The Perfect Afternoon Spot..

After posting the perfect Breakfast spot yesterday, I thought it might be nice to share with you, my perfect afternoon spot.

This is my favourite little spot in our lounge room, under the lovely big window that overlooks the front garden. Here sits my favourite leather chair which was my grandfather's. On the chair one of my most precious belongings.. a blanket crocheted by my great-grandmother, Isobel. Right now I'm using my little white chair as a side table until we fix up my Acme sewing cabinet. It is the perfect spot to crochet, sew, read, drink tea and enjoy lovely blogs.

I hope your Thursday has been full of delights..
Much Love
xxx

Read More

A Writer's Desk...

My writing desk is finally all unpacked and enjoying its new home by a delightful little window. The perfect spot to enjoy the morning sunshine. I just love my new writing spot and am especially excited I found the perfect place to put my Eiffel Tower print, which is actually a fabulous piece of Cavallini and Co. wrapping paper.

Hope you enjoy a lovely start to the week. I'm off to finish making the house look lovely for my favourite guests (my parents) who are arriving this afternoon.

PS. If you haven't already, be sure to enter my summer giveaway for your chance to win a one of kind brooch. Just pop over here and leave me a comment.

Much Love
xxx

Read More

Moments of Us..

It's all stations go around my little library nook this morning. You see, I'm very excited because my parents are coming to visit us tomorrow, all the way from Brisbane, so we are making our little nest all lovely for their arrival. As we are in for another hot day, so the plan is to work this morning, have a little siesta in the afternoon and then head out into the garden at dusk to continue pottering.

I just love finding the perfect spot for all the bits and pieces I collect, part of my bowerbird nature perhaps. Yesterday I put together a pretty little vignette above the fireplace, using lovely thrifted and found items, that remind me of some wonderful adventures my hubby and I have shared.

I find something really lovely in decorating with items that have a story to share. For many lovely interiors and inspired styling ideas, check out the Interior Styling group on Flickr created the fabulous Holly from Decor8. Happy decorating Sunday!

Much Love
xxx

Read More

Dressing Table makeover!

Remember the dressing table I bought the other day, well thanks to plenty of help from my hubby it now has a new lease on life and is taking pride of place in our bedroom.

We decided to keep the lovely old handles in their original condition and 'Dulux Wash & Wear' in White to give it a fresh new look. Please excuse the pink walls, they are next on our to paint list.

To add a shabby chic look to the dressing table I used mainly white accessories and clustered items together, including some lovely perfume bottles.

As always my decorating style is a little eclectic so I chose to add some old postcards and a few vintage books underneath a little Royal Doulton plate to sit my rings and brooches on. I also used a little bowl I made in art class years ago to add texture and bring the colour palette together.

I've always been fascinated by dressing tables after spending years admiring my grandmother's, where she kept all her beautiful trinkets and it's so lovely to have saved a this little treasure and give it a new life. My next adventure, to find a lovely chair to match.

I hope the sun is shining on your Monday. Check out the Meet me at Mike's blog for some lovely resolutions Pip has created to help kick off the new year. I'm off to make a pot of tea of await the mail, which will hopefully bring something lovely from Notemaker for me.

Much Love
xxx

Read More

Ideas and Dressing Tables..

I love these final days of the year, with Christmas behind us, the new year around the corner, the sun high in the sky and the world almost in slow motion, still in holiday mode... and I'm right there with them, deep in the beauty and delight of the holiday season.

My holidays have been filled with ideas, plans, measurements and making friends with the people at the local hardware store. Magazines and clippings fill the dining table whilst my journal brims with beautiful images of homes, paint colours, homewares and my little cottage moment by moment becomes our home..

The current state of my dining table.. full of inspiration.

My moleskine journal has become the ultimate place for all my grand ideas, the biggest of which is a plan for a delightful little conservatory, inspired by Susan Southam's Bramasole, nestled in the backyard under the Maple Tree..

Pages of thoughts and notes, an inspiring bedroom, lovely bedside table and quilt.

I find myself spending the mornings sipping tea and pouring though images, making notes over toast and tea before taking to streets, journal and tape measure in hand, ready to find that perfect colour and piece of furniture.. and yesterday I did just that.

As my hubby and I braved the heat to search the local refuse shop for some old tea chests and crates, I stumbled across this gorgeous little old dressing table. Tomorrow the transformation begins, with a few coats of white paint, I hope to give this lovely dressing table a 'French Provincial' feel.

Wishing you a delightful final day of 2009, a time to reflect and look to the future, to make wonderful plans for the coming year.

Much Love
xxx

Read More

Merry Christmas and a little cottage tour...

Well it has been a very long week of shifting heavy boxes and cleaning windows and we are finally into a lovely little cottage, just in time for Christmas. I'm so delighted to finally have the internet back and I would just love to take you on a wee tour of our sweet nest.

Welcome, come down the garden path, past the rambling roses to our little cottage.

Roses are abundant throughout the garden and are just begging to be placed into delicate Venetian glass to perfume the house.

Of course, one of the first boxes to be unpacked was the books, perched carefully on the bookshelf where Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll and James Joyce enjoy a cup of tea.

I'm so excited about my cute little kitchen, the original fire place still intact, perfect for recipe books and lovely bits and pieces.

Through the back door, tangled amongst the daisies and roses you will find our laundry in a gorgeous little weatherboard nook.

In the lounge room, on the coffee table is the new Real Living magazine, it's one of my very favourites and yesterday I was relaxing in the afternoon with a pot of tea enjoying this fabulous How-To issue, when I noticed something rather exciting...

One of my little brooches on the We're Loving page!

I had no idea that 'I heart Cupcakes' was going to make an appearance and I must say, I bolted outside to find my hubby and ran around giggling like a little girl. A very delightful Christmas present indeed. Thanks so much to the amazing girls at Real Living for putting together such a fabulous magazine, it is always filled with such inspiring design ideas.

More of my little cottage to come as I paint a few walls and get my lovely new studio organised. Thanks so much for joining me on this little tour..

Well it is indeed Christmas Eve and I'm off to make enjoy the festive cheer for a few days before settling in to unpack the rest of my house and begin renovations. Wishing you, your family and friends a delightful Christmas and festive season, full of joy, laughter, love and a glass of bubbly or two.

Much Love and Merry Christmas
xxx

Read More