Lilyfield Life

Our Garden in Autumn

2013-05-17T07:00:00.000+10:00

Don't come here looking for beautiful autumn leaves and colour. Sydney has let go of summer very slowly this year. The leaves may not be beautiful but the days are still spectacular! I find that autumn is a great time to tidy and prepare the garden for the next growing season, so I'm getting stuck into it.

It certainly doesn't feel like late autumn in our garden. Check out the blue, blue skies.

There are a few leaves on the ground but our frangipani tree is still in bloom. I think this warm weather has it all confused. I love this tree that bends over our backyard from the fence-line and provides a corner of shade in the heat of summer.

I spent a long time espaliering this lime tree and it sits very neatly along our side fence. Such a great way to save space in a small garden. Our lime tree has been abundant this year but our lemon tree suffered from scale very badly and is still recovering. I need to re-administer my father's remedy soon. There are a quite a few beautiful big lemons, but not as many as I would hope for. Fingers crossed for next year.

The iceberg roses are also still blooming. I was thinking of planting a few different rose bushes (some lush pink ones with the huge blooms?) but I will wait now until we renovate as I'm sure the backyard will get a bit damaged once the building is under way. We will finally remove the old fibro sheds - the question will be where to store all my French chairs and tools?

Our chickens are happy with a little rearrangement in their penned area. I love hearing their little clucks throughout the day. Although our white chicken, Cloud, is such a naughty character. We used to call her Houdini as she is very good at escaping. A few days ago she dug a hole under the fence and escaped into the back neighbours' yard. They have a huge dog, (~~that barks non stop and drives me a bit nuts!~~) but Cloud managed to escape the dog and jumped another fence to our other back neighbours , luckily they called out to me that our chicken was in their yard. They caught her and chucked her back over our fence and she is now happily back in her area with the hole under the fence all patched up!

I get a lot of questions about how we keep our chickens - We currently have three - the black one is an Austrolorp, named Layla; the white is a White Leghorn named Cloud and the golden one is an Isa Brown named Bucket. All these breeds are very good consistent layers. We don't have a fancy pen or anything flash - behind our sheds is a little corner that is fully contained by the fences and the old shed. It has a small opening that we have an old screen door we found on the side of the road that we use to access the area. We have a dirt ground and a netted roof. I have one small section that stays dry by using a piece of colorbond roofing and they have an old dog house (also found on the side of the road) and an old cupboard as shelter. They nest under an old Ikea plastic rocker that leans against the shed. It was all low cost and simple to construct. There is plenty of room and they love the dirt underfoot to "bathe" in.

I love their eggs.

So fresh.

This weekend I'll be adding tidying up the garden bed under the frangipani tree by adding more soil and compost and planting lots of ranunculus and anemones bulbs. Some work now for lots of blooms in springtime.

Do you keep chickens? Aren't they just the best!

If you don't have chickens yet but are interested here is more on Why I keep backyard chickens.

Do you have a big garden - or a postage stamp like ours? I would love a massive garden but I really love living in the inner west and our street so it's probably never going to happen. In the mean time I just try and make our small garden as abundant and relaxing as possible.

My little slice of country life in the inner city suburbs.

Fiona xx

our garden in the Spring

Romantic Homes Magazine June 2013 - Lilyfield Life

2013-05-16T06:30:00.000+10:00

Thanks for all the lovely feedback on my mirror - I shouldn't have been worried that you might not like that I painted cedar - I've already had so many offers to buy it but I am going to hold off for a while and have it at home, then I'll be selling it to Wendy who responded first. I will definitely be on the look out for another one.

I'm just popping in today quickly to let you know that I've had two nice things happen PR wise for my furniture and blog recently.

Firstly my painted furniture was featured in the American magazine, Romantic Homes in the June 2013 edition. I haven't seen a copy yet but Sandy from Paint Me White sent me a photo. Sandy recently had one of her photos of her beautiful furniture grace the magazine cover! Also in the magazine this month was Karen from Restyled Vintage so it's lovely to be sharing the lime-light with a friend.

Thank you to Beth Livesay for the inclusion. I am looking forward to seeing the magazine. I am really delighted and honoured to see my blog and furniture alongside that of other talented bloggers.

And thank you to all those people who have already contacted me saying they found out about my blog from the magazine. Welcome and I hope you enjoy it all.

I also made the Skinny Scoops Top 25 Home Décor blog list. I am very grateful for the nomination and those people who voted for me. I am not sure how many people were entered into the competition as I certainly don't think that Lilyfield Life blog rates that highly compared to a lot of other blogs but it's lovely to get recognition of my work. The extremely lovely and talented Ness from Marley & Lockyer took out top spot. Well deserved, Ness.

By the way - the tablecloth in the magazine, the blue/grey striped one, is for sale here.

This morning I'm finishing off a cute rustic table and hopefully starting on the French dresser - I need help lifting the 1.8m of glass off it so couldn't start it yesterday.

cheers

Fiona xx

French Paris Apartment mirror and a love of painting

2013-05-15T08:34:00.000+10:00

Good morning my fellow painted furniture lovers! At least I hope there is no one here who hates old wood being kissed by paint because you might be rolling your eyes at me today - I've been having fun painting old cedar but I really think it had to be done.

Do you like it? This mirror was from an old dresser that I bought recently. I think it's very old fashioned to have the matching mirror over the dresser as a dressing table so I usually separate them and make the mirror a wall hung one and turn the dressing table into a chest of drawers. The mirror was VERY brown when I got it and I initially was thinking of painting it white but after my recent grey and white desk I thought I'd do the same again but this time age it with dark wax as well.

I initially cleaned the mirror first with a brush as it was very dusty and then with a damp rag and some milk soap. Once it was clean and dry I painted the whole mirror timber trim in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, I didn't tape the mirror off but just carefully painted around the edges and not worrying too much if some paint got on the glass as it's easy enough to remove. With the darker colours of Annie Sloan Chalk paint you do not need two coats for good coverage - especially as I was planning on distressing and antiquing it anyway. Once the grey paint was dry I got out one of my thick water colour brushes and painted the ornately carved features that I wanted highlighted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Pure White. I found some lovely big watercolour brushes for about $3 each at Bunnings craft section. They are fantastic for this sort of detail on painted furniture. They hold a good amount of paint but allow you to be reasonably precise.

I am showing you these close up so that you can see you don't need to be that neat for it to look good from normal viewing distance. Actually if it's perfectly neat it will just look like it's made in a factory somewhere in Asia, rather than lovingly hand painted.

After painting the trim I left it all to dry and cure for 24 hours. I have found that with the chalk paint that if you wax and distress it right away as soon as it dries a lot more paint comes off and I really didn't want this piece to be heavily distressed. I applied the clear wax first and then got my wax brush and dappled on the Annie Sloan Dark wax making sure I got into all the crevices and only working on small sections at a time. Almost immediately after applying the dark wax, I used a clean rag and removed a lot of it so it stayed in the grooves and brush marks but not staining the paint.

I then sanded down the whole piece with my foam pad sander and distressed where I wanted it with a fine grit sand paper. It is now wonderfully smooth (as you know if you've been reading my blog for a while, I have a thing for smooth finishes. I am always running my hand over furniture in shops and antique centres, feeling up the furniture!)

When I was chatting with Annie Sloan recently (see this post about our skype session,) I mentioned that one reason I love painting furniture is that while it's creative and slightly artistic, it's very practical. I find it extremely relaxing to paint and I just love making something old and unloved, new and functional again. Furniture is practical, Annie said that's one reason she loves it also. I love seeing things transformed under my paint brush.

I am undecided if I will sell or keep the mirror. My intention was to sell it but when I propped it up in out hallway to take photos of it I realised how well it suits the rest of our house. What do you think?

I'm finding myself gravitating to the more muted "French tones" rather than the all white I have preferred for our house. Perhaps it's my way of getting ready for winter. It is definitely cooler in the evenings and early mornings here now.

I've got a few exciting things to share tomorrow. In the mean time I hope you have a lovely day

Fiona xx

Sources

Mirror - second hand find

Grey Paint - ASCP in Paris Grey bought from French Folie in Concord

White Paint - ASCP in Pure White given to my by Annie Sloan Unfolded

Wax - ASCP Clear and Dark Wax - given to my by Annie Sloan Unfolded

Paris Grey Desk and Chair Makeover and Mother's day

2013-05-13T06:52:00.002+10:00

Hello! I hope you had a lovely weekend and Mother's Day. We had a beautiful day, starting with breakfast in a gorgeous cafe on the water's edge watching the Sydney early morning fog dissipated over the beautiful harbour. It was a Paris Grey morning.

