Today was supposed to be the day I officially launched building our future & showed you a pic of the site cut & got all excited & then promised to only bore you on the building blog.
But...we're on hold until Friday.
At around 7:25am my brain threatened to burst out of my temples...so in an attempt to cheer myself up I put on some cherry gear (yep - including cherry undies!) & headed out for coffee. It was just a little too early for a vodka!
What I've been doing for the last month (& a bit)!
Thought you guys might like a tour of the old place.
Obviously not our furniture but I did do the bathroom & had to kitchenify the kitchen (nobody I know has three pairs of vases in their kitchen).
Trades I've used (& heartily recommend). This should be the "go to" list for Melbourne folk.
A bit of back history...I used to work in Property Management so I've dealt with a lot of tradespeople in my time & these guys were all amazingly accommodating & just a pleasure to deal with. I'm sharing them with you because I know how hard it is to find good tradespeople & it's so helpful to have referrals.
Garden Maintenance:
LC Mowing
Lucas 0409 998 508
This guy is a machine! I have never in my life seen a skip packed so neatly or efficiently. He just goes & goes until the job is done. If you need your lawns done, weeding & general garden tidy up then Lucas is your man.
Builder:
Glen Johnston Home Improvements
Glen 0414 325 722
Professional, helpful & extremely particular. Just absolutely top quality workmanship. Glen's the man if you're renovating or building in Melbourne's East.
Plumber:
Marty 0438 771 007
Just a complete champion. It seems to me that finding a good plumber is like the quest for the holy grail. Marty is it!
Electrician:
Armadale Electrical
9509 9133
Gary was "my" electrician when I worked in Armadale & frankly I'd never use another electrician. The guys from Armadale Electrical are all super professional & just lovely blokes.
General Maintenance:
Polished Properties Maintenance Group
Mark 0438 019 994
Mark was recommended by our Real Estate Agent as the guy "who does it all". He co-ordinated painters & carpenters & general maintenance items. He's professional & a pleasure to deal with.
Concrete:
RL Concreting
John 1300 790 775
John did the driveway at our new house (which is exposed aggregate) & also helped us out at the old house. He's professional, prompt & a pleasure to deal with. He went above & beyond offering advice & options for us.
Render:
Jolley Textures
Reegan 0425 773 684
The house was rendered about twelve months ago & it's transformed it! Probably the best thing we did for the place which was previously a hideous orange brick. Reegan was extremely flexible & professional & will be coming back to the new place to render our new fence.
Garden Design:
Imperial Gardens
Tracey 0419 200 116
Tracey came in & offered practical advice on excellent low maintenance (& not too costly) garden design. The difference the plantings have made to the house is unbelievable. Imperial Gardens have some pretty impressive "cap feathers" in Toorak & Hawthorn & Tracey is offering consultations so that you can DIY. She works with what you have & offers no nonsense solutions to maximise the look of the property.
Further details on the house can be obtained from Tom Ryan (0413 872 550) at Jellis Craig.
I know I've talked a bit about the run & the "zone" & the ideas.
This year I'm trying to keep a log book of the run. I'm scribbling things down as soon as I get home...just for my own interest really. I'm keen to follow the Hansel & Gretel trail from first idea through a few runs & finally see it begin (or maybe not). I'm going to photograph it each day & either post here or on Flickr.
So on today's run I thought a LOT about the laptop stand I'm building in my head & then later today I gathered a few bits & pieces from around the house to start work.
Other random thoughts included floor rugs, sink mats, texture, geometric doodles I used to do in Primary School.
I'm brainstorming ways to make our full-of-potential courtyard user friendly until we have some cash & thought maybe I might make a huge hessian "quilt" for it.
I'm just about music boxed out, but still making sure I enjoy every step of the making. The building of the towers and the prettiness seem very important to me. Making things should be good looking don't you think?
Also taking the multi-tasker for a test drive & it seems to be holding up pretty well.
Thank you all for playing the heart game so enthusiastically last week. I enjoyed my heart hunt very much. If you haven't had a chance to check out the favourite myspace from last week ... click here.
Pop in and add your link if you are playing along this week.
I responded to a request from Kami this week & it really got me thinking & then I found this...
The value of the collective and the community in the continuation of successful practice
Presenter: Carole Hanson Epp
Verge: 11th National Ceramics Conference
Brisbane, Australia 10th - 14th July 2006
...Only through active involvement will we as practitioners see the growth and development of these organizations and the artists they support. Attendance at events, membership, financial support, volunteering of skills and time, are all means towards common goals."
What does this mean for me? How can I nurture the relationships I've been building with this craft community & particularly the Melbourne girls?
Support the community in which you hope to prosper whether financially or otherwise. Get around - have a chat.
If you enjoy a blog, admire a piece (or collection) of work, got inspired, had a laugh, shed a tear, made your day, touched your heart - support them!
Buy their work, leave comments, shop in their store, celebrate their wins & take an active interest in their journey.
Everyone has to buy stuff sometime. Before you head to a nameless, faceless, bigger than Ben Hur store owned & run by a man in a suit you'll never see - consider buying from someone you "know" & who you KNOW will appreciate it.
Put back what you take out and then some.
I'm trying really hard to live this rather than just think it. A community is a powerful & wonderful thing. So to all who take the time to post, make, create, share or care - thank you.
This post has been rather more deep than my usual drivel so I'm going to finish on a totally tacky low note...
Mike Brady in the Brady Bunch Movie: Alone, we can only move buckets. But if we work together, we can drain rivers.
Hot
-These bracelets from RG Madden. I've been coveting these for a good long time now. I'm trying to recreate them using gummy bracelets which I purchased at the Op Shop/Thrift store. Currently a fail but I've got another couple of ideas.
-Citipower actually came to my house today.
-Fisher Price "Little People". I'm loving those little guys even more than usual this week.
-Embroidery...I can't get enough.
-These shoes which I saw at Shoppo on the weekend.
-Kids who say #fail & #owned (according to the kids, not me - see below).
Not
-The fact that the gummy bracelet (hot 80s fashion item) is now a "shag band". Yick!
-My TIP of a house. I've mentally & emotionally "left the building". There's stuff from one end of the joint to the other & it's driving me insane.
-The AC adapter for my crappy old laptop finally giving up. Too expensive to replace (also not hot).
-Shoppo. It gives me a headache.
-Kids who say #fail & #owned. I'm getting heartily sick of #failing & being #owned by my 10 year old.
More of what's hot & what's not here.
with this place.
How beautiful are the tiles? This pic shot through a broken window pane.
I really want to get inside this building.
Do you know where this place is?