She and Me

Easy DIY Mothers Day Gift.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 10 May 2018 04:46:00 +0000

Easy DIY Mothers Day gift any one can put together, even at the last minute!

Show your Mum how much you love her on her special day, by making her a lovely personalised gift of a Mothers Day succulent mug. Its a great inexpensive gift that can make a big impact, because its handmade by you, And the great thing is, it's so quick and easy!
There are lots of really great mugs with quotes for Mums out there, that are just right for this do it yourself. Like the sweet ones I have used here. Choose one that suits your Mothers taste or personality, then plant it up with easy care succulents. And there you have it, a cute gift made just for her.

Items needed
1. A Mothers Day Mug,
You could even find Mothers mugs at the charity shop, as its being used as a planter.
2. Some succulent plants or plant, (Try to choose small plants or ones in thin pots, to ensure they will fit in your chosen mug. You could choose succulents you know your Mum likes, or that match the colours of the mug)
3. Succulent soil mix. ( you can just use potting mix also)
4. Pebbles or gravel ( for the base of the mug)

Optional extras
Activated Charcoal (This can help with keeping things fresh - because the mug has no drainage hole)
Decorative pebbles or sand ( to cover the soil)

Arrangement tips
If using a few succulents, you can place a taller one in the middle and smaller ones around it. Or a taller one at the back with varied heights in front.A good classic choice is the thriller the filler and the spiller. So a more eye catching taller succulent plus a shorter less showy one to fill most of pot and then one that cascades or hangs out over the edge. And of course colour is a great thing to play with in succulent arrangements. Monochromatic (all one colour in varying shades or textures) complimentary (opposites) and anologous (adjacent to each other on the colour wheel) the choices are endless.

How To
Step 1. Place a layer of gravel or pebbles in the base of the mug.
To fill about a 1/3 of mugs volume. This will act as the drainage, so the roots don't sit in wet soil.

Step 2. If you like you can place a thin layer of charcoal on top of the pebbles.
This is used to keep things from becoming smelly or growing mold. But I have seen many non draining vessels used, that have not had charcoal and they have grown very well and did not smell. Though it is a good idea to pour off any excess water within a few hours of watering.

Step 3. Place some of the succulent soil in the mug.
How much is a bit of guess work, as it depends on how much room your plants will take up.

Step 4. Plant your succulents in the mug.
Try to work out the placement of your plant or plants, before you plant them. Depending on the size succulents, you may have to take them back out and remove or add some soil mix. If your plants are a bit large in the root area, its best to gently loosen some of the soil from the roots or even trim the roots a little if necessary, to make them fit in the mug.Don't worry to much about being rough, succulents are fairly tough plants!A lot of succulent growers recommend that you actually do remove a lot of the soil and some of the roots . As this stimulates the plant to make fresh roots and new growth. Once you have the succulents arranged the way you like, add more soil to cover any exposed roots. Tap the mug gently on a firm surface just to settle everything.

Step 4. Cover any exposed soil with your chosen pebbles or sand.
This just helps to stop the soil washing out when watered, and to firm up the planting. It can also give the succulent mug a neater finish.

Step 5. Gently water.
Water about once a fortnight. Remember to pour off any excess water within a few hours.
Succulents are best kept in indirect bright sunshine. Or Morning sun, afternoon shade.

These succulent mugs also make great decorations for Mothers Day celebrations. Which is exactly what I made the ones pictured for. They can make a really cute centre piece, decoration for the food table, entrance or hall table. You can even spread them around in little nooks and crannies, to spread the message, that its Mums special day! Make a few, give them to your Mum, Mother In law, Daughters with children or decorate your home or Mothers Day picnic with them, on your own special day.

The three Mothers Day succulent mugs I have put together here, actually have some very special significance for me. They are all mugs that my children have given me on past Mothers Days! Though they were looking a little shabby from many years of use, I didn't want to part with them. So being the plant lover that I am, I thought what better way to use my beloved mugs than to team them with plants. I planned to use mine as decorations around the house on Mothers Day. For my own enjoyment, but also hoping my children would get a kick out of spotting their past gifts, and seeing that I was still enjoying them, just in a different way.

Hope you enjoy making this easy do it yourself Mothers Day gift!

Catch you soon.
Me

Decorating with indoor plants

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 04:44:00 +0000

Indoor Plant Decor.

It seems decorating with indoor plants, especially in interesting pots or planters is still one of the

hottest trends In home decor.

Ive really been enjoying the resurgence in popularity indoor plants have had in the past few years. I think the renewed fashion has been helped along a great deal by environmental awareness, and the popularity of mid century and 70s trends in decor. As both of those eras were very big on interior decor that included indoor or house plants.

Art piece by Natasha Gardos

Growing up with plant loving parents, the garden as well as the family home, was always filled with wonderful plants and flowers. I suppose it was from this lovely influence, that in my own home, having not only an outdoor garden but an interior one, has always been an essential part of who I am. As well as enjoying the look of plants, I absolutely love the feeling plants bring to a space, don't you?

Pathos (devils Ivy)

Indoor Plants Help Clean The Air

Including plants in your interior decor can benefit your home lifestyle in many ways.

Plants can bring a wonderful feeling of life to any area.

Though most importantly they help to clean the air in our homes.They do this by absorbing harmful chemical gases such as benzene and formaldehyde, these harmful gases can be present in our homes from everyday things, like plastics, furnishings and household cleaners.

I mean who doesn't want to breath less chemicals or enjoy cleaner air in their home?

(Sanservieria) Snake plant

Plants cleaning the air? Is this scientific fact?

Well for a long time there was a great deal of agreement on this point, but just recently it seems to have become a contentious issue with a few people, Then again so is climate change!

What I personally can tell you, most plant lovers, my self included, know from their own experience that plants make the air in their home environment feel fresher. Which is one of the reasons they love having plants in their home!

At the end of this article I've included a link to Plant Life Balance, a campaign to encourage the use of more plants. In collaboration with the campaign, researchers at RMIT University and the University of Melbourne have taken the last fifty years of studies into plants and the affect they have on our

well being, and turned it into one distilled guide that explains in simple science the benefits we can gain from having plants in our living spaces.

They have also included lots of information on the number, size and type of plants most beneficial, as well as styling ideas and a great virtual reality app that helps you style your home with plants. A site definitely worth your time, facts, fun and fashion in one place.

(Crassula ovarta) Jade

Indoor Plants Make Us Feel Good

Plants improve the perception of the space they are in.Indoor plants can affect our physical, emotional and mental well being. Many companies are introducing plants or increasing the number of plants in their offices or buildings, as are many schools and hospitals. Not only because they make a space feel good to us, but because they make us feel good.

Many studies have shown that indoor plants reduce stress and fatigue, increase positive mood, memory, concentration, production and creativity! If that is not a good reason to accommodate some lovely greenery in your living spaces, I don't know what is.

Decorating With Indoor Plants

I like to think of the plants and planters in my home as changeable accessories, just like my cushions!

My indoor plants are a constantly evolving display, I find rearranging them a really fun and creative activity.

Having a variety of plants can make your display more interesting with varied height, texture, colour, plant and leaf shape. Big, little, hanging, prostrate, prickly, smooth, perfumed or flowering.

