Bed Ridden - Time Out !

Let this be a lesson to you ...

 

If  contemplating doing what I am doing as a hobby or business, first & foremost take care of yourself physically - don't think you are invincible ! 
 

 

I am at present flat on my back talking to you because I did not take the right precautions when unloading furniture from our car.  A big lesson to be learnt.  Anyway it is giving me more time to spend blogging & improving the theory side of my beloved pastime. 

 

The storage of a lot of furniture to do up is waiting for me when I recover ... hopefully not too far away !!!

 

I am therefore adding a lot of info in my blog from this day on so stay tuned for some interesting stories !

 

Here's to a healthier life ahead.

A Happy Mother's Day to all Mums

I don't really know how to begin this today ...

 

 

I guess I just want to express the gratitude to all Mum's for trying !

It is not an easy task being a Mum, and sometimes it feels like a thankless task, but, forget it is a task & it becomes rewarding !!!

For years you battle with little babies through to toddlers - then the hormones set in and soon you have teenagers & soon to be adults!

 

 

It all goes remarkably fast and without anxiety, worry, many sleepless nights, questions of achievement, sadness, tears, many laughs, rewards by the hundreds and then you watch your children, as parents, do the same.  You watch their children grow and amaze at how similar the task at hand is all over again.

 

 

The beauty now is though - you can be the wisdom giver, the listening ear, the carer, the helper, the hugger, the Mum!

 

I have travelled those very paths and now enjoy those moments to our three beautiful girls ...

 

 

 

Enjoy the moments that pass by so quickly - enjoy every day without regret !

 

Happy Mother's Day !

A REAL GOLD TREASURE - TO KEEP OR NOT ?!

I was so excited a couple of weeks ago to find this treasure at a Garage Sale.  It is heavy to lift so immediately I knew it was definitely quite old.  No plastic or even timber on this one !!!

On inspecting it closer I found it is a true oil painting as well - not a print but with no signature of identity.  The detail is exquisite in it's gold finish.  I wish I could find out more about this old 'Beauty'!

It is not small - measures 64cm high x 51cm wide & is all in great form on the back with clips & hanging wire all still in place & in working order.

The big question is "Do I keep this One?!"  I may need your help on this - please give me your opinion?!!

I was reluctant to replace the inner image or even paint the frame - that would normally be the "'Norm!"

 

Anyway I would love your opinion on this please - please - please !!!

Now to reward you for your opinion I am giving the best 'genuine idea' a Mystery French Shabby Chic Gift - you have just one week from today to do your very best !
To also qualify you need to

1. Become a Follower on this Page and ... 
2. Like my 2 x Facebook Pages @

www.facebook.com/frenchalabeach
www.facebook.com/lamaisonbellehomewares

I really appreciate your feedback!

WELCOME AUTUMN MORNINGS

I love this time of the year - everything is clear & crisp!  The sun just glistens through the trees as it reaches our sunlit balcony early in the morning!  The plants welcome the sunlight with open leaves - they look happier by the minute. 

 

There is just something about Autumn that gives you a boost !

 

 

Enjoy the Beauty of Autumn !!

 

ROUND TABLE REFURB - SUCH A CUTIE !!!

Now and then you come across a piece of furniture that already looks fabulous & you toss & turn, & ask yourself if you should do anything to it.  But then you take the jump and make it into something gorgeous. 

 

 

That's what I did with this and I am glad I did.  It is simple but chic in every way.  The stylish Queen Anne legs just enhance it's elegant style!

 

 

So if you see something you are not sure of - take the risk and have a go - you'll be glad you did!

Your Own Home Transformation !

I just love the satisfaction of transforming your home into "Home!" 

 

 

I especially love it when you can find the bits & pieces at bargain prices & transform them one by one into valuable looking furniture features.  I have been doing this over the past months & I have finally finished our lounge area of our French Beach Chalet.  Although there will be other changes to the internal structure of the building as we can afford it, the basic idea is now a reality.

 

and now

 

You don't have to spend a fortune - just go to the secondhand places and the online sites to hunt out little treasures & then either use your imagination as well as get extra help from sites like Pinterest.  If you flick through some of my older posts you will see quite a few ideas.

If that is too hard or you don't have the passion yet you have the dream, you can always seek people like myself to help you.  It would be my pleasure to help you!  We are all different & some do not have the knack - I do not have the knack for many things either, but I am happy to share this one with you.

 

Anyway have some fun if you wish and "Transform" away !!!

You Can Never Give Too Much Friendship !

After waking up today to hear about the bombings in Boston at the Boston Marathon my heart once again sinks.  Not only does it sink & hurt because of the deliberate cruelty to fellow mankind, but because we never learn.  In most cases we as a human race pull together for so many reasons but more and more we are parting & causing less love & more disasters.

 

It is sad to think that there are people out there who deliberately want to hurt & kill innocent brotherhoood - adults & children, with no remorse!  It makes you shudder for our children's & grandchildren's generations to come.

 

 

I read this little story & yes it is a parable of the hedgehog but the core of it is so real! 

 

 

The hedgehogs

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.

The hedgehogs, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

 

 

We could so learn from this & start to be a bit more together - check on your loved ones more - check on your neighbours - help that stranger in the street.  We can't fix the enormity of disasters in the world but we can make a difference in our part of the world.  If we all did that the world would grow to be alot better place to live in!

 

 

COFFEE & PASTRY IN PARIS !!!