In the afternoon, the boys went off to the AFL and my daughter and I decided to venture to the shops for a browse - wandered around Pottery Barn for about 20 minutes but was a bit underwhelmed - I think that's my reaction to seeing it plastered over blogs and instagram - I'm never very good at following the crowd or buying new (rather than second hand)- although I have to admit that I did buy some demin coloured serviettes as you can never have too much table linen, right?? I did see several beautiful quilts at Pottery Barn and West Elm but as a daughter of a prolific quilter I'm not in the market for any new ones. It was however lovely spending quality time with my daughter, just the two of us. Such a different dynamic than having the two kids together. She told me tonight it was her best day ever- that makes mothering worth it all.

We also had a lovely dinner with my sister and family - very relaxed and delicious and an early night which was what we all needed. It was good to have some family time as my sister and I have been missing our mum on today of all days. It made me realised how sad today must be for some people - those who have lost their mums but worse, those who have lost their children and what a struggle today must be for them. Sending love.

I have just finished this little desk and chair. I love how little it is and it will eventually go in my son's bedroom. For the moment, it is in the corner of our bedroom.

The lantern was my mother's day present!

Painted in ASCP Paris Grey with Pure White trim and sealed with clear wax. I was going to paint it all white but one of my lovely friends talked me out of it and I'm quite glad especially as it'll eventually be in a boys room. I really like the shield on the back and used paint and a little distressing to highlight the features.

The chair is painted in pure white and I have to say I like this paint more than I expected - it is like painting with beautiful old fashioned gesso. While I was painting the chair I was reminded of the paint used on houses in Santorini - lovely textured bright white.

The damask fabric on the chair is left over from when I painted and reupholstered a French buttery fly extension table last year. I really love this fabric and am so happy to have a chair in our house in this material. See here for the table makeover.

With this desk I actually used a sealer and a primer as I could tell it would bleed - the original surface was stained dark and badly damaged -you can see it here. I also sanded it all very gently with a foam sanding pad in between each coat as I wanted a very smooth finish. I love how velvety smooth the finish can be with a little extra effort. So worth it.

I love this mix of Paris Grey and Pure White - I'm now working on a huge ornate mirror in the same colours. It's rather fabulous! What do you think of the colours together - or do you prefer all white?

What did you get up to on the weekend? I'd love to hear. Here's how I finished off our weekend - all snuggled up on the couch with my dog.

have a great day

Fiona xx

Sources

Desk and Chair - second hand finds

Striped Jug - my mums

Fabric - Reverse Garbage

Sealer - Resene Sealer

Primer - Waterbased Zinsser BIN

Grey Paint - ASCP in Paris Grey bought from French Folie in Concord

White Paint - ASCP in Pure White given to my by Annie Sloan Unfolded

Wax - ASCP Clear Wax - given to my by Annie Sloan Unfolded

Ampersand - birthday present from my kids (I think from Typo)

Glass Etched Lantern - my mother's day present (from The Works)

My Diary - http://www.personal-planner.com.au/AU/

This and That

2013-05-10T06:30:00.000+10:00

Happy Friday!

Hope you've all had a productive week. I have managed to get a fair bit of painting done - slowly reducing my stash of furniture. I am really enjoying painting at the moment - I really seem to go through phases of creativity - or more probably bursts of energy where I can be productive and get a lot done. I've even managed to clean the house and fold all the washing so there's no work for the weekend!

We had friends for dinner over last weekend and this is our dining table set for dinner - however this below is how my sideboard is looking now. Lego vignette anyone? You probably know how it is to live with a 7 year old boy! Not really what I was aiming for in a decorating sense but at least he's being productive.

I've painted a few pieces of furniture this week - the bookshelf, the little French Country style cabinet, a Louis chair and these two bedsides below. These are in beautiful condition and painted a crisp white and buffed to a lovely sheen. They are for sale so leave me a message if you are interested in buying them. The drawers are dovetailed and are on timber runners.

I have also almost finished upholstering the French Louis armchair that has been stashed away in my shed forever. I just need to find some navy gimp braid to do the trim. I am trying to match the chair to one that I did 2 years ago and am kicking myself for leaving it so long. I'll share it next week when I'm hopefully finished.

Some furniture that I am looking forward to painting is a sweet little desk and chair I bought at auction last week. I think these pieces will have to live in our bedroom for the time being but I bought them for my son - they don't currently fit into his bedroom but actually I am loving them in the corner of our room. I did a couple of entries into Interior Addict's 7 Vignettes on Instagram this week and styled the desk for a travel theme.

Why I entered my sketches as a travel theme is when I travel I like to take my water colour paints and sketch books to make me stop and soak in the view. Sitting down for an hour somewhere to paint a building, landscape or plant really makes you remember the small details. I also like having the drawings as souvenirs of my travels also. These books are from when I lived and travelled in Europe in my late twenties and mid thirties.

The desk and chair will definitely get painted - I just have to work out how I want to paint them. I am thinking white. A big stretch I know!! Who would have guessed! The desk is beautiful -the little shield on the back is very special.

Setting this up has really made me appreciate the freedom of youth and travel. It certainly seems a long way off my life now. Perhaps I should get my watercolours out this weekend and see what I can paint. Actually to be honest sometimes I am a bit scared to paint in case I have forgotten how. Do you get like that with anything?

Anyway I am sure looking forward to the weekend and spending some time with my family and also my sister and her family for a Mother's Day dinner on Sunday. Hopefully the weekend will be full of fun and relaxation.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday, either being spoilt by your kids, or spoiling your Mum.

I'll be thinking of my mum and sending her two squeezes.

Fiona xx

a little Cabinet in French Country Style

2013-05-09T06:30:00.000+10:00

I have been painting some of my finds from last week and really enjoying the shape of the beautiful furniture. This little cabinet was made in Italy and imported to Australia. I think it is such a sweet practical piece and have enjoyed making it over in a French Country style.

If you want to see my inspiration for French Country style, see this post. I just love this two toned look - a mix of classic neutral and white. I find it very pleasing to the eye and interesting without being too bold and showy.

I painted the entire cabinet with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk paint in French Linen and then painted the trim with ASCP Pure White. When painting the trim i just did it quite quickly and not in a thick coat - almost dry brushing it. I then got a slightly damp cloth and distressed the trim so some of the wood peaked through.

Once the paint was dry, I gave the whole cabinet a coat of clear wax (I used Howard's Feed N Wax), lightly sanded it then set to with the Annie Sloan Dark wax to antique it - I think I am improving with this process. See my earlier attempt here on my little bookshelf makeover. My husband hates this antiqued effect , he doesn't like how it looks old (you've got to laugh..."yes, babe, that's what I was aiming for") but I am growing to like it.

I used two of the vintage porcelain crackle handles that are made in Limoges, France from my precious stash. I love how the colours of the handles perfectly match the paint. I've got to sidetrack here for the moment because every time I write Limoges, I have great memories of a hilarious car trip with two girlfriends when I was 26 - we spent a month driving though France and Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Belgium and ending up in Amsterdam. Anyway one day we'd started the morning doing a le Mans start in Le Mans (as you do) and then travelled south only to get very lost in the outskirts of Limoges, probably because we were young, silly, hungover and laughing too much. Anyway we finally found our way out of the maze of roads and spent a pleasant few days in the beautiful Dordogne Valley. The markets there are too die for. I definitely want to go back someday.

Anyway back to the handles - I bought about 40 of these for a very good price on eBay as someone was doing up their French Provincial kitchen into a modern style and didn't want them any more. I don't understand those choices but I love a bargain like that. Thank you.

This cabinet is for sale and has great storage with the shelf and then a spacious cupboard below. It is actually on little under mounted wheels so moves easily but these can be removed if you don't want them. Dimensions are 80cm tall, 80 cm high and 40cm deep. Message me if you are interested.

I will have a few more pieces coming up over the next few days so don't forget to check back or please share my blog or facebook page with your friends if you know anyone looking for furniture - I really appreciate your support.

by the by - does anyone know how to empty the water out of these old siphons?

happy days to you all

Fiona xx

Details:

Cabinet- bought at auction

Paint - Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen (I bought last year in America)

Trim done in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White (provided to me by Annie Sloan)

Clear Wax - Howards Feed n Wax

Dark Wax - Annie Sloan Dark Wax (provided to me by Annie Sloan)

Framed Painting - by John Downton of Quandolo Point, near my hometown

Vintage Siphon - my parents

Glass Cloche and Candlestick - Bed, Bath n Table, The Works

the little iron birds were a gift

the Pure Merino wool cable knit throw I bought on sale from Themes, when it was shutting down

Sharing at: ElizabethandCo, TheShabbyCreekCottage , DIYbyDesign , French Country Cottage RedouxInteriors , Decorating Insanity , NotJustaHousewife, theShabbyNest DIYProjectParade HomemakeronADime FunkyJunk TuesdaysTreasures POWW Frugal Friday Miss Mustard Seed

Book Shelf Makeover with ASCP and Dark Wax

2013-05-07T06:30:00.000+10:00

I had a small amount of Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint left over from the tin I brought back from my trip to California last year - probably not enough for a chest of drawers or sideboard so I decided to use it on this sweet little book shelf. Luckily there was just enough to fully paint it (2 coats) but I was scrabbling at the bottom of the tin by the end of the project. No wastage here.