Art piece by Natasha Gardos

There are so many choices, you are sure to find plants that appeal to you. And don't worry about having too many the more plants are together, the more they like it. And they will create their own micro climates that help them to stay healthy.

There are many easy care plants that are especially good for beginners.

Like Pathos (Epipremnum aureum), Mother in- laws tongue/Snake plant (Sansevieria)

Jade (Crassula ovarta), philodendron, rubber plant (Ficus elastica), spider plant (Chlorophytum)

(Clorophytum) Spider plant

I tend to keep most of my plants growing in the standard sized plastic pots, and then I display them inside a planter of some kind that I think suits my decor. Sphagnum moss or coco fibre

can be used to hide the plastic pot, if you think it spoils the look.

Using this method I am then able to place a changing array of plants in the one planter.That way if I think a plant looks lovely were it is I can leave it in place. But if I purchase a new plant or become bored with the plant currently in that planter I can replace it with another.

This is also a good practice if the plant needs some outdoor air, you can take it outside for a breather and replace it with another. Or you may find that as the seasons progress that your plant is receiving to little or to much light, so you can replace it with one more suited to the light conditions.

Another reason I find it convenient to keep my plants in a plastic pot within a planter, is

when it comes to watering. It is so convenient just to lift out the plastic pot and take it to

the laundry or outside for watering. Especially if your plant sits on a piece of furniture, less chance

of the water damaging the furniture.

Or if your planter is a heavy one it saves you lugging it out and back when its watering time.

Of course if you would like to water in place, you can also have an inner vessel without drainage

holes between your potted plant and its planter that can catch any excess water.

Some ceramic or metal planters have a tendency to absorb even small amounts of water, from even

a well drained plant. This can lead to moisture being deposited onto the surface it is placed on.So a good idea is protect surfaces with an under mat or you can place a hanging basket liner or coco fiber at the base of your pot, to absorb any residual moisture

Decorative Planters

Now when it comes to changing your indoor plant decor display, it is just as much fun to

switch out the planters as the plants.You can keep your favourite plants and just change their planters to get a different look.Or if your plant has grown and doesn't fit the planter anymore, you get an opportunity to try something different.

Or start a collection of similar planters by colour or style, like brass, pottery, ceramic or white, marble or black, modern geometric or cool trending vintage.Perhaps start with the colours you like to use in your decor or ones that will compliment the type of plants you choose. And of course a variety of sizes and textures adds interest.Just like plants, the planter comes in a head spinning variety, you can collect to your hearts content.

Besides vessels designed for plants, look outside the box and get creative. I like to use a lot of vintage in my home, but it can be difficult or expensive to source vintage planters. So I like to use cups and jugs, vases, compotes, baskets and even sugar bowls or anything else that takes my fancy, adds a touch of whimsy or matches the look or colour I'm after.

Styling With Indoor Plants

Indoor plants and their containers, vintage or contemporary, can add so much to your decor. Plants are an easy decorating accessory to play around with. As mentioned you can rearrange them at anytime, by moving them around to different areas in your room or home. You can change the pot/planter or even replace the plants themselves, to get a whole new look, seasonally, or just randomly, when the mood takes you. Different times of the year bring different opportunities for flowering or scented plants. Celebrations such as Birthdays, Easter or Christmas are perfect times for these.

Decorating with indoor plants can be done in such a variety of ways, there are plants and display styles to suit every individual and their space. From elegant to colourful and quirky, from earthy and environmental to the latest mod style, boho chic to jungle Jane.

My own style - well if you can call it that, is what I would probably call "very eclectic" or

"free range - organic". But you can judge for your self, as all the photographs in this post are from my own home. Plant styling, or plant decor is just like the rest of your home decor, the choices are endless and all yours.You might even come up with a style of your own!

Bringing The Outdoors In

As the trend to extend our living spaces outdoors has increased, designers and decorators have seen the great benefits of incorporating plants into interior decor to bring the outdoors in.This is not only because the plants bring a sense of being outdoors, its because indoor plants enhance the beauty of any home by improving the atmosphere or ambience of a space just by their presence.

And just as plants are used outside in landscaping, some of the same principles such as proportion, aspect, and unity can be used with indoor plants for your housescaping! Plants can be used to screen something unattractive, or as a lovely green room divider. Use them to frame an entrance, or an art work. And a lovely large house plant can make a wonderful focal point in a room.

Do you have noisy children, family or pets? Believe it or not plants can even help you with noise reduction in your home, by absorbing sounds, especially the high pitched frequencies.

And don't forget all the other personal benefits of bringing the outdoors in that we discussed earlier, such as improved air quality and mood.

Creating An Interior Garden

So if you haven't started creating an interior garden of your own as yet, my advise is "Get to it"

And enjoy some wonderful leafy goodness in your living space. Start with just one plant, and see how it makes you feel. I think you will be pleasantly surprised, as well as healthier and happier!

If you are looking for styling ideas for decorating with indoor plants, I have collected quite a few examples of interesting styles and various ideas on indoor plant decor that you might find helpful on my

- Interior Garden - Pinterest board You can find it here

Don't forget to have a look at Plant Life Balance for information on the science regarding the benefits indoor plants bring to our living spaces and the best plant choices for different needs.

I will be posting some tips on caring for your indoor plants soon, so watch out for that one.

If you already enjoy the benefits of an indoor garden, please share any tips with us, I'm sure we would all love to here from you.

Happy indoor gardening everyone!

Me.

Kawaii

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 07:08:00 +0000

Just had to share some Japanese cuteness with you, or Kawaii.We were given these very sweet gifts by our Daughter T, on her return from a recent trip to Japan.

First up are these Japanese Kawaii match boxes.

I just love the cute little chick and dog face on each match.

So simple but sweet.

Then we have Tokyo Banana!

Its a souvenir sweet of Tokyo. They are lovely fluffy sponge cakes
with a custard type banana flavoured filling.
Mmmm!

And last, but far from least, this box of Japanese cookies. As you can see by the illustration
on the front of the package, the cookies are of a very funny little Japanese character
named Gudetama.

Gudetama is a little unusual because he is an egg! A very lazy egg.

Gudetama, pronounced (Goo-deh tama), is a character created by the same company ( Sanrio ) as
Hello Kitty.

Not only is he on Youtube and just about every product you can think of, but Gudetama has his own Twitter and Facebook accounts with very large followings!

Most Sanrio characters are cute and sweet
Gudetama is definitely cute, but he is also extremely lazy and depressed, often hiding from the world in his shell or wrapping himself in his bacon security blanket.

Some articles have reported the character is based on the way parents see their millennial children!

Whatever ideas are behind his creation, I think he is a little weird, sweet and funny.
(Be warned there can be some grossness attached to him as well!)
He is a big sensation in Japan, and his popularity is spreading across the world.
When I looked at a few gifs and clips staring Gudetama, I could see why.

I find Japanese culture really interesting for many reasons, The history, fashion and elegant serene gardens but one of the biggest has to be their wonderful products. Whether food, utensils, decor or art, so much effort has gone into making them cute, beautiful or evocative.
Their products are never just something you eat or use.
They often bring a smile to my face or twang my heart strings.

And that is something I can always have more of.

What about you?
Love to hear your comments.

I think I might go and watch... just a few more.... Gudetama clips!

