Fun and VJs

Australian Modern Giveaway!!

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:25:00 +0000

Guess what I have in my grubby little hands?

Two copies of the new Australian Modern which will hopefully end up in the hands of two lucky Fun and VJs readers.

article about Meadmore Furniture in Australian Modern

It's hot off the presses. There's 66 pages of Australian mid-century goodness. From articles about Googie architecture to Clement Meadmore's iconic corded furniture to Paris fashion arriving in post-war Australia; there's a bit of something for everyone, even those who aren't mid-century enthusiasts.

even the ads are cool

So how do you win?

Just leave a comment on this post. This competition is open world wide and you don't have to be a follower to enter. If you leave an anonymous comment, make sure to leave a contact email so I can contact you. Entries close Tuesday 31 January at midnight (AEST). I'll announce the winner on Wednesday 1 February.

Good Luck!!

And if you can't wait that long to get your own copy, just click onto the Australian Modern website HERE. It has the full list of launch dates around the country and local stockists.

p.s For those who are attending the Brisbane launch. I'll be there, wearing a paisley frock. Can't wait to meet you all.

Study photos - more progress

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:36:00 +0000

It's very nearly finished. These photographs were taken yesterday. Jason's still fiddling around with the window hardware tonight. He can't seem to leave them alone..

The doors haven't been painted yet, nor do we have a light fitting but apart from that it's close to being finito. I should be able to move back into blogging HQ tomorrow after I clean the floors.

Disregard the disarray you see in the photos. Things are a bit all over the place at the moment but I thought it would be good to show you the layout of the study.

The study taken from our sunroom

The study taken from our front entry

This shot is taken from the study. You can see it has two entry points which makes it a nice little home office.

And in breaking news, Jason's favourite work shorts are tearing to shreds. He may soon have to go shirtless and short-less!

impersonating a castaway with his poor old shorts

The many ways to insult a brass screw

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:48:00 +0000

Jason's dark and stormy. He's been working on the study all day and he's still at it. It was going quite well until late this afternoon. He'd finished the painting, cleaned himself up, had a break and poured himself a nice glass of Cabernet. Then he decided to put the brass fittings on the windows...

We are all (the boys and I) keeping very low. Son #3 was swiftly bathed, fed and put to bed. The two older boys are under strict instructions to be on their best behaviour. They know that there is some Jekyll and Hyde renovating occurring in the Sow's Ear.

And the reason? The tiny brass screws which come with the brass window pulls and casement stays are snapping in half.

brass screw cleanly snapped

The screws are no longer referred to as screws now. Jason has officially renamed them any profanity you could possibly imagine:

sh*t things,
motherf*%^ers
c*&ts
f*%^ing useless things
pieces of crap
stupid b#^%ards

The screws are not a standard size and there are no spare screws which come with the window hardware. The shops are shut because it is Sunday evening. ~~Mr Hyde, I mean~~ Jason is making do with the little he has at the moment. He just wants to secure the windows before we go to sleep tonight.

I asked poor old Jason how everything was going and he used an analogy to describe his feelings: "You know the first day when wear a new pair of shoes. When you have to walk from one end of town to the other and you start to develop large blisters on your feet. That's what it feels like. Every bloody step is just agonising."

That's when the latest screw snapped. As did Jason.

I inadvertently took some video footage while I was photographing the "motherf*%^er" (i.e the brass screw, NOT Jason). It's only four seconds of insults which are luckily, in this instance, G rated.

The Study. It's looking great.

Anyway, you have been warned. Brass screws suck.

Shower curtains

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:05:00 +0000

Shower curtains in our unventilated bathroom have a low life expectancy at the Sow's Ear. That is a fact. I have a couple which I alternate between when they need to be washed. But eventually they start to show the black speckling on the bottom hem which is the sign of mould. And the blight keeps spreading.

That is the down side of having our only shower over the bath tub. But I guess that's just life. Anyway, one set of shower curtains is beyond redemption, so I've been looking for a replacement pair - just simple white shower curtains.

This is a lot harder than it sounds. Most have stripes, ducks, jacquard print...the best is the curtain inspired by the movie Psycho. Imagine doing your best Janet Leigh impersonation with bloody shower curtains. Gruesome.

image from here

The white waffle shower curtain which I ended buying seemed rather tame by comparison.

waffle weave shower curtain

Apparently this particular type is hotel grade. The blurb accompanying the product said it was their 'most opulent shower curtain...with a definite luxury feel'. I'm a bit of a sucker but you know...I have a feeling this will be the closest I will get to a hotel bathroom in a long time. It was inevitable that I would fall for the spiel.

