I'll admit it. I was still arranging orange calendulas into vases (well, Veuve Clicquot tins) two minutes before the first ticket holders arrived.

In my time management defense, trying to get the kid's bedrooms ready had been an uphill battle. 

So on the wettest and wildest weather Sunday we have had in a while, 470 people came to visit.

Meanwhile, I was overwhelmed in our workroom, turned store. Fabulous to say hello and meet so many new, and longtime, Tea Pea customers although there was scarcely room to move for most of the tour.

Merchandiser Diane Massey-Molloy had spent three days in our workroom changing it into a gorgeous store and it was just superb to see people shopping in what has been our workroom for several years now.

The Kitchen Tour raised $15000 for Onslow Kindergarten. That means they are able to finish their playground. I have huge respect for the organisers who gave so many hours to this fundraiser, and who were incredibly clever and efficient pulling off a highly successful event. To the volunteers who baked, cleaned, attended houses on the day and sold raffle tickets. And to the families who gave their homes as part of the tour (so many of them not even connected to the kindy). Thank you.

And just a little about the comments we received about our own home. We were so humbled to hear all the generous remarks you offered. I had expected a few 'hey, nice house'. Instead, 'Each of your bedrooms is like entering a new adventure', 'a credit to hard work and clever use of colour and pattern', light, airy, inviting and full of love', 'fun-filled delight!'.

The best thing was knowing we have inspired people to think out of the square, to reuse, to not be afraid of hard work, to break some colour rules. So many said to me they had a renewed enthusiasm to change things in their homes, to use colour, to repurpose. 

I go by what William Morris said. 'Have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful'.