out the back door

it has been a long long while since i have showcased any houses. while this isn't quite into someone's window, it is looking OUT of a window...
this is the exterior of my opa and oma's house which i showed you on my very first post. i took these photos a little while back now, but felt i should post them up anyway :)
oma and opa have decorated their house in all these little ways - even though it might not all match, all the little things seem to come together in a way that could only truly be described as them.

into MY window

please pop over to my sister katie's blog - she has gone "into my window" and has a lovely series of pictures that she took of my room when she last visited. remember to post a comment!

http://katiesteafortwo.blogspot.com/

'home away from home'

During my mid semester break adventures, i began to develop some ideas for the next 'into my window'. as i was riding my bike on a sunny day along the geographe bay coast, thinking about all the houses and wondering what was inside them, a lovely bunch of people waved to me from their porch and invited me in for a lemonade! invigorated and inspired by the house, (and by the holiday makers' generous hospitality) i endeavoured to stop by again and take some pictures, and so i did :)

i love this house every time i step into it. from the carpet to the lights to the garden, everything about it has charm. i wanted to challenge myself with this project, and i thought the best way to capture this house was with film! so, armed with the clunky 1980's camera and a roll of film, i clicked away! a couple weeks later, with the photographs back from the lab and an interview with the wonderful owners, i present to you..the 'home away from home'...


"The house was built in 1963 (yep, all good things come from that year) for Mrs A Pinnock", says Diane, owner of this antique gem with her husband Daniel. They purchased the house as a holiday retreat, somewhere they could relax and unwind in a beautiful place of the world.
"The reason we bought the house was because of the location. I didn’t take much interest in the actual house itself. [However], once we spent a week there, I loved it! It just felt good, just like the fitting of an old pair of jeans, cosy and comfortable."



Cosy and comfortable are appropriate words to describe the house. Although it is only lived in for a parts of the year, stepping inside reveals a home that is warm with feeling and a sense that it has been lived in.



"What I find exciting is that there has been no hammering in this house at all. It is still in its original condition, with sixties/seventies décor. From the green brown yellow floral carpet, (top quality carpet in those days - I think its westminister 100% wool carpet), to the bamboo patterned curtains, the kitchen overheads with the sliding glass door, the brown and cream tiling in the bathroom and laundry, and the built in wardrobes with the Queen Anne style handles -nothing has been updated!"



One of Diane's favourite parts of the house are the light fittings in the main living area. "the orange and white glass waffle designed ball lamp fittings suspended from the ceiling by a plaited cord. Absolutely fantastic!"



She also loves the picture of the bird in the living room. "It's painted, and I would like to take a closer look at it next time we are there, and find out who the artist is and do some research. Who knows, it could be worth heaps, or maybe just $2 from a op shop!"



She also says that the house came with a few extra surprises in store!
"We found a cupboard in the laundry which was locked. We left it for a few months, but curiosity got the better of us and we prised the cupboard open. Yes, it was a treasure trove! It was filled with hand painted crockery, silver serving dishes, vintage Tupperware and also sorts of fancy glassware .My favourite from the treasure trove was the hand painted salt and pepper shakers. They take the honourable position on the mantle piece above the fire place."



I love the fact that even though this house is used as a holiday getaway, the original and untouched decor make it a place that still feels like home. I'm so glad the owners have chosen to keep this house the way it was, and have the same passion and devotion in maintaining the essence of this house as the original owner once did.





Thanks so much for letting me into your, Daniel and Diane (and Carol and Eric of course who put up with me flitting around the house in all weird and wonderful positions to capture the house)!!

windows + wallpaper

A little while ago now I was invited to the housewarming of friends of ours, Rob and Charlene. I was so inspired by their little home that I decided to come back and feature their house on my blog!



Rob and Charlene have been living in this house for about a year and a half now, but the house itself is a lot older.

“ As far as we know it was built in 1954 as part of the government housing for returned servicemen. We also think it was given a face lift in the seventies. At this point the back veranda would have been closed in to make the sleepout and this is where the colour scheme and wall paper would have originated from.”



The wall paper was certainly one of the things that caught my eye when I visited, and the home’s vintage style has not gone unnoticed by the owners either.



“What we love about or house is at it has the charm of a different era, i.e. the open fire place the high ceilings and the warmth of the jarrah floorboards (not any actual warmth it’s freezing in winter). But in addition to this it presented us with a blank canvas that we could work with and make the house our own.”




For Rob and Charlene, part of making this house a home is “the little things you have to live with” – that includes their dog tearing things up a little and a few water issues..however, “its things we’ve done to make it our own like the new kitchen we added and opening the kitchen to the lounge, as well as, the decking, veggie garden and chooks out the back that really make it a “home” so the longer we’re here and the more we do the more homely it gets.






And as for the future of the house? Rob and Charlene have lots of plans! we will be converting the roof from tiles to tin soon, and the sleep out will be converted to a guest bedroom. Further down the line we hope to completely overhaul the bathroom and laundry, as well as enclose the front yard and put in a new driveway, and the whole house could use a coat of paint both inside and out. Its going to be long process.”





A process that is going to be worth it, for sure.

“We still have a long way to go to reach the goal of what we would like to see in our home, so currently we would love for people to see past the chaos and see a little of what we are trying to achieve in trying to keep the charm of the old place adding some of the convenience of a new house and sinking a fair bit of our own character and style to the place.”



And as for fiasco?




”ruff ruff” (ie I love playing under the house where there is lots of room to dig holes!)

Thank you Rob and Charlene for letting me take pictures of your house – it was great!

mandy's room

finally, a new post! a couple weekends ago i stumbled upon this treasure of a room! it's twinkling lights and warm glow made me feel like i was part of a fairy tale. i fell in love with the branches entwined with little dotted lights - the way they creep up to the ceiling and cast shadows around the room. i love the shade of the lamp with its crystals and the little ornaments scattered on the dresser. i love the chest of drawers with their delicate carvings and shiny handles and the soft white of the bedspread...what's not to love??

All of it has been beautifully put together by the lovely Mandy! Thank you for letting me shoot your room - i'm looking forward to coming back to do the rest of the house! Let me know what you think!

something up my sleeve

i have something very exciting to show you very soon!

Chantelle's stamping space!

A new week, a new window :) In the past week i popped into my sister Chantelle's and decided that her craft room would be great to photograph!

Chantelle has been paper crafting for about 8 years - she first started with scrapbooking and making cards using bits of paper she had lying around. Being introduced to Stampin'Up in 2006, she says she uses stamps for "scrapbooking, cards and 'off-the-page' items".

The amount of scrapbooking materials contained within this small space is amazing. On last count Chantelle records having just over 70 stamp sets, something which she herself is even surprised at! With stamps stacked into old fruit crates originally sourced from Busselton, markers stored neatly in drawers and bits of paper filed away, this little room is the epitime of organisation, everything having it's own little place. Chantelle says that her collection of supplies, furniture and storage items have "been collected over time".

Chantelle hopes to continue stamping for a while, and says she would love to be a part of a design team. "I love sharing my work and what you can achieve with Stampin'Up, so that will be the focus for my blog this year."

So what does Chantelle love the most about this little hideaway of hers?

"My favourite bit of this room is that its just mine and I can come and go as I please".