What's in My Cabinet?

My cabinet in our loungeroom is chokers with vintage bits and bobs. I have some interesting things that I will show you over a few posts. It houses some of my collections, including Bonzo, Sailor dolls, tin toys etc.

Join me each Thursday for a little peek.

2011 ACT Miniature Fair and Dollhouse Show

Little Miss and I headed off this morning to the annual ACT miniature Fair and Dollhouse Show. It was the first time we have been and it was pretty good. Apart from driving around looking for a car park. Aaahhh....it's so much better living in the country.

The little blue wren was a favourite find for Little Miss today. We have a blue wren that lives in our garden and every spring he taps on the window, eating bugs. The kids call him bluey and are excited to see him every year. She also selected the little paper flowers.

The blue/green cupboard was an Ebay find. As was the ceramic Lavender Lady statue, purchased from vrjwm from the UK.

We also came home with a miniature lounge by Jiayi. Its soft and squishy and tufted, just like the real thing.

The hand made cushions were an Etsy purchase, GIGI N STUDIO.

This is our real life size chesterfield lounge. I made the cushions from flour sacks in this post.

Below are a few shots of the doll house so far.

A little shot of the bedroom dressing table. The Victorian cards, dressing pattern kit, and Queen Victoria bust were all purchased from Ebay.

The little perfume bottles I made from a few beads and a tortoise shell button as the tray.

This fantastic miniature water colour was hand painted by Annette M Crawley, another UK find and was purchased here. The detail is incredible, especially as it is only 2 1/2" x 1 3/4" in size.

Another quality street tin :) although this is the tiniest that I will ever find.

Here is a shot of the progress in the kitchen. I still need a sink (I want a butlers/belfast sink)and blinds.

A closeup of the little shelf. The Queen Elizabeth plate is amazing as well. It is ceramic and the detail is incredible, purchased here.

Don't forget the Goulburn Swap Meet next Sunday 3rd April...see you at 7:oo am near the egg and bacon rolls:)

***To enter my Easter Giveaway, just leave a comment in my last post***

Easter Giveaway: Little Furryville Ice Hoppades

How cute are these little Furryville friends? The top little Panda is my favourite. While cleaning India's toys away this afternoon, I remembered that I had a little Furryville friend tucked away safely in the cupboard, still in its little box. Just the perfect thing for a little Easter giveaway.

Please note, that only the little Furryville Rabbit Ice Hoppades is included in the giveaway.

To enter just leave a comment on this post by Thursday 31st March 11:59 PM Australian EST. One lucky person will be randomly selected and announced Friday 1st April.

Giveaway is open to all, good luck, Tamara

Weekend Treasures

Hope this post finds you all well.

I have added lots of photos (click for a bigger view) of my weekend finds at Y's Buys and the Car Boot sale this morning. It was a little drizzly so it was only about half the size, but we still managed to find a few treasures.

Egg stand that I am going to put to good use for India party in a few weeks, it will hold lollies and the like, $5.

This industrial woollen spool I picked up at Y's Buys. I remembered seeing an inspiration shot in the latest Flea Market Finds magazine (below) and adorned it with little bits and bobs I found at Trash and Treasure.


Cutest book for 50 cents, need I say more.

Vintage baskets above and below, $8 and $3 respectively.



Old leather camera bag that I had attached to my vintage shopping trolley. I always take this along to the Goulburn Swap Meet to carry my goods. Perfect for holding little bits and pieces, and loose change.

Vintage Yardley box, tortoise shell and beehive top knitting needles and old thimble, $4.

Very old lace collar 50 cents, tiny pearls $1, needle tin $3.

Awesome concertina wooden sewing box $2.

More vintage clothes hangers $2.

Fab vintage Milk Bar sign in oak case $15.

Vintage Sharps toffee Tin, heading to my sisters soon, 75 cents!

Mr T's buy for the day, a cool wool/straw hook $3.

Pop over to my last post, I'd love to hear about your most unusual find :)

What is your most unusual buy? Chim Chiminey?

I was cleaning my laundry the other day, as you do, and saw my old chimney sweep (brush), that I bought at a local garage sale, propped in the corner. Don't ask me why I buy the things I do..because its old..because its pretty cool. Do we use it? No. Does it do anything other than sit in the corner gathering dust? No.

I do like the patina of the old cane poles and that fact that they screw together with cast iron threads to make a really long length. I like all sorts of old interesting and unusual pieces and so it came home with me and has been sitting there ever since.

It got me to thinking. Am I the only one to buy unusual treasures that I just have to have, really have no need for, that either have a sense of history, great patina, or is just fascinating?

What is the most unusual item that you have bought to keep? I would love to know.

Fair Dinkum Mate!

Photo credit Kath and Kim are coming to the big screen soon :)

I have, what you would call, a broad Australian accent. So I have decided to try and refine my speech before our holiday.

On the way to work this morning, I was quite insulted when Mr T likened me to ‘Kath and Kim’. I’d like to think I am more Kim than Kath..hehehe. I have a particular way of saying the number nine; I say ‘Noiyne’ and draw the sound out a bit. Right, I’ll show him, so I shortened it to the proper pronunciation and then he was like ‘What?’ he couldn’t understand me at all…hahaha

I’ll never forget the one day while buying some paint at Bunnings, I was talking to the guy behind the counter while it was mixing, and he asked if I was English; being English himself. I was like ‘What?? No, but my mum is’. I told my mum, who nearly fell off her chair in laughter, as she always says that I speak as rough as guts and I sound like I am from the outback.

So today, I am going to try to sound less like ‘Kath and Kim’, and more like the Queen.

The Rain in Spain……

Vintage Card Boxes; A Post for SVJ :)

Tamarah @ Shabby Vintage Junk has posted her fabulous collection of vintage card boxes, please pop over and say hello (click on the name for the link). Having spied my little card box on my dressing table in my last post, Tamarah mentioned that she would love a few more photos.

I only have the two; the bottom was a xmas gift from my mother, the other I bought at the Goulburn Swap Meet a few years back for $4.

Hope you all are well, or recovering quickly from the flu....mine seems to be here to stay :(

I cannot even put into words how sad the catastrophe is in Japan, our thoughts are with you.

Cleaning the cobwebs away

I've taken a few shots for you while cleaning the thick layer of dust off my dressing table...I've had the flu the past few days and the dust isn't making me any better...so this morning I decided to bite the bullet and actually clean it off.

Crikey! It does look clutter doesn't it in these photos...and this is after I had packed a few things away. There are no such things as bare surfaces in this house.

The last shot is the little tortoise cane table next to my bed. I will show Mr T's side of the bed later, I haven't got that far cleaning yet....

We have a long weekend as Monday is Canberra day. Since we live in NSW and work in the Canberra (another state, ACT) then we are lucky enough to have the public holiday but the kids have to go to school as they are in NSW...make sense? Bliss! A free day for Mr T and me, well between 9-3 that is...just have to get rid of this crappy flu.

Have a good one!