The "man flu" and super Mum.

Dear friends

If you have not met the man flu, let me explain:  this is when your other - sometimes better - half gets sick.

He sighs.

He sniffles.

He sighs some more.

He is pitiful.

Well,...truth be told, the "man flu" this year is pretty extreme.  What gave it away as "real" man flu was the pile of many blankets, a wool jumper, a heat pack ALL in front of the fire.

But never fear!! With his incapacitation, life went on.

I took 3 children to the airport at 5am on Saturday so the boys could go to Queensland for their holidays.

The little Bella Boo enjoyed her early morning trip - I bet no one had heard a more excited 3 year old at 6:30am, than when the planes took off.  

And yes, I mean "planes"...plural.  

Because when the boys plane took off...

we had to stay for the next one as well.

Thankfully Bella Boo also went back to bed once we got home, so I could also steal a few more winks before I got up and into....

Prepping the ensuite!!

As a bit of background, our ensuite has had a change in vanity and loo, 

 the walls were in desperate need of attention

with peeling white paint over

the dreaded 80's apricot.

I had bought myself a new power tool to help with the job: the all powerful sander, with multi speed, multi attachments, multi everything...I was excited!!

When I bought the sander, the boys were still here on holidays.  Knowing they were happily ensconced in front of the TV for hours of Wii Indiana Jones Lego fun, I adorned my safety costume of mask and goggles, primed the ensuite and attacked the walls with a fierce and noisy vibrating abandon.

When I stopped to admire my first sweep of sanded art, I turned to find two bewildered sons staring at me.  Wii controllers gripped still, their mouths slightly ajar!

"What are you doing", asked my eldest genius.

"I'm sanding" I said with glee!

Though perhaps that was muffled by the mask I still wore.

Again, my eldest stared at me as if an alien.

"You're building!" he said.

"No!" I reassured him, "I'm sanding".

They were a touch confused by my activities.  But then again, I reasoned with myself, perhaps the combination of their holiday hang-time and my inspired behaviour with a power tool...perhaps, this was the first true opportunity for them to realise I am a woman of action AND many talents.

Yeh, whatever.

Anyway, back to the "man flu".

So I had already sanded the ensuite and had puttied.

Once the boys flew away - a quiet relief as their concerned glances at me "building" was not doing much for my "I can do it all" confidence - I needed to perform further sanding...further puttying.  Without watchful, concerned eyes, I took to my task like a seasoned pro - I had little idea what I was really doing, but it felt good. It felt right. And I was a little OCD about making sure everything puttied was smooth...that all previous signs of peeling paint were obliterated.

By the end of the weekend I was ready to make the most of the extra holidays I had taken to paint our ensuite.  Bring on the completed task!!

Then guess what happened.

I got "girl flu".

Naturally, it is not as bad as "man flu".

(seriously!!)

But it has involved alot of this:

Simply Me

I will finish the ensuite...it may not be as quick as I would like.  I certainly hope though, it is before the boys return from holidays.

big hugs

Cath
xx

A further concrete consideration...in the bathroom?

Hi all

I think we were mostly in agreement that with the right elements concrete in the kitchen may just work.

But what about in the bathroom?

I don't know about you, but the bathroom is a "cold room" for me.  In summer the bathroom is the space I find relief in, because it is cool and refreshing.

Yet, come winter, the bathroom is the space I spend as little time as possible because it is cold!  Even with heat lights, it is cold.  In fact, I become a little manic in Winter about making sure all the wet area doors are closed, because they create an arctic breeze all the way down the other end of the house.

Well, that's my opinion - but I do get a little bit "princess and the pea" about it all.

So how would concrete work in the bathroom for me?  It would be necessary to have underfloor heating for starters.  Perhaps a concrete that is warmer in tone...?  I think it can look visually lovely, but I am in the middle of Winter right now, so perhaps I should ponder this question in Summer.

Green and organic

Decor Pad

Svelte and chic

Murdoch Young

Just plain pretty!