Bye

She : D

Vintage Postcards - Dog Gone Cute

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 03:59:00 +0000

Cute Vintage Dog Postcards

Whilst pocking around in the card and paper section of a local op shop, we came across a package of vintage postcards. The cards were wrapped in a see through plastic bag, that had been diligently sealed with quite a lot of tape! So only the top card was visible.

As you can see by the picture below, the top post card was a cute illustration of dogs on a street corner.

She fell instantly for the little sausage dog! And though I'm very partial to Scotty dogs, it was the style of the illustration and the colours used that I took a shine to.

We wondered what was likely to be in the rest of the package.We could see that all the cards were the same size, so we hoped they would be from the same set.The conclusion of the wondering was that it would be either, more of the same card (which is what I expected) or variations of the top one.

As I wrote in this post Easter Bunnies. I knew it would be futile to argue with She, when it came to the question of buying a package of unknown content. And as we both thought the top card was just, well.. doggone cute! And the price was quite good for the amount of cards in the pack, even if the only cute card was the one we could see. So we purchased the little package of cards - and tape!

On our arrival home, She, of course, attacked the plastic bag with hand and scissors in her excited impatience to see its contents!

And as you can see, it turned out there were actually four different illustrations of cute dogs, one even included a few friendly felines as well.There were a number of repeats in the package, but unfortunately only one copy of the sausage dog and poodle together!

So we decided to keep the set of four to include in our own collection, and the spares will go into our Etsy store. She and Me Vintage

Aren't they wonderful? I have tried to research the artist Inge Scherer. So far I haven't found any information. The only thing I did manage to find, were some other vintage postcards illustrated by the same artist. A few of them were of sweet little kittens, and a really lovely one of a lion.They were all illustrated in the same style, though the lion postcard was in much more vibrant colours.

So if you happen to know any information about the artist, please let us know. Hope you enjoyed our little ephemera find. Do you have a favourite?

Have a lovely day.

Me.

Free 2015 Calendar of Vintage Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 04:23:00 +0000

Hello and Happy New Year 2015!

To start the year off, She & Me have put together this vintage fashion calendar for all our readers to print for free!

I'm sure you will love the wonderful glam and elegance of the vintage illustrations, as much as we do.

And of course, since She had a hand in finding the illustrations, there is a touch of humour in a few of them as well.
Here are two of my personal favourites, so you can see an example of what you will find on the calendar.

So as each new month arrives we hope our vintage fashion calendar brings a smile to your face and a spring to your step.

Lets get this fresh new year going.

With a touch of vintage style of course!

So click the link and print!
You can choose to print the whole 12 months or print one or so and come back again when needed.
Enjoy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8nThETIjhSyTVJpRzVON0FoaWM/view?usp=sharing

Marimo Moss Ball

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 07:46:00 +0000

Hi everyone, hope you are all haveing a great day.
Today I would like to introduce you to my Marimo moss ball.

Everyone this is Mossy.

Mossy this is everyone.

Isn't he cute?

He lives in this vintage Moccona coffee jar, on our kitchen bench. So you can imagine we get to see a lot of each other, especially as the kitchen is an open plan design.

Every day Mossy and I have a little play. I keep a small bamboo stick with his glass house, and I twirl the water around and around with it. This makes Mossy lift up and spin around, then as I stop he floats back to the stone base and rolls around a bit.
This keeps him nice and round.
I've read that if they don't get moved around much at all, then Marimo moss balls have a tendency to get flat or fat bottoms!

Mossy is very clever, as well as cute.

Occasionally he will make his own fun, and entertain me at the same time.

On random days he floats up to the top of the water, and hangs out there!

How does he do it?

Well I'm not exactly sure, but I do notice that he does this when the water is a bit low or I have just changed his water. He seems to use air bubbles to float up.He usually does have a few air bubbles hanging onto him, but when he floats to the top I notice he has quite a few.

I don't know where he gets the bubbles from. Id say he does release them from himself, as supposedly Marimo, or at least some of them, have a hollow center.

(But I'm sure its not bad gas emissions as some people have suggested!)

Most of the information I've seen, reason the floating is for photosynthesis, and its to do with light streams,which would make sense.
But I have wondered if it has something to do with getting more oxygen.

However he does it, its really cool.

As you can see Mossy receives lots of light, but Marimo definitely don't like direct sun.

I have read a number of times that they don't like much light, but I have found this to be incorrect.

And not only from my own experience.
Last Christmas we gifted two much larger Marimo to our daughter T and son in law M . They found that after a few months of keeping theirs on the darker side of their living room, that their Marimo weren't looking as healthy as Mossy. And that they had become a very dull dark green. So they moved them closer to the window and after a few weeks they were wonderfully glowing green again.

Another thing Ive read is that Marimo need cool water.

Well I'm not saying that they don't, but I don't get to worried about keeping Mossy's water at a constant temperature. Mossy lives with us in Queensland Australia, and we get quite hot summers, and we do not have air conditioning.

Mossy lives in a little jar, eleven and a half cm by eight cm. And if we have a run of very hot days in the high thirties or low forties, Celsius that is. Then I will add some fridge water to Mossy's jar or occasionally a little ice block. And he has been just as gorgeous and green as when he first came to live with me.

Well actually even greener and more gorgeous, because.....
(well he doesn't like me to remind him of it so I'll have to whisper)

but when he arrived by mail, he not only had to deal with being shoved in a plastic bag and posted - but by the time I received him, he was squashed flat! He still has a little tuft of hair that sticks up from where he nearly split in half : {

To keep him fresh, about once a fortnight or less I give Mossy a change of water.

And a little rinse to get the old water out of him, and keep him fresh and smelling good.

With filtered water of course!

I have a bowl of fresh water,which I dunk him in, then I give him a gentle little squeeze and dunk again and squeeze. I do this a few times, then I change the water in the bowl again for a last rinse.

I then roll him between my hands and lightly press any lumpy bits, just to make him nice and round and to make sure I haven't swished him out of shape.

No helping that tuft though!

He really does love all the attention and seems to thrive on it.

A few other interesting little tid bits about Marimo moss balls you might like to know.

I might whisper this bit as well..... ( Because I'm not sure how Mossy will take it, he might be a bit young to know the truth yet.)

(Moss balls aren't actually moss! They are a water plant.In fact they are a rare green algae!)

In Japanese Marimo means - ball seaweed - or some variation of that.

There is a wonderful Japanese legend about Marimo.

Its about two lovers kept apart by their families, that is well worth looking up.

The Japanese believe that Marimo bring you luck.

They are found naturally in a few lakes around the world.

They grow very slowly, about 5mm per year.

Marimo are great for interior decor!

If you feel inspired to have a Mossy of your own, you might like to visit this link for some really good information by Wendi Phan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIdWEaXfHWE

Well I cant say Mossy has brought me any luck.
But he has definitely given me lots of enjoyment.

And happiness.

I don't know what it is, but whenever I look at that cute little green ball, I just feel happy.

Bye for now.
See you round.
Like a moss ball!

She :)

The fresh, the fried and the fallow!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 10:50:00 +0000

The Fresh

The Fried

And the Fallow

Have a great day!

