Ticked this off my list today....

mari eriksson

Inspired by beautiful storage cupboards the last few weeks had lead me to open our pantry and decide it was time for a clean out.

A few boxes of charity items later and a good clean out with Peppermint oil left me with a clean slate.

(It is Mouse season here in the country and they don't like Peppermint)

Our island and dining table looked like an ironstone sale!

This side of the pantry used to hold cookbooks, candles, Cd's and loads of 'stuff'. It always annoyed me.

Now all of my white serving ware have a nice home.

Ah! Much better.

One day this old 70's pantry will get a paint job on the inside, but I kind of like the wood against the white

...for now.

So, I finally ticked that off my mile long 'to do' list =0)

I hope you all have a safe and happy Holiday break, whatever you may be doing.

Market Makeover...

After
Before
Well kind of.
When I bought this little beauty some time ago, she was a Maroon shade with a white marble effect...I know! But for $3 how could I not bring her home and give her a makeover?
The first part straight after I bought her was a undercoat in a washed grey to cover the Maroon
...and that's how she stayed...
until yesterday.


There were redeeming features I knew I could work with.
An old travel label.


from the southern part of Tasmania, which has oodles of charm.
and papered inside. Great for paint.
I gave her a few coats of a chalky white paint...everywhere!
Already she is looking amazing.

and as I am using this as display for my covers for the up coming Niche-All Wrapped Up Markets, I wanted it to not overwhelm my products and designs.

So a covering of brown paper was put over the dirty green original paper.
which I then stencilled with a little leaf design I came up with.

I didn't do the bottom of the case of the other sides because once it is filled with my cushions you wont see them. Remember it is a display piece.
I actually like the fact that one of the latches is missing.

and with one of my White Clay Tags hanging from it I think she looks much better now.

I will be using one of my Luggage White Clay Tags on the Market day though.

What a sweet lady she is now.

I feel much better now to be pulling together the ideas I have for my stall and will be starting work on another piece very soon...stay tuned.
So, what do you think?
Ness xx
p.s-You can by my White Clay Tags HERE =0)
all images-me

© Marley&Lockyer 2009-2011

The Method In The Office??

This year our littlest Man goes off to School and with it brings alot more time for me in my office amongst my vintage fabrics and loads of sewing bits.

So, the aim is to pretty this space up a little and I plan to start with these prints I have here. There are some others which I don't have frames for yet, but I really want the images to inspire me.


You remember I did make a start back around Christmas time with this mirror makeover?

Well I am planning to build on it and see where it takes me...kind of using my own "Method". The approach that I take to making my cushions.

Lets just hope it works for inspirational spaces!!

Ness xx

PS- Thanks to everyone for the wonderful support I received from my post the other day about The Method and my little diversion. I spent yesterday sewing so many cushions which you had ordered, enquired about etc trying to keep the shop stocked with them, but I had to admit defeat. I couldn't keep up...so thank you xx

The Method...

After my whirlwind visit to Sydney, I have come back to a more settled approach to my Store and the realisation that I want it to go back to the roots I intended it to be from the beginning.

Always thinking I had to create new, amazing pieces I had got to the point where I was doubting my abilities and did for a while think of stepping away from the whole shop/blogging scene for good.

After a slap in the face from myself and a rummage through my original sketch books I began sewing the other day like I used to...by holding fabric in my hand and going from there. I always find for me this is the best way. Each piece I have made this way has been a best seller. So, at least I know it works.

The cover above is a new one made from this method and I love this. A mixture of beautiful linen, screen printed and paired with white madder stripe in grey, also screen printed.

My love of jewelry has stayed and these wood Ampersands (my all time fave typography) have become brooches and have been getting great responses from people who have purchased saying they get loads of compliments - which is lovely.


I did make this little terracotta bunny brooch too. With his textured tail and heart 'birthmark' he is sooo cute.

This new ring is made of clay and wood and has been hand drawn on in black with a Peony flower.

I have been wearing my own one alot lately.Finally, another new cushion made from the above mentioned technique.

This one sold immediately and I have since added another.

It actually fits a standard pillow insert if it is soft, or a lumbar insert.

The blue ticking on this is heavenly.

If you wish to see more click HERE

So what do you think about my method and the results?

What have you made lately?

Ness xx

Roadside Find...

So today I said I would show you my roadside find. It wasn't exactly a 'roadside' find, more like a out-the-front-of-a-shed find!

