Hi! How are you? How has your week been?

I've been working on some chairs...did I ever show you these?

They were a sorry sight when we found them by the side of the road in Inner West Sydney.

We stripped off the fabric, stripped the wood and french polished them to perfection. Then we searched for the perfect vintage fabric to match them.

And here they are, Theo and Madge....

 

I love how they turned out, do you?

They are available now in my Etsy shop : newfromnow and Theo is also available for supervised visits at Elke Klein General Store in Gladesville, NSW.

I still have their 2 identical siblings in my workshop, so if you'd like a matching pair, please let me know!

Have a great day!

Michelle x

Oh my goodness, do you ever get so excited by a finished item, you almost can't bear to part from it?

Well this is it!

My latest chair crush is a stunning antique convent prayer chair upcycled in a stunning, hand printed (!!)  modern 'Amazeing' fabric by Publisher Textiles, located in Leichhardt, Sydney.

I love the juxtaposition of the traditional chair form with the modern pattern and colour. 

The wheeled legs were reconditioned and the springs were redone, making it a supremely comfortable chair.

Now just for the matter of where to place it? Bedroom, next to a side table for a spot of reading? You choose! But I bet that everyone will comment on this stunner!

newfromnow

Hope you have a great day!

Michelle x

after the surgery...

Gosh it has been a while...sorry!

Had myself a bit of spinal surgery as it turned out I had a prolapsed disc, degenerative spinal condition, blooming family dna not really working out on this front!

On the plus side, my wonderful husband has been working from home and looking after me, once he had to return to work, our 92yr old nan flew up from Melbourne and took over the reigns...She is just awesome!!!

So this week, with the school holidays, my sister in law came up with her 3 munchkins and we just had a blast! Our kids are all similar in age, and just get on like a house on fire, as do my sis and I. She cooked up a storm, took the kids out and did my washing, so I could rest in bed. I know I am very very lucky!! This morning though it was time to say goodbye, and we'll all be missing them. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon.

On the Newfromnow front, nothing much has been happening, although I did manage to finish a chair before my surgery...

An original Bentwood chair, with the original rattan weaving, I upcycled this piece with a Byron Bay Australian Arabica Hessian Coffee Bean Bag.I love how it turned out! What do you think? In the shop now..

Bentwood chair

namedesignstudio

Take a look at these awesome custom pieces of furniture by namedesignstudio in Istanbul, Turkey, aren't they stunning? Another fabulous Etsy find. If only they weren't so far from us here Down Under!

namedesignstudio

namedesignstudio

Since my last post I've been thinking of Christmas ... a lot! Having come from the Northern hemisphere I am still struggling with the blazing hot Decembers. Even after 5 years in this new homeland I miss the cold December nights, the early nightfall ( as early as 4.30pm), the snow, and general cosiness that comes with rugging up and sitting by a fireplace... even if that means central heating... My parents old house had a roaring log burner, invariably stoked up too high by my ever obliging dad, forcing us to sit in singlets unwrapping presents on Christmas morning! Nothing much has changed really.

Except now, we sit in singlets on the veranda, overlooking the city of Brisbane, where we'll be this year.

One thing we have adopted from home is the Kris Kringle presents giving for the adults. Rather than spending a fortune on presents people don't really need, we now have a budget, we each spend $50 on 2 presents, which we wrap up and attach a poem to, filled with clues (often misleading and hilarious) about the present inside. All presents get put in the center of the table, and with a list of instructions to accompany the dice ( one means lose a present to the person on the right of you, two means swap presents wit ha person of your choice etc etc)  we roll the dice and over several rounds, people win AND lose presents, read the poems ( where some presents gain more favor than others) and eventually open the presents, and not until the very end do people get to keep them. I remember one particular year, nan's red crock pot was the hot ticket item, with several family members forming secret alliances in order to secure it. OH yes, it's all about strategy.

The great thing for me is that it isn't really about the presents at all, but more about the time spent with your family. Our game usually lasts several hours, at the end of which we are full of food and drink and merriment.

 Below see some items on my hot ticket list for this year:

HattieRex

vivasweetlove

jennimo

hardtofind

hardtofind

What will you get up to for Christmas? I'd love to hear.

