Flowers make me happy...

Well, it has been a miserable summer for weather and this rain is predicted to continue in Sydney for another 28 days!

In the brief breaks of rain I have been pottering around the garden and have added a few new flowers. At the same time I have really enjoyed watching my roses have a burst of life after the black spot problem a couple of months ago.

I am happy to admit that flowers are one of the things in this world that make me happy. Whenever I see a vibrant red rose or a delicate pansie I get a warm happy feeling and smile.

I also get snap happy and try to capture the beauty on film. I have some of those photos to share with you today, I hope you enjoy...

New @ Lou's House and Garden

Hi Everyone!!

One way I love spending time is browsing for vintage pieces to add to my home. With technology these days I can browse almost all the time! Ebay can be very addictive as I can just type in something like "French Provincial" or "Vintage" and 100's of things pop up for me to have a good old browse. 

The other way to browse is the good old fashion way... in a shop! Op Shops, Junk Shops, Antique Shops, Home Decor Shops... no where is safe for me to be!!! ;)

In the last couple of weeks I have found a few great finds while I have been browsing. The first is this beautiful vintage trunk...

In navy blue, this trunks just fits right on in at Lou's House and Garden. The hardware is fairly rusty in colour but this just adds to the trunk's character. Not only does this trunk look great but is practical too as I can use it as storage. 

At the moment I have put the trunk at the end of our bed but I have visions in the future of it becoming a coffee table. 

The second vintage find is the pretty blue willow pattern ceramic canister...

I found this one for a whopping $2 at Vinnies! woop woop! It originally must have been used as a canister as it came with a cork lid, but I much prefer to use it as a vase. :)

And my last find that I want to share with you is this cute antique cream stoneware jar...

This was an Ebay find which I really did just stumble across when I was searching for antique marmalade jars. When I saw it I HAD to have it! Two reasons... Daisy is the name of my sweet little pugalier AND Daisy Bank is the name of my Uncle's dairy farm here in NSW.

I haven't been able to find out much about Newton's Creamery but I do know it was a creamery (kind of like a dairy farm I guess?) in the UK back in the 1800's. Cool!

Anyway, hope all you Sydney-siders are enjoying the sun today. Talk soon. xx

Happy Sunny Sunday Everyone...

Take the time to smell the flowers...

Do the things you love...

Daisy loves to chew!!!

and have a snooze...

Have a great week everybody :)

Snippets from Lou's House and Garden

Good evening everyone!!

sorry for the late night blog... I haven't managed to sit down to blog until now. I wake up in the morning with a list of things I want to get done, but I just don't seem to get all items ticked off the list! And unfortunately posting is one of the last things on the list... :(

In the past week I have been snapping shots of pretty moments that catch my eye at Lou's House and Garden. I hope you enjoy...

As you can see I'm really loving flowers in vintage bottles and jars! In fact my collection of jars and bottles has increased so much over the last couple of months that I think I really need to part with some... well, we will see... ;)

In the garden this week...

As all Sydney siders know Summer for 2011/12 hasn't really been a summer at all. Instead of the hot and sunny days that we are used to getting, we have been experiencing grey skies and humidity.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, this humidity has really bothered my roses with black spot galore! Even my hydrangeas and azaleas seem to have suffered a little with mildew and petal blight problems.

Not being able to control the black spot I gave majority of my roses a big trim. Now, I am happy to say that  they are on their way back! By Autumn, I think (and hope) that all my roses will be back to their beautiful and luscious selves!

Kardinal Rose

Abraham Darby Rose

Hydrangea

Alicante Patio Rose
(you will notice the Daisy-proof fence in the background)

Have a great day everyone!!! :)

Look what I found...

Good afternoon to you all,

I have one big smile from ear to ear today because look at what I found...

That's right! Just a couple of days after lecturing you all on how hard it is to find vintage crates... pop - I found one!!!

I spent the last weekend staying with my close friend TKML on the lower north shore and she told me about a great antiques shop near her. So after a yummy breakfast and browse at Burnt Orange (great cafe at Chowder Bay), we took a short drive to this antique shop in Balgowlah.

Enjoying browsing through all the vintage pieces, the blue and white of this crate caught the corner of my eye... I HAD to have it!!!! First of all it is a vintage crate AND it is blue and white... so me! What suprised me even more was the price tag. Expecting it to cost the typical "antique shop" price, it was actually far less. YAY!!!

