Our Long Weekend Wrap-up...

Hi Vintage Lovers,

Just thought I would stop by and give you an up-date with the happenings over the weekend. We had a long weekend here so it was fantastic to finish off some jobs, spend some time out in the garden as well as some relaxing time.

 

We were getting a little frustrated with our front door after six months of  having two door locks and jamming keys just to answer the front door, so we decided to down tools in the kitchen and sort out the problem.

 

So we removed the new lockwood lock completely and replaced the old original door lock with a reproduction lock that use the skeleton keys. I am rather smitten over (I love my old keys) the new lock and we have had so many comments on our big old key on our key rings.
 

 

The next job is to have a screen door made to match the old original one.

 

We found some old roofing iron at a salvage yard, perfect for the entertaining area. The old sheets of  corrugated iron will be used to line the back wall of the area and hang old and vintage tools and implements from it.

I think that will set the area off fantastically.

 

We also bought an old gate over the weekend to use as our front driveway gate. The gates that are there are falling to bits so when we came across this one in a local second-hand shop, we couldn't resist it. That will be next weekend's job.

Have a fabulous week.
Mel xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Favourites

Hi Vintage Lovers! I hope your week has been fantastic !!

I thought I would start sharing a few of my favourite things (or thing's I would love to have) and my vintage finds on a Friday with you all.

Hope you enjoy my treasures. J
  
Now, to start Friday Favourites off....
 

 

.......my find for the week are nine fantastic old drinking glasses, which I came across at The Salvos, for $2 each.

 

Now these nine glasses are rather special, apart from being vintage, my Grandma had some that were exactly the same. I always remember having lemonade in them every time we visited. I don't know what ever happen to Grandma's but I am so glad I came across these glasses. As soon as I spotted them on the shelf I gave an excited little yell (I couldn't contain my excitement). Which made the lady next to me jump! I explained that I couldn't believe my luck and how excited I was and that they were definitely coming home with me. She nodded in agreence and kept going, but it didn't dampen my enthusiasm.
 



This old mirror is not a new find but it has a story none-the-less, and here is why -

 

I found this gorgeous old mirror in a salvage yard about two years ago and paid $10 for it. At the time we were selling our old house so I had no where for it, so it was safely popped in the shed for the time being. We sold our house and everything was packed up and moved.

 

Now, after the move I could not find the mirror anywhere.

So after I searched high and low for a few months, I came to the conclusion the mirror had been accidentally thrown out with a rubbish load whilst moving. I was rather disappointed but thought to myself it was only $10 and somebody would find it, give it a good home and love it.

 

So, a couple of weeks ago we were going though some shed stuff and low and behold the old mirror appears, after two years and two house moves.

As you can imagine I was rather happy and relieved all at the same time.

Have a great weekend Everyone.
Mel xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remaining Loyal to Vintage...
Hi Vintage Lovers,

Now I have never been a tech person and never will be.

 I use them because I have to...that's it. Plain and simple.

 

My Poor Shattered Phone

 
I have had this phone about six months and it has taken me that long just to be able to happily use it without our 12 year old daughter helping me every two seconds, slight exaggeration but you get my drift. I am very well known for sending blank text messages (multiple ones at that), making phone calls when I don't mean to, and all sorts of other strange things.

To be fair, I haven't been that nice to the phone either. Not on purpose by any means, but I am rather clumsy and this poor phone is dropped on a daily basis off all sorts of heights and onto all sorts of surfaces and even into a toilet one day !!!!!!
But last week I dropped it and the screen cracked, and it is a rather a decent crack at that!!!

Even still, I did think the phone would last longer than it has.
They don't make things the way they used to........do they?????

Everyone has said to me "Get a new phone! Get a new phone! Get a new phone!"
But my phone still works (I would rather spend the money on something vintage anyway) and if I get a new phone it will take me another six months to get used to that one !!!!!
So, I am sticking with this one until it dies completely, which may not be that long away considering that they don't make them to last all that long!!!!!

In hindsight (what a wonderful thing that is) I really needed to stick with a "dumb phone" as the kids have nicknamed them, rather than a smart phone. One that you can just use for talking and texting, which I will be investing in next time.

So, I am remaining loyal to Vintage this week because "they just don't make them like they used to".
Mel xx

 

 

Kelvin the Kelvinator.....

Hi Vintage Lovers,

As you can see, Kelvin the Kelvinator's restoration is well under way and he looks like a completely new person... (fridge!).

 

Eight coats of paint have gone on and Kelvin has been polished to perfection. The photos just don't do him justice.

