Holiday Bragging

I had to dedicate this post to my husband. He disappeared on Monday to visit his family in Gladstone....but I don't think it was his mum he was missing!!! His brother is a professional fisherman and they have spent day and night catching BIG FISH! He emailed me this photo this afternoon. He is extremely proud of himself...as you can see!

The beach has always been a big part of our lives. My kids love the water. Here are some pics of the kids a number of years ago enjoying themselves in the sand.

The Shop and Girls Night Out

My day at the shop was delightful. I met some lovely ladies, casually strolling around with their coffees, enjoying some time out of the cold! I thought I'd post some pics of some of the new items I brought into the shop today.

Here is our very last 'low' coffee table. It is about 120cm square, a lovely size and shape. This one has a slightly rustic finish and is off white.

This vintage kitchen table has history in its paintwork. It would make a great office work bench and has a lot of character.

These set of three travel cases were originally purchased from England and are a very cute set. At only between $10 and $15 each they are a real bargain. From memory they are lined with velvet.

More from the shop tomorrow.

Michelle

PS...We have another GIRLS NIGHT OUT event coming up next Wednesday night, 7th. Our guest speaker is Kelli from Boucher Boutique. She is GORGEOUS and her business is personal styling, hair and makeup. She will be conducting an hour workshop on how to use colour is your wardrobe. Her presentation will be accompanied by a range of make up workshops by both Kelli, Napoleon and Gorgeous Make Up. These great speakers, combined with great food, giveaways galore and eight local business' stalls can be enjoyed for only $10. Contact me to book your ticket if you would like to attend.

My First Blog Award!

Thank you to the gorgeous Vintage by Lou Lou for my FIRST blog award!! Her own blog and online store are filled with creativity and inspiration. SO worth visiting!

The rules for this aware are:-
1. Thank the award giver - thanks Lou!
2. List 10 things that make you happy
3. Pass the award on to 5 people

So here I go with ten things that make me happy!

1. China ALWAYS makes me smile. I love beautiful table settings and china, china and more china! My life philosophy - If all else fails buy china!


2. Hunting for great vintage finds. The actual adrenalin producing "hunt" is the part I love the best! There is nothing better than finding gorgeous vintage furniture tucked underneath some one's house! At the moment I am quite obsessed with cane and cushions! I don't think a day goes by when I don't think about fabrics!

3. Eating with friends around my dining table. It was actually an old library table I found at the bottom of an antique shop a few years ago. I love having dinner parties on this table as it is so interactive!

4. Drinking tea on my hot pink and white lounge chair. I purchased this one from Black and Spiro and haven't regretted a cent of it!

5. Believe it or not I love cooking around my kitchen lamp each night! It makes my food look

and taste better!

6. My charity work with teenager's...and writing books that inspire people to be their best.

7. My family and Greek heritage. My grandparents are such amazing people.

Now to the really important stuff! My kids!!!

8. Introducing Matthew Mitchell! Is he not the cutest kid ever?

9. Introducing Ben Mitchell! The most handsome boy in the world.

10. And now for my niece...Daniella.

Cooking cupcakes with my her always makes me smile! She LOVES the icing!

PS. My darling husband also makes me happy...ran out of room baby! You know I love you!

I'd like to pass this award onto the following bloggers:-

1. Katherine from The Old Boat House, because her vintage finds rock!

2. Kellie from Little French Nest, because I lover her style.

3. Verandah House, because I love cane too!

4. Blair from Design by Delight, because your posts always inspire me!

5.Tina from Rubies Place, because she has a beautiful blog and is a beautiful lady.

Peacocks in Cairns

The peacock has to be one of my all time favourite art themes. This painting is a local high school teacher's work. It is a stunning shape and caught my eye as I entered the room. The finished product is going to end up in a cafe area which I think will be perfect. Go Cairns art teachers!!

Michelle

My Trip to Cairns!

