Yesterday I shared this photo on my Instagram feed of our living room mantel, and I had so many messages asking where I got the garland from so, I thought I’d share it all here
…it cost a total of $9!
Here’s how I made it…
I started with this basic basic faux garland from Kmart. It’s a great base to start with, however, I wouldn’t use it on its own. It’s really sparse, and very fake looking.
So, I went out into the garden and down to the paddocks to gather up some greenery. I got some pine branches, some gumnuts, and some of this long leaf native.
First up, I used some clear mapping pins to fix the faux garland onto the mantel piece, and ‘fluffed’ up the wire branches to be able to support the real greenery I was putting in. Then it was just a matter of adding the greenery in. I started with the pine along the ends, then the gumnuts to fill it out more, and finally the longer leafed native. I just tucked the branches under and through the wire garland. Any pieces that needed more support, I just wrapped the wire braces around the real greenery. Pretty simple really, but very effective.
Since this photo was taken yesterday, I’ve also added some copper wire lights. All in all, it was a pretty quick project. I added my white star and a cluster of candles on the other side of Mr Pickles, and our stockings, which I picked up last year from Spotlight.
For about 15 months now I’ve been searching for the perfect piece to put in our living room against a big, high wall. I’ve tried a few different pieces here…the ambulance medicine cupboard, and the $5 sideboard, but I really wanted something a bit more substantial to fill the space…an old dresser (or buffet and hutch if you like to call it that).
I stumbled across the perfect piece…or so I thought…a few days ago, and missed out on it by minutes. I was pretty annoyed, until I actually measured the space! It would have completely swamped the wall, and dominated the room.
The next day I found this piece. Half the size, and older. The top has been added later onto an earlier base.
I plan to strip the varnish off, then I’ll just give it a beeswax finish. There’s also a decorative top piece that’s been added very recently. I’m not into that, so it will come off too to reveal the nice beveled edge detail of the shelving piece. New knobs will, also go on.
First off though, I had to bring it inside to see whether it actually did fit the space…and to have a play. I love it! It looks great with a few of my antique Scottish Ale bottles on it. I plan to put a few of my plates and bowls on too…but I don’t want to overcrowd it.
The old medical trunk, I picked up at The Vintage Rose in Launceston, and my collection of Scottish and English wool blankets come from here and Scotland.
On the wall to the left i’m thinking of adding some of my antique Roe Deer antlers.
It’s bringing the feel of the farmhouse that I had always envisioned in my head together.
I’m not one to make spur of the moment purchases (hence the 15 month search for this piece), and I don’t like buying newly made furniture pieces. Vintage and antique to me is so timeless, and as you might know, I don’t follow trends…only buying things that I love. Sometimes that will include a few new decor items, but again, I don’t buy what’s the latest thing in the current big box store catalog. Sticking to my core palette of linen, touches of black and grey, and anchored with loads of white has always served me well. Stone, wool, wood, glass, wire and wicker has always been my physical palette.
So, what do you think? I love it. It will just get better once that varnish comes off too.
Ah, September. That means that in the studio here, Christmas is everywhere. I know you might be saying “what? Christmas already?!”, but Christmas starts in February here. All of the planning and preparation has to begin then to make sure I can meet demand and to be super organised.
This year, I wanted to go with something customized to compliment my Calligraphy Stars, which are always huge each year. So, I thought about feelings and memories I have from trimming the tree with my Mum when I was young. Christmas was always a huge celebration in our house (still is), and my Mum bought me a red bauble from Grace Bros. when I was a child, that a lovely lady hand wrote my name onto. I LOVED it!
I knew I wanted this ornament to be glass and written in white…because you know me and white things 🙂 After lots of experimenting with the baubles, I was finally happy with the result, and released them last week. They have been a huge success, and I have sold out of the first load with more available mid week.
Each bauble comes with either a white or light grey satin ribbon, and is customized to whatever you want. Hand written by me…
Then they are individually packaged up in their own white box so you can safely store them at the end of the season.
