Sunday Wrap Up - We seem to be experiencing technical dificulties...??

Hmmmmmmm....Indeed....My blog seems to be experiencing a few technical difficulties....No doubt bought on by some 'fiddling' by yours truly last night....Now I'm NOT SURE what I've done but my profile, previous posts & blog lists have disappeared from the right of my blog & are now located at the very bottom....If anyone knows how to fix this I would be MOST grateful as I've wasted a precious hour trying to rectify it on my own....!!!

Now for todays wrap up....I headed off to the Market with HIGH hopes this morning due to last week only finding two pieces & was AMPLY rewarded for the early start....!

Not only did I find everything pictured below, my LOVELY Friend Wendy who reads my blog popped in for a surprise visit & we were able to have a quick catch up before she headed back to Bonnie Doon & all that serenity....That in itself was worth getting up at 4am for.... :o) !!

Today's Treasure haul includes a small pot cupboard, cream coloured wooden cubby hole (possibly for my office), shabby red metal drawer with inserts (again possibly for my office), galvanised bucket (simply CAN NOT go past these when I find them), 2 x Slades bottles (LOVE the vintage graphics), cream & green tin bread box, shabby red scissors, set of shabby black pincers (not pictured - for removing nails from wood), stirling silver bracelet, cadbury cocoa tin & two wooden florentine lamps....!!

Unfortunately, the pot cupboard was RIDDLED with borer holes & I am KICKING myself as I NEVER EVER buy furniture that's had borer however, in my defence it was 5.15am PITCH BLACK & at $30- I wanted to get the piece in my van before the vendor changed his mind.....hahahahaha....So I can ONLY blame myself....!

NEVER MIND though as the ONLY piece effected was the soft wood base which I've removed & there was not so much as one single hole in the rest of the unit....P-H-E-W....!! Mr SVJ will help me pop in a new base over the Easter weekend & she'll be good as new....!!

Now while I DID put the scissors away & soaked the Slades bottles, I didn't so much as dust the other pieces....I did apply a second coat of 1950's red enamel to a chest of drawers & a wooden stool as well as a coat or poly (metal) to my mooring thingo from yesterday & a coat of ply to a bench seat I bought AGES ago.....You'll get to see a pic of that later in the week when I show some more of our bedroom.....!

Well I must away....Tomorrow is going to be a HUGE day at work as we 'go live' on a new system we'll be using so I need to make sure I get a decent sleep.....!

I hope you had a GREAT weekend & I look forward to catching up with you soon.....!

Cheers,

Tamarah  :o)

Saturday Finds - Some Days are Diamonds....!

I SO LOVE Saturdays....The end of the work week behind me & 48 hours worth of endless possibilities before me....!!

This morning I headed back over the Westgate to the 'skanky market' to see Joe with the HUGE green wine bottles who I met on the 12th March.  I only bought one of three last time as I was worried I wouldn't be able to clean them properly or they may have some damage that I couldn't see due to being encased in a wicker basket secured with wire....As luck would have it, the one I bought cleaned up BEAUTIFULY & had NO blemishes at all so today I lashed out & bought the other two....!

This is the three of them on my sideboard all clean & YUMMY....I've asked Mr SVJ if he would make me another sideboard though as this oak piece is too dark for the space & I need something a tad longer....I'll draw him up a picture tomorrow & we'll head over to the salvage yard next Saturday for some wood....!

Here they are before I snipped off the wire....

And after....VERY grubby....Cleaning them both took FOREVER....!!

I found these three Treasures at a garage sale....GORGEOUS rose print, powder blue floral quilt & childrens pattern....The lovely Italian lady I bought these from told me they were amongst the FIRST items she purchased when she moved to Australia in the 50's....Would you believe I snagged the three for $5.00.... :o) !!!

The funny thing is....I've NEVER had much luck with garage sales so this haul has made me re-evaluate them as potential gold mines....!

