Winner of the iittala giveaway

Last night, I let Son # 1 draw the name of the winner of the iittala giveaway from a vintage Tupperware bowl.

The winner is Katherine from theoldboathouse!!

Katherine, I'll contact you shortly to arrange delivery of this fine piece of Finnish glass.

Thanks to everyone for entering!!

Also, please don't forget the Ferrero Rocher by BKH Christmas Centrepiece giveaway I am hosting. The centrepiece is worth $375!. But you have to be in it to win it!!

Stylish step ladders

We need a taller step ladder because I can't reach the very top cupboards in our kitchen or bedrooms.

But standard step ladders aren't terribly pretty.

I did find a few that I've put on my Christmas wish list to Santa.

Tiramisu - Kartell by Andries Van Onck designed in 1991
I don't know how much it costs...
image from here

This is the knock-off version at $149...(was that thunder I just heard and a bolt of lightening I just saw?)
image from here

Trappestigen step ladder. It retails for $795 at Great Dane.

image from here

Ultraslim Aluminum Step Stool. They fold into nothing! Retails US$149
Sadly, this is unavailable in Australia
Image from here

Heaven from Swedese designed by Thomas Bernstrand
image from here
Australian importer information here

I've got my eyes peeled for old industrial or timber step ladders too, because they will probably be more affordable.

There is definitely a gap in the step ladder market. If only I was an industrial designer, I would develop a hyper-stylish but affordable step ladder and make short people in Australia happier.

Why can't utilitarian step ladders ike the one below be more attractive?

This one retails for $99
image from here

p.s Please don't forget my Christmas giveaways.

Iittala candle holder giveaway here. Closes tonight!!

Ferrero Rocher giveaway here closes next week

Kevin McCloud and repurposing a shopping bag

Tomorrow, we're having Jason's family over for lunch to celebrate his Mum's birthday.

We bought her this book at her request. She must be a fan of Grand Designs.

I had a quick flick through it. It's basically Kevin's dogma about living a well-considered and sustainable life in the 21st century. It would actually be a good read from what I could see.

The wise words of Kevin

From my brief scan of the book, there was an emphasis on repurposing everyday materials. Well, this is right up my alley.

So channeling Kevin, I found an old paper shopping bag. Jason's Rhodes and Becketts shirt buying habit has ensured we have an endless supply of black cardboard shopping bags which I save for a rainy day. (Forgive my depression-era mentality!!)

I just dismantled it at the seams, took off the handles and used it as wrapping paper.

These bags make great wrapping paper. Large, thick and sturdy. And perfect for wrapping Kevin's manifesto. I made the shiny logo part the inside of the wrapping.

opened up shopping bag

Black parcel. I just need to trim the ends of the ribbon!

And now we have a stylish matte black parcel, perfectly appropriate for its contents.

(It also solves the problem of completely running out of wrapping paper that wasn't Christmassy!!)


p.s Please don't forget my Christmas giveaways.
Iittala giveaway here
Ferrero Rocher giveaway here

The silly season and a mid-century iittala giveaway

Our two eldest boys are now on school holidays. Therefore the silly season has officially begun for us.

They finished at midday today and we spent most of the afternoon decorating the Christmas tree.

We waited for two-year old Son  # 3 to be asleep though. It was peaceful and there was more goodwill to all men, if you know what I'm saying.

Homemade angel peg doll

 

The tree has moved to the sunroom. It will probably have to be shifted when Mr Rooney fits the new windows.

The wooden decoration is from Eastern Europe - a gift from Jason's Mum.

Ahhh...I love 'Christmassy' things.

I also have an iittala Festivo two ring candleholder to give away to one of my lovely readers.

The candleholders were originally designed in 1966 by Timo Sarpaneva in Finland and are a lovely piece of mid-century glass design.

 

iittala Festivo candleholder

This one is a spare which I picked up via a seller in Bongaree on Bribie Island.

From Finland to Bongaree to Brisbane to who knows where next...?

To win this magnificent piece of Finnish glass, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post to go into a random draw. It's that simple.

I will mail it anywhere in the world. You don't even have to follow me, but it would be nice if you did...

Anyway, I will draw the winner's name on Monday 6 December 2010 7pm Queensland time.

Good luck!

Oh and don't forget to enter my sponsored Ferrero Rocher Christmas giveaway here. There are some very clever responses so far.

Our backyard in a TV Commercial?

Our Queenslander backyard with cubby house and sandpit.
Captain Boyter made our sandpit cover

Could this backyard be in a TV commercial?

Yesterday, I received a telephone call from Nat Duncan at Queensland Film Locations who said our place was one of several shortlisted for a half-day shoot for a pizza ad.

If the house is selected, the backyard will be used to film a cricket game mid next week. Wouldn't it be great?

So, I raked the leaves, swept under the deck and picked up all the kid's toys. Everything looked very respectable (Note to self: I should do that more often). 

I even watered the lawn and threw down some lawn food for extra measure after seeing Make mine Mid-Century's lawn (Note to self: I only have to feed the lawn every three months).

The ad producer and photographer visited us this morning, just to frame up the shots, but they didn't stay long so maybe that means it's a no go. Boo hoo!

I've probably jinxed it again by mentioning it on the blog, like I did with the last TV ad...I do hope we get it...it would be heaps of fun and the extra dollars would be handy too.

p.s Please don't forget my Christmas giveaway. The Ferrero Rocher by BKH Christmas centrepiece is worth $375 and would be a great treat for your Christmas festivities. Your odds of winning it are seriously very good! CLICK HERE TO ENTER