Pretty in Pink

I'm long overdue for my first pyrex post of 2011 so here goes!!!

I'm not usually a pink kind of girl but there is something so pretty about pink pyrex, I have only ever found one other pink piece (my Gooseberry cinderella bowl), so I was delighted to find these 2 pieces in the space of a couple of weeks, $3 each.

I don't think it's a secret that aqua is one of my favourite colours - love this casserole - $4!

Finally!!! A black Gaiety piece - this has been on my wishlist for ages - $4!

A fab Horizon divided dish - $7.50 on eBay, it was in the next suburb so I was able to pick up :-)

And this cute yellow casserole - $2.

Such colourful gorgeousness - don't forget to visit The Pyrex Collective for more Pyrex madness!

Thank you :-)

I would like to say a big huge thank you to everyone who left such lovely, comforting comments regarding my Nana. She had a long life and was very unwell at the end, so it wasn't a shock but still very sad when she passed away. Your words meant a lot to me and it was so lovely to receive condolences from all over the world.

And I was also very touched to read Erin AKA Toronto Yardsaler's post regarding the linocut prints I made for her "Pay it Forward" gift. She has them beautifully framed and hanging up in her lovely home (I made the black and white ones), very exciting for me to see, thanks Erin :-)

Nana

In loving memory of my Nana who passed away yesterday at the age of 87. Here is a beautiful photo of her looking radiant on her wedding day with my very handsome Grandad. Please God they are together again and happy.

Bowled Over

At a Church sale a couple of weeks ago (screechy kids in tow), I came across a lovely teal bowl I just had to share with you...

I nearly didn't even bother picking it up, it was low down on a shelf and from above just looked like a triangular bowl, but I loved the colour and had a closer look...

It has sections cut out of it and really is stunning, it looks completely different from every angle...

...and it's big, big enough to use as a fruit bowl perhaps?

The best bit - it cost 50 cents, ridiculous!!!

I'm off now to count down the hours till my wonderful Dad arrives from Ireland tomorrow, we're all very excited!!!

Today I'm over here...

Hello, today you can read a bit more about me and my love of vintage as part of a "Thrifters Around the World" series over at the very wonderful blog Thriftcore...

If you don't already read this fantastic blog you SHOULD! Van shares her beautiful vintage finds, gorgeous decor and great tips on thrifting, so go on, quick, visit... now!!!

Houzz

I have discovered almost all of my favourite design and decor websites through the world of blogging. I sit back on my lazy bum and let others do the hard work discovering these sites and sharing them with the world. That's why I was a bit flabbergasted when my hubbie, of all people, was the one to introduce me to my new absolute favourite, droolsome, time-sapping website www.houzz.com

Visit at your own peril, there are THOUSANDS of stunning home decor images, divided into categories such as eclectic, traditional, contemporary etc. You can browse these beautiful images and add them to your own "ideabook", basically a scrapbook of all your faves. You can browse other users' ideabooks and the search function is fantastic. I am a bit obsessed with open shelving in kitchens and when I searched "Open Shelves Kitchen" over 4,000 fab images were sprung upon me.

I can't believe I've never come across this website through the blogosphere so just thought I'd share in case others hadn't heard of it. They also have a fantastic iPad app that allows you to flick through the images like a gorgeous magazine.

Source

Enjoy! And don't say I didn't warn you...

Le Crusade

When my husband and I returned to live in Australia in 2004 (having lived here for a couple of years previously) our initial plan was just to stay a couple of years. Everything we bought to set up home was pretty "cheap 'n' cheerful" knowing we wouldn't be bringing them with us when me moved on. One of my el cheapo purchases was a set of stainless steel cookware from Kmart which has slowly been replaced by odd bits and pieces over the last few years.

A while back though I decided, now that I'm a "professional housewife", I would love some really high quality cookware. Top on my list was cast iron cookware from quality French companies such as Le Creuset or Staub. However, EVERYTHING in Australia has gotten so expensive and when I realised these brands sell here for over 3 times the price of Europe in some cases I thought "Sod that, I'm on a mission to thrift the lot" :-)

I've done pretty well so far...

You may remember I posted previously on my first Le Creuset find - the Raymond Loewy designed cocotte, an original from 1959. I think I can safely say this is one of my favourite finds ever! I love everything about it, the colour, the design, the quality, the price - $15!!!

This is the large oval Le Creuset casserole I found at a market last Mothers Day - $20! A gorgeous contrast to the aqua one :-) Tip: Le Creuset guarantee their knobs and handles for life, the knob on this casserole when I found it was a bit bockety, I phoned them and a new one arrived in the post within a few days, that's customer service!

These 2 cast iron gratin dishes were a recent find - $10 each. They are marked on the back with the number 18 in a diamond and "Made in France" but no maker's mark. I'm guessing they're made by Cousances, a rival French company that Le Creuset took over.

My other Le Creuset find from Mother's Day last year - a pair of cast iron pots - I think they were about $25 for the pair.

I was thrilled to find this large grillit pan for $20 in Vinnie's a couple of months ago, it's in great condition - the recommended retail price for these in Australia is $249!

OK, I have to admit that this gorgeous turquoise 20cm grillit pan wasn't thrifted, I bought it new when I was in Ireland last year, I've never seen these smaller ones in Australia and it's the perfect size when I'm using all 4 rings on our hob and space is limited.

And lastly, these gorgeous mini-cocottes were a gift from my little sis on my last birthday, love them!!!

And so much for our 2 year plan, 7 years later and we're still here :-)