I found this AWSOME piece at the 'skanky market'....LOL....I got a REAL workout too as it was the first thing I found after I found Joe & paid him for the bottles....I had to lug it around for 45 minutes & it weighs in at a HEFTY 9kg (20lb)....! It came off a dock/jetty & would have been used to tie down a boat when it moored along side....It has some words on it that I can't quite read though I think I may be able to see it better once of introduced it to poly tomorrow....!

 

If you were out & about Treasure Hunting today I hope you had a 'good one'....!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

A little 'Afternoon Delight' in the Man Cave with Mr SVJ

.....hahahahaha....Indeed....A little 'afternoon delight' WAS had by Mr SVJ & I this afternoon after work in Mr SVJ's domain (the garage / workshop....AKA 'Man Cave') And for a change I was actually able to 'handle' some of his tools....!!

Now this is NO small thing as Mr SVJ (a Cabinet Maker by trade) is not prone to letting anyone use his stuff....Even ME....! This arvo however, I was able to use the bench saw (under supervision) to make these little stands you see below....!!

This WHOLE project was inspired by a recent post by my LOVELY Friend Beth at Gathering Dust who blogged about the Bottoms Up Antique Market. The very LAST picture at the bottom of this post that Beth took made me ask if she might be able to buy a couple for me....Unfortunately, Beth said they were $25- each however, she had the vintage price tickets & happily & GENEROUSLY parted with a few....!!

I had these really cool vintage wire pegs kicking about that I'd picked up out of the Hard Rubbish across the street & Mr SVJ had a piece of scrap wood in his off cut box.

I drew a picture, he measured & made the angle cuts for me & then I cut the individual pieces.

Together we sat on the deck & hand sanded the blocks while we each talked about our day & finished off the project with a light coat of antique walnut stain....TOO EASY...I'm sitting here in bed now with a can of vintage floor polish adding a nice sheen to complete the job....!

Such a nice way to spend the dying hours of the day....Out on the deck with my fella creating a little something out of stuff no-one wanted....!

Now I'm off to catch up on what my 'blog peeps' have been up to...!

HUMP DAY tomorrow & then only TWO days to go until the weekend....WOOHOO...!

Cheers,
Tamarah :o)

Sunday Wrap Up - Where did my weekend go....??

CRIKEY....It's 9.30pm Sunday night & I'm wondering where my weekend went....I swear....5.02pm Friday afternoon was MOMENTS ago & I'd JUST walked out of the building I work in with a big smile on my face as I slipped into the passenger seat beside Mr SVJ, wound down the window & yelled out over the heads of all the worker ants rushing by, "YIPPYKIYAYYYYYYYYYY....It's the WEEKEND....!!" Now, its the END of my weekend & I'm trying to reconcile having to go back into work ALREADY....Forgive me but I feel not so vaguley RIPPED OFF.... **sigh**....!!

Well enough of the dramatics....Time to talk Treasures....!! Mr SVJ & I went to Castlemaine yesterday to have a look at a house & a block of land....We do this from time to time....MR SVJ talks often about "when I build our dream house".....hmmmmmm.....And I dream about buying our dream house built 80 - 100 years ago & turning into a weekender funded by people renting it out for midweek get aways....!!! BOTH the house & land we looked at were NOT right but it was a NICE drive & was good for our spirits.... :o) !!!

Today I was up at 3am as I was sharing a stall with my mate Lyn at the Market....I took our repro 70's Louis 14th 3 seater lounge & a couple of other LARGE pieces so the WAY early start was due to having to get Mr SVJ up as he was coming to help me unload....Mr SVJ does NOT DO very early starts VERY well so I generally allow at least 45 minutes worth of 'coaxing time' ** insert image of tired mum trying to get sullen teenager out of bed & replace with sullen 42 year old male & you have THE picture **....!!!

It was a SLOW day & I only sold a handful of items....NO STRESS though as I sold the sofa to a LOVELY girl making my initial hefty outlay from 12 months ago back....YAYYYYYYY....!

Prior to settling in for the days selling I found the two Treasures pictured below...LOVING the industrial look & feel of this large wooden reel/bobbin & wooden mould....I made the $30.00 outlayed for these two gems back later in the morning....!

