Retro kids clothes (or why my kids look like David Cassidy)

I swear my Mum keeps everything. When I went to visit her this morning I received a huge bag of  retro kids clothes. They used to belong to my brothers who are all in their early to late 40s.

I always take anything that Mum decides to part with (even if I don't want it) as she needs to declutter. It's my filial duty to help her.

So I dived into the bag to see what treasures she wanted to bestow on  her grandsons. Man did I giggle. I just can't recall my brothers looking like public servants from the Whitlam administration...Mum said the clothes were mostly bought in Myer and they are in very good condition given their age.

Below you will see my boys are modelling their new old clothes. They were genuinely excited to get some clothes... they didn't even care that the clothes were about 40 years old; there was no judgement.  Too funny. Note to self: buy your kids more clothes.

So, if you are in Brisbane and spot a trio of boys who look like they escaped a Partridge Family cult, that'll be us.

purple flared jeans in brush cotton and polyester cotton shirt with stiff pointed collar. This is called the flamingo pose according to our model.

Most of the pants have the permanent press. This is son number 2 channelling Travolta in his early years

Son number 1 vying for Australia's next top model with this pose. High -waisted flared pants.

By far my most favourite part of the fashion parade was the vintage swimming trunks. Check out these belted beauties. They are actually very cool and I would hazard a guess that no one else at the school swimming carnival will have the same pair...

vintage swimming shorts

Anyway, what should I do with all these retro kids clothes? With the other retro clothes Mum has passed on I just fold them up and put them in the boys' wardrobe.

And more often than not, I've had the 'WTF? moment' of being greeted by the sight of miniature David Cassidys when the boys dress themselves in the morning...

EBay?

Vintage bud vases

Late last year, a pair of old Anchor Hocking bud vases I had on display in the kitchen were smashed. And no, not in a fit of passion either. 

A gust of wind blew over a picture frame that was leaning behind the vases...sealing their fate. Bam, crash, shatter and they entered bud vase heaven.

(I felt like Deb from Loyalist Cottage who often features a broken item of the week on her blog.)

The vases weren't  terribly valuable, but I was still sad they broke. They were a matching pair that had been passed on to us by a friend when he was clearing up his Dad's house. He knew I liked to collect coloured glass.

one of the ruby red anchor hocking bud vases which broke. Boo! 

Bud vases are kind of handy, especially when you still have little ones picking flowering weeds which you are obliged to display with pride near the kitchen sink. Dandelions are the flower de jour. 

So, I found two controlled bubble vases which would act as a substitute. Again, these aren't valuable but I love their sunny yellow disposition. 

controlled bubble bud vases

I have no idea of their provenance but they could be from the 60s...who knows? They're happy and I like matchy-matchy bud vases...to display the weeds and other bits from our garden. 

How do you display your sprigs from the garden?

Painting under the deck

This is one of those soul destroying jobs which makes renovating truly suck; painting under the deck.

The top of the deck is done. Now it's time to paint what's underneath

We've only tackled a small part of it. Turning green joists into white.

I said to Jason we could probably get away with not painting it, however he was adamant that it was the silk purse mantle he was aiming for, not the sow's ear prize. Freakin' perfectionist...sucker for punishment if you ask me.

We really wished all the joists were not painted heritage green and that it had been left 'au naturel'.

Ah! the early early 90s have a lot to answer for - from Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart and the resurgence of line-dancing to heritage green painted with gay abandon in the suburbs. They are all up there on our 90s sh*t list.

There is so much more to do!! And we are being careful not to get paint on the decking boards. Painful task.

The whole underneath the deck will need two coats to cover completely...if we are lucky...

It's a huge job. We'll tackle it in manageable bites though. Bit by bit, little by little. There's no rush. I'll let you know how we get on.

P.S And speaking of early 90s music. What ever happened to Frente!?

Vintage hospital beds

It's that time of the year again  - kerbside collection!!

We spent the morning putting out our hard rubbish for the local council's kerbside collection. And what we put out was really rubbish. We're feeling very cleansed after the big effort.

So, tonight I've been browsing on eBay. Yes, don't worry, the irony of this is not lost on me. What goes out must come back in for the consummate hoarder.

But look what I found...It's this really cool hospital bed.

Image courtesy Moderni Designs on ebay

Image courtesy Moderni Designs on ebay

For some reason this really appeals to me. It would make a great spare bed or kid's bed. Sadly, we have no need for it at the Sow's Ear, but maybe someone out there does...it ends tomorrow night.

Imagine how authentic your hospital corners would look on this bed. The photos have been styled extremely well too by the people of Moderni Designs.

There is also another antique Queensland Hospital bed on eBay at the moment. This one is very Florence Nightingale style. I can see it in an old rambling Queenslander with high ceilings and whitewashed floors. I'd be tempted by this one as well if we were in the market for beds.

Sorry the photo here is tiny but it was all I could manage. Just go to the link in the caption to see a larger photo.

Image from here

I'd never really thought about hospital beds for the home before. Hospital medical chic? What do you think? 

Shower curtain rings and Australian Modern winners

After I bought our new 'luxe' shower curtain a fortnight ago, fancy-schmancy shower curtain rings have been uppermost in my mind. I know...I should be concerned about the impending civil war in Syria, but the shower curtain rings are troubling me.

You see, I'd like to upgrade from the clear plastic ones which are currently doing an adequate job. They are no longer right (they never were, but I never noticed them before). I've found a more attractive replacement to match the 'opulence' of our new shower curtain.

Image from Gallop Lifestyle HERE

Aren't they nice? They'd look great in a more traditional bathroom like ours. I'm going to order them and see if they are any good. I'm hoping they won't rust.

And a big hearty congratulations to the two winners of the Australian Modern competition!

Sonia from Raine & Sage and Emma from Grace & Issie are the lucky winners. I'll be in touch to get your details.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! If you are really keen you can buy a copy online from Folio Books HERE.