Isn't the TRANSFORMATION a little elbow grease can bring about so REWARDING....?!

Hello Everyone....!

I hope this post finds you ready to launch into the weekend in a BIG WAY....I have my change purse ready ALREADY, popped my $25- worth of fuel in the van (checked the oil, water & tyres) & have my early morning 'junking chores' ready to get out of the way WELL before 7.30am....!!

Before I come back with my Saturday Finds & Sunday Wrap Up though I wanted to share this AWESOME find with you plucked STRAIGHT out of the Hard Rubbish....Now I have gone a little overboard with the pics but I REALLY want to show what could be achieved with a little 'follow through'....Trust me though....An HOUR into this clean up, I was thinking about setting it aside so I could engage in something a little more....Well....FUN....hahahahahaha....!!

I am at LONG LAST the proud owner of my very FIRST Le Crueset frypan....It weighs a tonne & when Mr SVJ picked it up I looked at him & smiled....Ever so slyly....mwahahahahaha....

It was raining outside when I took my pics so the 'marks' you see on the base are just moisture related....Trust me....This frypan is in SCHMICK nick....NOW....!

But it WASN'T always the case....It had YEARS of baked on grime over the entire surface with the exception of the handle....This pic was taken on DAY 2 after TWO coats of Mr Muscle....Just quietly....Mr Muscle is a PUSSY....I should have remembered my own words....NEVER let a man do for you what  you can so EASILY do for yourself....hahahahahahaSNORT....!

Thick BAKED on blargggghhhhhh.....

Making headway....

OK....Lets bring out the bloody paint scraper & see how we go with that....Ooh it's coming off BIG TIME....!

SO close & yet....

2.15hours & I'm done....!

** sigh **

Purrrrrrfection....

I do LOVE a good junking challenge....How about you....??

Well there it is....The Le Crueset frypan I felt deserved it's VERY own post....I like to think someone else may have picked this up out of the HR but all things being equal, I don't think that was on the cards....!!

I hope wherever you are you're having an AWESOME week....!!  

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

PS:  Mr SVJ & I are just back from work & I'm organising dinner....As soon as we're done I'm heading back out to an INTERESTING pile of HR I spied in the dark on our way home.....hahahahahaha....WISH ME LUCK....!!!!

PPS:  Alas....My imagination must have been working overtime as Mr SVJ & I drove home through the HR tonight 'cause when I went back to investigate....The chair I saw was PLASTIC, cracked & broken & the table I spied was riddled with borer....** sigh ** Oh well....The weekend is but a heart beat away....!!!

The MOTHER LOAD....Part2

Hello again....I hope this post finds everyone in fine junking form....!  As promised Sunday evening I'm back with Part 2 of one of my BEST Sunday Wrap Ups EVER....  :o)  !!

To recap....This is my LOOT in all it's chippy, rusty, shabby GLORY....hahahahaha....If ONLY I could keep it all....!!

Bathroom cabinet mirror was rescued straight from the Hard Rubbish while the TO DIE FOR bottle was found in the dark at the Market.

Coat hanger, silver urn, ping pong paddles, bike horn, industrial stand & heavy wood easel ALL from the HR while the AWESOME toaster & counter bell were from the Market.

This easel IS....It's WAY COOL that's what it is & I'm thinking I may NOT be able to part with it just quietly....!!

The chippy green & white door peeking out from behind the easel weighs a TONNE & took ALL my junkin' muscels to get it in the van....hahahahaha....It's no small wonder I'm so K-nackered on Sunday evenings....!

Love love love LOVE these old windows....Why anyone would REMOVE these beauties leaves me gobsmacked....!!

DIVINE chippy blue metal esky from the HR & an assortment of tools from the Market....LOVE tools....  :o) !!

Alf, scrabble, monopoly & aluminium mould ALL plucked from the HR in front of the same house....!

And before I bid you farethewell....I just wanted to show you the farmhouse table up close because the patina REALLY IS GORGEOUS....!!  This piece will just get a gentle clean & I'll reglue & clamp the legs....I'm debating whether to reglue & clamp the top because I'm LOVING the cracks....hmmmmmmm.....May ponder that one for a while....  :o) !!

YUMMY chippy goodness....** drool **

Later this week I want to show you ANOTHER Treasure RESCUED from the HR....It's so AWESOME it deserves it's own post....Stay tuned....!!!

