Interesting Shop Displays

I love visual merchandising and wonderfully creative window displays.  All the shop keepers in our local high street in London would regularly change their window displays with the seasons.  Christmas windows are the best.  Some of them were truly amazing.  Anyway during a recent day out in Brisbane I noticed a couple of interesting displays that I thought I'd share with you and snapped them with my phone.

This is a little clothing alterations place in Tattersals Mall.

The front window is lined with vintage sewing machines.

and vintage advertising signs

I love this old timber counter with the drawers. 

See the vintage irons on the right side by the door.

A dressmakers dummy and a chalkboard sign pointing to the fitting room.

Then I went into Asop to buy my sister some hand cream, and I loved their display of brown bottles.

A mass display of brown bottles.

All the bottles of lotions and creams with a large industrial sink.

This is how they wrapped the hand cream.

And I had to go to The Shingle Inn for a coffee and passionfruit cup cake.

I am always looking to find other shops that have interesting displays. 

Anybody seen some good ones lately?

House Name or Number?

Does your house have a name or just a number?  Some houses have the most pretty names, like Rose Cottage,  Honeysuckle Cottage, or The Old Coach House.  I have always just had a number.

When we first moved into this house 11 years ago, I bought a set of tiles in a wrought iron frame and proudly hung it at the front door.

Sadly, late last year the adhesive tape holding the left tile failed and it smahed to the ground.  My husband glued it back together, but I really felt it was time for a change.

I tried to think of a nice name for our house, I really did, but I just couldn't find one that sounded right.  So in the end, we are just number 2.

To make the sign I just cut a piece of plywood to size, painted it 'Paperbark' and then painted No 2 on it.  I also resprayed the wrought iron holder black just too freshen it up.

We still need to pave the front entrance.  I found the perfect match for our bricks.  See the sample next to the door mat?  They don't make them anymore do they?  I'll have to keep looking.

$20 Handyman Special

One day my daughter and I were out shopping and on our way down the mall we spotted this:

Jewellery Box.  $20 Handyman Special.  Sold as Is. 

Handyman I thought?  What about Handy woman?

Both the rounded side cupboards had come off their hinges, after being hit by people's shopping trolleys and the paint work was looking a little ordinary.  Somebody had pulled the ring holder section apart.

I walked into the shop, quickly paid cash and got them to put a sold sign on it.  The lady told me the jewellery console was originally $149.  Guess which shop?  Homeart!  You know, it used to be called Copperart.  Amazing where you can find things right?

Anyway, my daughter and I were able to restore the jewellery console quickly and easily.  My daughter sanded the whole thing down (good girl!), and I gave it a fresh coat of paint.  We bought some new screws and attached the side cupboards. 

 We decided to ditch the ring holder and just lined that section with some French sheet music.

What more could a 10 year old girl want, than her own armoire to store her bling?

All styling by my daughter.  I think she did a great job!