Highschool Graduation Night

My beautiful eldest daughter, Chloe, is graduating high school tonight!

They have had a fun day at the beach today, and tonight is the graduation ceremony.  It's a strange time - happiness at finally finishing twelve, or thirteen, years of school, and sadness a the end of an era and separation.

Vintage Outfit Post and a Garden

I recently bought this dress on Etsy, and today was actually cool enough for me to wear it for the first time.

Mid-Century Pattern - Versatile Sun Sweater

It's a beautiful sunny day here - perfect for school holidays.

After a walk on the beach with the kids and dogs I got stuck onto the garden - I have a plan now!  I am going to do circular dug and mulched garden beds and surround them with dog proof wire - this seems the cheapest and easiest option that will let me get my spring planting done asap (photos to come). After a few hours digging I was exhausted, and the kids decided they were hungry, so we broke for a swim and lunch - scrambled eggs with eggs from our chickens.

So today a quick and easy post  - a sweet little tank top from 1952 (Australian Women's Weekly, 3 September) in small bust size 32 to 36 inches -

It's so sweet - maybe I'll attempt one for my daughter.

♥ Deb

I need a Mid-Century Back Garden Makeover

My back yard needs a makeover.  Big time.  

We have lots of large palm trees, but not grass or low growth plants, because of two dogs - one in particular, who like to dig and eat plants.  Bromeliads mainly, of which I had many, are her favorite.  This is the only one she hasn't eaten - a spiky, ornamental pineapple. It also lives behind the pool fence, and she only gets in there occasionally.

A Spare Room Make-over and Esty

I have been busy adding new stock to my Etsy store this week - I am now up to fifty items!!

Here's just a couple of things new this week -

Powder Compacts -

  

  

A Deck Makeover - Mid-Century Style

For some reason I seem to give the back deck a bit of a make over at this time each year.  Maybe because it's near Father's Day, and the start of Spring, and that's when we start sitting outside again.  Last year the deck makeover was like this.

Deck makeover Sept 2012

Mackay - "The Honolulu of Australia" in the 1950s

If you've read my blog for a while, you will know that I live in Mackay in North Queensland, Australia.  It's a town of about 90,000 people that depends more on mining and sugar growing rather than tourism, however it is seen as the gateway to the Whitsundays and the Barrier Reef.

I have lived here for about 10 years.  Apart from having to drive only 10 minutes to work, the best thing about Mackay is it's winters.  We don't need any sort of heating, and usually in winter we don't the air-con or fans either.   I do usually wear a jumper in the evenings, but rarely during the day.  And we don't usually get much rain in winter - the rainy season is November to March.

I recently found this ad from August 1952 which plays nicely on our sunny winters.....

My New Dining Room!

Have I mentioned I am redecorating?!

With my son moving out we have rearranged rooms, so the four kids are now all downstairs - with their own living room, sofa and TV -  and upstairs is like grown up heaven.  One bedroom has now become the dining room, as a table for six always felt a little crowded in the kitchen area.

Dining area in the kitchen before

Now my plan is to put in a breakfast bar at the edge of the kitchen benches, with some barstools, and have the kitchen dining area with just two comfy chairs - an area we can sit and chat while we get dinner ready or sit and have a drink.  I'll probably get around to changing the colours, but at the moment it's like this.

All I have done is freshen up the panel with some pale grey paint, and recovered and painted some old chairs I had on the veranda.

My colour scheme has gone from dark beige (Dulux 'Zulu Plains'), brown and red, to white (Dulux 'natural white'), blue, grey and a touch of red.

So this was before - a bedroom - it's quite a dark room:

And this is now.  We are using the room as a study too, so the bookshelf contains reference books and the novels I don't mind lending out (my favourites live in the bedroom).

It's Not quite finished yet, still some more art to go up, and maybe a rug under the table. Maybe sheer curtains instead of the Venetians, although they are very mid-century.  And I am looking for a mid-century console buffet to replace the chest of drawers I'm using now.  But you get the idea.

Cost - around $300:
paint (Dulux 'Nntural white') - $71 for 4 litres
chairs (Eames reproduction in blue) - $253 for six
table - vintage c. 1960 from thrift shop $20

The blue carafe with round lid was a gift from my mother in law - she bought it in about 1955.  The blue and gold set I got at the thrift shop last week, (originally priced at $8 but it was half price!), and the cat also thrifted, $2.

My husband dearly wants to remove the laminate top from the dining table, and sand it back, but I quite like it.  I found this ad in a 1961 copy of Australian Home Beautiful, which makes me love it even more!