I spent some time in Cairns last week with a beautiful artist and friend Jane Moncreif. She is an amazing lady who has been a part of my life for 25 years now. I absolutely loved her abstract artwork that I photographed to share with you all. I didn't measure it but this photo doesn't do its size justice. It is MASSIVE!

Up close it was even better. She had used a mixture of paints, including enamels to create a really gorgeous effect. The hints of pink and green through it were really stunning. Jane told me she painted it with a broom, which I could totally imagine her doing!

I also met some new friends during my stay. This is Jane's daughter Julia who showed me the best shopping spots in town! Nothing like a 16 year old to take you shopping!

A really special part of my stay was interacting with the aboriginal community. Here are a few ladies from the Indigenous community I spent time with. Aunty Linda (on the left) is an 84 year old tribal leader. She has really opened my eyes to the wisdom and beauty in the aboriginal culture. Thank you ladies for being a part of my life.

My husband and I are making some more trestle tables tomorrow! More from the shop on Wednesday.

Michelle

See you next week

I just want to apologise for my absense this week. It has just been one of those unpredictable weeks! I have to head to Cairns tomorrow for work and look forward to taking lots of beautiful photos to show you all next week.

I also want to thank Vintage by Lou for the Beautiful Blogger award she so generously gave me last week. I wanted to wait until next week until I responded so I could do it justice!

So....in this quick little blog I just wanted to post this photo and draw attention to the artwork.
It is so simple and lovely amongst the other more complex features of this room. They remind me of the space in life I would like to find at the moment!

Michelle

My Shop Today

This week at the shop...It is hard not to get attached to pieces...especially this one. The gold framed outdoor stand, complete with heavy glass shelving and wine racks is stunning. You can see it in the background, behind the trestle. Our trestles are still selling like hotcakes and I am always happy to see them go to a loving home!

I met a lovely lady this week who sold me two of her lounge chairs. They were originally purchased from Hong Kong with the fabric imported from Spain. She had treasured these lounges so much she had them shipped here when her husband was transferred back to Australia 8 months ago. They are in immaculate condition - one three seater and one two (and a bit!). I really didn't want them to get dirty in storage so I put the pair straight in the shop today for only $1200.

Michelle

Chris Chun Birthday Sale

Chris Chun's birthday sale is on this month....30% off EVERYTHING. I have just purchased a range of his prints which I had been eyeing off for a while. Of course I got one set for the shop and one set for me. Here are a few of the ones I chose and I'm looking forward to posting the finished products framed!

Michelle

A Room I LOVE

Veranda House just posted the most beautiful photos of a up-market beach house. I really had to include this one in my blog. How amazing is it! The handing light in this photo is simply gorgeous and I love the colour of that wall, the various shapes of furniture and architecture, the flowers in front of the fireplace and THAT FLOOR! This has got to be good Saturday inspiration! I could move in right about now.
Michelle

End of week bliss

What a week! I got home late tonight and I am so ready to have some r & r. I decided to gather some china and set up a few candles for myself. There is something about candlelight that really relaxes me.

But before I stop I have a few people to thank. The lovely Thea visited my shop this week and purchased a lovely coffee table. I have to thank her for her post tonight. She brought me some samples of her beautiful organic fabrics...

And here she is taking some photos of the shop....

And finally you MUST check out Vintage by Lous's post tonight. It really is lovely.

Office Inspiration

There have been quite a few posts about offices lately. Each time I see a photo of an office I adore it prompts me to finish mine off. I have the basics...a desk, cupboard, lamps, etc but I am in desperate need of interesting and functionally storage for the piles of paperwork and fabric samples that are mounting up on my desk. Anyway this picture has elements that I have been wanting to add - 1. a massive pin board (not used as a dream board for this girl but rather a vertical filing cabinet)! 2. a great chair and 3. a cute rubbish bin. I hope to be able to post a finished off office sometime very soon!

Michelle