She

Vintage Home Decor illustrations From The 60's

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 03:43:00 +0000

I was looking through some of
the older books in our book case. Among the various books like Scream Queens, The History Of Flower Arranging, and The Colourful World of Birds I rediscovered this handsome hardcover volume, Reader's Digest Do-It-Yourself Manual, published in Australia 1965

He has owned this book for a number of years now, it was given to him by his father.At the time we were renovating our previous home, a cute little Edwardian weatherboard in Victoria. My father in-law was a cabinet maker and though He had been taught quite a bit of carpentry from his father, the book was still a great reference source to have.

I helped with many things during that renovation, such as paint stripping, floor sanding, demolition, installing cornice etc etc. But I definitely do not have any carpentry skills!

My interest in the book was the fabulous 60s furniture and outdoor living designs contained within, all pictured in wonderful retro illustrations!
And even though our renovation was very modern country/Edwardian at the time, I definitely still loved the sixties styling from the book

So today when I was revisiting the book, I thought of you, and wondered if you would like to share in the enjoyment of the illustrations.

Obviously she has about as much skill as I do!

I'm sure he is saying "Here darling, just hold that screw driver and look pretty."

I`m loving that built in lounge.

Tikki cocktail bar.

Cool ikebana display and small lamp

I think I will let you work out what the conversations are about here

Though fifty years old, most of these illustrations could be from today's styles.
And just like some of our furniture available today, though very cool looking, I`m not to sure how comfortable the above chair would actually be!

Don't you just love vintage illustrations?

Me.

Going Green And Upcycling

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 06:31:00 +0000

Recently our son J, gave He a gift of Lucky Buddha Beer imported from China. I was told that the beer itself was deliciously light and refreshing. Now, except for being happy for the giver and receiver, the quality of the beer was of no concern to me, as I don't drink beer. But the bottle the beer came in was another story altogether.

I was immediately attracted to the gorgeous jade green of the glass as the light shone through it.Then my eyes fell to the front of the bottle where I discovered a wonderful embossed depiction of a laughing Buddha.

I wanted to be able to inspect the bottle closely, and sat waiting impatiently for He to finish drinking its contents. As I watched him savour each slow mouth full, it dawned on me just how rude I was being. Sitting there with my eyes glued to the bottle, interfering in the enjoyment of his gift. So I guiltily vacated the room to ponder what use I could make of the bottle when it was empty.

She joined me at this point and had many creative suggestions for its use.

It could be a vase she prompted, or a personal water bottle, what about a container for one of our home made facial toners! Or just a decor piece sitting around looking interesting.

Later that day when I was assured that He was happy for me to have the bottle, I happily inspected it and my findings only added to my fondness for the chubby little green bottle. Just above the Buddha, on the neck of the bottle was the word Lucky printed in gold.Underneath the bottle on its base were the Chinese symbols for Luck, Good Fortune, Longevity and Happiness. I presumed these were placed on the underneath so that every time the drinker lifted the bottle they would actually be making a lovely toast!

I really had to admire the makers and marketers of this product.Along with the previously described assets of the bottle, the packaging the beer came in had an inspiring spiel about all natural ingredients and pristine water of the 1000 island lake.

I was curious enough to look into its production a little, and found that it was actually and Australian company! The beer had originally been brewed here in Australia.Though later, for a number of reasons the owners moved the production to China. Such as the availability of master brewers etc, I was glad to know it was not only for monetary reasons.

And so what did I do with the laughing Buddha?

Well I took one of these.....

And made it into an olive oil bottle for our kitchen!
How simple was that.

I just used the spout from my existing oil bottle, but you can purchase them in pairs for a few dollars from discount or kitchen stores. The bottle does have writing on the back, which you can remove with CLR. I am unsure about how environmental the product is so I haven't removed the writing as yet.If you are interested here is a link on how to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOBOiRDDA8

I have another bottle now from someone else, I did think of making a matching set of oil and vinegar, but I rather like the individual look.The second bottle sits on the other side of kitchen near the sink and its use is varied. Sometimes it holds herbs or a home made herbal disinfectant rinse for my hands. I did think of using it as a dish liquid bottle, but worried about any mix ups! If I get tired of the oil bottle that might just be my next choice.

Clearly all the symbols where in action. He had the good fortune of receiving a nice gift, I felt lucky to be able to up-cycle such a lovely bottle and J who is studying for a degree in Environmental Science was happy that the giant footprint of the imported beer was reduced somewhat by the reuse of the bottle. And the memory of the gift itself has longevity, whenever the bottle is looked at. It really is Lucky Beer!

I am obviously not the only admirer of this cute bottle. As you can see from these links, and many more ideas out there.

http://kissthefrogagain.co.uk/shop/recycled-luckies-tumbler/

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/187196105/handmade-led-lucky-buddha-enlightened?ref=market

If you would like to have one or more Buddha bottles yourself, they are very inexpensive at around $3.50 each or $18.00 AU a six pack. (ten green bottles hanging on the wall ;)

Let us know what you think of the up-cycle, or tell us your own ideas for reusing or up cycling the Buddha bottle.

Me.

Mothers Day

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 12 May 2014 06:50:00 +0000

In the lead up to Mothers day, my niece J posted these photographs on her Facebook.

The Photos are of my wonderful, funny and one of a kind Mother.The shots were taken during her youth in the forties.

Unfortunately she has been gone for quite a while now.
In fact my own children never had the opportunity to meet her.
And that always brings a touch of sadness to Mothers day for me.

But then such a lively character can never be forgotten by anyone that had met her. And her family especially could never forget.
So the tales of her singing and dancing antics and fun loving ways are told and retold.
Until those that never met her get a sense of who she was, and to share in the happiness she spread while she was here and left behind even when she was gone.

So I would like to say a big Thank You J for posting these and retelling the tales, so my children get to share in the fun that was

Mum.

Free Printables Vintage Easter Post Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:16:00 +0000

Hi Everyone

Well Easter is well and truly here, and we are a little behind this year in our preparations.

So if you thought we were a little short on Easter posts you know why.

To make up for the shortage we thought we would share our recent acquisition of these gorgeous Easter post cards. Most of them are from around 1909.

They are free for you to download and use as you wish.They are in high resolution, Just click on the picture then right click and save.You can make all kinds of DIY projects with these gorgeous fun vintage Easter illustrations. Like cards, tags, Easter cushions, lavender bags, or any number of items your imagination can come up with up.

This is one of my favourites! The sweet little chickens and their wagon are actually stamps.

And how lovely are the details on this one!

You will also find another two over here on our Facebook page.

We hope you enjoy our little Easter gift.

Bye for now.

She

Pyrex in White.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 07:19:00 +0000

Hope you're having and enjoyable day.

Today I wanted to show you a few vintage home ware pieces I recently purchased.

You probably don't know this but I have a bit of a thing for white.
At Christmas I like to use white, I like white clothing and I love white paint.

Not that He (our partner) will let me paint the walls and furniture white as I would like to do!

(But that's another story)

And I definitively love white kitchenware.

She of course, wants all the colours of the rainbow in our home, and can`t understand why I love white.

Its not that I don't adore many of the vintage pieces sporting wonderful bright and happy colours.
All those 40s florals, retro 60s patterns and seventies oranges and yellows all have a special place in my heart. Its just that white gives me a nice fresh and enjoyable feeling when ever I look at it.

White is clean and pure, calming and soft, bright but still light and has a certain depth to it, as if it has no end.

Personally I think my enjoyment of it might have something to do with living with She!