LOVING the patina & look of these two pieces....!

When the Market ended at 1pm I flew home, picked up Mr SVJ & we went off to deliver the sofa....After seeing the piece safe & sound in it's new home we headed over to one of my FAVE Junk Places to pay off a layby before heading home again where I promptly & perhaps understandably, fell asleep curled around Baxter my tabby furr baby....The sound of his deep purr no doubt transporting me quickly & inevitably to the land of nod....!

Wherever you are, I hope you had a HAPPY & safe weekend....!

Cheers,
Tamarah :o)

Sunday Wrap Up....Treasures abound....!

It was a GREAT day at the market for me today....! I scored a STACK of Treasures & had myself a ball talking to vendors & bumping into buyers that visit with me when I share a stall with my friend....!

I spent around $200- with the most expensive item being this beautiful pine hutch....It would originally have been part of a larger unit however, the cupboard part is long gone..... ** sigh ** It was $60- & will look FABULOUS when I'm finished with it....Just a FEW minor tweeks needed....!

*** Don't forget to click on my pics to make them larger. ***

LOVE the sensual lines of this vintage wrought iron planter & this sweet little red trike is ADORABLE....!!
I SO have a THING for galvanised pieces ESPECIALLY buckets....LOVE peely red ones....!!! The stool is so sweet....Black rusty metal.....I'll introduce him to my friend 'poly' & he'll get a new hardwood top which I'll leave plain for an industrial look....The brackets are DELISH & the slate was a LOVELY piece to find....!

I actually found the rake head in the HR last week but it was still kicking about in my van so I had to show it too....!! I can NEVER resist the old metal door handles & if they're painted & chippy they SO have my name on them....The box you see here has TWELVE knobs & a bunch of plates....Projects Projects PROJECTS....!! Some more brass hooks & another can of Pick Up sticks....Now I have TWO....Red AND blue which will be used in my office as fun storage.....! The kewpie dolls are TOO SWEET & celluloid to boot.....LOVE those..... :o) !! Then these little finger puppets are just TO DIE FOR.....I really don't know how I'll part with any of these pieces.....!!


A handful of Christmas ornies....!!!

A FILTHY baking tray.....For small buns I think.....It needs a GOOD SCRUBBING but once done....SO many uses.....!!!

I've ALWAYS wanted a croquet set & now I have one....This is a BEAUTY & the patina....Well....ALL I can say is BE STILL my beating heart....Just LOOK at those chippy balls....If I didn't have to go to work tomorrow I'm sure I could just sit & look at them all day.....hahahahahaha.....!!!

I'm actually going to run the Felder (mouse) over this piece just lightly....There is some yummy blue & cream paint under the white so I'll see how it looks afterwards & go from there....If it doesn't look 'faux'....I'll simply give it a clear finish.....Then I just need to decide what to do with the shelves & find some ply to back it with.....!

Well I'm POOPED....ALL of the pieces above with the exception of the baking tray, have been cleaned & now it's time to refuel so I'm off for a glass of wine.....AND dinner.....hahahahahaha....!

Hope you had a GREAT day....!

Cheers,

Tamarah :o)

Friday, March 12, 2010

Feeling the 'BLOG LOVE' & Saturday Finds

I'm a little overwhelmed I must admit by 'blogland'....I discovered blogs & blogging quite by accident one night when looking for vintage millinery flowers....Why it actually took me 8 months to dip my toe in & launch my own though is a mystery....!! Perhaps I was worried I wouldn't have anything worthy of reading or that my pics weren't up to scratch....I really can't say for sure....I am sure though that if you're reading this & don't have your own blog....DON'T waste time like I did....Just have a go.....You'll be rewarded in many UNEXPECTED ways....!!

Just this week for example, I've had two new DIVINE bloggers visit me....The ever so STYLISH Maria of Dreamy Whites left me a lovely note that made me smile for hours when I discovered it....If you haven't had the good fortune to have stumbled onto her blog you must do so NOW....Don't forget to pop back here though to finish reading about today's finds.....hahahahaha....No SERIOUSLY....EACH & every pic on Maria's blog will make your pulse race....!

