Jewellery storage - 7 things

I may be just a little obsessed with jewellery storage - I wonder why?!

There are so many fabulous creative ideas out there, beautiful decorative creations, works of art and simply gorgeous home decor ideas.

What is your favorite way of storing your jewellery?

Not in a heap on your dresser I hope!?

Are you a traditional jewellery box type of person?
Like this beautiful box crafted by vermontwoodnart using the most beautiful woods - it's truly an heirloom piece.

walnut box by vermontwoodnart

I'm quite liking the idea of this re-purposed medicine cabinet - it will hold a lot of jewellery and more besides and then you can close the door and everything is neatly out of sight.
Check out NanandPopsAttic for more styles of jewellery organisers.

cabinet by NanandPopsAttic

I may have said this before but I have a few of these old printers drawers - I use mine for displaying my goods at markets, but look what BlackForestCottage has done!
Soooo much fabulous storage! And so well thought out.
You can really make a wonderful display on your wall with this one.

printers drawer storage by BlackForestCottage

Another wall display - this one is somewhat more rustic, but it does have a built-in light and they go the whole re-purposed road with hooks make from old forks and railroad nails.
Certainly would be a talking point!

wall organiser by RusticCreek

I have to include a ceramic option.
If you don't have a lot of necklaces and bracelets this is just perfect for your rings and you could pop a few pairs of earrings in the tray.
I love the crackle glaze in the bottom.

ceramic ring holder by ClayRoadStudios

This little number is a bit similar to my own earrings holder - but this has got extra assets!
It has knobs on the side for your necklaces and little hollows in the bottom for other bits and pieces - plus it rotates! What more could you ask for?

earring organiser by vermontwoodnart

This one is very stylish - and it holds 52 pairs of earrings!
You can also hang your necklaces and bracelets - and it has a shelf.

jewellery storage by ImproveResults

So much choice!
Which one would you chose?

Seven last dvd's I watched

Our local video shop has a list of special deals and one of he best is the 7 dvds for $5 only available on a Wednesday. It's a great way to catch up on the movies that I missed.
So I take my list to the shop and last week thisis what I can back with -

1. The Iron Lady
The story of MargaretThtcher, British Prime Minister.
I thought Meryl Streep was amazing! And I enjoyed watching it as a bit of period piece, not sure that the recent times bits were quite as convincing.
Would I recommend it? Nah.

2. J. Edgar
The story of J. Edgar Hoover, the long-time head of the FBI.
I also thought that Leonardo DiCaprio was amazing - not really being very familiar with J Edgar I can't say if it was such a faithful depiction as Meryl's of Maggie.
It's beautifully made as well.
Recommenation - maybe.

3. The Hurt Locker
I was a bit in two minds about this as I'm not a great fan of war movies, but hub had seen it and recommended it.
It's a totally engrossing movie, very believable. The characters seem really real.
Recommendation - see it!

4. Carnage
It's obvious that this is a movie of a stage play. (Hope I'm right about that!)
It is quite "stagey" in that it takes part in one afternoon in one location and is very wordy.
It is well acted by Jodie Foster, Kate Winslett, Christopher Waltz and John C. Reilly - all superb actors IMO!
It is very cleverly written.
Recommendation - OK if you need something cerebral and no action.

5. The Rum Diary
Well it had Johnny Depp and it is from a Hunter S. Thompson....but in the end was less than satisfying. The twist towards the end lacked "oomph" the whole movie meandered and lost it's way several times.
I was interested to see Puerto Rico as it was in the 60's, having been there more recently.
Recommendation - only if you are need of a Johnny Depp fix.

6. The Eye of the Storm
From the book by Patrick White.
I soooo enjoyed this, right from the very first moment.
I love Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis.
It was lovely and well- paced and funny and sad all at once.
Recommended (thoug I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea)


7. Beginners
I wanted to enjoy this more as it has Ewan McGregor in and Melanie Laurent as well as christopher Plummer. It's a gentle little story.
Recommendation -  OK for a quiet Sunday afternoon.

What have you seen lately?
Any suggestions to add to my list?

Saturday Seven - movies

This may be easy or difficult - sometimes it's just too hard to chose!

These 7 movies can be your favorites, or just 7 that you have seen (or can remember seeing), or 7 that you would like to talk about beacuse they stimulate discussion.

Here are mine:

- Never Let Me Go - so unbearably sad, so poignant, so beautiful (watch with a box of tissues)

-The English Patient - I still love it after all these years, the different threads of the story and the characters, the mystery, Ralph Fiennes...

- The Usual Suspects - a very clever story that delighted and surprised when i first saw it, it still delights me even though I know the ending.

- True Grit or The Big Lebowski or Burn After Reading or Fargo or anything by the Coen Brothers.

- Lord of The Rings - all of them!

- Up ( the most delightful animation of all time).

- Blessed - not the cheeriest movie you will ever see, but very powerful.

It's really hard not to include little gems like Little Miss Sunshine or The Royal Tennenbaums, or something by Woody Allen or something with Robert de Niro in.....but that would be anothe rlist altoghether!

