Shabby Roses Boutique

2007-12-07T17:34:00.000+10:00

Hello Girls!

Well, it's been beautiful warm weather in our part of the world lately. We have also been getting regular rain showers, which is fantastic too. This is the view from my lounge room door looking onto our yard....lovely green grass & trees, blue sky and gorgeous sunshine! One of our doggies, Bonnie is having a rest in the shade of the tree.

My rose bush has been loving all this rain and warm weather. You can see here that I have even more blooms happening this week. I am so proud of my little rose bush!!

I even picked a couple of the blooms to bring inside. Look what tagged along for the ride...he was not very happy about it either!!

I found the perfect sized pink bud vase (well it's really a jug) for my little home grown roses. And yes, they do smell beautiful too!

I also managed to create some new little Christmas decorations today, that I have made using my favourite quilted fabric, some organza ribbon plus gorgeous pink paper roses. I think they turned out really well....very cute!

I will be putting a few in my shop, but to be honest if they don't sell I won't really mind (because it means I get to keep them and put them on my own tree!) The kids have agreed that it's my turn to pick what colours go on the tree this year, so I might try to make it a pretty pink one!

Now, I also managed to squeeze in some op-shopping this last week. I did find a few treasures and one of them is this very pretty vintage rhinestone brooch. I think it's so unusual with it's different coloured rhinestones ~ love it!!

Another treasure that I was happy to find was this cute vintage little girl's sewing basket.

It was a bit grubby when I brought it home, but after a cleanup is fine. I love the little girl on the front with her umbrella and pretty pink and green outfit (not to mention the beautiful roses!) She's so lovely and sweet!

My daughter Sarah was very excited to get her own sewing basket (just like Mum's!) and has managed to fill it up with a few extras that I had lying around. I am hoping that she will enjoy sewing and creating as much as I do!

Another thing Sarah enjoys doing very much is riding her scooter around the yard. Here's a cute pic of her that I took this afternoon....she was very proud of her skills!!

Have a great weekend everyone and I will catch up with you all again soon!

Kathy xo (I need to do myself one of those signature things!)

Gorgeous gifts & other pretties...

2007-11-29T18:00:00.000+10:00

Hello to all my wonderful blogging friends out there!!

Firstly, I wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read my little blog... I really do appreciate each and every one of your lovely comments!

I wanted to share with you the lovely gifts that Natasha gave to me when she visited a couple of weeks ago. She knows how much I love vintage dresses and brought with her this gorgeous vintage wedding dress for my mannequin (Coco) to wear. I just love it on her!!

The lace detailing in this dress is amazing! And of course no outfit is complete without some vintage rhinestone bling....for that extra bit of sparkle!!

Natasha also gave me some of her lovely new Christmas decorations that she has made using real silver glitter. They are amazing! I had to fight the kids for these...they think they are getting to keep one each (I have news for them!)

She also made this great glittery sign for Mitchell too (sorry the pics don't really show the detail). He absolutely loves it!

Now onto other exciting news....well probably not so exciting for most people. But I was very excited when the rose bush that we planted a few months ago started getting lots of buds and flowering beautifully! I can't wait until the stems are big enough to put them into vases around the house. Such a pretty shade of pink!

I think I might need to get myself a bud vase for in the meantime. I saw the perfect little pink vase at the local market this morning...might have to go back and get it!

I have been busy this week making a few things. I finished these pillows yesterday...I love these fabrics!

And another thing that I really enjoyed making was this vintage bunny pincushion. I found the bunny at an op-shop (looking all sad and alone), so I just had to bring her home with me! I think she was originally meant to be an egg cup, but I decided to turn her into a pincushion.

I LOVE the way she turned out!! I added the rhinestones, vintage flower and the ric rac just to jazz her up even more. She is so sweet...I think I am forming another addiction (vintage bunnies!)

Well, that's all from me for now. We are going away for the weekend to the Gold Coast, where we will catch up with Natasha and her family. It's been so long since I have seen her (a whole 2 weeks!)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will talk to you again soon.

Kathy xo

Christmas Decorations!

2007-11-24T16:36:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone!

As most of you would already know, I had a fun week when my gorgeous friend Natasha visited from Melbourne. She was only here for 5 days, but we sure packed a lot into those few days!!
If you missed reading about our adventures, check out her blog and you can catch up.