Once.daily.chic

What do you think? 

Is it too cold for you to consider the option, or does it feel just right?  

Is concrete better suited to warmer climates than the cooler ones? 

It does make me wonder how much our habitat plays

 in our decisions of home textiles and surfaces.

Happy weekend everyone!!

Hugs

Cath

Concrete...is it too hard?

Hi lovelies

I have a quick question.

Is concrete too hard...harsh...cold or cool for the kitchen?

Or does it add that little something extra?

source: Nancy Fishelson

Gorgeous Jami at Freckled Laundry helped me remember the source for this image

because she has done a WHOLE post on Nancy Fishelson.

Be sure to check out Jami's whole post here.

image via Nestegg

image via Apartment Therapy

I think with the right elements such as some warming timber,

 and plenty of natural light, 

it could be quite lovely.

What do you think?

Hugs

Cath

Let's celebrate the little rays of sunshine

Wow!!

It has been so long since I have been here that I almost forgot what you look like!

I must say though, 

you are looking rather lovely today

...have you done something new with your hair?

No?  Well, let me tell you then that you look WoNDerful today!!

At this time of year we are smack in the middle of winter...smack cold, frozen, iced over, winter.  But let's be honest, we are in Australia...

So how cold can it get?

Well, where I live we have cars frosted over that need de-icing.  My boys like to do this by using the warmth of their hands so I end up with little warm hand prints all over the frosted windows.  That's about as bad as it gets.

If it snows, which has happened here in the last 2 years, we get really excited and stand around in the yard with our mouths open trying to catch flakes on our tongues.

Well, the kids and I do at least - the lovely just looks on fondly.

The truth is I love winter!! Mostly for the special days where the wind is still, the sun shines and the freshness of the cold morning is invigorating and makes you feel alive.

So in celebration of the winter rays of sunshine, let's have a wee peek at some beautiful inspiration.

I don't know about you, but I have noticed lots of yellow with black, white and grey lately.  I am not talking the yellow walls that we injected into happy homes in the 90s,  but rather the pops of sunny cheery yellow.

Don't you think that the yellow really sparkles

in the calming neutrals we love right now?

I am loving this gorgeous abstract, 

set behind the crisp white vase and the bare branches.

Seriously, who needs flowers?

Actually, I do...so lets just forget that last question.

all images from decorpad

For me it is the artwork that makes this scheme work.

Being a large piece, it helps to break the wallpaper 

and bring together the striking combination

of contrasting colour and pattern.

Would you have picked yellow, turquoise and grey together?

I don't truly know if I could live in this 24/7,  

but I do love the colour adventure...

 the solid turquoise and grey chairs, 

the yellow curtains, 

all set against the patterned grey rug and happy yellow wallpaper...

As you all know, I love colour and for me yellow is happy.  

Plain and simple.

Happy Sunshine!!!

Hugs

Cath

x

Family history

Hi all my beautiful, and patient, friends

Can you guess what this is?

Or, perhaps the question should be: who did this?

Before I tell you, I do need to apologise for my absence.  Short and sweet: work is busy.  So please stick with me;  you aren't forgotten.

Now, on to the exciting news.... 

Recently my lovely Dad sent an email to family members with a link to this beautiful sampler.

On the reverse it reads:

Phillis Dixon 1873, Prestatyn, born 1863 Melide Flint North Wales. In 1881 listed as unmarried & living with her parents Thomas & Catherine on their 250 acre farm, with two sisters Catherine Jessie & Emily Jane & 4 servants, her father born in Scotland.

What is so fabulous is that it was done by my great, great Aunt!  Another way to look at it is, Phillis (Phyllis) Dixon's niece, Katherine Dixon, married my paternal Great Grandfather.

I don't know how Dad found this trawling for family historical information, but somehow a search popped this sampler up for sale here!

Hmmmmm, maybe if it is still for sale when I do my holiday later this year I can go and take a look. :-)

I think it is so wonderful that technology allows to take a glimpse like this into the past.

