Gorgeous furniture at HD Buttercup, San Francisco

I'm having my first American Thanksgiving and spending it with friends in Big Bear, California. We are going skiing today (although there isn't any snow on the ground where the hous are but some of the slopes have snow and it has to be done) followed by a huge turkey dinner. The turkey is 18 pounds so that's around 7 kilos! Luckily the oven is huge!

I have a lot to be thankful for and am so grateful for my beautiful family and friends. I'm also so grateful for the interactions I have through my blog. It's been an amazing avenue to meet so really great people so thank you to everyone who comes here each day. Enjoy today if you are celebrating thanksgiving.

One of my favourite shops in San Francisco is HD Buttercup. It's right around the corner from my friends' house in SOMA. HD Buttercup is a massive warehouse full of designer furniture and displays. I think I could move right in. Lucky that I don't have a big suitcase or a shipping container at the ready, else I definitely could have gone a little crazy in there.

Good to see the Union Jack furniture is still popular. I have painted a few union jack chests of drawers and they are still some of my favourite projects. They always look so dramatic. This couch was super comfortable and could really be a statement piece in the right house.

I've seen several cupboards like the one below and they always remind me of boarding school. I like how they've teamed the industrial/retail style cupboard with the chandeliers.

There were several cupboards that had mirrors in the doors which I think would be a good idea to do yourself if you needed to repair the wood. Although saying that, mirrors can be pretty expensive so I wouldn't do that to resell a piece, only if I was keeping it for myself. HD Buttercup is pretty expensive anyway but I do love it for inspiration.

I love this chandelier / pendant. I bet A-M could order something similar to these if you are in Australia. This one is pretty glamorous for a more formal lounge room or dining room.

Or if you are into rustic you could always choose a wooden one. I don't think I could buy this as I'd want to collect the wood and make it myself!

This is something I have never seen before. This chest of drawers is upholstered. It's not just modge-podged, it's actually padded and properly upholstered. It was a lovely sage green material but I am unsure about this as a concept as what if you spilt something on the cabinet. How would you cleen it? I suppose you would treat it like a chair??

This cabinet below was just pure gorgeousness. Excuse my crappy iPhone photos. I didn't have my proper camera with me as we just popped in our way back from brunch. The painted finish on this one below was really lovely. Hard to capture on my phone.

One of the things I was looking for inspiration for is cushions. I need some graphic ones for my lounge at home and I was to make some as I'm too tight to pay $80 per cushion when it something I can easily do myself. I love these stenciled ones.

And lastly I loved these felted Christmas balls. The colours would perfectly suit our hot Australian Christmas.

This is just a quick selection from all that is HD Buttercup. Hope you enjoyed the inspiration! I'll be back tomorrow with some more of my trip and some of the beautiful beaches of Carmel.

Fiona xx

My weekend in San Francisco

I'm in the US for Thanksgiving and last Friday I flew to San Francisco to spend the weekend with our good friends, Stephen and Caroline. They used to live about 200 m from our house in Balmain and Stephen and I worked with each other but for the last 12 years they have been in the States. They are a lot of fun and super interesting, very well travelled and Stephen has climbed the 7 highest peaks of the world including Mount Everest. Pretty amazing , hey!

We had a great weekend with lots of chatter, champagne and Saturday night we had a dinner with the SF Belgian club with lovely people and too many Belgian beers! Caroline is originally from Belgian - they certainly know how to have fun.

On Saturday morning Stephen had to work so Caroline and I hit the shops. First up was new hiking boots as I packed mine but when I put them on they totally disintegrated. Not sure what happened but they totally fell apart leaving a trail of rubber around Target as I was buying some make up (so much cheaper here than in Australia). After new boots, we checked out Anthropologie. Such a beautiful shop, I loved this Christmas Day dress.

I just bought some beautiful bowls and mugs from Anthropologie. All the clothes were winter clothes and I can't get my head around winter shopping. 

Next up was Williams Sonoma. Wow this shop is something. Beautiful stuff all displayed beautifully.  I love the festive table below. Great lights!

