Lilly Cottage

A little blackboard hint.

I have had a few new blackboards of late, a lovey speech bubble and heart one from The Blackboard Boy, gorgeous ones from Shabby English Rose with...surprisingly roses on them and these French inspired ones. Even painting your own cupboard doors or own blackboad notice boards with blackboard paint has become popular.

One thing I try and remember to tell people when they are purchasing a blackboard from me is that you must 'prime' or 'chalk' your blackboard before you use it for the first time. If you don't do this then the first things you ever write on the board will always be visible underneath.

It is really easy to do and you have to find your inner messy child too which is kind of fun.

All you need is a light coloured chalk and a blackboard eraser ( failing that a dry kitchen sponge will work).

Cover the entire area you will write on with chalk, you might have to go over it a few times to cover it.

Leave it for a few minutes if you can then erase it with the chalk duster.

Cover the blackboard again with the chalk, you will find it is much easier and smoother to do this time.

Leave for  a little while and then come back and dust off again...your chalk board is now ready to write and draw on.

Another little hint when writing signs on chalkboards that you would like to stay on for a little while, is to dip the chalk in water before you write on the board, it looks a little odd when it goes on but when it dries the colour is much brighter than with dry chalk.

So if you ever wonder how I spend me day...this could be it, playing with chalkboards even though if the truth be known I actually HATE the feeling of chalk on my hands and HATE the thought of fingernails or something scratching along a chalkboard and making THAT noise...lol

Have a lovely day,

Kiss Noises Linda

Garage Sale Goodies.

Usually when it comes to Garage sales, they are a bit hit and miss for me...occasionally I might get something awesome but lots of the time they are a little disappointing. Yesterday was different however.

Yesterday we only managed to do half the Garage Sales on my list as we ran out of room in the car ( oh and money and energy).

This amazing Jade plant was one of my treasures..eek think of all the good luck it is going to bring me!

These are my treasures from yesterday..one mans trash as they say!

These are officially the before pictures...before they made it into the house!

Have you found any treasures this week?

Kiss Noises Linda

This Old House.

The hospital I go to for my monthly  infusion is right in the middle of the city. Parking is a bit of a pain sometimes but I really don't mind having to park on the street (even if it is up a really steep hill) as I get to look at  gorgeous houses all the way down the street. There are lots of beautiful houses with lacey wrought iron verandahs and gorgeous windows and fences but this old house is my favourite.

It looks like it has been added to several times over the years and the wood is the most fabulous colour.

If you go along the wall of the house that is on the footpath you can see treasures tucked away under the house where the boards have parted.

I would so love to ' discover' some of those things..like old deck chairs and stair treads...if I didn't look  like a crazy woman ( well anymore than usual) I would stand there and look through those palings  for ages.

The colour of the wood inspires me to paint something with those colours and textures as a background and that window..underneath the house..swoon!

 If you were with me would you join me admiring this house or would you walk by quickly hoping that it wouldn't fall down on you or something horrid run out from underneath?

If you are looking for me, I shall be standing outside of random houses taking pictures on my phone.....and having a wonderful time.

Kiss Noises Linda

Oh dear!

Apparently nobody knew anything about this lovely dolly having her own hair in her lap and a rather unfortunate eyebrow.

Apparently I just picked her up and she was like that. What happened to her? Did she have a really bad hair day and just yank it out herself...but then how did her eyebrow get like that? Now I know the children are too old to be playing with scissors ..well to the point they would chop poor dolly's hair off.

The cat? Did the cat pull her off the cupboard and pull out her hair and maim her eyebrow...maybe but I can't see why...and how did she get back up on the cupboard with her hair in her lap?

None of the children when interrogated I mean questioned said they had an idea at all about what had happened. Now having just had a big dose of steroids it took me a couple of hours of running different scenarios through my mind before it dawned on me...I had been in hospital for a week...what happens when I am away from the house and everyone else is home...aarrrgh silly me why did I not think of it before!!! THE DOG is allowed INSIDE! The much loved Jack Russell/King Charles Cavalier dog that is treated like a baby by Darling Husband and 3 darling children...who also seems to have a particular naughty streak for any of my belongings...the dog has done it surely and then the deed has been covered up by children hoping I wouldn't notice.

That evening I approached Darling Husband with my suspicions...only to see a glimmer of amusement (?) in his eye...he knew!! Not only did he know, it had happened before I went to hospital on a day I wasn't at home..clearly...and he had had himself a little nap (how frightfully unusual...NOT) in the lounge chair, after he had let the said dog in. Said dog had jumped up on top of him whilst he slept and climbed to the top of the lounge chair  and removed my lovely little rag doll and apparently tried to kill her by tearing her hair off...and still he slept on. Not sure when the deed was discovered...obviously before too much damage had been done. What I do know now however is that dolly was put back where she was with her hair in lap, at least one child and one husband knew what happened and some guilt must have been felt as DH had already checked whether the dolls creator..Lisa from Olive Grove Primitives ..could do something with her hair and eyebrow....all before I knew a thing....Sprung!

Happy to say though this lovely Miss has been for a visit with Lisa and has come back with a beautiful new head of hair and some rather natty eyebrows...no one would ever know...well that was the plan...now everybody knows!