This little bookshelf has a lovely shape and I have used both Annie Sloan Chalk Paint clear and dark wax to give it an antiqued look. (The waxes were sent to me by Annie Sloan's Australian PR company as part of the interview and paint project I blogged about yesterday). I have to say the dark wax is definitely a challenge for me to use. I really really struggle putting dark wax over my freshly painted surface. I am such a lover of the clean white look that I struggle to "antique" or even distress furniture. I am slowly getting better at it but I think that like cooking foods that you don't like eating yourself, it's never doing to be my preferred look or something that I can do spectacularly well.

One thing to note is if you are using dark wax, make sure you do a coat of clear wax first otherwise the dark wax will stain your paint rather than settle into the grooves to give that antiqued look. I think also it's best to work in small areas and work quickly while your clear wax coat underneath the dark wax is still wet. I find it very difficult to work out how much darl wax to put on and what looks good etc but I think this bookshelf turned out ok. I think I would find it easier to use the dark wax to antique an ornate frame or something with much more detail.

I must have watched the video below about 3 times while I was waxing just to be brave enough to cover my piece in dark wax. Annie sure shows how it is done.

I have been using my own home made chalk paint for a while now and using wax as a top coat - however this is my first time using Annie Sloan's wax and I like it. It's softer than the Mastertouch wax I usually use but gives a similar result. You can brush on or use a lint free cloth. The end result is very smooth even though my piece looks as though it has brush marks etc in it, when you run your hand across the surface it is extremely smooth. I did sand the piece with fine grit sand paper once I has finished waxing - this also toned down the dark wax somewhat which was what I was after. After sanding I gave the piece a buff which created a nice sheen.

I have lots of beautiful old books. I love the colourful leather covers and how they have faded over the years. Maybe I should keep this bookshelf myself as our bookcases are overflowing and stacked double. Everything shoved which ever way. When we renovate the back part of our house I will double the amount of storage we have and will be able to be much neater with everything - that's my hope anyway.

This bookcase is for sale.

$125

Dimensions are 105cm wide by 100cm tall by 20 cm deep.

I had another bookcase to paint also but a friend mentioned that she was looking for a dark timber bookcase so I sold it to her unpainted. It was in lovely condition so it just needed a dust. Once less thing to paint.

I have four lovely pieces that I bought at auction last week. There were some gorgeous things for sale including this amazing enormous library cabinet. It needed a tiny bit of work (one bit of wood needed to be reattached) but I think was too huge for most of the dealers to have in their shops so it only sold for $100. What a bargain!

This photo only shows half of it - it puts my little bookcase to shame doesn't it.

have a lovely day

Fiona xx

As I noted above - I was sent the Clear and Dark Waxes from Annie Sloan as part of their launch in Australia. All opinions are my own.

Sharing at The Dedicated House

Chatting with Annie Sloan

2013-05-06T14:21:00.000+10:00

As you probably know by now, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is finally available in Australia. I was one of seven bloggers around Australia who were recently sent some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Waxes and asked to paint something to feature on Annie's blog. I chose Pure White as I already had Old White and French Linen. I had painted these chairs previously but had been looking forward to using the Pure White for some pieces for our house.

As part of this publicity, Annie also skyped me the other night and we spent well over an hour chatting about all sorts of stuff. Wow she is one inspirational woman - knowledgeable, down to earth, wonderfully open as well as obviously passionate about paint.

I have a passion for painting as you know but I also love small business success stories so chatting to Annie was very interesting, especially as her business has really taken off in the last two years so after 40 years of painting, and 20 years of manufacturing paint it is good to see her hard work paying dividends. We talked about painting, small business strategy, creativity and how to inspire others , the heritage of colour, paint production and heaps of other things. I think she liked my mix of engineering / business consulting and creativity. What a blast.

The blog world has been good to Annie sloan and her Chalk Paint. She has direct access to her customers, instant feedback and especially in America, her business has been a marketing success with the likes of Miss Mustard Seed championing her paint. Annie feels that one of her points of difference is that she, having been a shop owner and painter for many years, really understands her stockists, is able to support them better and she likes to encourage creativity in them. She has a huge range of stockists all over the world, many are furniture painters or homeware businesses but she also has florists and interior designers etc. She said one thing she likes about her stockists is that walking into their stores they all feel different and interesting.

Annie didn't have a business plan to develop a line of paint. She was in Europe running a workshop and she got chatting to one of the participants She was saying how she felt the paints she was using weren't quite right and she had some ideas on a better paint for furniture The guy said "oh, I know some people who have a paint company do you want to go see them?". Luckily Annie had a free day the next day so they jumped in the car and drove to Belgium where the paint company loved Annie's paint idea and agreed to mix up a sample on the spot for no charge.

And thus Annie Sloan Chalk Paint was born.

Annie feels very strongly about wanting her Chalk Paint to be a success here in Australia. Although she's lived in the UK for 50 years she was born in Sydney and lived her till she was 10. She was initially told as a child that her family were just visiting the UK and it wasn't till she was about 15 that she realised they were there to stay. But once an Australian, always an Australian - I think this beautiful country of ours is in our blood. Annie says that they will often be in different parts of the world (Spain etc) and she'll turn to her husband David and say "Wow this feels like Australia!" So hopefully we'll see a bit more of her down here. I personally would love to do a workshop with her. As I'm sure many of you would.

So I'd better get stuck into some projects and use my new paint.

cheers
Fiona x

Just some pretty things

2013-05-01T10:56:00.000+10:00

Good morning! Well my kids are happily back at school this morning and I'm all set to do some painting and upholstering projects. I'm also off at lunchtime to try a new spin class at the gym. I am making 2013 my year to look after me - it was meant to be 2012 but with I got thrown off track by my mum dying unexpectedly and actually ended up gaining weight rather than losing it. (Grief is a bugger...).

I have been swimming in a squad for a few months now and while it's definitely helped my fitness it's not resulted in any weight loss so it's time to step things up. I have started once more to eat clean, count my calories, move more, lift weights, meditate and start to believe in myself again. I've got to still get back into daily juicing and running but it's a good start.

Anyway I thought I'd share some little pretty things from around our house today. Nothing much but just a little loveliness for a Wednesday with no kids in the house for 6 hours!

This old soda bottle was in my parents' house - in the pool room - I can't write that without smiling and thinking "straight to the pool room!". The silver canister was my mum's - my dad gave it to her for a birthday about 35 years ago and it was meant to hold cigarettes - hello 1970's! She never used it for that and it's a pretty shape so I am happy to have it although I hate smoking. The Wedgwood white vase was also my mum's. So this whole little vignette is dedicated to her without me even realising it until I've written it here.

I bought this candlestick (above) from The Works in Melbourne - I have wanted a large candlestick for months now, thinking I would make one out of old turned wood or something, but this one caught my eye and I decided to buy it as the colour was perfect for our home and I loved the weight of it.

Well I am getting off the computer and getting stuck into it. What are you up to? hope you have a good one.

Fiona xx

My Guide to Choosing Paint for Furniture

2013-04-30T12:13:00.002+10:00

I've been getting lots of lovely emails and comments from people who have found my blog from googling furniture painting advice. I am very happy to help anyone with their DIY ventures so please feel free to ask away. I'm no expert but I have tried many projects and learnt a lot along the way.

One thing I get asked a lot of about what sort of paint to use when painting furniture. To be truthful your paint choice will depend on your personal style and what sort of look you are going for. If you like the look of my furniture, then read on!

I don't use oil based paint not for my house and not on my furniture. I quite like the environment:) Oil based paints smell, are not low VOC and are difficult to dispose off. It's a pain to clean up your brushes, and then the cleaning solvents are difficult to dispose of. Oil based paints also take a long time to dry between coats. The only exception to my dislike of oil based paint, is if I have an especially shiny old baked on finish on furniture like the armoire, or a piece of Bali furniture that bleed heavily (like the white bench I painted recently) I will use a Zinsser Oil based primer such as shellac based BIN. Hint: I leave my paint brush wrapped in gladwrap in the fridge in between coats to save on cleaning.

But the main reason I don't use oil based paint is that due to the alkyds in them, oil based paint will ALWAYS yellow over time. I want my white furniture to stay white. Depending on the previous finish and the amount of sunlight your piece or house trim gets, this can actually happen quite quickly, often within a year of painting. The less sunlight your piece is exposed to the quicker this will happen.

