Blogs, around the house.

One often reads posts where a blogger declares that “…blogging has given me so much!”, & I would have to agree, literally.

I love that I can go in almost any room of my house & see things that have come from other Bloggers – things I saw & wanted (needed!) or things they saw or made & thought I would like.

It makes our little cottage even more cosy, so I thought I’d share a glimpse of just some of the things that really make our house a (blogger’s) home.

(Punk’s room: Pyjama monster & rainbow haired doll from Sam. Vintage fabric lap quilt from Deb. Suspence’s room: Tiny ted from Jess, SUPER robot softie from Cath, plaid bunny from Jennie. My room: Many brooches from Cam, one from Liz & one from Cinti’s shop. The lounge room: Chooky pin-cushion from Alex. On the way to the laundry: Singlet from Bec, Skirt from Kate & another lovely dress from Alex. Kitchen: WELL used 80’s-esque tea towel from Nic.)

My Creative Space…

…WIP shame.

With unpacking & re-organising has come the discovery of some Works In Progress I had totally forgotten about… so my space this week is going to document them so that perhaps I will feel some sort of obligation to get rid of them.

First things first however – I have to admit that there are only three WIPs to follow – but there most assuredly should be more. You see, I give up easily. If something is going completely & utterly wrong, or not turning out as I want it to… well… it’s GONE. And I feel no remorse. Ever. Which means, these three things hanging around require completion, of some sort, at some point.

I have allocated my wee little Sunjoy case (anybody with any clue as to what Sunjoy is/was yet?!) to be my WIP case of shame – it’s big enough to fit my current WIPs in, and maybe a couple more, but if it gets full – THAT’S IT. I’ll be putting my foot down… erm… with myself… and demanding action.

Right’o, enough waffle: What’s in the case:

• One vintage circular table cloth, with hole cut in the middle. Was thinking of making something a step up from this.

• One Ruby doll in pieces, was excited from this, but then became…. less so.

• One headless, armless, naked & faceless dolly – sister to my Softie for Mirabel, originally intended for Punky for Christmas. *coughs*

Another WIP is my actual crafty/creative space, the loft. It is coming along, but it’s not quite right yet. I do wish I had unlimited funds & easy IKEA access, but alas, I am having to make do with what I’ve got… just trying to tie it all together somehow…

 

For more creative spaces, hosted by the creative genius herself, head on over to Kirsty’s.

My Creative Space…

…again at last!

Oh it does feel good to be participating in this meme again – yet as is my way, I’m not really doing it properly… again… sorry Kirsty… you are very patient.

Since I showed y’all my not terribly creative, messy, cluttered space yesterday, and since, unfortunately, it’s only gotten worse since then… I’m showing you The Boy’s creative space instead.

It involves paint, pickets, nails & screws turning into a rather exciting yet soooooooooo slow to materialise… PICKET FENCE!

I can’t say that I am someone that has always dreamed of a white picket fence – my dream home always included a small railway track for getting from room to room – but it’s looking pretty schmick, me thinks.

Unfortunately it is a loooooooooooong way off being finished, The Boy & his boss/helper have consistently underestimated the number of pickets needed, so right now all the painted pickets are up, more are being painted & more still are yet to be bought…

Head here for more luffly spaces, and to play along! (‘tis fun, really!)

Loft Schmoft.

*sigh*

I thought the loft, my lovely, pretty, sun drenched loft, would come together sooooooo easily. I thought it would be my retreat from the rest of house as it languished in cardboard boxes & mocked me with it’s desperate need for “things to be done”, but… oh how I was wrong!

I need to paint! I need more storage! I can’t believe I am even thinking this, let alone saying it… but… I have too much junk! Everything up here is somehow craft related though – wool I’ll never use, fabric that I can’t even see, BUTTONS, craft books, glue, paint… enough to keep a dedicated crafter busy for a year or more without bringing in any new supplies… if only I were a dedicated crafter!

I need to cull but I know I won’t, so the next best thing is going to have to be organisation… wish me luck!

Yesterday.

Wow yesterday was a busy day! Instead of continuing to pack & ferry boxes from here to The Cottage, like perhaps a normal person would, I took Punk ‘sailing, went to an auction & ripped up carpet….

The garage sales yesterday were nothing to write home about, but, the auction… my FIRST auction… oh. Yeah.

It was SO FUN. And interesting as far as people watching goes. And CHEAP. Punky was awesome for ageeeeeeeeeees, but when she had finally had had enough I had purchased a whole bunch of goodness for $25.

We were a tad late so things had already commenced by the time we got there. I went & registered & bid on the first thing up when I got back – a box of ‘knitting’ stuff, for $1. I hadn’t looked in the box but I thought I could give the wool to Gran… imagine my delight when I got it back to the cottage later & found a ye olde kiddie’s craft book, some more copies of Golden Hands and a super cute sweater someone had made on their knitting machine that was a PERFECT FIT. It was such a weird yet marvellous coincidence.

