Bookcase tidy up....from Billy Bland to Boxed up and Beautiful....

 

 

Some months ago, with great trepidation, I shared a photo of my office bookshelves. Well, they were called bookshelves when I bought them from IKEA. Actually they were called Billy Bookshelf and IKEA sell gazillions of the things every year. Judging by the number of times a Billy Bookshelf makeover gets pinned on Pinterest, everyone else is about as bored with theirs as I was with mine.

What started as a neat utilitarian area for files, soon turned into a dumping ground for report cards, hot off the press letters from Politicians arguing that they shouldn't have to do anything for our disabled son because no-one else had ever asked them to and thus bereft of an answer for us that made sense, 'no' seemed the best they could come up with, vaccination records for the kids, the cat and a series of dogs, Harry Potter books that didn't fit into The Diva Childs expectations of Boho décor for her room and other assorted bits of nonsense that frankly, should have gone where my now much mourned Mr Christian shoes from the early 80s went...into the charity bin.

Well I dithered about how to make this better because I'm actually a bit of a bower bird and hate to toss anything away. Blame my single parent upbringing in my sibling riddled family.

Eventually a chance viewing of the Peters of Kensington website yielded these cute and Frenchy looking box things, labelled storage boxes on the site, but notated as Hamper boxes on their delivery carton. At just $3.50 each I now have matching storage for my entire house. And don't bother looking....I bought every single one they had. Sorry!

Then The Musician Husband was despatched with tape measure and other bits of usefulness, to order many shelves from the local cabinetmaker, to make sized-to-fit spaces for my new Frenchy boxes. Don't get these from IKEA if you're thinking of embarking on a similar tidy up....they're $10-$20 there depending upon which part of the world you live in. The same shelves from the local kitchen bloke were just $3.50 each. Thankyou Mr Kitchen Bloke.

So stuff was tossed, crafty bits reorganised by project, colour, type, and stage of progression...clearly none of which was 'finished'...and other bits from around the house repurposed to mingle with my new stylish, neutral corner.

Look, it's not BHG or Vogue, alright?

But frankly it's a good old stab at an old fashioned cleanup and I'm quite proud.

  Add some dreamy ostrich plumes and some dangly tassels, below, and we're done, I think.   I left the distinctly British framed pen and ink of Victoria Embankment where we disembarked from the Thames Clipper daily on our last visit to London, where it was, because it's a for-real one, not a print, and cost us a bomb. It's earned it's spot, even if it's not a bit Frenchy looking. And it's a heck of a lot more classy than one of those snow globe things with the London Eye in it.  

 

Now which of those identical boxes has my blasted knitting in it? I haven't got around to my clever labelling with bits of balsa wood and olde worlde stamped letters yet so I'm a bit lost.

 

But like everything, it'll happen.

 

Amazing what you can do with a few fancy boxes, feathers and Frenchy Frou-Frou, isn't it?

 

...Mimi...    

A lovely week ahead....

 

Lake Weyba sunset. Completely unenhanced and taken by The Diva with her iPhone. Unbelievable, eh?

 

I've decided to make more of an effort to make life lovely this week. Well, every week really, but starting this week. This is often difficult with our busy schedule as I know it is for all of us, so here is what I'm doing.

 

1. Make more effort with my hair and makeup every day. I've fallen into a rut of hair in high ponytail, swish of mineral makeup, basic jewellery. Nothing wrong with that, and looking around me, sometimes more effort than most make. But I like looking a little glamorous for The Muso Man and The Diva. He married a glamorous woman, and The Diva missed me in my younger, very glam days. So I owe it to them to make the most of myself. So it's hair washed and nicely styled, with a more careful up-do on the alternate day. Some contouring (learned from Pinterest links) on the less than glam face, and a little more eye makeup. Different jewellery every day. I am so fortunate to have some really exquisite real and costume jewellery pieces that I inherited, as well as some very pretty real gems that The Muso Man has given me over the years, so they're all getting dusted off and shown off. I'm also trying more to vary my wardrobe. It's so hot here in Summer that I really fall back on the same three outfits, day in day out because they're comfortable. Again, nothing wrong with that, they're very acceptable outfits. But variety is the spice of life as they say and it's cooling down so I can actually wear clothes with SLEEVES!

2. Burn my scented candles. I adore them, and again, forget to use them.

3. Make some special meals. Not expensive, just different. On the menu for tonight are Thai inspired Gluten Free sausage rolls. I'm cheating and using bought GF puff pastry. A small luxury.

4. Walk in different directions. We live in a leafy area, and have some lovely walking tracks. I tend to do the same walk every day, when really, going in a different direction might lead to all kinds of pretty sights.

5. Have a special afternoon tea in the car for The Diva when I collect her from school. I used to do this every day, and I've forgotten how hungry she is when she hits 3pm. So today it's cupcakes with fondant shamrocks (saved one from a batch I've done for Irish friends) and a lime milk...yes, lime. Very nice too :)

6. Body lotion. Who wants crocodile skin legs? Cheap, baby lotion. My favourite. Arms, legs, elbows all slathered morning and evening.

