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Tea'n'things

I am a grumpy bum this morning, I'm blaming my hormones and Monday-itis. So hooray for the power of happy Flickr photos. I wouldn't call myself a "shabby chic-er" but florals and vintage are so happy-pretty!

Wood's Ware utility china - Jasmine, originally uploaded by the vintage cottage.

I have a little collection of Woods Ware - Beryl (the green) and Iris (the blue)...one day I'll have a whole set.

Handiware cake tin, originally uploaded by the vintage cottage.

Oh how times have changed, cake never lasts long enough around my place to make it into a tin!

Afternoon Tea, originally uploaded by fleamarketstudio.

Colour of the teacup of course.

And now, I think I need a cuppa.

Sunday Musings

I've been a bit of a shut in this weekend. And I confess I don't mind it at all...since I got home from the doctor on Friday, I haven't been out at all (unless hanging the washing on the line counts.) Lara used an expression this morning which I liked - she said "it was good to have some mental space." I can totally relate. I usually have so much stuff buzzing around in my head that a couple of days away from having to interact with real live people has been great.

What have I been up to? Besides sleeping, drinking and bad singing, I've been trying to clean and tidy up a bit for the impeding arrival of Hubert. I miss him so, and I don't really understand how anyone can successfully "do" any sort of distance relationship. Ugh. As well as Hubert, I also have another fella coming to live with me soon.
Meet Burton C. Bell:
Well how could anyone say no to that? Burton is currently still with his kitteh mum in Benders, so my sis and I will go up and get him one weekend soon. The extra kitteh situation highlights my need to find a house soon though...the bathroom here is groaning with litteh boxes already. Plus Stiffy Staffy is already sooooo big...I feel like I've missed half his life already. I went to look at a house on Friday and while the house was okay (although overpriced so I don't want it), the tenants were still there. I feel awful going through people's houses, it's so intrusive. I also find it hard to visualise my "life" in a house when it's already full of someone else's. So my hunt continues. And I know I'll be pining for my orange kitchen tiles, wherever I go.

Speaking of renting issues, one thing I really dislike is not being able to hang pictures. (I understand not ruining the walls with holes, but doesn't mean I have to like it.) I am completely jack of those sticky 3M picture hangers, as they tend to just fall off the wall at random intervals, sending your picture or decorative thingy crashing to near death (I've been pretty lucky so far) . So this morning, to get away from wall boredom above the couch, I did the old trick of "using embroidery hoops to hang bits of fabric for instant decorative appeal". And blu-tacked the damn things up...'cause my heart can't stand much more of surprise picture crashings.

Stool WIP

Further to this post, after pulling $5 stool apart, it was in a reasonable condition so last night I covered the chair pad with calico and then tacked part of a vintage tablecloth on top to see how it looked. (Gumboot Man next door probably didn't appreciate my evening hammering, but then again, I don't appreciate his midnight stinky chop cooking fests.) So here's the progress:

Still have to buy some paint on payday and respray the legs. The question now is, does the seat need some embroidery or something, or is that over the top and hokey? Or should I try different fabric? Am I barking in the wrong bushes?

As usual, I have embroidery on the brain, but even more so since I got my copy of Embroidered Effects in the mail yesterday. I feel another stitchy project brewing.

Glummer

Thank you for your kind words re my glumness. I have big issues with dealing with my depression, as in my previous relationship, my partner thought he was to blame for any unhappiness on my part, and as such didn't like me "being a sad sack all the time." So I struggle with the putting on a happy face thing, as well as feeling guilty for when I feel bad, irritable, or just plan sad. Still working on that one. Today I haven't improved much and had a bit of the meltdown at the chemist trying to get a script because all their computers were down and so it took about 40 minutes to get anything done. And then their EFTPOS didn't work. They were lovely but I was in pain and cranky...so me being me, instead of cracking the shits, I burst into tears. Oh dear.

Anyway, whining aside, I have been cheering myself up by playing with the blog template (thanks Aimz!) And lunchtime yesterday I indulged in a wee bit of retail therapy to perk myself up:

What did I buy you ask? Those little curvy mirror frames that you can see in the left of the photo. They stick onto the wall (although I've blu-tacked them up) and I put a couple of my favourite postcards that I received in swaps years ago in them. As I'm renting, I've been using those 3M removable picture hooks...but with the hot weather, I had three come off the wall, so I'm a bit loathe now to hang anything solid up above my little glass collection (as two framed prints, and a mirror have fallen off in that spot, but miraculously nothing broke). The curly stuff will also match something I'm currently coveting from Ikea.
The other thing I bought in my cheer-up-retail-therapy was a set of these, I was excited to find them in the gift shop across from work as I'd been eyeing them online but could only find them on overseas sites. Oh and an orange felt table mat from Annabel Trends as you know I'm loving orange these days. When you're depressed, nest? hmm....

Some industriousness

Most of Saturday I was cranky and irritable (damn hormones) and it was too hot to tackle the outside world anyway, so I spent the day pottering around at home. I managed to clean up the spare room, which was starting to look like a bomb site, as I'd just been stowing things in there willy-nilly to keep them out of Ninja's reach. After stowing all my knitting projects safely in the wardrobe away from little paws, I packed up the Christmas tree, and then felt an urge to delve in my box of fabric. (Only one box? No I'm not some sort of fabric-hating crafter, but atthe moment I only have one box of fabric here, as nearly everything else I own is back at the other house still.) The idea in my mind was to put the Japanese prints together to make some sort of quilt cover. But as usual I became distracted, this time by a piece of Alexander Henry's 'Buffet' print fabric. Earlier in the day I'd moved some curtains to the front window (after shutting Ninja in the bathroom so I could actually hang the damn things without a small kitten entangled) so I had curtains on the brain. Some crooked sewing later (well I had started on the bourbon), and a moment of crankiness after I realised I had to cut a new elastic for the kitchen window, I had a new "curtain" of sorts:


The other noteworthy achievement of my day? If you recall, Ikea self-assembly furniture and I do not get along. I decided that I was sick of the tin locker sitting in the spare room as a testament to my inepitude, and set to it with a screwdriver. After bending the joints, I actually levered the top off and turned it around the right way... this meant that I could finally attach the door. The hinge is still not sitting properly though, but at least it has a door now. Hurrah.

The sad part of the story is that you know I'll go back and get more Ikea furntiure. And try and assemble it myself. And fail. And get cranky. And have someone fix it for me. And go back for more furniture... and...

Authentic nanna-core

I was browing realestate.com.au and found a property that my guess is a deceased estate, or maybe someone moving to a retirement home. The loungeroom wowed me with it's authentic nanna-esqe decor. I think it's quite charming.

Nanna core #1

Something I did buy...this pair of little needlework pictures, from the framing label on the back, I'd say they date from around the early 60's. Last night my mate Mel and I hung them next to my front door, and had a nanna core decorating moment. Hooray.

Oh golly

I appear to have E-bayed this 1961 Laminex buffet today. Will it look good in the new villa? Let's hope so!