I bought the shower curtains from here

It does feel luxurious. It also looks good too. I hope it stays as pristine as it is now.

Night painting

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:50:00 +0000

It's half past eight in the evening as I begin typing this blog post. We've had dinner, the dishwasher is loaded, the two youngest boys are snug in bed and I'm catching up on some writing work which needs to be finished, except that I'm writing this instead...

And Jason is painting the study. He arrived home from work at the usual time this evening, mixed up a Martini, drank it, ate his dinner and then put on his Fun and VJs uniform. Painting shorts. He's painting the study like a man possessed. What a classic. His propensity to work is almost freakish!

Who could be arsed painting at night when you don't have to? It's not like we're on a renovating TV show nor are we selling the Sow's Ear in the near future...

Looks like the study will be finished sooner rather than later. So, does anyone else out there paint in the evening?

Jason's painting the study ceiling and walls tonight.
The doors, windows and architraves will be the last thing he paints.

Retro wall plate - Ruscha?

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:50:00 +0000

I'm loving this new but old retro wall plate which was in a stash of vintage goodies provided by the very generous Jo at Desire to Inspire.

We hung it up in the kitchen. It works well with the floral art photographs which were taken by Sarah at Molly's Maison, which everyone admires when they come to visit. I'm not sure of the plate's provenance but it looks like it may be West German pottery, as it just has numbers inscribed on the back. Perhaps it's Ruscha? I don't know. If there are any WG pottery experts who do, please let me know.

It's a happy burst of retro colour to add to our mix of collected things. Thanks Jo!

Retro wall plate

One side of our kitchen

Brothel...oops! I mean Study progress

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:41:00 +0000

It was high domestic drama last night. I was reprimanded for my hoarding ways when we were clearing out the study in preparation for sanding and painting. Poor Jason can't stand that we have excess stuff and issued me a stiff warning: "There's no point renovating if you intend to keep it as a brothel!"

I told him to take a chill pill but that didn't go down well. In an effort at self-preservation, I told him I'd improve my bower bird ways...clearly, I was lying but it was enough to quell Jason's fiery temper. This is one of the ground-hog day arguments we play over and over again. You know how it is...same argument, different day...

The window architraves are repaired and the undercoat to cover the old cream walls has been applied.
The windows will be repainted white.
Here's an alternative view of Jason for his fans.

Jason put an architrave around the door. It used to have nothing but now it is nicely framed .

It is only a small room at approximately 3m x 3m. As Blog HQ I'm hoping it will be finished soon.

Australian Modern - Brisbane Launch Party

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Want a mid-century modern night out? Get in quick as tickets are strictly limited.

Australian Modern is the new publication about mid 20th century design. It will be available throughout Australia from select bookshops and vintage stores. You’re invited to come and celebrate the launch of Australian Modern.

Meet the Australian Modern design team and the Brisbane contributors. Get your very own copy of Australian Modern ‘hot off the press’ at the Brisbane launch party.

WHEN: 8pm Saturday 28 January 2012

WHERE: On the Lawn at 9 Burchell Street Carina

TICKETS: $20 includes a copy of the book, cocktail on arrival, with finger food provided

BYO: Please bring your own drinks

DRESS: Op-Shop Retro Modern

RSVP: Bookings Essential. Contact Chris & Susan 07 3395 4571

It's going to be fun. I'll be there wearing my very best patio dress...what are you going to wear?

P.S The Australian Modern website is nearly ready to go live with all the details about how to get your hands on a copy of Australian Modern. I'll keep you posted.

Study windows and a hammer holster

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:26:00 +0000

Jason found a hammer holster in some of the bits and bobs which Mr Rooney, our southern-dwelling builder, left behind in our garage.

Jason imagines he's a tradie but I have to remind him that he's not...especially when he's carrying one of the children's hammers in the hammer holster...It's true!

hammer holster

So, fully armed with his holster attached to his middle, Jason began work on the study. The project involves
fixing up botched window architraves and a wonky bullnose and scotia. It was a bit of a pig's breakfast, really.