I also got some more enamel ware, a pretty old sifter, cookie cutters, this gorgeous old lamp:

…and a PRISTINE portable record player… yum.

After lunch I decided to see what was under the carpet. There was happiness – joy – surprise & disappointment! I tell you… this house has it all.

Happiness – that the boards in the first room look fine & solid. Not very pretty but better than carpet…!

Joy – that the hall & Punky’s room had different, BEAUTIFUL, wide plank floorboards. I held my breath, hoping that it was only the first room that was different….

Surprise – that not only was the ‘lounge’ different… it is painted… black.

Disappointment – That our room has most of the sticky black rubber backing from the carpet underlay adhered to it….

The good news is that it comes off easily with some paint stripper, which is today’s job, after I rip up the rest of the tacking.

The Boy wonders why I have more enthusiasm for ripping up carpet & pulling out nails than I had for painting pickets (which he had to do because I kept ignoring it…)… or for packing even… He doesn’t understand that I’m actually making a difference over there. That the smell has diminished. That it already feels so much more open. That this, is my thing.

Right. Don’t Say You Weren’t Warned.

“Before” (…or “now”) photos….

Hall….

Punky’s Room:

Loft:

Lounge Room:

Our Room:

“The Kitchen”….

….The Bathroom?!

Laundry.

Bungalow/Playroom. Yes… it has grass growing in it….

….AND, the wardrobe & drawers were gone. Pfft.

I only got the keys at 4.30, so the light wasn’t that great. We’ll be moving in slowly – over the next week & a bit, so it might be a bit quieter here for a little while. Or it might not. Knowing me.

YAY!

Now I just have to gradually pack/declutter & WAIT, wait, wait, until the end of February!

Wordy Wednesday….

All this talk of houses & buying has reminded me of our first buy – a teeny weenie little one bedroom unit in North Sydney. I found a couple of photos of it a few weeks back…. it really was so small – compounded by my bower birding, which itself was at a chronic stage, due to my rather close proximity to many, many, many glorious Opshops & hard earned Borders bucks burning a hole in my pocket.

We loved living there (almost getting teary just thinking about it now… *sniffles*), it was an amazing location with everything at our fingertips. The Boy could walk to work & I had about an hour shaved off my travel time to get to Bondi Junction, with pleasant diversions along the way, like a wander around Town Hall in the mornings, enjoying the bustle, a coffee, a spot of early morning shopping.

It was a pleasant stroll to Lunar Park, or too a plethora of great restaurants at Milsons Point, where we could get a take away meal and sit under the Harbour bridge to enjoy it. A stroll across the bridge to The Rocks was not uncommon. Circular Quay, with it’s Museum of Contemporary Art, street performers & kitschy restaurant where the menus are printed in a newspaper, was a favourite haunt of mine.

I’d go out on Friday nights with my friends and be able to make it home in a cab quicker & cheaper than ever, enjoying the bright city lights on the way.

I shopped at the markets in Haymarket, dragging my Nanna trolley through throngs of people to find the cheapest bananas, enjoying the hawker’s pleas and the busy energy of the place. I’d wander for ages in the Asian supermarket, wondering at everything exotic & stocking up on mock chicken nuggets.

Glebe & Glebe markets made me incredibly happy. Those of you in Sydney will know how great Glebe markets are, how nice the vibe is, how interesting the stuff is… Glebe markets are my kind of markets, and Glebe my kind of place.

Ah.

City living.

Sydney living.

Now, we are going to be living in a three bedroom house (hopefully… contracts yet to be signed, butterflies have taken up permanent residency in my stomach!), still small, but not that small, and my Opshopping….?! Well, there may not be as many Oppies here, but the few that are here serve me well! I am able to buy furniture, something unthinkable for our tiny unit.

I have no Borders bucks… or even a Borders, but we live simpler now. No longer is every second meal bought out, no longer do I buy new clothes a couple of times a week, just because they are there, and no longer do I want or need to.

Now, I have a gorgeous, crazy, energetic, cheeky daughter. The coolest little kid I’ve ever come across, who makes my life pre-Punk seem almost lacklustre. I laugh every single day, get more hugs than I can count and feel so very blessed and lucky. The Boy has to work less, and gets to spend quality time with the child of ours, out and about in the country air.

I can look forward to a time when I can take Punky back to Sydney – the city where she was born no less – and show her the sights. I remember the excitement of visiting Melbourne when I was a kid here, I think Sydney in all her glory for a will-be-country kid will be unforgettable. Taronga zoo, The Harbour, more sushi than she could eat….!

Everything made that much more special by it’s otherness, and sharing it with people that love you more than anything else in the world.