Bless me Blogisphere for I have sinned....

....It's been 11 days since my last post....These are my sins....I have failed on too many days to count to keep up with my FAVE blogs....My inbox is overflowing with unread emails & I have been out in the Hard Rubbish without my camera.....!!

Do you think there is any hope for me....??  :o)

I know I've been promising for some time dear Junk Friends that my US posts are coming alas, I have quite a bit on the go at the moment & I don't want to post just for the sake of posting....My time in the US & the Friends I met up with are VERY special to me & I need to give those posts the attention they deserve....!!

I'm ALSO getting ready for my 100th post which I'll be celebrating with Gina from the WONDERFUL Junk In My Trunk blog....Gina & I have been FINE TUNING a WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY that will leave you all GOBSMACKED so please don't give up on me yet....At least hang in there until you've cast your entries....hahahahaha....!

Now remember when I posted about my GORGEOUS Friend Sue from Montreux some time ago....Sue had not long returned from France with a container of FRENCH GOODNESS & I was keen to show you all her Treasures....Well here is the second instalment....!!

There is just something SO YUMMY about these neutral tones....

....Seriously....SERIOUSLY YUMMY....!

Three of my FAVE words....Rusty French metal....hahahahaha

Petite oui....?

....hmmmmm....I have a bunch of these in the garden though they just don't look as GOOD as these pots....!

Oh merci....!!!

Chippy white French PERFECTION....!!

*** sigh ***

Mr SVJ wanted to buy me this AWESOME galvinised bin but I declined....I KNOW....What was I THINKIN'....????

Shutter L-O-V-E....

Be still my RAPIDLY beating heart...

How DIVINE do these pages look....

I hope you've enjoyed these pics....I promise I'll be back REAL soon....Now I'm off to CATCH up on my FAVE BLOGS & my emails....!

Wherever you are I hope your week has been filled with Treasure....!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

Industrial Chic....BE there or BE square for this FAB GIVEAWAY....!!!

Hello Everyone....!

I hope this post finds you all well & happy....! I'm 'busy as a blue arsed fly' (Deb love that one's for you!!) at the moment but wouldn't miss an opportunity to link up with the  LOVELY Margo from robolady who's turning the spotlight on one of my FAVE decorating styles....Industrial Chic....!!

Why do some of us prefer these 'edgier' looks to the 'softer' side of vintage with the florals & the pastels you might well ask....For me, the simple answer is that I LOATHE housework & am CRUSHED when something 'sweet' gets all mussed up....The BEAUTY of an industrial look is that it takes the hard knocks of a busy lifestyle & the dirt actually looks like it belongs....hahahahaha....Aside from these VERY simple reasons, I also need to consider Mr SVJ's comfort....While the poor bugger doesn't have ANY say in how I decorate OUR home, bein' the 'manly man' that he is, sitting amongst the 'frou frou' is not really his cup of tea....So for me, Industrial Chic is very much a win WIN....!!

Today I thought I'd show you my FAVE industrial furniture pieces as well as a couple of smaller bits....I SO wish I had the BEFORE pics of our dining table....I found it out in the hard rubbish early this year....It was out the front of a scout hall & covered in thick laminex....I later found out from a HR Friend, that he'd picked up TEN others but left mine behind because of the laminate....The others he picked up were bare wood so I'm thinking this one had been used in the hall kitchen....Lucky LUCKY me....!!

When I bought it home Mr SVJ stripped the laminex from the top while I worked on the YUMMY steel post legs giving them a clean & introducing them to my mate 'poly'....The end result was a dark handsome look that I really ADORE....!!

The top was larger so Mr SVJ cut it down a bit because I felt it looked a little clumsy & awkward in our living area....He also rounded the edges before giving it a dark stain....!!

I have a real THANG for these black office chairs....Since these pics were taken I've actually scored two more which I've placed opposite these two moving the green French farm house chairs to the heads of the table.

I really LOVE the dark stain Mr SVJ used on the top....He is the MASTER of stainwork just quietly....I'm the PAINTER in the family but when it comes to staining I'm 'all over the shop'....Unless it's a SMALL piece of course....Pretty hard to stuff up little things....hahahahaha....

My next FAVE piece is this GORGEOUS sideboard....Another HR Friend found this piece outside an old Doctors surgery....Yep....It's an old examination table....I swapped a NEAT piece of junk for this 'cause when I saw it I just KNEW what it needed to be....!!

The top with the pleather covered mattress & head rest were removed & replaced with some wood Mr SVJ glued together that I'd found in the HR another time....!  After sanding the base we've left it raw in contrast with the dark stain used on the top....!

The green bottles on top were found at the Market & were originally used in the manufacture of wine....And NO....I didn't drink ALL of it myself...hahahahaha....!

Love love LOVE my vaulting horse....I found this on the way home from the hard rubbish one day in an area that wasn't even having hard rubbish....Gotta love that....!!  It's just sitting under the kitchen bench at the moment waiting to have the cover switched over for a COOL piece of cow skin....YEEHAW....We'll also cut a door into the middle of the front which will be suspended with chains for easy access & pop a base in it to house blankets & quilts....One day....!

Now this last piece is just MAGNIFICENT....And HEAVY....It's an old OLD mooring 'doodad' that you'd hitch your boat up to when you docked along side the pier....I simply cleaned it & introduced it to poly....I move it about from time to time when I feel the need to give the 'guns' a work out....hahahahaha....!!