The new architraves are similar to the what is in the rest of the house. Jason also reinstated some VJs (vertical join boards) which were missing near the windows. We find that giving the windows some TLC goes a long way to improving the look of a room. And with a coat of paint or two, it will come up schmicko!

Stay tuned for another study update soon.

P.S thanks so much for all the lovely well-wishes for my birthday.xx

removal of bullnose and scotia. It will be recycled again in the study.

All the old window architraves have been removed

Birthdays, mention and study renovation

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:09:00 +0000

Birthdays are fun when you reach an age where wearing deep red nail polish doesn't look too out of place. Unless of course you're at home doing breakfast dishes...but I won't let that deter me. Thanks N, L & G!

The bounty of lovely birthday gifts

Jason also bought me some rather impractical underwear. He is very much of the mindset that gifts should be of the sort that keep on giving (in this case, to the hopeful 'gifter'). Classic. (It's in the background in the above photo!)

Birthday bubbles

Also, I'd like to thank the lovely and friendly Julie-Ann from the Decorating Forum for the shout out today. She's made special mention of our deck renovation on the forum which you should all check out HERE (if you want). This is a great site for useful home design advice and worth a visit if you are renovating or decorating.

And perhaps the loveliest gift of all is the start made on the study renovation. If you follow Fun and VJs on Facebook, you would've seen snippets of the progress we made on the weekend and the crying over spilt beer fiasco. Work is well and truly under way for a revamped study. Hooray!!

Deck reveal

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:03:00 +0000

The very last project for 2011 was to complete all the work which we started on the deck. I'm happy to say that it is now finished and it has come a long way from where it began.

The deck was pre-existing when we purchased the Sow's Ear in 2009. It would've been added by previous owners in the early 90s (it also appears that the deck was extended after it was originally built). Anyway, it is a great space. Our main issue with it was that it was unusable during warm summer days. The tin roof made it too hot to sit out there comfortably.

Our deck is a major part of the house, taking up approximately a quarter of the size of our entire home. Yep. It's huge. The orientation of the deck with the lack of shade trees combined with sun and tin roof equalled HOT AS HADES!

So a retrofit of an insulated ceiling was the solution. Fortunately, we had enough height to do this. We only lost about seven centimetres by adding insulation and a ceiling.

Below are some before shots of the deck.

This is the deck in mid 2010. Our outdoor setting was on its last legs and we had three deck chairs remaining. You can also just notice the variation of the different boards used from the middle posts - from old deck to new deck.

When we renovated the kitchen, we replaced the old casement windows with bi-fold windows and had a servery built. It makes a nice little bar area when we have people over.

This is the deck when the house was on the market in 2009 and is an image from the real estate listing.

And here are the after shots:

There used to be lattice above the balustrade in this section.

The bright white colour scheme works well with our mid-century style of furniture

It's a fantastic entertaining deck, with different zones for seating.

So what did we (um...I mean Jason) do?

Removed extraneous lattice and laserlite roofing
The lattice closed in the deck substantially on two sides. It may have been put in as privacy screening, but over the years the shrubs and trees around our fence line have matured enough to afford us privacy. It is much more open and our views are now unimpeded. We also replaced sections of old brittle laserlite roofing with tin roofing.

Painted
The 'heritage' colours of cream, dark green and maroon were well past their use-by-date. We used Dulux exterior acrylic gloss - Vivid white (which is the untinted white straight off the shelf - a bright white that is probably not to everyone's taste but works for us) for the weatherboards and deck railings; Peppercorn Rent (it's a chocolate brown with a green undertone) is the contrasting trim on the top handrails, window sills and guttering. The ceiling is also painted a gloss white, which surprisingly evened out the imperfections and warps that naturally occur when retrofitting anything.

Oiled the decking boards
We oil the floor boards at least once a year with Cabots Decking in a Merbau tint. The tinted stain evens out the variation in colour of the two types of decking boards. It is quite a rich colour, which hides the sins of the past. It is hard to pick the difference now and the boards look more seamless.

Insulated the ceiling
Standard ceiling insulation was used on our deck to make it more comfortable on hot days. Fibro cement sheets were used as to make a panelled ceiling. The panelled ceiling on the deck mirrors the ceiling inside the house which we thought was a nice touch ('same mother, same father' as our literary builder, Mr Rooney, would say) - it makes the deck feel more like a natural extension of the house.

interior panelled ceiling

Insulating the ceiling was a massive job. You can read about how massive it was here, here, here and here, if you're super keen...This is real life weekend renovating which happens over a matter of months rather than days!

