells. Again, this table was a steal and it adds a bit of colour and texture in my all white room.

Above my bed sits my first ever Asian antique - a beautifully carved Chinese screen. I always struggle to find large scale artwork that (a) I love and (b) can afford, so using this screen as 'art' was a great solution for me. I love big bold things on walls that make a statement. Large and dramatic!

Lastly I have an antique rice carrier which looks exactly like this one. I forgot to take a picture of mine in the daylight, so this photo had to do! Currently mine holds fruit and sits on top of my microwave, but I've also been known to use it to hold toilet paper in my bathroom.


I also have my eye on an absolutely gorgeous Asian trunk that I've seen in a store here, but I don't really have a spot for it, so I keep telling myself no. I really do try and stick to the principal of only buying things I need, love and have room for, but this trunk is tempting me. I shall endeavour to stay strong!

Enjoy your week.

Best wishes,

One big tick

I'm a list writer from way back. Shopping lists, lists of books to read, places to go, spring cleaning jobs...the list goes on! It keeps my head in order, and provides me with a sense of achievement when I tick something off.

Above is my list of 2009 house projects. And now, two months in to the year, I can finally cross off the first thing! Today I picked up removable covers which I had custom-made for the seating on my two couches. I'm not a sewer, so I left this to the professionals. And they turned so out well!

You see, I was the dumb bunny who bought creamy white couches with 'removable covers' only to find that the frame of the couch had a removable cover, but not the seating - each cushion has a label just inside by the zipper saying 'do not remove' and 'do not wash'. Great! Have you ever heard of a couch with a removable cover where you can't actually wash the seating covers? And to add insult to injury the removable cover on the frame had a 'do not wash, dry clean only' label - even though I had chosen a washable fabric specifically made for slip covers. So for the last 18 months, with the rough and tumble of normal life, my couches have been getting grottier and grottier.

I broke a couple of nails fitting the covers on, but hey, I can live with that! I'm curled up on one of my couches now, happy in the knowledge that when (not if - I'm a realist) the next splodge occurs, I can chuck the seat cover in the wash. I took the picture (above) tonight after I rushed home from work and fitted them on. Now my couches look as good as new.

Best wishes,

Where I blog

I've been tagged by Lee from the fabulous Glimpse of Style in a game of blogspot. The idea is to show everyone your blogging space. If you've been reading my blog before, you might have already seen it, but here it is.....

As part of the game you're meant to say a few things about your blogging space:

1. It never normally looks as neat as it does in this picture. Right now I have a bunch of recipes snipped from magazines to put in my recipe file as well as masses of notices from school which all need my URGENT attention, and a stack of brochures on French doors.

2. The black files are where I keep all my important papers, bills to pay, receipts etc. This part of my desk is very organised and anal.

3. The little set of drawers (below) hold all my stationery and a few other bits and bobs I want to hide away, seeing my trestle table does not have any drawers.

4. If you look very closely at the top picture you might see my two pairs of scissors. I have a thing for beautifully shaped scissors, and am on the hunt for more - I'd love some antique ones.

5. For the moment my pens, scissors etc sit in a vessel from Ikea, which is really meant to be in the kitchen hanging off a hook, as it has a hole in the back. I like its matte finish and its rounded, organic shape, but I'd like to replace it with an antique silver cup (when I find the right one).

6. The scented candle is from Australian company Renee and the scent is divine - mediterranean lily. Even when I haven't lit it, it fills up the room with a lovely scent on warmer days.

7. As I've blogged about before, the ledge above my desk will shortly be filled with black and white photographs, but I haven't got around to it just yet. The button artwork came from the fabulous, talented ladies at Mondo Cherry.

Sometimes I take my laptop to the living room and blog here (below), while watching tv. Even if I'm not in the room I usually have the tv on, as I blog after my son has gone to bed, so I like a bit of noise to keep me company.

