Something old …. something new!

Months ago we decided  one weekend to rebuild a feature of the house that was carelessly thrown away by the builders.

It was a curved timber batten ‘skirt’ for the front of the house.  Curved or arched battens are a very typical feature that you would see on a house of similar age to our home here in Queensland.

We were in the process of pulling down the front fence and decided that because the timber was still in very good condition, we could build the skirt out of it.

So the first photo is the old picket fence, followed by Mr F (the little bumble bee is to cover up his undies that were showing)!. The third and fourth photos are before and after the arch was cut.

And lastly what it looks like now.  In the fourth photo Mr F is about to start on another smaller skirt for the side of the porch.

 

ebay auction!

Have you ever placed a bid for an item on eBay and forgotten about it only to discover that you’ve won the auction?

Well that’s what happened to me recently.  I saw a painting that I kind of liked and decided to place a bid…. for 99 cents.  It turns out I was the only person to place a bid on the painting and I won!!!

The painting was in New South Wales so freight to Brisbane was $40.00.  I figured if it’s not quite my ‘cup of tea’ I could either relist it or take it to an Op shop.  It arrived a few days before Christmas and I had no idea that it was going to be so HUGE!!!

The auction description did say that it was 130cm x 170cm but I obviously didn’t  notice the size.  The following picture shows two of my sons standing next to it.

Here is the painting unwrapped.  I can’t find a signature on it but the previous owner said it’s by an artist called Victoria Lobregat .

Mr F wasn’t so sure of it and initially  offered to hang it on the wall in the cupboard under the stairs.  I’m planning on hanging it in the hallway by the front door until I can afford a Wendy Chenoweth.  I like it and Mr F has told me that he’s warming to it.

I know not everyone is going to like it but I’m actually quite happy with this particular eBay experience.

The flatbread hat and a hungry possum.

I know these photos have nothing to do with renovating the house but I couldn’t resist adding them.

While Mr F was engrossed in his phone last night we gave him a flatbread hat as we knew there was a possum waiting in the Frangipani tree.

It didn’t take long for the inquisitive and hungry little possum to come and investigate and steal Mr F’s hat.

Bugger!

I know it’s not a ‘first world problem’  by any means ……but I’ve just discovered an online business called zakkia, I was searching the internet for  knobs to use on the piece of furniture that Mr F dragged home way back in February.

Whilst flicking through the site I saw these cute labels and am now kicking myself for putting all the perfect Moccona coffee jars we’ve used into the recycling bin!!.

But all is not lost.  I’m going to order some of those  labels and starting saving the jars.

I have a vision of walking into the new pantry (when these renovations will get started, is anyone’s guess) and see the jars all  lined up on the shelves  looking ‘lovely’ ahhhh……

The bathroom cupboard.

Mr F finished painting the bathroom cupboard over the weekend.  I think he’s done  a great job.  It needed a lot of work.  I can’t wait to put it in the bathroom now.  We are just waiting for the plumber to finish installing the basin and the toilet and then we can start to feel normal again.

We’ve found a cupboard for the bathroom!!

It’s actually a ‘shoe cupboard’, I’ve never seen one before.  The plan is to put in a few shelves, slap on a coat of glossy white paint and maybe…. replace the top timber panel with a pane of glass.  Mr F’s idea was  a mirror.  I don’t mind this idea either.  Or should we just leave it???

We’re open for suggestions!!!

Lighting ideas for the bathroom.

I’ve been trying to find examples of lights that people have used in older style bathrooms.  I really like the idea of using another pendant light similar to the one in the hall  but I’m worried that the rod will go rusty.

Below is the only image I’ve been able to find so far, of a pendant light on a rod has been used in a bathroom.

This light (on the left) is hanging in the stairwell at my parents house.  I like this idea it but I’m wondering if this style is too modern for this particular bathroom.  Will this look date quickly too?

The idea of having two wall lights either side of the basin seems to be popular.  I just don’t know.  Help!!

Mean while we’ve been working away at the ceiling and walls of the bathroom.  There is still so much to do before the fun stuff starts like painting the walls and laying the floor tiles.  I’ve spent most of the day scraping and sanding the bathroom window and I broke one of the panes!!! sooo annoying!!!

Mr F has been working hard to undercoat and paint the bathroom door.  His sister is coming  from New Zealand to stay with us for a week (arriving tomorrow) and we’re sure she’d prefer a door rather than the sheet we’ve been using.

What Mr F did ALL weekend.

Mr F was really busy over the weekend painting the walls and door frames in the hallway.  We took the bathroom and the back bedroom doors to John at Earth safe Paint Removal to be stripped and sanded.  For a very small and skinny hall, it took a long  time to paint.  Each piece of the vertical Joinery had to be painted with a brush to get in to cracks between.

The photo below was taken when the tenants were still living at the house.  It’s hard to tell from the photo but the colour was a yucky kind of cream. The hall is now  sporting a lovely fresh coat of white and showing off its brand new hall light!!

Look what he’s dragged home this time!

I thought Mr F was safely on his way to work when suddenly he appeared back in the house filthy!!. His work clothes were covered in dirt and he was wet through. Despite the rain and the clock ticking, he saw this sitting out on the kerb at the front of someones  house waiting for the ‘kerbside collection’ pick up..

Percy having a sniff

Somehow he managed to drag it back to his car and get it home. He was so happy with his find and I think it’s great too. It looks like it’s an old ‘meat safe’ and will make a great replacement for the  Ikea tv cabinet in the boys bedroom.

Now what colour should we paint it??

A new/old standard lamp.

I’ve been looking for about a year now for a timber standard lamp base.  I’ve been on eBay and Gumtree, trawled op shops and secondhand shops but had no luck.

but…

Mr F was driving home from work this week and found it sitting out for the kerbside collection.  Woo hoo!!.

I wish I’d managed to take a photo of it before he started attacking it.  It had two bendy lamps  like tentacles coming out of the top.

I sanded all the varnish off and gave it an undercoat.

The colour I’ve used is called Marquise – Taubmans.

The velvet shade came from Freedom about five years ago.  I’m not 100% sure about the shade yet.  I’m thinking it might not be big enough.  I’d appreciate any thoughts.  should I add some pom-pom trim?  .

Or am I going overboard with the pom-pom thing??  as the blinds and Beryl the Cockatoo lamp have them.