Next the living room!

Deb xxx

A fresh, fragrant fridge & soup

A busy day of Drs appointments (another story) and cleaning the kitchen, especially the fridge , ready for my big weekly shop. I also moved furniture around a little - I wanted a little nook inside to sit and read, and have the evening pre-dinner drink, as it's so hot outside at present and the mozzies love to eat me alive.

  

The chairs were on the veranda, so are a bit dog-eared, or dog-chewed really.  The table was a $5 thrift shop find that I painted distressed white, and my 'new' cushion with the american flag was a thrift shop find last week ($2). The pictures are vintage 1942 food ads.

Here's my clean and shiny fridge  -well, ok, just imagine it looks like this - I forgot to photograph it. Also imagine everyone is smiling as they help me put away the groceries! In reality it's more like 'oh mum not that healthy yoghurt again, and celery, really?!"

I wish

My trick for cleaning the fridge is to use bi-carb soda and hot water. I can't help with making the kids smile.

Bicarb also absorbs odours in the fridge, so what I do is this:

I juice half a lemon (and add it to hot water for my morning perk up, wow, still getting used to that one) then fill it with bi-carb soda.

Then I put that in the fridge, usually in the top tray on the door so it doesn't get lost or knocked over, and tell the kids not to eat it.  "No, it's not sugar guys. But go head, give it a go."

Then, at the end of the week, when the fridge is empty-ish again, I add a little hot water to the lemon, turn it upside down and use it to scrub the fridge. Once the major dirty and sticky bits are dealt with, I then wipe it all down with more hot water. Easy! Fresh and lemony with no nasty chemical smell.

The other thing I do, before I tackle the cleaning, is to make 'clean out the fridge soup'. I use all the remnants of veg lurking in the bottom of the crispers – those limp carrots, the broccoli with more stalk that florets and that little bit of cabbage that was too good to throw away……I start with a chopped onion and garlic in a little oil, then add all the other chopped veggies. When they start to release some of their juices I add 1 cup of stock or tomato juice and a few cups of water and simmer on medium to low heat until the vegetables get soft. I also add a tin of (rinsed) beans, and some herbs to taste, then heat till its all hot. I like it chunky, but the next day I blend the soup up with a little milk for the kids and ola, "cream of vegetable soup." Who doesn't love soup?

1950s can soup ad

Tomorrow, I tackle the oven.  The fun just never stops!

Deb xxx

Two Dogs & a Deck Makeover

We have two dogs.  Chino is a two year old American-cross- English Staffy and Diva is an almost five month old border collie.  They get a morning and afternoon walk, have each other for company when I am at work for 6 hours a day, and have more chew toys than I have shoes. Almost.

Chino and Diva

Yet, in the last week they have taken to chewing things.  Like my back doormat. And a cushion of the couch on the deck.  Coming home after only two hours away, shopping, I found the cushion in about a thousand pieces, so I decided right there and then than their time of freedom on the deck was over.  Their couch, the one with the missing cushion, would move down stairs, and the deck would become ours again.  Nothing like a makeover day for the first day of Spring!

Here is the deck as it was.

The couch and one chair went downstairs, and the other I repainted.

Painting cane, what fun!

I also painted the four chairs and moved the bench seat behind the table down to the pool area, and brought up two chairs that I recently painted. I decided a little storage was needed, so I moved up the chest of drawers I had just finished painting.  I didn't have time to repaint the whole table, so I just dragged on a bit of white here and there, especially over the bits the puppy had chewed.  I really need some aqua place-mats now!

The late afternoon sun make everything look blindingly white, but it is actually all distressed looking!  Next to the comfy chair seemed a great spot for the new pots with lemon tree, chillies and basil - a father's day present for tomorrow from the kids and I. The yellow and aqua fabric on the chair is the original 70s cover.  The side 'table' is a tray made by my eldest son for fathers day 2007, painted white, on top of a vintage suit case.

 

On the drawers are a timber candelabra that was a wedding present many years ago, a sweet little English vase and a bird egg cup that  use as a candle holder.  Now to do something about that rusty giant fan.....any ideas?

Deb xxx

Secrets of a Tidy House

Since we have had the house on the market – one whole week – we have had photos taken, a horde of real estate agents visit, and buyers inspecting every day but Sunday. I have another one this afternoon, with two hours notice, so I like to keep the house tidy just in case!

What is the secret to a tidy house? Don’t have a man, kids or pets in the house. Simple. Boring. Joking!