Looking at it I can't help but wonder:

Where did Phillis choose to do her work? Did she do this on a beautiful Spring day in the garden, or by the light of a window on a cold Winters day. 

Did her mother Catherine sit patiently by her side guiding her with each stitch?

How long did it take, I wonder, for a 10 year old to do this?

Can you picture the happy face when she had finally completed it? I can; a smile big and proud.

The mind but can't help but imagine and it is such a lovely step back in time.

Til next time, big hugs!!

Cath
xx

Australian Linen love

Hi my lovelies

Don't you just love this glorious bed!

I have spent a little bit of time in bed lately 

recouping after my inconveniently timed trip to the hospital,

(yep, all good now thanks!)

and I suspect had this bed been mine...

...I may have been tempted to stay in bed a little longer.

(Cheeky, I know...but who could blame me!)

Take a look at more of the beautiful KAS linens;  

I love how Australia is beautifully captured in the images.

Devine!

Have a super Monday!!!

Hugs

Cath

x

My new inspiration addiction

Hi all

Today I wanted to share a new blog and a great new inspiration party to join;

Bird/Like,

Decor and Fashion inspired by birds and nature. 

Wonderful!

Anne from Bird/Like is hosting a Bird Inspired Design Board Monday, and in doing so introduced me to my new addiction: Olioboard!! 

It is a fantastic interactive online tool that allows you to create multiple mood boards, from a wealth of decor items.

Fun!!

I have spent so much time just playing with my very first mood board, inspired by the Bower Bird.

I have to admit this little chap totally inspired me, as did Olioboard, because:

just like a bower bird,

off I went, 

collecting items to store away:

for what?

I have no idea!

But they sure were pretty!!

Please go and take a look at Bird/Like to hook up with Inspiration Monday!!

It sure does promise to be LOTS of fun!!

Hugs

Cath

Love Letter wall mural....{sigh}

Happy Monday!!!!

I hope you all had a super sterling weekend...we had a great one as my eldest chick turned 10.  What a gorgeous age.

But this is just a quick stop by for now, as I wanted to share some gorgeous eye candy that ticks the trend for maps and all things vintage and beautifully written or postmarked…

Scandinavian Wallpaper & Decor

Isn’t it beautiful!!  I spotted this line of wallpaper in the latest Australian Homes & Garden, that has an even more beautiful inspirational photo of this same mural.  It is pure love!!

I will be back very soon with my tutorial for the Christmas ornaments.

Big love and hugs

Cath

xx

Flowers for you...

Dear blog buddies

These flowers are from my garden,

and I am giving them to you.

~

Things have been a little crazy around here of late,

so I would like to thank you for

always bringing a smile to my face,

giving me kind words,

encouragement and

most importantly,

your friendship.

 

Okay, these aren't really in our garden...

they were out the back of our place, which is close enough.

 

I loved the whole bed of daisies and the sweet memory of making

daisy chains as a child...

This tulip was the most amazing deep red I have ever seen -

 it was like velvet...just beautiful.

This little guy was in Bee heaven!

all images by me

These were itty bitty teeny weeny bulbs that popped up out of nowhere -

they were so sweet and delicate.

I hope you like them.

MWAH!


Cath
x



It's raining, it's pouring....

...the old man is snoring...

because he has hay fever...

and can't stop sneezing!

Oh my goodness...we have just come out of a decade long drought with the most amount of rain since,...well, a good decade!  I was told today that we have already beaten our November rainfall average (over 20 years), and I could SO believe it! The gardens are lush, the flowers are blooming...the hayfever is terrible!  You would think that the rain would dampen the pollen, but this year all our hay fever is rife!  But still, the rain....glorious!

