Op shop finds today ... means more GIVEAWAYS ...

Made a brief comeback into op shop world today ...

I'm ecstatic with the loot ...

red chenille $10 ... who'd have thought?

a couple of kgs of purple buttons  $5 ...

a Readers Digest Vintage Sewing Book  $4 ...

2 teeny spoons $2 ...

 new spatula $1 ...

                                                                  SOooooooooooo ...



                                                     ... Friday night after the draw ...

 

                                                 ...  a new GIVEAWAY will be announced  ...



                                    Sorry ... NO International posting ... too expensive  ...



                                            ...  preference given to Google Followers ...



                                  ... all will be revealed Friday night!



                              

GIVEAWAY 100 buttons ... from an idea at Meet me at Mikes

Inspired by Pip at Meet Me at Mikes and her 3rd Birthday Celebration ...

I've gathered 100 buttons to go to a new home.

Simply leave a comment below  ...

I'll pop your names into a deep a container ...

and draw a winner on Friday November 27 ...

after The Collectors finishes on ABC at 8.30pm ...

...  PLUS ...

I'll include a surprise bundle of Vintage edging especially for YOU.

     ...  see HERE for more generous giveaways at Pip's ... Yayyyyyyyyy!!!



                           Don't forget to pop back for photo's of the draw on Friday night.

Hydrangeas ...

Gorgeous hydrangeas hand picked by the Diva from her garden  ...

           

                                           

                                         

Blossie adored them too ... bliss !

Sydney 43 degrees - the fans are out ...

... the temperature hit 43 degrees in Sydney today ...

                  ... the heat didn't deter the fans for a second at the IDOL finale ...


                                    ... they queued, stood and sweltered all day ...

                                           
                                   ...  you have to love the Aussie's spirit ...


                                       ... or is it simply no sense no feeling ???

Unconscious Mutterings week 356 - I say ... and you think ? - Subliminal lunanina,

1.   Marathon ::   epic. 


2.   Debt ::   credit.

3.   Turn ::   round.

4.   Image ::   mirror.

5.   Sofa ::   couch.

6.   Envelope ::   opening.

7.  Cart ::   horse.

8.   Process ::   proceedings.

9.   Question ::   answer.

10. Rumor ::   assumption.
 
 
read more Mutterings HERE.
 
 
 
 

My Place and Yours ... My Collection ...

Kate from Foxs Lane is Theme Queen this week ...



                                     My Collection  ...

... there's travel souvenir charms ...

... faux pique worked tortoiseshell jewelry & curios  ...

                                       

...  glass buttons ...

... snow scenes that started the collecting ...

...boxes, baskets, cases ... my collection holding collections ...

...scarves ...

... powder compacts ...

...  sentimental treasures ...

...  a glimpse of just a smidge of sewing notions ...

... and the fabric ...

... Ooooops close that door ...

My Collections are me ... 

Magnolia Square at Randwick Racecourse ...don't miss it ...

The Sydney Morning Herald got it right ...

     Here's a teeny glimpse of some of the brilliance we discovered  ...

                                                 ... stunning leather from Sisken ...

...  delectable olives and oil by Chris & Neville from Wollundry Grove

... vintage typewriter keys to wear ...

... stunning leather wallets & clutches from the gorgeous Pratten girls ...

Check the retailer index HERE 

... we left relaxed like we'd never felt after a market visit before.

The beautiful ambience, the welcome, 

 the merchandise, the venue ooozed happiness, positive vibes abounded ...

... if you're in Sydney this weekend pop along ... you'll be so pleased you did!

Well done Magnolia Square girls ... hip hooray!

Yayyyyyy we're off to Magnolia Square ...

See you there ...

I feel a shoppathon coming on ...

Galliano - Paris Fashion week Spring 2010

I know Paris fashion week Spring 2010 is over ...

I adore these images ...

don't they make your imagination run wild ... aren't they divine ?

Unconscious Mutterings 355

1.   Grace ::   Kelly

2.   Shower ::   rain

3.   Alice ::   livingnextdoorto


4.   Purple ::   colour

5.   Apartment ::   living

6.   3 ::   odds

7.   Car ::   54

8.   Pregnant ::   baby


9.   Counselor ::   dangerous

10. Discretion ::   independence





check out more mutterings HERE

Meet me at Mikes ... Through the Front Door

Theme Queen for this week, Shelley from Femme de Montmartre, has chosen

"Through the front door ..."