What’s not to love 

With four children at home, a dog, a puppy and a cat, keeping the house tidy enough for constant visitors takes a little work. But it is do-able. And notice I said tidy, not clean. I have tried to de-clutter, and each few days I pack another small box of unessential stuff away. I am going through cupboards room by room, and gradually sorting them out. I also went through each room and de-cobwebbed, filled holes in walls and touched up paint where needed, including all the doors. I have cleaned most of the windows and blinds, and do another couple each weekend. The bathrooms get a good clean each weekend too, as do the timber floors.

Unfortunately I am not really living in the 40s, when I may have had a daily maid or housekeeper, and I am not living in a Disney movie with helpful cockroaches to clean the tub either. During the week my eldest daughters (10 and 16) do their bit with their own rooms and occasional tidying of the kitchen and lounge room, and hubby takes out the rubbish and does any jobs I ask – they just don’t see mess like I do. My husband will actually walk over strewn toys or shoes without noticing them. It has taken years, but I have learnt not to get cross with them, and him in particular – I just let them all help (even the twins, age 7) if they offer, but I try not to nag. If they don’t it the way I want it done, I redo after they have gone if I NEED to. If it’s good enough I leave it. I have learnt to love imperfection, and I figure a buyer will see past a bed that is made a little crooked. Unless they do the white glove test the house will look clean enough if it’s tidy and smells nice (or at least doesn’t smell bad).

At present my husband usually takes the kids to school, and then I have about half hour or so to tidy in peace before I leave for work. Sounds fun right?!
So what do I do in that half hour?

 source

The Half hour tidy
1. Put the breakfast dishes into soak (I could rinse and stack the dishwasher);
2. Wipe the table and shake out or replace the cloth and put a bowl of fruit on it;
3. Wipe all the counters and the coffee table in the lounge;
4. Open curtains, blinds and windows;
5. Use a cushion to dust off (whack it forcefully) the sofa then adjust the cushions;
6. Check the kids beds are made and open their blinds and windows;
7. Throw any clean clothes in their cupboards, dirty in the hamper and toys in a basket for them to sort out later;
8. Toilet duck the toilet, flush and shut the lid;
9. Wipe the bathroom sink and hang up towels neatly;
10. Wash the dishes and leave to drain;
11. Sweep or lightly mop all the floors except the kitchen;
12. Put away the dishes and wipe the sink and stove top;
13. Wipe the fridge and oven doors and hang up a clean tea towel;
14. Mop the kitchen floor;
15. Take out the trash out on the way downstairs; and lastly
16. Brush teeth, put on lipstick, perfume, jewelry and shoes.

Remember this is upstairs only, which is a small three-bedroom house (downstairs is built in under and has our room and bathroom, which I make sure is neat before I shower, dress, basic makeup and hair and go upstairs for breakfast). This makes my home tidy, and clean enough for visitors, and for me (as long as no-one looks in the fridge cause that’s next weekends job). Sometimes I open blinds and windows first thing if I have to wake the kids up (not usually with the little two but often with the big two) and do the lounge while waiting for the kettle to boil etc. It’s winter here now – in Summer I tend to clean and then shower, and it gets so hot and humid here.

How can I be bothered every day? I want to sell my house! And although I have told the agent I like a days’ notice, I really don’t want to say no to a prospective buyer. But it’s really just a bit more of what I do each day anyway. I like a tidy house – it makes ME feel better and more relaxed. I love to sit on the couch with the kids and do their readers after work and not think “I really need to get those cobwebs”, but really focus on them instead. Today I also stripped the kids beds and put the sheets into wash. I will stick them in the dryer when I get home. I also didn’t put away the dishes – but they are quite neat and decorative on the rack.

Next kitchen is having one of these! source

Since I stopped complaining about housework and stopped nagging everyone to do their bit, they are all more happy to help. The little two compete with each other to make their beds first in the morning and the big two will do a job, like unstack the dishwasher, on the first ask. I try not to live in a fantasy world where everything is magazine perfect and my pegs are matching on each item of clothing I hang out to air dry (yes, I did used to do this). I know that the mess will be back tomorrow morning, and I will have to do it all again, but I think of it like brushing my teeth – it’s so routine I don’t even think about it and I feel (and smell) better when I do it.

