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Thrifty Finds: Vintage Mustard Yellow Couches

by on February 24, 2012 in Daily Life, Home, Op-Shopping, Vintage

I think most people who op-shop/thrift probably have a wish list of dreams finds. For a long time my thrifty wish list has included a yellow laminex/formica table and chairs, a working vintage record player and velvety, mustard couches with quilted backs. Last Sunday we were at the local flea market with some friends when finally, one of my wishes came true!

When we stumbled across this yellow velvet couch and two matching chairs (that perfectly match our green ones!) I was so excited I almost died right there. Unfortunately finances have been very, very tight at the Humble House this month, so even though they were only priced at $120 for the set, I really wasn’t sure we could afford them right away. (Why do all the bills have to arrive in the same week?) Luckily, I have the most amazing best friend in the entire history of the world. After bargaining with the sellers and getting the price down to just $100, Lauren insisted on buying them for me as an early birthday/Christmas present…

And so the deal was done and the dreamy mustard couches came to live in our little cottage! It’s been a few days now but I’m still bursting with gratitude and giddy with excitement about them. There’s no room for them in our tiny lounge room, as we intend to keep our beloved green couches, so for now the mustard lovelies are creating a cozy corner in our study/studio/spare bedroom/mess room. Somehow they even manage to make the hideous blue walls look slighlty less horrible. Oh happy days!

Have you had any amazing thrifty finds lately? Ever found something right off your wish list? It is such a lovely feeling!

Katie x

Comments { 24 }

Lately…

by on January 3, 2012 in Daily Life

… We have been recharging our batteries, getting ready for a bright new year.

We have been spending our time unplugged and not worrying so much about taking our camera everywhere.

We have been falling in love with a certain puppy and watching as she begins to fall in love with us back.

We have been avoiding the heatwave here in Victoria by having Harry Potter DVD marathons.

We have been thankful for family and friends and the lovely people who read our blog.

We have been happy because Katie’s mama kindly offered to turn the remaining pastel granny squares (from months ago) into a tiny blanket, so they are no longer sitting sadly in the bottom of a basket.

We have been eating lots of chips and dip and drinking lots of ginger beer.

We have been quietly pondering our goals and plans for 2012.

We have been reading The Hunger Games series (Katie) and knitting dogs from this cute book (Reuben).

We have been relaxed.

What have you been up to lately? Whatever you’ve been doing, we hope you’ve had a truly wonderful holiday season!

Here at the Humble House we are so excited to be beginning a brand new year. 2011 was a year of big transitions for our little family and we feel that there are many more exciting changes for us on the horizon. We are so grateful for each and every person who took the time to stop by our blog in 2011. You guys have been so kind, supportive and generous to us. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We can’t wait to share a whole new year of adventures with you.

Wishing you all a stellar 2012!

Katie and Reuben x

Comments { 28 }

A Peaceful Place

by on December 10, 2011 in Daily Life, Home, Op-Shopping, Vintage

The addition of our new couches this week led to a whole lot of reshuffling in the tiny space we call home. While we were wiggling things about trying to make them fit, we decided it was the perfect time to change bedrooms. This little house has two bedrooms, one we sleep in and one we use as a craft room/study (AKA room for storing mess). One of the bedrooms is light filled, with a lovely fireplace in the corner. The other bedroom is dark, with horrible blue paint peeling off the walls. When we moved in we decided to sleep in the horrible bedroom and use the nice bedroom as our creative space. We figured we’d feel more inspired working in a nice room and “you don’t notice what the room looks like when you’re asleep anyway”. It turns out we are even messier than we realised and completely incapable of keeping our workspace tidy, so the good room was kind of going to waste, buried in mess (and sleeping in a room that feels like a cave is actually kind of depressing…) So we swapped! And we are so glad. Our new bedroom is much, much, much nicer and brighter. It’s a peaceful, airy space and, unlike our previous bedroom, we actually enjoy spending time there!

Pretty much everything you see in these pictures is vintage and came from op-shops or flea markets, except the bed and dressing table which used to be my parent’s room when I was a little girl, and the granny square banner which I made. Pretty thrifty huh?

Wishing you all a lovely, lovely weekend! We’ll be doing our best to soak up every gorgeous, happy, weekendy moment.

Katie x

PS. Don’t tell him I said anything but it’s Reuben’s birthday tomorrow!

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Vintage Couches and Christmas Things

by on December 8, 2011 in Daily Life, Home, Op-Shopping, Vintage

We got new (old) couches! Last week I plonked myself down on one of our horrible blue couches and it made an ominous crunching noise then collapsed a little bit, so when we stumbled across these lovely vintage couches in the op-shop the next day, we figured it was fate! They are green, velvety and perfectly nanna-ish. They also look super festive sitting next to our itsy, bitsy Christmas tree and have been met with approval from both cats. Hurrah!

It’s beginning to feel quite Christmasy here. We’ve been listening to lots of carols, eating Toblerone and buying presents. It’s also been very, very hot which in Australia means Christmas must be just around the corner. There is no dreaming of a white Christmas in these parts! (Unless you are referring to this kind of course…)

We love this time of year so, so much.

Are you feeling Christmasy yet? Have you got your tree up? Do you get white Christmases in your part of the world?

Katie x

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Scenes from the Humble House

by on November 8, 2011 in Daily Life, Home

From top to bottom; Lavender from our Garden in a Thrifted Vintage Jar, Poppy Napping on the Couch, Colourful Paper Lanterns in our Bedroom, Frankie Posters in our Living Room, Salad, Flight of the Conchords on DVD, Poppy on the Windowsill, Orange, Vintage Linens on our unmade Bed.

Wishing you all a happy week, full of nifty things and dandy adventures!

Katie and Reuben x

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In the Garden

by on October 12, 2011 in Daily Life, Gardening, Home

Lately, I’ve spent all my free moments pottering around in the garden. I’ve been busy with our first vegetables, weeding and planting, then excitedly watching their progress and warily keeping an eye out for pests.

The tomatoes and beetroots settled into their new homes quite nicely but our cabbages got over excited (I think they were in their planter pots for too long) and bolted to flower. I was lucky enough to cut them back just in time and they are now forming three heads of cabbage on each plant!

I’ve also cleared more beds for planting vegetables in. I have put lettuce and herbs in one and another is reserved for cucumbers, zucchini, and pumpkins.

(Before)

(After)

I was a bit scared while clearing this section as the lavender was buzzing with bee activity all day, but I didn’t get stung. The bees seemed to like my brightly coloured shirt but weren’t interested in the rest of me. When I was done, I transplanted some Japanese climbing cucumbers I picked up at the Farmer’s Market.

My most exciting news though, is that after a week or so of watching and waiting… Our Snow Peas have finally sprouted! I grew snow peas while we were in Sydney but with poor results, as our balcony got very little sun. Now I have a whole section put aside for peas and beans and this makes me so happy!

I am so thankful for our little patch of earth. I longed for this while we were in Sydney and our time living in an apartment really made me appreciate all that we have now. There is nothing like the sense of accomplishment you gain from making things grow with your own two hands.

Reuben :)

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