We also went to HDButtercup but I only had my iPhone and can't get the photos off my phone while traveling. So that will have to wait. Gosh I love that store though. One of those store you could design a whole house around.

After a great weekend and lots of laughs I headed off down the Californian coast in my rental - a MUSTANG! Love it. Had a little mishap when I decided that it was getting too cold for the top to be down so I stopped and put it up but obviously didn't lockit into place properly and when I was driving along I thought "gosh this convertible is way noisier in the wind with the top up than I thought it would be". Looked up and realised it was not locked into place and about to flip right back- didn't help I was fanging along on the freeway! I had to hold it in place, pissing myself laughing, until I could get off the freeway, stop and clip it into place. Such a first world problem! LOL.

I'm loving this trip, having a great time and meeting such interesting nice people.

Fiona xx

My picks for today

Some gorgeous finds this week 

God I love old furniture!

I absolutely love the shapes of all of these pieces and would happily buy any or all of them and paint them white.

This beautiful French cabinet caught my eye immediately. It is screaming out for white paint or even a beautiful French grey. 

 This Jacobean sideboard has beautiful mouldings and I'd either remove the back board or add a moulding to it. 

Great storage. 

You know I love a good sideboard!

 This cute little cabinet is already painted white! It has a very similar shape to my french armoire.

 And wow how beautiful is this armoire. Be still my beating heart. Even the tassel is beautiful.  Actually I can't quite believe I won't be buying this.

 Gorgeous drawers below. Love the mouldings.

Why do people buy new made in China or Vietman furniture from big shops for a fortune when you can buy vintage furniture that is so well made for a fraction of the price?

Sweet little bedside table.

 and this stunning desk - It would look so beautiful painted white with the top refinished and left wooden. Look at the beautiful shape of those drawers and feet.

 If you are ever looking for a specific piece let me know and I can keep an eye out for you.

 Which is your favourite? 

cheers
Fiona

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint hits Australia

ok... sorry to be misleading ... one little box of it has arrived in Lilyfield!

I have been watching the post box for a while, waiting for this little parcel to arrive....

When Mike and Laurie from Red Posie Vintage in the US, contacted me recently asking me if I'd like to be the first Australian blogger to try Miss Mustard Seed's new range of Milk Paint, I jumped at the chance.  I am totally inspired by Marian (aka Miss Mustard Seed) and have followed her blog and furniture painting for years now.  Laurie and Mike asked which colour I wanted to try and I thought I'd try something a bit bold (and not my usual white) and asked for Tricycle Red.

Let me tell you this paint and this colour does not disappoint.

I finally got a break from my crazy contract work schedule this past weekend and on Sunday afternoon I cracked open the beautiful packaging and started painting this lovely cabinet I bought especially to show case this paint.

I sanded back to top and the sides but didn't sand anywhere else or use any primer.  The paint adheres beautifully to where I sanded - Milk paint actually soaks into raw wood for a great true deep colour. Where I didn't sand the paint has adhered pretty well with just a little chipping and flaking which I think is perfect.  I didn't have to do any distressing - just gently wipe where the flakes were before I top coated with wax.  

The paint has a rustic chalky finish until you top coat it with wax. As soon as you do this the colour deepens and the surface begins to shine. I topcoated in clear wax first then antiqued the details with a dark wax. You can see the finish in the photo below. It looks flaky but to touch it is perfectly smooth and a very durable finish.

I took the original brass hardware off to paint. I have left it unpainted and love how the brass looks against the deep red. Very fitting.  These little handles twist and unlock the cabinet. They are a very sweet shape also.  I love it when I don't have to replace the hardware on a piece. Always a bonus.

This cabinet is a low hall or side table. I will be selling it eventually. 

Please let me know if you are interested.

If you want to get your hands on some Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint click through to RedPosie's Etsy Store. Laurie and Mike have the cheapest prices in the US for this paint at $18.49 AUD for the box that mixes up a quart, and shipping to Australia is $15 with only $2 for an additional item.  For this cabinet I used 1/2 a cup of paint mixed with 3/4 of a cup of water. I would say I have just over half left so that's pretty cheap of milk paint even with shipping. 

