Small Tan Moth (with spot on wings)

Signs of bug life are appearing with the dawn of spring. Isn't dis' little moth so cute!? Look at that face - it looks like a fuzzy wuzzy animal on tiny stick legs. :)
XoXo

Putting Together My Hand Washer

Today I decided to put together the Lehman's Hand Washer i got! This is a clothes washer that is powered by your own arm & some water - but it is much larger then the Wonder Wash that spins a 2 pound load- this big boy hold 15 gallons of water, so that bigger things like sheets and blankets can actually be cleaned by hand too.
I have to say, I am not good with directions (aka, putting shtuff like dis' together kinda throws me off)... and even though it was fairly simply to figure out the directions were way too vague without any pictures. I basically went on intuition...
There is a hose attachment at the bottom, so that drainage of the water can be turned off and on - what makes this feature cool is you can move the washer to anywhere, since it's not plumbed into the house. You could wash clothes on the porch, in the bathroom, or anywhere ya want.
I bolted in the first set of wooden legs, and soon found out that plyers are needed to tighten the bolts and nuts together.
I ran into a problem on the second set of legs- the layers of metal holes were not matching up right, no matter how hard i pulled, tugged, pushed, and cursed at it - once i struggled to get one bolt in, it was impossible for the second series of holes to line up. I took my drill, put oil on the metal and drilled some of the metal out to make the hole more even... then got the leg on.Once both sets of legs were secured, there is a support bar and rod to put through the bottom holes. It definitely made the washer solid and sturdy.
I popped on the handle and the clear plastic top! All done and ready to try it out!
XoXo

Quick as A Rabbit

I went to the gorgeous Susan Branch's website today and saw this bunny cake on her homepage. He is too cute not to share! Wouldn't he be fun to make for all the little people coming to your Easter party?

(Image copyright Susan Branch)

Dorm Room

As much as I do love the look of a gorgeous bunk room, I have found that bunk beds really are such a pain to make. Lately I have been preferring the look of a large dorm room with rows of single beds like the picture above. I love the lidded basket placed at the end of each bed - perfect for storing each person's clothes in. I personally would be much happier making these beds instead of numerous bunk beds.

image - cote maison via aged & gilded

Going on A Twig Hunt!

This past weekend we went on our annual twig hunt for the Easter Egg tree. Normally we come back with a selection of different sized branches, but this year we actually found a fallen branch that looked more like a little German Christmas tree. So, home it came with us to be decorated.

The woods are very slowly starting to come to life. Daffodils are peaking their crowned heads up, polka dotting everywhere with sunshine yellow. We came across 2 muntjacs who were making their way down to the pond to drink, they saw us and leaped and bounded in the other direction. The smaller one, however, stopped behind a tree and just watched us for a little while as we watched him.

It was cold on Sunday, so even though we were bundled up we didn't last long in the woods the damp just oozed in to your pores. But the smell of fresh earth and clean air was so nice after a winter of not being able to walk in the woods, it wasn't too long though before we headed home to decorate our tree.




It was bigger than we thought! The scale of the woods made our little branch look "little". It wasn't until we got home and tried to get it  through the door we realized we had a problem!

After some laughing and cutting down the longer branches and trimming away some of the bottom we finally got it up. It is my first bit of Easter and there will be more to come this week. If the sunshine won't be outside, I can at least bring it inside!

My husband loves to hang the eggs on the tree. The first year we were married I found a German Easter Egg kit to dye eggs with. We searched and searched for white eggs since the grocery stores here only carry brown. Eventually, we found some lighter colored ones and after carefully blowing them out we spent an afternoon dyeing them.

He had never dyed an egg before, as this is not a British Easter tradition and it was such a delight to watch his sweet face light up as he hovered over his little pile of eggs making sure they changed to just the hue he wanted. That is how it should be, the simple things should never cease to please us!

Decorating A New Home {Over Time}

When I look at these images I love that they are all so casual and not overly decorated. I am leaning towards this more pared back look in our new house. I want it to be a home where we can relax and not be too worried about the white slip covered sofa when the big 1 year old {yes he turned 1 yesterday} Golden Retriever jumps up on it.

I am dreaming of faded denim fabrics on sofas, washed out florals and checks and stripes and mismatched pieces of cane furniture on the verandahs - not new cane - old mismatched cane collected over time. I will retain all of our Antique pieces of furniture which Brad & I have collected over the years. That's what I love about Antiques...they transcend fashion and trends, they are the pieces we hold onto and they are the pieces we pass onto our loved ones. I find I never tire of my Antique pieces. It's the mass-produced pieces I tire of very quickly.

This time round Harry and Brad have made me promise not to have the floors painted white. My obsession with keeping our current white-painted floors clean is all too much for my boys. All the internal walls will be painted my usual white but this time I think we might just sand back the old wide plank floorboards and apply an oiled, not glossy finish.