So then what do I use:

These days, water based paint technology has made such great advances that it is just not necessary to use old fashioned oil based paint. Many paint companies are phasing out their range of oil based paints altogether.

Some water based options are:

If you want to emulate the glossiness and durability of Oil based paint then the closest is Water Based Enamels. These give a hard durable satin or gloss finish with no top coat required. I used Taubmans Water Based Enamel Trim Coat for my kitchen cabinets as well as for the doors and trim in our house. It has been a great choice and 2 years down the track it is still in wonderful condition and looks as fresh as the day it was painted.

Another water based enamel is Dulux's AquaEnamel. This was one of the first water based enamels on the market in Australia. We painted the cabinets in our lounge room (below) in it seven years ago and they have held up very well. The main reason I don't use Dulux Aqua Enamel any more is that I find it a bit gluggy to paint with compared to the Taubmans' one that I mentioned above.

A great option is Flat acrylic paint (interior latex/emulsion/acrylic) that you would normally use on walls. I love using this for my painted furniture. It will usually require a top coat but it is easy to paint with, easy to clean up, gives a great finish and is very affordable. You can easily just buy a 500ml sample pot and use that. It will cost around $10. This size will paint several pieces of furniture. You will need a top coat to protect you work - see my tutorial page for the Wax and Top Coat Tutorial.

this white country sideboard was painted using flat latex then a wax top coat

Milk paint is a wonderful option but it is quite expensive and actually requires a more advanced technique. In Australia, currently the only true milk paint available is Porters Milk Paint. It is quite lovely to use and gives a beautiful finish when sealed with furniture wax.

Via

You could also easily order some of Miss Mustard Seed's Chalk Paint from the US. It is a good price and is a lovely paint to use.

Chalk paint (such as Annie Sloan or Autentico) is a wonderful traditional natural paint for furniture. (I'm not talking chalkboard paint). Annie Sloan Chalk paint has just arrived on Australian shores and it is just wonderful to paint furniture with. Annie developed this paint over 20 years ago specifically for furniture and I really love it. For Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Australian Stockists go here.

the chairs are painted in ASCP Linen and the cabinet is painted in my own homemade chalk paint

You can also make your own chalk paint. I will blog a recipe soon but I have done this for several years now and I love the old fashioned French feel it gives my furniture.

I hope this guide helps you and especially deters you from using white oil based paint in your projects. The yellowing of the white oil based paint that occurs is just so disappointing, especially when it's your time and effort wasted.

Please let me know your favourite paint to use in the comment below. Go on and share your experiences.

cheers
Fiona xx

PS for more Tutorials go here

Lest We Forget & my grandad at Gallipoli

2013-04-25T17:00:00.000+10:00

Today in Australia, we remember the ANZACs who went to war and the many soldiers throughout our military history who sacrificed their lives so we can live in peace.

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives..

You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.

Therefore rest in peace.

There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours.

You, the mothers,

who sent their sons from far away countries

wipe away your tears.

Your sons are now lying in our bosom

and are in peace.

Having lost their lives on this land they have

become our sons as well"

Ataturk - 1934, ANZAC Memorial at Gallipoli, Turkey

I love this poem by Ataturk. What a great leader he was.

In 2002 Phil and I travelled extensively through Turkey; and like most Australians who go there, we made sure we spent some time at Gallipoli. It was very special trip for me as not only am I very proud to have been Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force; but more importantly my maternal grandfather, Harold Louat, spent time at Gallipoli in WWI as a young ambulance man, working alongside the famous Simpson and his donkey. He was too young to fight and actually too young to join as an ambulance man but his family was French and his parents let him lie about his age so he could go and fight in France. Grandad did his training on the battlefields of Gallipoli and then was sent to the battlefields of Ypres in Belgium. He came home injured from a bomb shell in his thigh which resulted in a limp. My other grandfather, Frank, was a POW in Changi in WWII so today I thank them and remember them as well as all the people who fight bravely in terrible wars.

I'm sure Anzac Cove is much more crowded today for the dawn service, but when we were there in July 2002, it was very peaceful. We swam in the warm clear blue cove and found rusty old bullet shells amongst the sunken boats. It is very confronting being there and seeing the harsh impossible conditions our soldiers faced. What were the British thinking? It was an impossible wasteful initiative. So very sad.

This photo is of my grandad, Harold, from WW1. He was so young.

Have you been to Turkey? To Gallipoli? It's an absolute honour to be there and to be greeted so warmly by the beautiful Turkish people.

Lest we forget.

Painted Furniture Inspiration

2013-04-23T06:30:00.000+10:00

One thing about writing a blog, besides having a journal of my projects, is the sense of community I feel here and that we connect and you give me feedback on my house, painted furniture and the DIY tutorials I write. Whether you like my style or what I do or not, I love hearing that I have inspired you to pick up a paint brush, or buy second hand furniture over new stuff, or try a new recipe. I think sometimes people feel they just need permission to paint wooden furniture!

Some recent emails I have received are:

Polly - I continue to be inspired to buy some paint! I have a chest of drawers I think I'd like to do and I'm on the look out for a small desk, just love reading your posts because they keep inspiring me to get my hands dirty. Your sideboard is just lovely.

James Maitland: Thank you for this page. I have a lot of furniture that needs to be re-loved and was scared about painting them because I always believed that the original wood grain was best, but I am so tired of it. I remember thinking OMGosh how could you paint a beautiful piece if furniture, but now my taste have changed and I really love the French look. I feel like I am going back on my morals by painting, but I really, really want to.

Melanie: I've enjoyed reading your blog. I've never been to a furniture auction before and I am going to find one here in Hobart this year and go along in the hope of finding a beautiful mirror and then paint it. You've inspired me!

Janice from My Vintage Shed - I would just like to thank you for the inspiration and courage to start my first blog. I always find bits and pieces at the markets and I am never quite brave enough to take the next step or always too busy but thanks to you my New Year resolution is to start on clearing my shed out and making hopefully beautiful pieces.

I've received many, many more comments and emails from you and they mean a huge amount to me and they are the main reason I continue to write this blog. Anyway, I thought you might like to see who inspires me and who I turn to in order to discuss all things paint and vintage furniture. These people listed below are all generous with their advice, creative and talented. They have my full admiration.

via email from Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan - Annie has been painting furniture for many many years and writing books on decorating and of course making her own chalk paint (which you all probably know is now in Australia for sale). Several years ago when I first started painting furniture in earnest I bought her book "Creating the French Look". I am so inspired by Annie's no-nonsense practical approach and her eye for colour.

The armoire in my son's room I painted using Annie's step-by-step guidance in her book. Obviously her armoire is much more beautiful than my piece and I didn't use dark wax to age it but it was great to have instruction and inspiration from a master. If you want to learn how to paint furniture or even perfect your skills, I recommend you follow Annie's blog and buy her books (and her paint!). I think one of my happiest blogging days was when I saw that Annie Sloan was following my blog and facebook page. Wow what a blast!

Miss Mustard Seed: Even more than Marian's talent for painting furniture and creating a raft of fans copying her pieces across the world (me included at times), I admire her incredible sense of industry and tremendous work effort. This woman just does not stop! Everything Marian does is done well and her's is the blog that I admire the most. I also love her photography, her sense of style and her ability to write a great tutorial. She is living the DIY dream - she blogs, paints amazing furniture, writes tutorials for a host of websites, wrote her own book and now has her own line of paint. One day I will make it to Philadelphia to spend some time with her. If you haven't yet bought her book, it's fabulous and worth it.

Marian's bird cabinet on the left and my "MMS-inspired" bird bookcase on the right

and then there is Sandy...

Sandy from Paint Me White is a close friend of mine, met through blogging and out love for paint. We talk most weeks and I think she is very lovely, down to earth, hard working and extremely talented. She is going from strength to strength in her business. Sandy and I spend a lot of time discussing the ins and outs of different paint techniques, chalk paint, waxes, furniture we've found etc. She laughs when she calls me excited over particular pieces saying "I just knew you would understand why I'm so excited about this (old cabinet/whatever)". If you are interested in learning more about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and you live in travelling distance to the Gold Coast then sign up for one of Sandy's workshops. You will love her and her beautiful furniture. (Or if you are not into DIY, just go and buy some of her furniture from her studio on the Gold Coast or the WAC in Brisbane).

Cassie from Primitive and Proper is a very prolific furniture painter and blogger with a real sense of fun that comes across in her writing as well as her colour choice. She is BOLD! We have plans for a night of cocktails together someday. It will be a hoot. Cassie's use of colour inspires me to use more than white, limed white and grey! Check out her blog for some great makeovers.

Cassie's sense of fun comes through in her home décor.

Another blogger who I admire is Amanda from Reloved Rubbish. See this post for her round up of 2012 furniture makeovers and you'll see why I love her work.

