Bits off the Camera

There was a bit of moving and shaking around here over the holidays. Fishy moved out of Boysworld and into his own room. The chasm between 12 and 14 years of age was widening and he needed to get to sleep earlier and they needed study space. Mind you, he is studying more than them at the moment! He is now happily ensconced in what was Shorty's room. It will be a little smellier when visitors stay than Lala's room but  I'll Glen 20 the footy boots for them to make it tolerable- if I can find the Glen 20.

Meanwhile Shortstuff has adjusted to sleeping in a bunk under Lala and Lala likes the promotion to top bunk. 

The bigger problem has been the pile of stuff accumulated when two girls combine spaces. There has been much culling and storing. Fishy's room is positively monastic in comparison although it is starting to fill up. The girls paintings from Aunty Kath work well together now I finally have them up...

...with the other paraphernalia.

The screen prints were finished and presented as birthday gifts to mother of four, Anna in the 'Woomba and Mrs T. who has six of her own and looks after  Shorty on Tuesdays. She is hanging her blue one canvas aptly over her kitchen bench. Anna's pink one will go in her office. Also quite apt.

Now I have to make another one for the boys' room because I decided I liked it there when it was waiting to be picked up.

Fishy got one of the practice runs on black card which worked just as well as the canvas ones. Frankly, I could hang one in every room of this house right now. 

                              This is how I know the offspring have been on my phone.

And this.

This, on the other hand, means I've been back at the doctor's not tearing out pages.
We are past the lumpoversary. One year- all clear!

More Project Ago-Go

It might be the summer or the short holiday before work or the absence of the Big Fella but I am on a mission to get a few big jobs done. It may also be a need to avoid Christmas duties as we have yet to dig out the tree or decorate anything at all. We seem to be wagging Christmas. 

The chief tree retriever is Fishy and he is horizontal with a mini man flu. Tradition demands that he and Lala extricate the tree and its associated chattels from the abyss of the Underhouse.

Until he improves there is always a bit of rejigging to be done. 

You may remember the battered gooseneck lamp from the roadside collection. I found it in the trailer destined for the dump so I squirrelled it away until there was time to give it a serious workover. Lala and her friend scrubbed the peeling orange paint, then I rubbed it down with sandpaper, primed it with a gripping undercoat and sprayed it turquoise. The brass came up a treat with a bit of elbow grease and detergent and steel wool.

It is in situ now but I won't show you until I find some shades for it. If anyone knows where to get the original slanty shape please do let me know!

Before further projects could be attempted, small people needed to be placed in a holding bath with laundry deities to keep her busy. I can get a good hour out of this.

Next was the attack on this old dear of a kitchen/art  cabinet. Every time I watch ABC's Kitchen Cabinet, I see that nicely painted one in her promo shot and think about giving mine a face lift too. I bought this one at Patty's for $30 when we first came back to live in Australia pre marriage and babies when we had cartons for tables and a bed base on bricks. Ah! The simple days.

The interior was always yellow and after I scraped and stripped her exterior back last time, I couldn't be bothered to paint her innards. However this strange nesting frenzy saw her finally getting the full treatment this time round.

Soon she was all white and shiny thanks to Sonya's ongoing stash of paints from last year. The blue at the side is the original colour under all the first stripping job in the nineties. I never could paint over it until now. There is still a small tribute to the original colour on the side for historical accuracy or sentimental foolishness.

A tower of linen seemed to appear teetering on the stools and I felt a wave of culling wash over me and it was good. This stuff all came out of the meat safe in the kitchen (domestica). The two cabinets  were about to swap places.

This other stuff came out of the art cabinet (artistica).  Cull till there is no tomorrow!

Delegation is key to successful rejigging without a Big Fella. Lala paints very tidily and B2 and his friend had to down pi- pods and move the furniture around. (Ironically the game they were playing was called Order and Chaos! Here's a bit of real life for you, boys!) For several hours there was disruption and stuff everywhere. Shorty played in the middle of it and the others hid in corners of other rooms. 

Here she is all painted and repacked with the good bits instead of the art junk. Luckily with the breeze and heat the paint was dry in no time.

It is nice to see my pretties behind glass. Maybe I'll remember to use them more now and enjoy seeing them as  as well.

Those Ittala glasses finally got pulled out to drink some rather smashing pear cider a friend dropped in with this afternoon at beer o'clock. Little green leaf plates, how I have missed you. Where have you been languishing?

 Now there's just this tiny bit of finishing off. 

If the Big Fella has access to a computer and is reading this....not to worry. It's all under control. Really!