She loves every colour, pattern, style and era. Every little bit of kitsch and industrial, rustic or shabby chic piece we come across.If She had total control our house would be living in some sort of hybridized hoarders heaven.

I think I really need the colour (or non colour) white just to keep my sanity and my eyeballs.

Anyway - enough waffling.

What I really wanted to share with you were these great vintage pieces.

Most of them are Agee Pyrex made here in Australia.

From right to left. A cute little milk glass vase, Agee Pyrex bowl, Agee small oval casserole dish with black leaves and a large Anchor Hocking colonial bowl.

On the right is an Agee Pyrex casserole dish in the Black Rose pattern, reportedly a fairly rare pattern.

In the front though not white are Agee ramekins from the 60s, that I purchased at the same time.

The White bowl is the same shape as the ramekins

This white set of ramekins with the cute strawberry motif are 70s Crown Pyrex (formerly Agee Pyrex)

And here is a smaller Black Rose casserole that we have owned for a few years now.

Agee seemed to have made a number of white pieces with black patterns so I'm keeping my eye out for some other pieces I`ll be able to show you in the future.

Love white Pyrex? We would love to know what your favourite patterns are.

Catch you soon

Me.

Weekend Wandering.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 07:56:00 +0000

Hi everyone

Hope you had a very nice weekend of relaxation and fun.
I had a great day out and about on Sunday with my Daughter T.
T came to pick me up and drove us up along the winding and hilly, scenic Blackall Range tourist drive to Maleny.A local Hinterland town, here on the Sunshine Coast.

Some of the fun we had for the day:

Eating Colin James hand churned gelato

Drooling (nicely) over the contents of antique stores

and walking the pathways of the Maleny Botanical Gardens.

T had white chocolate and raspberry gelato, and mine was Turkish delight (yummo).

No I did not buy any of the drooled on antiques : (

But I did buy these!

Well She chose them of course, it was the only time she made an appearance all day.

Yes, T purchased a lovely framed flower print as well as a very sweet embroidered lace hankie.

The Maleny Botanical gardens was fabulous. I would recommend a visit to anyone.

I cant believe I live on the Sunshine Coast and had never heard of it before.

I had to check to make sure I haven't been living under a rock!

No, no rock.

Views of the Glasshouse Mountains, from the Maleny Botanical gardens

Waterfalls at the base of terraced gardens, with one of the gazebo's at the top.

This is only a snippet of whats there, and my little point and shoot does not do it justice.

Lucky for you T has a much better camera, and you get to see just a little more.

This is only two of the 350 or so birds in the aviary!

And a little of the many many flowers to be viewed, sniffed and admired.

We had a great day, with lots of views and fresh air, sunshine, food, feathers, chin wagging and laughter.

Hope your weekend was as nice as mine.

Catch you soon.

Me : )

St Patricks Day Vintage Post Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 23:10:00 +0000

Hi everyone.

And Happy St Patrick`s Day to all that celebrate it.

She and Me can claim a variety of nationalities in our bloodline, but unfortunately none of them are Irish.
St Patrick's day always seems like such a happy and fun celebration, we wanted to join in a little bit of the fun

So we thought we would pop up a few wonderful vintage post cards to get everyone in the mood for the happy day of green ahead.

So to be sure to be sure of having a great day!

Photography from my home garden

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 06:35:00 +0000

Today's home garden photography collection is all about the sky.

These were all taken from the garden, but looking up.

I Hope you enjoyed these photos and that they have inspired you to look up and enjoy your part of the sky more often.

Catch you soon.

Photography Styling

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 07:38:00 +0000

Recently we've been trying to improve the photographs we take for our She & Me Vintage Etsy store, and of course by extension the photos we use here on the blog.

I often become frustrated with photography and know that we need to make quite a few changes before I will be halfway happy with our photos. For me its a little like illustration, my hand never seems able to capture the view I had in my head.And the resulting picture is far from my expectations.

At the moment though the number one problem hampering this improving effort is,

I really dislike our camera!

Its a point and shoot Olympus FE 4000. It doesn't matter how often I use it or how many times I refer back to the manual, our photos just don't have the lighting or crispness I would dearly love.Now occasionally I do produce a photo I`m happy with, and since that's probably the rare time I actually get the settings correct I shouldn't blame the camera. I`m sure in the right hands it would take wonderful photos.

This means until we can afford a DSLR camera that can produce good photos even at the hands of amateurs,we will have to make the most of the tool we have and do the best we can. So we will keep working at that one.

The other current problem is that She and I clash when it comes to our ideas of what makes a good product shot.

I take my photos with the intention of showcasing the beauty of the form, style and function of our vintage pieces. She wants to make photos that are whimsical, different and fun. She believes that unless our photos are noticeable and catch the eye, they will be passed by without a second look.

Of course I want out photos to be noticable as well, just in a different way.

She thinks that that prospective customers pass by my photos because they are borrrrrr - ring!

I think that her photos are too kitsch.Yes they definitely catch a persons eye, but then they are left wondering what we actually sell!

I don't say this because I think my style is better, that's even if I have a style which I don't think I do as yet. Because I keep changing what I'm doing in the hopes of finding something that I believe looks correct.I just want to show our vintage items at their best and have a store that looks cohesive.

In case your not familiar with the Etsy layout, I will explain (or you can pop over to our store for a little look - see!) There is one thumbnail shot for each item showing, when you click on an item you are taken to that first photo in a larger version. Then there are four other photos you can click on with different views of that same item.

So far I have tried to fill the first four spots with what I class as normal product photos (mine). Then one of She's quirky pictures at the end. My thought process here was that this adds a little humour and gives the prospective customers a small surprise, that will hopefully help them to remember our store.

But She thinks her photos should be out the front in first spot. Her thought process is, people will notice them and stop because her photos stand out in the crowd, and this will bring people to our store. Her other thought is that my photos are so bland only the rare visitor will ever get to the last photo! (hers.)

So after she distracted me constantly with her nattering thoughts on the subject. I placed some of her photos up in first and second spots to see if I could notice any increase in traffic. But when I placed them there all I could think about was how mixed up and un - cohesive our store looked!

If her photos enticed anyone to our store I was sure they would soon leave again. Because our photos side by side make a strange patchwork view together. Only highlighting our mixed up clashing back and forth medley of styles, that I was certain would only repel customers. Arrggghh!

It isn't that I think my photos are better, its just that I think her style puts all the emphasis an her (models) as She calls them. She says that her photos highlight the emotions that each model is feeling about the products! And this should induce a customer to feel the same happy thoughts about our vintage wares.I think if they are smiling after viewing her photos its because they realise that she's well..... slightly special.

At the moment I can't seem to find a middle ground that works for us.

I'm sure with trial and error and more work on our photography we will eventually come to some sort of amalgamation that works.

Recently we have found this wonderful blog about photography by the very helpful Helena that we are sure is going to be a great help for composition, lighting and so much more.

We may need a different type of professional help to work out the differing views between She and Me!

In the meantime I thought we could put it to you dear readers....

Can you think of a better way we could combine our styles?
Should we use She's quirky style to gain attention?
Let us know your thoughts.Or if you would like to share any good photography or styling links and tips,we are open to ideas, suggestions, critics.

Well maybe not quite ....... the critically crushing kind :{

Photography from my home garden

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 05:30:00 +0000

Water droplets on a banana leaf.