Kiss Noises Linda

Lisianthus by Lamplight.

I love Lisianthus, I had never heard of them or more to the point never paid them much attention until I was living and working in London. I had a wonderful job that involved all sorts of fabulous tasks including meeting amazing people and going to places I never dreamed I would go.

One of those wonderful tasks was to help out at a trade/designers fair in London..I think..it was helping a glass artist who was designing some frames for us. Anyhoo one of his postcards had an amazing vase  with  Lisinathus blooms in it and somewhere I have that postcard in a glass and brass frame he made. I know it made it's journey back from England and it is probably packed away somewhere safely  some 16 years later but everytime I see Lisianthus I think of that time.

This wonderful blooms were bought in Aldi of all places and they are beautiful...seeing as it is getting dark earlier I didn't get to photograph them in the sunlight so thought I would try lamplight instead...I am quite please with these quick snaps...unexpected pleasures.

Kiss Noises Linda

Eclectic Fabric Inspiration.

I am not biased, I don't take sides when it comes to fabric, I can see possibilities in all sorts of fabric which could account for my overflowing cupboards and plastic containers full of fabric, but you never know when inspiration may strike and  you have to have the perfect piece of fabric for your creation.

I like to work in colour collections and finish a range of bags and accessories in those colours and then move on to the next colour selection. Sometimes though in the middle of a range other colours call your name and it is really  hard to focus...well that is just me.

Take this weeks fabrics for instance ( admittedly one was bought by my Mother who taste in fabrics in the past has been a bit hit and miss..more miss), I see great things for both these fabrics, though not in the same collection.

As for the one with the bike...love that, inspiring me in all manner of mediums.

I am working on bags at the moment, ones with just a touch of romance...right after that though I am going to play with this fiery red fabric with the good old Eiffel tower on it.

Which would you choose if you had to choose between these lots of fabrics?

Kiss Noises Linda

Creative Cushions.

It is rare that I actually remember to take a photo of my vintage doiley cushions before they go off to Lilly Cottage and sell but I managed to get these photos of displays with some of the new additions, some have already sold but I thought I would show you what I have been up to.

I adore making these cushions and am working on some creative cushion orders at the moment which I will have to remember to take photos of, they will be amazing...lucky Emily P is very patient.

 

I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter Weekend.

Kiss Noises Linda

Old books and baskets.

I love old books...not to read ( who has time for that?) but to make into pretty piles, tie up with ribbon or string and to place randomly around. I love their worn covers ( they have to hard covers of course) and that  ' fabric'  that covers old books.

 Sometimes books are past looking pretty on the outside or never looked pretty on the outside to start with but their pages are gorgeous, they are destined for other great things..Lisa from Olive Grove Primitives  is particularly skilled in this area, I should get here to show you the amazing wreaths and garlands she has from those old pages.

These little book bundles were at Old Petrie Town last week as I decided I could share some of my collection ( it was getting a little crazy and way beyond looking cool at our house..can you say addiction...or hoarder..though I would much rather you say collector of fine things.).

These little bundles are for sale...sitting in the dapply sunshine again..love this weather!

Now back to today's ' to do list ' which includes making bright red flower brooches for Katrina, embroidering some song lyrics to go onto a pillow for Emily, making some bunnies for Patricia, some bunting for Scarlett, name cushions for Tracie and Stacey...he-he that rhymes..and starting on some bags for the Mothers Day Craft Extravaganza in May...oh and going to the beach this afternoon ( it is school holidays after all)..that sounds like a wonderful day to me..hope yours is fabulous too!

Kiss Noises Linda

Shabby in the dappled sunshine.

I do believe I have my groove back a little. Having a beautiful sunny weekend might have something to do with it also. Darling Husband ( under my close supervision which I am sure he loves...maybe not..) has been restoring some of the shed full of furniture we have, giving it a lick of white paint and sending it on its way to Lilly Cottage Old Petrie Town. He has also been left right and centre picking up furniture that I have ' acquired'....and then when it all gets to Lilly Cottage it looks amazing!!

Coupled with the fact Lisa from OLIVE GROVE PRIMITIVES ... and her daughter Paris, had a gorgeous display of their wares, we looked fabulous on Sunday...almost back to normal.

Still going a little easier I was only there for a little while ( enough to organise displays, chat a bit and have a look around though) and was trying to take some photos on my camera with a battery who was threatening to go flat and before we has too many customers in the shot. ( I also love it when I see someone else with a much grander looking camera than mine, come and take some photos of our displays...I wonder what they will do with them but I am glad they look photo worthy).

The problem with taking photos when I did was the sunshine was very dapply and it is a bit hard to see some things clearly ( or I could pretend I was trying to be arty)...so my apologies for that but I hope you get the idea...and love my new to me vintage bed...this is not for sale as I am in love with it! I have been looking for one for a while and Lisa found one and pointed me in the right direction and now it is mine....yay!!

Here is hoping for anothe Sunday with beautiful weather...we are back at Old Petrie Town next Sunday even though it is Easter Sunday, the markets will still be on and we will still be open 8am to 1.30pm when we will go home and eat lots of chocolate! ( we are open at Bribie during the week but will be closed Good Friday ).

Kiss Noises Linda