Through the front door Blossom is waiting for me.

I often wonder how releaved she must be ...

as I am ... 

to hear me safely through the front door  ...

Blossie's fave spot at night is atop an ottoman, close by me ...

on her back, legs in the air ...

searching ...

she finds my hand ...

she'll lie there for hours, if I let her ... 

                                      ...  through the front door means safety to Blossie too.

Discovered a new bead warehouse ...

... the cheapest this side of the orient ...

... blew the budget ...

... fancied turquoise  - never have before ...

... the creating is a quandry ...

... watch this space

Toilet Paper ... Leopard - Zebra - Giraffe Prints ...

... you know I adore leopard print ...

... but ... three quid a roll to spend a penny is a bit rich ...

...  check out more lavish loo rolls HERE.

French Landscape with Poppies Tim Irving = remembering Amistace Day ...

The gorgeous Lynn at Paris Hotel Boutique held a competition ...

Taken by Tim Irving  my prize was this stunning print ...

                                              
                                                     "French Landscape with Poppies"

... today is Armistace Day ...

when in 1918 the treaty to end WWI was signed ...

... read more HERE ...

The signifigance of a red poppy was always paramount  ...

why has the tradition in Australia dwindled?

My grandfather and his family's lives changed due to him being gassed in that war  ...

Don't let's forget these men sent too far away ...

At 11am today please STOP and remember them.

My winning entry  ::

"French Landscape with Poppies" has me entranced and perplexed. What is that speck, that shadow in the distance? Did Tim catch a glimpse of the return of a young soldier to where in 1916 many of his mates lost their lives at war?

The red poppies bloom and sway in remembrance of the blood left behind by our young fallen soldiers ... could that be my grandfather guarding the poppies as they bloom?

I would gratefully cherish this gorgeous image.

52 Suburbs AUBURN ... Sydney Suburbs Photography ...

Gorgeous perspectives of AUBURN ...

Louise will be offering her 52 Suburbs series of photo's for sale on Etsy soon.




see more HERE

Unconscious Mutterings :: Week 354

I say ... and you think ... ?




1.Alarm :: danger.

2.Guest :: room.

3.Worm :: puppies.

4.Puppies :: CUTE.

5.Honor :: honour.

6.No! :: Yes!

7.Stomach :: gut

8.Counter :: act.

9.Waffles :: twaddle.


10.Plates :: china.




Read more mutterings HERE

Meet me at Mikes ... My Secret Weapon

What's your Secret Weapon asks Bricole over at Pips place?

Mmmmmm ... there's a zillion answers for this but ...

My secret weapon has to be my brain ...

everything I do is first done in my head ...

majority of the time it's like a twelve lane highway in there.

So much going on ... so many challenges ... 

unfortunately some projects never make it out of there ...

that's OK they're filed in the WIP section  ...

the Work In Progress section ... that's another story.

check out The Human Brain owners manual HERE

Don Lane Farewell Show today ...

Fans queued from 6.45am this morning outside South Sydney Rabbitohs Club for a seat at the tribute show to Don Lane starting 11.30am.



Don's son PJ sang "They're Playing our Song" ...  more like his Dad every day.




                                                            ... love your face Mort.

Melbourne Cup 2009 ... the best & worst ...

... as promised the best and worst of Melbourne Cup 2009 ...

... pics courtesy SMH ...



mosaic courtesy BigHugeLabs ... that I'm still trying to conquer ...

Melbourne Cup Hats ...

No doubt the midnight oil is burning as beautiful and outrageous

                                     chapeaux's are concocted and created to be 

                              seen at 'The Cup" today ...  

... these beauties are from Cups past ...

... I'll report back tomorrow with images of the hats and headwear of the day ...

... hang on to yours ... some of the result will be interesting ...

... not unlike the horse racing ...

... hope you pick a winner  ... go Bart !!

Melbourne Cup - Vintage 1950 racing fashion ...

                        At 3pm today Australia stops for "the race that stops the nation" the Melbourne Cup  ... 

