Our Christmas day was magic.

Our tiny cottage effortlessly welcomed the revelry.

She stood proud

She looked beautiful

She felt different...She was glowing.

 My family noticed the change also, it was something more than just Christmas magic.

I think she felt loved!

After all this time I think I may actually be falling in love, asbestos and all...Sshhh! 

Someone else's magical Christmas hallway. 

I love the black touches, Im not sure I could do black door frames personally but the black decorations and fairy lights are perfect.

I hope yours was wonderful too.

xx

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.

XX

Im ready for that big old house now!

Any time now!

No seriously universe, now is good.

And why now?

As you know Im responsible for Christmas this year.

It started quietly enough, about 10~15 people max, easy to handle...

Suddenly It has grown.

To 30 people...

It has doubled and I have to confess to feeling a little more like Im running a soup kitchen for the day than preparing a gorgeous Christmas feast as in Im now franticly looking for cheaper ways to feed large numbers, Ive even considered pasta... What tha... on Christmas day?

Don't get me wrong I am looking forward to it, it will be chaotic but fun. 

Uncharacteristically I have delegated like never before (that has never been a strong point of mine Yep bit of a control freak here) but as I don't want to be a panicked crazed and exhausted mess on the day Ive decided to learn the art of delegation.

Im very proud of my efforts too as Ive managed to leave myself with NONE of the big jobs.

My only dilemma now is space.

Im not sure how well my teeny tiny house will cope with the onslaught.

Im doing the best make over I can (Ill post pics after the day)

This house would really come in handy though.

more here

I may not be around much this week as Im busy busy (who isn't yes).

Just in case I don't get around to catching up with you all

I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic new year.

Thank you all for a fantastic first year of blogging.

Love and hugs.

xx

Megan

All I want for Christmas

I only just found out about this!

Naturally I skipped straight over to the Book depository to order it...

GASP...

It over $200... 

And that's literally HALF the price it retails for here, in fact its $440 at one retailer.

So... Santa... Whatcha think? Room for it in my stocking?

I am certain it is worth every cent!

Unfortunately It will have to linger in my wish list just a little longer.

Until next week maybe...Ahem...

So many thanks to Anna from doorsixteen

for making me aware of its existence.

I wont do it justice so you're best to read about it here

If you want to buy it for me you can get it Here .

Candy coloured Christmas

Isn't this is such a fun room.

Possibly a little too much candy for me but the kids love it.

here

More clever Christmas decorating.

Isn't this cute!

Here

Is that art or a Christmas tree?

Its both.

A wall tree made from bits of stuff collected over the years

this girl is a serious talent.

Talk about inspiring.

I could browse her shop for hours.

Found here Via here

xx

White on

Another lovely bright Swedish apartment.

Im a sucker for white.

 I dream about this much storage!

 Black and white floors in the same house? You know Ive never even considered that possibility.

 Im starting to see the benefits of dark floors.

I think I may be having a colour crisis! 

Black...

Loving much!

All Here

Give peace a chance

http://www.johnlennon.com/

( You all know full well I really wanted to say   "Give Peas A Chance"   but out of my utmost respect for this man I wont...   Ummm  whoops)

Mid century heart palpitations

You can image what my heart was doing when I spied this in a roadside rubbish pile yesterday .

Gasp

Could it be?

The owner was around so I couldn't hang about inspecting it for stamps or labels

I quickly placed it in the back of the car, thanked the owner (who insisted I come back latter and take more when I had more time!??) and headed straight home.  

 So I get home and nervously turn it over to find this.

It says Munnoch Sydney NSW??

Anyone? 

I googled it and found nothing.

So its not what I was hoping for, what are the chances that I would find an original Eames Dsr side shell? really, what was I thinking?

But I don't mind, this is still a very beautiful mid century piece regardless, well made, fibreglass, comfortable, old and free.

I love it.

xx

My first major recovering project

I found these on the side of the road in all their red velvet ugliness and lugged them home, I had to make two trips and I remember being really nervous that someone else would take the others in the time I was gone.

 Im pretty sure Toby nearly had a heart attack, they were pretty ugly (sorry there's no before photos, it was so long ago and pre blog but you can see a small area of red velvet on the back of one I hadn't finished in the second photo)

I told Toby he just had to trust me.

He did, but he was never too sure of my cow print choice.

I was so proud of my efforts with these chairs, making the pattern and sewing them up was time consuming and fiddly but I loved it. I hadn't sewn for so long and It took me straight back to my textile, design and fashion studies at tafe when I was 17.

