House bling

Inspired by Confetti System's garlands, I had a go a making my own for my daughter's birthday last year. I'm now madly searching though our maze of boxes to see if I can add them to our Christmas decor here this year. The kids are in the spirit, blaring carols at six am this morning, and with four sleeps to go I think I need to step up! Beginning with the bling...

Christmas - Australian style

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I admit I'm off to to a slow start this December when it comes to Christmas preparations. The childrens' calendars have taken over this month! Parties, dress rehearsals and costume making hasn't left much time for thinking about gifts or decorating the house. It hasn't, however, stopped me from scouring the web for inspiration. Christmas to me is the lengthening evenings, inviting outdoor dining with friends, magnolia's and proteas adorning my home and lots of loud music (mostly daggy Christmas hits) as the soundtrack to all the craziness! I hope you are enjoying your December:).

Habitus features Wendy Whitely

A dear friend bought me a subscription to Habitus Magazine recently. My first issue featured Wendy Whitely's marvellous home. What do i love? - where do i start? - Wendy's inventive approach to renovating, the white floors and walls, the zinc topped table, the lush garden, the magnolias, the location (Sydney's Lavendar Bay) the re-purposed bits of furniture, the collections of tribal rugs and sculptures, the bath, the kitchen and of course the art. Love it all! For loads more pics go to Habitus or pick up issue 13, grab a cuppa and enjoy the images and full story. I'm off to re-position some of my Brett Whitely prints...inspired!

Passionfruit flower - divine design

One of the advantages of having moved into our new place mid winter is that Spring has been able to surprise us with a whole bunch of new flowers hiding in our garden. The kids couldn't resist picking these passionfruit flowers. So many layers of intricate design. We try, however replicating mother nature in design is impossible. Truly beautiful.

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A visit to The Hive..

. . . led to this - an early Christmas pressie from my thoughtful husband - he just doesn't know it yet;). Source: The Hive.

Necessity informs this bedroom

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Our bedroom at Cowper St was a rather long space to furnish and having spent most of our budget on the build, some re-purposing was called for. Our old dining table (very narrow) became the bedhead. The perfect spot to perch my morning cuppa (and often children's blankys, brekkie bowls etc!), display my favourite family pics and pile our books. I bought the mirror from Ikea which captures the pretty light cast by the pendant in the adjacent ensuite. Finally, the faux grizzly throw (sourced locally at David Jones) was included to add some much needed texture and soften the space. I get such a kick out of those times when necessity and function inform aesthetics!

More in the raw

As promised - more raw upholstery inspiration. Just when I thought I couldn't get past the first three images at Spanish Elle (oh my goodness, that apartment oozes comfort),  I came across Love at First Sight. An Australian company salvaging vintage finds. Their craftsmen include underground graffiti artists and leading fabric weavers who work to produce an eclectic range of chairs and cushions. With names such as 'graffiti stole my heart' and 'the emotional bus ride', these pieces are true one-of-a-kind finds.

Raw upholstery

I recently attempted upholstery. The goal wasn't necessarily to finish up with a beautifully recovered chair (although my perfectionist self did have high hopes), but rather to have a reason to 'need to be somewhere'. Skipping out of the bedtime routine at home (I have two youngsters) and heading off to my upholstery class at evening college offered a welcome break each week. 

Our teacher was an old-school artisan, taught by his father. I admired the precision with which he expertly placed and tapped each and every tack and was inspired to go slow with this project. At times I found myself almost in a trance as I tugged and hammered and tugged and hammered, around and around the frame... uninterrupted, mindful work.  Bliss. 

Needless to say at the conclusion of the course I was only half way through my project. But I like the result! I could go back again for another term to finish it off, though I am having trouble imagining my raw chair any other way. I'm off to source some other raw upholstery gems and will share next post...post haste..stay tuned..

Art to love

I'm going to declare my interest up front here... this artist is my very talented mother in law Kirsty Glenwright (the proximity of this post to christmas is purely coincidental;).  Kirsty's vibrant oil paintings can and do make a room sing. Adorn hallways and even bathrooms, choosing images and colours that make you smile. You know it when you see it. If you would like more information on Kirsty's work, please email me. I'll post more of her fabulous creations in the coming months.