Coffee table

It's freezing. I have a flat inspection on Tuesday. So decided that my focus this weekend would be on cleaning and tidying the house (which would hopefully keep me warm).

What wasn't on my list was finally deciding what I was going to do with the second table I bought for $4 at the 2013 Sydney show (you'll remember that I painted the first one yellow last year).

But I did. I was inspired by a rustic table I'd seen some time last week in my magazine, book or blog reading (I can't remember which), where the legs had been painted black and the top was rustic and worn looking.

I'd planned to pull apart one of the Typo boxes and use the sides to make the table top, but when I noticed that the one I pulled out of the stash was a coffee box there was a bit of a change of plan.

So I experimented with cutting up the front of the box and mixing the bits up for some rustic reuse.

After a bit of work with the raw umber acrylic to stain the sides and gaps, I'm leaving it to dry overnight.

Then I'll decide it I want to attack it with the sander...

Snot-free Sunday

After a nap which took pretty much all afternoon and an early night I woke up this morning feeling almost human.

 After a leisurely breakfast I decided a gentle walk in the sun was just what I needed (the fact that the monthly markets were on had nothing to do with it, honest!)

And I'm very pleased I ventured out. Because look what I found waiting for me on one of the trash and treasure stalls:

 Can you believe they only wanted $5 for it? The old dear who was running the stall said 'Oh, it's a bit old and faded: I guess you're after it for your dog, now the weather's turning cold...'

I didn't have the heart to tell her I wanted it for me, precisely because  it was old and faded. It'll be a perfect extra layer over winter.

One times table

I've had a cold all week and wasn't sure I'd make it up to Margell this weekend, but told myself that once I'd unpacked I could go straight to bed if I wanted to. And at least I'd be ill in a whole new location (and in clean bed linen).

Besides, I had a few things to deliver.

Grocery supplies (I shopped online with The Miniature Supermarket. Excellent service and fast delivery.)

A new kitchen bench (An ex-commercial-kitchen bargain from ALLBIDS*. I still have no plumbing but at least I don't have to hunch to reach the school desks I was using. And this unit dismantled nicely to fit into the car.)

 And a super-cheap IKEA DOCKSTA table I scored second hand off Gumtree*. Looking forward to using this.

I couldn't resist a quick stop at the op shops on the way though Margell, where I picked up a few necessities and a few fripperies.

And now I'm heading back to bed for an afternoon nap.

(*Not really but I can pretend, right?)

Afternoon treats

Ruth brought me a present for letting her be my first guest at Margell:

We agreed it was a perfect house warming present for a former school.

 A few more things have been added to the decor this weekend. I got the pear poster from Superdooper Studio last week and Ruth brought the director's chair with her when I mentioned she'd have to either sit on the teacher's chair or a classroom chair.

 So now there's somewhere for us both to sit while we eat delicious cakes for afternoon tea.

 I got two posters from Superdooper Studios,as I couldn't decide between them. The second one went up in the sleeping area.

It's all looking much more comfortable, isn't it?

Back to school

My friend Ruth was keen to join me on a weekend away at my new holiday house, so I invited her to join me this weekend.

 We both thought it might be a wet weekend, so brought lots of things to keep us amused inside.

 Plus we brought enough supplies to last us in case we didn't feel like heading into the village.

There's still a bit to unpack from the car before we stop for lunch, so we'd better get back to it...

Last night

It's been a lovely relaxing weekend away from reality, but now I must return to real life. For the week, at least.

I'm already planning my next visit and making lists of what I need to bring to make the space cosier and more comfortable.

Margell magic

As promised, I popped into town this morning to check out the op shops.

It's a small town, so there's only two, but I came away with treasures:

A 1950s-style chair ($30: perfect for reading by the fire until I decide on what I want there in the long term), a stack of old National Geographic magazines ($5: because every holiday home needs old National Geographic magazines!), a white plastic tub for doing dishes in ($2: I'll get plumbing and a sink installed eventually but in the meantime I can get water from the toilet block taps), a 'Be a health Kiwi' poster ($5: a surprise find in an Australian op shop but stranger things have happened) an old biscuit tin ($2) and a tea towel (50 cents).

Did you notice what the tea towel was?

How perfect is that?!

In the night kitchen

The car's completely unpacked (finally!)

 and the first round of basic cleaning has been completed.

Time for a spot of dinner and, probably, an early night. I hear there are decent op shops in town: tomorrow I might pop in for a poke around...

Unexpected pleasures

1. First breakfast at Margell School, in the sun

 before the day's unpacking and cleaning starts...

 2. An intriguing-looking package waiting for me at the post office this morning:

 With a note:

 I have only sorted out the furniture pieces and already I am overwhelmed by Elvira's generosity!

Now I'm looking forward to sorting out the tiny things and deciding which bits could be added to the school (all found at the local op shop, don't you know?)

Thank you so much Elvira, I will enjoy playing with these.

Going bush

It's a long weekend here in Australia, and I've made it even longer by taking tomorrow off.