... in the 1950s "the fillies" were studying the form trying to pick the winner ... nothings' changed!

Mrs Ken Read (Boggabri), Mrs Herbert Hudson (Baanbaa), Miss Barbara Read (Boggabri), Mrs Norman McGhie (Sydney), Mrs Norman Read (Sydney) at Randwick from Hood Collection part II : [Sports, Polo, horse racings and horse riding] , ca. 1925-ca.1950 by Sam Hood

 
Horse pic courtesy HERE

Unconscious Mutterings ... 353

1.Hairbrush ::  strokes

2.Sneak ::  horrible

3.Hole ::  circle

4.Horror ::  shock

5.Standard ::  boring

6.Mailbox ::  post

7.Attachment ::  co-dependant

8.Type ::  font

9.Nails :: Opi

10.Storage ::  cluttered
 
 
read more Muttering HERE
 

Halloween ... finding a spooky hotel in Sydney or anywhere in the world ...

Anyone in Sydney for Halloween who wants to take in the spooky side of Sydney should check in at the Russell Hotel.

The hotel, which was formerly a sailors' hostel and is situated in The Rocks, Sydney's oldest district, is thought to contain a seafaring guest who seems somewhat reluctant to check out.

Stories which date back to colonial times suggest that Room 8 is still the residence of a spectral seaman who has been known to stand and stare at guests.

The ocean-faring apparition also has a tendency to patrol the hotel at night, with staff and guests reporting the sounds of creaking floorboards only to find no-one there when they have gone to investigate the noise.

The Russell Hotel, 143a George Street, The Rocks, Sydney. For more information visit: http://www.therussell.com.au/



... read more about haunted hotels around the world HERE


... courtesy UK Daily Mail.

52 Suburbs blog ~ Blacktown

                                This week the brilliant Louise has taken us to Blacktown ...

                                                     
                                                         ... be  transported   HERE ...

Vignette 1. Bathroom ... Mosaic courtesy Big Huge Labs ...

... a time for double excitement ...

... bathroom almost completed ...

... Big Huge Labs allows you to make a photo mosaic ... fabulous !!!

DUBLI is coming ... launching in Australia & NZ on November 1

Dubli says they're going to change the way we buy ...

... using reverse auction

... watch their intro / how to  video  HERE

REGRETSY ...

                                Regretsy ...


... if you don't have a broadminded sense of humour ...


... don't go there ...


... if you do then you'll see they like crafts ...


... they just don’t like these crafts ...


... click HERE ... if you're game ... 


... you've been warned !

PUMPKIN SEASON ... seeds or sickest ...

When you're done with the pumpkin carving don't forget the seeds ...

dry them off with a paper towel ...

toss the seeds in olive oil and sea salt ...

roast till golden brown.  

  ... if you're game go HERE for the sickest Halloween pumpkin  ...  you've been warned!

Unconscious Mutterings ... I say and you think ...? Week 352

1.Redskins :: lolly

2.Show :: time

3.Smoker :: idiot

4.Bad movie :: most

5.Play :: ground

6.Jaguar :: car

7.Click :: clack

8.Production :: extravaganza

9.Sand :: beach

10.Foreign :: unknown
 
 
... more Mutterings HERE
 

My tortie Blossy

My beautiful Blossy ~ 'turn THAT Light down' ...

52 Suburbs ... Harris Park

Louise has taken her talents to Harris Park this week ...

... here she's put Indian and Lebanese delicacies side by side ...

...scrumptious.

to see more click    HERE

Don Lane ~ You're Everything ~ gone never forgotten!

Sad news today at the passing of an old mate, the gorgeous Don Lane ... 

... please a don'a bang a on a ma piano Mort ... 

... love your faces 

COMPANY ... amazing design / inventions ...

Dance shoes ...

... chair re-uplostered with duck tape ...

...clothes chairs ...

aren't these inventions amazing ... more HERE

Chocolatesuze WON ...

Yayyyyyyyyyyyy ...

... our fave foodblogger Chocolatesuze won the Nuffnang competition ... that girl is so darn

ingenious ... and a dedicated foodblogging sweetheart! We met her at the Good Food Show

this year ... now looking forward to her Singapore tales and tantalising pics!

