Romantic Country

I know I have been missing for a while. Christmas and post Christmas are a hellish time for retail workers. I have three retail jobs so I was working constantly.
My dear blog has been sadly neglected and I haven't listed anything on ebay since November. On the plus side, I haven't bought anything either!
One of my fave magazines of all time is "Romantic Country." It is extremely difficult to get a copy of this in Australia but I hear it is freely available in the US. Fifi from Chez Fifi sent me a copy which I am so happy and grateful for - it is a fantastic issue!


This gorgeous house featured in the mag is all done in pinks and greens, my favourite two colours. I wonder if the owner, Elizabeth, has a blog? I noticed she has a rhinestone clock collection in one picture. I have always wanted to start a collection of these but they are very pricey!


This house had hand painted roses on everything. The above is a wooden curtain pelmet. Below is their fabulous bathroom with roses painted on the cabinets.

A lot of us like using the wooden wall words in our homes. These have a touch of bling!


I came across this book on Amazon recently. Isn't the cover divine? Am coveting a copy.

Christmas Village

Dang, this is my 200th post!



My little Christmas village set up around the base of hubby's beloved LCD TV. All the houses are vintage and a little warped as you can see.



Full view of all the decorating on the tv cabinet.


I have really been loading up this baby LOL! Not many vintage finds this year, alas. This is a way bigger tree than my pink one from last year. It takes a ton of decorations.
I didn't have room for my pink tree this year. I also have a pink fiber optic feather tree and some fibre optic houses along with Royal Albert and Villeroy Christmas stuff all in my store room. My sneaky husband packed it all in such a way that I will kill myself with a ton of boxes on my head if I try to get at them. He says we have enough Christmas "crap" in the house.
Men!

Christmas Wreath

I was feeling very creative on the weekend and finally got around to making a tinsel and bauble wreath. It was super easy and harly took any time at all.


I wrapped a strand of pink and silver tinsel around a cane wreath. It only needed one strand. I stuck down the ends with hot glue.



I then attached glass and plastic baubles directly onto the cane using a hot glue gun. Easy peasy!



Some new baubles I bought at the Galleria today. I saw these earlier in the season but they were quite expensive. Only $4 each at a gift shop in the Galleria!
My Christmas shopping is pretty much done except for some little bits and pieces. The shops are going mad now and I wish I could stay away. Unfortunately I have to work in them!

More Christmas

Still trying to get the hang of this new camera so please excuse these photos.
The kids finished school today for the year and they don't go back until February the 4th. EEEEKKKKK!


This is the lilac Christmas tree I got off ebay earlier in the year for $20. I was stoked as they cost around $200 in the shops. I have added lots more decorations since this photo. I bought some matching purple lights from Ikea and found some fab French inspired decorations at Kmart. Pink and decorated with poodles!


My Ikea coffee table before I decorated it for Christmas. Glass goes on top of the shadow boxes.


I painted it pale green as I have been wanting to do this for a while. It matches the feature wall in this room. I have more stuff to add to this when I can find a spare minute!

My Glam Trash Button Christmas Tree

I was inspired by Sarah to make a button tree for Christmas this year. Ok, I was inspired by it last year when she first made it but I was too lazy to get around to it.
She said it was time consuming and I didn't believe her. Sarah, I believe you now! This took FOREVER. It also cleaned out nearly my entire bead box and all my pins. I had to buy at least six more packets of pins and various beads and buttons. I also begged my mum for a whole lot of buttons, some which are quite old.
I couldn't find hardly any buttons in the thrift stores and they were too expensive to buy new. So I decided to go with what I had in my bead box. Lots of faux gems and rhinestones and various broken jewelry.
Please excuse the photos. I have a new camera and have not got the hang of it yet. Everything looks grainy and grey.
The first picture is when the tree was half done. Looking at the other pictures I have just noticed that the rhinestone buckle is missing! I bet my little girl has swiped it!

Things I Want For Christmas

Yay, I got a GOOD new job! A permanent one which means we will be able to buy a new home soon and get out of this shoe box we are in.
I have been working a lot but have been doing some Christmas craft in the evenings while watching "Bargain Hunt" (love that show.)
Photos very soon!
Anyway, below are some of the things I want for Christmas.


