My beautiful briars are back

It has been a while between posts. I thought I would resume with something cherie that I am so glad to see again... my rose blooms. The first few anyway for this season, and the early ones don't last long on the bush (snip, snip, snip)...

MY TWO-HEADED BEAUTY!! Has anyone ever grown one?

Pea flowers on the edge of the rose garden I let grow from the pea straw mulch!!

OK so this is not a rose! Just as sweet though! (when not rolling in cow ***)

It's not always so black & white

Another productive weekend of mulching, tiling, painting and creating.

I found a lovely old frame for $10 which perfectly fits the space for a rustic blackboard in the kitchen. A chunk of left-over ply, a few coats of blackboard paint and it's done. My new must-have cow paperclips hold the string (black & white of course), which holds the chalk. The brown string and black pebbles achieve absolutely nothing except I like them!

And we have all been sanding, staining, varnishing, painting...
a black stained floor for Sam coming along and a white lime washed floor for Eyreland.

Cute storage

Family suitcases never grow too old, they just become great for storage!

Our new (inside) bathroom

What can I say – it is a bit of a step up from the recent past! And no more treks through the mud in the middle of the night.

I was determined to create a bathroom that wasn't contemporary or felt like I was in a hotel bathroom, was unique, white and bright, but also earthy. And on a very tight budget!

The black and white is pretty bold but I think it works with the beautiful earthy stone wall which used to be our rendered old kitchen wall, and originally the back of the house.

The distressed vanity was an ebay pickup and didn't cost much so if I want a change from the black down the track I will ditch it. New knobs, taps and a paint job.

The mirror which I adore came off a deco chest of drawers I recently found for Damien. So glad it found its new spot without breakage or divorce. Painted it black. Love the etched patterns each side.

Now we just need to finish our en suite.


The (almost complete) new bathroom...

Some inspiration...

5 years of luxury...

A new resting place for the old basin - it is so sweet I don't think I can move it to the dump!

The old wall...

Vanity before...

Temporary luxury fit for a king...

You have to lift the lid Jack!

Our Beautiful Kitchen

Well it is about time I posted something about our extension which is sort of finished, well at least very, very livable.

In the beginning I had ideas of documenting the progress every week/day but it was all too hard and time consuming while working almost full time and supervising it all.

There is not much we would have done differently - the inside spaces are fantastic (and huge). So looking forward to proper BIG dinner parties when I restore our big dining table.

Our kitchen is in and I am really happy, especially when Damien is cooking in it!!

Here are some photos of kitchens I love, plus what we cherished for about five years, what we endured for 18 months, and what we are enjoying now.

I love my shelves above the stove to put my favorite things and change them around when I get bored.

I love having no slugs or leaking roof! Walls are a bonus too.

I love the island bench - the beautiful granite tops, the sink is very exposed so we have to be tidy, and the combination of cupboards and open shelves for my books and stuff is just right.

We have a huge white painted matchboard ceiling which matches the matchboard ends on the benches so it all seems to work.


ENGLISH INSPIRATION...

WHAT WE HAD FOR 5 YEARS...

WHAT WE ENDURED FOR 18 MONTHS...

NOW!!...