I also have to add that I am thoroughly inspired by Ness of Marley & Lockyer but not for furniture painting. Ness is so creative and she lives her motto of "You only live once, live beautifully". You can purchase her beautiful creations here.

So there you have it: some of the fabulous bloggers who I admire and am inspired by.

I would love to discover more talented people.

Leave a comment and link below of someone whose work or blog you love and who inspired you.

Fiona xx

Lilyfield Life Lounge Room Updates

2013-04-19T06:30:00.000+10:00

Okay... actually, I think the title is a bit misleading as it's a small but "important to me" change. When my siblings and I cleared out my mother and step father's house earlier this year and divided up all their belongings I ended up with quite a bit of furniture (funny that!). I'm slowly incorporating it into our house. It doesn't quite all fit but once we renovate and build bedrooms etc upstairs we will have a lot more room and so it's a matter of squeezing it in for the time being.

Our lounge room is a bit of a dodgy fibro add on at the back of the original house - complete with a dodgy cement slab and what was the original outside toilet (that we've since turned into our laundry, a teeny tiny space that is overflowing and drives me nuts). Anyway the room is really wide (about 9 metres and not that deep - 3.5 metres and with the entrance from the study and the back door both centred in the middle the room is really cut in half. I don't mind this for the time being as we have the aubergine lounges and the tv down one end and the cream lounge, armchairs and coffee table in the other half that acts as a reading/sitting area. It works well enough.

One of the pieces I wanted to squeeze in was this sweet little green cabinet my mother painted in the 1960's. I blogged about it here just the week before she was diagnosed with a GBM brain tumour (and died within three weeks). Now I have this cupboard and my big sister has the other one) at my house and it's lovely to have something my mum painted with her hands to sit next to my painted furniture Once more thing we shared.

It probably doesn't really fit in here but I am glad to have this sentimental piece all the same. I can sit in that armchair with a cup of coffee and do my planning and reading. My sister and I were commenting how mum's things all looked better in her house than in our houses now. Funny that. I am missing her a lot still. The more time passes the more I want to talk to her, tell her things and hear her kindness and wisdom.

I found this lovely King Island blue and cream cheese jar at the local markets (Rozelle Markets open Saturdays and Sundays) last weekend. Love it. It's in perfect condition, suits my love of blue and white and was a couple of dollars. I like it here next to my dying roses in the blue and white jug that was also my mum's. The jug has a chip out of the rim of it but I couldn't bring myself to chuck it out. You can't see it under the roses anyway. I am not sure what I did wrong with my roses - One of them is sitting in a glass of water on my kitchen window and it's still stunning and very much in bloom but these ones I had in the jug under the gold frame died very quickly - Does any one have advice on how to keep them blooming once cut?

These other wild roses I found in the lane way near our house. They were trailing over a fence spilling into the lane so I didn't feel too guilty about dodging the thorns to pull off a few stems.

Now where to put the rest of the furniture?

That is the question!

Have a lovely weekend

Fiona xx

Day Trippin': Autumn in the Blue Mountains

2013-04-18T11:24:00.004+10:00

Hello! If you live in Sydney make sure you head on up to Leura for a day soon as it is just stunning. We took a quick day trip to the Blue Mountains yesterday and it was so worth the 90 minute drive. The sun was shining and we thought we'd go see some autumn leaves - especially as autumn is very late coming to Sydney this year. The cooler climate of the mountains meant the leaves had started turning. We had a delicious lunch at Waygoose Cafe in Leura mall (the homemade pumpkin soup was awesome) and the the kids set about collecting autumn leaves. They loved the colours and shapes. Stay tuned below for what we did with them.

My grandparents lived in Leura and my aunt and uncle live there now. So I have spent many holidays up there and really love this pretty village. The kids loved it and want to go back there again for more autumn colours and bushwalking.

At the end of Balmoral Road in Leura opposite the Toy Museum there is a little track off Elysian Parade - you can walk down to the cliff face and there is an old ramshackle lookout that has no tourists and an amazing view of the valley. My son exclaimed " wow a green Grand Canyon!" It is really different seeing the view and the backside of the Three Sisters (in the right of the photo) not surrounded by all the tourists at Echo Point.

I was a bit freaked out by my kids standing so close to the edge and that rickety old fence! Growing up as a young teenager we would holiday with our cousins who had a weekender house on Balmoral Road and we, the kids, spent a lot of time sitting at this particular lookout having picnics while our older cousin read us Roald Dahl's "Switch Bitch" and "My Uncle Oswald" stories - so funny, have you read them? An early sex education for us while our parents thought we were out bushwalking. It still makes me laugh as one minute we were reading James and the Giant Peach and then next his very adult, raunchy and hilarious stories.

You can then follow the road around (Olympian Parade and Cliff Drive) to Katoomba and the Three Sisters. Make sure you stop at Leura Cascades on the way. It's very lush and pretty.

Then we arrived with all bus loads of tourists at Echo Point. We decided to walk to the Three Sisters and do part of the Giant Staircase. Great for your quads! One day we (as a family) will do the whole bush walk from Echo Point, down the Giant staircase to the valley floor and over to the Scenic Railway. It's about 3 hours one way and is meant to be spectacular (and it means not climbing back up the Giant Staircase!)

So we arrived home last night full of fresh air in our lungs, happiness in our hearts and pretty scenery in our heads. And a big bunch of autumn leaves.

Here they are hanging off the gold frame.

I posted a photo of this on Instagram and someone asked how I gathered them to hang - I gathered all the leaves by the stem like you would hold a bunch of flowers and then wrapped a hair elastic around the stems and threaded through the ribbon that I tied on to the frame. A little reminder of our lovely day in Leura and a welcome to Autumn.

Been on any good day trips lately? Where else do you recommend? Comment below with your favourite destination for a drive. I'd love some more good ideas

Fiona xx

Phil's Banana Cake Recipe

2013-04-17T09:52:00.000+10:00

I get a lot of lovely feedback on my recipes - all tried and true and family favourites - and recently I received an email from Brenda asking about the banana cake I mention that my husband, Phil cooks for the kids every Sunday night. It is their favourite.

"Hi Fiona, I have tried your chocolate cake and hot cross buns and found both recipes delicious, especially the chocolate cake which my 5 yr old granddaughter loves. Today I had some bananas left over so I thought I would try Phil's banana cake but the recipe wasn't there. Is there chance of getting it or is it a closely guarded family recipe? I am a new reader of your blog since seeing Country Home Ideas and am enjoying it immensely. Brenda"

I'm always happy to share recipes - I'm not sure where Phil got the recipe originally from but he's been making this for many years now to use up our over ripe bananas an I know he's tweaked it along the way. I sent Brenda the recipe via email and received back this reply a few days later, "....I made Jonty's banana cake. It's delicious and I am just about to have a slice and a cup of tea while I watch the footy. Its a cool day here in Melbourne. Enjoy your weekend and thank you once again for the recipe. Regards Brenda."

Phil's Banana Cake Recipe

125g butter

2/3 cup brown sugar (packed firmly)

2 eggs

1 ½ cups self -raising flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of Soda

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 cup mashed banana

½ cup of Greek (or natural) Yoghurt

¼ cup of milk

Method

Preheat oven to moderate (180 Degrees C). Grease a 15cm x 25cm loaf pan.
Beat butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Transfer mixture to large bowl; using a wooden spoon, stir in sifted dry ingredients, banana, yoghurt and milk. Spread mixture into plan.
Bake, uncovered for about 50 minutes. Stand cake for 5 mins then turn on wire rack

Recipe Notes: 1 cup of mashed banana is approximately 3 bananas. Phil will often freeze our overripe bananas until he is ready to bake the cake. They will be black skinned and mushy when defrosted but are perfect for the cake - just peel and mash. We use Farmers Union Greek Style Yoghurt. If you don't have mixed spice, don't worry it is still delicious.

My kids love this warm out of the oven after our Sunday night dinner. We then send it to school in their lunch boxes as a snack and it travels well. You could ice it or sprinkle icing sugar on it if you have a sweet tooth but we like it plain.

Let me know if you like it by leaving a comment below.

What's your favourite cake?

Enjoy

Fiona xx

Old gold patina and pretty roses

2013-04-16T06:30:00.000+10:00

Good morning! firstly thank you to all your suggestions on what to do with the frame I found the other day. What great ideas you all have!

As you can see, so far I haven't done too much - I've dusted that baby off and given it a good scrub with soapy water. Oh the grime and dust that came off. However now it is even more beautiful than I thought.

deep, luxurious, and most importantly not too bright, golden patina

I've just plonked it down on our hallway cupboard. If you love a good before & after transformation and the magic of white paint then click through to the hall cupboardmakeover. I'm going to leave it here unpainted for a while to see if I can live with the gold. Gold usually doesn't do it for me. As you probably know if you have been reading here for a while I love white and naturals and chrome and silver and splashed of lie. I need to see if something gold can live here with me!