Natasha took heaps of pics while she was here...this is my favourite photo of the two of us. This one was taken by my 8 year old son Mitchell (who I think secretly has a bit of a crush on Natasha!) This last week I have been busy finishing off a heap of Christmas Stocking and heart decorations, that I have just added to my shop. You can check them out here if you are interested. I thought I would share with you some of my favourites!

This year I have made a few larger style stocking decorations. This one is made using a gorgeous Rachel Ashwell linen fabric...LOVE this fabric!

I have made them all using gorgeous fabrics and pretty ribbons and trims.
I have also made some pretty heart decorations that can be displayed anytime of year.
This set have some glittery highlights added to the fabric. Very pretty!
These mini stocking sets are my favourite style of christmas decoration and I have made heaps using lots of different fabrics and trims.
Vintage lace and Rachel Ashwell linen...Roseblossom this time.
Pretty Paris Bebe fabrics feature in these two.
Love the combination of green and pink in this set ~ Rachel Ashwell's Rose Trellis fabric.
Hope you have enjoyed my photos!!

See you all again soon, Kathy xo

Natasha's Virtual Prom!

2007-11-20T11:18:00.000+10:00

Well, I am so excited to be going to Natasha's Virtual Prom!! I have taken pics of my "outfit" and hope you enjoy them. Here are all my pretties laid out on the bed ready.

Of course I have chosen my favourite colour of soft pink, with ivory, silver and rhinestone accessories.

Lovely vintage soft pink lace dress, that I bought years ago from a vintage op-shop. It's so beautiful, but unfortunately it is waaaay to small for me!! So my scrolly mannequin will be modelling it for you today. I think I will add a vintage rose to the waist instead of the belt.Beautiful pretty pink lace with a rosey swag pattern all over. Stunning!

Now to the all important accessories! I think I had better take this vintage ivory faux fur wrap for later on...don't want to catch a chill!!

Of course, what outfit would be complete without some sparkly vintage rhinestone jewellery. I have gone for plain understated jewellery today, so that we don't take away from the beauty of the dress!

Nice soft pink gloves, vintage rose for the corsage and a lovely vintage beaded handbag.

Here is my scrolly mannequin (Lily Rose) modelling my lovely prom outfit.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed seeing my pics. I am off to have some punch (non-alcholic of course) and a quick whirl around the dance floor.

See you all at the prom!
Kathy xo

What I have been up to....

2007-10-31T08:11:00.000+10:00

Hi to all my wonderful blogging friends out there!

I am sorry that I have been neglecting you again lately, but it has been a busy couple of weeks!! I can't believe it's the end of October already!! Happy Halloween to our US friends (and those of you over here that celebrate it too!)

I have so much to share with you....my weekend away in Brisbane, more birthday pressies that came in the mail, goodies I found at the Craft Fair and also some things I have been working on myself. So prepare yourself, there are tons of photos....

Thanks so much to everyone for your lovely birthday wishes! I had a fantastic weekend away in Brisbane with my sister-in-law....shopping, eating out, shopping, sleeping and more shopping!! It was great! And as promised I managed to take a few pics for you all. Nothing too exciting, but I thought some of you who haven't been to Brisbane might be interested...

First up this is our lovely motel room. It was very nice, comfortable and most importantly...very relaxing with no kids or husbands to be seen!!!

This is the view from our window looking across the city onto the mountains in the distance.

This is the view from the motel into the city centre....this is the way we walked in both days. It was quite a pretty walk and there are some pics of the park further down.

This is the Queen Street Mall which is the centre of the city and where most of the shopping action happens! This pic was taken early when we went for brekky.

Not many people around the mall at this time of day....later on you could hardly move in here!!

This is just the view from an overpass on the way back to our motel.

That is is our motel in the distance. It was a lovely and quite relaxing walk back (after all the hustle & bustle of the mall!)

Pretty park with war memorials etc.

So nice that this gorgeous park is in the middle of the city!

This is where the Anzac cermonies are held each year. I love the sandstone...it's just beautiful!

Well, I hope you enjoyed your mini-tour around Brisbane. We certainly had a fun weekend!

And this is my sister-in-law Maryline (pronounced as Marilyn) who came with me to Brisbane and is definitely not keen on having her photo taken!

Maryline is the one who makes the gorgeous crochet rugs that I sell on my website.

I was a very lucky girl and got some wonderful presents in the mail the other day from my good friend Natasha. Here they are all beautifully wrapped!

Thanks Natasha, I love them all!! How did you know what I wanted??

Gorgeous faux cream cakes to go with my collection of Natasha's cupcakes. They are so YUMMY!!

