Books and More Books, Finally.

Merry Happy Holidays and all that stuff!! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Chrissie!! I was able to finally finish of the Masion book shop in the week I had off. In between frantic many, many last minute trips to shops and school finishing and a lot of other things I can't even remember anymore!! I have the Maison for a little while. It is off to University next year and so I have it to get those last couple of things I couldn't get to before done. Nearly 300 books, 100 I bought from Lilliputstreasures on Etsy. Shelves are filled with scrolls of all sorts of things, letters and postcards, lost cup of tea. I am always doing that. A few of my nieces favorite things like the movie Amelie. Edith Piaf, Moscow ballet, vintage photographs and Audrey Hepburn. I discovered fake drawers are a good way to fill shelves as well. 

Hoo roo and if I don't talk to you sooner Happy New Year!!!!

Carriexx

Some Kitchen Progress

 Hello everyone!! I hope this finds you well!!!

I have been making some real progress (despite it being school holidays, miracle!!) and took a few photos while the light was good this afternoon. I have been working on the kitchen mostly. Such a small space but kitchens are so full to brimming with goodies and a wonderful way of including so much colour and interest. Years ago I tackled making my own mini food. I got one of Angie Scarrs books and dived right on in. I went nuts and made a lot of things, bread and veg mostly. I do love making bread..... but anyways over the years my stash had dwindled somewhat. All my peaches were gone. I have no memory of ever giving them away but alas they are no longer here. So I found all my fimo and the weird things I had used as tools and thought for sure they would be yick by now but no!!! After four years they were all still good and my hands were strong enough from making 10,000+ plates that I didn't need the pasta machine to soften it. BONUS!! Which is so really good as I have no idea where the thing is now. Gah don't you hate that about moving!! I don't know where my sewing machine is either. ??? So peaches adorn my cheap shop divided box once again. Along with a mountain of spuds, eggs, carrots, zucchini, apples, pears, parsnips and of course a loaf of bread. Love  making bread. I also now had some Scenic Water to make jams and preserves. Love Scenic Water, so very easy to use and not messy. So now there are jars full of things suspended in liquid. I resisted the urge to put a teeny eyeball in with the pickled onions. I did say it was school holidays and my boys are starting to affect me. Kitchen is looking better already. There are some brilliant tuts on YouTube so I also had a go at some puddings and pies. Bikkies and muffins and things shall be tackled on the weekend!! Every Aussie house needs lamo (lamingtons) and some Iced Vovos! But anyhoos here are some photos I took this arvo between watering the yard and getting dinner sorted. Dinner never sorts itself out despite me having waited years for it to do so. Lazy dinner.

My mate Sue from MiniCrochetMad made me the teeny crocheted pot holder hanging of the stove knob. Her work always amazes me. I have a lovely tea cosy she made as well that I was going to photograph but thought better of it. Red and black colouring, chalk dust mess, teeny delicate pretty thing...chances of them touching remote but possible. So it has stayed in it's little container till I clean it all up.

BREAD! I know, it a thing. It there on the butchers block. I had to make a strange tall loaf as there isn't much bench space and there must be bread!

The vase of sunny flowers I bought from Minicler on Etsy. I think they are just perfect for this room

Tis all for now. Real life kitchen now needs to be cleaned up. That doesn't happen on it's own either and I have given it as much time as dinner sorting. 

Hoo roo!!

Carriexx

Old Laurels Sitting Room

Good evening. I am nearly finished with this room. I will let is sit for a while and see what it needs. But I have put up a few photos anyway. Sorry for the quality. This room is so small that only my Iphone could fit in there.

Looking in from the kitchen. Sewing box to be filled next.

Secretaire desk full of treasures and everyday paraphernalia. Every draw is filled. If there is a draw I have to have it full of something. Took me the better part of two days to fill this and the dresser. Note to self: next less time less drawers.

Maps!! I have a love for maps. Comes from watching my dad pour over them before every trip we ever went on. I do it now when ever we are about to hit the road. GPS doesn't always work!

The shells I collected from the beaches here in Townsville. Spending one lazy afternoon sitting on the beach I discovered drifts of the tiniest shells. Some are barely 3mm across and are perfect! It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. My parents favourite books stacked on top. Hardy Boys mysteries and The Picture of Dorain Gray. The Hobbit is lying around somewhere.

Everything is glued into place. As this house will be making a journey of 1500km when it is finished I felt that maybe it would be a good idea to glue it all down. I made the fountain pen by sanding down a tooth pick. For the metal nib I just used the soft foil from a spent tea light. For the blotter pad I just used a black sharpie to fill in a bought laser cut doily.

