JUST LOVE MY STASH OF VINTAGE LINEN & LACE...

Hi ladies..

Probably my last post...well maybe?? before Christmas...who knows??

SOO if soo..MERRY CHRISTMAS & great NEW YEAR to everyone..

OKAY..this post is about my TOTAL OBSESSION with VINTAGE LINEN & LACE..

I have collected vintage tablecloths for many a year..with my gorgeous "nanna" embroidering them for as long as I can remember...(she died aged 86 yo some 22 yrs ago)...BUT i can still remember her sitting in her rocker...knitting...sewing..

I was always at NANNAS house....watching her cook/sew..& WHINGE about everyone!!! and when she had a headache..she always tied an old STOCKING around her head?? not sure how that worked...??

I used to curl her hair...tease it up...style it..and give a little spray to hold...

the good old days...!!

anyway...I guess this love of STUFF stemmed from my nanna...& of course my MUM has sooooooooo much STUUUUUFFF ... of everything...

soo i have been busy putting together heaps of my VINTAGE linen/doilies/runners etc to sell on ebay...

I have also bought a lot on ebay & oztion...so have amassed quite a collection.

& OF course had to dye some gorgeous edgings PINK...

hanging on line to dry..

PLUS an awesome lot of little crochet flowers etc...also dyed pink...

with the water restrictions in Melbourne...my garden is ... well!!!

THERE IS NONE really....

BUT look at my little patch of hydrangeas....how lovely are they?? with NO WATER...they just keep blooming each year...

I am soo very proud of these guys...(OR GIRLS)...

I cut some today to place in a little glass jar in the kitchen as I had a little "tea party" for my mum & dad's OLDEST FRIENDS...they are both 88 yo..!!

so with my mum & dad...& them...& me...OKAY...aggregate age was...

401 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay....off to watch Kylies Christmas show on foxtel...LOVE her shows...!

xx andrea

AWESOME WEEKEND VINTAGE FINDS..VERY HAPPY!!

Hi ladies....

I have had a WONDERFUL weekend finding BITS & BOBS.

PLUS having BYRON home for 24 HOURS!!!!

Anyway...will keep it brief...whilst down "the street" on friday...I saw a cupboard just LEFT outside the back of shops..?? MMMM when going to my car after shopping at 2.30 pm..thought it was a beauty...

When hubby came home for us to go out to dinner at 6.30 pm..made him drive past..just to see if it was still sitting there unwanted...AND YES!! it WAS...

AND as hubby just happens to have the car to fit it into...YES!! so it is now mine to makeover!!

And yesterday ventured to one of my favourite FLEA/JUNK market HAUNTS & found LOTS of lovely goodies...from POODLE STUFF!! to soo much linen & lace..

vintage suitcases....plastic 50's dolls heads...dollies...gorgeous BARKCLOTH material...GREAT tin for $5.00!!..gorgeous ROSES TAPESTRY.....

PLUS lots of LOVELY VINTAGE SHABBY CHIC CARDS...I LOVE OLD CARDS..especially with roses etc on them...& FOUND one with the OLD 21st CARD still attached.. how gorgeous is this one???

I have just dyed LOTS of this gorgeous linen PINK...hanging on the line to dry...

SOO i have to say I have actually HAD a quite productive weekend...

as WELL as having eldest SON home for a little bit!!

sorry photos are OUT of sequence AGAIN...but I dare NOT try to change as I will probably LOSE them all!!

xx andrea

TECHNOLOGY..GADGETS..A TOTAL LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP!!!!!

Hi ladies....hope you are all having a great productive week!!

Well, I dont know about you but I think I kind of have a real LOVE/HATE relationship with MODERN technology!!

I am 52 yo...and as a little girl, everything was quite basic...no computers..no microwaves..no fancy tvs with everything just black & white with just 4 channels closing down at midnight!!...no dvds..no videos even!!...OLD big RECORD players playing the OLD vinyls..??

NO mobile phones...no faxes......(younger readers are probably thinking what a NEANDERTHOL I AM!!!)....

BUT somehow...we all seemed to survive & communicate & still enjoy our lives.

Dont get me wrong...I LOVE my computer..my big flat screen tv..etc etc...BUT BUT ..

when things go wrong...or you dont know how to change the channel as you have soo many gadgets you have to deal with?? the pleasure kind of dissipates..

My problems started the other night when i went to MICROWAVE SOMETHING.

