The Party's Over

It's always the last race that every skipper laments the old phrase "It's not over until the fat lady sings" You just never know, gear failure, a lack of wind, too much wind, miss a mark, anything can happen and often, than not, it does........I have enjoyed a great week of sailing, and socialising, the conditions were absolutely perfect and sadly the fat has sung and the last thing to do is pack my bag and head home, I can't wait to see Rowan, I am wondering how much he has grown over the past couple of weeks and I can't wait to hear all his new words.

I did manage to get a few non sailing shots on the beach party day and when I looked at them, they reminded me of the type of pictures I used to take years ago with my Polaroid Instamatic, sadly over the years all my sailing albums have become just fading memories, the images barely visible.   I hope you don't mind me sharing them with you, they are just random pics and with the help of Pic Monkey I have made them look just like they used to look all those times ago.

I am so happy to be writing this post, I have missed reading your posts and getting your heartfelt comments.  I'm taking a few days to get my land legs back and then it's off to the beach shack to finish the front garden, it looked like this.  Wait until you see the finished result, I 'm so excited.
Have a great week!

The Fibro Beach Shack 'Mid Centurio Calypso Wall Art'

Happy Friday.  I'm more than excited today, I'm be taking a booty of great  retro finds up to the fibro beach shack today...Yahooooooo!  I'm going to party, Karamu, Fiesta Forever.  Come on and sing along.................

..............I'll be doing my Calypso moves whilst hanging these amazing prints I found whilst I was in Queensland, I was blown away when I saw them.  I remember these prints from when I was a child, they were hugely popular when my hip happening mother  was going through her West German pottery phase.  What I like most about them is the graphic shapes, almost like block or lino prints.  Once I got started looking for more examples of this style, I couldn't believe how popular the Calypso print movement was.

 The artist here is 'Robert Lyons', I searched the Internet and couldn't find anything substantial about this artist, I found a blog here asking the very same.  Who is this 'Robert Lyons'?  What I did find was a great blog post here that gives a blurb about mid century' Calypso Wall Art'.   Pop onto Pinterest  I'm following this one.

 The Wallpaper

I managed to track down two rolls of faux sea grass wallpaper, and the colour was perfect. 

What do you think?  You can compare here.

It's been a busy week over here in my hood, the cars packed with all my new bits with just enought space for the poodles, I'm turning off the computer and congoing myself out the door.  Have a great weekend.  Tomorrow morning I'm having a lazy morning, with a pot of tea and my ipad, catching up  on all your lovely blogs.........

PARTY, KARAMU, FIESTA, FOREVER...COME ON AND SING ALONG..........

The Fibro Beach Shack 'A Yellow Beach House'

Finally the house exterior paint  is complete and I am jumping for joy.  I love the colour, it sings sunshine and happiness.  I think she looked moody and dull  here when I first bought her.

 Street view.  The  carport trellis and picket fence are begging me to paint them.  See my treasured little gate, last seen here.  The facing bedroom window is looking somewhat in need of an accessory.  A retro styled fixed aluminium awning will be perfect and I was so surprised when I found somebody to make me one.  The large gum tree has to be removed, and that is proving quite a task as the branches overhang the power lines and that involves having the power shut down....I am the talk of the town!

And finally the landscaping............of course when the tree is removed...and it's going to be a stunning planting of colour, a meandering little path and a bird bath.

 Ahh the patio.  Drenched in morning sun, this outdoor room will be a haven for a delicious cup of tea and a magazine.   

Ta Da..........How do you think the stripe wall looks now!  This is my to die for, original French vintage poster, designed by Pierre Fix Masseau. It seems the more I look at the poster the more I feel, see and admire it.  The teapot, vase, wine bottle and glass, the orange chair if you can see it and of course the cut glass, wine tumbler, so poignant of day to day living.  It's just bloody beautiful. So what do you think of the strip

Happy days in the shack Pierre! 

The Fibro Beach Shack' The Adirondack Chairs'

Apparently one must have  'Adirondack' chairs at there beach houses.  Naturally not a girl who wants to miss out on anything, I went searching for them.  Firstly I tried Ebay and  Gumtree, then visited a few of my favourite old wares, junk and antique stores, they old ones are like hens teeth.  I really wanted one that had been loved and showed some character. (basically the budget is starting to look a bit grim and I am eeking out the money in dribs and drabs, looking for a bargain here and there.  