Unconscious Mutterings week 351 ... I say and you think ... ?

1.Werewolf :: of London

2.Jim :: Jimmy

3.2x4 :: 8

4.Unruly :: uncontrollable

5.Component :: part

6.Prolific :: profound

7.Wrestler :: actor

8.Huh? :: Duh!

9.Dolls :: Pussy Cat

10.Super! :: Duper!
 
 
check out other people's mutterings HERE
 

52 Suburbs ... a search for beauty in the Sydney burbs ...

These magnificent images are a glimpse from a new blog ...

52 Suburbs ... a search for beauty in the Sydney burbs ...

... go take a look, the images are breathtaking,  the prose is ...

... well you be the judge ... see more  HERE

Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey ...

If you're like me, still a bit of a novice when it comes to the finer points of blogging, get yourself a copy of this new stupendous book ...

Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey ...

is unputdownable ... I'm devouring this gorgeous book  ...

I ordered mine online at Seek Books here in Sydney ... it was delivered in a couple of days.

Printed on beautiful paper with stunning images on every page ... 

...  you'll find easy to understand answers to your bloggingland questions.  

... no more can't dilly dallying here gotta get back to Tara ... she's fabulous!

TRUE LOVE ...

... aren't these two beautiful?

Unconscious Mutterings week 350 ... I say & you think?

1.My treat :: thanks

2.Bell :: ring

3.Five :: high

4.You’re crazy! :: you're rude!

5.Disgust :: loathe

6.Tempest :: storm

7.Bummer :: dismay

8.Brim :: edge

9.Hose :: fireman

10.Lollipop :: sucker
 
 

... every girl deserves a Mazda NEO ...

                                                         ... a sexy car ...

Dreaming of ... Sothebys' New York

HERE you can browse the catalog for the October 19 auction at Sotheby's New York  ...

                                     Ahhh ... these beauties take my breath away.  

A Nuffnang surprise ... Coles, Redken, John West, Leggo's, Spring Valley ...

 Yet another lovely surprse ... a box of goodies from the guys at Nuffnang ... Thank YOU!

Unconscious Mutterings 349 ...

1. Yacht :: sail
2. Paula :: hey
3. Delete :: erase
4. Auto :: matic
5. Obsolete :: finito
6. Dedicated :: reliable
7. Old :: NOT
8. Convince :: try
9. Poster :: girl
10. Erase :: delete

It was a very, very Happy Birthday ... suprises took my breath away ...

... a surprise trip ... we saw bushfires ... scarey for Sydney's Upper North Shore residents ...

... be still my beating heart ... words will never describe ... seats six rows from the front ...

...  at John Farnham's concert at The Hope Estate ...  

.... a chocolholics delite after the show ...... the venue the day after ... where did those 10,000 people go ...

... then Storm Chasing all the way home ...

... Canon IXUS shots better than expected ...

... all taken from a moving vehicle ...

... what a memorable time ...

... the rain came, the traffic slowed ... we sang and laughed  ...

...how very blessed and gratful I am ...

I dreaded this birthday ... my Darlings knew ... and went out of their way to get me over it!

Since the stupendous excitement ~ readying for the next chapter has kept me flat chat ... watch this space ...

Unconscious Mutterings 348

I say ... and you think ... ?



1.What pleases you? :: everything

2.Whatever :: anything 

3.Chime :: gong

4.Pleading :: never

5.Simulate :: imitate

6.Flashing :: lights

7.Directional :: lost

8.Pink :: Lurrve

9.Access :: all areas

10.Ugly :: uglier
 
 
more mutterings HERE
 
 

ART = Sunny Day : 4464 glass bottles by Aleksandra Stratimirovic ...

Sunny Day ::: 4464 glass vials by Aleksandra Stratimirovic

isn't this clever - see how it was done HERE

Needing more hours in the day ...  haven't downloaded my new Canon ... soon ... 

isn't it gorgeous ?

KIDS FIRST AID ... organise a session now

IF YOU LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE AREAS LISTED ABOVE ORGANISE ONE OF THESE SESSIONS NOW!!!

I went to a session this week and everything we were told years ago doesn't apply ... 