He is now ready to be reassembled, but first the badges and ice chest door need to be painted.

 

But the icing on the restoration cake was definitely this little find over the weekend. 

This old fridge dish was in the shed with spare car parts in it, and is the perfect match for Kelvin.

It had been my grandma's, out of her old 1950's fridge. I had completely forgotten I had it.

I am thrilled to bits about finding the dish and it means I will have something else to remind me of her every I time I open the fridge.

 

 

 So off she went to the sandblaster this morning and will be painted the cream with the lettering still in blue that will match Kelvin's colouring (he also has blue in his badge work).

I can't wait to see her all done up, finished off and with Kelvin.

 

Have a fantastic week.

Mel xx

A Welcome Change & a Sneak Peek......

Hi Vintage Lovers,

 

We have had a very welcome change in the weather here. We have gone from extreme heat to rain and flooding late last week. Maybe we might have seen the end of summer....I certainly hope so. I am not a summer person (to be honest). I seem to get so much more done in the cooler months. The garden is looking so much happier after the rain...........it has been so dry over the summer period.  Our sunflowers that we planted along the shed and entertaining area have all flowered  in the last week and look fantastic. 

 

I have started thinking and planning for planting in the garden come Autumn. Our first job (over the next few months) will be to establish hedges around the borders of our Old Lady, so we have started preparing the areas for planting.

I thought I would give you a sneak peak at a couple of projects (it will be a few weeks before we are finished them) we have been working on........

 

 ..........a new lock for the front door that matches the original door lock with the large old door key (which I am smitten over)........

........... and an old 1950's Kelvinator fridge (that we bought for $40) that we are in the middle of re-painting and re-storing.

I can't wait to have her in the kitchen.

 

Have a fabulous week.

Mel xx

Summer Holidays...

Hi Vintage Lovers,

Well we are certainly in the middle of summer here in Australia.

A bit different from the weather that my gorgeous overseas readers are experiencing at the moment.

We have been breaking all sorts of weather records with the extreme heat.

 

The kids had great summer school holidays with lots of trips to the beach and backyard cricket games.

But they disappeared way to quickly and they are now back at school.  *Sigh*

 

With all this hot weather we have been having we had a chance to reorganise the family room.

I have been wanting to do it for a while now, but just haven't found the time. I have never been happy with the family room, it always felt a little too cramped for my liking.

 

 

 

So, we had a re-shuffle with the furniture, the desk and filing cabinet were moved which then gave us extra space to move Ella (our beautiful club lounge) around to create a roomy feel...

much, much better.

 

 We have found an old wine barrel for our outdoor entertaining area
at a second hand shop for $100 on the weekend. It looks fabulous - just what the area needed. 

It is originally from a local winery, Ballast Stone Winery (who do have a rather nice drop of wine also). We love the fact that it has local history attached to it.

Friends of ours have also been doing a spot of renovating and were kind enough to give us the leadlight cabinet in the picture below that was surplus to their needs. It looks great in our outdoor entertaining area and will hold all those special things like chair cushions, candles, cutlery and some vintage items of course.

 The next idea for the entertaining area is to find some old sheets of  corrugated iron to line the back wall of the area and hang old and vintage tools and implements from it.

I think that will set the area off fantastically.

 

 

The best part of these hot summer days are the balmy nights and sunsets that look fantastic.

Although I am soooooo looking forward to Autumn now. Cooler weather and being able to get out in the garden. Only a few weeks to go of summer (Not that I am counting).

 

Keep cool everyone and for everyone on the other side of the world keep warm.

Mel xx

 

 

 

 

Bathroom and Laundry Mini Makeover.....

Hi Vintage Lovers,

 

I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas holiday break.

 

Over the break we carried out a mini makeover on our bathroom and laundry.
We decided that it was time that we put the antique luggage racks and vintage ladder (that I had bought last year) to good use.

 

The luggage racks (we are using them for our towel storage) went up ...

 

 ... and then I brought out my vintage 'Pears Soap' picture which has been waiting in the shed to be unpacked.

 

We are extremely happy with the out come of the bathroom...

 

... what a difference a few little touches can make. 

Next we moved on to the laundry...

We hung up a gorgeous old ladder that I found in an antique shop...

... and brought out some of my Grandma's vintage baskets for display.

Like the bathroom, the laundry still has a fair way to go...

 

but a major renovation will be a while away. 
For now though, the bathroom and laundry have been given the vintage touch and we are slowly making them a part of our gorgeous home.

Have a fabulous week.

Mel xx