The difference the insulation and new ceiling has made is amazing. We can now sit out on the deck, have lunch and not fry. Heavenly. Comfort and function can never be underestimated.

Added new light fittings
There were old fluoro lights on the deck but we swapped them out for more discreet bunker lights which provide low ambient lighting which is perfect for entertaining in the evening.

Decorated with new and vintage furniture
We splurged on a new outdoor setting which can seat a crowd of adults and kids. Over the years I've collected and thrifted a number of vintage mid-century pieces such as Casalino chairs, T H Brown bar stools, butterfly chairs, Stoppino nesting tables. A friend of mine also sewed some retro curtain fabric I had into some colourful outdoor cushions. They add a splash of colour while cushioning our backsides!

So there you have it. A new improved deck which we can use all year round; and another project is crossed off the renovation list. Yay!!

p.s Special mention must go to Mr Rooney, our very helpful builder, who assisted Jason on the weekends to make our 'new' deck possible. Thanks!!

Change of plans...already

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:48:00 +0000

So much for the big pronouncements for 2012...

Jason's putting on hold some of the 2012 renovation plans after he looked at our rather unhealthy bank balance just after I published that last blog post. Ha! Christmas and New Year are an expensive time of year, doubly so if all your life and income protection insurance is due on Boxing Day. Yikes!

It seems our reno desires are bigger than our budget at the moment. The decorative valances for our deck and recladding the bottom half of the Sow's Ear are postponed for now, so there will be no getting jiggy with the circular saw this month. It may be an Easter project.

Unfortunately, the priority will be on finishing the exterior painting while we save up some dollars. We have a lot of paint. And painting is a relatively inexpensive task when DIYing. The second carport needs to be finished too, as it is still in heritage colours.

Jason is planning to renovate the study at the same time - it is a small room and hopefully it will break up the monotony of just painting. There are window frames which need fixing and some VJ (vertical join) board to reinstate on the walls; that may be the variety needed to spice things up around here. It will also be within our meagre budget.

Study windows with old tear-drop window hardware.

Study windows. The bullnose and scotia and window frames require some work!

Original casement stays

The funny thing is he went to buy brass window fittings on his way to work this morning. That's keen! He loves his polished brass and has bought enough for the seven windows which are in the study. I've said it before but Jason's all about bling and bedazzle.

I'd be inclined to keep the original hardware myself but this is a battle I know I will lose. Truthfully, the originals don't function well and the stays don't 'stay' either. And they don't bling.

To appease my guilt for replacing 80 year old fittings, Jason tosses it in a box in the garage so it remains with the Sow's Ear, but really he would have no qualms throwing it in the wheelie bin when I'm not looking!

Image from HERE

brass casement window stay

2012 plans

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:43:00 +0000

A lot was achieved on the Sow's Ear last year.

The master bedroom and sunroom were completely renovated,

Master bedroom finished earlier this year.
below are the sunroom shots

two new window hoods were reinstated on the side of the house,

this is the hood over the window of the back bedroom

a bookshelf was custom built in the study by Jason DIY Inc.,

Study bookshelves. This is one of the last rooms yet to be completed. It is like the study/junk room at the moment. Scary!

the deck was given a new insulated ceiling which has worked a treat on really hot days,

It is finally painted but I can't show you just yet as there are a few final things to be done

and the biggest achievement of all...the exterior of the Sow's Ear was painted...over the span of a year.
This of course has had the biggest impact in terms of the appearance of the Sow's Ear. She's emerging from the swine to the divine...ha! Corny puns are my forte!

(but believe it or not, there is still a lot of painting to do under the house like the deck joists etc. It seriously is never ending),

Jason finished painting the back stairs and oiled the treads. They look too good to use!

So, onwards and forward in 2012.

I've been given a list for timber supplies. Jason's getting jiggy with the circular saw this January. He's thinking decorative valances for around the deck. He loves his architectural bling!

2012 will also see the removal of the asbestos cladding under the house which will be replaced with weatherboards. A big undertaking...for the weekend warrior.

A new front fence is on the books too. I've selected the style which I like and which is in-keeping with 1920s era of the Sow's Ear. Jason is not keen to tackle this job by himself, so it will be outsourced early this year.

