Fun finds and retro uber cool.

Hi everyone 

I've been finding some really cool bits and pieces

Lately at the opp shops and thru the estates we have been picking up.

First pic is a funky fringed 1980s suede jacket 

Second pic is a Merivale faux fur jacket and skirt.

For our overseas readers Merivale was a fabulous store in Australia that was our version of Biba in the UK Palm trees fabulous clothing the hot spot for 1970s-80s cool.

And the third pic is a plaster aboriginal figures from the 1950s-60s that is classic kitchen and it's going straight to the caravan! So I can enjoy it for years to come .

Cheers Lyn

Yes I know it's been a while!

Hi Everyone,
It's been a while,lots of excuses but mainly one been finding Facebook a little easier,lots of pictures and not so much writing.
But over the last couple of months I've been doing some interesting things.
Lots of the usual stuff like being a mum,estates,opp shopping and endless house work ,but not enough time for sewing!
On a good note ,I'm involved in starting up an opp shop to raise money for my daughters school,which has reminded me of my corporate other life from nearly ten years ago.
So I've added photos of a couple of projects that I've been working on the first two are a dress made from vintage scraps and the third is a Doyley quilt made from damaged doileys that are to pretty to throw away.
So enjoy the photos and hopefully I will be back to regular blogging!
Cheers Lyn

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Three down two to go more up cycle projects.

Hello Everyone,
I'm working my way thru a few cane pieces and giving them a new life.
Hopefully someone will want to enjoy them in their home.
Lots of paint in lovely bright colours and loads of vintage sheet fabrics.
The first two are in lovely lime green and pink and then I decided to do a fire engine red cane table .
Next I have started a turquoise blue two seater couch and a canary yellow child's chair.

So I have taken them to the Vintage shed to see how they go I'm hoping people will like the new spring colours.
Cheerio Lyn.

Spring cane furniture upcycle.

Hi Folks,
As I sit here writing to you covered in various colours of spray paint,you will realise our winter is pretty much over and we in the Southern Hemisphere are embracing SPRING !
So it's time to create, paint ,sew and generally make stuff.
So this week I am attempting to revitalise an old retro cane setting.
So clearly there is lots of spray painting involved as well as covering the old cushions with vintage sheet patchwork.
So here is the first cab off the rank!

So the next chair is pink and the two seater is going to be turquoise they should look quite colourful together.

Cheerio Lyn

More upcycling projects

Hello everyone,
I came across a plastic coated apron at the opp shop the other day and I bought it without a plan in mind.
It was clearly a tourist gift from London with the underground depicted on it and I've fond memories of the London Underground when I visited as a teenager.
I recall it had wooden escalators back then with long rides to the platforms ,as we in Melbourne did not have an underground system then.
Anyway my beloved came home with an odd stool from hard Rubbish ( curb side pickup )and said do you want it! Hell yes I replied I have a great project in mind.
So I stripped off the old cover and found the foam was in pretty good condition,there was no weird
smells so on to the next step.

Next I used the old top as a pattern drew around it with a texta and measured the side strips and cut 

Them both out.Then I sewed the whole lot together making certain that they were double stitched the ends .next I used a glue gun to fold and attach the top to the base. I think it turned out quite well.

Cheerio Lyn 

Things I have been up to lately.

Hi Everyone,
It's been a long time since I posted last,the black dog has been following me along with computer malfunctions and a lack of enthusiasm for life generally.
So I'm looking for new collections a day to start up again,and slowly getting things together and starting to remember stories.
What I have also been doing is some more up cycling with old cigarette tins and bits and pieces that I have found along the way.
I suppose I call them story tins.
They involve a story from the photos that I find at estates and then they work from there and become an occasion or memory in these people's lives,who I don't know and have never met .

So I hope you like this idea,I have given a few away to friends who needed cheering up and the rest have gone to my new stall at the Hayshed at the Packinghouse complex in Tyabb.

Cheerio all Lyn

Cleaning up my work room

Hi Everyone,
So it's been six years in a mess,stepping over boxes of fabric,piled high with half finished ideas and lots of stuff that just needed throwing out.
I've finally made a start! Yes I know you ask yourself why have you waited six years?
Well with a small person ,a buisness and helping my husband it's just been too hard! I would make a start and someone would get sick or we would have a huge estate to process and I've never had a good run at it.
This week I had two full days af cleaning sorting and organising ! Yay!

So there is still quite a lot to organise but I feel I've broken the back of it.

Scissors all found and organised

                                        but there is still lots of fabric to fold and sort out.
I actually started by making the curtains first out of Vintage pillowcases and they now make the room cosy and warm as we are having a particularly cold winter.
onwards I go and hope it wont take me another six years to finish it!
Cheers Lyn.

New stall space at The Vintage Shed.

