Repurposing retro curtain fabric

Who has the lairiest clothesline in Brisbane?

Freshly laundered 1970s fabric

Well, that would be me.

I went to visit Mum yesterday because I hadn't been for a couple of weeks.

My parents are notorious hoarders (unfortunately, not all of it is good), but sometimes there is a stash of something in the back room that can be useful.

I see it as my filial duty to take something out of their house every visit, because I know it will be one less thing for my brothers and I to pack up when our parents go to hoarder heaven.

That's an awful selfish thought, isn't it?  You'd forgive me if you saw how much stuff they have never thrown out. Seriously.

Anyway, I always encourage Mum to de-clutter and she is always happier when stuff is moved out of the house.

1970s curtain fabric

Like old retro curtain fabric. I have a plan for these as I prepare for summer. Think outdoor colour for the deck. Perhaps some cushions...And this thick material is perfect for that.

My mum must also have ESP because she brought out this large bag with three Hari Krishna orange coloured cushions, which she picked up on sale from K-mart.

They were $1 each and she thought of me. Bless her thrifty hoarding heart. My visit was serendipitous.

(How did she know I've been thinking cushions? There is no way she reads the blog because she doesn't have a computer.. at least not one that works and from this century.)

Although they are not what I had envisioned, I'm definitely going to use them as they'll be very handy as inserts for when I eventually have cushion covers made.

Cushion riches! I'll keep you informed with very important cushion updates.

Danish style tear drop light

Danish style light

This little tear drop cutie arrived from Canberra today. I tell you, it's an Australia-wide search for affordable vintage mid century lighting. (Even with postage, this was still cheaper at a vintage Canberra shop than another light I was eyeing off in Brisbane).

My movements are somewhat restricted with a little one still at home with me. Vintage light shops, architectural salvage stores and antique places are really out of the question. These stores are not fun for either of us, so my quest for lighting is relegated to online shopping, for now.

I'm finding ebay to be slim pickings. And the only real bargains I have ever obtained have been because items are misspelt or incorrectly classified and that's not often.

This new light has a lovely, elegant shape. It also has the all-important teak cap which always seems to be missing on this type of light fitting. The ugly curly energy saving light bulb will be nicely hidden too. I like to be green when I can.

The new light will be for Sons #2 & #3's room, if Carlo the Electrician ever returns to finish the rewiring of the house.

Carlo and his crew must come back, because we haven't paid him for the considerable work done already. One consolation, I suppose...more time to find lights.

Dreaming of Florence Broadhurst cushions

For some reason or another I've never jumped on that soft furnishings train, so we are cushion poor.

But I'm at the station now and I'm about to board.

Soldier cushion made by Melissa from Seamstress & the Daughters

It started a month or two ago with this cushion, which I bought for our youngest son's birthday. Vintage 1950s Napoleonic soldier fabric - it was too hard to resist. Nothing like some foppish soldiers to decorate a boy's room!

Recently, I bought a grey Rapee cushion at Spotlight. Very suburban I know. It's fairly simple and I liked it. This is the only cushion in any of the main living areas - a very sorry state of affairs.

Fingers sample and Kabuki sample

And now, I'm toying with the idea of having some scatter cushions made from my favourite Florence Broadhurst fabrics.

The samples came yesterday. They're gorgeous but the fabric costs $143 per metre. Perhaps not the fabric for a soft furnishings novice...I absolutely love the Fingers pattern above all the designs but I have to think about it before I commit.

Thinking...thinking...maybe I should wait for the next Signature Prints sale...or just bite the bullet and splurge?

The deck

How sad! Down to three chairs.

I've not taken any official before shots of the deck. It is huge. Mostly because it was extended, hence the row of posts in the middle of the deck.

You can also just see that when it was extended, they used different timber decking. Most people don't notice (or they are very polite) until we point it out. Not ideal but I guess old houses have their quirks.

The heritage colour scheme will go at some point and we plan to remove most of the lattice. We don't really see the point of the lattice, as it obscures our view and with the deck being quite high, there are no privacy issues.

We use our covered deck quite a lot - it really is an extra room for us. Unfortunately, we have been using it less as the outdoor deck chair situation worsens - they are perishing and we are down to the last three chairs.

The chairs are really not worth saving...for us at any rate. We've had them for the last 12 years, so it's time for some new outdoor furniture. The old table is still okay and we'll be able to keep it as a spare table for downstairs.

Row of posts 

With just over a month before the start of spring, we've ordered new outdoor furniture. Yay! It is very exciting. It will be ready in a month and I will share photos when it arrives.

The back deck and that's Buster the Budgie in the corner

Bakelite toilet seat

*Warning: this post contains images which may induce sudden nausea. Please stop reading if you have a weak stomach.

I dislike our toilet. From the plastic cistern to the old plastic seat, to the scratched Caroma porcelain.

With a simple purchase, made this morning, I have improved our (but mostly mine, because the boys I live with do not care) quality of life by 1000 per cent.

Yes, the right toilet seat is not something to be taken for granted. Ever.

This morning I went to Red Hill to check out a vintage lighting store which also happens to sell new bakelite toilet seats, which are manufactured in Melbourne. Instead of walking out with a light, I walked out with a new loo seat!

Bakelite is a really thick, heavy duty material which is quite reassuring when one is perched on a toilet. We had an old bakelite seat when I lived with my parents and we also had one in our last house.

When we replaced the toilet in our last place, the bakelite seat did not fit, so we bought an expensive thicker-than-average plastic seat. 

It was still inferior to the old bakelite one, in my opinion.

But I am most ashamed of myself for putting up with the cheap, flimsy white plastic toilet seat and not replacing it straight away when we moved here last year. 

Disgusted, really, after I removed the old seat and realised why it was so obvious the constant faint smell of urine was not at all due to my cleaning efforts. 

Vindication should never be this hard. Who knew what lay in wait?

You think this is bad...it gets worse...

Oh God, the horror! 

I did warn you to cease reading.

The bathroom renovation is definitely on the cards but it will be a while away before we can afford to do it properly. And we're not too sure what we will do and how we will go about it...

Small easy fixes are needed in the meantime, even if they are temporary.

Black and shiny new seat

New bakelite seat

Anyway, my morning has been arduous. One small step, one giant leap kind of stuff. I need a stiff drink.


P.S I've saved the old toilet seat to show all the boys when they come home from school and work. They must aim harder.