We also have the quandary of our side stairs which still need to be finished...Mr Rooney, our intrepid builder, if you care to have a working holiday in Queensland you are welcome to visit the Sow's Ear at your leisure.

The study is also on the hit list to be renovated. This means repairing the window frames, copious amounts of paint and a major cull of our junk!

Oh and the bathroom. The bathroom is on the wish list too.

That should keep us out of mischief. Gotta love a project to work on.

Happy Days for 2012!

Good riddance 2011

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 08:46:00 +0000

I was going to write something prosaic about 2011 and about the progress we've made on the renovations to the Sow's Ear...but I won't.

2011 sucked for quite a lot of people we know. We were fortunately spared from the floods, fires, sickness and relationship breakdowns which have been occurring around us.

However, the death of Jason's lovely Nana earlier this year had a profound effect on us and has tainted 2011 as a sad one...despite all the "fun and vjing" I natter on about in this space. You can't help but miss the people you know you will never see again.

Anyway, we've survived another year intact as a relatively happy and healthy family with a roof over our heads. And we will be toasting that good fortune tonight and wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2012.

Happy New Year!

P.S Umm...I wanted to post about the deck project but Jason decided he wanted to oil the decking boards, so it is still in disarray. I went back through my photo archives and found this shot that I had completely forgotten about. It is a deck image from when the Sow's Ear was on the market in 2009.

It doesn't even look like it is the same deck now! I'll show the photos to you soon.

Deck March 2009

Deck ceiling progress

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:34:00 +0000

We're still here, working away at the Sow's Ear.

Action Jason

Even when it looks like rain, Jason will push the envelope and paint in defiance of the stormy weather.

The other day we were at the bottle-o replenishing our alcohol supplies when I took this snap of the approaching storm cell.

I haven't taken any photos of it but the deck ceiling is now finished. It looks so good.

A close friend came over today and she paid us the ultimate renovating compliment: "It doesn't look like you've done anything out here. It looks like it was always meant to look like that."

Seamlessness is always the goal in our renovations to this old house.

partially painted deck ceiling

Anyway, I'll show the finished result in the next post.

Christmas and Boxing Day 2011 project

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:04:00 +0000

Christmas was good. It always is. There is nothing I like better than spending it with my most favourite people.

the boys unwrapping their gifts bright and early

Duck with orange sauce
Now that the boys are older we have our main celebration on Christmas eve.

The shirtless Santa was very thoughtful with his gifts

We have a very simple Christmas lunch. This year I made a whole fish. It was a last minute decision when I was lining up to be served at the fish shop. This particular fellow was so fresh and less than half the price of filleted fish. I also bought some fresh oysters. It was all delicious.

Boxing day is traditionally a day that Jason starts a new project on the Sow's Ear. Last year it was painting our bedroom; this year it is painting the deck ceiling. It has been literally hanging over our heads for many, many months since Jason and Mr Rooney, our travelling builder, retro-fitted an insulated ceiling to our existing deck.

It is a big job as Jason needs to undercoat/primer the ceiling, fill the gaps with bog and No More Gaps, and sand all the rough patches. After that is done, he'll start on the final two coats of paint.

Here are the progress shots from today:

Early start for Jason as he undercoats the deck ceiling

Jason undertakes the task in manageable chunks. He'll completely paint one half of the ceiling before commencing the other half. Go Jason!

What Christmas Break?

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 06:02:00 +0000

Everyone seems to be winding down for Christmas. It's really great to see. However, Christmas time around here means Jason has time off until the New Year. And you know what that means? Lots of reno jobs to be completed with the luxury of time.

Not one to disappoint, Jason arrived home half way through the day yesterday to commence his holidays. So what does he do? He proceeds to strip to the waist and whips out his trusty belt sander. Yeah!

You have to love a man with such commitment to his home renovations!

Shirtless Jason sanding the back stairs.

The stair treads are being sanded down and readied for a coat of decking oil. They get quite grey as they get the direct sun.

Shortly after the above photos were taken, it started to rain. Thwarted for the afternoon!

Jason in repose. I know. It is not often that we see him like this. I captured this image on the quiet.

Today, Jason finished oiling the stairs. He also made the obligatory trip to the hardware store to purchase drop sheets and other painting paraphernalia in readiness for painting the deck ceiling.

All the jobs to be done this holiday are smallish but they have big impact in terms of polishing off the Sow's Ear. So, if you are still around I'll still be here tracking all the progress.

