Shiny happy me.....

Today I paid a visit to my Mum and Dads house and as usual I go for a fossick to see what I can have...  Mum doesn't mind and happily handed over a few bits and pieces that she no longer wants.  The first was this silver platter.  It certainly didn't look like this at first.  It was heavily tarnished.

 












Even this photo is after some serious effort with the Silvo and elbow grease.  I then decided to google how to clean silver and came up with the following.  You place your silverware in a tray lined with al-foil and then sprinkle over generously with Bi-carbonate Soda.  Boil the kettle and pour over - leave for a little while.  Then I used an old tooth brush to polish away the tarnish.  It really did the job and I think the trick is to keep up the boiling water.  I have put it on the kitchen bench with my little white jug holding our teaspoons.

I have a thing for silverware at the moment and I even won a tray on Ebay - I hope it is as nice in real life as it was in the picture.  My other little treasures included a small glass cake plate and I took on an idea Katrina posted about here and placed my perfume bottles on it in the bedroom.

My other treasures included this serving tray, milk jug and sugar bowl in glass and an old pewter mug (again with the silver theme) that belonged to my Dad.

So all in all, quite a thrifty day!

Have a great week!

Jenny

Desk makeover...

This is my latest Ebay find and I have decided to make it my desk for the time being.   It  currently lives in my bedroom whilst I make up my mind about its location.  The opening is very narrow so I need to find a suitable chair.  As in all good posts, below are the images of its transformation......

Quite a good deal at $22.50 and so much closer to home this time!  I have learned about the distance thingy on Ebay - Phew! 

A little bit of patching was needed here and there...

A good coat of primer...  I used a brush and roller for this project - no spray gun....

Then I decided to try blue.  This is called 'whimsy' in half strength.  A bit how I felt at the time.

I gave it the shabby chic treatment with some course sandpaper.  It was a big decision to do this, as it looked quite nice all in blue, but I think I am happy with the result.  I also gave it a once over with a vanish/stain/glaze to tone down the colour slightly and give it a bit of an aged look.  A couple of crystal knobs and ta da!

What do you think?

I am still working on a bookcase makeover, a large frame project and our entrance, so keeping busy on painting front! 

Have a great week.

Jenny

Friday flower....

A simple flower from my garden to bring some sort of happiness to the end of a very tragic week here in Queensland.  If there are any bloggers out there in the Brisbane area that need some help in cleaning up on the weekend, please feel free to email me.  I think Ben and I plan to just head in and help where we can.  Ben has registered as a volunteer but we haven't heard anything yet, they must be inundated...  We have a water pressure/gurny machine so I am sure that will be needed to wash down houses and paths.  Plenty of buckets, chux, mops and dis-infectant on the ready..

It has been really nice to read the many well wishes from other bloggers from Australia and other countries in fact.  I think we also need to give credit to Anna Bligh - Queenslands Premier who is doing an amazing job under extreme circumstances.  Politics aside she is just what the state needs right now.

Have a lovely weekend everyone and think of the many Queenslanders still mopping up or in fact still without a home.....

Jenny

Tell me when the rain will stop!!!!!

I know most Queenslanders are OVER this rain.  It has been constant and devastating for many who have been flooded out.  I went to the shops today, just to get out of the house and even in one of the stationery shops, things felt damp.  Damp, damp, damp everywhere.  Is anyone else fighting the mould/mildew battle?  I have spent most of today cleaning the bathroom walls, ceilings and wardrobes - wiping things over with hot soapy water and domestos!  Not the most glamorous of things to blog about but it is reality here in Brisbane at present. A soon as you open a window, it start pounding down with rain. Any chance of tradies at present is next to zero. 

My weekend was spent helping hubby organise his new shed with 3 heavy construct yourself boxes of shelving from Bunnings - honestly we are gluttons for this DIY construction stuff!  Anyway, there is now order in the shed and I think Ben can see the light.  It seemed like the shed was never going to get done....  As they say behind every great man is a great woman pushing!!!! 

Martha Stewart - We could only wish!

Our list of projects this year is a little less glamorous for blog world but is all part and parcel of renovating I guess.  Some of the jobs to be done include;

• Termite treatment - very necessary when living on acreage
• New gutters - the water is currently pouring over them and yes they are clear just old and not enough downpipes
• Painting a number of rooms - Does this ever really end?
• Concreting - Front of shed (necessary for ease in hitching up camp trailer)
• New fly screens
• Floorboards - Downstairs
• Heating - Downstairs before winter
• Garden - Everything we wanted to do these holidays but got rained out

We will see how much of this we get through by December!  This will be my check off list.  I can at least check off Jacobs wardrobe - phew, one down many to go....  Keep working hubby xxx

I hope to get back to some furniture painting very soon!  I made another little Ebay purchase I want to share...

In the meantime, I hope everyone is coping in the big wet.

Jenny

A little room update...

There is not a lot of gardening happening as planned these Christmas holidays....  between the rain and then the horrible humidity, there is not a lot of energy left to get out there and pull weeds or dig garden beds. So today I dragged everyone to IKEA to find a wardrobe for Jacobs room.  The ironing rail I was using has had its day!    We had success as you can see and also managed to find a little TV cabinet to house the Xbox 360 which Hugh has kindly handed down since he now has the latest and greatest play station thanks to money received from birthday and Christmas.   

We got home around 3pm and made a start....

Does this scene resemble IKEA construction at your house?

Ben finished the TV cabinet in lightening speed and we set up the Xbox and TV (which doesn't support high definition but will do Jacob for movies and playing xbox).  The wardrobe was a little more tricky and took us quite a while longer to sort....... By 7.30pm we were done and dusted and even had time to do a quick zhush before taking photos.  (By zhush, I mean pick up all the toys off the floor and straighten the bed - it was quite a mess as it should be when you are 6 and busy playing with all of your Christmas toys).

Resting after all the work - and what better show to watch than Toy story 3 - received for Christmas (thanks Nanna M). 

Sorry about the pics, must need to clean the lense?











Now onto something new....  I would like to introduce you to a new blog A cream cottage by a local Brisbane girl called Ange.  Ange and her husband have recently purchased their very first home and are enjoying putting their stamp on it to make it a home.  Please pay her a visit and welcome her to blogworld. 

 I am back into painting and have a number of pieces to do.  I have started on a bookcase which I will reveal shortly.  Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas break for those who are lucky enough to have this week off.

Jenny

Out with the old and in with the new....

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations with family and friends.  We are home again now after our trek down to Melbourne along the Newell highway, where we thought we would be held up by floods but to our surprise we managed to get a clear run.  We were amazed by the amount of water on the sides of the highway and I have never seen the Murray River so high.

We arrived safely and dutifully delivered the bedside tables to my sister who was very happy with them.  Here is a picture of them in situ - they just need some crystal knobs which she has since done.

On the way home we traveled to Bowral in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.  We set camp at the Bundanoon National Park and did a night bush walk with our torches and head lights - the two boys and myself were a little freaked everytime we heard a noise - but as hubby pointed out it was only Kangaroos hopping through the bush....  Anyway, it was all worth it when we got to our destination to see the magic of the glow worms.  It was like a fairy city of lights - a truly amazing.spectacle.

 




Can you see the boys?

Bowral was a gorgeous little town and in fact the whole area was like a cottage town you would see in England.  Beautiful gardens and homes....  I thought this one looked a little french provincial.

I loved all the shopping but only bought a couple of items which I will share later on.  I think this post is long enough....    All the best for 2011 and I look forward to catching up on everyones blog over the next few days.

Jenny