7 things sunday - what to do on a rainy day

1. Clean out your bathroom cabinet - you are sure to find many out-of-date drugs, hair dye that has leaked out onto the shelf, half-used motel courtesy soaps and forgotten tubes with just a little bit of stuff in.

2. Eat gourmet cheeses, dips and relishes



bought from the Carrington Cellars in Katoomba.

3. Take advantage of New Year sales and credit card reward points to go shopping and buy rugs to replace very worn ones.

4. Colour hair with forgotten hair colour from #1

5. Watch a movie - maybe Robin Hood which daughter bought recently.

6. Throw out old perished swimwear from 10 years ago.
Plus old perished underwear, socks etc - you get the picture!

7. blog!

Seven things Sunday - my 7 wonders of the World

This is highly subjective of course and involves very personal choices as I shall explain.
Everyone's 7 personal wonders will be different, and changes over the years.
There are places I still would love to go to which may boot some of these off my list.

Anyway - to start at the beginning!

1. The Acropolis, Athens, Greece.

When I was a small child I would look at pictures of this and think it was the most beautiful place in the world.
The way it sits up high and it's lovely white columns march all around it.
Little did I think that I would be ever able to see it, but when I was a university student in the UK I went on a bus tril through Europe and suddenly there I was! And there it was.
And It didn't disappoint at all - in fact I fell in love with Greece and made 3 trips there travelling to various corners and islands - and I would go back.

2. Opera House, Sydney, Australia

Many years later I moved to Sydney -

and was thrilled by the harbour, the bridge and above all the opera house.
Every time I drive over the harbour bridge I get a thrill from seeing the sparkling white sails of the opera house floating on the edge of the harbour.

3. Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

I am so lucky that I have lived in three countries on three different continents.
In the 90's hub got a job in Arizona and did we make the most of sight-seeing!
It was a few hours drive to the Grand Canyon and we saw it after rain, in the heat of summer, the south rim and the north rim.
It is so vast that you could spend a lifetime exploring it.
And we never tired of going there.

4. Empire State Building, New York, USA


This one is also part of mythology from my childhood.
It used to be the tallest building in the world.
I know there are taller ones, but this is special - the architecture is beautiful, it's a very stylish building, it's very 2oth century.
When I finally visited in 2004 my husband and two teenage kids were with me and we spent several hours up the top (or as far up as you can go). The view is so fascinating, so totally amazing.

5. Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.


It is huge, it is dying, but it is so so special.
You have to go out on a boat, and you have to snorkel (or dive) and you will see so many corals and so many fish.
It is totally unbelievable!
I am totally in love with snorkelling, floating around with my face in the water looking at the otherworld that is the underwater world.

6. Angkor Wat, Cambodia.


This is a recent addition to my 7 wonders list, as I never really knew much about it until we went there last year.
This temple Agkor Wat is one of many temples from different eras in this part of Cambodia, and it is the most spectacular in terms of size, architecture and decoration.
As with most wonders photos cannot do it justice - you just have to be there.

7. Grose Valley, Blue Moutains, Australia


Last but not least - a local one.
I am so lucky to live in a very beautiful part of the world, indeed in a World Heritage Area.
Just up the road are the sandstone cliffs, escarpements and valleys of a very ancient landscape.
Not only that they are so accessible. The main road west from Sydney to the rest of the country passes through the Blue Mountains, indeed the mountains were an almost insurmountible barrier to the early settlers. But once they were accessed people started building roads, paths, steps and other tourist friendly amenities.
So although there are many remote and wilderness areas you can still easily experience the beauty of my backyard.

What are your personal 7 wonders?
Would you like to share them?

Remember if you leave a comment you get a chance to win a surprise every Thursday!

photos by me, trekearth, national geographic, oznadends, cairns.com.au,

7 things I have never done

another 7 things sunday post!



1. Watched Oprah, and now I hear her show is finishing, so maybe I never will.

2. Learned to crochet - but I suspect I'm not the only one.

the great australian granny square by epheriell

Now before all you crochet experts say anything, I dont have anything against crochet, I think it can be amazingly beautiful and versatile - I just dont want to go there.

3. Been on a cruise. I think you are either a cruisey person or you aren't.


I aren't.

4. Owned a dog. I was quite keen a few years ago, before marriage and kids, for company I guess. The dog I wanted was this -

an Hungarian Puli.

but I didnt.
and I guess I never will. I'm really a cat person after all.

5. Participated in a competitive race. I dont run, walk, cycle, swim competitively. We never had athletics at school or out of school. I have walked in fun runs (the ones you are allowed to run in).



The closest I came was at the kid's infant's school when i tried the mum's sack race - but I fell over! Does that count? I dont think so, therefore I maintain I have never 'raced'.

6. Learned to roller blade.


I always wanted to when the kids were younger and had rollerblades, but I didn't and now that I have had one fractured ankle, I dont suppose I ever will learn.

7. Tightrope walked!


But then who has?