You know...

...you have a short attention span when you start to graffiti your very dirty concrete with a high pressure hose.

Heart Jason being washed away

You know you have very dirty concrete when you can graffiti it with a high pressure hose.

Ah yes, the romance endures at the Sow's Ear.

Textured bark glass

I'm starting a collection. Clear textured bark glass.

There are two open shelves in our kitchen and I've pretty much shoved whatever doesn't have a home onto them. So, I've made the decision to have more stylish shelves, which are also functional.

Yes, it is very important world-changing decision making you are witnessing here.

So far, the collection is limited to textured fruit/dessert bowls and one vase.

iittala bowls, vintage bark glass bowls and sklo vase.
It would look brilliant to have clear bark glass en masse.

The plan is to have our drinking glasses on the shelves too. However, our drink ware is actually jar ware.

Our water glasses are old Allowrie jam jars (remember those?) and Thomy mustard jars. A lot of jam and mustard was consumed to provide us with our drinking vessels.

image from here

Sophisticated we are not.

This is what I'm envisaging instead.

iittala aslak cordial glass

something Swedish

Actually, just something that didn't originally contain food would be a good start.

I'm not rushing the collection though because the search is half the fun. I know that I will stumble upon unwanted bark glass in my travels.

Bye-Bye lattice and hello Queenslander architectural art

This weekend we removed an enormous piece of lattice from the back deck. Don't fret. It wasn't original to the house.

The space above the rails is where the lattice used to be

We felt it was superfluous to our needs, since we have large leafy trees which offers us all the privacy we require on that particular side of the deck. Removing the lattice has made the space feel less claustrophobic.

It used to look like this.

Painting the exterior continued despite the adverse weather conditions. The area was completely undercover though.

This shirtless shot is especially for you Jane. xx

Jason worked like a Trojan. (Fortuitously, his middle name is Troy. Ha! His Mum should be proud he's living up to his namesake).

Some after shots of the deck this evening

We've used the dark brown trim colour for now...to see if we like it.

I tried to take some photographs, but it was getting dark and they do not do Jason's painterly efforts justice. Anyway, there is still a lot of work to be done.

On another topic, there is an exhibition which celebrates the Queenslander House showing at the Ipswich Art Gallery. It was mentioned on the ABC's Stateline program on Friday, which you can watch, if you click on the link (it's only three minutes of footage).

Ipswich is 40km southwest of Brisbane and is one of the oldest provincial cities in Queensland. Its well-preserved heritage Queenslander homes are considered the city's greatest assets. Housing is still extremely affordable in this neck of the woods too.

Thirteen contemporary Queensland artists, such as Michael Zavros, were commissioned to complete "house portraits" using a range of mediums, providing their perspective of Ipswich's architectural history.

Great for the Queenslander house junkie. It closes 14 November.

Fabric designed by Melissa Bombardiere

I was the lucky recipient of some excellent hand printed fabric after putting my name down in a giveaway hosted by Melissa from Mel Bomba.

Normally, I wouldn't enter a giveaway for fabric as sewing is not my forte, however when I saw these wonderful designs I was compelled to enter.

Fabric: Green bell bird design and blue lily design

Sydney-based Melissa is a graphic designer by profession. Her print designs and patterns are inspired by her obsession with vintage fabrics.

For me, her prints have a distinct Scandinavian flavour and are somewhat reminiscent of Figgjo Flint Norway ceramic designs which I love, love, love. (I owe this to some Norwegian ancestry from Mum's family in Tahiti - those Nordic explorers!)

image from here

So, I have plans for my new fabric. Something pretty for my room, I think.

Thank you, Melissa!

If you would like to find out more, Melissa's Etsy store is here.

Anna Castelli Componibili by Kartell

As promised, here is another piece of plastic fantastic I received in my friend Chris' big furniture clear out.

Vintage Kartell round up Componibili unit in yellow

A vintage Anna Castelli-Ferrieri designed cabinet on castors, made of ABS plastic in the 1970s. This bright yellow unit has sectional pieces allowing you to add to it.

Versatile sectional pieces

It is a practical piece which has been snaffled up by #1 Son for his room. It will be something he will be able to use as a tween going on to teenager years. A fun classic.

These units have been in continuous production for over 30 years and you can buy them new at Space but the colours are limited to white, black and silver. Replicas are also available.

It is a vast improvement from the old drawers #1 Son used to have, which have now gone to firewood nirvarna. Thankfully.