These Adirondack chairs have quite a history, here, and when I googled Adirondack retail Sydney, I came up with all kinds of versions of the Adirondack, varying in shape, size and price range, available in flat packs, custom orders etc. etc. etc.  Definitely no more flat packs at the this stage of the project, I'm over the alan key.  Enter Jamie Drury........Jamie (gardener to the stars)  has a range of not too shabby patio, and garden furniture available at Big W, and to my surprise he does a version of the Adirondack, and I could buy it on line and have it delivered, so Jamie at $198 each, you got me at, on line and home delivery...............................

The chairs arrived promptly on the day and time I was quoted, I was so happy with the whole internet experience, doing a little dance in my front garden as the men carried the boxed chairs and even put them in the back of my car.   Yahoooo.  Up to the fibro beach shack they were bound and stayed in their boxes the stayed until the deck was complete.  Deck complete, I opened the box and proudly set my collapsible (? great for storage) Adirondack chairs on the deck.  Is it me or is it you?  Do those chairs look slightly grey?  Each time a friend popped in I would ask these two questions.  Same answer. Yes they are greyish, but, but the box says white.  I immediately climbed on the roof (the only place I can get Internet and phone service, so if you call me and I don't answer my phone, call again and give me time to get up on the roof) I search Big W 'Adirondack chair' and here it is telling me the colour is OYSTER WHITE, that can't be right, I swear it just said white when I purchased them on line.  Long story short. They used to come in white when I ordered mine..la, la, la.....but the new shipment came in oyster white and I happened to get two of the new shipment.  

I am really, really disappointed, they just look grey and they definitely can't stay grey....so here is my opportunity to paint them a bright, retro colour or paint them white.

 Bright and bold......

 Retro hues as opposed to white

 Pastels

 I can't remember where I sourced this picture from, I just love it, the fabric is so wonderfuly floral.  have had it on my desktop for such a long time.  I am thinking of making myself one to twirl  around the fibro shack when I have guests, much more stylish then a snuggy in winter!

Should I paint the chairs white or do I go for a colour?

The Fibro Beach Shack, 'The Bathroom'

Step this way to the bathroom...........

I replaced the door with this door, ( a long story about the floor levels being raised after the tiling and me planning the door down a tad too much, because the use of big boy power tools really is fun).  The door is actually a front door but how retro does it look.  I haven't painted  as yet as I was thinking of painting it the colour of the prima that it is.  

The bathroom is tight, therefore I needed to keep the fixtures functional,using less area, to give an illusion of spaciousness. The pedestal basin worked very well as did the retro inspired bevelled mirror.

Storage for cosmetics and personal care items is a small problem but a trip to Ikea and Freedom will have it sorted. I just need to live in the space for a few days and work out what where storage is needed.

The colour is a Resene paint 'Onepoto' it's a very fresh turquoise colour, I wouldn't use it at home but for the beach house it had the beachy retro feel I wanted.  The shower screen I bought as a flat pack and it was relatively easy to install, with a few screws drilling it to the floor and wall and then loads of silicone sealer, a trip to the Nail Spa and presto!    I spy a Tiki.  

The bathroom wasn't quite big enough for me to get a better photograph of this happy little Tui Bird wall sticker.  I won this fabulous little bit of Kiwiana over at the lovely Juliet's blog Tartankiwi.  I was so excited when I won this giveaway, I new this quirky and brightly designed wall sticker would have a very special place to live one day, and I can't think of anywhere more special then the fibro bach!  Pop on over and visit Stickytikis you'll love the many quirky and fun designed wall stickers as much as I do.  

Before...............

One question......After a few visits to the bathroom, I feel the door should be painted white to create the illusion of space.  I love the colour as it is (Dulux, Emerald Haze)  I love how the outside of the door jumps out next to the orange and pink stripe.  Is it too Much?
Should I paint the inside white and the outside Emerald Haze?

This week I'm thinking of a rug for the lounge floor......I was thinking an animal skin!

The Fibro Beach Shack 'Capiz Chandeliers'.