So there you have it....A taste of Industrial Chic at Camp SVJ....Please be sure & pop into everyone's blog via the Linky thing over at Margo's to see some A-W-E-S-O-M-E examples of this FABULOUS family, housework & maintainance friendly style....Margo's ALSO having a WONDERFUL giveaway to coincide with this Linky Party....

So Be there or BE square....!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

PS: This is post #90....I'm currently PACING myself for my upcoming giveaway to celebrate my 100th post which I'm hoping to share with the ADORABLE Gina from Vintage Junk In My Trunk who's also about to celebrate her 100th ....!

The remaining updates re my US adventures will appear shortly....!

Stepping back in time to 16th September - Junk Bonanza, Shakopee MN

Well hello there Junkin' Friends....!!

As promised I'm back with an update re my Junk Bonanza adventures....Alas, as you all know I was a bad BAD blogger during Junk Bonanza & didn't take ONE single pic....HOWEVER, please visit the FABULOUS Amy from Whisperwood Cottage & Junkologie blogs as she has put together a STELLER series of posts over at Junkologie which capture the BEAUTY & CREATIVITY that IS Junk Bonanza.

Then, you need to pop over to the Junk Bonanza blog & visit each of my WONDERFUL Junk Friends who also posted of their experiences & impressions of this AMAZING Show....!

Now I don't want to distract you with any of my ramblings because I want you to check out Junk Bonanza for yourself....I'll be back shortly to fill you in on the 17th....!!

And DON'T FORGET, my 100th post is just around the corner & I'm planning a BIG SURPRISE to celebrate....!!

I snaffled this Homer pic from here....!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

Flat out like a freakin' lizard drinking....Some pics of my US Treasures to tide you over....!

Hello Junking Friends everywhere....!

I woke this morning to find the GORGEOUS Margo had commented on my previous post, "We need a junkin post, I know you've got a lot to sort through but... Do i need to come down there and take you in hand to get you started-Again????"

Now for those of you who know Margo KNOW that you'd better pull your finger out & get movin' when she 'says' somethin' like this or your likely to find yourself in the middle of a 'junkivention'....hahahahaha....!!

Unfortunately, since my return to 'the pesky day job' on Monday I've literally been flat out like a lizard drinking & have had little time to sit still long enough to give my US posts the attention they DESERVE....I PROMISE to recitify this shortly & as my 100th post is JUST AROUND THE CORNER, there'll be a FAB giveaway to make up for my recent lack of posts....!!

In the mean time....Here are a few more pics of the Treasures that followed me home....!!

I found 10 YUMMY black & cream clocks during my travels....!

Around 21 graphically STUNNING pharmacy perscription boxes & 21 metal letters....** purr **

10 x HUGE DROP DEAD GORGEOUS enamel light shades in SCHMICK NICK...!!!

Cash register flags & wooden molds.

Metal letters & numbers, 100 x black & white cardboard numbers from a Church, typewriter keys & creamy dominoes.... ** sigh **

Sweet TINY Treaasures for my jewellery making....I had SO MUCH fun finding these trinkets....!

A girl can NEVER have too many 'bits & bobs'....!!

Printers blocks....WOOHOO....!

Childrens blocks....LOVE these....!!

Wooden shoe lasts, glass knobs, mason jar lids....

Another SWEET Terrier to add to my collection....I ADORE this little fellow....!!

Well there you are....I hope you've enjoyed seeing a few more of my Treasures....I WILL be back REAL SOON with my updates & DON'T FORGET my giveaway to celebrate my 100th post....!!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

The things we do for our Friends....Chania....This one's for you Lovey....!!

Morning Junking Friends both near & far....!

I PROMISE my US Junking Adventures are on the way however, I wanted to particpate in my GORGEOUS Friend Chania from Razmataz weekly photo challenge....This weeks challenge was Self Portrait....Now anyone who knows me well will attest that I LOATHE having my pic taken....As a matter of fact, Mr SVJ & I are about to celebrate our 13 Anniversary & we have LESS than 10 x pics of our life together for this VERY reason....Sad I know....You may well wonder why this is so & to be honest, I can't really say....I do remember something being said when I was very young about an 'unfortunate looking school photo'....hmmmmm....Perhaps it's due to the fact that in most pics taken of me my lips are screwed up oddly....In any case, all I know with any certainty is that I ADORE Chania & have put the discomfit I feel at having my pic taken aside for a moment to reveal the 'raw me'....!!

Chania writes:

"The blogging world is odd in the sense that we know most people through cyberspace only.

Our image of our blogging buddy may be completely different from reality.

Do you have a physical image or impression of a person whose blog you read.? I wonder how close to reality that is.Maybe that's why blogging is so popular. The initial judgements on appearance is not there. We can be whoever we want to be."

Food for thought indeed....Chania has hit the nail on the head with these observations & her question had me reflecting on HOW I judge people when I meet them in real life versus HOW I judge them here in blogland.

I posted this pic first (although it was the 3rd taken) as I feel it accurately reflects who I am....I'm quick to laugh & here I am kacking myself over Baxter & Harley (our two adored fur babies) after they ran into each other on the deck resulting in fisticuffs, hissing & summersaults....hahahahaha....

OK....So here I am just out of bed not 4 minutes after realising I was running behind for Chania's challenge.

....hmmmmmm....OK so I need to hold the camera more to the left....

One more for the road....

Well there you have it....Needless to say, you probably won't see a pic of me for a good long while other than those taken of me when I was Junkin' in the US recently....!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah  :o)