Everything about this house will be about living and enjoying and adding to it over time. I find that so many people {me included} rush into renovating or decorating a new home. I have learnt that you must live in a house for a period of time before you start the process of change....something my mother has been trying to instill in me for years!!

This time, I am going to take my time and enjoy the process of decorating the house which my children will call home for many, many years to come.

image 1 - pamela easton's home via creative homes, image 2 - deborah needleman's home via lonny, image 3 - via charlotte, image 4 - via charlotte, image 5 via lonny

Chicken Feet At My Front Door

Those are for protection. I am sure they are already working.

xoxo

Some Bunny Loves You

These bunnies are too cute for words! I saw them this weekend posted at The Purl Bee blog. They would be adorable set around a child's place setting at an Easter table (or for grown-up kids too). I would love one at mine!

I come from a very large family of extended aunts, uncles & cousins. Both of my parents are 1 of 8 children and it doesn't matter how old I am, or how long I have been married, I am still at the children's table when we go to my grandparent's house for family events. But, hey, you have more fun with those little people anyway, and with these little finger puppets we would be having a ball!

These bunnies would even be cute tucked in an Easter basket as a surprise from the Easter Bunny, you just have to have one small fun thing hidden amongst all the jelly beans and peeps and chocolate placed in the Easter grass of your basket!

To make your own little bunny Fu-Fu finger puppets follow the directions here:






(Images copyright The Purl Bee, embellishments, Jennifer Michie)

Nursery Thoughts...

My friends keep reminding me that I have a baby's room to decorate. With approximately 8 weeks to go I decided last week that I needed to at least get a few things organised.

My few things ended up turning into a complete room scheme for our little bundle. It all started with the original joker water colour by Rupert Hamilton dated 1916 which I stumbled across at a little Antique store here in Brisbane last week. I then decided I would collect a few bits and pieces to work back with it to create an artwork cluster wall full of lovely colour.

From there I selected the watermelon coloured Brunschwig & Fils Ikat which I am having an old chair I have recovered in and a lampshade for a floor lamp will be made in the small patterned chinnoiserie fabric. I also have an old Eastern embroidered piece of cloth which I will have made into a little cushion for the chair.

Over the weekend I started to wonder what I would use as a change table so Harry and I made a quick visit to our friend Nick Wallrock on Saturday morning {the most wonderful European Antique store in Brisbane}. We purchased a lovely circa 1780 Swedish Walnut cabinet from Nick which will be perfect.

I plan to use fresh white bed linen for the turned white timber painted cot which I picked up on Ebay for a mere $57.00 {a new mattress will be made and it will be re-painted with a fresh coat of white paint} and a few little Etsy cuddly numbers will be hunted down over the coming weeks.

So I can now say to my friends...yes it is all under control, I am organised!! {Fingers crossed it will all be made in time!!}

Clearing A Place For My Organic Garden

I chose this garden spot because it was not only the clearest spot I have on my land (i know, it ain't too open)- but also it is underneath some power lines, which means it will always need to be clear of trees and anything that could grow in the way of the grid system. But no small task - my garden is going to take a bit more work and longer to prepare then I expected, but will be so worth it in the end.
I am starting mostly with small stuff I can take care of with cutting shears - then I will work my way up to larger tree saplings that will need a hand saw. I got a good spot going already... (see pic below where I am picking up the brush I cut!)

I am totally taking the brush and making it into piles for critters to make new homes in - I also thought it would be alot of fun to make a semi permanent Lean-To (natural tent) for people to come camp under if they like. :)
But here is the kicker..... this HUGE pile of felled trees in the absolute sunniest spot, which were already cleared away from the power lines - I need some brave men or ladies to come ova' with their handy chainsaws and have a party on this pile. Anyone local interested in some wood and muscle flexing?
XoXo

I Love...

Every now and then I spot a room I absolutely love and this one above, as published in Elle Decor, is one of them. I think it's the lovely fresh colours against the all-white background, the dining chairs and the beautiful old marble fireplace which I love most!

image - elle decor via frolic via seesaw designs

Fog (or clouds?)

For some reason the fog here in Luck is way more creepy then anywhere else I have lived in Western North Carolina... something about the deep wilderness in combo with not being able to see very far around you. I was spooked walking around alone in it. Definitely a good setting for bigfoot, a bear, or a ghost to come walking out of the white.
XoXo

Rockin' Robin

Robin rose up early,

At the break of day;
He flew to Jenny Wren’s house,
To sing a roundelay.

At 4:33 this morning I was awakened by the happy chirps of a little robin. Of all the birds, the English robin is my favorite! The house I first lived in when I moved to London had a very small elfish sized garden in the back and in that garden lived a little robin, or at least one that liked to visit us everyday.

He was very talkative and very opinionated.  If there was no food out you would hear a peck-peck-pecking on the french doors and turning from the table you would spy him, standing proudly with his head cocked to the side with a little expression of, "Have you forgotten something? Like my food?"