7. A new book. A historical novel. Sequel to The Other Boleyn Girl which I finished recently and really enjoyed. The Boleyn Inheritance. All based on real figures and events in British and European history. Fascinating.

 

8. Make an old fashioned dessert every second night. The Muso Man loves them and I get all caught up in being healthy and forget that a little of something you like is not a bad thing. Tonight it's baked custard, Wednesday will be rice pudding, and Friday I'll do Gluten Free apple turnovers.

9. A different perfume every day. Again, I have lots, but tend to use the body spray that comes to hand each morning. I wore Femme by Rochas the other day. It's no longer available, but is the very first French perfume I owned, given to me by my Mum on my sixteenth birthday. I love it, and found a bottle in Harrods on our last trip there. The Diva and The Muso Man both commented on how lovely I smelled. I also have Chanel No. 5, White Linen, Paris, and Anais Anais and forget to wear them all. No more!

10. Finish the blanket I'm knitting for my granddaughter. Palest baby pink and a joy to work with.

What are you doing to make life lovely this week?

 

...Mimi...

The Lost Age of Glamour...

 

Capucine...shift, gloves, pearls, ballerina brooch...

 

Grace Kelly...swathes of silk satin or tulle, pearls, gloves....

 

Brigitte Bardot...swathes of lace and ribbon, patent leather T-Bar heels, cashmere sweater....

 

 

Barbara Feldon who rocked a beret and trench...

 

Ladies. In our rush to have more, be more, do more....we've forgotten to be glamorous. I love going to Paris and seeing everyone frou-frou-ed up. I love that even the Senior Citizens in Paris match their hair to their suit to their bag to their shoes to their lippy. I love that people dress to walk down the stairs to the Boulangerie...just because it's nice to dress...for self and for onlookers.

 

One of the most memorable things I saw in Paris, was on a walk from the Louvre to Sacre Coeur on a quiet Sunday afternoon, and it wasn't the Eiffel Tower. A divine young woman floated past us in a full tulle skirt, cashmere sweater a la` Brigitte Bardot, and patent ballet flats, tote over shoulder, and immaculately groomed in that way that only the French have mastered. That glowing, healthy, 'glad to be alive', fresh faced, shiny haired thing they have going on is enviable. How DO they do it?

 

Well. They care. Day in, day out. They care.

 

We Aussies get a bit lacksadaisical sometimes. A tan and a shimmery lip gloss only goes so far. When one reaches my age, a tan and a shimmery lip gloss may be okay for Noosa, but not for HERE.

 

I'm going glam this year. I deserve it. And I want my daughter to see that being ....cough...old, doesn't have to mean trackie dacks and Bonds hoodie or 3/4 pants and Millers t-shirts *shudder*....

I'm making this dress. I like it. It's a bit Audrey Hepburn. I'm still deciding on the fabric. Any suggestions?

 

I'll wear it with a flower in my hair, pearls at my earlobes, and bling on my wrists.

 

Patent ballet flats and vintage bag, obligatory my dear.

 

I might even show you a photo ;-)

 

....kisses...

Wheelie Good Holidays....

So, you know, there's more to me than Boho Bedrooms, French Feasting and Clever Crafting.

 

As you see by my headings above, matters concerning Cerebral Palsy steal me away from time to time. That's all due to one rather handsome bloke, pictured above. Let's call him Elbow...because that's what we call him....don't ask why.

 

Elbow lives an enviable life for a bloke with CP. He has his own dwelling, a team of support staff to assist him in living independently, and a greyhound to lay at his feet, nay, lick his feet...which she does with happy abandon.

 

Elbow has his own car, fruit trees in his yard, mates, and has just returned from a wheely good holiday. His first holiday without parents or little sisters to bug him.

 

He went on a cruise, good people...something I've yet to do in my life.

 

He, his wheelchair, and three support staff sailed to Sydney, enjoying the sights of the Opera House and The Harbour Bridge amongst other frivolity.

 

They sang karaoke (Don't Worry, Be Happy), ate themselves into a stupor, drank Pina Coladas (Elbow wondered at a drink called Peanut Coladas that didn't taste a bit like peanuts....lol!), laughed hysterically at the X-rated activities of the couple in the cabin next door, who clearly did not realise they had an audience, and on the last night, boogied (does anyone say 'boogied' any more?No? Well, I just did...) till the wee hours.

 

Elbow even came home with a girls phone number. He's very proud.

 

So are we.

 

A cruise ended up being the best possible holiday for a guy like him. Lots of friendly faces, no hassle transport, great food, fun times. He's off to Osaka next. By ship. Who knew?

 

None of this happened overnight. I've told the story several times. It took a few words in the shell pink ears of several politicians to make it happen. Actually it was a lot of words over a very long period of time...some of them very naughty words. But lets just say that leaders on both sides of politics eventually 'saw the light'.

 

And here we are. Elbow living like every other 23 year old bloke. Except for that girls phone number, which he yet has to work up the courage to call.

 

It'll happen.

 

 

...Mimi...