Thrifting by the sea, again.

So, I haven't found any vintage sheets in Brisbane for a few months. There are just none anywhere. Imagine my shock at finding this little pile shared between two neighbouring coast op shops. There are duplicates of two and the colours are so complimentary, all those purples and greens. I thought you might want a close up too.

And I fell in love with these measuring cup ducks.

and this wonderful sunny yellow pyrex dish, with a lid!

But my other absolute favourites were these two matching baskets that I nabbed from an opshop on the outskirts of town as we first left home to head up the coast.

There was also a gorgeous milk glass dish that I almost walked right past but every photo was out of focus. Those little white hobnails are tricky to capture but I will try soon because there is nothing better than adding a missing piece to a collection.

Linking in with Sophie for more thrifted treats.

Holiday of Firsts

This was our third holiday at Moffat Beach, Caloundra but there seemed to be an epic number of firsts this time.
It was the first time I managed to get our beach umbrella to not blow away.

Not only did Roboboy get his first boogie board ( covered in tropical fish of course), he also stood on it for the first time,

and discovered the ultimate joy of catching his first wave.

Liongirl made her first drip castles under a rainbow,

and Roboboy helped make her first mermaid tail. (She was buried up to her chin at one point but of course moved before I could take a photo).

We managed to not only find  a sea cucumber but pick one up carefully for the first time.

And then watch as it magically turned itself into a number seven - For Annie because it is her favourite number and for luck.

This was the first time we were able to pack light enough to also fit bikes and scooters. (Last time we had a boot full of Christmas presents and the time before that we had a portacot,potty and highchair.) Nothing like a pair of tutu swimmers for scootering by the sea.

It was the first time Grandad and Nanny were up the coast at the same time as us.

And the first time we had a record win in the Hermit Crab races - that would be Roboboy's crab over the finish line and all the rest  still on the starting block.

And my personal first? Finally experimenting with the old hipstamatic photo app. I know everybody else has been doing this for years but better late than never really. The clouds were spectacular while we were at the beach.

So, now were are all charged up with enough sunshiny goodness to last all through winter. And enough op shop treasures that they really needed their own entire post. Back soon with a pile of vintage goodies.

Crochet tea party time

We have been away, at my favourite beach no less.  More on that next post. Right now I am bouncing around with excitement looking at all your posts from while I was away. There are also so many treasures and exciting bits and pieces to share from Betsy's, I am thinking of doing a few little posts in a row to try and catch up.

Firstly, anyone for a tea party? Before our beach jaunt I did get to spend a few hours in Ipswich prowling the op shops and look what was waiting for miss Liongirl and I. This gorgeous crochet tea set was brand new and sealed in a ziplock bag before a donation to the op shop. At $5 I hope the owner knows how much love it will get over here at Betsy's. The cups were 50 cents each and the vintage sheet $3. Miss Liongirl of course had to set it all up on that little pink tray from my favourite second hand store in the world, Vintage Advantage on the main street of Ipswich.
I know I have posted before on how much I love that shop, makes me want to get a job there just so I can covet all the treasures up close, for  hours at a time. The prices are very reasonable, the tray was $4 and there are some more treats to share another day.

What about my potato box makeover? I am very much liking the colour I found by pure luck at Bunnings. I bought it even before I had a project in mind but it was just the right amount to cover this box. It has a slightly green tone in certain lights, a very curious colour. Taubman's Milan Breeze if anyone is wondering. Miss Liongirl of course wants me to paint over it in PINK. I am trying to slowly wean her off her pink obsession.

And I am not the only one tackling little projects. Remember that box of tap bits that Legoman ferreted out last post? Look what he turned them into. He has a little bit of a cufflink obsession. I think they are just a little bit cool myself. Clever boy.

Now this gauge thingy that the demolition dude threw in for free? Very curious to see what plans he has for this.

Anyway, I am itching to pop over and visit everyone. Back soon with some beachside bliss. Here is a taste. (I think age 3 is about the only time in life where one can not only source swimmers with wings but also wear them with absolute commitment).

Demolition yard style

Well we stumbled across some lights for our deck on the weekend. Just see past all  the grime and imagine four of them hanging from a very high space. At $35 each they were a welcome subtraction from our meagre budget. Legoman actually ferreted these out from none other than a demolition yard. It's quite an interesting place to poke around in, so a few treasures came home with us. We  actually went out looking for some doors and windows that might be suitable for our renovation. This is Woolloongabba  Demolitions, now conveniently located in Rocklea. A huge space chock full of doors, windows, wood and all sorts of odd bits and pieces.

This is what caught Legoman's eye.

