Monday Blues!

The weekend is over and a new start to the week.  A new start to the holidays for all the kids - so much money will be spent, and boredom will set in shortly! 

South Africa are still in the throws of summer, but Europe seems to be warming up and enjoying the first signs of Spring.

We did manage to visit a carboot market on Sunday, but it was cut short to help look for a missing cat!  Needless to say - the cat was found, but very little bought at the market!

Also visited a flea market in the afternoon and the only thing I did buy, on impulse I might add, was a beautiful vintage tablecloth edged in lace.  Alas! On arriving home much later, and opening it up for the first time - there is a burn hole the size of a cigarette butt slap bang in the middle of the cloth!  I feel the elderly lady selling the item duped me! Not once did she confess - or even offer to hold it up for me!  Oh well - I didn't pay a fortune - but now have to search online for vintage embroidery to try and disguise the hole in a way that doesn't make it obvious!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE vintage linen, and can spend hours searching online for embroidered pillow slips, french linen napkins, tablecloths etc.,

I found these delights on etsy! $30 for the pair.

And simply adore this vintage bedspread another blogger got for a song!

I still have two  gorgeous white embossed linen bedspreads my 90 year old aunt received as wedding gifts.  They have to be at least 60 odd years old now, and still look brand new!

Well, our work day is coming to an end, so I must bid farewell for the day - and will blog again tomorrow.

A good evenign to all.

TGIF

Let's just say - I am happy it's Friday - and the weekend is upon us!  Kids in SA break up for their Easter holidays today - and will have 2 weeks to laze about.  My son, Tayne, has gone away for the weekend to a small seaside town, St Michaels on Sea, down south with a friend and his family for the weekend.
I will miss him!

St Michaels on Sea

I still don't feel like it's Autumn, as temperatures are still peaking in the 30's.  Today has to be an almost perfect day - blue skies, no wind, hot sun.  Cause for concern if you are on the beach in this weather.  Sunblock, hats, rash vests, umbrellas - anything to prevent skin cancer!

Onto a brighter note. 

My most favoured South African decor magazine is called HOME.  I wait in anticipation each month for this magazine to appear on book shelves...... not to say I don't buy all the other local or international ones too, but HOME is by far the best in my opinion.

They are all for REUSE / RECYCLE / REVAMP / RESTORE / REINVENT / REDUCE......

"Let this become your mantra. Buy quality over quantity, make effective use of what’s around you and buy items that can be recycled. All this helps reduce waste and the strain on the world’s resources."

As I have mentioned before - I love anything old, vintage, junk - and love car boot markets, junk yards, flea markets etc., looking for bargains that can be recycled.  So with the above in mind, I went about sourcing pictures that do exactly that. 

Hope it inspires youo to do the same.

Old door re-used as a mirror.

Pallets making up a mirror.

Crocheted Tea Towels

Ready-made edgings and borders, available by the yard at fabric stores or adapted from flea-market finds, make it easy to transform even the simplest home textiles into vintage-style home accessories. You can machine- or hand-stitch the filigree embellishments to almost any fabric surface — dish towels, bath towels, bedding, or attire — in an afternoon.

Read more: Recycled Craft Ideas - Crafts from Recycled Materials - Country Living

Photo-Imprinted Throw Pillows

Create a personalized throw pillow using your own favorite photograph.

1. To begin, scan the photo and save to your computer's desktop.

2. Go to spoonflower.com, and upload your image to create custom fabric. The site gives you detailed instructions and options for repeating and placing the image, as well as fabric color and size (be sure to include at least a half-inch border around the image for seam allowance). If you'd like to see the fabric in person, order a sample for just $1. Spoonflower usually needs 6-7 days to complete your order, but they do offer expedited shipping.

3. Order the fabric (a canvas "fat quarter," which is the size we ordered for our pillow, cost just $14). Once you receive it in the mail, trim any excess. Then, cut a same-size piece of backing fabric, like linen or broad cloth.

4. Pin the two pieces of fabric together, right sides facing. Stitch a running stitch around the pillow along the seam allowance, leaving a four-inch-wide opening along one side.

5. Use small scissors to clip the corners, and then turn the pillow right side out.

6. Push out the corners, iron out any wrinkles, and stuff the pillow with loose fiberfill stuffing before blind-stitching the opening closed. (Stuffing, $4.33 for one pound, amazon.com)

Read more: Upcycled Crafts and Projects - Easy Upcycling Craft Ideas - Country Living

I especially like the next craft - a tad on the shabby chic side - and although I haven't made it myself - I am sure it's easy to make.

Welcome

Firstly - welcome, and thank you for visiting my blog. 

It's very difficult when you first start blogging!
What to start off with?  What pictures to put on?

Well - let's give it a go!

While half the world are gearing up for Summer, and relishing in the Spring days, watching flowers rear their pretty little heads, some of us in Africa are looking forward to Winter.

Living near the coast, the temperatures are a lot less harsh, and the guage never goes below 16 degrees Celcius!  We still find these mild temps freezing!

Durban has never experienced snow, and I can't remember a frosty morning ever! 

We don't ever have to cover our potplants or bring them indoors, in actual fact - my plants love winter too!

Hydrangeas are by far my most favoured flower, but due to the poor soil conditions in our garden, and partly due to my laziness, I have never grown them. 
I had a friend who lived in Hillcrest, and her Hydrangeas were a picture!  I never left their house without arm loads of blooms!

As far as I know, these glorious flowers like cooler conditions, and I have to say - I have never seen any coastal properties with an abundance of them.

Taking of coastal homes. 

I love the natural beauty of these homes.  The earthy colours which taken from nature ......... inspire me to lighten, brighten and recondition my home to let in the beauty which surrounds us.

I love fabrics, textures, wood, grains, stones, flowers, and anything which is natural.  Hessian, jute and old coffee or grain sacks are another one of my loves.

There's so many ways they can be added to your decor - it's mind blowing!

My niece, who lives in the UK, just recently bid on eBay on dozens of old coffee sacks, and won them.  Now she's looking for ways to use them.  I have so many ideas! 

Flymo

Flymo - The youngest of our 6 cats.