Mon Espace Créateur - { My Creative Space }

I never had the staying power as a wee person to amass a collection of anything enviable. Classmates dug into their tidy boxes to retrieve tin pencil cases filled with pristine rubbers (erasers to those who use "rubbers" in a different light!) of every shape and smell. Ice creams, Christmas trees, teeny tiny pandas....




I dabbled but this fickle lass ended up with a few mangy looking blobs either grey in the corner from use or crumbled into the corners of said tidy box (only to be discarded during that heavenly end of term class activity...the tidy box clean out!... heavenly that is, except the year I left the painted boiled Easter egg in there over the school hols....pee-yoo!!!)

Then there was a brief stint as a stamp collector! Again I lacked certain qualities necessary for such a hobby such as organisation...tidiness....stamps of variety!! I did however have page after page of the Queen's face so that's a collection of sorts I guess.

This collection adorning my hallway wall however, I'm pretty chuffed with. Inspired by the gorgeous Melinda of moose and bird I whipped up these little wall decorations in minutes...and for pittance! Truth be told...Melinda simply would not let me buy one of her doily ones as she believed I could make one myself and wouldn't take my money no matter how hard I tried to thrust it upon her person. Well here's a shout out to her for the grand idea! You simply must check out her stuff...it is delicious!

For a vast collection of crafty folk pop over here.

Les Marchés au Puces - { The Market of the Fleas }

Once upon a time a wee boy set off on a backyard adventure to grasp all that he possibly could of the glorious day and put it to good use. Without a sibling to aid (or hinder) in his merry making and his faithful canine friend Patchy panting excitedly behind his heels, he joyfully began his fossick through the ubiquitous garden shed.

The trusty old Victor mower proved a worthy ladder to hoist this little man up onto the laden workbench. Tin upon tin of nails, bolts and screws of every dimension. A veritable Charlie and the Chocolate factory assortment of handyman lollies!

He delved and dived into each shiny container, his beam growing wider with each discovery until....... a scream so loud and so blood curdling rang through the air. The boy's battle weary Mother (he had already taken the top off his finger in a door and knocked himself out riding a rocking horse a little too "high -ho Silver and away-ish!" in his short life) scaled the stairs in seconds and descended upon the shed to find....

Not blood, nor tears...but hundreds of dollars gripped tightly in the little man's chubby fingers. "Mummy, I found a treasure!" he joyously exclaimed. This little boy's Daddy liked to, and still does, hide money around the house for a rainy day. When the relieved (yet rather peeved....she was a budgeting marvel) Mummy tried to set things right....that's when the tears came. The end.

These vintage Willow tins were a gorgeous bargain I picked up while out fossicking myself last week and I can't wait to come up with treasures to hide in them. Money? I spend it way too fast for that!! I wonder what thrifty fun I'll unearth over here.

Post script: The lovely little boy soon after had a real life treasure in the form of a black haired sister named Stephanie..... who he spent the next 18 or so years of his life teasing mercilessly.

Vieux Tableau de Fenêtre - {Old Window Blackboard}

I have quite the addiction my friends to writing lists. To do lists....shopping lists....renovation lists.....things I want to make lists...present lists.....the list goes on (get it...ha!!). Coupled with a love affair for old casement windows I had a list lovers match made in heaven. This blackboard was easy peasy lemon squeezy.....so easy in fact I thought I'd show you how.

Step 1 : Find yourself an old casement window. It needn't look exactly like mine but something with a large middle panel is best. (I particularly liked this one and it was a bargain but I did have to remove a few pieces of timber from the centre.....an easier version would just have one big central piece of glass)

Step 2: Decide which glass panel you want to turn into a blackboard and which ones you want to leave just cause they're pretty! Turn your window over and using a hammer and chisel chip away the old putty holding the glass in place. Go slowly and please, please, please wear safety glasses. Your peepers can't grow back!

Step 3: Wearing gloves very carefully remove the glass.....old glass like this can really bite! Using your hammer flatten back the little naily things that help hold the glass in place and then measure and cut a thinnish piece of MDF to fit your new space (make sure you measure right to the edges of the space so the MDF can sit on the little rebate all around the sides) . Apply a few good coats of blackboard paint trying to paint in one direction. When dry, lay your blackboard face down into the space.

Step 5: Using a hammer, gently tap weeny nails into the back sides of the window to hold the blackboard in place (hammer the nails on a bit of an angle and only tap them in about half the way). I used one every 15 centimetres or so. Attach a good sturdy picture hook to the back....

Et voila! Your funky shopping list/menu board/Mumma's taxi bookings/lusty date night with your Hubby schedule etc. is complete.

