Time out cruising...

Hi all, Ive just got back from a 4 day comedy cruise, short and sweet!

I recommend it highly, apart from getting out on the high seas, enjoying the fresh air and of course, the entertainment on board, it was enough time to relax and have time out from the regular turmoil of life!

Though I have to say it isnt for the weak, Bass Strait gave us some of its toughest punches!

Having never 'cruised' before, I only had 'The Love Boat' to go by, lol, well let's just say, it wasnt quite the same...

So we travelled from Newcastle to Melbourne, with a full day of shopping, then cruised our way back.

 With cash burning a hole in my wallet, I had full intentions of spending up at the Queen Victoria Markets, and then heading over to DFO for some great bargains. I went with a wonderful group of people , quite diverse, and interesting.

We laughed our way across the seas!

Apart from buying a few things from the P & O shop on board, truth be told, I only bought one thing at the markets....isnt that always the way, cant spend it when youve got it?

I may not ever wear it, but thought it was cute enough to add to my collection!

(will show you that another time)

And now Im back at work, how quickly we fall back into our lives and daily activities. Im finally getting my landlegs back, and have a few hurdles and speedbumps to work through before my next adventure in June/July.

On the home front, my kitchen is progressing slowly...too many interruptions!

So where does Junkstudio stand these days?  Mmmm, will get back to you on that one....bare with me.

On the home front....

Well, lets just say, home projects are never ending...

This junking break has extended longer than I could have imagined!

Even as Im completing one job, Im thinking up another, why do I do that?

Ive been overloaded with work,(the real job), and the weather has been wet, so oiling my new kitchen benchtops has been dragging out for a couple of weeks, but, finally I think we have some progress!

My son Ryan brought one of them in to fit, and there it has stayed. We still need to install shelving next to the drawers, and  add drawer fronts so it isnt secure, but I have a bench! Woohoo!

As you can see I love timber, all different types, all different colours, but Im a bit worried it is all too much with the panelling and trim...what are your thoughts?

Still waiting to go in with the stovetop installed)

This is where I started adding projects to the said project...

Me..."I think Im going to have to paint the panelling a cream wash to break the timber up..."

Son.." It looks fine, if you do that, you will have to do the whole room".

Me..."Thats ok, it will brighten it up, or I could run mini-orb along there, and continue along the other wall behind the stove."

Son..." OMG, we'll never finish this!"

Me..."So you're never leaving home!"

He's 18, my days are numbered.

Ryan has been a great help, and saved me some $$, so I cant complain. I guess I will have to do the fiddly bits myself, but where do I draw the line...I. cant. stop!

This weekend I also tackled some of the garden....weeding isnt a favourite past time, but much needed after all the rain. So I regained ownership of this little area outside my kitchen to plant some herbs.Id love to pave this space, it is on the list,hehe, but for now, Im just throwing down some mulch to combat the weeds for a bit longer.

Back to work today after a productive weekend,Im tired,but its a good feeling.

What's an even better feeling, is next week Im off on a little cruise, so excited!

So, I'll be back when time permits, and you can also join me over at facebook, as I sort through my junk...I have some questions to ask, coming soon!

Catcha!!

Bright light!

What a difference a day makes!

The sun is shining in this neck of the woods, and it's a weekend, what great timing!

With the bright light in the sky, I can see this place falling apart around me , so in true form I started half a dozen jobs and projects all at once!

Does anyone else do that, or is it just me.....hmmmm!

Following the five loads of washing, bathing Toby and mowing lawns, I couldnt wait to get out in the overgrown garden, oh but not to 'garden', to take photos of course! Ive missed playing with my camera in good lighting.

Then I continued to clean and organise the verandah, and if you have been following along with this blog, you'd know all about my verandah!

My son has been building some drawers for the kitchen, so it has been a bit of a building site of late.They are now in their spot, and I will share pics as soon as my new benchtops arrive!

The good thing about having freestanding cupboards in the kitchen /dining rooms, is I can move them around to suit. The bad thing is that I can move them....

(My family dont take well to change.Maybe because I do it so often...)

The new drawers will be replacing my pantry cupboard, so I have more benchspace. I love my pantry cupboard so much,it is an old railway cupboard, lots of history. I couldnt part with it, so I had to find a new use for it, and moved it just a few metres away!

