You Are So Fired!

Dear little round table,
As your are well aware, you were recruited and given a specific role in the autrichenoire household earlier this year. The same was done based on promises made by yourself specifically regarding your ability to bring style, awesomeness and encapsulation of the personality of the employer that is Casa Autrichenoire.

Despite valiant efforts by the employer to repackage your assets, and build your capacity to perform as per the contract,  you have consistently failed to deliver on said promises and in particular you have not been stylish further, the tendency to shout grandmother on drugs is both disturbing and annoying.

This has forced your employer to avert their glance every time they enter the house which  is not an acceptable situation.

We duly acknowledge your potential for awesome and for that reason you shall not be terminated for the time being but take notice that you will be redeployed to another department where your talent may be put to better use.Take further notice that this is for a trial period only and failure to deliver on awesome will result in immediate termination and relegation  to the yard sale pile.

yours truly

Autrichenoire
Director decor management
Casa Autrichenoire

:-) Sorry  I could not resist....I think this area needs a long, rectangular presence. A console now whwre will I find one one in this furniture desert that is Nairobi? 

My grandmother's world meets my world

When i got married,many a moon ago,the women of my extended family threw me a bridal shower as demanded by our customs. this shower was no  buy cake, invite your girlfriends and play naughty games kind of shower.

this was like all kinds of female relatives singing dancing,ululating and dispensing  questionable sound advice for marital bliss as well as assembling a trousseau.(well maybe not so different from your every day shower). 

The upside was that i made out like a bandit in the gift department. Down side, what do you do with 60 assorted tea mugs with every pattern from wolves(true story) to golf trivia? Have you ever seen golf trivia transfer ware it will give you the sads.

Some relatives wisely decided to go time tested classic. I recieved hand woven baskets ,clay pots and all kinds of calabashes and gourds to kit out my real kenyan wife kitchen.All these am glad to report hold places of honour in my house. If my house ever caught fire and all the people were safe, i would go back for these.

the hand made baskets in my living room the orange/brown one near the window was given by my mother

looking at them reminds me of child hood visits to my grandmother 's rural home. In the morning all in her kitchen ( a round mud hut with a smoky fire underneath a pot held up by 3 stones) and she would blow on the fire to make the tea boil. Hanging from the rafters were baskets just like mine only bigger which were a pantry sort of. One held maize meal another millet or sorghum others delightful surprises for her citified grand children -a giant paw-paw sweeter than candy, a sweet potato to buried in the embers of the fire to roast, some eggs, just bounty from the land given with love to her children.

she also had a big ass gourd whose contents were so sought after, so valuable, it had to stay locked up in her bedroom.the gourd contained soured milk -so delicious sweetened and eaten with  maize-meal.Whenever she came to visit  the gourd full of sour milky goodness came with her. sadly she is gone now and the baskets and gourds gone with her. I feel sorry for my children who have missed out on the experience of having an old school grandmother-their grandmothers come to to visit with chocolate and cash to buy treats . sad.

these are my gourds they live atop an Armoire in my bed room the largest one (wearing a fedora) reminds of Alice kavula my grandmother

Anyway my point? fill your home with things you love, things that have meaning to your family. make your own regardless of whether it is trendy or not

sorry about the fuzzy photos....let me show you what i use for a camera

totally state of the art maybe even cutting edge equipment

Two befores to help me stay on track.the first a table i bought to define my awkward enrty way as usual i only remembered to take photos after taking it apart and starting stripping the finish.

 

the table top wasn't in bad shape but i am anti stain everything mahogany so it had to change

the base it's metal and pretty i like the details at the bottom

the white stuff is soap i remembered to take photos mid wash

my trusty accomplices

my entryway also masquerades as a toy station not pretty

will post afters real soon. I know this ostrich is really rather gabby!how does one get her to shut up?

love to all autriche

CANNON BALL!

I am super shallow let me just put it out there that i should not care what people think but i do.

So stupid i know but there it is. so starting this blog is a supreme act of courage on my part( did i mention how shy i am in real life?) Anyway since my readers will be myself, the hubby and maybe my sisters if i threaten to publish photos of " the not so cute years", it's not so bad.



I love blogs i have wanted to start one for a year but courage failed me but here i am cannon ball into the deep end- oh wait i dont know how to swim-glurg!



So the blog is about stuff i love; decor,food, the process of turning a rundown cottage into a home.

(really about my fondness of talking about me diguised as those other things)



alrighty then tough part is done, i off to learn how to work photos into this thing.



I' BE BACK!(say it like terminator)