So after gushing over this great find with my friend TKML, my next step was to prepare myself to show my Handsome Husband. For some reason he doesn't share my obsession with vintage pieces as I do, or I should say the amount of "old stuff" that I love to buy. But thankfully he took it well!

At the moment I have positioned the crate at the front door of Lou's House and Garden to welcome any guests. I'm not sure if it will stay here but I like it for now.

Too much blue?

While we are talking crates, I thought I would show you this one too...

I found this in an op shop in Hobart, Tasmania when Handsome Husband and I decided to do a road trip down there. (BTW - Tasmania is a great place for a couple's holiday - great food, great scenery and obviously great vintage pieces).

I had been using this as a plant box with red and white petunias in it up until Christmas. Now I have it undercover on our back porch and use it to store my garden bits and pieces.

Daisy in the background.

Well that's all I have time for today... have to get to the house work.

Talk to you soon! xx

Vintage Crates

Good morning all,

vintage timber crates have become a must have in any French Provincial / Shabby Chic / Beach Cottage inspired home, and of course at Lou's House and Garden!

I love vintage crates. They add a piece of history to any room at a very inexpensive cost.

With their timeless look they can easily be prettied up and used in many different ways... storage, bookcases, table centrepiece, shelving, plant box, side tables or just to add character!

kelledame.blogspot.com

poppytalk.blogspot.com 

thehandmadehome.net

Love this cheeky idea...

breath-create-tumblr.com

ruffledblog.com

thehaystackneedleonline.com

thedesignnotebook.blogspot.com

If you find any vintage crates make sure you grab them!!! With their popularity rising, they are becoming harder to come across. Always have a good look in antique or junk shops, otherwise there seem to be a few on Ebay but these come at a higher price.

Another option is to make your own crates and then add a vintage look. There are a few "how to" instructions on the net. Lou's House and Garden is going to have a go at creating one and will get back to you with the results... watch this space!

findingfabulousblog.com

Have a great day and good luck with your vintage crate searches! :)

Blue Ball Mason Perfect Jars

Hello!

I hope everyone has had a lovely day? The weather here at Lou's House and Garden has been strange... it was dark, grey and pouring rain this morning and then after lunch... hot, muggy and sunny.

With all this weird and humid weather my roses are looking a bit sad as they have been overrun with black spot. :( I have been trying for a while to rid the horrible fungal disease with no success, so I gave up last week and cut back all my roses that were affected. So I will have to wait for Autumn for the next full blast of colour. So...

In the meantime I have been admiring these Blue Ball Mason Perfect Jars...

I first noticed these jars on one of my favourite blogs (http://postroadvintage.com). They were manufactured in the early 1900's as preserving jars and have now become a collector's item.

After falling for these simple but unique pieces I searched and searched to purchase some from the USA (as they are very difficult to find in Australia).

I am happy to announce that I had success in bringing some to over!! :)

These jars are perfect for use as a jar (haha), a vase, for storage or just display. They have been very popular in the USA as table centrepieces to hold flowers at weddings. If I knew about them back when I was organising my wedding, the theme would have gone in a completely different direction! They are blue, antique and hold flowers... they are soooo me! Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda.. right??

I love having these jars around Lou's House and Garden. One way I put them on display is as a hanging vase / lantern.

Beautiful.. right???

Using a bit of galvanised tie wire I have been able to produce these gorgeous pieces.

If you want to have your own unique, useful and beautiful antique please feel free to visit my Ebay (loushandg) or feel free to contact me through Lou's House and Garden.

Sleep tight!

Love! Love! Love!

A few new things...

Hi all,

nearly 6 months ago I left my full time job at a law firm in order to work in an environment where I could be surrounded by products in which I had a genuine interest. 

I have been working for a furniture and homewares company since and my staff discount has just kicked in! :)

One of the items that I purchased was this set of plant pots. 

As soon as I saw these beautiful pots I knew I had to have them. Being blue and white they suit my home decor, but they also have a timeless look that will compliment my homes in the future.

At the moment I have the pots in our BBQ area in the backyard. I would love to have them out the front to greet any visitors, but don't want to risk them being taken by an admiring passer.

I am in love with ceramic garden stools at the moment (which I am sure will continue), so when work got some in I had to have them too! :)

Both nice to look at and practical, ceramic garden stools can be used as a seat or as a side table.

I love the unique colour of this particular stool as it gives an antique look. 

Prior to my current job, my handsome husband purchased one in white for me for my birthday. 

A slightly different style but of course the white compliments everything! This particular one looks great in our master bedroom. 

Have a great day!