Bargain!

Recently a friend and I decided to take ourselves on a second hand shop tour on a Saturday afternoon.  Our plan was to head south of Perth and see what treasures we could find.  Turns out the best treasures are those within 2 minutes of your own house! 

After leaving my friends street we spotted a garage sale just winding up.  Five minutes later I left with this amazing (and working!!) vintage sewing machine...  for $15!  

 It just needed a good clean so after an afternoon spent polishing and cleaning my new addition is looking great!  

How gorgeous is the little storage box for all your threads!

M xx

Vintage Prints

Two of our best friends gave us this awesome vintage print 'Take a Day at the Seaside' as a wedding present.  We've just recently had it framed and it is now taking pride of place in our lounge room ready for some new friends to join it on the wall.

I'd love to start a collection of vintage prints and posters and there are so many great options around these days.  If you would like an authentic original poster then the best place to look is at Vintage Posters Only.  Like many small businesses Vintage Posters Only has grown from owner Sam Johnson's personal interest in vintage posters to now stocking a varied range of posters from around the world.

My pick of his posters are:

A more afforable alternative is a reprint of the original advertising poster. A La Mode Studio have a great range and are all reasonably priced.  You can shop them here or here.  My pick of their current prints are:

Thanks C and S for such a great present!

M xx

UPDATE!
A La Mode are currently running a sale through Temple & Webster! If you haven't subscribed yet to Temple & Webster make sure you register and check out the great sale prices.

Recycled Home

A friend from work recently lent me Mark and Sally Bailey's fabulous book, Recycled Home. If the image on the front cover wasn't an indication of how much I would love this book, the first line of the introduction completely sealed the deal.  Mark and Sally state that "rescue, repair, reuse and rethink are the guiding principles of our version of recycling"...  Love at first line!

While there are so many gorgeous photos by Debi Treloar throughout the book, one particular image caught my attention.

How great are these boot molds used as a toilet roll holder! I love the idea of using items for a purpose completely different to what they were designed for. Particularly items like this or re-purposed medical items.  We currently use our wooden shoe molds for anything from a door jam to a paper weight but there are so many great ideas out there.

M xx

Images: here , here, here, here, here, here

Urban Outfitters

I am ashamed to admit it but I have only just discovered that Urban Outfitters deliver to Australia...  gasp! And the best bit?  They deliver for free for orders over $50!  Hoorah!

Urban Outfitters are known for their quirky and kitschy apparel and home wares and their vintage apartment range is right up my alley. 

To celebrate my new discovery I have put together my shopping wish list...  now where is my credit card?

  

You can shop all of the above and more here.

Happy Shopping!

M xx

Fabric as Art

No matter where I live I seem to accumulate fabric.   Whether it was bought with a specific project in mind or just because I loved the fabric and hoped I might use it one day, my fabric collection has grown.  Instead of it sitting in the cupboard I thought why not use my favourite pieces to create some new art to hang around the house.  

Materials I used:
1. An old canvas print I already had
2. Staple Gun
3. Staple Remover
4. Staples
5. Fabric (make sure it is ironed to remove any creases)

Firstly I removed the staples of the current canvas print and turned it inside out and restapled it.  The fabric I wanted to use was quite light so I didn't want the old canvas print to show through.  I unscrewed the existing hook and kept to put back on later. 

I then cut the fabric to size and stapled a few staples along one side before pulling taught and stapling the opposite side.  It was then just a matter of working my way around making sure the fabric was pulled tight.  The corners were folded just like you would a present.  I then just replaced the hanging hook and we're finished!

Our spare room before:

And After:

 M xx

   

Vignettes

This week I have been distracted (in a creatively inspiring way) by Jen Bishop's (from the fab blog Interiors Addict)  7 Vignettes photo challenge on instagram.

The idea behind the challenge is to create a vignette for the different daily theme.  So what is a vignette?  Guest judge Steve Cordony describes it as “...a small cluster of objects or things that have meaning or resonate an emotion or memory. Items collected from travels, objects found in the most obscure places or that one amazing piece you have been coveting for months."

The themes this round were:

Via Interiors Addict

There were so many entries that I just loved.  Some people are so creative and have the most beautiful things! Although it was hard narrowing down my favourites here are a few from each theme that I loved: 

Day 1. Books

Day 2: Texture

Day 3: Love

Day 4: Shiny

Day 5: Cushions

Day 6: Old

Day 7: Pattern

 You can follow me on instagram here.

M xx

I want a new man...nequin!

Samantha Wills recently posted the below image of her New York apartment to her instagram.  There is a lot I love about her apartment but what caught my eye in particular were the beautiful mannequins she has on display.  

They are not to everyone's taste, including my husband who thinks they are creepy, but I love their curvy shape and how they can instantly add character to a room.  Not only can they be used as a decorative feature they can also have a functional purpose.  Hang your favourite necklace or scarf on one; loop your belts around the waist or pin your favourite vintage brooches to the fabric ones.  I currently have one in our spare room that I have hung a handmade necklace we bought in Kenya. I think is is time to start expanding my mannequin family though and the below ones would do nicely please.

M xx

Images: here, here, here, here