V is for Vintage Vignettes

Breezeway or fretwork panels

above my old bedroom door

in the house I grew up in

(built circa 1880).

These panels are iconic in Queenslander

and

colonial style houses

in

Australia.

Vintage Vignettes

Not very original I suppose

but

In this blogging world that I have become quite familiar with

it's all about
Vintage

and

that

suits me fine and dandy.

I've always been drawn to Vintage style,
even as a small child.

Needless to say my home is full of vintage vignettes.

Turn around and look in any corner or area

and that's what you will see.

I have learned through my US blogging friends that it's ok to be like this.....LOL

I don't have to feel guilty.

I used to say I was preserving the past for the future

and that still holds true

but

now

I can decorate with renewed
Verve and Vigour

not having to feel guilty

about my love and enjoyment of

all things Vintage.

Be it a pile of old junk... (I know I'll find 'something' that I can use).

No matter how derelict and disgusting that old pile of 'stuff' might be.
If it's old and pre-loved I'm pretty sure something in that pile of someone else's unwanted 'stuff' will become a treasure to me.

I particularly love this vintage laundry trolley complete with original clothes pegs.

It belongs to a friend of the family.

I just wanted to share this with you,

it's so lovely.

Thanks for joining me at

&

&

remember

I'd really love to hear from you.

If you follow me I will follow you right back.

I look forward to meeting some fellow Vintage lovers.

21st guest book and journal for my niece

Recently I made two gifts for my niece for her 21st birthday

This one incorporates a 21st birthday card

(the cover of the book)

and the book itself

served

as the guest book.

This journal to chronicle her 21st year was not meant as it turned out.

I originally bought the black A5 bound book at a cheapie shop and removed the wire binding.

I got a bit carried away with decorating pages

and it all got too big for the little black book's binding to handle

and I was running out of time.

I live in a very small town with not a lot of shops or choice.

I could have had it all bound but a printer

but

that takes time and I had no time.

So I went to the newsagent

and

found the above purple floral 2 ring binder.

It would have to do,

I was not really happy with it

but

it's the best I could come up with.

I had to have it ready for her party

so this is how it had to be.

This brown paper bag has a pull out tab.

The left hand page has a pull out card for journalling.

These groovy rainbow pages have pull out tabs as well.

Yeow baby!!!

Be thankful

&

Give thanks to the LORD for HE is good...

Psalm 136:1

Pages for doodling.

I included stickers, diecuts etc for

my niece to use in her journal.

Would love to hear your feedback!

Thanks for visiting.

Rocking chair and a patchwork quilt birthday card.

I just love these two stamp sets

from

Our Daily Bread Designs

The sets I have used are

Sew Special (rocking chair)

and

Sewn with Love sentiment

I used a 3D Punch and Emboss flower design

and

topped each with a colourful button.

A Fiskars border punch at top of card.

A white seam binding tape double bow

and

a

pretty brown and white checked brad.

I coloured the rocking chair with my trusty Aquarella pencils

and then

painted with my water brush.

I had a lot of fun making this card for my friend's birthday.

I never know quite how they are going to turn out, these cards seem to tell me what to do half the time....tweaking until it's just right.

Such fun.

Please leave me a comment

and I will visit your blog and do likewise.

Become my follower and I will become yours.

On another note and in the spirit of sharing amongst fellow bloggers

I would like to introduce you to a delightful blog

I discovered a few weeks ago.

Sandie at Steadman's Corner has a great blog.

Sandie loves GOD, junking and antiquing.

She is a wife and mother.

I love her opening photo, that's what initially got me interested.

I wanted to see more of her treasures and finds.

Please visit

Steadman's Corner

You won't regret it.

Thrifty Find Friday

I found this glass compote dish

at a

thrift store a few years ago

It is only cut glass

 but

it a beautiful piece

with

no chips or cracks.

I just love the style of it

and

everytime
I look at it

I

smile.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

I am linked to

Thrifty Things Friday #54

@

The Thrifty Groove

http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com.au/

and

Feathered Nest Friday
@
French Country Cottage
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/feathered-nest-friday_12.html

The letter U

WoUldn't yoU like to visit this beaUtifUl landmark?

Paris, France...the city of lights.

I sUre woUld.

The letter U is Used more than one woUld think..

I initially thoUght I woUld speak aboUt words that need the letter U in order to be pronoUnced correctly

Words sUch as

qUaint, qUeer, qUalm, qUince, qUarter, qUagmire, qUintessential, qUarter, qUaver, qUeUe, qUeen, qUenelle, qUench... etc etc

All the words listed are 'q' words, bUt they woUld not be the same withoUt the Use of the hUmble letter U.

In my opening coUple of sentences alone I realised that the letter U is indeed Used qUite a lot and more than one woUld think.

I hope I have not neglected to specially acknowledge any single U's

in my ramble.

If I have please let me know.

Thanks for visiting me

at

EllenaElizabeth Makes.

If yoU follow me

I will follow yoU right back.

Exciting news for me anyhow,

I have just achieved my 40th follower!!!!!

Whoo hoo!!!!

Linking to:

Jenny Matlock's

Alphabe-Thursday's Letter U

http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com.au/

Our white picket fence in the country

We bought this house on The Darling Downs nearly 3 years ago.