Monstera Deliciosa

Poor ring tail possum, trying to hide from the birds. I think he stayed out a bit late!

Lovely big carpet python. Obviously a fence sitter on the subject of whose garden is better!

Dandelion fairy caught in a web.

Red dragon fly

Butterfly in all its spotted glory.

Alexandria palms in seed

The birds love them

Sunny Allamanda trumpet flower

And a bold poinsettia in the background.

Valentine's Day Vintage Post Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 07:34:00 +0000

Vintage Valentines

Thought you might enjoy a touch of the sweet and the cute on this special day of Love.

If you are more inclined toward the strange and funny you could take a peek at the Vintage Valentines on our Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.509632112491722.1073741829.448599101928357&type=1

How To - Make a Terrarium

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 02:12:00 +0000

Terrarium Tutorial

Terrariums are so in trend at the moment, but also very vintage.

Believe it or not they have been around for quite awhile.They were first created in the Victorian era and were known as Wardian cases after their inventor Dr Nathaniel Ward. These were closed terrariums and were used to transport different plant species from one country to another such as tea and rubber plants. Growing ferns and other tropical plants in Wardian cases at home became a massive obsession with the Victorians. And this in turn had a huge effect on the fashions at the time, with tropical plant motifs used on everything from clothing to wallpaper.

In the seventies there was a resurgence, and making and having terrariums became a very popular hobby.

In the late seventies my older sister had a very large fish tank terrarium full of ferns and african violets.

It was a beautiful lush green world living inside the house. I admired it enormously, but I thought it must take a great deal of time and care. When I mentioned this point to my sister at the time, her reply had been that it only needed water once in awhile and a little trim or tidy every few months.

And that's the beauty of these wonderful little ecosystems.They don't need a lot of time spent on maintenance so they are pretty much fuss free, a bonus for busy people. I suppose that's partly what has driven this updated trend in terrariums. As well as the visual and environmental benefits they bring to your office or home decor.

Now there are many other tutorials out there, but I thought we would still do our own. Because the thought occurred to me, that when I wanted to know how to make handmade soap I looked at many different tutorials and read numerous books on the subject until I had gathered enough information that suited my understanding and style of doing things.So we decided the world is big enough for another tutorial! And if we can influence the making of even one more terrarium then we haven't wasted our time.

So this will be a succulent terrarium.Or is that a terrarium of succulents?

What you will need.

A glass container

Stones, activated charcoal and succulent pot mix.

It needs to be activated charcoal because this has been treated to improve its absorption power.

Succulent plants

Choose plants the appropriate size for your container, you want them to have some room to grow. If they are too big they can be very difficult to get into the container, and you may lose more than the odd leaf or two!

A scoop, brush and chop stick.

A spoon makes a good scoop for these smaller containers. The brush and skewer are optional, though I find them quite useful.

Water and something to do the watering with.

I prefer to use a spray bottle for watering terrariums. The gloves are optional,if you would like to wear gloves the close fitting ones are probably best.

Step 1.

Place a layer of stones in the bottom of the container. About 1/2 an inch thick, but this depends on the size of your container. The stones are used for drainage.

Step 2.

Place a thin layer of activated charcoal over the stones.

The charcoal is used to keep the terrarium fresh and protect it from mold and fungus.

Step 3.

Add enough soil so your container is about a third full.

Before planting think about what angle your terrarium will be seen from, and how you would like your arrangement to look.

Its best to place your tallest plant at the back if it will be seen from the front In the middle if it will be viewed from all sides, or to one side if it will be seen from front and one side. A lot depends on your container style as well.

Of course you can mix it up a bit and have a taller plant in front of a ground cover to make a little grove area, or any design your imagination can come up with, because that's half the fun!

Depending on your container style it can be difficult to position the plants and broken leaves or branches do happen, so you might like to begin with the standard planting arrangement at least for your first time just to get the feel of it.

This terrarium has an opening in the front and I will be placing a trailing plant at the mouth of the opening. I expect this will give the front the main focus of view, so I will position the larger taller plants at the back as background.

Step 4.

Remove the largest plant from its pot, loosen the roots and brush off some of the soil.Make a hole in the pot mix where you would like the plant, position the plant in the hole and cover the roots with soil. Firm the soil around the plant. It can be very tricky getting the plant in the small hole and positioned correctly ( this is when you may loose a few leaves) Continue this pattern until all the plants are planted where you want them. Add a bit more soil around the roots if needed.

Now you can add some rocks and moss or whatever embellishment you like. I find rocks are helpful just to stabilize everything.I used a few rocks in this terrarium. One for the taller plant at the back, because it kept leaning forward! Another two in front with some moss. Because the opening in this terrarium is in the front and positioned low, I needed to slope the soil down to the front. The rock and moss help to hold the soil were I want it, as well as giving the terrarium a more natural look.

(Sorry I have no photos of planting : [ After I planted the first succulent my camera battery decided to give up the ghost at this most inconvenient time! As it was a two day wait till a new one arrived, I went ahead with the rest of the planting - and a few choice descriptions for my battery! )

Step 5

The last step is watering. You will find that there is probably soil on the plant leaves and on the glass. This is when a small brush of some kind is handy, I like to brush the plants and the sides of the terrarium of any stray pot mix before I water.

Because these are succulent plants we dont want to over water them, but because they are freshly planted I like to give the terrarium a few more sprays of water than general. It just helps everything settle into place, but definitely don't over water it. You want to see that the soil is damp when you look at the sides of the terrarium, but you don't want a pool of water in the bottom.Then next day I will check it to see how it is, if I have moss in the terrarium I might just spray that again.

The next watering should be about two weeks later.

Terrariums have no drainage holes, and the glass works like a green house. So they don't need a lot of water. Succulents are water retaining plants and they like to dry out between waterings, in fact they like a little neglect!

General care

Only water every few weeks with a light spraying.Between waterings if a particular plant seems as if it is drying out ( looking shriveled or crispy on the ends of the leaves ) you can give it a few drops of water. If they are getting to much water they will bloat up and look strangely swollen or even go moldy. If a plant does go moldy, remove that plant immediately. To keep it looking good and stop mold growing remove any fallen leaves.This can be done with tweezers or even a bamboo skewer.

The terrarium will need good indirect light and fresh circulating air, so keep it near a window were it gets lots of light but no direct sun! and make sure its a window that you open often so the air in the terrarium can circulate. Succulents are easy to care for and low maintenance, just follow the guide lines and you should have a terrarium that adds some lovely natural beauty to your decor, is very fuss free and best of all - made by you!

Other bits and bobs

Succulents are best suited to open terrariums, ferns and other plants that like high humidity are suitable for closed terrariums.

You can use just about any glass container to make a terrarium from a jam jar or vase to full size fish tank. And you can add all sorts of accessories to it. Such as figurines like gnomes, dinosaurs, deer, toadstools. Or natural objects like drift wood, pine cones, shells or anything that takes your fancy.

So there you have it, you can make an endless variety of terrariums to suit every room in your house

So get your vintage vibe going and start planting!

If you have made your own terrarium you might like to share some tips or insights with us.
Or tell us what you thought of this tutorial, as we have some others in mind for the future.

Catch you later.

Oppoortunity knocks

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 21:49:00 +0000

While popping here and dashing there recently, we had an opportunity to visit a local charity store that we hadn't been to before.

