Surrounding Me

Dear Friend....
Oh what to do!!!
How do you make 70 timber laminate walls "trendy"
Is it possible?
Am I asking to much?


It seems to be everywhere I look...
Surrounding me like a ikea store...
Not knowing which way is the right and getting lost at every turn...

I need some help!!!
Has anyone seem a pic of a room or house that has this in it and it worked...
Or do I just hold out and paint, paint, paint!!!

The lounge room has now had 3 coats of paint and the Hmmmm
and the stained yellow colour still seems to be coming through...
I think at some point I may have to add a tint of colour...
But not right now as I am painting the kitchen which I do think is coming up a bit better than the lounge room...
But don't you just love the wall thingy....
It is attached and I wasn't really into ripping it off the walls
It could have been a tad out from the wall...
But I can live with weird stuff so it's OK...
I am thinking some nice prints in the little nooks
and some crocheted do hickeys...

We are ripping up the carpet soon...
Don't you just Love the swirls of brown and orange....
And it's rubber backed as well and glued to the old floor boards....
Oh the shame...
Now that's going to take a bit of work....
I think that's a husband job!!!

And last pic is of the louvred windows...
There is quiet a few in the house and while
not good for keeping out the cold they are gorgeous....in my book...
very very cute...
But a pain to clean...and I do have quite a few to still get to...

So dear friend I was going to ask...
How was your holiday...
Did Santa come...do you have a cold snap...
Well believe it or not we did...
Ever since Christmas Day it has been raining and really really chilly..
I have been extra careful not to slip thou...
But today while moving a couch over I did manage to pull something in my back...
and next minute I was on the floor...
I would now like to apologize to all in my family who have suffered with
back pain and I have been a bit
Hmmmm ignorant to say the least...
So sorry...I now know what it is like and I don't like it one bit...
So I have lots of "deep heat" rubbed on it and all I can say
is it better be gone by tomorrow...
I just have too much to do...
So till next installment...
Wherever you are Dear Friend
Take care...
Regards Michelle...

Loving The Vintage...

River Cottage...

Dear Friend...
Yes it has all started...
Only one day after I got the keys, I have enlisted all to help me get started...
Little Miss loves painting...

I did say I was ripping of all the old 70's timber panelling
but that was until some disappointment set in....
The walls behind it were crumbling beyond repair...
Really bad even for me...Who is very big on the whole
"It will be alright,We just need to slap some paint on"...
Oh well maybe down the track I can put up some plasterboard...
Now I have a few more pics...
The laundry a bit tidier than the last photo...
The well...
Yes you did hear right!!!
We have a well...
Mind you covering it up properly was the first job before anything
It is really deep and all hand laid...
How amazing...
But my stress levels can not cope very well with the idea
of very deep holes and kids safety...
So it is now all covered and I feel much better about it...
And now for the stove...
Oh I really can't wait for winter...
To have this going and a huge pot of stew boiling away...

Now I do know it all looks a bit scary just now...
Lots of work and really not enough
kids free time to do it...
But that is life and things like that will never change...
So I just let them try and help out as much as possible
and make them feel like it is all a great adventure...
I do worry that I really took on more than I can manage...
and hope that it is all for the best...
Do you feel like that too some days, dear friend...
I am sure you do...
So for now you will be finding me up a ladder most days...
But know that I am still thinking of you and hope your
Christmas Holidays are full of happiness and maybe a few new adventures just like me...

Loving The Vintage...

Sorting out

Dear Friend...
I know I have gone and left you and had you wondering where and what I have been up to...
But as like me I am sure your week has been filled up with all the same things...
Christmas is the time of year when everything seems to snow ball...
There has been Christmas concerts...carol singing and driving around in circles looking at all the pretty Christmas lights...
Well I will admit to secretly loving looking at the fairy lights...
and now for me lots of sorting out and packing and even having a garage sale...
Yes I did decide that I have way too much crap to take with me...
and had to cut the amount of it down...
But only the really crappy stuff, not the oh I might just need that in the next 5 years or so
so that will cut the amount of boxes to be moved to about 50...lol...
But I did manage to unearth a few treasures in all that sorting...


The picture enclosed are of a couple of paintings by "Mary gold"
I am finding it had to research as there doesn't seem to be a lot written about the artist...
Apparently they are around 1920-1930...They are watercolours and most of the time they do have names...
But I really don't know what mine are called...
But they are delightful and very pretty and I do think they will look rather nice in the new house...
Only 5 more sleeps till I get to take over and I am starting to feel the excitement building...
and hoping that this new chapter in my life will be fulled with lots of happiness and joy...
And if there is a right time for this to happen it should be at Christmas because Christmas is just such a wonderful time of year full of love and giving...
and that's just what the new house needs...to be filled with happy kids, great friends and lots of cheer...
Till next letter stay safe my dear friend and will write soon with lots of lovely photo's of my new
"River Cottage"...
Michelle...

Loving The Vintage...

We Are Alike Because

Dear Friend...
I know we are alike...but I will reassure you how much...
Do you every have days were you think I must grab the camera
and get a quick shot...
Cause...
Everything is checked off the list...
One...right outfit...
I'm thinking it was mighty fine...
Two...good hair...
Well good enough to think so any way...
And Three...Make up on...
Blending coverage is good...

and of course having a assistant handy who doesn't think you are silly
getting a Bench Monday shot is handy...That's why loving children are always handy...
As my trusty assistant snapped away I was thinking all was pretty dandy...

That of course all changes when I head back to the computer and download pics...
Yes I know what you are thinking...Are you insane...Your photo's great...
But just remember the pics you download of yourself...Hmmmm...
Do we do the same as me...
No,No,No,No,Maybe,No, oh that will do I suppose...
and are we sitting there for a short while (trying not to dwell) thinking how on earth did I think I looked so good...

Now as you are shaking your head in disbelief...I am just trying to let you know that!!!
I always love seeing pictures of you and to me you look like
the most lovely,beautiful,sweet person in the world...
So next time you are sorting through your pile of photo's wondering what you can possible put up on the computer...

Don't worry your not alone...
But remember this... I am looking at you through my eyes
just like
you are looking at me through yours...
and I know what I see, a very Dear Friend!!!
Michelle...

HBM my Flickr Friends

Loving The Vintage...