How beautiful are these roses? The colours are so deep and gorgeous. Very autumnal even if it still feels like summer here in Sydney. My lovely friend & neighbour dropped them in on Saturday for me as a little thank you. I love how full and crinkly they are especially against the gold frame.

Perhaps the gold is growing on me!

What say you, my friends? Do you like it here with the roses and my sweet wooden dog?

I am leaning towards inserting a bevelled mirror into the frame and leaving it in this spot for the time being. I'll have to get a quote for the mirror - there's a great guy, Patrick, on Darling St in Rozelle who is very reasonably priced for framing and mirrors. I'm sure he can help me out.

So how was your weekend - the weather at the moment is superb isn't it!

the beach has been superb...felt like summer ...

We had a wonderful weekend - dinner on Friday night at a little French restaurant near our house with friends and amazing food, French wine and lots of laughs. Le Grande Bouffe is just a fabulous place. The food is incredible, the service fantastic and there is a beautiful ambience.

Saturday morning saw us up so early with kids playing sport at the same time in two different places. Luckily we had time to grab a coffee on the way - I sure needed it! We also bought a new car (whoo hoo!!), I spent an hour scouring for treasures at a flea market (I'll show you what I found soon), and we had Sunday afternoon on the beach and caught up with other friends on Sunday evening.

Congwong Beach - definitely a new favourite. It is like swimming in paradise. Australia really does have the best beaches in the world.

Depending on how weather goes (raining now, but it might clear??), we are heading out for a bushwalk - I love having the kids home on school holidays. Enjoy your day where ever you are.

Fiona xx

PS - Edited to add I'm so sorry to hear about the bombings at the Boston marathon. What a shock.

Monday morning

2013-04-15T09:57:00.003+10:00

Good morning! I am so glad to wake up today feeling clear headed. I was going to write about the gold frame makeover last night but we went to dinner at friends and their cat kept jumping up on my lap. How do animals zero in on the person that doesn't want them? I am so allergic to cats and so by the time we got home I was sniffling and sneezing and my eyes were streaming so it was no blogging for me.

I didn't used to be allergic to cats - we grew up with very fluffy Persian chinchillas but when I was about 26 I broke my nose waterskiing - I was jumping the wake on a new ski and I fell forwards and my ski hit me in the face and broke a lot of the bones around my sinus. At 32 knots it wad a fair bit of force. This now means I sneeze when washing my hair, or putting perfume on, I can't cope with strong flowers such as lilies, I absolutely can not walk past the front of a Lush shop (much less than walk into one) and I can't cope with cats anymore.

Anyway I am off to swim squad now to clear my head a bit more. I'll be back tomorrow with what I've done with the gold frame and some weekend thrifted finds. Pop and see what I found. Thank you all so much with all the suggestions. I love your input.

Have a lovely day

Fiona xx

Vintage frames and ornate wood - your ideas needed

2013-04-12T11:36:00.000+10:00

a few vintage finds and a brand new purchase

It's been a busy few days here as we are in the process of buying a new car. We love our current car but we've had it for 11 years and we have finally decided to spend some money and get a new one. And yes we are so very adventurous that we've decided to buy the new version of the exact same car... ha ha ...well at least we know we like the car and it suits our needs (and it also fits a tonne of furniture in it and we all know how important that is!). I ended up making a huge saving on the new car by shopping around and even though we now have to drive to Sutherland to pick the car up tomorrow it is $4000 cheaper than anywhere else in Sydney and $9000 than our local Nissan dealer is selling it. A huge saving for just 15 minutes of ringing around for pricing and a 40 minute drive. Now just to sell our current car - I've been doing a lot of cleaning, waxing and polishing!

Anyway back on to what we all love - some thrifted finds and old dusty things - yesterday I was driving back from somewhere and saw out of the corner of my eye a great second hand shop. I'm so glad I stopped as I nabbed this wonderful frame. It was super cheap and is in lovely, if not very dusty, condition.

And we are talking layers of dust here, people - I think this lovely old frame has been sitting in someone's attic for many a year before being taken to auction where it was picked up by the second hand shop. The grubby backing also does it no favours. But what a beautiful patina and ornate detail. And it is very heavy and solid - none on the light wood imported from Asia you see these days.

A quick removal of the backing and it's much improved already - I'll give it a scrub clean later today but my question is for you all, what shall I do with this? a Mirror? a painting? another chalkboard drawing like my lady?

and my second find (which wasn't actually a recent purchase but something I found when we cleaned out our shed a few weeks ago) is this beautiful piece of wood. What to do with it?

I am definitely going to paint this white and distress it to bring out all that carved goodness. Some of the beading along the bottom was broken so I've evened it up. What do you suggest this should get turned into?

If you've been lurking here this may be a good time to leave a comment for me. I'd love to hear some of your ideas

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. We are out to dinner tonight with our some of our beautiful neighbours to a little local French restaurant. nothing too fussy, within walking distance, good simple french food, some nice wine, lovely company and lots of laughs. Sonne bein pour moi!

Fiona xx

PS shameless self plug here but I've been nominated for Skinny Scoops Top 25 Home Decor blogs. If you like my style, please pop on over and vote for me. thanks!

sharing at

The Shabby Creek Cottage ,Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday , the Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday Tuesdays Treasures
Elizabeth and Co,

White hall table, wicker basket and a new jug

2013-04-11T06:30:00.000+10:00

Paint is a wonderful thing, and white paint is the most wondrous of cheap ways to renew old things. I know I bang on a lot here about paint and old furniture but I get such a buzz from looking past the current state and seeing beauty in the future possibility of things. This hall table was one of those times where white paint really did perform some magic.

My friend, Rachel, asked me to paint their hall table - they had bought it years ago so cheaply and were thinking of getting rid of it out. She decided it was worth painting to see if they could extend it's life in their home. She picked it up today and was surprised by how the white paint had transformed it.

The hall table was one of those Bali pieces that bled but I got it under control quickly with a sealer and a couple coats of Zinsser BIN. I then gave it two coats of my favourite bright white and a top coat of Miss Mustard Seed's wax. The finish is lovely and shiny and smooth. It's still got raised nails and warped wood and a bit of a dodgy trim on the drawers but it definitely looks new and smart, don't you think?

While I was photographing the table my sweet Charlie decided to photobomb the pic and he wasn't moving! Such a funny dog. He's been following me everywhere lately and snuggling on the couch on top of me at night. I think he's glad the weather is cooler and no longer has to lie under the bathroom vanity in the coolest spot in the house.

The beautiful jug was a present from a friend who we give a lot of our hand-me-downs to. She always gives me gorgeous thank you presents when I pass her daughter down things from my girl. I try and tell her that it's not meant to work like that but really I should shut up because how beautiful is this jug, and how perfectly does it match my kitchen! Thanks Max xx

I think this hall table definitely needs a wicker or wire basket on that lower shelf. This picnic basket that I've used was an op shop find a few years ago. It's got beautiful blue leather plate holders inside and is made in England. I love thinking about who owned it and where it's been and what food they may have packed on their picnics. I love using it on our picnics and trips to the beach but my husband hates carrying it as it's pretty heavy when full. I initially planned to sell it but decided it's too lovely to part with.

You may notice that I rubbed out my "do what you love, love what you do" chalk sign. I'm thinking of what to do next with this chalkboard. Any good quote suggestions or other ideas?

Have a good day, I'm shirking my duties today and am heading off over the Bridge to have a coffee with a friend. I may need to pick up a coffee to make the trip. LOL.

ciao

Fiona xx

sharing at

The Shabby Creek Cottage ,Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday , the Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday Tuesdays Treasures
Elizabeth and Co,

A cushion, flowers and things to be painted white

2013-04-09T14:50:00.001+10:00

Hi, just a quick note from me today while I eat a late lunch and wait for the white paint to dry on a hall table I'm painting for a friend. Autumn has finally arrived in Sydney and it's cool, drizzly and grey. Not that we can complain, as it's been a long summer here in beautiful Australia. I'm sure there'll be plenty more blue skies before winter arrives.

There are lots of lilies at our local farmers markets at the moment. The scent makes my head spin until I pull off the stamens and then I can admire their bold beauty. I have rescued a few blooms from a dying bunch and they now sit in a small ginger vase by our front door.

I've been sewing a few cushions lately - this pink one was one of my donations for a school fundraiser. I used a lovely pale pink velvet for the back and the ruffle and some bold floral material that I had originally bought a few years ago to make some fun pants for my girl (which I never got around to and it's sat in my fabric stash). These sorts of cushions are fairly easy to make - they are an envelope design and need no buttons or zipper. I will write a blog post the next time I make one. I think you would only need to be a novice seamstress to be able to make one. When I say easy I mean they would be easy if you could remember where you've put your pin cushion when you sew it and don't have to hold it all together with your fingers as you are sewing (I've got to learn to put things away properly).