Beautiful fabric covered journal. Love the colours in this one and the tassel trim...it's perfect!!

Lovely vintage wallpaper on the inside.

This one is my favourite. I needed somewhere to hang that lovely vintage ruffly dress that I got from Heather a little while ago. Natasha made me the perfect hanger....I LOVE it!!

Here it is in it's new home, with the lovely vintage dress. It looks so good...my photos don't do this one justice at all I am afraid!

We went to a Craft Fair this last Saturday just gone. It was great to have a look around at all the stalls. But boy, was it busy!! Here are some of the goodies that I brought home with me.

Gorgeous lace...some vintage. You can never have too much lace!!!

Pretty pink velvet roses, some ric rac and even some fancy pins. Too cute!

Christmas is not that far away now (just ask my kids, they are counting down the days already!) So I thought I had better get a move on with some decorations. Here is a peek at some that I have just finished.

Lots of gorgeeous fabrics, ribbons and trims.

A few more to go and then I will put them all on my website soon. They are such fun to make!!

Well, that's all from me for now. I hope you have all been well and I will try to catch up on some blog visiting soon. I have been slack with that lately too (sorry girls!!)

I will leave you with a cute pic of Mitchell & Sarah playing bubbles in the yard the other day. Such simple pleasures!

Kathy xo

Birthday Flowers!!

2007-10-11T21:31:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone!!
Just a quickie tonight as I am supposed to be packing for a "girls weekend" away with my sister-in-law. We are off to Brisbane tomorrow after I drop the kids at school, for a lovely weekend of shopping, eating out and relaxing....with no kids or husbands to worry about!! It's my birthday present to myself (and from my hubby as well!)

As you may have guessed by now, I just had my birthday (on Tuesday). Well, wasn't I a lucky girl!! I got home Tuesday afternoon, after spending the day out with my Mum & aforementioned sister-in-law, to a bunch of gorgeous flowers from my husband! WOW!! I nearly fell over backwards with shock, as he hasn't sent me flowers in such a long time. You see, he works away from home during the week and so he couldn't be here for my birthday. He sent me this gorgoeus bunch of yellow roses & pink "mums" (not sure on the correct spelling so have used the short version!!) They are so pretty!

I don't usually go for the colour yellow in things, but when it comes to roses any colour is good for me!!
These are such a pretty pink colour....and they look so happy!!

Carrying on the floral present theme...I also received this beautiful vintage vase from my brother & sister-in-law. I love it heaps because I am having a porcelain roses fetish at the moment!!

I had such a great birthday and think I am being very spoilt this year! I will try to remember to take some pics of my weekend away & will show you when I get back.

Onto other news... I also wanted to quickly share with you a renovation project that my husband & I have just finished. Here is a "before" photo that I took back in May...it's actually of our lounge room but you can see the little sidetable & stool on the bottom left of the pic, which is what we have just revamped. It was originally stained an awful burgandy colour...yuk!

Now here they are all finished! Hubby did the painting for me and I recovered the seat, made the table runner (can't have our new paintwork getting marked now!) and added new pink crystal knobs.

Isn't it amazing what a coat of paint can do!!! One project down, only about 99 more things to go!

Speaking of new projects...I have a couple more that I have just recently added to the ever-growing list. I found this gorgeous vintage frame on Tuesday. I haven't told Natasha yet, but I am going to see if she will be able to do me a painting to go into this stunning large frame. What do you think Natasha?? Anyway, I just couldn't pass it up...I will paint it creamy white I think.

I also found this cute little stool (I am having a bit of a fetish for them lately too!) and will paint the timber the same colour as the other furniture we have just done.

I will also change the fabric to something pretty. I love stools that open up and have storage underneath ~ then it will not only be pretty but practical too!

Well, that's it for now. Thanks so much for taking the time to visit again!!

Hope you all have a great weekend (because I know I will!!)

Kathy xo

A bit of this and a bit of that...

2007-10-06T17:52:00.000+10:00

I have reallly enjoyed having the kids home from school for holidays the last couple of weeks. We have done a bit of sorting out and re-arranging of bedrooms, which the kids always love.

For Sarah's room today I made her a cushion using the vintage tapestry panel that my lovely friend Natasha sent me a little while ago. Here's a pic of it on Sarah's bed. Sorry about the sunny spot in the photo!

I think the colours go pretty well with the vintage crochet blanket that we have on her bed at the moment! Thanks Natasha, Sarah loves it!!

