Why you should read the instructions!!!

It may seem a little odd that I'm sharing a bathroom nest-i-fy when I'm yet to unveil my gorgeous renovated sal de bain since this post many moons ago.  Well firstly, before any of you think I am living some sort of Laura Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie fame, no I am not bathing in that blue tub any more!

Yes the bathroom is finished...well almost....and looks absolutely "Home Beautiful" quality awesome! My man did a stellar job and I still enjoy showers whilst pondering what used to be there. And yes, the showers are rather frequent thanks to my little Mister Chucky.

So why haven't I shared? Pride...male pride! My hubby has only the ceiling to paint and doesn't want a viewing until he's done..completely done. And since this champion of a man gets up with me each time I feed Remy in the night (my Hubby simply refuses to stay in bed and orders me back under the covers when I'm finished feeding as he cuddles our little Mt Vesuvius keeping him upright for a wee while to help avoid Niagara Falls when he's back in his cot) I simply can not badger him to get it painted.

But onto bigger tales of woe....our new bathmats. Oh yes, they're pretty and practical and made from scrappity scraps of vintage linen and some old towels that had seen better days blah blah blah.

But oh how they nearly sent me over the edge. I used this wonderful book for inspiration and skimmed the instructions...o.k. just looked at the picture really and then jumped in. Four broken needles later and many a whispered swear word (I say whispered because I may have created a potty mouth child who swats furiously as "bloody flies!" as they buzz around her food...oopsie!) And then when I thought the saga was over....these "bl----dy" things created their own sequel. Well pardon me bathmats for not zigzagging  the towel pieces to the fabric so you all frayed the first time you were washed.

No one's fault but my own! And they do look lovely in our sparkly new bathroom. And has the lesson been learned...probably not! But doesn't that make life a whole lot more fun?!

Joining in over here....and having a whale of a time exploring all the loveliness while my two babes sleep...at the same time! Hooray!!!

Here's a house with a wall, with a wall, with a wall....

 Renovations have taken on a major (read: loony) scale in our humble abode and Hubby and I have come to the conclusion that we do indeed work best to a deadline!

The front deck which swayed perilously in the breeze for the last 4 years or so making the first little pig's house look like a Boy's Town Prize Home was  replaced in just under a week by a brand spanker complete with railings, privacy screening, a gate for the poppets and lo and behold...a roof!!

And where our open air charmer of a laundry stood complete with gorgeous concrete tubs,  a pristine white walled "room"....yes! it has walls!!! is nearing completion. With two pac finished cupboards for oodles of storage and a new stainless steel sink and a benchtop, let me tell you right now...tears of joy will be wept!

A new wall where once was a hall has been erected, plastered, sanded and painted and is eagerly awaiting a few pieces of skirting. That means with just under two weeks to go til my due date...we finally have a baby's room!!!! I'm sure I heard angels singing!!

We have been like little buck tooted beavers revelling in all our industry and have marveled how much has been accomplished in such a short time...and by bringing in some big guns...namely my wonderful uncle and my cousin...both builders extraordinaire! Who knew there was a screw gun? A nail gun, yes. But a screw gun?.....oh, the marvel of modern man!

And amidst all this building I even managed to find time to work on a micro renovation for mon petit poppet. This perfect little doll's house was bought for a song and needed some attention to "de-80's-a-fy" it and make it all that is good and vintagey in the world.

With a deft hand, a fairly meagre budget and a healthy dose of good old gumption I managed to remove the grey vinyl, grey carpet, maroon and yellow curtains and princess stickers and transform this grand old dame into a homely home full of comforts.

Some vintage furniture hunted out on ebay....a few Mumma made wee little quilts, pillows and cushions....

A grandfather clock to keep rhythm of the day. And a sewing machine...bien sur!

And then to attract just the right family....

I'll introduce you to them soon....they're a delightful brood!

Oh so much yummy craftiness over here today :)

The Bathroom - Part One

I'd love to be able to say that I've been gaily parading dans la Tuileries garden in my beloved Paris as the reason for my blogging absence of late but alas my excuse is far less romantic!

Meet my bathroom! Ain't she grand?!

Complete with asbestos walls, rusty taps and plug holes, a too short terrazzo floor that prompted me to paint a safety strip in yellow craft paint when I took a trip and nearly ended up head first in the loo. But most importantly...the old man B.O. smell that permeated the room on damp days that no amount of vinegar, pine-o-clean...or bleach (heaven forbid!) could abate!!

And the gaping hole where a decrepit old chipboard linen cupboard once stood filled with a gleaming frameless shower screen wrapped in plastic (found for a song in the weekend shopper) taunting me for a good year. Ah such a haven!!!!