The rules of the game are:

Once you are tagged, post a picture of where you blog. Feel free to tell us a little about your space, or explain certain items in more detail. Or not. Tag five other bloggers to show their blog spots.

So I'm tagging:

Fiona from Just Breathe (because I know with my own eyes that she has a fabulous blogging space)

Clare from Mondo Cherry

AnNicole from Our Suburban Cottage

Millie from The Laurel Hedge

Ness from Marley and Lockyer

Can't wait to see your spaces ladies!

Now I was also given a 'share the luv' award from one of my absolute favourite bloggers, the lovely Millie from The Lauren Hedge. Millie's posts and comments are always entertaining and often laugh out loud funny - and she has the most wonderful eye for style. Millie is a human dynamo - businesswoman, mother of five, loving wife to the Man of the House (aka Moth) and renovator of a home in one of the prettiest places in Australia - Stirling. I'm feeling very honoured to get an award from someone as special as Millie. Thank you!

Now the idea is that I pass it on, but I simply cannot chose. It would be like asking a mother to pick her favourite child. So all I will say that each and every blog that I feature on my 'inspiration from all over the world' is a blog that I love, and read daily, so please consider them all awarded!

Best wishes,

I'm famous! Well kind of....

I enjoy buying old things for my home, and things from smaller homewares shops, as opposed to the bigger chain stores which stock mass produced products. That's not say I don't buy things from Target or Ikea or the like, because I do, but generally I like to fill my home with things that are harder to find, unique or in limited supply, so my home feels like a personal reflection of what I truly love and is thoughtfully put together, rather than looking like I selected all my stuff from the same catalogue.


So when I see a particular 'unique piece' I bought appear in a picture in a magazine or on the web I have mixed feelings. It can't really be as unique as I thought it was! But then another little part of me is happy to think that something I chose is good enough to appear in a magazine or on a website.


Take this lovely picture, from Los Angeles based firm, KAA Design Group. I totally love this outdoor room with its fireplace, cosy seating, greenery and sturdy columns. But what really caught my eye was the iron piece over the fireplace....







.....because I have one just like it! I found mine in an auction house, and I was told it was taken from a demolished building in Morocco I think (somewhere exotic anyways). It was originally above a doorway apparently. It was rusty, a little bent, and covered in cobwebs. I still love it, even if it is not as unique as I once thought it was. Wish I had a fabulous fireplace to hang mine over.






Previously I've posted about my antique soda syphon (below), which I soon discovered has at least one brother out there, if not more...

....because one was featured in Australian Country Style recently - on the cover no less!

And speaking of magazines....this month's Australian Home Beautiful....

....contains a letter from me! See the letter circled in pink highlighter below.

And here it is in closer detail. I was so chuffed!

Now I have to say I wrote this letter months ago, before I had a blog of my own. In fact, I had only just discovered the wonderful world of blogs - ie all you fabulous guys out there! Completely enamoured and excited, I shot off an email to my favourite magazine in the whole wide world, Australian Home Beautiful. And then I promptly forgot about it. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago when I went to a friend's house and picked up the magazine that I saw my letter. Usually I buy this magazine the day that it is for sale, but this particular week I had held off as I had already bought a bunch of magazines that were still sitting at home waiting to be read.

My letter was edited - I also suggested that they do follow up visits on homeowners/homes that were very popular with readers. People that are hooked on design, house renovations and building, often don't stop at one, they go on to bigger and better projects, so I thought they could track some of these people down to see what they are doing now. Obviously they didn't think that was such a good idea! Still, I got my name in print!

Best wishes,

Little snapshots of my home

Phewee! It reached something like 41 degrees today (106 degrees F). Hot hot hot. Thank goodness for airconditioning. As Millie from the Laurel Hedge said, it is going to stay like this pretty much all week here in Adelaide, so I will be going into hibernation!

Today I thought I would show you the shells I have in my home. I like shells. In fact, I love shells. Maybe I'm even a little obsessed by them....you be the judge....