Over the holidays the kids have also been doing lots of playing! We are very lucky and live only 15 minutes drive from Noosa, which is a very popular holiday destination for a lot of people. The other day we met up with their cousins for a few hours of swimming and playing fun! That is their cousin Oliver in the foreground and the other kids are having a swim on the left.

We were at a nice spot on the Noosa River where the water is very gentle, there are lots of boats to look at and there is plenty of sand for the kids to play in too. Heaps of families with small children were there that day. It's such a beautiful place!!

It's great on that part of the river because just behind us there is a little playground as well, so after a swim the kids had a play on this...

Here's a photo of Mitchell & Sarah in the water, with their cousin Lochie (in the middle). They had a ball!!

I told you last time that I had been busy sewing for orders and would show you the finished products when they were all done. So, as promised here are some pics for you to have a look at!

A pretty blush pink roses raggy quilt. I really enjoy making these quilts....I should make the time to do more of them! I have another quilt almost finished made in Laura Ashley fabrics, so will show you that one too when it is done.

I just love of all these pretty roses fabrics together....there are a lot of my favourites in this quilt!!

I also made four more bags in varying styles. I love using the quilted fabrics in my handbags as they give them such great body & shape. Not to mention how pretty the quilted fabrics are too!

I love incorporating vintage laces and rhinestone buttons/brooches in my bags when I can as well. I think it just adds something a bit special to them.

The drawstring bag is one of my favourite styles to make. For this one I used a variety of the lovely House Inc roses fabrics.

I like the way this one has the cute ruffly lace trim. It's so cute & delicate!

This Christmas Stocking was made so that both sides could be used as the front...

Vintage lace & rhinestone buttons on both sides!

Well, that's it from me for now ~ I hope you have enjoyed looking at my photos!

And as always, thanks so much for all of your lovely comments and for taking the time to read my blog!!

Catch up with you again soon,
Kathy xo

Gorgeousness...lots of pics!!

2007-09-30T11:02:00.000+10:00

First of all I must apologise for being so slack with my blogging lately!! My only excuse is that it's school holidays so I have the kids at home with me, plus I have been busy sewing for a couple of orders that I have. So to make up for my slackness this post is an extra long one chock full of beautiful photos... I hope you enjoy it!

First up I will show you a pic of a handbag that was an order for one of my lovely customers. I really loved the way it turned out...the fabrics are just so pretty together!

I have made several other pretty bags this last week or so and am almost finished a quilt for another order...will show you pics when they are all done.

I just had to share with you the gorgeous things that I bought from Heather the other day. Her shop has some fantastic goodies and these are some that I couldn't resist...

She was very generous and added in a few extras too ~ thanks Heather xo I love them all!!

I also bought this stunning vintage dress from Heather....it would have to be my favourite vintage purchase. It's breathtaking in real life!

I originally bought it with the intention of displaying it in my daughter's room....but now that I've seen it in person, I think I am going to keep it for my room instead! I think it would be far too much temptation for Sarah anyway if I hung it in her room. She is already begging for me to let her wear it as a dressing up outfit!!

It is soooo beautiful.....you know that anything with this many ruffles just has to be good!!

Now I had promised you all photos of the treasures that I managed to find at the Antiques & Collectibles Fair that was held locally at the beginning of September. So here they are....

I absolutely LOVE vintage rhinestone necklaces and we were very lucky that day to find a few different ones.

Some gorgeous vintage rhinestone brooches...they are all beautiful, but I was very happy to get some pink ones too as they are harder to find.

This is a lovely vintage earring, brooch & pendant set, in beautiful blue with clear stones.

Pretty pink rhinestone bracelets....you know I love these!

I also got this heavy silver mirror on a little stand. It matches perfectly with my hairbrush set that I have had for years.

Sweet vintage flowery hat or headpiece with a little veil. I just loved the colour & thought it was cute! I doubt if I will ever wear it, but it looks pretty on my vintage mannequin (Coco!)

I also found this stunning white tablecloth with the prettiest pattern of pink roses & scrolls all over.

Handcrocheted vintage doily. I do love the 3 dimensional pink roses with their green leaves. Sorry about the photo...it doesn't show up real well on that background at all!

Anything with crocheted roses on it is perfect in my book. This doily has such wonderful detail and beautiful colours!

I also couldn't resist this lovely white ruffly vase/bowl thingy. I really like this one a lot and am still trying to work out what to put in it...maybe some roses...can't decide...any ideas?