But not for long. My "sanctuary" is being overhauled by my very own man of steel! Hubby has taken a few weeks off work and is single handedly renovating this monstrosity whilst poppet and I are staying with Momle and Falof. We have done all the renos so far in this house together so it's been trés hard to leave him on his own. But oh the progress...!!

Goodbye manky vanity...and dry reach inducing toilet!

And so long asbestos walls (and the man is a safety freak so don't fret) and what turned out to be a cast iron bath...that he removed on his own!

Be gone dated old terrazzo floor whose shine abandoned you somewhere in the sixties.

Welcome new plumbing and wall sheeting ...yes he did it all himself!

Bonjour to a new bath frame courteous of my hero.

Oh how do you do gleaming new bath?

It's so lovely to see you Mr. Waterproofing.

Please come in and make yourself at home gorgeous new floor tiles...

and gleaming white wall tiles!

I've popped in today sans my girl to visit this star of a man and make him some patty cakes and caramel slice to keep his spirits...and sugar levels up. He has done every drop of this reno on his own and I couldn't be more proud of him and awe struck at what he can take his hands to. I have to take off my hat, beanie, beret, mouldy old shower cap, sombrero etc. etc. to his AMAZING skill. But more than that...his perseverance!

You are an absolute champion my love. Merçi a million times over for making us a new bathroom.....bring on that rubber ducky!!!

Les Marchés au Puces - { The Market of the Fleas }

This weekend has been a delightful whirlwind of markets, renovating and gorgeous family time. Saturday morning took me away from my nest for a while as I set up shop at the Bardon Market. And the evening called for an impromptu dinner out at our local Swiss Restaurant! With poppet dressed in her finest we took the senior citizen seating (6:00 o'clock) and indulged in country terrine, amuse bouches i.e. little wee prawn quiches, and a cheese fondue. Bliss!

And Sunday...ah Sunday! A sleep in (thank-you our honey girl!), bacon and eggs for brekkie á la Hubby and pottering/renovating in the backyard. The retaining wall is now complete, there is a gate at the top of the deck, most of the slats are undercoated and we eagerly await stairs from my Papa Bear so I can actually carry washing down stairs rather than schlepping a basket up and down a ladder. A ladder I might add, we found Bijou at the very top of this afternoon!! Mon dieu!

But look what we found amidst all the rubble of a backyard wall we had to knock down. As this house was built in the fifties and the wall was built at the same time (thanks neighbour for that important snippet of info.) then this perfume bottle must be from the fifties. And imagine my delight when I took off the dirt encrusted lid and could still smell the perfume! My guess is L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci but I'm not certain. Can anyone remember this bottle adorning their Mum or Grand Mum's dresser?

For other vintage treasures please have a gander here. Hope your week is full of light and laughter.

Mon Espace Créateur - { My Creative Space }

When Hubby and I decided to take the plunge and invest in real estate we held pie in the sky dreams of a rambling (read: huge!) Queenslander with a gazillion rooms, ornate arches and breezeways, coloured glass casement windows thrown open onto a divine wrap around veranda luring sea breezes in to swirl throughout from the polished floorboards to the high ceilings. However, upon opening our wallets and finding barely two coins to rub together...yes we had a GORGEOUS wedding, amazing travels and more meals out than in (pre Bijou of course!)...our plans changed!

I was a woman possessed on my mission to track down "the renovator". The house that makes women weep and grown men (especially builders) run in fear. Hideous carpet...check, wallpaper of every hue (on every flat surface!)....check, lime green kitchen...check, bathroom still smelling of the previous owner....check (and eeww!!!). And I found it in a little timber post war number!

The house Hubby and I have (not so proudly) called home for the last 2 and a half years fulfilled all our requirements. It cost an absolute song...and took some loony couple to see its potential (that's us!). Before we had our poppet we spent many (and I mean many) hours plugging away at the gigantic list of home improvements with me often ending up with the dodgy jobs i.e removing all the wall paper only to have Hubby decide we should re sheet most of the walls anyway...cheers love!, removing all the layers of lino in the kitchen and the glorious black tar that I unearthed like buried treasure underneath.


But the things I enjoyed most involved my "gorilla bar junior"! A mini version of a crow bar that packs some serious punch. After a stressful day with 27 or so zany kidlets I could come home and rip something down...ah, the satisfaction! Can't wait to dust the old girl off again for the next house....a Queenslander I hope! Crossing my fingers, toes and eyes as I write.

As my brother is renovating at the moment too I thought it fitting to make a wee little tool set for my gorgeous nephew's first birthday. For a plethora of creative spaces pop over here and be amazed!

For the record...yes, I have my own tool belt and yes I have my own pink hammer! And as you can see, I wasn't exaggerating about the lime green kitchen. Gorgeous dahling!