Rustic Boutique

There is nothing like a visit from the ‘parcel man’ to put a grin on my face because it means that he is dropping off a big box of Sweet Pickins Milk Paint! And this delivery was no exception because amongst all those pretty bags of milk paint is the latest Sweet Pickins colour release First Crush!! We have been so excited to get this new colour in, if you haven’t heard about this colour release let me just take a minute to fill you all in.

As you can see above, the latest colour release is a soft vintage pink. It is not a fleshy toned pink and does not have coral undertones but rather a true pink that has been lightened to a deliciously blush shade, and how perfect is that name!

Whilst on face value you may not be a ‘pink’ fan, this colour is very versatile and can be manipulated with waxes to achieve some quite varied finishes. Below is an example provided by Sweet Pickins of First Crush with a variety of waxed finishes.

Just take a look at the change in intensity, depth and tone the different waxes achieve. The white wax providing a very subdued and washed out pink in contrast with the dark wax adding layers of warmth and depth to the colour.

Did you know that you can buy Sweet Pickins Milk Paint online through our website?! First Crush is now available online through our online-store as well as over 30 other fantastic Sweet Pickins Milk Paint colours. Some colours do tend to sell out quite fast so if there is a colour that you have missed out on, please don’t hesitate to send us an email to rusticboutique@hotmail.com or a text message to 0434840145 and we can order any products in for you.

We also have added our favourite ‘go to’ cling on paint brushes to the online-store.

I will write a detailed post about why we love Cling On paint brushes so much very soon, however if you are after a superior quality, durable and easy to use paintbrush that will last an age all at a very affordable price, then the Cling On brushes are the best choice. For furniture painting (particularly using milk and chalk type paints) it is definitely worth investing in the right type of brush. The Cling On range have been specifically formulated for furniture painting and thus are perfectly suited to Milk Paint and other specialty furniture paints as well as ordinary latex paints.

We are slowly adding to our online range of DIY and paint products with more products to come (which we will definitely write about as they arrive). I also just wanted to take the time to thank all our past and current clients who have supported our small business and those who have been purchasing products online, we really appreciate the support you show to our small local business, so thank you!!

Happy shopping and happy painting!

Adriana x

As you may have noticed, things have been a bit quiet on the blog and social media since we closed our shop front in Smythesdale in January this year. I have had a few people message to ask if we are still creating and curating and the short answer is YES we are!!

Here is the latest custom piece we have just finished.. as well as a gorgeous pair of refinished bedside tables which have found the perfect new home!

On closing the shop in Smythesdale we decided to take a short break to catch our breath and recoup as well as give ourselves the time to reinspire creatively. Seeing as we have opened a Rustic Boutique booth space in the gorgeous town of Castlemaine we ‘ducked our heads’ so to speak for the last couple of months and have been focusing on curating some great furniture and vintage wares for our new location (inside Platform No.5 Showroom in Castlemaine – 9 Walker Street, Castlemaine VIC 3450).

If you haven’t been down to Castlemaine to check it out, it is definitely a fantastic destination. We are now located inside the beautiful Platform No.5 showroom which boasts some amazing bespoke hand crafted furniture, original vintage pieces and antique, industrial and farmhouse furniture as well as several vintage and artisan stall holder booths (including our own).

Here are a few snapshots of some of our recent booth displays

We are really enjoying our new location, and the lovely old mill hub we are located in is truly a great outing destination. Our ‘neighbours’ include the Castlemaine Vintage Bazzar which provides another venue for vintage ‘picking’. From there it is only a short stroll to the absolutely fantastic Austrian Café – Coffee Basics Das Kaffeehaus which has a delicious range off meals, sweets and drinks including wines and cocktails. Also within the same ‘short stroll’ location are several other quality destinations including a brewery, Boomtown winery, a traditional German smokehouse / smallgoods deli, a biodynamic fruit and vegetable shop and an ice creamery amongst others. So don’t be worried to make the trip out, it will be more than worth it!

A few of you have also been asking wether we still stock Sweet Pickins Milk Paint.. and the short answer to that is also YES. We are really passionate about Sweet Pickins products and their Milk Paint is just fabulous. The milk paint is not available from our booth space at this time, however we do have your milk paint needs covered. We have just launched a web-store (yay!!) where you can purchase all your Sweet Pickins needs. If you are local to Ballarat feel free to message me regarding local pick up, otherwise we can post Australia wide. Sweet Pickins Milk Paint has been selling like mad lately and so we did sell out of quite a few colours, however we have a large top up order on its way to us as we speak, which should be available and online by late this week/early next week.

So what else is in the pipelines? At this point I am tied up till June as I finish off a backlog of custom work for a very dear client. That being said our booth space is freshly  restocked and we have more unique stock lined up for the booth as well as some very exciting furniture transformations to come. We also have some big plans for our web-store and some other news but we will keep those for next time, so keep your eye out as we bring you all the exciting plans, projects and pieces lined up for the rest of 2018!