Thanks so much for reading our story about our renovations this year. The fabulous comments and lovely emails that we receive are always greatly appreciated. It makes writing Fun and VJs so worthwhile. The renovation process is much more palatable and less lonely somehow...

We wish you a safe and happy Christmas. Cheers to you all!

Jason with a mullet and me as a blonde.
Goofy photos from a booth at a recent function.
Sadly, if we were to die tomorrow this would be the most current photo of Jason and I together since 2009!!
Merry Christmas!

A Sneak Peek of Australian Modern

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:49:00 +0000

A few days ago I was sent the art work for the front cover of the inaugural Australian Modern publication. It's looking good! Very good! Lots of great articles and some amazing images; over 60 pages of all things Australian Modern.

A release date of late January 2012 is the plan, but I'll keep you posted on when they are definitely out and where you will be able to pick up your very own copy (if mid-century modern is your thing). I know definitely there will be distribution points in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. If you want to get in touch with the publisher, contact Chris Osborne HERE.

It's very exciting!

Books 2011 and mid-century sofa

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:05:00 +0000

We had our final book club for the year. We have been meeting almost every month for the past seven years. I know this because Son # 2 was only three months old when it began and he's just turned seven. The club is not terribly serious as most book clubs go - it is just a good excuse for a group of us to have a regular social get-together and to read out of our usual comfort zone.

Turkey and cranberry savoury pikelets

Our members are from all walks of life - there is an architect, an art shop manager and an office manager, a public relations manager, a university tutor, a speech pathologist, an international fruit trader (but now she lives in America) ...and me (the closet blogger). You couldn't get a more diverse group of woman.

Christmas White Chocolate Crackles

We used to have a token male, who happened to be a builder, in the group. He hooked up with one of the other book club girls. Once they were an item he turned his back on books and then whisked his new girl friend away! I think it was the month that he chose Lady Chatterley's Lover... No joke!

Some decent quaffing Australian sparkling wine

Here are some of the books which we have read in 2012:

One Day by David Nicholls. (I was almost booted out of the club for choosing such a melodramatic soap opera to start off 2011! It wasn't horrible but great for the beach if you want nothing challenging.)

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones.

Jazz by Toni Morrison

Roseanna by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue

Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett

The City and The City by China Mieville

Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut

The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Phillip Pullman

Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg

Our meeting was held at Yvette's house. She's a mid-century furniture collector. She recently had her 'curvyliscious' sofa reupholstered. It used to be covered in a brown tartan arrangement; it's now a very mod 'chartreusey' colour in Bute wool fabric. It looks stunning but please excuse the very average iPhone photos.

Curvy mid-century sofa

Vellum light and gingerbread house

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:14:00 +0000

We had a little pre-Christmas celebration with our very good friends on the weekend. Over to their place we went to have a delicious baked ham with roasted vegetables which were cooked to perfection. Yum!

Check out N's new light fitting. She plans to suspend it in their stairwell but it is temporarily parked in the dining area. I thought it was made from feathers when I first saw it from afar but it is actually made from vellum.

Yes, tracing paper! N and her youngest daughter made it themselves. Clever.

Vellum pendant light

It reminds me of the Jeremy Cole Aloe light which is just fabulous. The one above is a creative alternative.

N's daughters also made a gingerbread (it was chocolate rather than ginger) house. They are such clever girls. It tasted as good as it looked.

Homemade is always so much better.

In direct contrast, the boys and I assembled a BigW kit-home gingerbread house a few weeks ago. It looked like a ghetto house rather than a gingerbread house. It tasted as meh! as it looked. No photos were taken; some things are best forgotten.

Look at these cute homemade vanilla-bread people. Just adorable.

That Christmassy feeling is definitely creeping up on us.

Random things at the Sow's Ear

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 06:19:00 +0000

This is going to be a very random post about what's been happening at the Sow's Ear.

The back stairs are finally painted. The deck posts and underneath the deck still need to be done. This painting gig just never seems to end... Jason is also going to sand the treads (to remove a few paint drips) and oil the wood over the Christmas break among other things he has planned. I told him to have a day off on Christmas Day!

Three little candle holders which look like ice-cubes for my kitchen shelf. A gift from a lovely friend.

A minuscule carrot from the garden. It almost seemed cruel to pluck it out of the dirt.