Lastly, I got these really sweet tiny pink lamps from a lovely old man and his wife who were selling off some of their own things. I was glad to take these little treasures off their hands!! They are so pretty!

I will change the crystals to smaller/spear shaped ones once I get some, but for now these look ok. The lamps really are tiny, which you can tell by the size comparison to the crystals (they are only the small sized crystals too!) They are so cute!

Oh and I got this little floral ornament too. I am a sucker for anything with porcelain roses on it lately!

I have also found a few treasures at the local op-shops and markets recently. I thought this pretty little swan was very elegant and sweet and so I just had to have her!

A gorgeous vintage trio in the perfect shade of green!

I actually bought this pretty hat as a dress-up for Sarah.

And seeing as I won't let her use the special vintage dress I got from Heather as a dress-up, I bought this one for Sarah (and it only cost $3!) It was dirty and stained, but after a soak in Napisan it came out perfectly! So now she is happy...although she still asks every now and then about the other dress (just in case I change my mind!)

Well, I hope you have enjoyed browsing through all my photos! I promise not to leave it so long next time!!

I have been tagged by a couple of lovely bloggers and need to think of 7 interesting facts about myself....so will do that this week. Hopefully by then I will have also finished my orders and will have some more pics for you too.

Have a great week and I will talk to you all again soon.

Kathy xo

I love Spring!!

2007-09-13T11:22:00.000+10:00

Hi there girls!!

Well, Spring has definitely arrived at our place this week...the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the birds are singing and we have been busy gardening!! After all that rain we had it has been so lovely to get out into the sunshine and enjoy ourselves. The kids LOVE gardening and are always very eager to help!

Here is the box full of plants that I bought and planted this week (mostly lavender, with some geraniums too). Love the smell of lavender plants....

This geranium is such a lovely colour, I just had to show you a close up pic of it.

Here's the garden bed that I showed you last time (it was just a mud puddle then). Well, now it's been all planted up and even some stepping pavers put in too. All we need to do now is add some mulch and wait for everything to grow!
Gorgeous lavender!!! I have done a row of lavender along the edge of the garden...smells so sweet!I just had to show you this Azalea plant that has been in the garden for a long time. The flowers on it at the moment are just amazing!!

Such a pretty pink colour. This morning they all seemed to be smiling up at the sun!

My kids love picking the flowers from our garden and here's a small bunch that Sarah picked for me yesterday. Aren't they beautiful!

Now, speaking of beautiful things....I wanted to show you this gorgeous vintage tapestry that my friend Natasha sent me in the mail yesterday. Isn't she so sweet?

I am thinking that I will make her into a nice big pillow to put on my daughter's bed. These are the fabrics that I am may be going to use...what do you think?

I will show you a pic when it is done.

I was tagged for the name game last week, so had better do that now (sorry for being so slack Natasha!) Here are the rules:you must state the rules before you state the facts. The facts are to name one thing relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you do not have a middle name then you choose the middle name that you wish you had. Then you tag one person for each letter of your middle name and let them know they have been tagged. Well, seeing as everyone else has already been tagged, I might skip the last step if that's ok! Lucky for me I have a small middle name (thanks Mum & Dad!!) and it is JANE.

J----JUST love this blogging world...it's so much fun and I have met so many lovely and very talented ladies!!
A----ANY kind of shopping (I think I should have had an "S" in my name, so I have used the A instead!) LOVE shopping for vintage treasures especially, but any kind of shopping will do...just ask my husband!
N-----NEED to be creative. I have always been a sewer from a young age. I am happiest when I am sewing and creating!
E-----EVERY day is precious, so make the most of life! Every day that you have with your family is to be treasured and enjoyed. I try to enjoy time with my children, family and friends while I can...that washing or housework can always wait for another day!

Hope you are all well and I will talk to you again soon.

Kathy xo

Been Busy!

2007-09-05T17:43:00.000+10:00

Hi there everyone!!
I have been busy the last couple of weeks sewing up a storm and adding heaps of new goodies to my shop. Here's a peek at some of the pillows that I made...heaps of pretty roses fabrics!

My very talented sister-in-law Maryline has been busy too...crocheting away! She has just finished this gorgeous gorgeous rug with beautiful big pink roses. It is available in my shop. She is completely self-taught and does such a fantastic job! I really don't know how she does it!!

Love these roses!! They are just gorgeous!!