May your shopping list always read like so: 2 bottles of Moët, truffle oil, a slab of triple cream brie, double cream, fresh raspberries, un baguette, portobello mushrooms, white asparagus, fresh tortellini, chocolate of all shapes and sizes.....


To see the list of all lists head over here to see all the creative lovelies and what they've been up to. Mmmmm....I really should make a list of which blogs I have visited over at Kirsty's this week....

Vous êtes mon soleil - { You are my sunshine }

A giant merçi to all of you for my lovely birthday wishes! And especially to my gorgeous Melbourne twin, Bren for sending love by the bucket load through her blog. What a treasure! My wonderful, albeit sneaky Hubby sure did catch me out this time....and he never can! Usually I'm a right little Sherlock Holmes and Watson rolled into one.

We spent a heavenly day pottering around this old town partaking in a spot of shopping, coffees and cake, seafood buffet overlooking the Brissie River....la di dah! And not once did a pram wheel wedge into the gutter, nor sultanas spray throughout the shop to the disgust of fellow patrons. No demands for a "bock" (ice-block) nor to "war, war" (walk).For the first time in a long time Hubby and I were sans child...in the day! We didn't quite know what to do with ourselves.....at first!

All in all it was a blissful day. And the cherry on the top was this delightful print by illustrator Katie Daisy I'd been eyeing off that Hubby sneakily bought and framed up in some old skirting (skirting from our old lounge room....yes the house was indeedy orange!) We've hung it in the hall outside the bathroom and it makes me smile.....and hum, every time I see it.

You my Darren, are my sunshine! Love ya to Andromeda and back, you big spunk!

joyeux anniversaire ma chérie

Hello all, It is hubby here sneaking in a little post (my first one!!!) of my own. Just to let you all know it is the fabulous Steph's birthday tomorrow and I am dropping off Poppet at Nana's and taking her out for a day of shopping and feasting and might even squeeze in a massage........ What do you reckon. Will she love it????

I am sure she will. Lets just hope she doesn't check her post as she tends to do just before bedtime.

Also, isn't she just the most amazing person ever??? Well I think so, I am biased though :)

Now.... how do I change that sign off.....hmmmmm... oh well, you know...... a bientot Hubby.

Mon Espace Créateur - { My Creative Space }

A hop, skip and a jump ago I waffled on about my impending trip to the caverns of doom. That is the change rooms of the local swim suit shop. Well after loading a toddler into the car (can you now see why I was terrified...I had to take poppet with me too!!!) and driving to the shopping centre, navigating my way through the labyrinth of a car park, assembling the pram and loading it full of Bijou required paraphernalia (read: food, food and more food!) I realised it was all too hard and found a quirky café and shouted myself to a strong machiato and a giant piece of cake to share with my wee bestie. Needless to say I came home empty handed.


Maybe it was the double shot espresso or the sugar rush from le gatêau but I came home with a giant bee in my bonnet madly buzzing in my ear, "You could make some togs!" . I used this pattern and a vintage sheet but had to modify it a wee bit....let's just say that breast feeding a certain someone to 16 months does not a Marilyn Monroe-esque bosom make! I also lined it with swimsuit lining and did a little see through test in the shower so as not to scare the life guards.

I loved how I could tie it in place therefore avoiding peek-a boo-ing any passers by and avoiding that hungry bottom affair that the likes of Miranda Kerr can get away with but us mere mortals fail to do justice. All in all I felt particularly Gidget in my retro beach ensemble and almost felt brave enough to give long boarding a crack. I did say almost.

I do declare that oodles of people have been super crafty this week.


♪ Let's go surfin now, everybody's learning how, come on a safari with me..... ♪

Ses Trésors - { Her Treasures }

Curly shells, seed pods, sticks, rocks worn smooth with the constant caress of sea water...

Unnoticeable to us in our frantic mission to find the hat, slather on sunscreen on every nook of her milky skin, set up the beach toys, check that we're out of the sun between 10 and 2.......relax...

All treasures to her tiny hands and giant heart. Fossicked for with intent and placed carefully in her very own Mumma made treasures bag.


Add two sweet little friends to help with hunting and you have the makings of a day of bliss.



If only I could make a bag big enough to pop her in!

Wishing you a week full of treasure hunting.

Le Marché de Mathilde - { Mathilda's Market }

Back from a gorgeous memory making week away at Noosa cheering my spunk of an athlete hubby on to achieve a new personal best time in the triathlon, I have hit the ground running. With the trusty ute packed to the rafters with all things mon petit popppet I'm off to spruik my wares at Mathilda's market today. There are so, so very many beautiful things on offer I'll have to be careful I don't spend my profits. I would love to see you there! Pop in and say hi...hopefully I'll be hard to get to because of the throngs of people buying up a storm at my stall!


I hope your weekend is magnificent!