The first batch have already started to be sent around the country, and the rest of the world. If you would like one, and you live outside of Australia, just remember that I do ship worldwide. Just contact marleyandlockyer@gmail.com to get a shipping quote.
There are also these Merry Christmas baubles in acrylic, and I will be releasing some more of the Christmas ceramic range very soon, as well as a limited edition Keepsake bauble. Each year will be a different design. Keep your eyes out for that. In the meantime, I’m buried under lots of new ceramic designs coming very soon too.
I wanted to stop in quickly to let you know that my blog is in the running for the Amara Interior Blog Awards, in the “Best Design Inspiration Blog- International” category, which is a huge honor!
Not being one of those people to bombard you with information on voting, I just wanted to ask you that if you enjoy reading our design escapades, that you might like to stop by and vote for Marley & Lockyer in the awards, please? Voting closes on the 19th September.
You can vote here https://www.interiorblogawards.com/vote/marley-lockyer
Linen curtains have always been a favourite of mine, but the expense when you have a million other renovation projects on the go can be a bit much, so…I made my own, and I LOVE THEM!
But, guess what? They’re not linen…they’re drop sheets!
Ive used drop sheets before in place of linen when our boys were very small to slip cover our sofa, and everyone thought it was linen. I knew I wanted to use them again on our super large windows in the living room after I got several quotes for curtains (our windows are way bigger than standard size) that nearly bowled me over…they were so expensive.
This is what we got when we bought the house that was on the windows. Very well made by the previous owners who did drapes and upholstery for a living…but they were not my style at all.
So, I looked very carefully at how they were put together, and watched some YouTube videos on how to pinch pleat. I didn’t want to do the little clip on hooks. I wanted them to look full and I really don’t like how the hooks make the fabric sit…my OCD kicks in – haha!
I picked up a few of these Wagner drop sheets (you just have to make sure you get the unlined ones) that come in various sizes. I got the biggest I could find, which were 2.7m x 3.6m.
If you want to try these, here is the really important part….you MUST wash them in a warm or hot wash with some WATER SOLUBLE Eucalyptus Oil. This not only takes the sizing and stiffness out of them, but also the smell. After all they are a canvas. Then I dry mine in a hot dryer cycle. This will soften them up like linen, and they won’t shrink, not matter how you wash them from now on. My sofa slipcovers I spoke of before are still going strong at my sisters house 13 years after I made them!
The next smart thing to do would be get your sewing machine, but I couldn’t find either of my two sewing machine power cords! We looked everywhere. They haven’t been used since we moved to the farm, so I’m praying they didn’t get flung out in the rubbish somewhere….this meant I had to hand sew the whole thing -argh!
I basically eyeballed his entire part. I didn’t measure a thing. Luckily I’m used to doing that with ceramics and drawing, but if you’re not good at that then definitely measure. You just pinch about an inch of the fabric and then poke the centre of it down to where you are pinching and grab onto that too. That’s where you’ll sew it. I sewed it in two sections from the front, then through the back because that’s where my pinch pleat hooks would go, so they needed to be strong. Like I said, look up YouTube for some great videos on how to do it.
It took a while because of the whole handstitching thing, but I was glad in the end. I remembered my mum always telling me how my Grannie hand sewed all of her beautiful drapes as they didn’t have a machine in those days. It felt like an accomplishment.
I’m so happy with them. They are nice and thick, stop the sun blaring through this window, without blocking all of the light (I hate dark living areas), and look just like our pure linen sofa covers you can see here. People that visit still can’t believe it when I tell them they are dropcloths!
One huge window cost me $73.00 instead of hundreds $$$. It was a massive saving. They will only get better with age too. Each wash they will get softer and a little lighter. I’m now convinced they will go on all the windows as either drapes like these, or soft Roman blinds.
Weve still got to finish off this room in here, but it’s looking SO much better already ~ Ness xx