The store is located among many other businesses, on a road that is a thoroughfare to the center of the town. We had often passed the driveway to the store, either to busy to stop or repeatedly and annoyingly forgetting it was there until we had passed by!

So on this particular day when one of our errands had taken much less time than expected, and knowing our later appointment was along that very road ...

We decided this would be the perfect opportunity to make our maiden rummage.

The stores aim is to raise money for the Beautiful You program.

A great cause to help Cancer sufferers and their families emotionally and financially.

The woman staffing the store was lovely and helpful and when asked she gave us a run down of their very worthy cause and all the wonderful works they do.

Among many other things, the program runs monthly fun and laughter filled craft and beauty workshops for cancer sufferers. As well as giving free massages and Pilates classes to de - stress and chase the greys away.

The store itself consists of a ground floor general charity shop.On this level we also discovered lovely handcrafted items such as crochet beanies, stuffed toys and some great vintage button jewelry made by the very brave ladies attending the Beautiful You program.

Upstairs, the mezzanine level is all vintage.

Here we found the items were all interestingly and artfully displayed.Among them were vintage home wares arranged in a 70s buffet. Men and woman's vintage clothing from various decades, hanging in and from an old wardrobe of great character.There were books and linens, some very cute ephemera and retro craft needs.All displayed in vintage suitcases and on shelf's that gave this level a lovely ambiance and appeal for such a small space.

Our finds for the day were this great 50s glass jug.

Lovely mint coloured plates. The large ones is Johnson of Australia and the saucers are Johnson Bros England.

A few cute pieces of linens and a wonderful retro table cloth that you can see above with the glass jug.

As you can see we were very glad we decided to stop, and we will certainly be making another visit in the very near future.

So if your traveling this way, or if your interested in the Beautiful You program, you can find more information here at http://beautiful-you.com.au/

We shall keep you up to date on our future finds from this great opportunity store!

See you next time.

Me

Vintage Johnson of Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:57:00 +0000

A recent vintage purchase were these great Johnson of Australia retro stoneware dinner Plates. I'm very familiar with the Johnson of Australia stoneware dinner sets, that these lovely plates originally came from. They were the everyday crockery in our home, when I was growing up. Our family had a number of J of A wonderfully patterned dinner sets over the years.

The patterns I remember most are, yellow roses that came with dark brown bowls and saucers. And Autumn leaves, that had mustard coloured bowls and saucers. I can't remember really liking either of those patterns at the time, I think as a child, I found them a little somber. Though my feelings toward the crockery could have something to do with the fact, that we weren't allowed to speak at the dinner table! Well I imagine seven little voices given free range could give any parent indigestion!

Don't get me wrong, I have many many fond memories of meals served and family moments amidst the various patterns of my childhood, including these. But as far as the actual patterns were concerned...
well I suppose to me it was just crockery.

But I do wish I had eaten my childhood meals from dishes with this bright spring garden pattern, with its cute little blue flowers (forget me not ?) Or these ( groovy! ) fun daisies. These I'm sure are patterns a child would love. Just Imagine, even if your nightly meal was a calm and orderly - definitely no speaking affair, you could still have calm, orderly and quiet enjoyment, uncovering these bright blooms as you ate your food.

Now I`m not sure if the patterns we did have in our family home were my mothers preference, or if they were the patterns produced in those particular years. Or perhaps they were the only ones available at the time she needed a new dinner set. Well I should say sets, as we were a family of seven children and I'm sure I and my siblings, probably broke quite a few dishes with our rowdy rat-baggy ways. Or with an accidental soapy slip of the hand, during the much hated dish duty!

Whether those were our mothers favourite patterns or not, the one thing I am sure of, is that the now - vintage Johnson of Australia dinner sets, would have been a god send for her. With the multitude of patterns in similar colour ranges, along with the solid colours of the bowls and saucers. I can see how she was able to mix the various pieces that were left from one set and match it with another, yet still have some continuity, and perhaps a bit of whimsical fun!

As the name suggests these stoneware dinner sets were made here in Australia.The factory opened in Croydon, Queensland in 1957 as a subsidiary of Johnson Brothers in England.Thousands of these dinner sets and other assorted pieces were produced during the 70s and 80s, in a multitude of patterns. How many? and what are the pattern names?
These are Questions we can not answer at the moment. There seems to be very little information available about pattern names or dates of production. Which is quite a nuisance, especially for Me as its just the sort of thing she likes to jump into and delve around in. But she shall keep up the research and see what can be snooped out.

Nameless or not, many of the patterns we are seeing around the web lately are so lovely, with their bright colours and great retro looks. Milk jugs, sugar bowls and butter dishes are appearing from the nooks and the crannies of many a household. Jam dishes, cake plates and best of all, we have heard, but sadly not seen, that there are tea pots !!

I can feel a new vintage craving coming on!I want more of these wonderful patterns brightening my day. I would like to drink from the many cups with their lovely vintage patterns, and if I didn't eat my dinner on dishes I loved as a child, well I certainly can now!

I can picture it exactly. All the fun I will have searching for, and finding, the various pieces. Then mingling together the different patterns, and mixing together the base colours of brown, yellow mustard and green.

This will match with....

That.

These poppies can go with...

This.

And definitely that.

And these will go with...

That, goes with this.

Goes with those!

Matched and Mixed Up Sets! Yes, a definite winner in my books. Swap and change around depending on your mood (or personality in our case). And this last one is my absoluuuute favourite, so retro! I like this last one so much, I might just have to try and find a whole set.

So dear readers, I am bound for some homegrown hunting for vintage Johnson of Australia stoneware retro pieces. Wish me luck!

She

Update....
There has been a concerted effort to find pattern names by some lovely people, and they have gathered quite a few. So if you are interested in the pattern names, you can find them on Facebook and Pinterest.

A number of pieces shown here are courtesy of the wonderful https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatRetroPiece

The yellow rose pattern and first cup are courtesy of the delightful https://www.etsy.com/shop/HobartCollectables

Fire King Favourite

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:27:00 +0000

Hi everyone

Today I wanted to talk about something we totally love....

Fabulous Fire King pieces in the colour Copper Tint. These lovely ovenware items were made by Anchor Hocking and produced between 1958 and 1971.

Photo courtesy of Sara from https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftySara?ref=pr_shop_more

We just adore this wonderful soft and feminine colour. It has a depth to it that is calm and serene, bright but definitely not flashy. It is a perfect compliment to the milk glass it covers and of course this means it will match beautifully with other milk glass or white glass pieces.

I'm sure we are not alone in this love.Not only because it is a tint, which is basically a pastel, and they are usually associated with women. I'm sure others love it because - it is sweet - and bright - and well perfect!

We had come across this colour before, and loved it.Though we rarely get to see it in person,especially here on the Sunshine Coast.The few pieces we have found have mostly been very worn.

We believe the reason for this great lack of Copper Tint is due to a number of facts.
One, that we have never had any where near as much Anchor Hocking (Pyrex,Glasebake) here in Australia, as they do in the original home of these great and delightful home wares, the U.S.

Two, because it is so lovely the Copper Tint pieces were favourite kitchen items for their owners and subsequently became extremely well used.A few decades later and many pieces have been put to the trash! Sadly judged as too worn for even the charity shop or garage sale.