My hint for using milk paint which I don't think Miss Mustard Seed mentions is to not go over your paint brush marks until the paint is fully dry. This is what will cause unmanageable flaking. I purposefully did this on a few small areas areas where I wanted it to flake but made sure I didn't do it in other areas. Milk paint dries very quickly and will basically tighten and shrink and this is what will cause the flakiness.

I wasn't too sure about using this paint to be honest. I don't particularly like over chipped / distressed pieces and I like it when pieces looks naturally distressed. I have to say I am so pleased with how this turned out - actually I'm surprised and delighted. I found the paint quick and easy to use and I just love the finish.  I haven't been paid for this review although I was sent the paint for free by Red Posie but you know that I pretty much tell it how it is and if you are keen for a new experience with paint then order some. I will be ordering more myself.

While I've used the Australian made Porters Milk Paint before I used it in white and I think it's a different thing to paint furniture in white to a bold colour in red so I can't really compare the two experiences. Painting furniture in white just requires so much more work and often many coats so it was a lot more work. I also sanded a huge amount with the Porters Paint and ended up with the most amazing glass like finish. Check it out here the two beside tables I painted.

Here is the before photo below. I knew as soon as I saw this that I had to have it to paint. It was pretty dinged up but what a beauty it is.

So who's keen to try it? or have you already?

How happy am I to be painting furniture again!!

Fiona xx

Red Posie

PS I took these photos in a variety of lighting conditions hence the colour variations.

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Redoux Interiors Party , Furniture Friday at Decorating Insanity , Not Just a Housewife, Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday , the Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday DIY Project Parade  Homemaker on A Dime Funky Junk Tuesdays Treasures Perfectly imperfect

The Californian Coast - this time next week

I'm getting a little excited. This time next week I'll be spending a couple of days driving down the Californian coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles, in a convertible with the wind in my hair (actually, remind me to pack a scarf), my camera by my side, and a heart full freedom.  

We drove along the beautiful coastal Route 1 in a massive RV when Phil, the kids and I spent a month travelling around a lot of the National Parks.  It was an amazing trip but driving along this winding highway in a big RV was limiting in being able to pull over and take photos. This time I'll be by myself in a zippy little convertible and able to go where ever whenever I please!!

A few things on my list for these couple of days is a stay in Carmel at the Lamplighters Inn near the beach - my room is so quaint and beautiful.  A visit to the Coach Outlet shop in the main street is also a must.  I am going to enjoy wandering around the streets of Carmel - the houses all look as though they are out of a story book.

I'm definitely hiking in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to the lookout over McWay Cove.  We didn't get to do this last time and it's going to be a highlight for me. I love the Big Sur region and will just be pulling over the side of the road every few kilometres I think to take photos. I'm also taking my watercolour paints. Hopefully the weather is good.

Last time we were there in Spring and the flowers abounded.

On Friday I fly to San Francisco and am spending the weekend with some very good friends. I'm even looking forward to chilling out on the plane over there - no husband, no kids, (NO SPREADSHEETS)for 2 weeks. While I adore my family I'm looking forward to being beholden to nobody and just be free. Our friends, Stephen and Caroline, live so close to Union Square and we'll have a fun few days together.

I then have this beautiful coastal drive south over a couple of days heading to my friend Linda who lives near Pasadena. She and I, and her son who I love, will be going to Big Bear Resort for Thanksgiving and hopefully skiing. Fingers crossed for snow. Although my trip to the US last year resulted in a badly broken arm so perhaps I shouldn't be wishing for snow. We'll go hiking as an alternative so it's all good, either way.  After Big Bear I have 3 more days in LA but I'll probably head out to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park for an explore depending how I feel.

Any body else got some must do, must see for my trip?

Fiona xx

(all my own photos)

Roadside find and a good man

Yesterday was one of those days when I appreciated my husband just that little bit more (which is saying something as I'm always so grateful for who he is, what he does for me and for our family) and I realised once again that he just "gets" me and is my number one fan.

On Saturday night we had dinner in Annandale with a friend and at the end of the evening she suggested our kids stay over at her place so yesterday morning, Phil and I got a sleep in and then walked to Annandale to pick the kids up stopping for breakfast at the delightful Booth St Bistro on the way.  If you are a Sydney-sider make your way post-haste to this great cafe. The food , the building and the service are all awesome.