I also wanted to show you the Ampersand that my Dad made for me from a sketch I done onto MDF board. You can see it here on my 'new' desk, which was the find mentioned above.
Firstly a closer shot of the Ampersand. It is unfinished at the moment, but I plan on having a go with the grey paint I done the mirror with from yesterdays post and build up on it. The & is
huge and my Sister has had me trace the & so Dad can make her one when he gets back to Sydney!!


...and here is my find. The desk.

I seen it outside one of my haunts and wondered why it was outside in the rain. It had a sign on it "Take away for a gold coin donation". I mentioned it to my Mum, who stopped in there on her way home and she checked it out and sent Dad and I out to pick it up in there little car in the pouring rain may I add!!

It wasn't going to fit in the car so Dad and I used brute force to pull the legs off so we could get home out of the rain. Which worked well as Dad re-built it on the veranda and voila! A gold coin donation desk for my 'new' office!!!

It has flaky varnish on it and needs a makeover too, but I will get to it when I can. It works and the desk top is huge so I am content

...for now!!!

Ness xx

-my Mum and Dad left for Sydney this afternoon so this is just a short post as I have a thumping Migraine from the goodbye and need to sleep....night =0)

Mirror Makeover...

Yesterday while the sun was shining in full force I thought I would clean up my new office after the aftermath that was Christmas, except I was sidetracked with this mirror which has been above the fireplace in here for a while waiting to have a makeover.

Finally I done the makeover!


The reflection now looks much nicer with my own mix of French greyand picks up the lovely colour o my vintage Botanic prints Mum found.

This was the look prior to the makeover - bronze and gold and far too dark and heavy for me and my 'new' office.
...very happy with the look =0) The details look better with this soft grey now.
and now works with my little bird house that my dear Dad made...what do you think?
Now I am planning to paint my big Ampersand that my Dad also made for me on my desk there in the same colour.
There is still alot to do in here, but at least I have made a start now I am not so busy.
I will show you my free road side find tomorrow, its come in very handy.
Ness xx
all images - Me

What to do when your peg basket breaks...

Make a new temporary one!

This post is totally random and one of those little moments in a day that I happened to capture.
I have this one monogrammed with a V, for Vanessa of course. Even though I only get called that when I am in trouble ;0) I made it from white linen and has a little soft blue ribbon to tie the end and keep my pegs safe...I do love our white floorboards and my old wicker basket =0)

Really happy how it turned out. I even managed to do some little flowers on it and some flourishes. I thought it looked great sitting on our white towels, straight from the line when I brought them in from the sun and thought I would show you.
...see, totally random.

Now to find a new peg basket!

Ness xx

No Rest At The Cottage...

Tricia Foley

There will be no rest for me this weekend!

After I take one of our boys to a Birthday Party I will be cleaning....

Pine Cone Hill

...sewing...

...and displaying...
HERE
At The Miners Cottage!
The deadline is drawing closer and I have loads to do still. I thought I would show you this before shot so you can remember what I started with. Pictures have been framed, lampshades are on, curtains are up (most of them), that stripe carpet is GONE, cleaning has finished, and bits and pieces have arrived. I am happy with how it is going, but there still is a long way to go.
Wish me luck and stay tuned.
Ness xx

Calm Creative Storm

Is there such a thing?

There must be. Since we have had some crazy storms and torrential rain here in Tasmania, I have been making, making, designing, re arranging and making some more. It has been a very calming experience as all of these things I am about to show you have been for our own home, not orders or clients...just us and I am inspired!!

Believe it or not, the 2010 Christmas range is underway even.Something I don't usually start for a little while yet.

Anyway, I laid out this pile of fabrics the other day and SO many things came to mind. The fabrics include some 100 year old linen, a gorgeous French inspired ticking stripe and floral from French General, my hand dyed linen, herringbone wool and the embroidered white linen with the ladder stitching detail...what to do first!

After a little art switch in our bedroom (remember I had the pictures up still from when my office was in here? I changed it to the wreath canvas I made that was in the living room...confused yet??) I decided we needed some new European covers for our bed. So I made up the wonderfully warm neutral coloured covers at the back. Like them?

Here is a close up.
I added my print (which was inspired by a vintage handkerchief my gran gave me) in a very light grey as I wanted it to have a subtle tone and not jump right of the cover at you. It looks so nice behind our snowy white ruffled Euro covers and i am very pleased with how it turned out seeing I put it on with a kitchen sponge instead of screen printing it. This technique i have started to love as it gives the print a vintage look.