I of course snorted derisively and said no way was that damn ugly  motor box thingy coming home to our place. So he and the demolition dude whipped out a phillips head screwdriver and hey presto, four new deck lights for Betsy. The bulbs were a work of art too and Legoman is looking for a spot for them.

Then I found Legoman poking around in a box. How he even found the box is beyond me- this place is seriously full to the brim of stuff, poked into every nook and cranny. So he found a few sets of tap covers for a project of his own. I'll keep you posted on that one.

And then he found this little treasure. Yep that would be Lotte and Johanna those Happy Tyrolean Wanderers playing the zither for some snowcapped music down under. Thankfully we do not own a record player or I'm sure Legoman would have brought it home for his own zither amusement. Do you think one can play a guitar and spin wool at the same time? Johanna sure gives that impression.

Me, I was just a little distracted by this old wooden potato box. The demolition dude gave it to me for $5. Expect a little makeover very soon. Yep that's the paint on top.

So, we are very excited to find such a treasure haven so close to home. Now just to wait for a few weeks before we go back to check all the new stock.

Easter eggs and sunshine

Well it's all sunshine and chocolate over here at Betsy's. Usually it always rains at Easter. This year, perhaps because it has been raining or overcast for much of the last 6 months, we have had full week of sunshine. Glorious balmy, not too hot and not too cold, blue skied bliss. Perfect for an early morning easter egg hunt.

Before you panic about the vast quantities of chocolate in these photos, let me explain that we do things  a little differently here at Betsy's. Roboboy has a dairy allergy and usually gets a small amount of dairy free chocolate that he can actually eat. But the big excitement for him is the hunting and collecting, the sorting and counting, the organizing into little containers, that comes with a real easter egg hunt. The eating for him is actually not the best part. So we do a BIG hunt and then most of these eggs will be passed onto friends and family.

Our garden is perfect for egg hiding ( so the bunny tells me). Especially bromeliads as they have this central leaf  just the right size to pop a tiny egg into.

So nice to trot around the garden foraging under all the little plants for a hint of that shiny foil wrapper.  Equally nice to just stop and survey the contents of the basket.

And for Roboboy, when he is sure the yard has been fleeced, time to stop and do some counting and sorting by colour. In almost the exact same spot, the exact same way that he did last year. (he has a freakishly good memory for things like this and will often recreate the same scenario over and over).

He also had to painstakingly write out this detailed instruction for the Easter Bunny so as to be sure that little sisters would be able to find some eggs.

Oh yeah, and that's our easter tree. Dragged home from the park and adorned with crocheted eggs, and real salvaged birds nests filled with chicks. My mother in law loves this particular tradition that we have created with our kids and brought over some new crochet treats this Easter. Ice creams, cupcakes and striped eggs were all quite at home on our tree.

So time to scoff some chocolate and wash out paint brushes. My lounge room is looking very very white, only one small patch of custard to go.

Holiday Happenings

Well, Easter holidays are in full swing over here at Betsy's. We have had plays in the park with mates, working bees at school, and very important trips to Bunnings for supplies of the painting variety. The gerbera  pot was a  holiday survival present to myself as was the spotty dotty contact to cover the pot.

I am not beyond a little child labour on holidays. Window cleaning never loses appeal when you have your own spray bottle and paper towel. It must have dropped below 20 degrees so miss Liongirl felt that dressing gowns, ugg boots and beanies were required. We are obviously not remotely suited to living in a cold climate.

Miss Liongirl also had an end of term performance for ballet. That's her 4th from the right taking it all very seriously with the toe pointed out thing going on. I love her dance school. It's very casual, the kids can wear whatever they want, the hall is old and peeling and there is not even a whiff of preciousness anywhere.

For Roboboy, holidays mean dragging out every piece of duplo he can find and creating animal rescue centres. Pretty much every holiday he has to whip up one of these old favourites.

And for me all this sunshine means just one thing.

PAINTING of course! The great de- custarding of my lounge room is back on and in full swing. Look, that one big yellow stripe is all I have left. Perfect timing as Legoman is around for the next few days to help me lug heavy furniture out of the way. At this stage he is still completely unaware that I have also started painting the ceiling ( this was not actually part of the deal but it just looks so shabby now that the walls are so good that I couldn't help myself).

Actually, even the really nasty pole in the middle of the room is no longer yellow. This pole will be going when we add a new deck, but so nice to see it white for however many months I still have to live with it.

So I'm resting a sore wrist tonight  and hoping I can knock this room over before the long weekend is done. Let's hope the sunshine holds out a bit longer as we have lots of outdoor plans as well.

Happy Happy Easter to you all. May the next few days be full of family and chocolate feasts.