If Maria's visit wasn't enough....The DELIGHTFUL Chania of RAZMATAZ also introduced herself & I've just spent the last couple of hours lost in her LOVELY blog. Our design styles & colours are quite similar & I know I'll be visiting her YUMMY Etsy Store on a regular basis....!! I LOVE her collection of ironstone & stash of Meakin Hotelware & am thrilled at the opportunity to spend time 'visiting' her in the future....!!!

So here I am feeling the 'BLOG LOVE' & so thrilled to be a part of a community spanning the globe where I get to 'talk' & 'meet' WONDERFUL women who share my passions & creativity....I am feeling VERY happy & VERY fortunate....!

Now for today's finds......There's no Hard Rubbish about at the moment, so I started my Saturday with some house work & painting chores before heading off to what I uncharitably refer to as the 'skanky' trash & treasure market....In my defence I use the term 'skanky' because the items I find are usually VERY VERY grubby & I DON'T mean a little dust either....We're talking oily residue of some sort & other dubious substances....!!

I stopped at my local op shop first & found this wooden toilet roll stand...It has a yukky stain at the moment which I'll sand back & when it's done I'll use it to stack my collection of bakelite bracelets on.

I didn't get to the market until a little after 1pm & considering it's open at 8am, I think I did quite well....The Italian basket & wine bottle are TO DIE FOR & I took a bit of a risk spending $40- without being able to take it out of the basket & have a good look but I'm SO HAPPY I did as it's G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S.....It's also a WHOPPER standing at a little over 2ft tall....So NOW I have a YUMMY wicker basket, an AWESOME wicker light shade & a STUNNING green bottle.....YAYYYYYYY....And it gets BETTER....The gentleman I purchased this piece from had two others.....yes that's RIGHT....TWO MORE....He gave me his card & said if I was happy with this one to give him a call & he could bring the others over.....YAYYYYYYY again..... :o) !!

I also found three rusty coat hooks, the glass knob & the two cream painted cans at the market so all in all it was a GREAT VISIT....!!

The West German paper mache egg was found on the way home at the Salvos for a TINY $4-....I have 3 of these now & love them to bits....!

Here's my green bottle after I snipped the 15 pieces of wire holding the lid in place & gingerly removed it. At this point I was VERY worried....You know sometimes when you buy glass & it's cloudy....I don't know about anyone else but I've NEVER been able to remove this stuff....!!

I put a HEAP of Napi San in the bottom before I turned on the hose to fill it up & went inside for some tools....Mr SVJ had some dowel kicking about in the 'man cave' & I had the bottle cleaner & tape.

If you find yourself needing to do this can I suggest you buy the BEST wire bottle brush you can find....!! Check the wire is coated with PVC, the bristles are thick & they splay out across the top of the brush....If your bottle or jar is HUGE like this, you'll need to bend it up to get to ALL the hard to reach areas inside.....!!

Ahhhhhhh....Mission accomplished....Isn't she BEAUTIFUL.... :o) !! It's currently sitting on our sideboard in the living area next to a small 1ft version....All I need now is a medium size one & I have a set.....hahahahaha.....I'll DEFINITELY be calling Joe to tell him I'd LOVE for him to bring the other two over.....!!!

I can just see the THREE of them on a YUMMY chippy white farm house table.....** swoon **

Wherever you are, if you're reading this I hope you a had LOVELY day.....!

Cheers for now,

Tamarah :o)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Sunday (Holiday) Weekend Wrap Up - Lots to talk about....!!!

We're just wrapping up a holiday weekend here In Victoria, Australia & the media is buzzing with reports & footage of the disastrous aftermath of the 'Storm Of The Century' which ripped though Melbourne on Saturday afternoon. With a damage bill in the tens of millions & emergency services flown in from other states to assist, we'll be mopping up for a while....!! Mr SVJ & I got off lightly....With a few dents from hail to both our vans, & a smashed bedroom window we're counting our blessings....!