As a new GreatGrand MaMa I can't stress enough how important it is to get yourself along to one of these sessions ...


All those old first aid techniques we were taught don't apply anymore ...


if someone is bitten by a something posionous ... DO NOT try to suck the venom out ...


did you know a small child can and has been known to drown in a pet's bowl of drinking water ...


did you know not to give a drink of anything if a child swallows poison ...

did you know not to rinse a child's eye's out under a tap if they get something in them ...


So many techniques to learn and ALL parents, grandparents, ALL relatives should attend one of these or something similar sessions ...


DID YOU GET MY MESSAGE ...


$55.00 and three hours out of your day could save your child's life!


contact HERE to arrange a session NOW!!!

Art by Canace ::: 40% OFF SALE

The very talented Canace is having a 40% off sale  HERE

Click HERE  ... you'll be so pleased you did ...

Unconscious Mutterings 347

1. Disconnect ::  NOooo
2. Contribute :: Give
3. Dismay :: Disappointed
4. Constant :: Dependable
5. Nails :: Hammer
6. Vibrate :: Jiggle
7. Therapy :: Help
8. Stupid :: Idiot
9. Poo :: Poop
10. Commune :: Hippy

more mutterings HERE

Sydney engulfed today by red dust storm ...

Check out what we woke to in Sydney this morning ...


the whingers are whinging ... I say ...


spare a thought for the Aussies at war who live with this dust 24 / 7 ...


spare a thought for the outback Aussie's and the desert dwellers where this is the norm ...


it will pass!


see more images HERE


see more images at 'The  Red Sydney Project - Dust Storm Days'  HERE 

I'll get back to you shortly ....

I've been to see John Farnham at Hope Estate in the beautiful Hunter Valley ... good grief what a

total shock birthday surprise that was ...

Also have a new pink camera, haven't loaded the doings to the puter yet ... there's hundreds of

photo's to bore y'all  ...

I'll get back to you shortly ...

Life's Bliss!

What's for brekky ...

The Blonde woke this morning ready for her 'dip' ...

and found Miss Fifi checking out breakfast ...

... the poor little duck flew away ... the Blonde scolded Miss Fifi ...  the Blonde did a few laps ;)

Who's birthday did you say it was ?

Grab yourself ... A GORILLAPOD

Lucky me was given an orange Gorillapod ...



No more blurry photo's ...


Thanks to Joby even I'll be able to film a chase scene ... 



... if you wanna know more ... HERE

Unconscious Mutterings 346 ::: I say & you think ...

1.  Omelette :: protein

2.  Classic :: rock

3.  Thrifty :: search

4.  Search :: thrifty

5.  Fan :: wind

6.  Fussy :: I am not

7.  I am not :: fussy

8.  Indulge :: myself

9.  Poor :: rich

10. Manicure :: never


read more Mutterings HERE

VELVET ~ don't you love the feel of velvet?

... nothing better on a cold night than to pull the velvet cover up under your chin ...


... nights like that are becoming few and far between!

Never forgetting ... September 11

September 11 on the calender ended here 30 minutes ago ... I'd felt unable to

post a fitting a tribute a day early Australian time ...



Eight years ago while watching cable TV and talking to MJ on the phone mid

sentence I said "a plane flew into etc ..." MJ shrieked ...



After being in New York months earlier MJ's reaction to the enormity flumoxxed

me ...


Naivety held me for a moment ...


My heart goes out to those who's lives have never been the same ...


Lest we forget.

Pink or Blue ... when is too much enough ...

... these are from an ongoing project by Jeong Mee Yoon HERE ...









... interesting or outrageous ... what do you think?

JOHN FARNHAM concert Sydney September 8, 09

Remember the days when you went to a concert and there were signs everywhere that taking photo's was banned?

Not any more ...

We took these at John Farnham's concert in Sydney last night ...

He's singing better than ever ... the crowd of all shapes and ages, went wild ...

Farnham was awesome, he seemed to have as good a time as everyone there ... especially when some young thing lept onstage and entwined herself around him ...


... he said 'I love my job' ... we said 'we love you John'

...for 60 years of age his vocal chords are as good as new!

... if you get the chance don't miss him!