Spring cleaning

I have friends coming to visit tomorrow (I'm on a week's rec leave) and it was definitely time to spring clean. You know what happens when you start to clean? You start to rearrange the furniture. Well I do. I needed a little change to my first floor landing. Something a little boho. Somewhere to curl up with the phone. This is what I came up with. I know, I know. I really should get that love seat upholstered not just draped with an ikat but I might change my mind by next week. I doubt it though. That retro couch looks good in Indonesian textile.

Of course only after I took the photos did I notice that one of the Vietnamese silk lampshades had collapsed. Better get the ladder out and fix that ... if I can reach. Here's what it looked like before.

But my office doesn't look like that anymore. I started dragging furniture around in there after I finished the landing. Here's a teaser. More to come later. I have a rug that needs cleaning ... and some windows ... and the verandah.

The Freedom family and friends offer

15% off at participating stoes until Sunday 26 August. Terms and conditions apply (at the bottom of the flyer). Save the pic, print it out and head on down for the savings :) Thanks Freedom!

For no particular reason

Except that we like all things typewriter-ish. A court reporter's stenograph. Love how the long strips of paper fold out from the drawer. Part of the haul from two weekends ago.

An old set of saucepans with bakelite handles and knobs. Pity they are aluminium. Mainly to sit on top of the old wood burner in the kitchen. Except where do I put the copper ones I already have? Anyone know how to clean old enamel stoves? I've used oven cleaner and all sorts of caustic scrubs but there are still old stains I can't budge. Definitely not getting it re-enamelled. I never use it.

Notice all the brown I'm collecting? Think I might have to have a "Mrs Brown's Trading Emporium" pop up shop. Give away of course. Speaking of brown ...

... MORE monkeywood bowls and a 1950's leather bucket handbag. Think I might have to keep the handbag ;)

Head colds and 50's dresses

I had a great time yesterday helping my friend Grant at a vintage fashion fair. I managed to pick up some pre WWII kimino silk panels and a stunning men's kimino (a present for a friend), a bag of old silk pieces and buttons from the 40s and 50s, the most amazing pair of curly toed snake skin shoes from a film stylist and a very bad head cold. I still have to take photos of my loot but it is hard to hold a camera and sneeze and snuffle at the same time. I'm just about to test out a well known cure .... alcohol. I'm sure I'll feel better after a drink or two. In the mean time here are a couple of the stunning original dresses we had for sale on the day. Just wish I had the 24 inch waist needed for these. The feathers though I could totally rock. (Apologies for the weird exposure.)

I've always wanted one of these ...

It's a newspaper holder/spreader/paddle. I remember travelling the first time in Europe in the early 80s (yes I am that old) and being super impressed by the newspapers hanging in cafes on these clever little holders. I would wander down to my favourite cafe on weekends when I was working pretending to work at the Chirurgische Universitätsklinik in Heidelberg, drink coffee and read Die Zeit. I would struggle with a lot of it but I always thought I looked cool paddle in hand. Have to get a broadsheet this weekend and try it out. Weekend Australian I think. At least I won't struggle with that. (Found it at the Vintage Advantage.)