But my weekend DIDN'T start with the storm so lets go back to the beginning....I scored this tooled leather bag at a garage sale Saturday morning on my way to my all time FAVE monthly Church Fete....I'd been after one for FOREVER & at a TINY $4.00 who was I to argue....!



I also snapped up a hospital employee medallion & a couple of religious pieces headed for future jewellery creations at the same garage sale....! The Stratton compact with marquesite crown & Paris pin however, were gleaned from the Church Fete.



LOVE this sweet little Cath Kidston gift box set also purchased at the Church Fete for a whole DOLLAR....hahahaha...This will make a GREAT present though, as I AM partial to CK....I may have to keep it for myself....!! Notice the scooter in the background...?? This is the one I found at the Market last week that some silly bugger had put big fat modern wheels on....Mr SVJ changed them out for me with these cute vintage ones I'd rescued from the Hard Rubbish some time ago...!!



I visited a few Op Shops after I left the Church Fete & picked up a LOVELY pair of casual designer pants & a top for just under $20-....Yep....It was a GREAT morning....I stopped home to unload & have some lunch before heading out into the HR....I also gave Mr SVJ his Church Fete 'treats' consisting of a YUMMY home made chocolate cake with THICK choccy icing & a small bag of h/m cruncy oat biscuits.....hahahaha....These two small offerings helped keep Mr SVJ 'motivated' about helping me fix stuff ALL weekend....TRUST ME it works....hahahahaha....!!!

I was out in the Hard Rubbish at the time the storm rolled in & snapped a pic of the foreboding black sky as the storm front reached me....Unfortunately, I had my Sony set on the ISO function & every SCRAP of available light was sucked up so the pic you see here in NO WAY captured the BLACK of the sky as it rumbled over the top of me...!!



The white flecks in this pic are hail stones....I wish I'd been able to get out of the car & take a decent shot as these little missiles were MUCH BIGGER in person...!!



This pic was taken in a court & the entire street was WAY under water....I felt bad for the poor devils in the house where the white car is....I just KNOW that the water you see made it's way into their home as they were on the LOW END of the street....!!



Alas....With visibility at about two feet along with being absolutely SATURATED I headed home only to stumble upon this LOVELY scene....A house just up the road is being renovated & the debri is resting in the front yard....!!

Do you see what I SEE....YES YES YES...POTENTIAL....I knocked on the door but no-one was home....Mr SVJ has a day off tomorrow so he'll pop in while I'm at work & ask if we can salvage some salvage....hahahahaha....Don't you just LOVE that small corrugated tin water tank....??!! It would make an AWESOME table....Four large castors & a table top made of wood with a glass insert (so you can see into the tank) & you'd have a FAB piece of Industrial decor....WOOHOO....!!!



Unfortunately, the Market yesterday was a BUST....Due to the storm the previous day & a wet forecast, a lot of Sellers stayed away...All I managed to find were four vintage rhinestone buckles (again for my jewellery making) & a boxed lot of vintage tin door handles & plates with white & creamy chippy paint....** sigh **....There's ALWAYS next Sunday right....???

Now today being a Public Holiday & having been pretty busy Saturday & Sunday, Mr SVJ & I ventured into the day slowly heading over the Westgate around 10.30am to visit a great salvage restoration place....I was after a few brass hooks to finish a particular project however, their supply turned out to be a little on the expensive side....I bought this FABULOUS wooden mold instead as well as these three steel drawers that I'll use in my workroom...Took me AGES to clean the grime off them & all they need now is some poly & they're good to go...!!!



They're sitting on a galvanised tray I picked up in the HR....Can't wait to fill them with my tools & hardware....!!!





Now in my books....No long weekend is complete without a trip to Borders....It just so happened I had $90+ in gift cards so I picked up these two LOVELIES....Can a girl ever have TOO MANY design books.....hmmmmmmmm....I don't think so....!!



Well I must away....I have a big day at work ahead of me tomorrow & this post has taken an AGE so it's time to sign off & get ready for the working week....!

Stay safe & Happy Junking....!!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)