I hear my mother (Liz) spooking me daily......"Roberta, where are you going to put the Capiz Chandelier?"  Oh, how she loved the translucent colour and the melodic clinking they made when the cool breeze lifted up from the river in the late afternoon.  I grew up in a magnificent stark white Queenslander overlooking the Brisbane river.  A large ornate verandah wrapped around three sides of the house, furnished with exquisite settings of painted cane outdoor furniture.  Large potted palms with over hanging capiz chandeliers created cool and peaceful nooks for the adults to sit and sip on tall, exotic cocktails, whilst listening to jazz music grooving from the record player.  I can say there was nothing conventional about my family, being of French decent, they were well known for being rather eccentric.  My father a famous jazz musician  tragically died when I was three weeks old, he never actually left the house, because everybody continued to talked to him as if he never left!  (How very confusing for a five year old) My Grand Mere and Papa lived with us, my Great Aunt, Aunts and cousins we all lived crazily, happy together in the big white Queenslander.  

That's it, a capiz chandelier will hang at the fibro shack, and every time it clinks I will smile and think of my out of this world, extremely talented and creative, way ahead of her time, mother, Liz.

Love the blue duck egg walls, bright bed linen and the surfboard.

Kaboodle

Very coastal, much too clean for me.  The chandelier is very lush indeed.

I have seen this done before, adding string of cut out colour to the chandelier.

In the children's room, how very sweet indeed. Loving the little floral fold up table.  

I spy an anchor and a fish..but who is that man!

Romantic.  Spy the vintage wallpaper.

Love these on trend colour blocking shades of peach, pink and cream.

What do you think?  Where should I hang the Capiz Chandy?  Bedroom, hallway, lounge??????

The Fibro Beach Shack Renovation 'Two Fabulous Chairs, The Inspiration'

Ask me about the lounge room, it all started here!

Long before the bach was officially mine, I had a vision of two chairs retro/vintage/bamboo, they had to be striking. they had to make a statement and they had to sit proudly, and invitingly comfy in the lounge room looking out to the deck and back garden.  I knew it would be a task, I'd have to visit all my favourite haunts, regularly, watch ebay and gum tree and perhaps do the rounds of the garage sales.

Then early one morning reading my favourite blogs, I could not believe my eyes, it was like abracadabra.......

here they were, proudly sitting in the gorgeous space staring back at me, I let out a little 'yahoo' and excitedly showed the sailor, and together we were so surprised.  Fingers crossed these chairs could be ours.  I emailed Lisa immediately telling her these were my chairs and pleeeeease don't sell them to anyone else.  

So here they are.  Don't they look grand.  The next piece of furniture I purchased was the tripod floor lamp (oops it has still got it's price tag on) with the amazing shade.  I loved it so much, I had to make it work.  I decided on getting a custom made lounge to work with the lamp shade and armchairs.  The fabric is from Warwick Upholstery and Design, (Annais Tangelo). I love the tropical feel. and the shapes of the leaves complement the leaves in the shade.   I covered the chair cushions with the same orange fabric I used for the base of the couch, the fabric is a good all round durable weave and will wear well.  The couch is 1.9 metres long and extra width in the seat....very comfy to throw your legs onto and have a bit of a read.

The Danish design retro coffee table I purchased off ebay, after many a tough bidding war I finally won this piece.  Ebay is not my preferred buying style, man those bidding wars are way to stressful for me, instead I opt to shops around the auction houses and second hand furntiure stores.  If you are after a piece of retro danish style furniture, Regent Street in Redfern, Sydney is a great start for you to get a feel for the style and quality.  So far the room is looking just about how I imagined it, the floors complement the furniture and all the pieces create a funky but homely space to relax.  

Over the weekend..............

Here are a few bits and pieces I purchased during the week, a West German ceramic, love the colours and design, a gold soda bottle a $10 bargain, a caramel coloured brandy balloon and this lamp (Ikea) which hasn't found a home as yet.....

 This totally fabulous crochet rug.  Don't you just love those colours.....I gave it a big cuddle then started to sneeze violently, my eyes got very itchy and turned into red golf balls......cat hair, the rug has been furrked (a word I discovered meaning something that has cat hair all over it).  Can anybody give me a solution for removing the hair, it's kinda in the stuck to the wool.  In the meantime, it's off the the dry cleaners.

Here are the bit's and pieces, and the rug which will find a suitable place to live once unfurrked.

I did have a bit of a sleep in on Saturday morning, reading this book and thinking about this colour for the bathroom door.  Hmm if Jane Maas thinks she has the inside scoop of working in advertising in the 60's, perhaps I should write about the 80's before Mr Keating put a stop to free lunches or should I say liasons?..........

 Here is my boy, wearing his shorts from his resort collection....trains are his latest thing.