So it seemed a good time to get away from it all and (finally) spend some time at Margell Public School...

In a slight related note, I was lucky enough to finally see the documentary Marwencol last night:
It was inspiring and thought-provoking (and not just because there are miniatures involved).

Dejunk June

April and May flew past without me being able to catch hold of them so I'm hoping June gives me the opportunity to sort some stuff out before winter kicks in.

I've declared it 'Dejunk June' and hope to spend the month focusing on clearing stuff out. I figured a good first step would be to blog the rest of the photos I took at the Sydney Miniatures Show, back at the beginning of May.

This munitions factory scene didn't have a name next to it.

 I enjoyed seeing someone tackle something so different in miniature,

 and especially appreciated the well-worn look of the place.

Lewis Morley was a new exhibitor at the show and his pieces included this miniature comic book store:

 Once again, it was refreshing to see something different on display and I know several people who will geek out at these images.

 The fantasy paintings are created by his wife, Marilyn Pride.

I'm not usually into smaller scales but I loved this half inch scale duplex by Thelma Carr, with one side being as it would have been just after it was built and the other side the modern renovated version:

For some reason, even after reading in The tiny Times about the street scene created by Virginia Paton, I hadn't quite realised it wasn't one inch scale but quarter inch scale. Duh!

Best birthday card EVER

Friend Hannah presented me with this Teeny Tiny People card for my birthday:

Perfect in so many ways. I just wish I'd thought of it first...

Peeking inside The Pink Door

As promised, here's a tour of Div's creation for this year's Sydney Miniatures Show. It's a shabby chic shop called The Pink Door.

Div's houses always have a fascinating back story to them and she has agreed to share the story of the shop's owner, Lily Love: 

 'Lilly was born Elizabeth  Langham in England to a well to do family in Tonbridge Kent. She grew up in a somewhat run down old Georgian mansion that belonged to her Grandmother who it was rumoured to have been the mistress of the Prince of Wales before the First World War.

Lilly loved her grandmother and the family always told her how much “Lilly Beth” looked like her. Lilly Beth became an actress with her grandmother’s encouragement much to the dismay of her parents and brothers, who did not approve of a life on the stage .At the age of twenty she ran away from home to star in the Australian production of “Hair” and created the stage name…Lilly Love. 

While in Sydney Lilly met and fell in love with a handsome young artist Damien Miller. They planned to marry but he was conscripted and went to fight in Vietnam. So they became engaged and had a blissful 6 weeks before he was shipped out to fight.

Lilly left the stage so she could always be with Damien whenever he had leave. She got a job with an interior decorator named Ray Siede. She rented apartment in a big old Victorian mansion on Moore Street in Surry Hills owned by a star of “Le Girls”.

Damien survived his first 12 months and they had a wonderful holiday together in Hong Kong. But six weeks after he returned to Vietnam Damien was killed in the battle for Long Ton.

 Lilly lost the love of her life but thank fully with the support of her landlord and a close band of friends she survived those first months of utter despair and loss. Lily decided to stay in Australia and with a generous inheritance from her Grandmother she found a house she could afford to buy in Surry Hills next door to her landlord. She threw herself into her work and doing up her rather run down new home. She loves cooking and the kitchen is the hub of her home.

She found she had a talent for decorating and a number of the stars of Le Girls had her create on a shoe string budget comfortable rooms  and flats for them. Then she got a call from America to make a film in Hollywood.

So off she went really excited only to find it was to be an erotic movie. The producer saw Lilly in Hair and thought that as she had taken her clothes off in Hair she would not mind staring in an artistic film. 

Lilly was taken aback but when she found out the money that was being offered she thought what the heck, she put on a black wig and called herself Lilly Loveless and went ahead and starred in the movie.

 Lilly spent six months in Hollywood and met a lovely young English lady called Rachel Ashwell who was just starting to make a name for herself, as an interior decorator. Rachel had introduced America to the concept “Shabby Chic”. Lilly fell in love with the concept, it reminded her of the happy home she had shared with her much loved grandmother.

She left America with the idea to return to Sydney and open a shop. While in Hollywood she visited a shop called “The Pink Door” and liked the name so much she thought she would name her shop “The Pink door”. Lilly liked America, but found she missed her home and her life and friends in Sydney. She realized she did not want to act anymore so home to Sydney she came with idea of the shop firmly fixed in her head.

Shabby chic made her think of the home she grew up in and the comforting surrounds of her grandmother’s home in the beautiful Kent countryside. She knew she could make a success of championing the style in Australia.

Lilly opened her shop in 1982. It is  a treasure trove of the style and her home  next door reflexes her love of the comfortable style that is “Shabby Chic” She loves the soft pastel shades and has created a shop and a home that reflexes her instinctive ease with this type of interior decoration.

She has a couple of pieces that are family heirlooms and collects blue and white china and antique books.

She has never married and lives a full and happy life with many friends in the art and entertainment industry.'

(Thank you Div, for sharing Lily's story with us!)