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Home tour...
STOP #1...
Welcome to my kitchen....

I am often asked by my customers and long distance friends alike what my house is like...so I thought it high time I take a few pics to share with you.....

So welcome y'all to my home. You are ll most welcome to come stay a while...lol
I have started with my kitchen........thought I would do this room while it is unusually tidy.... ie. no bags, no laptops or shopping items on the counter, no dishes or coffee cups waiting to be washed, no bills to be paid (plenty of them still to be paid....just been popped out of sight)...no loose change, no wallets, no keys....no puddy-cat, no nuffin....just what is meant to be there! Unfortunately there is also no freshly baked bread, no cakes, no brewed coffee.....but if you look closely there is probably a little dust I may have missed...lol
Today it smells like cinnamon(mmmm mmmmm) as I am burning a lovely jar candle from the states...so I guess you could really say that I AM cooking something!!!! As you will see I am a lover of old bits and pieces, something I am sure you will have gleaned from my earlier blog posts ...enamel ware, scales, old bottles and jars, breadboards, rolling pins...you name it...I love it all!!! (oooh and my much loved boots...but no boots in the kitchen!!!!....lordy be!)...... My kitchen is painted in a nice golden-mustardy yellow, although it has come up a bit brighter in the photos. Some years ago I had a bit of an "epiphemy" (is that the word??) and decided to paint the pantry door up as an old barn door and not being satisfied with that I had my hubby remove the handle and install an old latch-look handle and then I proceeded to paint the ugliest looking cow I think I have ever seen poking its head out of the top of the barn door...lol. Loved it at the time...but that warm squishy feeling has long since faded! Well I can guarantee you that when the kitchen gets it's next coat of paint, which hopefully won't be too far down the track, old "Bessie" will be moving onto greener pastures...lol. To be honest I kind of just look past her now days as I just simply haven't had the time to sand her off and paint her out....but watch out Bessie!!!!
Moving out of the kitchen (well to the other side of the breakfast bar actually) my collection sprawls into the smallish family room (more so a walk through area since we had our extensions done a few years back) where I have my much loved old Metters stove, hanging Dayton scales and a gorgeous old kauri dresser that holds a honey glazed vintage dinner set and some of my other favourite pieces of china. The cannisters sitting atop the dresser belonged to hubby's Nan, as did the little green enamel saucepan on top of the stove shelf. On the side wall (kinda the hallway wall) I have a old ice chest painted in original depression era green above which hangs on the wall a very old and rustic platerack/cupboard. I use the ice chest to store all of my candles and melts for my website business , which is very handy and I must say smells...YUMMY...when one gets a "whiff" walking past! So thats about it for my kitchen....I do hope that next time you visit I have something yummy cooking!!!
I will be sure to post some more pics later from the next stop on my "home tour"...hmmmm had best tidy another room...lol
Till next time...... Posted by Chris at 5:12 PM 5 of my friends said 
Why I love my business.....!

Yesterday saw me attending my market stall, the first for 2010, the last one being waaaay back on the 2nd weekend in December. After a very busy week filled with 4 days at work, the ongoing webwork for The Chocolate Crow Trader changeover, our business BAS (which is already well overdue), listings for my websites and the normal joyful household duties (which I might add seem to magically multiply if left unattended) ....to be totally honest with y'all I could have just stayed in bed and whiled the day away...or even attended the gazillion other chores that have sadly fallen by the wayside since my return to work...but, alas I plodded on and packed my little stash of handmade treasures and headed off bright and early.

Well again,..if I am totally honest it was far from bright as I couldnt see a thing when I got there...pitch black at 6am in the morning....but it  WAS early!!!.

We (myself and my helpul hubby who came by to help me set up my puzzle of a gazebo....you would think we would have it downpat after about 4 years,......but no siree bob!) braved the darkness and struggled as usual to put up the damned thing. Well .... finally all set up and my wares proudly displayed for the world to see (simply a work of art in itsef...lol)....my ever loyal customers started to trickle in and it was then that I remeberered WHY I do this!

You see...alot of my customers have now become friends of mine. Not only is it a chance for them to do some prim shopping but it is the golden opportunity to have a good old chin wag and a nice friendly catch up...even a few giggles. Yesterday saw me catch up with a lot of my "friends"....one who's delightful little daughter I have watched grow up through her regular visits to my stall with her mum. I have known her mum for a quite a few years before this little darlin' was born ...but she is now 2 years old and I get a lovely  kiss and a cuddle whenever she comes to visit....her dad is a mad Parramatta supporter just like me and hubby (I know ...sad isn't it!) and there is always chat about the footy win or loss (unfortunately it was a loss this weekend...boo-hoo!)....they come along most times together and I do enjoy our chats and catch ups immensely. We are all now eagerly awaiting the birth of #2 cutie-pie.......due in about 4 months time!.

I have others who .... although they are not collectors of handmade goodies...still pop by every market just for a catch up......it's just great! I get to hear all about my customers kids, their triumphs and sometimes failures, I am told of decorating endeavours, their most recent aquisitions .....their vintage and antique finds and also get return visits when they come to show me what they have gathered on their travels around this great market!

The back of my car is well known as a "loading zone/storage facility" for bags and packages so they don't have to be carried around while searching for their next treasure...lol

So you see...I love my little craft business...it's these little things that make the early starts, the sleepless nights and the messy house worthwhile. In fact there is a very eagerly awaited "antiquing trip" to take place with one of my "favourite customers/friends" in April...all organised in one of our chats at my market stall....can't wait!!!

This is why I will happlily continue with my little venture....no matter how hard it seems sometimes...coz after all at the end of the day.... when I hobble home to collapse on the lounge with a takeaway dinner...it is then I happily reflect on my little chats and catchups....and vow to do it all over again next time....
Till next time....... Posted by Chris at 8:30 PM 2 of my friends said 
A new pair of boots!

Yipeeeeeee!!!!...............,just look at 'em!!!! Oh no ..."not another pair?" I hear you all groan....
...but THIS is par for the course when we collectors collect!
It's simply what we do best....accumulate!
"Just ONE more"...or the old "well I haven't got one like that" or "I swear this is the last one" .....any of these sound familiar ladies????
Well I can tell you I have used each and every excuse in the book (and many more on top) to justify additions to any of my collections...lol
But life is far too short for excuses.... so why dont I just move on to showing you some more of what I received in the mail to add to my ever growing collection!!!
From the states and simply devine are these little what once were burgundy and cream button up boots.....arent they just to die for!!!! The detail in these little boots are just delightful and they have already taken pride of place in my collection.....coz youno?????.....I didnt have any like these!!!!!
While I am playing show and tell let me show you the other couple of goodies I managed to pick up in my travels......before the "moolas" ran out...LOL What a little beauty this one is!
Sew(...lol) sweet!! Great Huh?????
Well as for the last two pictures,....the jury is still out as to whether I will keep them or whether I pop them up on one of the websites for sale.....havent decided yet.....
Hmmm.....I already have a couple of mini sewing machines (but not one like this!!!) and....well as far as the spice rack goes...I do have one of those hanging in my kitchen...not so much a collection yet...but if I added a second one we are on the way to starting one arent we....lol (told you I had a miriad of excuses!!)
Anyways....keep your eyes on the websites as you never know...they may just pop up on there for sale once I have come to my senses...lol.(pass the smelling salts...I think I just had a case of the vapours after that comment).....as for the boots?????....don't go holding your breath there ladies ....will you! Posted by Chris at 5:55 PM 3 of my friends said To send me an email simply use the link below Go Figure!!!