Rowan loves sitting and climbing onto the Jamie Drury Adirondack chair.  One word of advice if you buy these, they are advertised as white but they are an oyster white which is very grey.....more painting.

I have loved doing this makeover, we have put in many a weekend, working away, listening to music and having a few laughs and a few bevvies.  I love it all so far and can't wait to show you the bedrooms when I get a little more decor in them.  I was thinking I'd love to throw open the doors and invite you all over, turn up the music, have a tropical cocktails and a bit of a dance......Don't laugh when I;m finished I'm putting it out there.  

The Fibro Beach Shack 'My Dilemna, Topless or Not'

When I arrived home last week, I asked the sailor to help me with the topless girl in the car,  Man, did he go fast, faster than if I asked him to help with the groceries.  Once inside, I stared with admiration at my prize, this gorgeous, bare breasted, island girl was mine to behold.  I found her, neglected and alone, dusty and abused sitting unashamedly behind a heap of rubbish at a garage sale.

 "Take her" they said"  The frame is in tatters and she's gone real mouldy" I laid her carefully in the back of  my car and I did feel a little sad that I had nothing to cover her with in case of her modesty.  

I carefully cleaned the glass and frame and hung her in the family room.  How beautifully retro does she look, her eyes and her hint of a smile, her raven black hair and slender arms. I wonder if she is a South Sea Princess, virgin goddess?  What I am not to sure about is her right nipple.  Is it too pointy?  Is it veering off to the right?  Do these nipples offend? All that aside the more I look at her, the more I love her, my find, my prize.  I know that she will live a lovely life at the bach.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!

The sailor has a dilemma.  Should we hang her in a beach house rental?  Is this pornographic?  Is this too uncouth?  Will she offend small children.   I'd love to hear your thoughts.  How would you feel if you rented a holiday house with a half naked lady proudly hanging on the lounge room wall.

The Fibro Beach Shack 'The dining Table, The Pineapples and The Bold Stripe'

Ta...da....!  this is the dining room, exactly as I had pictured it the very first time I inspected the house.  Very white and very fresh, I love the yellow it's such a happy colour.  It's a fun look , I purposely mixed up the furniture styles to give it that beach house feel. I can't believe it ever looked like this

I'm really thrilled with the pineapple prints I purchased at Chelsea Flee when I was in New York last year.  Five dollars for both.  I chose to frame them in a box style frame which rally gave them the retro feel I wanted.

Hibiscus from the back garden, just looking at these tropical flowers makes me feel like I'm on holiday.

My Saturday job was to paint a large one metre stripe and a 15 cm stripe on the wall that faces the front door.  I don't know what it is about men, the sailor was a nervous Nellie.  Firing questions at me.  How will you get the lines straight, will the pain bleed, etc etc.  Then when he saw the colour of the paint, he went very red and jokingly told me "This might just get you eliminated" Ha, ha!  I had a job to do and I just had to focus, cross my fingers and get on with it!

Now for the paint!

Resene Chilean Fire for the big stripe and Resene Knock Out for the small stripe.  These colours match the colours of the vintage poster I will hang here.  If you are planning to paint a feature you just can't be afraid of colour, get it on and and live with it for a few days if you really hate it, paint over it.

It was so hard to get it perfectly straight as the walls are bowed but as far as the eye can see it's pretty good.  There is a little bit of colour bleeding but nothing that a bottle of white out won't fix.

My old university rowing oars look fantastic, I'm so happy that I have kept them all these years.  The buffet is looking a little lonely over there against the large white wall.  The lounge room is still a work in progress.

An old cane mirror I purchased from a garage sale years ago has finally found a home at the beach.  This is the front entrance.  Native Kiwi fauna ceramic plaques.  

I am so happy with what we achieved in the house this weekend, not to mention that we filled a six cubic dump bin with all the overgrown weeds,  bamboo and building debris cleared from the the back garden.  We had some stupid arguments about really dumb things, we rolled around the floor laughing at ourselves, we listened to old music, drank some beers and made plans.  When I left the house yesterday, leaving the sailor behind to start the carport today, I left with a this awesome feeling, I got half way up the hill and turned around and drove back, I raced around the back deck where I had left him  gave him the hugest hug, I looked into his eyes and told him how much I loved  him, we held hands for a bit not saying a word, just looking at what we had achieved together this weekend.
 Enough of that ladeda...So what do you think so far.   Your comments mean so much to me, can;t wait to read them.