I totally adore the sound of rain on the roof and there is nothing better than an evening lightning and thunder storm. I love a good storm -  mind, as long as there is no thrashing wind - the sound of the distant rumbling getting closer, and counting the seconds between the light flash and the crash.  One elephant,...two elephants....  I had to teach my eldest that many years ago as he hates storms, so instead of seeing if they were getting closer like I would, he was all about if they were going away.

On the side of not liking the wet weather, I don't like, love or appreciate the spiders that are now moving to dry land - inside! Even right now, there is a nice big juicy huntsman trapped under a glass in the kitchen window sill waiting for my lovely to get off the phone to remove it to outside...and trust me, it was an amazing feat that I could even get so close as to put a glass over it, so bad is my "ergh" chill factor for them. The other night a big fat juicy spider was scuttling under the dishwasher, so it got a blast of spray - and explosion!! Baby spiders went everywhere! Now if there was ever a nightmare...that's it!! Hundreds of them!!   Chatlotte's web!? Die spider, die!! Okay, not really, but she wasn't real. Right!

Anyway, to strike those hideous images from my mind, let me share with you some lovely inspiration I found this weekend.

All Images Homelife

I hope everyone has had a super wonderful weekend.

big hugs

Cath

xx

Inspired to sleep

Hello dear friends

I was reminded the other day that I was due for another post; it was only then that I realised so much time had passed since I was last able to dedicate time to my visual indulgences.

For the past few weeks I have been sanding, painting, painting some more, then sanding again in an effort to revive the double bed that I managed to acquire in my grand Ebay win so that the little Belle Boo Bear can migrate from her cot/toddler bed to a big bed.

Yep - a double bed for a little mite!! Why you ask? Well, let me explain...our decision to put Boo straight into the bigger bed was due to her latest addiction - no, not the trying to steal my morning coffee - sleeping in our bed.  And why wouldn't she!  Not only is our mattress more comfortable than her little toddler mattress, but it also suits her sleeping style - that is, directly across the bed.

Yes, it is true. As long as I am sleeping in the lower bottom corner in a foetal position and Daddy doesn't mind the occassionally kick in the back, she can stretch herself out quite beautifully and have a wonderful sleep. And, if she can't sleep for whatever reason at 3am, she is patting our faces telling us she loves us...or, in a semi-sleep state, fluttering her delicate little three year old fingers over our faces like a butterfly. Truly, we are blessed. But we decided we need to sleep.

So I am glad to say that her room revamp is just about complete - there are a couple of little tweaks, but then I will post a photo of the revived bed.

In the meantime, let me share the most beautiful bedroom image that is almost exactly what I dearly wanted as a girl - a beautiful loft bedroom, tucked up and away just for me, where I could laze for hours reading books and staring out the window...

 

My Shabby Streamside Studio

 

Boo's will be nothing like this stunning creation, but I know that it will be perfect, just for her ♥

Sweet dreams.

 

Hugs

Cath
x

Christmas wish list

Hi lovelies

Sorry I have been MIA - my Mum and I have been interstate visiting with my brother, sister-in-law and my new lovely, sweet, darling, cuddly, alert, gorgeous, dimpled (I could go on), nephew.

 {sigh}

More on that in the next post.

Today I received the latest newsletter from Pale & Interesting introducing the Autumn/Winter 2010 range. Let me just say - devine!!

As one does in the months leading up to Christmas when a catalogue arrives with lots of lovely goodies, we browse, oooh and ahhh and drop hints about Christmas ideas to any family member silly enough to feign interest.

So, in the name of trying to help my family know what to get me for Christmas, I have "cyber-circled" some of my favourite things for my Christmas wish list.

all images Pale & Interesting

I should mention, the actual rooms and everything you see in the images are on my wish list.

A girl can dream, right!

Hugs

Cath

xx

Inspiring Grey...

Hi all my lovelies

We are almost done here with painitng, so I am allowing myself to start thinking of my first big furniture renovation.  I have a few thoughts about a couple of the pieces and what I would like to do. 