Hope you have a great day!

Michelle

Sometimes, when I have a few spare moments, I like to browse Etsy...only to realize several hours have passed! I look for inspiration, to see what others are upcycling or merely to just be amazed by people's ingenuity!

Look what just the word 'yellow' brings up..... for those of you already organised enough to think about Christmas presents....look no further for inspiration:

bedbuggs

vintage dutch girl

JaneeLookerse

Flowersinlight

naughtyshorts

CreateLovely

I think from today I might be dropping hints about this little item for my Christmas list....

loosepetals

Hope you have a great day!

Michelle

Hi there,

So...it's been a while..I know..

Life got in the way a little, been having a bit of shoulder trouble, and consequently been concentrating on getting better instead of writing on my blog. But I am cautiously optimistic at the moment... got a new shot last week and am pain free! Let's just hope it'll last, fingers crossed.

Anyway enough about me, let me show you what I've been up to:

 

 I am so excited with the things in my shop at the moment. The traffic is picking up and customers are coming to me for custom pieces. If you have anything in mind, that you don't see available or would like a certain piece in a different colour, just drop me a line!

My favorite pieces are still these two ladies:

 Heavenly Hirani and Trixi Talulla

So far no one has snapped up these two ladies, what do you think it is? Should I brighten up their gorgeous brass frames? And if so, in which shade?

Hope you are enjoying the day, wherever you are 

xx Michelle

 

The great thing about my new venture is the never knowing what I might come across on my trips to find new stock for my Etsy shop. Look what I came across the other day:

Trixi and Hirani on Etsy

These two old girls are just lovely, aren't they? In really good condition, the brass frames are delicate and because I just couldn't decide whether or not I should customize them in a bright colour, I decided to put them online as is.

I think sometimes its important to let things be the way they are..not just upcycling for upcycling sake, what do you think?

Having said that...this little candle holder was just screaming PINK to me( it was a very dark brown before) it has really brought out all the details of this lovely little piece!

on Newfromnow soon..

If you are looking for a particular item you would like to see in my shop, let me know, and I will go on the hunt for you!

Have a great weekend.

Michelle x

Have you had a look at Etsy lately? It is the most wonderful bazaar of exquisitely inventive wares from all over the world.
Just typing the word 'upcycled' generated more than 250 pages of items currently available, all of them unique one-offs which aren't available in the high street.

Take a look at what I found:

via NodakMama

via redzebradesigns

via littlemissloolies

via HbernationRstoration

via redzebradesigns

Be careful though...you may lose a few hours getting lost, wandering around in this wonderful treasure trove that is Etsy!


Have a great day!

Michelle x

Susannah

Trinny

So let me introduce Trinny & Susannah. These girls have been friends forever and whilst both funny, fierce and a great addition to any company, they are slightly different. Trinny is taller and skinnier, whilst Susannah has the most gorgeous curves.

Rescued from a dark corner, these girls were polished and pampered, treated to a new coat and hat and placed in the polished surroundings they should be accustomed to.

Find them here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/newfromnow?ref=shop_sugg

Hope you had a great weekend!

Michelle x

One of the criteria for listing my items is that whilst it is 'hand- up- cycled' as it were, it still needs to have a  professional finish...which is where my perfectionism comes in... and a lot of sandpaper!

Dust has become my number one enemy, between coats I'm like a mother with her first newborn child ( I loosened  up a bit after number one, number two turned out fine...baby that is..). Hovering, shushing where needed, just so the paint can cure without any interruption of evil dust particles.

Having said this, I do love the little imperfections of the actual pieces that I upcycle. Perfection is overrated when it comes to that, history is good.  It needs to talk to me, with every little nick and little dent having its own story. Then and only then will I try and put the perfect finish on it...

Today I thought I'd show you a sneak peek at what I will be stocking in my Etsy store...

newfromnow

As I mentioned before, bright colors are a favorite of mine so no surprises that my first pieces will feature a lot of watermelon/ pink. Throw in a little vintage paisley for the drawers, a fabulous new ceramic knob and I think this little cabinet could make a fabulous bedside or occasional table.

Hope you have a great day.

Michelle x