Black & White Country Bedroom Update

Spent a little time fluffing up the Black and White (French) Country bedroom today...It is kinda losing it's "French" along the way oops...This room was (is) my eldest daughters, though now she has moved out of home, it is where our guests get to stay...You can see how the room looked before I fluffed it up today by clicking here

I finally got around to sanding the head board a little, giving it that lovely shabby chic finish...alas before I finished the foot of the bed, I ran out of sandpaper being I could only find half a sheet to begin with.

This is the view as you enter from the hallway...

Behind the mirror hides the flat screen TV...The lovely looking vintage chair in the right bottom corner is actually husband's computer chair covered with a vintage style lace table cloth and a cute golden pillow...I keep begging hubby to upgrade to a laptop but he declines, so plan B is getting him a computer Armoire to hide his ugly old computer, which has now also been moved into this room to free up the old "guest room" to become lil Sara's bedroom.

View from other side of the bed...

I got this little cherub a few weeks ago from Orlando. I have since given him a little glaze/drybrush treatment with burnt umber and then another over coat of vintage white to add some definition to the details and give him a little bit of a vintage look....

This is what he looked like when I brought him...stark white..

I still need to finish the lamp shade. It is currently just pinned together and I want to paint the base as well...As you can see I have begun to bring my porcelain dolls into this room also...

This would be the biggest change to the room...I finally found a round piece that fits the bed netting perfectly...The netting I have had since my eldest was a baby, it was over her crib and bed as she grew up...Over the years the plastic frame that held it up disintegrated...I am so happy to finally be able to put it back where it belongs...

And finally the white "doily" pillow case...This I have also had for years and it came from my mother...I paired it with a pink under pillow case to add an even more of a girlie touch to the bed...

I hope this is enough to Wow Us Wednesday over @ http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Don't forget Kim is also hosting a great give-away as well...

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/02/its-giveaway-time.html

And I am also posting to Pink Saturday with Beverly @ http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com

Blessings Kelsie

Dining Area Updated

The dining area is starting to feel more like a part of a home, and not just a blank space where we eat...Today we hung the framed navigation chart on the wall...I moved the side board table into the space and turned the table around...As you can see the chairs still need to be painted to match the table and recovered...Now I have the artwork on the wall I can start thinking about what fabric to use on the chairs.


The navigation chart is of the waters around my home town of Albany, Western Australia and came from my father's commercial fishing boat...


I have waited 10yrs to get it mounted and framed and have to say a huge thank you to David from Main Street Framing and Photography for making it a reality...He was so patient with me as I selected the framing and ummed and arred over the right matting color...


Below the chart is the narrow side board that I borrowed from the front living area...I am still working out what to use to replace it as an entry table, so after this photo shoot it was temporarily returned to where it had come from...I hope to rectify this problem in the next couple of weeks.


So jealous of all the lovely cloches out there, I am still improvising in this department too...A cheese platter houses this lovely vintage plaster face that had belonged to my grandmother, he is supposed to hang on the wall but this helps to keep him dust free until if/when I find him a home on the wall.


I finally put my nativity scene away and replaced it with my 3 blue and white orphan cups and a couple of sea shells...I want to avoid going to "nautical' in the dining room for now...Just a couple of touches to compliment the chart.


In the middle of the table I created a small center piece using a wire basket, my favorite scented candle and more sea shells all nested on a wicker plate charger I found on clearance and kicking myself I only grabbed one.


Looking in from the kitchen, you can see the family photo wall...Still many more photos to go up just have not had time or money to purchase more frames yet...I do like that I can enjoy all my loved ones from my computer work station.

I forgot to take a before image so grabbed this one from the Christmas tour...you can see how stark the dining area was and also where the side board was being as an entry table.

One last look before you go

Blessings Kelsie

Linking this post at the following parties this week:

Table Top Tuesday - http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com
Boring to Better Party - http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
Show and Tell Friday - http://romantichome.blogspot.com

One Year Ago Today....

We began clearing the way to build our family home on the location we believe is very close to, if not on the place the original homestead stood over a century ago...I also began this blog on that day as a way to document and share this journey with our family and friends...Along the way both the blog and the house have become so much more than I ever dared to dream...


This photo was taken from the top of the driveway when we arrived for the first time in Feb of 2004...The old trailer had been the home to Hubby's Great Uncle, the final family member to live on the property before we moved here a couple of yrs after he passed away...He is still our neighbor as he is buried in the family plot that shares a border with our 5 acre parcel.


Following are some then and now photos taken from the same spots in the yard one year apart...

Top of Driveway

17th November 2009, minutes before clearing began

20th November 2009, clearing completed

17th November 2010


North West Corner of Front Yard.

17th November 2009, minutes before clearing began

20th November 2009, clearing completed

17th November 2010

Thank you for traveling this far with us...I hope you will stay with us as we see what lies ahead...

Will be sharing this anniversary for

And