It was absolutely so precious to have kid-free time with my husband during the day. I actually value this much more than getting a babysitter at night.  It was so good walking and talking and then sitting and chatting UNINTERRUPTED by kids over a relaxed breakfast.  And how delicious does my breakfast look? 

And then to make the day even better in the evening, Phil took the kids for a bike ride (he runs, they cycle) and he called me about 10 minutes after they'd left the house saying "quick jump in the car, it's council clean up and I've found a fantastic set of drawers that you can do something with".

I hung up pretty quickly and skidaddled over there as I couldn't quite believe my luck. Not that the drawers were on the roadside but more that Phil was encouraging me to bring them home. I've not got a lot of time for painting at the moment and a pile of furniture stacked at home to attend to with my paint brush and white paint already.  But he is a patient man and loves my passion for furniture and how it relaxes me (actually it's probably more that!!)

This chest of drawers has seen better days but it has great bones and lots of potential.  It's a wonderful size and i love the detailing on it.  I can't wait to restore it and paint it.

The top will need fixing.

and the chipped veneer... 

And hideous colour but with some effort and paint it is going to be a great piece of furniture once again.

I love that Phil gets me and my love affair with paint.

When was the last time you went on a daylight hours date with your husband?If it's been a while, book one in soon. it is really a different vibe to going out at night when you're all tired and the kids are in bed anyway. I think it feels extra special and decadent.  What about you?

Fiona xx

Anzac biscuit recipe

The other night I did some baking and posted a photo of some ANZAC biscuits on Instagram and immediately got asked to blog the recipe.  It's a recipe that if you are Australian, you probably know by heart and have been making since you were 8. This is the way I've been making them for years. Enjoy!

The original ANZACs were the young men of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in World War 1. My grandad, Harold, (my mum's father) was at both Gallipoli and Ypres as a young ambulance man. He was too young to sign up as a soldier and and even too young to sign up as a medic but his parents were French so they let him lie about his age so he could go and help their countrymen.  Grandad turned 21 on the 11th of November 1918 - Armistice Day or V Day. What an amazing twenty first birthday present! On this day every year in Australia, we have two minutes silence and as well as thinking of fallen soldiers I always send a little prayer to my Grandad who managed to survive WW1 with just a big leg wound where he was hit with shrapnel and made it home to Australia to live a long ling life dying at the grand old age of 84.  Anyway on to the biscuits...

The wives of the ANZACs made these biscuits to send to their husbands on the battlefields for extra nutrition. The ingredients of ANZAC biscuits were chosen  because they would be able to withstand the long sea journey that the biscuits had to make to reach the troops.   Eggs, a very common binding agent used for other biscuits, were purposely not used because of the high likelihood that they would spoil before they reached Gallipoli or the Western Front in Europe.

How to bake ANZAC biscuits

125g butter, chopped coarsely

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons boiling water

1 cup (90g) rolled oats

3/4 cup (70g) desiccated coconut

1 cup (150g) plain flour

1 cup (220g) sugar*

Preheat oven to 160°C (or 140°C fan-forced)

Combine rolled oats, flour, sugar and coconut into a large bowl.

Combine butter and syrup in a small saucepan and heat gently until it all melts.

Combine bicarbonate of soda and hot water in a small bowl and then stir into the warm butter mixture. The mixture will all froth up. Pour this frothy mixture over your dry ingredients and mix well.

Spoon dessert-spoonfuls of your mixture onto a greased baking tray, allowing room for spreading. You can flatten them slightly if you want but it’s not really necessary.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown*

Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes on baking trays; transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe Notes – I always make a double batch as we all end up eating some of the raw biscuit mixture which is delicious and then once cooked these biscuits get eaten up in a flash.  I use white sugar but you can also use brown, raw or castor sugar. I like my Anzac biscuits to be chewy but if you prefer them crunchy then just cook for slightly longer.

Do you love these? What's way is your favourite - crunchy or chewy?

Fiona xx

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