So much so, I made 2 white and grey covers to go on the sofa and I think I will make some more for the $5 chairs!

I also made the long pillow to the right of the photo out of the embroidered linen and my grey herringbone wool. This fabric is so soft and snugly - perfect to curl into on the sofa while the rain hits the French doors and the fire crackles! Mic has given it the thumbs up too. He is SO sick right now and has spent the last few days snuggled up against this pillow.

Oh and i still haven't made anything with the vintage Irish linen piece yet...too scared to sew it in case I ruin it!!

The calm creative storms can stay - for a little while anyway =0)

Ness xx

Farmhouse Style Kitchen Island

Remember I had hoped for a creative weekend? Well I had one and over the week I will show you what I got up to, but first I wanted to show our center island in the kitchen which my Dad fixed for me. This island did have 3 drawers in it, 2 which never worked properly and I had always wanted shelves in there instead.
So, my Dad added a shelf to the middle and I have lidded plastic storage tubs in the 2 shelves now to keep our plastic containers, tea towels etc within easy reach...but it looked untidy. So, I made a curtain from my hand dyed linen to cover it all.
A paint to finish the drawer front that remained and added my brushed nickle bin pull handles to tie in with the rest of the kitchen and voila! Finished farm house style island.
And a batch of biscuits was the reward...straight from the oven!
Ness xx

Little Change Around

While I was having my creative weekend, I also moved and changed some things around...again!

You may remember this wall having.....
...my $5 sideboard on it. I have been changing the vignettes on here over and over for the last year and was getting really bored with it, so I moved it to....

...behind the $5 bargain chairs I recently re covered. This big piece makes the space more definite now and also stops the chairs sliding back when the boys throw themselves on them!
So you can see the little unit where the sideboard used to be.
You can also see that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was on and Declan eating what was left of the yoghurt. On a good note, you can see my Ginger jar collection on the TV unit...love those jars!!!


This little cupboard I bought with some other cupboards and a bed for about $35! So the cupboard worked out to be about $5. I seem to do well with things that cost 5 bucks!!
The little blue china knobs were spares I had to tie in with my blue and white china collection.
My Mum, the bargain specialist, picked up the standard lamp for me while she was here on holidays (Mum and Dad left yesterday...I had a cry while they drove off=0( and I added a shade I already had - $10.00 this came to. With a new change around came a little vignette re creating and this one includes a mirror Mum picked up from the markets a long time ago, my French market basket filled with Peonies, a cute little blue and white jar I bought from my favourite shop which is no more, Always Flowers in Kiama NSW and the little Artichoke canister was a giveaway prize from The Swedish Room and some of my decorating books with a white theme from Atlanta Bartlett, Cabbages and Roses and Gail Abbott.

I am very happy with this arrangement and I will be showing you what is in the reflection tomorrow!!
Ness xx

Ginger Jars, Updates and a GIVEAWAY!

Today I had hoped to show you the re done center island, but I can't as it is still not finished. There has been too many other things going on around here. A 6th Birthday for our little Declan, burst water main, way too much rain, other jobs to attend, etc, etc.

I did manage to group some of my Ginger jar collection together on our old TV cupboard. You may remember that my Mum and Dad brought me a load down to add to my collection, some of them are here. I love them.

Here are some other updates....

The bathroom is still in progress. We are having to replace some boards as they are beyond help and Dad is helping us do this. We have made the decision to paint the floor in here. Sanding and polishing is going to be just to time consuming...and we just don't have the time right now.
The Miners Cottage is undergoing a mini fumigation. Every time I step in here, I come out feeling itchy!!! I'm not going back in there until this is finished...can you blame me?

Mum and I are hopefully going to do some work on the weekend - if the itchies are gone (I know this is not a word btw).

I am just hanging to get going in there.

I have also listed some clay tiles in my Etsy store, made by me from start to finish. I have sold some already which was nice as I wasn't sure how they would go.
Oh, and see the fabric this one is laying on? It is some of the new fabric I have from French General to play with =0) when I have some time.

I also added this sweetie to my etsy shop too and some others are on the way
It is hectic right now. I have so many jobs to do and all of this rain is not helping. I just keep thinking 'There is about 8 and a half weeks until Spring'....ah! sunshine!!

I have something special to post about tomorrow...could it be a GIVEAWAY?????!

Ness xx