Ah there's The Hobbit!! Along with The Bobsy Twins.

This beautiful lady will hang in the main room. The dresser is for another project. Tapping into more of my European roots for my next project which is well on it's way.

Thanks for dropping by!!! Be safe and well in all that you do!!

Carriexx

Old Laurel Bedroom.

Good day all. I hope this post finds you well!

It has been a goodly while since I have posted. Real life stuff got very busy. Had a house move. Big house move. Won't be doing that again anytime soon but my new house is just lovely and so worth the effort. Crisp white vj walls, french doors, tall ceilings and casement windows for sea breezes. Nearly a 100 years old. But all the modern things that matter as well. A huge back garden that is already full of newly planted trees and shrubs. Grow, grow, grow please!! This glorious pink beauty of a tree is out the front of my house. These trees line many streets in Townsville, flowering in mid winter after loosing all their leaves. Just beautiful. I have found some time for myself and been working on the Old Laurels. Thought of focusing on one room and not a general rabble of all over that I usually do. The attic room still needs those final small touches but it is a good start. So here are a couple of pictures of so far.

I made the bed using electrical plastic covered wire, florists wire, brass stampings and card. Painted it all black. It sags in the middle which I just love. I had a bed like that when I was at university. My back would ache so much but it was such a pretty bed!! The bike ride to lectures in the frosty morning air usually fixed it though. Other parts of me would hurt more ha!!

The beautiful pillows are from Celeste at TheLittleQuiltShoppe. I am allergic to sewing, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it!! Ha, I think all my years of sewing to save money in those early mothering years has turned me off sewing somewhat.

The wonderful perfume bottles and vanity tray with delicate goodies are from Elizabeth at StudioEMinis. They are really lovely and I always just love how Elizabeth can execute so much character into something so small. Soon as I saw the tray and items I knew it would be just perfect for this dresser in this house and it is .

I couldn't find any fabric that suited what I wanted for dressing the bed so I printed them all. It really is easier and I don't have to venture out into the crazy that is called traffic either. You can't quite make it out in these photos and I will take more at a later date but on the bed folded is a quilt from Diane at ShabbyMiniQuilts. Her work really is amazing and I just love it. For the window treatment I used a 1/24 window laser cut pelmet and laces from my old stash. I love the tatted work. I found it in a box of vintage laces I bought from a flea market years ago. Reminds me of my grandmother. The rugs I printed out as well. Wicker baskets and slippers I made yonks ago as well. I need to make more and I think I have forgotten how to.

Tis all for now. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and be well in all that you do!

Carriexx

Mini Progress

A hoyhoy!! 

I have been making some progress with the Coventry kit bash that is the Old Laurels. I managed to get a couple of pictures in late this afternoon. Sorry they are so dark. I will take some more down the road a bit. Lots of colour for this house. William Morris fabrics and wallpaper. Traditional pieces as well. I usually place my houses somewhere along the timeline between the two Great Wars. This is the kitchen and the little sitting room that comes of it. It's just a rough fit at the moment to see how it all comes together. I was sooo happy when all the lights worked after putting the house on it's base board!! I finally bought a Pretty Pleater. Oh my why did I not get one sooner!!  I used Studio E tutorial and it worked so well. So easy. Thank you Elizabeth!! Your blog is always an inspiration!! The sink I made out of plastic packaging and wood trims. William Morris fabric for the skirt. I am a lover of Morris designs. The tiles are printed out onto glossy photograph paper. Again I'll take better pictures when I can.

 Autumn finally appears to be here! I enjoyed the cooler weather and got outside. I also had to do some cleaning up after Cyclone Ita. I put the boys to work!! There was much wailing and bemoaning from the two of them. It was only a CAT 1 when it finally went through thankfully. We had  a heap of rainfall which is never a bad thing in the Top End. Winds did get up to 100kph and so a couple of my smaller trees decided it would be better if they just fell over. One gum went down on power lines up the street and so we were with out power for most of the day. I don't mind but the other members of my household that can't function without some form of electrical device suffered. They experienced something that I and most my generation had in ample excess. Boredom. Did them the world of good I think. 

This is my neighbours yard looking from my back landing during Ita. Yes the whole street is under water!! 

This afternoon's sunset from my workroom window. I do love long autumn afternoons.

Hoo roo everyone and be well in all that you do!!

Carriexx