Here is a collection of bleached shells. I love their pristine, white beauty. I've grouped a mix of shell types together on an antique pewter plate

Here's more bleached shells, in a glass jar. I love the particular shape of these ones

One single conch shell is all you need when it is this big

Various shells mixed in with some scented candles in a rustic wooden bowl. It looks lovely lit up at night.

Another cluster of shells in a wooden pedestal. I love all the colours, textures and patterns of these particular shells, all jumbled together

Polished, pearl-like shells in my bathroom against my tumbled marble feature mosaics

Another polished shell, this time in the hallway. When they are this big, all you need is one for impact

And another in my bedroom

Oh and lastly, one in my living room

So if you haven't guessed by now, shells are a passion! I have them in just about every room in my house. Most of them I have bought on various holidays in Queensland, so not only do I find them beautiful to look at, but they also remind me of special times in lovely places. Some of my smaller ones in my pedestal bowl I was lucky enough to find along beaches in Adelaide, especially my favourite beach at Port Willunga.

Thank you for taking the time to view these little snapshots of my home.

Please be mine

I have a rather bad habit of going shopping with something specific in mind, only to come home with something completely different. Take the day I went looking for a floor lamp - I came home with an order for two couches.

On the weekend I went looking for a little cupboard. It's on my list of decorating projects for the year 2009, which I've posted about previously. I frequent a particular auction house that sells old stuff, usually dirt cheap. I had no luck with a cupboard, but I spied this little beauty (below). I love anything industrial/vintage, so this old Underwood typewriter had my heart beating a little faster. The auction house believes it will sell for between $30 and $60, so I put in an absentee bid for $30. I don't think I'll get it with such a ridiculously low bid, but that was all I would allow myself to bid considering (a) it was a complete impulse buy and (b) I have no idea where on earth I'm going to put it if I'm the successful bidder. But you never know your luck sometimes.

Perhaps I could set it up in a corner of my desk, like this:

( I'm not sure where this picture came from - if it's yours, please let me know)

Meanwhile the search for a little white cupboard continues....

While on the subject of my decorating projects, there is one thing I can cross off this list now. I was looking for an underbed storage box to turn into a wrapping station, like this:

Image Better Homes and Gardens


This is my version. All my wrapping bits and bobs in the one spot, and no more rolls of wrapping paper tumbling out my wardrobe when I open up the doors!

I hope you had a great weekend.

Wish me luck with the typewriter.....

Christmas has come early at our house

My friend Fiona and I have been crafting. Me....who never does any sort of craft work! We made Christmas banners for two of my mirrors.

I must thank Terri at Windlost for the idea. I was struck by her lovely banners and thought they looked like something I could tackle (with a little bit of help). And I know it is 11 months til Christmas season starts, but I wanted to do it while it was fresh in my head, otherwise it was very likely it would never get done at all.

I'm really happy with the results. There's no way I could have done it on my own. Fiona is a very talented crafter who taught me lots of tricks and she has every crafty gadget known to man! We even made the freshwater pearl garland that the 'joy' tags hangs on.

Here's a close up of the letters. You can see I chose paper embossed with Christmas words. Little details like this matter to me. It was Fiona's idea to stitch around the edges, and I think it added that finishing touch.

And here's the other one.

We went for an aged look with this banner. I chose a caligraphy paper, written with Christmas phrases for the background. We scanned and photoshopped the paper because I didn't want the original blue colour - we went with a soft grey instead. Once we cut the paper, Fiona taught me how to 'age' the paper using a couple of different types of ink.

We used black velvet to string the letter tags up. I used a hot glue gun for the first time - a very useful gadget!

I love the little pewter brad on each letter. I didn't even know what a brad was when I first started!

Now I can't wait til Christmas so I can put them up!

But the best thing about the whole event, was getting together with my good friend Fiona and chatting and laughing while going through 'the creative process', with our kids playing happily in the background.