Thursday 31 January 2013


Baking up a Storm

Hi Vintage Lovers,

Where has this week gone? I can't believe the first week of the school year is over already. The week went well, all the kids are happy and have settled in to school well. I must admit I have been a little lost this week without the kids around. Sally has done a fantastic job of keeping me company, but it has been very quite even with Sally around and the radio on.

I decided to get busy with some baking yesterday. I love baking. I whipped up some choc-chip muffins, which I would normally leave for winter, but it was so cold here yesterday, I thought it was a good day to make them.

 
 
 
 
 They are so easy to make and are great for the school
 lunchboxes. My 1930's enamel cake tin is perfect to pop all the yummy muffins in. Much better than a plastic container.
 
 
 Today was another cold day, so I decided to whip up some bickies while I was still in the baking mood.
 
 
Shortbread and gingerbread are always a favourite in our house. I usually only make it at Christmas time, but everyone here has decided it was too yummy are are wanting me to keep baking them. I am thinking this will be the last batch until next Christmas.
I would like to make some jam drops and some melting moments next.
 
 
Have a great weekend.
 

Mel
 

Monday 28 January 2013


More Time


Hi Vintage Lovers,

School's back in....... It all went well this morning for the first school day of the year and no tears from me! I did better than I thought I would. My mum shouted us a coffee (after school drop-off) and then we did a morning of op-shopping. One of my favourite pass-times with one of my favourite people.

The house is going to be very very quiet and I will have alot more time on my hands. A bit too quiet, It may take a while to get used to. I'll have to get busy and get all those jobs done, that I've been putting off and now I have time for. It does give me lots more time to be a Vintage Treasure Hunter which I can't wait for.

I still have Sally to keep me company.

 
Sally is our beautiful Border Collie who is now twelve and a half. She does spend a lot of time sleeping and taking it easy these days........
 
 
She doesn't like being that far away from me, so she is very good company and doesn't mind jumping in the car for treasure hunting adventures.
 
 
Have a fantastic week.
 
Mel

Wednesday 23 January 2013


More Treasure

Hi Vintage Lovers,

I just did a spot of treasure hunting yesterday and had a few lucky finds. What do you think?

 
 
I have been looking for ages for a hand helded beater with green handles, couldn't believe my luck when I came across this one. I also came across a blue enamel dish with very few scratches. I normally only collect green and cream enamel ware but I couldn't just leave her there, feeling rather unloved. As I was heading out to pay I also spotted a lone bone handled knife. I have a weakness for bone handled cutlery. It reminds me of my grandma and her kitchen that always had yummy smells wafting out of it.

My other find is a little bit of a mystery to us. We think it's a chip cutter, that makes the sides and ends of the chips crinkly.

 
 
 
What do you think? Any ideas on what else it could be?
 

Have a fantastic week.

Mel

Tuesday 15 January 2013


Vintage Treasure Hunting
Hi Vintage Lovers,

Don't you just love a vintage treasure hunt? I love them. Today was a vintage treasure hunting day, not all day but enough time to get a few treasures. While the kids were down the beach with my Dad, Mum and I hunted out a few items at the local recycling centre.

I love collecting old suitcases; they look fantastic and are great for storage. Today I was lucky enough to find another one to add to my collection. I also picked up some green and cream enamel dishes that just needed a good clean to bring them back to life.

 
The old little case is in great condition.
 


 
It is the perfect size to go under the TV table with the other trunks (to hide all those horrid TV cords).
 
 
Just what I was looking for and fits perfectly under the table, like it was made for it.
 
 
 

Hope you are having a great week.

Mel

Thursday 10 January 2013


Ella, Gorgeous Ella.

Hi Vintage Lovers,
I can hear you asking, who is Ella? Ella is our 1939 club lounge and our oldest daughter had the fantastic idea to call her Ella. My grandma on my mum’s side of the family, we call Lala. Ella was Lala's nickname that her family called her when she was younger. When my brother and I were little, Lala told us that the family called her Ella, but neither of us could say Ella properly - it came out as Lala, and that just stuck!


Lala in her heyday in 1939, aged 21 years.

Lala and Papa bought Ella in the early 1970’s (second-hand) so Ella brings back so many memories of growing up for me. Even as I type right now I am sitting in Lala’s spot, the spot that she always sat in. We were given Ella when Lala went into a nursing home about 11 years ago. We used her in our family room for quite a while, until she was really coming apart at the seams. She still had her original material and had never been touched.
 

Ella in need of some TLC
 
Begrudgingly, I agreed to pop her out in the shed until we had the funds to re-upholster her (as I knew it would be a few years down the track). Last year, while we were selling and moving houses, we decided it would be the perfect time to get her restored. So instead of putting her on the moving truck, we popped her on the trailer and took her for a three month stay at an upholsterer. After a wee bit of debating, we decided on an olive brocade material, the closest one I could find to the original material. I am a firm believer that any restorations that are done on anything old should be carried out so that the piece remains as it came from the factory, or place of origin.

It was a really long three months to be without her. The upholsterer did a fantastic job and also made a matching ottoman, which looks great. I am really really happy with her and so glad to have her home now. We even found out the month, year and who made her because it was stamped on her frame. She was made in March in 1939, six months before World War II started. The upholsterer displayed her in the front of the shop (for a week or so) and she had people stopping and coming in to ask if she was for sale! She’s certainly not for sale and never will be! She looks amazing and fits in perfectly in our family room and complements our other old bits and pieces.


Ella in her glory
I love old, anything old - it has a story to tell. Old is a lot more interesting than a new item made in China and bought at any retail shop – where is the story in that? And while I am at it – it probably won’t last long enough to gain any stories anyway. I try to buy everything old and vintage because we are just too much of a throwaway society these days. Old and vintage items have all sorts of tales to tell but the best ones are family items handed down that have a personal story to tell. I am very lucky to have a few such items, more of which I will share with you in blogs to come.

Have a great weekend.

Mel

Tuesday 1 January 2013


New beginnings for a new year

Hi and Welcome to my first ever blog post!

My passion is for anything old or vintage and this is what my blog will be all about. Since a young age I have always adored old and vintage and I am also a firm believer in salvaging and preserving time worn items.  
I discovered blogging quite by accident while I was searching for vintage wares about six months ago and became hooked straight away. I am not very computer savvy but thought I would give blogging a go for myself as it's a great way to share with others who have the same interests and passion.
 
I am a mum to three kids, my youngest is starting school this year and my oldest is starting high school - so big changes in our house! Very exciting but also rather nerve racking for the kids and for us. After 12 years of being a full time Mum, I thought this could be the perfect chance to do something for myself and pursue the dream I have had for a while now.

Now that the introductions are out of the way please stay tuned for my second post. I thought I would share with you in the next few weeks how I came across my 1939 Club Lounge and its journey to life in our living room!

Happy New Year

Mel