I hope you're all having a GREAT week & doing what makes you happy....!!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)

The MOTHER LOAD....Part 1

Hello Shabby Vintage Junking Thrifters....!

Mr SVJ woke me not long ago from my junk induced stupor on the couch to tell me it was nearly 10pm & was I going to post about my weekends HR & Market finds....

So here I am, even more knackered than usual for a Sunday evening due to a SUPER early start of 3.30am because I wanted to get my run in before I hit the Market....hmmmmm....Even I'm inclined to think that wasn't such a good idea....Anyway....I have 18 pictures for you but they were taking FOREVER to download so I'll have to pop back with the others for a Part 2....!

The pic below is a combination of HR & Market finds half of which I've put back in the van as I just don't have ANYWHERE to put them at the moment & they AINT comin' inside to clutter up our living area....!!

These three BEAUTIES are from the market....If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know I have a real THING for these industrial pieces....Can't wait to clean them up....!!

The white garden bench is an OLD find so ignore that & feast your eyes on my new (to me) bike plucked out of the HR in the dark last night around 6.30pm....

  ** sigh ** Love love LOVE it & think it will have to be a keeper....

HR finds....Rusty bottle crate, yellow trolley, galvanised wash tub & blue suitcase.... :o)

GORGEOUS frame, camp stool (have a SOFT spot for these stools) & SMALL sampling of vintage Christmas decorations found including a Christmas tree stand from Switzerland....THANK YOU Hard Rubbish angels....!!

WHY would you throw this DROP DEAD GORGEOUS gate away....??

The tool boxes (YES another red one...!!) covered in snail POO (...yeccckkkkkk....!!!!) are from the HR however, the GOB SMACKINGLY YUMMY chippy white farm house table from the late 1800's was found at the Market this morning....!

Another Market find was this AWESOME aluminium tiffen....How COOL is this piece....PERFECT for office or craft room storage or hey, you could take it to work with your lunch & snacks in it....hahahahaha....!!

The folding chair the tiffen is sitting on was found in the HR with the other camp stool.

Found this red & white metal vintage ride on toy in the HR last night as I was winding my way home along with the chair which needs regluing....The four round wooden disks are lamp bases & they were also rescued from the nature strip....!

Well that's it for the moment....It's just gone 11pm & my eyes are falling out of my head....I have a heap of emails & reading to do which I will have to save for tomorrow morning before work....!

I hope you all had a RELAXING & SAFE 48....!  I can't wait to see what you've all been up to....!!!

Cheers,
Tamarah :o)

I'm so HAPPY I could BURST....Somebody PINCH me....!!

Happy Saturday Everyone....!

Do you ever have days where regardless of the crap you may have waded through during the week, you wake up feeling so energised, free & HAPPY you can't help but walk around with a great big DUMB ASS smile on your face....??  Well I've had just such a day for a GAZILLION reasons that I won't bore you with, though I would like to share a few things that had me smiling before I even walked out the door....!

Last week we had the Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza Vendor Meeting at my place & when Sam (aka shoestring_splendour)  arrived, she presented me with another Vintage Terrier for my mantle....!  He's the largest member of the pack & I've named him rather appropriately in view of his stature, Boombar....He's going to accompany me to be the SVJ-X show on the 13th & 14th August as the SVJ-X mascot....!

How could you NOT smile when you look at this face....?!

Vintage Terrier heaven..... ** BIG smile **

Directly across from the mantle sits this FABULOUS pink & cream vintage toy horse....I have two of these & I LOVE them to bits.... ** :o)  :o) **

He sits on top of this PERFECTLY distressed cedar chest of drawers I found in the Hard Rubbish a couple of years ago... ** HUMUNGOUS grin **

And these tulips were given to me last Saturday by Andrea (aka The Pink Poodle), another Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza vendor....They've just started to open & they're GLORIOUS....!

I also scored the MOTHER LOAD out in the Hard Rubbish late this afternoon which STILL has me grinning like a loon however, I was back too late for pics....Pop back tomorrow though because when I get back from the Market in the morning I'll take pics for tomorrows post....!

I hope everyone had a GAZILLION reasons to smile today & found HEAPS of Treasures to boot....!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah  :o)

Are we there yet....? Are we there yet....? Are WE THERE YET....? + A FABULOUS Give Away over at the Junk Bonanza....!