Hi Everyone,
It's been another busy week here and we have two estates to clear out this week as well as lots of changes at The Vintage shed  and Waverley Bazaar . Today was the Vintage shed turn as I have moved into a larger stall and this gives me more space for vintage lovlieness .

                    These photos were taken at the end of the day and don't do it justice.

So all in all I think it turned out quite well .

Lots more new stock coming down on Thursday.

Cheers Lyn.

Making Stuff and up cycling because its cold!

Hi everyone,
It's winter here in Melbourne ,cold windy raining and generally miserable.
So now its time do do fun indoor activities hence the scrabble / ruler table.

 I found a table at my local recycle center and it had broken tiles on its top i removed the tiles and gave it a good clean.

Next I started fitting in timber scrabble tiles and vintage rulers into a stripe pattern,until I was pleased with the look and then glued the whole lot together with PVA wood glue.

I think it turned out ok!

Cheers Lyn.

Collection every couple of days #106

Hi everyone,
I really don't know what to call these except utensils.
This collection is a bit of a mixture of bits and pieces that have been sitting on my dressing table and added to when these obscure thing come my way.

Some are from manicure sets others are bone crochet hooks,button hooks ,pens and scissors but they fit nicely in an old cup.
Do you have a place that you keep your bits and bobs?
Cheers Lyn.

Some patch work up cycling

Hi everyone,
Over the school holidays ,whilst entertaining Miss Grace , I made some patchwork quilts from scraps that have been hanging around the sewing room.

 Mostly they are made from vintage sheet scraps and small pieces ,and off cuts from other projects.

                  Do you love to patch work are you a hand sewer or machine sewer like me!

I hope you like.

Cheers Lyn

Collection every couple of days #105

Hi Everyone,
Wooden cotton reels.
I have lots of these and they come from estates fairly regularly.I love there design and shape and of course there labels.

I do bag them up and sell them from time to time but they are getting to be rarer and rarer.
I find the actual cotton on the reels are a lot better quality than the modern equivalent .
Do you have some wooden cotton reels?
Cheers Lyn.

Collection every couple of days #104

Hi everyone,
Bag clasps,
These clasps have come to me in the usual way from estates and opp shops and are waiting patently for me to figure out how  to re invent them into new bags.

The second on down is a lovely silver one with roses embossed on the handle,the next one is a lovely Bakelite Victorian one.
To me they are potential for creation.
Cheers Lyn.

Collection every couple of days#103

Hi everyone,
Darning mushrooms
I love these little guys,I remember as a child both my mum and grandmother had darning baskets complete with the mushroom
They would spend their spare time industriously darning socks.

Now of course socks are so cheap that people just throw them away.
I loved the idea of "make do and mend"
And I am still a good darner .
I guess it has become a lost art!
Cheers Lyn

Collection every couple of days#102

Hi everyone,
 School holidays are over and it's time to get back to it!
Dressmakers scissors.
Yes I sew a lot and these scissors are used constantly for fabric only and kept out of the way of little people and big peopl who don't sew!

These have been found mostly at estates exept the second pair from the left which are more precious as they belonged to my mum.
I also love the big shears as they make cutting patterns out a breeze.
Cheers Lyn

Short break in transmission,

Hi everyone,
we are having a short break for school holidays .That is all.

                                                                     carry on .
                                                                   cheers Lyn

Collection every couple of days#101

Hi everyone,
Little metal purses, this collection has been slowly collected over a long time,probably since I was a child.

And sometimes they just found me.
I love that they are all such cute shapes.,the very tiny purses were designed for telephone or parking metre monies .
Cheers Lyn

Collection every couple of days #100

I made it! 100 hundred collections!
Today lets talk about a collection of inspiration .

 These lady's who are the authors of the above books have helped me along the way when I was lacking inspiration.

And in the bookcase above there's more folk who inspire me .I do love to browse the net and Pinterest in particular but there is nothing like a book to really get the creative juices flowing.

If I can't afford to buy them there is always our local library which has a great selection and of course opp shops.

Do you have a creative drive if so what inspires you?

Cheers Lyn

Collection every couple of days #99

Hi Everyone,
Vintage scarves.
These are just a few of the scarves I have at home and also in the shops.I choose them for their colours designs and textures.
Some of this little booty are classics like the hunting scene on the top left one of those designs you could wear with your cashmere cardigan and tweed skirt for that classic country house look

Or the pretty pink one on the top right with a wonderful silk tourist design, another classic.spots poodles flowers all pretty examples of the scarf makers talent.
Have you got scarves that you love?
Cheers Lyn.

Collection every couple of days #98

Hi everyone,
Indian fabric printing blocks.
These all came from another dealer who was selling them in her stall and I just loved them at first sight hand carved with intricate detail.
After a little research I found they were from India and were used to print saris and cotton textiles.

India is famous for its beautiful fabrics and particularly Saris,and I love having a piece of their textile  industries history.
Maybe one day I will have a go at printing them myself!
Cheers Lyn.