Isn't this French inspired bed divine? Looks like something Marie Antoinette would have in her Petit Triannon. I am reading a biography on her at the moment, such an interesting woman.


Cath Kidston wallpaper. I could do so much with this. Feature wall, backing or lining for shelves, cover boxes and books....must have!


Pink LCD TV and DVD player for the boudoir.


Glam giant rubber duckie with feather boa. Aussie readers, David Jones have these.



Hand woven Aubusson rug in a super large size. The perfect anchor for the shabby chic living room.


Who can ever have enough diamonds?


Royal Winton wall vases to add to my collection.





French inspired desk and office chair. Love that chair!


And the gift that keeps on giving....Ryan Reynolds!

Ebay & Target

Was in Target this morning trying to find this;

Eight piece baking set at a bargain price and PINK! I want those moulds not just for baking but making soaps and chocolates.


I also tried to find this half price Transformer for my collector brother and my son's best friend.
The word is TRIED. Like all Coles owned companies, Target is chronically under staffed. The only staff in the toy section was a teenage boy who was being monopolised by a surgically enhanced mum. Totally mesmerized by her plastic bosom, he was running all over Target fetching the stuff on her list.
Now I am thinking this woman might of been smarter than she looked. What a good way to get service. Note to self; wear push up bra and low cut top when I want service in under staffed shops (which have young males as employees.)
Anyway, I didn't get either of those things, both sold out straight away.


I bought this rose garland from Dusk and put it on top of the curtains in the living room. I liked it so much I thought I would sell one on ebay too. Click here to go to my auctions.


I just love the little Cath Kidston hand soaps and bath melts. They look fab in a glass jar in my bathroom. This is another item I have on ebay, the bath melts as pictured below.




Above is the cupboard door print I bought from Gail recently. At the front you can see the latest addition to my Josef Originals collection.
Here she is below!



And I just had to have this Christmas sign after seeing it on Mels blog. My kids have been whining, "Can't we just have a normal coloured Christmas tree?" And I said, of course you can. When you move out. What a mean mummy I am! Inflicting pink, lilac and white trees on the poor babies!

Facebook Is Cool

I quit my job at the homewares store this week. I have been dancing on air, I am just so bloody happy to be out of there.
On the bright side, it has shown me that I am more than able to run my own small business. Lets just say if we weren't in a boom time in my city at the moment I don't think this place would have survived.
The owners know about my blog so I won't say anymore except KARMA. What you put forth you get back.
Luckily I still have my job with Villeroy & Boch and of course, there is always eBay.
My cousin sent me a picture she found on facebook recently. It is of us at a pool party circa the summer of '86 - '87. I was 13! I am the one in the photo who is not in the pool, my cousin is in the middle.


Villeroy now has the new ice cream range in store. I really want this tray to prop behind my hotplates. It's plastic so it will be a whiz to clean!




I have made a new cooking gadget discovery. For someone who hates cooking, I love this!

It is an oil mister. You can use the best quality of olive oil and get a light mist so you are using less saving dollars and calories. Also it is goodbye to those icky aerosol olive oils.
They are $20 to $30 most places but I got mine from Woolworths for $9.

12 Days Of Christmas

Not much to say today but I had to show these gorgeous plates I saw at Peters of Kensington this morning.



Rosanna plates that illustrate the 12 days of Christmas! What a wonderful, decorative display for the holidays!

While I was there I spotted these Rosanna cake recipe plates. Much more in my price range and they can stay out all year round. Note to self; somehow make space on my crammed kitchen walls for these beauties.

Halloween & Pyrex

Wow, two posts in two days, unheard of for me these days!

I found a use for the pedestal of my hubby's ugly LCD TV. I am using it as a base for holiday decorating!


Halloween display. I need vintage decorating pieces, most of these were from the $2 shop.


Big ass spider from Harry Potter, kindly lent to me by my son.


The only vintage piece, an old kitsch Dracula mug.


Have started collecting Pyrex. I have three pieces now so that is a collection!
Just love the pink and aqua colours and the snowflake pattern.