Last weekend we both went off to a local Antiques & Collectibles Fair that is held every few months. Boy did we hit the jackpot there!! I bought up heaps of goodies and spent way too much money (as usual!!) I will take pics for you soon, but for now here is a peek at all of the rhinestone treasures that I just couldn't resist! I think I am getting some sort of rhinestone addiction...

At the fair an elderly lady was selling off all of her jewellery. Maryline got the most spectacular pink rhinestone necklace you have ever seen. I will try to get a pic for you...it is in pristine vintage condition and just so so beautiful!! Anyway, here is one that I got from that same lady. I love the way it looks with the pink rhinestone necklace that I already had.

A beautiful vintage rhinestone brooch...I just love the big stone in the middle (wish it was real!)

I also got this lovely pink rosey hat. I just loved the colour and think it looks sweet on my mannequin.

Here is my lovely mannequin (Coco!) in her updated outfit. I think she looks beautiful with all of her jewellery & pink flowery hat on!!

Well, today it's been raining here AGAIN! It's very wet!! I was planning on taking some lovely spring pics to share with you all...but this is all I could get today!

Looking a bit gloomy in our outdoor area....but I still love coming out here and checking out the view of the rain!

On the weekend we dug out the garden beds next to our house, added in some new soil and then we will be planting some new plants soon. I plan on having heaps of lavender plants, along with some pretty flowers (most likely geraniums because they don't need much watering...although lately that doesn't seem to be an issue here!) Today our new garden is just a mud puddle!

The kids love gardening too. On the weekend they both potted up their own plants. The one on the left is Sarah's and will get pretty pink flowers (hopefully!) The one on the right is Mitchell's and it is a cutting that he took from our Gardenia plant. He saw on a gardening show that you could grow them from cuttings...so fingers crossed it will work!! So far so good!

Well, that's all for now. I promise to take some pics of all my treasures found on the weekend very soon...heaps more to show you!

Hope you are all well!! Kathy xo

Wild Weather, New Family Member & a Sneak Preview....

2007-08-23T14:14:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone,
I have had sick kids home for a few days again this week, but now they are all back at school and hopefully that will be the end of it (for a while anyway!) Fingers crossed!!!

We are having WILD weather here on the Sunshine Coast this week. No sunshine here now though, only cyclonic winds, rough surf and lots of rain! The rain is lovely and our water tanks and dams are filling up which is fantastic, but the wind I could do without!! Here is the view from our house this morning.

It looks all foggy and misty, but that is really the rain that you can see being blown across by the wind. It really is miserable outside!! But we need the rain and I do love the sound of it on the roof.

Onto other news...we now have a new addition to our family. No, not an addition of the baby kind, but one of the furry kind! On Saturday the kids and I went to the local Animal Rescue. It was so great there ~ lots of kind friendly people who you could tell really loved the animals that they looked after. We were looking for a cat, so went into the cat section which was made up of a couple of biggish rooms all decked out with chairs, cushions, pillows and also an outdoor area for them to play in. How it works is that you can go in, hang out and pat the cats, to see which one you like. We ended up finding a lovely sweet black cat (well actually it was more like she found us!) and we adopted her and brought her home with us. She is just beautiful! The kids named her Lucy Lou and she is just over 1 year old. Here's a pic of Lucy...gazing out at the rain.

Lucy Lou is a very friendly little kitty who enjoys lots of pats and cuddles. She is settling into her new home very nicely and the kids just love having her! Here she is again with her new pink spotty collar and bell (it had to be pink, of course!)

In between caring for sick kids and adopting furry friends, I have also been trying to get some sewing done. It's hard sometimes!! Anyway I have a heap of new goodies that I will be adding to my store very soon. I thought I might give you all a sneak peek....

Lots of lavender treats and sachets...

Some things for the kitchen too...

Cute mini accent pillows...

Soft fluffy decorated hand towels & kitchen towels...

Pot holders & even some lingerie bags too...

I am also working on some new pillows and a raggy ruffled patchwork quilt is half done as well. I will be adding them all to my website hopefully next week. So keep an eye out!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog...hope everything is going well for you in your part of the world!!

All the best,

Kathy xo

Nice Matters Award!!

2007-08-10T16:17:00.000+10:00

Oh wow, I don't know what to say! I have been kindly nominated by the lovely Penny and also by sweet Kitty for the Nice Matters Award. I am only new to this blogging world and feel very honoured that they would include me...thanks so much girls!!