OKAY...IT BLEW UP...(must say after 22 yrs of service this microwave has done US proud)..

BUT then that caused my TV to blow up..& my home alarm system...(all hooked onto the same circuit i guess)..

SOO HOME ALONE...went to OUR store room..as I knew i would have to reset the safety switch..

soo tried again with the microwave...BLEW UP again...

OKAY...rang byron (my son) in qld (as you do..)...he talked me through pressing a hundred thousand buttons on 5 x different channel changers...didnt work..

rang foxtel...press this button for this problem...press another for something else..

NO person to talk to...ALL AUTOMATED!!! said to ring back in 30 minutes!!!

didnt work!!

OKAY rang Byron again...he said go to the BIG REMOTE..press a certain button and see if that works...VOILA....

FOXTEL was back on track...thank goodness for that...

so I have purchased a NEW microwave today....

BUT in between the internet has gone PSYCHO with my provider...down for 24 hrs the other day...

IN & out today...getting VERY GRUMPY...

BUT OF course you ring the provider...& transferred to a call centre off shore with limited ENGLISH???

I LOVE MY MODERN LIFE......BUT i sometimes still just think how nice it was being SIMPLISTIC ??? back when i was a little girl....

YES...I know i dont REALLY mean it...BUT it was a very very NICE time in life...

lovely ladies similar to my age will/may empathise with me...i think??

the problems us OLDER WOMEN FACE???!!

xx andrea

HAVING A LITTLE PLAY AROUND RE XMAS DECS..& LISTING OF COURSE!!

Hi again ladies...

I did purchase some lovely Christmas decorations yesterday..

I bought TWO of the TIN hearts..have added my red/white gingham ribbon & tied to the front balcony door...?? the other one will go on my FRONT entrance doors...

Bought these hearts from another YUMMY little NEW shop JUST opened in williamstown..very french chic...gorgeous...(another shop I will have to blog about)...!!

I DO NOT like the proverbial Green Wreath type arrangement....I actually much prefer the Scandinavian look?? much more simple...clean..just NICE..if you get my drift..which i think that TiN heart kind of represents..well to me anyway...,

I am not going to put up a BIG tree this year as I find it a bit too cumbersome & not totally necessary with both boys adults...and ONE not even being able to be home for christmas... AGAIN!!

last yr he was studying in Japan...before that in England....!!

I would JUST LOVE him to be able to come home...so if you read this...CAN YOU

SURPRISE ME!!!! ?????? (dont answer that...as then it wouldnt be a surprise!!)...

SOO i decorate the PROVERBIAL bane of my life in our middle room...THE TABLE TENNIS TABLE...(but to be honest I quite like it there as i can PLONK all my shopping on it...put my ebay stuff i have to list & PLONK that on it!!

AND everything else when going from ONE end of the house to the other!! soo poor Christian NEVER gets to play table tennis with his mates as it is ALWAYS FULL of MY STUFF!! ha ha!!)...

anyway....have kind of started decorating THIS table for Christmas..Little tree...with some lovely FAUX gingerbread decs...

paper napkins..& some gift tags etc...sugar candy thingeys!! just a start...Just looking at it?? not sure if i even want these colours??

DECISIONS...DECISIONS!!

plus listing stuff on ebay per usual....AND of course those photos have appeared ahead of my decs...!! CAN NEVER get the order right.even when i try to cut & drag and stuff N that!!

have a great week!!

xx andrea

OOOOHHH!!! I DO LOVE A GOOD THUNDERSTORM!!

Hi ladies...

well sitting at my laptop on my frenchy little table AND have just LOVED the BIG thunderstorm passing through...

I love thunder and lightening...dark clouds...THAT eerie feeling ..

I guess as we DONT get it that much here in Melbourne...when we dOOO i LOVE IT!!

although i must admit I have just rung christian who is playing GOLF!! of all things in this weather...left him a message to stop playing..but havent heard back from him...so i guess he has his phone in his buggy & is safe & sound!!

It has now passed through...BUT she was a beauty...lightening...thunder...& in between I am listing goodies on ebay & watching the aussies playing cricket against the west indies on the tv in the other room!!

I JUST LOVE watching the BIG gorgeous CONTAINER SHIP passing by....& slowing fading away in the background against the storm..last photo shows how she is almost "GONE"!!!.../not visible...

the pleasures of living by the BAY in beautiful Melbourne!!

the scenery is every changing...I LOVE IT!!

xx andrea