I got a lot of flack over these chairs, Im not sure why people were so opposed to them, they looked great with the white floor, they were a pretty powerful statement in our small room I guess.

I didn't care though as I loved them, I still do but we no longer have the room for them so I put them on ebay.

 They didn't sell...

"Gee what a surprise"  everyone said.

So I stacked them up the back of the shed waiting for a time when we'd have room for them, then for some strange reason I re-listed them knowing full well they wouldn't sell again...

Guess what!

Someone else likes my cow-print chairs.

I have a bid.

Only problem is that now Im sad.

Have you ever sold anything then really regretted it latter?

I know its the right thing to do but Im going to miss my loud comfortable cow print chairs.

xx

Corners of my home

I've tried many different options for this side of the kitchen, timber shelf units, paintings, blackboards you name it, none of them worked for one reason or another.

I didn't just want put up another ordinary shelf so I left it blank.

Until the weekend.

I was so over looking at it.

 So I suited up with my asbestos gear and mask, armed myself with my spray bottle, shaving cream* and wet disposable paper towels, evacuated the rest of the household members and got to drilling...

Ahhhh the joys of renovating with asbestos when even putting up a simple shelf takes half a day.

Here's the result.

Yep... I just whacked up another ordinary shelf lol,

xx

* Mark your drill hole, cover area to be drilled or punched with shaving cream and drill. The cream prevents the dust from spreading then you can just wipe it off and dispose.

Take all other precautions as well though. 

Where shall we live this week ?

Just wanted to share one of my all time favourite house tours.

I luuuurve this house.

Ill  call the removalists now yes!

freshome

My stupid diet and a very un me cookbook.

 Long boring story short.

Tests have concluded that I may have food intolerances.

 Enter the AWFUL elimination diet...

No wheat, No gluten, No yeast, No sugar, No dairy. Ahhrr.

The boy's are on a gluten free diet, not as bad but very hard for a 3 yr old who's used to eating everything.

We've been a bag of laughs in this household I can tell you...

Ive been pretty unpleasant, nasty withdrawals not to mention that it has killed my social life, I put myself into lock down as I could not be trusted but mostly... I just felt awful... all the time.

 I was no company.

 I had no idea I was so dependant on sugar, not the 2 teaspoons for my two daily coffees but everything else it mysteriously (and often mind bogglingly) is put into.

Its in virtually everything!!! 

Anyway, the cookbook.

This has really helped.

Excellent for the gourmet or not, its very creative but easy.

It eased my pain... Slightly.

Cooking for allergy's is so unnatural for me, I don't really enjoy it but Im adapting ok.

 I really feel for those gourmet mummy's whose children have serious life threatening allergies.

My heart goes out to you.

We are feeling better so it is absolutely worth it.

Do any of you have allergies or children with allergies, can you give me any tips?

I need all the help I can get.

xx

btw if you want this book you can get it here

We did a bad thing

Yep, we did a very bad thing.

We looked at a house on the weekend.

Just to add to our confusion.

Here it is from the outside, already ticking major boxes.

2 stories, views, timber windows, garage, unrenovated, NO ASBESTOS yay. 

Couldn't wait to get inside.

 cute yes!

Only when I did; I couldn't wait to get out!

I discovered the reason why it hasn't sold.

Its unliveable.

I have no photo's because I was kinda in shock and forgot to take any.

This was not what I expected, it looks like a dream reno project from the front.

I can look past horrid amounts of squalor and neglect and see the strong bones beneath but this one had me high tailing it to the front door.

The place was tidy, it wasn't at all squalid it was just VERY VERY WEIRD. 

WAAAYY too much work!

So its a big NO.

Why then have I not been able to get it off my mind?

Ive renovated it over and over in my head.

Ive extended and solved the structural problems then I even made up more possible problems these may create and solved them too...

Im obsessed! 

I thought I said NO?

And if you think Im going back this weekend to have another look and take photo's then you'd be...

 Absolutely right.

 Give up on me people Im a lost cause.

xx

Anthropology beats Kidston hands down.

Gasp... There I said it... Its true and that's coming from a die hard Cath kidston fan.
Anthropologie's collection of vintage inspired Christmas decorations are TDF ...without doubt.
Don't believe me? Check these out.

And also they have this twine which Ive been looking for now for the past 3 Christmas's

See, told you.

All Images courtesy of  Anthropologie