It really is fantastic to meet so many wonderful ladies, all with common interests and from all around the world. I am loving this blogging thing!

I would love to nominate lots of my new blogging friends too but it seems that everyone I look up has already been nominated by a few other people. So I will just say that I think everyone deserves the award...you are all just so darn nice!!

Cheers everyone,
Kathy xo

Feeling Better

2007-08-08T19:34:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone!

Hope you have all been well. I am sorry it's been a while since I last spoke to you, but we have all had the flu here and are just getting over it now. Seems like everyone around here has it at the moment!! Not much fun at all!

Well, anyway I am finally starting to feel human again and so thought I would post some pics of a few different things.

First up is the lovely package that I received from Holly last week. I was lucky enough to be partnered with her for Natasha's Matchbox swap!

Lots of gorgeous goodies...aren't they just beautiful! Love the little ballerinas, the tiny paper flowers, the white glittery doves ~ everything! She not only filled a matchbox but also a sweet nutcup that she had decorated too. Just too wonderful ~ thanks Holly!

My daughter Sarah is only 5 and already she is appreciating everything pretty and pink. When she got home from school that day she tried to claim everything as hers! Here she is with her favourites picked out.

Another gorgeous thing that I want to share with you is my vintage mannequin. I have been searching for one of these for years now and they have always been too expensive or not able to be posted. So I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this beauty sitting alone in one of our local St Vinnie's. I practically ran over to it (nearly taking out an old man in the process) and then wouldn't let it out of my grip. We all know that when op-shopping or marketing...never take your hands off something that you really want (or else someone could steal it from under your nose!) It had no price on it, so I casually asked the man behind the counter what the price was. I nearly passed out when he told me $10!!!! Yes, I know...bargain of the century!!! So needless to say I was a very happy camper after that.

I am still trying to decide on the perfect outfit for her, but at present she is wearing this lovely vintage ivory number with a shawl that I made. And also featuring some of my favourite vintage pink rhinestone necklaces. She's lovely, isn't she?? What do you think I should name her?

And finally, I just wanted to share with you a pic of some cute teddies that my Mum and I dressed and donated to our local Church for their annual fete. Mum did the knitting and I did the rest. It really was lots of fun! Thanks so much for all of your lovely comments and kindness. This blogging world really is a special place and who knew there were so many sweet ladies out there!!

Kathy xo

Market Finds

2007-07-26T17:30:00.000+10:00

Hello again my new blogging friends!! I have been busy reading everyone's blogs and wasting far too much time I must say....while I should really be sewing!! But it's fun!

I wanted to tell you about last weekend....there was an Antique & Collectibles Fair in a little town not too far away from here (Pomona ~ about 10 mins drive). So my sister-in-law Maryline (who crochets the most gorgeous rugs) and I managed to escape our houses/husbands/kids early on Saturday morning and headed on over there. We were early, so decided that a hot chocolate and a little something sweet from the nearby bakery would be nice while we waited (naughty, I know!) It was being held in the local town hall, near the park so we could sit out in the sun while we waited. When it opened and we finally managed to get in there (bit of a line up...which I couldn't believe!) we were a bit surprised to find everything was way over-priced. There was a gorgeous cranberry glass oil lamp that I thought was nice...until I saw the price of $1995!!!! I know, I nearly died myself! So needless to say, we were out of there pretty quickly (1/2 hr and we were all done!) But I did manage to find one stall that was reasonably priced and got a couple of goodies...

The postcards I actually got as a present for my friend Natasha....hope she likes them! It was a bit dark in the hall, so I couldn't see them properly until we got outside. My favourite is the one on the left with the two cute birds on it. One of them is dated 1908, so they are quite old!

At that same stall, while I was browsing through the postcards I happened to spot some rhinestones glinting at me in their display cabinet. It was this gorgeous vintage pink and clear rhinestone necklace, which she gave to me for a good price and I just love it!!

We then decided that it was too early to go home (couldn't waste our shopping time!) So went around the local op-shops to see what we could find. As usual around here the pickings were pretty slim...but I still managed to get a couple of little goodies to take home.

I saw this little figurine and just thought she looked cute and for $1, why not!!

Also, some nice hand-crocheted doilies and things that I will be able to use...probably for hanging lavender sachets and mini pillows etc.

Well, that was our morning on Saturday. We even went to the RSPCA to have a look at the animals there. We would have loved to bring them all home with us, but I don't think they would all fit (and I don't think my husband would approve either!!) The kids and I want to get a cat, but we need to get one that will be suitable with our big doggies....so we are still looking.

