Somerset Park Estate

My daughter and I went for a wander around our estate this afternoon and I took a few snaps of the entrances to the estate and the roundabouts within the estate. I have to say, I LOVE the Italian feel the developers have conveyed here. It is like a little sanctuary and when I'm feeling a bit down, it only takes a stroll down the road to view the landscape and my spirit is lifted.
Recently the council informed the residents that the fountains, which have been redundant for some time due to water restrictions and a need for extensive "work" will be planted in garden beds with colourful annuals. I nearly died when I heard this as I had visions of gaudy orange and yellow blooms jarring my tranquil haven! (Where is Paul Bangay when I need him!!) I responded by signing a petition that one resident was circulating expressing my desire to have the fountains fully functional again even if it meant an increase in our levy. Alas and alack it was to no avail as I spied the council workers recently with their fluro vests and tape measures scouting the area.
I will do an update post and let you know what they end up planting. Fingers crossed for something that fits in with the current theme.

Green to White

I am aiming to get my living room as white as I can without it looking sterile and lifeless. One project I needed to get done in this process was to paint a small green table that I had bought off ebay. I couldn't live with the green for too long so covered it with some fabric in the meantime. Yesterday I finally got around to painting it and then decided to also paint an urn that I have. I have been wanting to paint the urn for some time but have always had some hesitation... now it's done, I am relieved that it turned out as I had envisaged, and I love the way it now contrasts against the greenish glass. It will all look so pretty when I get the fairy lights on the branches fixed and working.

Sideboard

Must have been exercising my inner goth at this stage! (above)

My husband is currently sporting a moustache of which I am not a huge fan, but I will make an exception as it is in support of a worthy cause...raising awareness of mens health. Thankfully he has kept his sideboards neat and trimmed.

I have been having some fun with MY sideboard this week, doing some rearranging. I won this sideboard at an auction and there was one other female bidder who was obviously very keen to win the auction but had set herself a dollar limit. As the gavel came down in my favour she let out an almighty groan ..."NO, IT'S MINE"....I felt a twinge of guilt... but that feeling passed soon enough! This is one of the few pieces we brought with us when we moved from NZ 4 years ago and I think I will be hanging onto it for some time. Whenever my Mum sees it she asks when am I going to "do it up", lol.

I would like to make mention of a blog that I am especially enjoying following. www.willowbrookpark.blogspot.com The author of this blog has embarked on a very grand venture which, at it's fruition, will be grand in the extreme. I know he would be happy for you to pop on over and peruse his posts.

Fruit and Nuts.

I love the intricate carving of this wooden pineapple
(above)

This one (above) is a favourite hiding place for Easter eggs!

These ones (above) were at the bottom of a box of "junk" that I bought at an auction for $2. They still had the original price on the bottom...$25 each.

We were driving through a small town on our way to Auckland for the day and stopped at an intersection when I spotted these in the window of the homewares store on the corner. I thought about them the whole day so my hubby kindly stopped in on the way home for me to take a look. I don't think he was surprised to see me walking back to the car with 2 boxes!

I met a lady in Wagga Wagga a couple of years ago and when I saw this lamp in her home, I commented on it. She told me she was going to get rid of it so I did her a favour and took it off her hands. It was originally a glazed mustard ceramic until I took to it with the black sray paint.

I have this fledgling collection of finials made up of acorns and pineapples. I just love them all. I don't know what it is but I have a strange attraction to these shapes, and my heart skips a beat every time I see one?!?!?

Each of my finials has a story of how it came into my possesion. I could go out to a decor store and just buy them but part of their charm is the memories they evoke for me.

I am toying with the idea of painting them all one colour (white,surprise,surprise,) and grouping them together. At the moment they are scattered around the house and don't really make much of a statement as far as a display goes. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Supermarket table desk!

I am noticing a worrying pattern here... I recently mentioned in a post about my 99 dollar camera which I purchased from the impulse aisle at the supermarket checkout and now I am revealing the 2 side tables I bought at the supermarket and remodelled into a work station...HAVE I NO SHAME?!?!

Actually, no, I don't... if I can find something that I feel is a bargain and it suits my purposes, then I'm all for it!

I assembled the 2 tables (love kitset!) and remembered some timber laminate that was wasting away in the garage so I screwed it to the 2 tables, ironed on some edging to the raw edge and added 2 baskets that I had lying around...can you believe they fit perfectly!

Last night I took to one of the baskets with a white wash and am pleased with the result....but it was late and I ran out of steam so the other basket still needs to be done.

Anyway...here it is ....my supermarket work desk...voila!

Post Script: You obviously have already viewed the pictures as I posted in the wrong order and don't know how to move my text above the pics! Any help in that regard would be appreciated :o)

Note to self ......"a lap-top would look so much better!"

2nd note to self... "finish painting those stripes!!"

The Glory of Grey

There are many people, myself included, who love the look of grey painted furniture, especially when it has a distressed effect and the newness is knocked off the piece with a few dings and scratches...nothing is more pleasing to the eye than a surface with grey chippy paint that speaks of age and longevity, memories and experience....

So what do we do to a brand new peice of furniture like this?

We reach for the paint and get it to look like this.

From this.....

....to this....

so why....when THIS happens......

do we react like this....

or this........

or this.......

or this.......

or this......?

Maybe because it conjures up images like this......

or this........

or this......

so we reach for this......

because we desperately want to look like this.......

and this.....

and this......

Sunddenly words like character and distress take on a negative connotation, antique becomes ancient and yes, we've had some scratches and the paint is chipping off but how is that a good thing???

Maybe if we reframe our mental image of grey hair to something more like this...

or this......

or this......

or this......

we will be more relaxed about the visible signs of aging and remember that ....

"Gray hair is a crown of splendour; it is attained by a righteous life" Psalm 16:31

On a different note..I wanted to mention a blog that I have been really enjoying and was particularly taken with her August posts. Can I recommend that you pop over and take a look at Stella and Pearl if you haven't already visited.

FYI , I have a modicum of grey hair that I am debating whether or not to cover up so not actually sure where I stand in relation to this issue ;o)