I know the general consensus is to go with lashings of white and some good ol' distressing.  And I will! Promise! But there is one piece that I am thinking of something a little different, so I have been hunting around for the right "mood" and tone to suit what I want to do.

Sarah Kaye

It sure is a step away from white, but there is also something about the sumptious element of the dark grey, white, silver, black...it is where I want to be taking the piece,...but will it work?? Time will tell.

Hugs

Cath

Inspired by Jami...

Hi all my lovelies

Well, I have been itching to blog about Jami over at Freckled Laundry for a LONG time now...and the time has come. At this very moment my lovely brother and sister-in-law are heading into the hospital to have my wee nephew.

I saw these beautiful bibs and burp cloths using recycled jeans that Jami came up with a little while back and I was in love straight away. Who would have thunk that my boys wearing endless holes in the knees of their jeans could be turned into inspirational burb cloths for their soon-to-be cousin!






Check out these Cookie Monster invites!! I adore these and will some how need to do something with this too...


Jami is a total sweetheart and one very creative chickie!! Plus, Jami likes coffee, so make yourself a cuppa, pop on over to the Freckled Laundry and have yourself a wee meander. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.


On a non-sewing note, Jami has an awesome tutorial on a Faux Zinc painting technique for a nightstand - I think one of my purchases that I blogged about yesterday may get the treatment.

It is just gorgeous, isn't it!! Jami is one of my favourites - both as a newly found blog buddy and as an inspiration!

Now I best get to bed so that tomorrow I can get my sewing mojo on!!

Sweet dreams!! Hugs,

Cath

Inspiration Saturday

Good morning and welcome to a beautiful Saturday!

Despite the cool winter wind coming off the mountains and having spent all morning out in said wind at sport with the boys, I appear to have a healthy home and am having a couple of hours on a mini-date this afternoon with my lovely, enjoying a coffee in a little cafe somewhere, whilst my eldest attends a birthday party. (Draw breath) Bliss.

I thought this morning to bring you a site that has inspired me today to create, do and be BEAUTIFUL!!

{sigh}

The latest offering from Dreams Come True is just gorgeous.

If it was a food with a sweet smell to match...if it was a food that would bring memories of happines and love, it would be fairy floss.

So please, if you feel like some heart warming - and be sure to watch with the music on, which sets the whole experience off wonderfully - go have a peek at Dreams Come True.

Have a beautiful Saturday!!

Big love

Cath

xoxo

Day of wasted teabags

Have you ever had one of those days that you make a cup of tea...then get distracted and your cuppa goes cold? I have had one of those days.

This morning it was overcast, chilly and misty. That's fine when the mist burns off and we have a glorious sunny winters day, where we can work away in the garden - my job of yesterday was pruning roses - but today it has stayed overcast and miserable. This, combined with a not so great sleep as our little chick has gone into a big-girls bed, I am having a tea-drinking day. Coffee is my pleasure, but tea is my soother. :-)

So my day today has been spent playing with my little chicklette - who after a terrible nights sleep since perfectly happy - and trying to make tea.

In a stolen moment, I decided to go in hunt of some inspiration. I seriously want to paint our family room and kitchen, but being Winter it is just too cold right now. So I am stockpiling my inspirational photos...the lovely doesn't know what hits him when I pull my photos out and say "can we do this",...but here comes another batch my dear!

There are a couple of sites that I have discovered in my vast travels around the world, courtesy of the internet, that I just LOVE. One of the sites is a shop in Sweden, http://www.gruvgatan13.se/ You don't need to read Swedish to enjoy the beautiful imagery.

Another gorgeous site is http://nordingarden.blogspot.com/. Sigh.

There really is something about the crisp white, the rustic earthy elements, timber....the list goes on. I just love this style.

And one of my absolute favourite sites at the moment http://mylovelythings.blogspot.com/

We are going to need alot of white...what I would really love to do too, is paint our skirtings and door frames etc white. That is a bigger battle, and perhaps one that can be taken up after the first stage is completed.

Have a great afternoon,

Catherine