Thanks for taking the time to read my little blog. I would love to hear from all of you!!

Kathy :)

A few of my favourite things...

2007-07-24T16:09:00.000+10:00

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has come over to check out my new blog!! Thanks for all your comments and kind words! Also thanks to Natasha for sending you all over here to meet me. I really appreciate it! She is a wonderful lady and dear friend. In fact she will be coming up to Qld for a visit in a few months time...can't wait!!

Just thought I would share with you some of my favourite things (at the moment!) I went around the house this morning and took a few quick pics.

First up is my gorgeous cranberry glass lamp that I got on my first trip to Melbourne (had to post it back to myself in Qld, because there was no way it would have fitted in my luggage!) I recovered the shade myself and hope to do some more lampshades soon...when I get time!

This second lamp is one that I found on my most recent trip to Melbourne. You might have read on Natasha's blog that we had an early trip to a market there and found lots of wonderful things. Well, this was one of my finds...I had to post this one back too!!

Another find from the Melbourne market...gorgeous ruffly vintage dress. I love pretty much anything with ruffles!! And I think the vintage rhinestone accessories go with it perfectly too!

My collection of vintage perfume bottles and things....they sit on my dresser and my kids love playing with them (under supervision of course!)

I have heaps of goodies that have been created for me by Natasha (aren't I lucky?!!) And here are some photos of them. Faux cupcakes...very yummy looking!

Absolutely stunning painting done by Natasha, in a vintage ornate frame (it actually was originally a mirror frame). So pretty!!

This one is my favourite painting by Natasha...I just love the big spread of roses and the way she has done the background colours. Gorgeous!!

Finally, another vintage lamp that I found at a local market not too long ago. I added the crystals around the bottom of the shade for a bit of sparkle (and bling!)

Well, I hope you enjoyed having a look at some of my favourite treasures.

I am starting to get the hang of this blogging thing (except for all of the line spaces that seem to appear out of nowhere!)...more to come soon.

Take care, Kathy :)

First one!!

2007-07-23T18:12:00.000+10:00

Well, I have been thinking about starting my blog for some time now but kept putting it off because I really didn't know what I was going to say. So I figured I may as well just go ahead and do it!! So with some encouragement from my gorgeous friend Natasha, I am starting out on my blog experience tonight.

Firstly, to introduce myself...my name is Kathy. I am married to a wonderful man called David (or Tod is his nickname...long story!) and we have two beautiful children Mitchell & Sarah. Here are the kids...I know I am biased, but aren't they just too cute!

We also have two dogs...Boss and Bonnie. They are ex-farm working dogs (we moved from a farm a couple of years ago), but now they have the easy life and do absolutely nothing (except maybe bark at the occasional cat or possum...oh and dig holes in the garden and lawn!) They're not very cute and cuddly are they?? First here's Boss (he's an Irish Wolf Hound and is very BIG!)

And this is Boss's girlfriend Bonnie (she is a Kelpie/Cattle Dog cross).

As you can see from my profile, we live in Australia. In a very pretty little town called Cooroy, which is on the Sunshine Coast, Qld. We are very lucky here and have great weather nearly all year 'round. I will post some pics of our little part of the world soon. But for now, here is the view from our house....we love it here! This is looking out of our loungeroom door onto the outdoor patio area (note the hole in the grass in the foreground...we have Boss to thank for that!)

This is looking out over the edge of the garden, towards Noosa...only 15minutes drive away!

This next one is looking down onto our driveway and that's our shed down the bottom there. We have a total of 13acres...bit smaller than the farm, but still plenty of room for us now!! We even have a few of the neighbours cattle in our paddocks at the moment, so it still feels a bit rural!

Our winter here is normally pretty mild (although this year the locals have all been complaining about how cold it has been). Nothing compared to what they get down south...such as the snow I saw for the first time in Daylesford, Vic!! Now that was cold (and very pretty too!!)

I was very lucky to be visiting with my wonderful friend Natasha at the time and we had an absolute ball!! She is a great host and spoils me rotten when I visit! Here is a pic of us and her adorable son Leroy...he is such a sweetie!

OK, so I have managed to introduce myself...even added some photos (and all done while I was supposed to be cooking dinner...I hope this isn't a sign of things to come!) Anyway, I think I have done ok for my first attempt!! Next time will be much easier I am sure!

Thanks everyone and I will post again soon. Kathy xo