Random (cranky from lack of copper tint ) thought:

Alas, we are sorely deprived in some ways here on our continental island home.

Do you know why we are easy going here in OZ ? ....
Its because we have learned to live with having less to choose from!

The great Australian term - She'll be right mate -
We believe actually came about from the women being upset with having a minimal amount of goods to choose from.
And the husbands using that phrase,when his friends inquired why the little lady was so upset!

Cranky thoughts aside.We do occasionally come across some good pieces worth purchasing in our favourite colour. When we found these little lidded ramekins a few months ago, they had us falling in love with Copper Tint all over again.

We not only love the colour, we think the shapes are wonderful as well. After purchasing these She and Me decided on the spot to begin a small collection of Copper Tint pieces.

Yes,occasionally our thoughts are in total unison (well we are the same person after all!)

So far the only other pieces we have found locally in collectable condition are these two pie dishes.

A few of She's friends have heard me speaking about Copper Tint and have come to inspect our Fire King favourite as well. You will have to excuse them ( they are such sticky noses! but She loves them anyway --- Yes, OK I like them too! )

This is Brown Bird and Ima Deer, investigating the pie dishes.

And this is Penny Ponytailess who has also come for a look-see.

Oven ware pieces in this colour are not hard to find online, especially in the U.S. The items we have our eyes on to add to the collection next,will be some of these lovely little custard cups with the scolloped rim.I'm sure the custard will taste so much better when eaten out of a cute little Copper Tint custard cup.

photo courtesy of Amy and Steph https://www.etsy.com/shop/32LumasLane?ref=pr_shop_more

Now there is one small unhappiness marring our love for Copper Tint - besides not having a whole collection of our own! And that's the fact that so many many people name our adored Copper Tint - gasp... the wrong colour!!

I'm afraid it is so - Yes it is a fact
Many people mistakenly call it Peach Lustre!

Now peach lustre is a Fire King colour,but it is a decidedly different colour.
Here is an example below.

This is a wonderful little Laurel pattern - Peach Lustre - creamer.
The lustre is darker and shinier and often looks to have an orange tinge to it.
Peach Lustre is bold and can not be missed, it calls out, Yes here I am, I'm sure you noticed me.
Compared to the pearl look of Copper Tint is much easier on the eye acquiring notice with a subtle softness.

Now we are sure that we our self make many vintage faux pas, and we apologise now for any and all we have made or will make.
If any one would would like to set us straight on any thing, we are only to happy to hear about it. Of course we don't enjoy being wrong,but we would rather be told of our error than left to repeatedly make the mistake.

We can see that it can be very difficult to tell the colours apart in photographs unless they are next to each other. As our own photos, with their varying light have so clearly shown. So we make no judgements of anyone or their abilities,taste,or eyesight.

We purely wish to make the difference known.
So our lovely Copper Tint can stop being under appreciated by this misnomer.
This post was written to help spread the word out in vintage land - in the oppies on Etsy and eBay - in the markets and the vintage stores.Every where that these wonderful pieces have to suffer being known as faded Peach Lustre!

So if you have made this error yourself.

Or you do come across it, and find yourself in a position to assist these wonderful vintage pieces claim their true title, please do so.

Of course please correct the error in a very soft Copper Tint sort of way!

With your help, we know that one day Copper Tint ovenware items will be known by their true name.

And our love for this sweet vintage finish will be wholly without flaw.

Me

Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:56:00 +0000

Quite cool mornings here in Queensland at the moment - we feel winter coming on aarrhhgggg!

She : )

Easter Roundup By Eadie

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:55:00 +0000

Hi everyone.

I'm Eady Eggcup.

She and Me are relaxing in the lounge with their feet up and congratulating them self on a successful family Easter gathering.While they are resting, I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself, and some of my friends, that helped with the Easter decorating here at Wits End.

Here are my fabulous friends Blue, Pinky, Eco and Sunny.

Don't you wish you had a wonderful group of friends like these?

(Psst stand in line guys)

Here is one of the lovely basket decorations they had great fun helping with.

Below are a few snap shots that were taken during the Easter gathering.

In this picture you can see Blue and Sunny along with Sunny's cousin Mellow.

And here is Pinky looking very cute in her own basket!

Sunny again, looking bright and sweet. The rather exotic coiffured beauty next to her, was a gift to She and Me from their Daughter T.

And this last one is few of us enjoying the festivities amidst the lovely flowers and moss garden.

Well I better get back to the clean up, and check on the others to see how they are getting along.

It seems Blue he has been hard at work rounding up eggs.

(Ummm Blue, weren't there more eggs before?)

What ,where err No!

And here is Sunny rounding up Easter eggs as well.

( Great job there sunny! lining them all up so beautifully.)

Oh dear!

Blue is looking rather green and unwell.

I think some one has been indulging in far too many chocolate eggs!

(Sunny, can you say the good byes for me please while I take care of Blue?)

Bye Bye everyone. I hope you had a lovely sweet Easter!

Easter Bunnies

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:02:00 +0000

Easter is here!

Today we thought we would share our sweet Erzgebirge bunnies with you.

Back in December we were out hunting for vintage Christmas decorations in a local op shop (charity store) We came across a small plastic bag that was crammed with decorations.Though it was difficult to see what was in the bag, we could identify a few small wooden decorations amongst the plastic and other anonymous bits and pieces of tangled tinsel and ties.

She being the adventurous soul that she is, and always the one that loved the thrill of a lucky a dip. Insisted we purchase said bag.

Me? Well I have always felt better putting thought into the actual sense of an adventure,before taking an adventure.And I always wondered if a lucky dip - would in fact turn out to be lucky - or be an exchange of money for some unwanted junk! So you can probably guess my thoughts on the unknown contents of this particular plastic bag.

She got her way in the end.With the sensible thought that it was only a six dollar outlay and wasn't much of loss if the bags contents proved to be junk.Also with the added incentive on my part that I should think of the lecture I could give her about purchasing a pig in a poke, if it turned out as I suspected it might.

Once home, She excitedly tore into the bag and rifled through its insides as if it was a long awaited gift!

And yes,I did have to apologise for my pessimism! Because not only were their a few little Christmas decorations we thought were quite nice. There was also some other darling little wooden pieces including these wonderful Easter bunnies.

After a little research we discovered that our little bunnies are vintage,handmade and painted wooden toys from Erzgebirge. Made sometime between 1949 and 1990 in the German Democratic Republic.

Erzgebirge is a region in east Germany famous for its handmade wooden toys and decorations. For many years a rich mining area, eventually though the mines were depleted. So the very resourceful people of Erzebirge turned to their traditional handcrafts to make a living.A very successful handcrafted living as they are famous around the world for their beautiful handmade wooden toys that they are still making today.

Even though our little Erzgebirge Easter bunnies are rather shabby with their missing pieces and peeling paint.We both find them so sweet. My favorite is the boy bunny on his blue scooter,did you see the fabulous lightning bolt on the front?

She loves the couples,but the dancing bunny couple are her favourite!

We are in so in love with some of the other pieces we have seen,gorgeous music boxes and little children with flowers, they are all just so adorable and quaint. She is biting at the bit with the idea of of us becoming collectors! I will have to think about whether there is any sense in the idea,though this could be one of those times she could talk me into such an adventure!

Enjoy your Easter.

She : )