On a few occasions he would fly in through the open kitchen window and hop about. A game would often ensue of you telling him you were going to open the doors for him to fly out, he would either follow you and go back outside or just stand on the kitchen table looking at you as if to say, "I will go when I am ready!"

So with the cheerful chirping of Mr. Robin this morning, I know Spring is coming, although snow is predicted for Wednesday so Jack Frost might have a little bit of Winter left in him yet!

(Poem excerpt from The Wedding of Robin Redbreast & Jenny Wren, Image by: Isabelle Brent)

Hunting For My Mailbox

Don't look at the undies handing on the clothes line, look at that jumbo mailbox!!! I had no idea where the heck to put my mailbox, but where it's sitting on the porch isn't the right place - ya know how rural mail works, the mailboxes gather in a cluster somewhere, like a family. So i started walking down the road in search for the mailbox family i hoped to eventually find...

There are creeks that run across my driveway, not under it, but like right on top the road. Gives me fond flashbacks to the flash floods in the roads of New Orleans ... these creeks ain't got nothing on a crescent city flood - except that they are clean and way prettier!
I walked and walked downhill ---- for so long that the sounds of rushing water in the creeks was making me thirsty and I could feel the muscles in my legs straining from sitting around too much all winter. It's like a never ending forest...
with BIG creeks, big amounts of water creating loud sounds as it hits more rocks below...
AND lots of BIG rocks....
and some crazily BIG McMansion Log homes.....
And FINALLY the family of big jumbo mailboxes I had envisioned!!! YAY! Now I can plant my flag, and truly settle into my new home. USPS here I come... ;)
XoXOxoxo

"Adult" is not a synonym for common sense

Last night, I volunteered as a docent for a downtown tour of homes that invovled standing in a room for three hours saying the same thing every three minutes or so. I'm not complaining about that, exactly, because I really do enjoy it. Standing on your feet for three hours straight isn't terribly comfortable, but I have such a good time talking to people as they walk through the house that it's worth a little foot pain.

But you would think that some of these people were raised by idiots...which in some cases is probably true. The houses on the tours are private homes that people have graciously opened to the public, and you would think that people would respect that, but that's not always the case.

I didn't have anybody try to touch anything last night, but I did a tour last fall where this woman actually opened an old cutlery box when my back was turned. She almost dropped the lid when I turned around to give her the stink eye. Are you kidding me? What would possess you to touch something in a person's private home when you are on a tour? And 9 times out of 10, the culprit is an adult. I rarely see small children on these tours, so that leaves imbecilic adults who don't know how to behave themselves.

In addition to sticky fingers, I also get a lot of arrogant know-it-alls who like to interrupt/correct me when they think they know more than I do. I will admit it when I don't know something for certain, but I hate being interrupted. I had a man last night who I had to use my "teacher stare" on to get him to stop talking so I could begin the tour. After that, he interrupted me three times. Hello?! Use manners much? I am not a genius, but I do know a few things about old buildings and I never say things that are inaccurate.

This just reinforces my belief that just because you're an adult does not mean that you are a professional, considerate person. When you're a kid, all adults seem so cool and sophisticated and always know the right thing to do and say. Now I know that is not always the case.

Oh well, maybe I'll just bring a cattle prod and perfect my disapproving glare to encourage people to keep their grubby hands off people's personal property and keep their unwanted opinions to themselves.

Help Me ID this Tree

(This post is for Bort - my favorite tree guy...)

I was walking in the woods here around the Luck Cabin when I happened upon this big barked tree. What I noticed first was the unusual tree knot in the bark, at the bottom of the trunk. It looked like a big button that you could press, and open up a portal to another world - the kind with unicorns, glitter falling from the sky and tiny people... tinier than me... (see pic below.)The bark of this tree goes upward in large vertical caverns, creating deep shadows in the crevices. I don't know what kind of tree this is- and was wondering if anyone can help me identify the type of tree by looking at the bark? Each kind of tree has it's own thumbprint of bark, just like their individual shaped leaves... :)
XoXo

Building the Bathroom Wall with Local Wood

Yay! The Luck Cabin now has a 98% finished wall for dividing the kitchen and bathroom - and because I used locally milled pine it only cost 40$ to build an entire wall. That is super affordable compared to the pain staking, time consuming and toxic sheet rock commonly put into homes now. There is something to be said for the rustic look and it's ease of construction and price - so much more tactile and warm to me. I likes it!

I have never built a wall before but noted the process as my carpenter friend Mark threw this wall up in less then 3 hours. Level 2x4 studs in first....
Some horizontal and well as the vertical ones go into place to hold the wall together, but i like it cause it made cool little box shapes - that I can use for hanging pictures, putting shelves into, a rock collection cubby... boxes are endless awesomeness.
Then I wanted wide planks to be nailed to the studs to match the 'decor' of the rest of the Luck Cabin...
Sweeeeeet!!! It's almost complete. I even have cold and HOT water running to my tub now, from the gravity fed spring. Time to go wash some undies!
XoXo