Chinese Girl

My first sighting of a Tretchikoff print (Chinese Girl) was in the home of one of my friends in Auckland. At the time I was curious of the art choice, but I have to admit it did look amazing in a room that had touches of glam, and a high quality reproduction gold/mustard modular couch!

Lady from Orient

One of his most famous works, the print above titled 'Lady from Orient'. I have even started to spot this artwork on cushions and coffee mugs of all things! But to be respectful to the artist, if you are looking at purchasing a reproduction for yourself do visit the authentic Tretchikoff website. The website also has an amazing Bio in a timeline format that steps through Tretchikoff's life in great detail.

Lost Orchid

I have also discovered that Tretchikoff was a very innovative marketeer in his day too. Tretchikoff was the first artist to make and sell lithographic reproductions of his work, making it affordable and accessible to the ordinary person. At the time, art critics objected, saying he was devaluing and commercialising art. To which he responded, "Why should my art only be available to the rich and famous? I want everyone to enjoy my art." 

Ballerina

This little ducky is one of my original treasures from my childhood! I was lucky I had a mum who saved almost everything from when I was a kid. I still have all my fuzzy felt too! It is great to pull out when I have kids visiting. It keeps them entertained for hours!

Enjoy!

You have seen so far that our kitchen reno is a complete DIY project, so it would come to no surprise that Denis and I decided to tackle the tiling too. Having never done tiling before, it was a wee bit scarey, but once we got into the groove of it we actually found it to be really enjoyable! I am pleased to say we would be happy to tackle another tiling project again sometime - maybe upstairs bathroom!It is amazing how much money you can save if you give it a go yourself. The tiles cost about $130 + grout, cement and spacers. It was a tricky job as the wall wasn't so even, plus we had to go around the windows and sills. But overall we are pretty wrapped with the outcome.

First thing I noticed is how the white tiles make the wall colour (Dulux Pale Tendrill Half) simply POP! We did the laundry as well and now both rooms look almost finished.
Final before and after pics are on their way! 

Enjoy!

I found this clock in an op shop and instantly thought,  "Hmmm, I could make a quirky terrarium out of you!"

Step One - Pull the clock apart so you are left with only the base and glass dome.

Step Two - To clean up the base, I used black spray paint.  Depending on your decor choose any colour!

Step Three - Give the base a coat of paint in a well ventilated area and leave to dry.

Step Four - Gather a small amount of artificial moss to cover the base.

Step Five - Once the paint has dried pile the artificial moss on top of the base.

Step Six - Choose a miniature to sit on top of the moss.

Step Seven - Position the miniature in the center of the base.

Step Eight - Wash the glass dome and sit on top of the base.

And there you have it, a Quirky Terrarium! You can buy bases and the glass domes new but they can be a bit pricey, so keep a look out for some old clocks in your local op shop.

Here's what you will need:
1. Glass dome and base - maybe from an old clock (mine cost $7.99 from an op shop)
2. Artificial moss (I bought mine from ebay for $5 + postage)
3. Spray paint any colour
4. Cute critter to live in your terrarium

Toodle-pip!

(Cute hoop artwork by Gretel Girl)