It's now filled with old sets of scales,set of canisters, kitchenalia,linen and tablecloths.
(thinking of papering the back of it, any suggestions?)

Although I gave away alot of my old country decor, I kept just a few of my favs!

This old school cupboard housed a tv, board games, and bottles of red wine, which I might add, we dont drink!

This was an easy fix! Tv went out to Ryan's mancave, games stored away in sons old room, the cupboard is going on ebay tonite, and the wine?

 I'll be gifting them to friends and family!

I feel I am finally getting on top of some of these I started, and never finished. This weekend has been productive to say the least!

I have a busy week at work ahead of me,so enjoy the rest of this gorgeous weather and I will chat again soon :)

One of many!

                       

Hi all, some of you may have seen this before, and since putting it together, we have had alot of rain, and now it is so overgrown!

Time to dig in ,cut back and renew!

Well, no.2 daughter has gone!
She has moved closer to Uni, and a new beginning!

Im so excited for her, but will miss her so much...but my son,Ryan ,couldnt wait, and is already packed up to move in to her room!

Next up...eye candy of the junking kind!

Be back soon, Im off to clean my daughters room, ready to become the mancave!

Largest collection to date!!

Hello fellow junkers!!

It's been a while, and Im not sure if Ive fully recovered from the holidays, but stepping into the New Year always gives me that sense of the unknown ya know?

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

I feel I need to go back to my comfort zone of yesterday, and more familiar surroundings....

So Ive been working through the piles of mine and my family's life around the home, sorting, culling, and reminiscing. I guess when another child is leaving the nest in two weeks, it tends to do that to a person....

With one other flying the coop last November, Im starting to ask myself the question...'why are they leaving me?'

It seems it is time. Time for them to grow, explore, and become the best they can be! Well, I already think they are, but who am I to stop them!

My son Ryan is more than happy to stay a bit longer, and is moving out to Cara's room the day she has gone! Her room  will become the 'mancave'.

So with all of this happening, I cant help think of the changes it will make to myself , the business, and my priorities in life....So Im surrounding myself with what I know best...distraction!!

Collecting, junking, theyre certainly related, and definitely my close relations!

And well, if you have followed me for a while, you would know I have a collection or two, or 50, but I have discovered that my largest collection to date is the huge volume of photos on my computer, cds, dvds, albums, walls, theyre everywhere!

I havent got the heart to delete or part with them...

Unfortunately, it has come to the crunch , my computer is so full, it is having trouble coping with the masses of folders of photos I need to burn to cds. 

I must say, I have improved with my photography immensely over the years, and I think this blog has something to do with it, I have been clicking away for many years, and I think I will be taking my camera to my grave, haha!

So with all that said.....I thought Id put together some favourite photos over the years from my collection.

, starting with 'Junkstudio gardens'.

I will be back soon with a slideshow or two!

Finishing touches...

Well, its official, one week till the big day!

Are you all organised? Mmmm, each year we think we have plenty of time, but Im sure most of us have that last minute rush around!

I added a few more decs around including this little miss given to me last week.

Most of these presents will be packed up and taken with us to visit family on both xmas and boxing day, I love seeing them under the tree!

 We cant put Toby's under the tree yet, he seems to know , and well, last year he found it, unwrapped it, and wouldnt give his toy back for anything! It was funny, but in the process, he destroyed a couple of other gifts.

So Im signing off for the year!

 With the last week always so hectic at work and home, I may not get a chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas, so best do it now.

I want to thankyou for all of your support and encouragement throughout the year, and hope you will come and visit again next year!

I mentioned on Facebook last night I was building a house!

Well its nearly finished,I! just need to add the glass and trims and hinges... the chandie was a special request from the customer! So I better get it finished to lockup stage to hand over the keys before Chrissy!

Catcha  here next year people, you are welcome to visit me over here!

We have a winner!!

Hi all,

Thankyou everyone for leaving wonderful comments and emails!

I wish you could all win, but only one, and that is LISA PALMER!!!

Woohoo!

Congrats Lisa!