The Christmas tree. This is the third Christmas we are celebrating at the Sow's Ear and every year the tree moves to a different location. This spot doesn't work for me but I'm not game to move it...

New blue Italian pottery, possibly Bitossi, which I just adore. A very generous offering from a friend.

Some gorgeous handmade lavender soap; it smells divine and is made from all natural ingredients. Another gift from another lovely friend. I'm very lucky to know some great people!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Renovator's Rescue: Part three

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:58:00 +0000

Regular readers may recall that terribly run down Renovator's Delight I've been tracking for the past few months. You can see earlier posts Here and Here.

Well, there is movement at the station, so to speak. The house is being re-stumped. At first I thought it was going to be removed from the block, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it was definitely a raising and re-stumping affair.

Interwar Queenslander being raised and re-stumped

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Queenslander house style, this is a very typical renovation. Because the home is mostly of timber construction and was originally built on wooden stilts (which was originally to avoid flooding and allow air ventilation in our sub-tropical climate), it lends itself to being raised slightly to legal height to provide extra living area under the home. It's a big undertaking but it will almost double the living space of an existing home.

A renovation such as this will include a new concrete slab and new posts/stumps to support the home. If it is done well, the bottom half of the house will be set back about a metre from the front plane of the upper level to reduce the mass of the building; it will then be clad in weatherboards or material which is consistent with the construction of the house. A decorative valance may be used to lessen the impact of the new addition to the home as in the image below. New stairs in a style consistent with the era of the house will then be reinstated at the front.

Image from HERE

I wish the Sow's Ear's lower level had been set back from the front plane when it was re-stumped many, many moons ago. I also wish the front steps were not 'modernised'. Reinstating stairs consistent to the era of the Sow's Ear is on our long term agenda...Did you hear that Mr Rooney?

Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to seeing more progress on the old house. It's great that it was saved as too many character homes disappear from our streets. I'll keep you posted on further developments.

Danlamp: my dirty secret

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:22:00 +0000

It's kind of ironic that I'm writing about an incandescent light bulb I've just purchased because for the past few months I've been working for an organisation which encourages energy efficient lighting upgrades.

Ssh! Don't tell.

I really am eco...truly. But there is something about the forbidden fruit of an incandescent which makes this light bulb so attractive to me. Clearly, I thought to hell with increased carbon emissions when I ordered it online.

Danlamp light bulb

It is purely a decorative light bulb which emits a nice warm glow - lovely ambient lighting which you just can't achieve with compact fluorescent or halogen energy saver bulbs. It is definitely not a bulb for task lighting if you need to read or sew.

Anyway, I will have to hide it when the Carbon Police raid the house.

Indecisive cushion

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:51:00 +0000

My Mum made a cushion for our bedroom.

It's from some fabric which I've had for ages. I won it in a blog giveaway from Melbomba's etsy shop. I'm not a seamstress so it was quite idiotic of me to enter it in the first place. Call me a giveaway junkie.

hand printed green bellbird design on linen by Melbomba

hand printed lily design on linen by Melbomba

This is where the indecisiveness from the title comes in...

I couldn't decide what backing I should use for this fabric for cushions. So I decided that they shall back each other. I effectively have two cushions in one now. If I tire of green bellbirds one week, I can switch it to blue lilies with absolutely no effort.

Fabric designed by Mel Bombardiere can be found HERE. She has other colours and designs in her store, so be sure to check it out if you like her Scandinavian inspired designs.

Weddings and other things

noreply@blogger.com (brismod) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:26:00 +0000

I love seeing a young couple in love...declaring their love so publicly. It makes me feel less...less cynical.

We were invited to a fabulous wedding on the weekend. The bride and groom made a gorgeous couple.

Jason went to a lot of effort with his outfit. He ironed his pocket kerchief to perfection.

Dapper Jason with friend.
He has high hopes of making it on Queensland's 50 Most Stylish next year.
He may try a new tact and embezzle $16 million from his employer to fund his fashionisto ways. Read HERE

He buffed his cuff links so they gleamed. This pair is from MoMA.

Jason loves a pinstripe

Also, I've noticed there is a lolly buffet trend happening in Brisbane. Our kids love it when we go out now. The expectation of Chinese take-out boxes filled with sweets seems like their entitlement. Almost every function we attend has one of these things.

Wedding lolly buffet

Christmas party lolly buffet

I'm becoming a connoisseur. Chico Babies are my favourite lolly. What's yours?