Tools for success:

Get a good broom and mop – preferably the same one like the Enjo one I mentioned earlier – you can swap heads easily and you don’t need buckets of water. (Yes I did used to sell them, but I have had mine over 10 years and it’s still going strong. My husband used to snap a mop every time he used it, but this one is strong and height adjustable – shorten it for the kids or lengthen it to dust cornices. You can also put a window washing squeegee on it). Also a good brush and shovel (with long handle so you don’t have to bend down, or make it your little ones ‘special job’ to do it for you).
Get a good vacuum cleaner – even if you have polished boards like me, you will probably have rugs. Vacuuming is heaps easier than beating them out. It can also do your car, blinds, sofas, the little gap under sliding doors and window, air vents, pump up a air bed etc....

1948 Hoover ad source

 Use minimal cleaning chemicals – I use enjo cleaning cloths, which need no chemicals, but I do have a simple nice smelling cleaner that I sometimes use when I want a little extra (or the kids are helping, they love to spray stuff) – ½ white vinegar and ½ water with a little essential oil – I like lavender or eucalyptus. I also use cotton dishcloths which I wash every day, although I often I wipe down the bathroom sink with a dirty t-shirt from the hamper. Bi-carb soda is great for stainless steel sinks (baths, dirty pots, bottom of glass vases), and is a bit like the old powdered cleaners (Bon ami) , but better for your hands.

Toilets are the one place I use real cleaner – I toilet duck everyday just about, but I try and get the enviro-friendly one. My kids used tho play with the leave in thingy’s so I don’t use them (although I hope their past that now!) And if you have little a boy, like I do, check the toilet walls regularly too!

Bon ami ad 1935 

Use hampers/ baskets for dirty linen– the big girls have a basket in their rooms for their stuff (and they do their own washing) and there is one in the bathroom for the twins. We have our own. I do a dark load every day, bath towels twice a week, and sheets/shower curtains and whites on Saturdays. Curtains and blankets I do about once every two months.
Bins – have lots of them, kitchen, bathroom, laundry and each bedroom. Line them with used grocery bags, or get scented bin liners. Get the kids to take out their own rubbish when the bin is full, or at least every rubbish collection day.
Baskets – have a nice one (vintage with a lid or handle, or even one of those stools with a hinged lid) in each room for bits that are laying around that you don’t want to throw away or put away – toys, odd shoes, hairbrushes. Then when someone (right Olivia) says, “I can’ find a hairbrush” you can point to the basket. Empty it at the end of the week, or better yet get the kids to do it.

cute vintage basket

Get a clothes dryer – I am assuming here that you already have a washing machine (if not, get one, they are the world’s best labour saving device ever invented). Yes, I know air drying is better for the environment blah blah – I do do it - When it’s not raining, or on the weekends. You could even call them vintage, as the first electric dryer with a glass window was developed in the 1940s. I used to wash at night and hang on the line, but now we have fruit bats at night and second hand mango stains real bad, let me tell you! Even if I hang clothes under the house to dry, I still put them in the dryer for five minutes to soften them up and make sure they are REALLY dry – in this climate everything goes mouldy really easy (except shirts, which I like to iron while damp). Also, fold clothes straight from the line or dryer to save creases and time.
I would rather have a clothes dryer than a dishwasher – If I am going to rinse I might as well wash, although I don’t dry I let things air dry. If you hate washing, though, by all means get one.

Bendix dryer ad 1948 source

Flowers – treat yourself (or train your partner) to a bunch of fresh flowers (or a flowering plant) every other week. My husband started doing this for me – he gets a bunch of lilies at the supermarket when he does the groceries on the weekend (he loves it, takes one child for ‘special one on one time’ and is leaning to stick to the list). The flowers sit near the front door and smell wonderful – and people always notice them and comment, which means they have less time to notice any mess I may have missed. As they die off I stick in a few fern or palm fronds - greenery is cheap and cheerful. Flowers are great to hide defects too, like that drawing someone did in lipstick and you haven’t had time to scrub off. Pot plants are also great, if you remember to water them each week and have kids who no longer eat dirt.

My entry and dining area

 
Just remember, as my mother in law told me recently, the day your house will stay clean is actually when you don’t have the kids at home anymore, or a husband, or pets.  Enjoy a little mess – it means you have love, or at least company, in your life.

deb xx

My Home July 2012

Here's our humble little home as at July 2012.  It's a 3 bedroom high-set built in about 1964, and downstairs is closed in (our bedroom currently).

Front with shadesail carport

Lounge/Living room

Kitchen

Dining area

back deck

Pool area

Parents retreat

ensuite

Walk in Wardrobe

Twins Room (with playroom veranda)

front yard with in ground trampoline

 Deb xx