We are into Autumn now and soon the geraniums, hibiscus, salvias, daisies etc will fall into their winter slumber before they make a big comeback early September for the first month of Spring in Australia.

The lavenders, roses, wild jasmine and others love the frosty mornings and cool to cold days and even grow and thrive during winter.

The ornamental plum tree has already lost its leaves.

The house is an old girl,  post WW2 most likely.

The interior walls are tongue and groove, which I just LOVE!

BUT

someone tried to modernise the house

most likely in the

1970's

and they sheeted them up with fibro and cover strips..... :(((((

This is the front garden which has an english theme

because we tried to fit in with the white garden edging

that was already in place when we bought the place.

We don't like it and could not be bothered painting it as we are only here 'short term' hopefully.

We want to buy a farm in the same area.

So that we can grow our own cattle, sheep, chooks and pigs.

And have some peace and tranquility

rather than having the hassle of noisy neighbours.

Thanks for looking.

Please leave a comment and I will visit your blog back.

Have a good day!!!!

Easter time and away we go for a little holiday and some nostalgia too

My beloved childhood home from the age of 10

This Queensland beauty was built in circa 1885

on a 120 acre Brigalow scrub selection.

To anyone in the US reading this, don't forget Australia was only settled in 1788

and

the area I lived in was only settled

in

the early 1800's.

So to us, this is a really old house.

Here is my father and youngest brother doing some verandah repairs in about 1974

It's almost Easter time and I'm feeling a little nostalgic.

This is my paternal grandfather with one of his prize winning Orpington fowls.

He bred, showed and judged chooks all his life and was highly regarded as such.

He was chook mad and made sure all of us kids had some chooks or showed chooks.

He lived through the depression, married, was a WW2 veteran and together with my grandmother raised 6 children.

 He just loved little kids and always entertained them with singing, "The bear went over the mountain", 'blowing up his muscles' and taking them down to the chook pens and telling them about his precious chooks.

We never left my grandparents house without a fruit tree to plant, some eggs or something.

My grandmother's cooking was legendary.

She was a show cook and exhibited for over 30 years.

She baked and sewed until the end.

I still have her last pattern still pinned to the fabric ready to cut out.

 My kids in turn have very special memories of Pop and Grandma...very special for them to know their great grandparents so well.

I loved them to bits.

Pop passed almost away 10 years ago and Grandma almost five years ago.

Me with my daughter and my paternal grandparents 1985

My daughter with my paternal grandfather 1990

On a lighter note my  husband, our scottish terrier and I are heading off for 4 days

in the country

to a 700 acre beef farm

called

Covendale.

It's 3 hrs drive from here.

DD at the farm

In order to be able to bear the trip there,

I will be dosed up with valium and I will be wearing my TENS machine

in order to cope with the pain.

Sitting and travelling in a vehicle are not a good combo for me.

Come May it will be 12 months since my TLIF (L5/L6 fusion, new disc and bone graft).

Come July 17th it will be 12 months since I fell over backwards

and finished off some other levels that would have needed fusing some time in the future.

So between the operation last May and when I fell, I actually had about 8 weeks where I was walking everyday and feeling quite good apart from the terrible pain that is quite normal after such a huge surgical procedure. I won't lie, the pain after the TLIF was cruel but the fact that the pins and needles in my foot  were gone and that I could walk were signs the op was a success.

Who knew in 1964 that this smiling little girl (me) on her way to sunday school

would end up with a "back that is a mess" (as described my neurosurgeon).

Me and my brother in 1964

Me and my two brothers in 1971, just after my spleenectomy

Me and my two brothers in 1975

Echo the Hereford Bull in background

My daughter with my Mother 1987

Bonza the horse lived until he was 34

My daughter (wearing her farm clothes) at my home farm in 1987

 with a litter of Australian Cattle Dog pups.

Since falling my plans for long term healing have gone pear shaped and above and below the operation site are the problems now and it's a toss up which level is the worst...

I am seeing the neurosurgeon in May and we will discuss what level of my spine he will fuse next.

Whatever happens I'm in for a long haul...but after 17 years of this garbage I'm still hanging in there.

Housebound, can't drive, can't do much of anything.

 I have pain all the time but thank the LORD I am still a sane and emotionally secure person.

My husband, kids, parents and friends are all very supportive.

Anyhow we will be staying in a cottage at the farm this long weekend for Easter.

My daughter, her husband and my new little 9 week old grandson will be there too...

can't wait to see my little man.

I last saw him 2 weeks ago.

My DD and Master E, 8 weeks old.

My father with Master E who is his Great grandson.

My Dad looks very much like his Dad who is pictured above.

He doesn't take a good picture but here he had just managed to make Master E aged 7 weeks smile.

Master E aged 8 weeks

Master E at 8 weeks old

He's a big fella at over 6 kgs.

For about 5 weeks he was putting on about 500grams a week and the clinic nurse

 told my daughter that 130 grams/week was considered normal.

Master E is only breast fed so I am sure all is good.

His weight gain has slowed now...couldn't have kept up at that rate....LOL

So tomorrow we are heading off on our Easter adventure

and

hoping to have a calm and peaceful family time on the farm'

I hope you all have a blessed and peaceful Easter 2012 as well.

Christ is Risen!