Op Shopping find.

I scouted around a number of op shops this week and was feeling a little despondent until I came across a couple of treasures that I knew would be right at home on my very humble bedroom dresser table. I say humble because the table was purchased by my mum via e-bay in a last minute bid that made it just "too good to be true". It's absolutely gorgeous and fits the room perfectly. Whilst I've played around a little with decorating it, the little adventurous fingers of my small children prevent me from displaying anything keep-sake or valuable. I thought I'd see if they could resist temptation for 24 hours, placing a few rings in the glass jewellery bowl but they literally disappeared in 5 seconds. I was smart enough to plant a few decoy jewellery pieces in the event that I was unable to find them again. My daughter has taken to putting everything in the toilet bowl so I was one step ahead of her (for a change). All my nice perfume, necklaces and earings are relegated to a very high cupboard where unfortunately because I struggle to see them, often don't get used.

My little items that I purchased this week include the glass jewelery bowl with the gold trim and the mirror that I've placed it on. In addition, I found this beautiful jug to add to my vast collection of jugs that I've rescued from Op shops and markets over the last few months.

Hope your flea market/op shopping was a successful one.

Reviving some vintage pieces

My grandmother's silver wear had been hiding in packing boxes in a dark and damp garage for many, many years. 

I felt it was time to dust them off

give them a new home

and make them practical for the kids to enjoy!

The kids love pulling this out to use when they have a creative moment and want to draw.

My mum actually purchased this planter bowl for me. I think the building blocks are far more practical than a plant.

I have a little idea for this one. I plan to fill it full of affirmation cards for my children to read 

each day.

Do you have any idea's you'd like to share on how I can make other vintage pieces 
kid friendly?

The woes of shopping!

When I am plagued with interior design ideas and yet none of them seem the right fit, I throw it in and go outside to play. I then look around and realise there's just about as much stuff to do outside as there is inside. This is usually when I am at my most dangerous. 

Whilst I will labour over a decision to buy a $1 Op shop treasure, it appears I have no reservation in spending my life savings on plants and pretty flowers to adorn my front yard. 

I blame it on Anne of Green Gables. Those high-falutin' English cottages with their dainty but incredibly expensive perennials with names like Lily of the Valley and Lady's Mantle conjure up such whimsy and romance that you're convinced Colin Firth is going to pop by for a spot of tea.

How on earth do you remain a discerning shopper when your local nursery cunningly displays their most prettiest and alluring scented flowers just as you breeze through their front door's? Whilst I'd like to think I have the bank balance equal to those that sit at the very top of our social hierarchy, shelling out $250 on 12 plants just about crippled me! They might look great in the dirt now, but I'll be eating bread and water until the next pay day.

My gorgeous little one captured ripping the heads off flowers from their young stems. That's ok - we can buy more!!!!

Beautiful Collections

If you've ever felt guilty for hoarding, collecting, gathering, accumulating, stockpiling or just have a passion for, or obessed with an assortment of treasures, I've found a site that will justify, validate, and rationalise every piece you've ever bought or found.

To view these collections and more, visit A Collection a Day, 2010.

Have a great week!

Pick up of the week!

My op shop purchase this week is a humble little thing, probably owned by a little Nana many years ago. It reminds me of my grandma who had a very similar one and loved nothing better than to dust off the good china (that I have since inherited and is shown above) and polish up the silver wear for a spot of tea with her guests. "One lump or two dear?" Grandma would ask as she poured you a tea to warm the cockles and ease you in to conversation about the weather and local updates on her neighbours Mavis and George. 

Whilst Grandma may have questioned the alternative use to honour this op shop piece, I think she would have loved knowing that it bought back a memory that made me smile and reminded me just how special she was. 

For more Op Shop finds, visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures.

Sharing a treasured space with the ones you love

Its inspiring when you see the fruits of someone's labour in re-designing a house to make it a home.

There is tremendous satisfaction and joy in "making do with what you have", valuing the important things in life and sharing a treasured space with the ones you love.

The couple who own this 1917 apartment have invested countless hours over the years putting together a home overflowing with personality, yet curated within the constraints of a very limited budget (much of their home is furnished with hand-me-downs and garage sale finds). 

For more photos of this wonderful apartment, go to Apartment Therapy.

And as for my little humble abode, I continue to add touches of our family's personality with a simple reminder of what makes us happy:

Love & Freckles (of the chocolate kind)!

Rustic Italian Guesthouse anyone?

As I nurse Mr Lycra back to health after his first hip operation (yes, unfortunately there is another one on its way), I dream of one day visiting a little Italian village like this. Ok, so its not that little, but a girl can dream.