This is the hall table I'm painting white for my lovely friend, Rachel. It's coming up a treat. Nothing like white paint to make something beautiful!

I'm off to grab a coffee before school pick up and attend parent - teacher interviews.

Have a great afternoon

Fiona xx

Making room

2013-04-08T18:10:00.001+10:00

hi - I hope you all had a good weekend. We had a lovely time with lots of catching up with friends, good company and laughter. I am looking forward to the end of the week already and the school holidays. It'll be nice to get off the whole treadmill of school lunches and kids activities for a few weeks.

Do you ever feel the need for a declutter? I am currently meeting with architects to plan our next stage of renovation and so I've been thinking about the future layout of our house and how things will be. It's got me wanting to clear out the mess and be a bit more minimalist - very hard when you have a lot of craft hobbies and a shed full of tools!

I have decided I need to sell a few pieces of furniture. I know I'm always sifting pieces over in our house and am very used to saying good bye to lovely things but I didn't think I would be selling this one for a long while. I've decided to sell my white cupboard that sits in our lounge room under my chalk board drawing of the woman by the window. I'll also be listing more pieces in the next week.

I love so much about this cupboard - the shape, the detailing of the trim, the legs, the practical storage, the original key, the chrome fluted handles and how smooth a painted finish I achieved on it. However I have brought back several pieces of my mother's furniture that I want to keep for sentimental reasons and we just don't have room for it all, so this piece must go.

The good thing is I know that I can always transform another old unloved cupboard if I have more room in the future.

Look at this beautiful detailing on the sides. (do you think I'm crazy for letting this piece go?)

The dimensions of this cabinet are: 110cm wide, 50 cm deep and 90 cm tall. There are 2 shelves within the cupboard and two drawers, one of which is lined with felt and has cutlery compartments.

Do you ever feel like minimalising completely? I have a terrible tendency to go on a big purge at times and think it all has to go! Especially when I am overwhelmed with "stuff" and with no where to store it. I'll definitely be talking to the architect and builder about installing better storage in this old house....and a bigger laundry - although I'm worried that if I have a larger laundry, will the mound of clothes that need folding and ironing just grow to fill the space?

If you are interested in purchasing this cupboard please contact me.

- and so who's with me and has a big pile of clothes to be folded?

Fiona xx

Lilyfield Life Country Home Ideas magazine feature

2013-04-03T11:12:00.003+11:00

As you may know, our house and my painted furniture was recently featured in Country Home Ideas magazine. I have received so many lovely emails and comments from people all around who read the article and love our house. Thank you so much, I find it so rewarding to have inspired so many of you. If you didn't get your hands on a copy of the magazine, here is the article below.

I've copied the captions to the photos below each photo for easier reading and the full article is at the bottom of this post.

The coffee table was billed as “French provincial parquetry-topped” when a very excited Fiona bought it on eBay for just $30. But it turned out to be more Chinese in style and was covered in a thick reddish lacquer. So began one of her biggest jobs, sanding the piece down, discovering to her disappointment that the parquetry was super-thin plywood, then painting it white and antiquing it. The effort has paid off.

With some loving brushwork and by replacing what were originally Spanish-style iron handles with vintage French crackle porcelain ones, Fiona created the perfect hall cupboard.

RIGHT: This antique trunk cost just $45 at auction and is the perfect place to store lounge room throws.

RIGHT: The dining room buffet is a feast for the eyes with the pineapple lamps which Fiona first spotted in Pigott’s Store in Woollahra, a terracotta ornament from a holiday to Bali – where these are used to cap temple roofs – and, of course, the mirror, a timber and plaster piece which cost just $60 at auction, and which Fiona painted white to amazing effect.

Fiona had lusted after a $7000 dining table, but what put her off as much as the price tag was the thought of having to stop the kids drawing at the table. She picked this one up for just $105. Similarly, she covered the chairs in drop cloth rather than linen. “So when my little boy wipes his hands on it, I just go, ‘OK’. I don’t like having too precious a house.”

Artwork by Laura Matthews.

In the old kitchen, Fiona and her husband were constantly bumping into each other. Now they have space and amplitude, and perhaps most importantly, a great area to work in with zones for prep, cooking, serving, cleaning and even a corner for preparing coffee. The cupboards were painted in British Paints Colorbond Dune and the walls in Dulux Sleigh by Fiona and Phil. Benchtops in Caesarstone Snow.

LILYFIELD LIFE

Fiona’s blog contains descriptions of projects she is

working on, great tips for those who want to try painting

furniture themselves, recipes, and more.

For a little slice of country life in the inner city suburbs

visit: www.lilyfieldlife.com

ABOVE: Standout features of the kitchen include the porcelain Domsjö sink from IKEA, the rangehood cover which Fiona researched and designed herself, and the Italian Bertazzoni – the Ferrari of stoves.

ABOVE: Fiona herself created this chalk drawing, based on a 1950s photo by Lillian Bassman. “It’s always been one of my favourite black and white photos,” she says. “I found a vintage frame with the world’s ugliest picture in it, so I just put plywood in and painted it in chalkboard paint, then drew that picture. I’m so thrilled with how it turned out.”

BELOW: Fiona planned to paint a pattern on the front of this cupboard, but the plain white finish – sanded and waxed to a soft velvety finish – seemed complete. Then she just changed the handles to these lovely fluted ones. She now uses the cupboard to store quilts, most handmade by her mother.

FIONA’S TIP

As you’d expect, Fiona is a big advocate of pre-loved pieces. “What always surprises me is that you can buy furniture so cheaply at auctions or second-hand,” she reflects. “So I would say look at pre-loved stuff . You might have to put a bit of effort in, but you can pick up really beautiful pieces for not that much money.”

It’s family entertainment with a sophisticated touch in the light-filled TV room. The antique trunk cost $45 at auction and is the perfect place to store throws and cushions.

The master bedroom, painted in Taubmans Northern Star, is a tranquil space. Fiona used a slightly distressed finish for the bedside tables. Although she admits she’s not a huge fan of shabby chic, it certainly works for some pieces – and it’s always in demand! The artworks are by Fiona, painted while she travelled and lived overseas.

This amazing vanity is another creation of Fiona’s. She bought the French-style cupboard for around $150 on eBay several years ago, and when the time came she painted it in white acrylic enamel paint, then had Snow Caesarstone put on top (to match the kitchen) as well as a Caroma Liano above-counter basin. The tapware is from Brodware – “There are heaps of other ways to save money but tapware shouldn’t be one of them!” Fiona says.

ABOVE: This French-style chest of drawers in Sasha’s room is not just gorgeous, it’s large and practical. It was an unfortunate baby-poo yellow until Fiona painted it in Dulux Lexicon White at Quarter Strength – the same blend she uses for all her bright white pieces of furniture – then waxed and buffed it. The mirror and vintage lantern were market finds.

TOP RIGHT: Sasha’s serene and pretty bedroom includes many pieces with sentimental value: the hydrangeas painting was done by Fiona’s grandmother, the cross-stitch by her sister, the cherub lamp was a vintage find painted by her aunt and the striped armchair was re-upholstered and painted by Fiona herself.

The frilly white Linen House bedding is from Adairs.

RIGHT: This chair is another of Fiona’s dearest pieces. She re-upholstered it with woven drop-sheet for an amazing linen-like effect. Her blog includes a step-bystep post on how it was done.

“ I'm a bit DIY,” says Fiona Gaven, before grinning cheekily at what is a brazen understatement. For her, repainting bedside tables, re-upholstering armchairs and creating beautiful artworks are everyday activities. When many would call in a professional, Fiona and her equally handy hubby, Phil, enjoy taking on the task themselves. “ I've always been quite practical,” she explains. “I studied engineering at uni, and I've always been good with my hands. I just believe that if somebody else can do it, well, I can give it a go.”Fiona’s blog, Lilyfield Life, shows that this ethos has reaped divine dividends. The website is an inspiring journal of the projects she and Phil – and their two kids, Sasha, nine, and Jonty, six – have undertaken over the past two years, including their major renovation in 2011…

CRIMES AGAINST HOME-ANITY

The couple’s brick and tile house dates back to the 1920s and had the usual limitations of that era: the kitchen was poky and walled off ; the bathroom had a shower and bath, but no toilet. Over the years, previous owners had also inflicted various ‘improvements’ on the home. “The study floor is an old verandah that has a big hole in it and what they've done to fix that is mix up concrete and pour it over,” Fiona recounts. “And they’d cut all the joists in the dining room and never secured them, so the floor bounced up and down by 5cm at the walls.”