Paris is definitely the best place to have Coffee in!

From the Cafe Stand in des jardin to the trendy Cafe Bristros on the cobble stoned streets of Paris; every where is an experience different to the next.  When we were there we experienced coffee & chocolate banana crepes in the park, coffee & delectible french pastries (nothing like them) in cafes on the street to lunch & coffee at the Altitude 95 Restaurant at the Eiffel Tower.  Because each one is unqiue in it's own way it is impossible to choose between them. 

 

My suggestion is - try them all - as many as you can.  If you are worried about gaining weight - don't be.  The pastries are so naturally made they don't sit on your hips, & as I have said so many times before - "You Have to Walk Paris !"  So don't stress - eat - enjoy & savor all there is to savor in Paris!  The Coffee & Pastries is just one unforgettable moment in Paris!

 

 

TOP TEN CAFES IN PARIS

 

Café des 2 Moulins

Cafés Verlet

Merce & The Muse

La Caféothèque

Café de la Nouvelle Mairie

Le Comptoir du Relais

Coutume Café

Hôtel Amour

Le Petit Château d'Eau

La Mer à Boire

 

FUN ON RAINY DAYS

The Things you get up to on Rainy Days ...

 

I bought this very 'Comfy' leather lounge off Gumtree for $50!!!  Bargain !!!  I only wanted a 3 & a 1 Seater as we are limited with space in our unit.  I also really wanted a good Comfy lounge you can actually "Lounge" in !

I took my hubby with to try it out first & he just about fell asleep in it on the spot.  We both were very happy as we didn't want to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a lounge that wasn't 'Comfy!'

 

So the next project was to cover it - I wanted the off-white French Provencial look but was a bit fussy re what fabric to use.  I didn't want anything that would crush alot or anything synthetic with the heat we get, but being on a tight budget, I had to be sensible too.  I managed to find a gorgeous heavy thread pure - 100% cotton, off white fabric (slightly raw looking) which I just loved, at half price - only $9.95 per metre at a Spotlight Sale.  I was thrilled as I thought it would take longer to save up for the fabric.   

 

So with all this rainy weather over the past few weeks I have been designing, making patterns & cutting out my lounge cover.  I didn't have anything to follow except my head & a trusty tape measure!  It started out looking a bit more difficult than I had done before previous lounges, as the cushions do not detach from the lounge.  I then had to work out a plan to allow enough fabric to tuck in far enough to hold when sitting on it, or should I say lounging on it!  I decided to do the smaller single chair first as a sort of 'guinea pig' attempt!  Anyway I am pleased to say it worked out well so I had more confidence to attempt the bigger chair.  Well finally it is finished & I am pleased, to say the least.  I feel proud of the effort, relieved it is done & excited about our new look in our French Beach Chalet Unit.

 

I definitely won't be making one per week or again at all I don't think, but I am so glad I attempted it to be happy with the end result.

 

I couldn't wait to share the pickies with you !!!

MY DAD - 89 YEARS OF WISDOM !

Yesterday we celebrated my Dad's 89th Birthday!  In the weeks leading up to this very eventful Family Day, you could see Dad getting excited.  He has alot of history here on the Sunshine Coast, having lived here since he was 4!  His long term memory is phenominal to say the least.  He remembers things like planes landing on Aerodrome Road, The first electricity on the Sunshine Coast which ran along the River Esplanade at Cotton Tree.  He delivered milk in a Billy Can on Horse & sulky along the Codhole at Maroochydore.  He walked along Lover's Lane Bridge (once at Maroochydore) with my late dear Mum.  The stories go on & on!  Each week I am privileged now to take him shopping, as well as other trips to doctors etc.  I am finding these times more & more valuable & the enjoyment is undescribeable as he tells me stories of old.  We often run into people he knew (although alot are sadly passing on) but there are still one's who recognize him, and then he continues to tell me stories of their bygone years at school etc.

 

Recently we were driving past Millwell Road, Maroochydore & he told me how it came to have it's name from the old timber mill that ran down to the well just behind the school.  We have alot of laughs - I just need to take a recorder with me all the time though to remember them all. 

 Yesterday was an amazing day with the majority of our family attending - about 55 all up.  We celebrated at the Fisherman's Road Park, which was opposite where Dad lived as a boy with his family.  He lead most of the party down to where they used to drove cattle across the river to milk on the Maroochydore side.  There house was where the Maroochy River Rresort is now.  So many amazing memories were shared with his children, grandchildren & great grandchildren.  He has 5 children, 16 grandchildren & I think approximately 45 great grandchildren.  He still emails all his children & grandchildren for their birthdays & sends the great grandchildren cards for theirs.  His computer skills are fantastic for a man his age.  Even though he gets frustrated sometimes when the Tool Bar goes missing or something similar, I am always surprised at how he remembers so much & manouvres his way through google to find things. 

We had so much fun with 3-legged races, egg & spoon races, cricket & footy!

I am so proud of my Dad!  Yes he was very strict, yes we had very strong boundaries growing up & yes he was a very hardworking Dad growing up too, but he is the best Dad in the World with so much love, knowledge, Christian grounding & wisdom, & I feel extremely blessed that God gave me & my siblings the gift of a Dad like my Dad!  His strong Christian Heritage lives on in all our lives & that in itself is priceless!

Dad has also written a book about his life - if you want a copy please email me through my Contact Me link.