Adriana x

Parting with special pieces is never easy. I have told myself that I would never sell this piece and for good reason, it is big and beautiful and such a unique display piece. It has served me so well in the shop as a shelving display and it would look fabulous at home as a book case or even an open shelving in a kitchen or lounge-room / study. I could even see it as a beautiful linen press or storage in an artist / craft room, sooo many possibilities really.

Here she is all bare and beautiful on her first day ready to be loaded with goodies.

Well the long and short of it is that I have come to the difficult decision that I must part with this very special piece. She has served me so well and it is time that she does the same for someone else. She is beautiful and rustic and quite large. She will come with her gorgeous jar light too! The piece is reclaimed and thus has character and is not a new or factory finish, she is vintage and hand painted and has been used as display shelving in the shop so it does have some light wear marks on some of the shelving but being a vintage item and rustic it does not bother me in the least. This beauty stands at 2135mm tall and is 1900mm long and is approx. 480mm deep or 425mm shelving depth. This stunner comes apart for transport, the top piece comes off and the body separates into two pieces and comes off the base for easier removal.

She is for sale for $1199.00 and must go asap, if you are interested in purchasing this gorgeous shelving unit please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0434840145 to discuss or send us a message on our business facebook page.

I will be sad to see her go, but I am also excited to see someone else have this amazing beauty to love and display, she wont disappoint!!

Adriana X

As I am typing this blog update, I can’t believe how fast this year has flown! Especially the last three months, and no wonder, in the last 3 months I have had in the family a wedding, a funeral and a brand new nephew!!

We have some exciting RUSTIC BOUTIQUE news and that is that we have opened a gorgeous stall in Castlemaine, VICTORIA. Our stall is a lovely little space located inside PLATFORM NO.5 (right next to the Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar) and is a carefully curated collection of our favourite pieces. The stall will have changing quarterly themes, that way it will always be evolving and bringing you some snippets of my current collections and obsessions.

The current theme is ‘SPRING FARMHOUSE’ and is perfectly timed with this beautiful Spring weather that we are enjoying. Here are some pictures of the stall over the last couple of weeks…

That gorgeous shearers wool bench went super fast! As well as the long mint rustic bench seat..

How divine is that chippy rustic farm table? That beauty has already made its way to a lovely new home in Melbourne.

There are some absolutely stunning vintage pots and urns on the stall at the moment as well at those gorgeous green cast iron boilers that have been turned into planters!!

Also on the favourite list is the 3 meter long amazingly rustic and perfectly chippy farmhouse bench seat, so beautiful and a steal at $175.00

We have some new treasures heading up to the stall in a week so keep your eyes out.

As for our gorgeous little shop in Smythesdale we have some sad news, due to a number of factors we will be closing the Smythesdale shop front in the new year. We will be very sad to say goodbye to this gorgeous building and the beautiful regulars who would pop in. We have to say a huge thanks to everyone who has supported our little boutique shop out in Smythesdale, your encouragement and support has been overwhelmingly appreciated!! Although we will be sad to close the doors in Smythesdale, the business is by no means ‘closing’, we will still be trading and you will still be able to purchase treasures and find inspiration with us. As mentioned above we have our new physical location in Castlemaine to peruse, also we have just launched an online store which over the next few months will be filled with listings and goodies and hopefully in full swing in the new year. Also our social media accounts will be in full swing and the blog keeping you fully updated with all things Rustic Boutique. We will be attending certain markets and fairs and we also have some more ideas in the pipelines, but will play those cards close to our chest for the time being.

We are and still will be the local retailer for SWEET PICKINS MILK PAINT & PRODUCTS and CLING ON BRUSHES for both BALLARAT AREA and CASTLEMAINE (Castemaine in the new year). This means that should you wish to purchase any products after the Smythesdale shop front has closed, you still can.

We will have all our products listed online and we are more than happy to take orders online, over the phone and via social media. I can post orders or alternatively we can organise collection or work in with one of our ‘town drop’ days.

THE SHOP FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO TRADE RIGHT UP TILL CHRISTMAS .. so never fear, as we have a gorgeous array of goodies, gifts and exciting new stock!!

Now for the new stock and goodies, we have been working hard to curate a collection of locally made products and gifts offering both quality and support to small Australian and local businesses.

Aside from stocking Grounded Pleasures, Silk Magnolia, Wicked Candles and Sapon Goat Milk Soaps we have added a few new goodies to the list:

MIMOSA BOTANICALS BATH SOAKS

RUB A DUB GARDENING AND BATH/BODY PRODUCTS

We also have in-store 100% natural mens shave packs. The packs are ideal for sensitive skin and are super gentle and fantastic value. They are hand-made by a small soap artisan using a small batch process incorporating the finest and purest ingredients. These make fabulous gifts and practical ones too.

The packs include:

1 x 100% Natural shaving soap

1 x Activated Charcoal & Tea Tree Face Bar

1 x Coconut and Camomile Shampoo Bar

1 x Essential Oil After Shave Oil

1 x Shaving Bowl

1 x Shaving Brush

On a side note we have these fantastic vintage farmhouse ‘potato sack’ bar stools in-store this week. A steal at $95ea or the set for $340. They are solid and well made and really comfy too.