Rather than accumulate huge debts by taking on a complete rebuild, however, Fiona and Phil decided on a half-house renovation: the front bedrooms, the bathroom, the dining room and kitchen. They replaced the original Kauri pine floorboards – which, sadly, were too damaged to save – with spotted gum, and put new joists in at the same time. They also opened up the kitchen, and completely redid that room as well as the bathroom.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

Elsewhere in the house they found interim solutions. The living room – another of the home ‘improvements’ mentioned earlier – suffers occasional damp. Until they can afford to fix the underlying structural problems, they have simply ditched the carpet, put legs on the cupboards and painted the concrete floor for a result which is by no means perfect, but is great looking and practical.

“Part of what my blog is about is showing that you can work around problems, do things yourself and make things better,” Fiona says. “So many people these days want everything perfect from the beginning, and pay a fortune and get themselves into debt. We just make it nice and it all looks really pretty and light. We’ve made the best of things.” Fiona and Phil finished their renovation for just over $80,000. Impressive as that bottom line is, saving money was not their prime objective – rather it was the happy consequence of their general approach. Fiona was heavily involved throughout the project, using a 3-D design tool to map out the new kitchen, and painting the cupboards herself in a three-day, 28-hour marathon. Instead of buying new décor she searched eBay and the auctions for older pieces which, though tired or damaged, could be given a new lease of life. And this last activity was something that she fell in love with during the renovation.

BRUSHING AWAY THE YEARS

“By painting furniture, you can absolutely transform it,” says Fiona with obvious enthusiasm. This passion comes through in her blog, where she describes the pieces in detail, including before and after shots showing the amazing changes. There’s also a ‘for sale’ section which is attracting plenty of visitors.

For her, a lot of the satisfaction comes from saving items that might otherwise be tossed out in council clean-ups. And above all, she enjoys it. “I just find it very relaxing and therapeutic. It’s not even that I expect to make money. You don’t expect to earn money from knitting or reading a book or something, so that’s how I view it with the painting of the furniture.”

It’s easy to see why she likes it – the change in the pieces from heavy-looking dark timber to white and other pale shades is breathtaking. They help brighten up the house, evoking a French provincial style that is elegant but not at all fussy. “I’m not a girly girl,” Fiona laughs. “But I like nice shapes and I like solid, old, well-built pieces – and I like white furniture because it makes the house seem so much fresher.”

FAMILY TREASURES

As well as her revived pieces and their positive vibe, there are artworks which Fiona has created herself – such as the chalk drawing of a woman in the sitting room – and others by family members, such as the cross-stitch in the daughter’s bedroom, made by Fiona’s sister. These, as well as treasured keepsakes from travels, are given pride of place over store-bought decorations. “I’m not into clutter,” Fiona states. “If I have things in my house, I want them to have meaning.”

And there is a real sense of that here. There are many memories of Fiona’s mother in the house, who passed away in 2012, including handmade quilts and artwork. And she’s left a legacy in other ways, too. “My mum was a big believer in having a project and being productive,” Fiona reflects, as she talks about the bedside tables she is currently repainting, the plans for renovating the other half of the house, and the blog where she will record it all. It promises to make fascinating reading.

*****

What a thrill this has been to have a big magazine feature, especially in this old house that has needed so much work... and still does. I'm meeting with an architect soon for phase 2. Stay tuned!

Fiona xx

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Tuesdays Treasures

Weekending on the beaches

2013-04-01T19:25:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone! I hope your Easter weekend has been relaxing and filled with family fun. After spending much of last week feeling less than perfect, I've finally shaken the flu just in time for the Easter weekend. What good timing that was, for it's been a perfect weekend to spend a little time with my family, a little time pottering at home and the rest of the time out and about in this beautiful city of ours.

We've been blessed with summery weather here in Sydney. We spent yesterday afternoon and evening on beach, swimming and body surfing as the sun set. A totally gorgeous evening. I couldn't believe the pretty colours in the sky as the sun set. I hope you like pretty pastel sunsets because I've posted a few photos :)

Growing up on the beach in a little coastal town, I feel very at home by the sea. I just love the sand, the surf and the fresh sea air.

How beautiful are Aussie beaches? We are spoilt for choice, even in Sydney. Yesterday we headed north to Manly. My tip for beaching at Manly is to head north, away from the touristy crowds near the Corso at the southern end of Manly Beach. This is Queenscliff beach, and it's just beautiful and significantly less crowded.

This morning we packed a little picnic and headed south to La Perouse to do a bush walk and a swim. The weather got better and better and we found a "new to us" beach that was just gorgeous. While I love having a beach that we go to regularly and we know so well, it's always good to explore a little further afield and find new places.

We had lunch and a swim at Frenchman's cove and then walked over the headland to Congwong Beach. The sea was bright turquoise and I wanted to dive right in. We'll definitely be heading back here for a swim.

Just round the bend is a little nudie beach. Gorgeous bush walk though - shame about the nude old men, particularly one elderly gent, who was greeting all the bushwalkers with a big silver ring around his enormous erection. Ha, ha, there was no missing him. I suppose we were warned by the signs!

We didn't spend too much time on the beach which was a shame as it was truly beautiful. We will definitely come again and do the full coastal walk around the headland.

So have you had any surprises when bushwalking? What's the funniest thing you saw this weekend?

Happy Nude Day

Fiona xx

Set sail on Sydney Harbour

2013-03-28T22:22:00.001+11:00

It's so good to get out for a little adventure in your own backyard isn't it. One of the many things I love about where we live is its proximity to the harbour and the city. This afternoon the kids left school at lunch time for a little history in action on our harbour. Thanks to some cheap tickets via one of those deal emails, we set sail on Sydney harbour on a historic Tall Ship. History coming alive for my kids as well as a beautiful afternoon on the harbour taking in Sydney's beautiful shoreline.

The clouds made a beautiful backdrop to the city

The sunshine made a spotlight over the harbour bridge.

I have to say though I think the kids preferred the ferry trip home. Aren't kids funny like that. Although the afternoon was very still on the harbour today and there was not much speed in our sails on the tall ship (just lots of people drinking champagne) so the fast ferry home probably was more fun.

Have a lovely Easter,

Fiona

Easter Break: Hot Cross Bun Recipe

2013-03-26T16:00:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone, I'm taking a little blog holiday for the moment. I've been a little run down with possibly the flu and I have decided to pull back from the non essentials of life (and yes, blogging is non-essential although it doesn't feel like it at times).

Here's a post I wrote last year with a good hot cross bun recipe. I'm going to be making these on the weekend but I'll add some extra spices.

Enjoy your Easter break and if you are on the roads, travel safely.

Fiona xx

**************
So my little boy came home with a joke yesterday:

What do you get when you pour hot water down a rabbit hole: Hot Cross Bunnies!

It reminded me that Easter is around the corner and I never posted the recipe for the Hot Cross Buns that I make.

This recipe is from The Women's Weekly BAKE cook book.

Hot Cross Buns

Makes 16. Unglazed buns freeze well so start baking now!

For the buns
1 tablespoon (14g) dried yeast
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1 1/2 cups (375ml) warm milk
4 cups (600g) plain flour
1 Teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
60g butter
1 egg
3/4 cup (120g) sultanas

Flour Paste for Cross
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
2 teaspoon castor sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) water. approx

Glaze
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon gelatine
1 tablespoon water

Combine yeast, sugar and milk in a small jug. Cover, stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy.
Sift flour and spices into large bowl and rub in butter. Stir in yeast mixture, egg sultanas. Mix to a sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap, stand in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
Grease a lamington tin or 23cm square tin.
Turn dough onto floured surface, knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth Divide into 16 pieces, knead into balls. Place balls into pan, cover, stand in warm place for 10 minutes or until they have risen to top of pan.
Meanwhile, preheat over to 220°C/200°C fan forced.
Make flour paste for crosses by combining flour and sugar in a cup. Gradually blend in enough of the water to form a smooth firm paste. Place in piping bag with small plain tube, pipe crosses onto buns.
Bake buns about 20 minutes. Turn buns, topside up, onto cooling wire rack.
Make glaze by stirring ingredients in small saucepan over heat, without boiling, until sugar and gelatine is dissolved. Brush hot buns with hot glaze. Cool on wire rack.

Unglazed Buns

Glazed buns

Ready for eating!

These hot cross buns won't keep long as they don't have any preservatives. best to eat straight away or within a day. No problem there as they are so yummy! But if you don't want to be slaving away on Easter Sunday, make the day before and leave the shaped uncooked buns in the pan and cover with oiled cling wrap and place in the fridge overnight. They will prove overnight and you can then pipe the crosses, bake and glaze ready for Easter morning.

Happy Baking!

cheers

Fiona xx