Hello out there to all of you Shabby Vintage Thrifting Junkers....!

I'm SO GLAD it's Friday tomorrow because for a short week it's been a KILLER ....That being said, I'm not here to moan about my day job rather, I'm here to celebrate not one but TWO awards bestowed upon me by two of my FAVE blogging friends....My SWEET little thrifting buddy over at Thrifting Brisbane & the GORGEOUS Chania at Razmataz have honoured me with the 'Versatile Blogger Award'....Now I need to share FOURTEEN little known, somewhat interesting or just plain curious facts about myself....!!

Ok....Here goes....

1/   When I hang the washing on the line I HAVE to use the same coloured pegs for various clothing items eg.  For skirts I'll use white pegs, work pants I'll use red pegs....Wooden pegs are neutral so I can use those with any coloured peg....Mr SVJ enjoys pushing my buttons by changing out my pegs for odd coloured ones....NOT funny Jan....!

2/   Symmetry is VERY important to me....My furniture while shabby & chippy is centred 'just so'....A crooked picture will drive me to distraction & ALL of the items in my pantry MUST face the same way....And YES....Mr SVJ enjoys moving things about....He says the 'squark factor' makes him smile....And I thought I was odd....  :o) !!

3/  I walk the 15 minutes to the station each morning along the footpath taking great care not to step on the cracks ala Jack Nicholson in Good As It Gets....!!

OK....Enough OCD....

4/  I was a gymnast in my early years & dreamed of competing at Olympic level....Alas, my boobs developed early which put the kybosh to this however, I'm pleased to say I'm STILL as flexible now as I was in my teens (I'm in my 40's now) & can still bend over backwards & do the splits....!

5/  My sneezes & hiccups SCARE people....NO JOKE....They are VERY loud & rather raucous....And they HURT my throat....  :o(

6/  I SNORT when I laugh....SERIOUSLY....hahahahahaSNORT....SEE....!!

7/  I'm a BIG Elvis fan....When I was a young girl I fantasized someone who knew Elvis would hear me sing & I would be whisked away to sing backing vocals for the King....I've been to Memphis for Elvis week twice & one January for the birthday celebrations....!

....Phew....HALF way there.... :o)

8/  I have a BIG crush on Stephen Dorf....The first movie I ever saw him in was 'Always remember I love you' & it makes me howl like a BANSHEE EVERY time I watch it....!!

9/  I LOATHE winter & the snow yet I would LOVE to experience a white Christmas with all the trimmings....!

10/  I've been to France for two weeks yet TOTALLY missed out on going to Paris....I still can't believe THAT....!!

11/ I spent ALL of my 20's & a great portion of my 30's skydiving....Although I'm not currently active in the sport (Mr SVJ still jumps occasionally), there are certain days when I look to the sky & feel a yearning in my core that gives me a lump in my throat....There is no greater freedom nor will you ever have more control over your destiny than in those 40 odd seconds.... ** sigh **

12/ I wake up EVERY morning at 4.30am & run for 30 minutes on the treadmill (aka tready)....The ONLY day I don't run at 4.30am is Sunday when I go to the Market....I either run when I get home or AFTER the Hard Rubbish....If I'm away from home I ensure I do some form of exercise though & tend to do extra sessions on the tready when I'm back home....!

13/ I have a VERY sensitive stomach & dry retch when I watch Funniest Videos when they UNEXPECTEDLY without a DISCLAIMER, show clips of kids throwing up & with 'icky' noses....What's WITH THAT....???

14/ Im going to the Junk Bonanza for the FIRST TIME this September & am so excited I can hardly wait....!

THANK HEAVENS....I didn't think I'd ever finish....!!  I know I need to pass this award on however, it's after 11pm so I will pop back tomorrow to take care of this....!!

I just wanted to add that Jill over at the Junk Bonanza blog is hosting a FABULOUS give away on behalf of the VERY TALENTED Beth at Beth Quinn Designs....Beth will be a vendor at the Junk Bonanza this September & she has VERY GENEROUSLY offered up this exquisite piece to tempt us all....!!

Be sure & pop over to Beth & the Junk Bonanza & say HI & let them know I sent you....!!!

Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)