Please email me your address, and I will post it right away! And if you are ever in Sydney, Id love for you to come and visit my studio!

So for anyone still interested in having one of these gorgeous cloches, I still have a few on the website, come on over, and I will give you 10% off!

I 'll be back next week with a couple of projects Im working on before the year is out!

Bye for now :) 

        

Winding up!!

Im sure most of you are slowly winding up for the year, finishing off projects, orders, and work in general, ready for the Chrissy holidays, I know I am!

I have five days off over the festive season, and hope to spend time with family and friends, and I might even have a nana nap or two!

I had a great day on Saturday, finishing off the sales for the year with a champagne 'POP', so to speak!

Thankyou to all of thelovely customers, regular and new! So pleased for the late-comers, who cleared some space with their furniture purchase!

With a few Christmas specials left in the studio, I thought Id offer one as a giveaway!

These are so cute, fill it with chocolates, something special, or a yummy cupcake!

It could be used all year round!

All you have to do is leave a comment here or here, or drop me an email, and that's it!

I will draw a winner in three days!

I have a few more on the website , and will offer 10% off until Christmas!

And here is some advice for the frantic Chrissy shoppers...also available on the website tonight!

Haha, enjoy the rest of the weekend, and I'll be back soon with the winner!

And then there were four.....

Well hello fellow junkers...

We are going through some changes here lately, and  starting with the middle child flying the coop,literally!

After graduating her flight attendant course, and then landing a job with Qantas, it was time for her to find a place near work. So she now resides in the city, when she isnt flying!

But it doesnt stop there....Our eldest daughter is house hunting down the coast, in preparation for Uni next year!

The girls always seem to do things around the same time, so it is a double whammy!

Hopefully our son will hang around a little longer, I dont think I could take all of them leaving at once...

I guess keeping busy with work has helped, but the emotions are all over the place, and thoughts of the future are hovering.

So, as Christmas and the New Year roll around, it is a time to refocus, rethink, and  reflect on the past year. Every year justs comes around that little bit quicker....it seems there are never enough hours, days and weeks to fit everything and everyone in!

After the last sale here in the studio on Saturday, I will be finishing off orders, and slowing down to a walking pace till the New Year. 

But for now, full steam ahead!

I'll be back next week to share some pics from the sale, and I feel some specials coming on, in the website, to finish the year out!!!

The apple doesnt fall far....

You know how the saying goes...

I was clearing some junk off my verandah a couple of weeks ago, and found these boxes, which have been moved around so much, and have come with me everywhere I have moved for the past 27years!

What are they, you may well ask...

My father made these out of packing boxes from his workplace back in the 70's. He worked with PMG, better known now as Telstra, one of our phone and internet service providers. He worked with them most of his working life, and as us aussies know, they certainly went through some changes!

It was only natural for him to grab up these boxes before they were destroyed and thrown to landfill, or someones fire. Dad was in the game of reycling and reusing way back then.

He had a plan, and immediately went to work and turned them into speakers for the loungeroom! I remember they hung from a bracket in the corners of the room, and were covered in that gorgeous retro orange fabric!

For many years they did there job, and right up till I was 17 yrs old, many a good beat ran through them. My dad loved the opera, and still does, but back then you could hear it from the top of the street, which wasnt so cool as a teen!

So when he finally replaced them with black modern painted ,cheap chipboard ones from the store,around that time I moved out, and they followed...

The orange fabric went (wished I had a pic to show you), and as I loved cows and cottage fabrics, I found the appropriate coverings. I used them for a few years, mainly as extra speakers outdoors or other rooms , but the sound was pretty bad!

So then they became just a quickfix coffee table or display piece, I just couldnt part with them.

They have sat on my verandah for maybe 8 years now, stacked up on a shelf in the shed, waiting for some inspiration...

One day, I started to pull the fabric off, revealing the old fuzzy speakers, and before I knew it, I had unscrewed the whole box, and that was when my eyes lit up!

 The stenciled print on the side told the story.

I never knew where they had come from, or even thought about there age, I just liked the timber, and the fact that dad had made them, and that was it.I couldnt wait to ask dad all about their history.

After a bit of wax, these 50+ yr old boxes are ready for a new purpose in life....but what?

Any suggestions?