Sorry about the lack of posting, we've got our keys to our house and today spent the day cleaning, wiping, washed and planned. Write more later! Thanks for reading :)
I had to post this... it's so inspiring for me... copycat-inspiring! And the husband is OK with it (nearly knocked me off my chair!)...
I know, I know... thus far I've been harping on about a yellow and white office. But man.
Anna Spiro's office at
Black and Spiro actually makes my spine tingle! So... warm yet friendly yet luscious... even though it's clearly not the first choice for a male-dominated room, neither is it all that pinky-feminine-chic per se!
Labels: home office, inspiration, wall
You'll remember my office chair and the long process to get it redone. Some of you mentioned the original looked way too shabby to be chic.
Shabby:
The Inspiration:
Chic:
Thanks to Mum In Law for slaving over the cushion pad for 4 hours! :)
Labels: DIY, home office, my home
Ever been mesmerised by the simplest of photographs? You stare and stare, hoping to somehow either be transported or be inspired magically likewise?
Today I stumbled on a bedroom that was photographed by
Sue Ferris that inspired me so much and then I discovered the talented stylists and photographers behind
Lizard Management, a multi-faceted creative in Sydney.
Stylist:
Kim Payne
Stylist:
Carlu Seaver
Photographer:
Jason Loucas
Go check out the many many more
photos!
Labels: bedroom, inspiration, living room
I posted just below about this latte gold and blue bedroom colour scheme... which I do still love, but had always lacked the colour ommph I'd been looking for. Perhaps this will be better?
The electric blue shade of the rooms coupled with the warm bright lights from the lamp cast such a lovely glow over Carrie's space. I'm entranced.
Coupled with white, the blue ties in styles from all periods, which is nice to see. I could work with this!
What do you think? Latte gold and teal or Carrie electric blue?
Labels: bedroom, inspiration
Our new bedroom will be modelled after this gorgeous one.
Latte silvery walls, with aqua/teal furniture accents. Minus expensive mirrored pieces... my warm wooden French-style sleigh bed will warm things up more :) I love the serenity yet the fresh feel.
Looking for a similar wallpaper ... on a budget.
Labels: bedroom
A way to sneak in a min of relax reading a work! Fool your unsavvy boss and still catch up on fav-blog reading!
Work Friendly
I'm looking for inspiration on how to organise and display some vintage brooches and here are some of the creative people I found on
Flickr.
.
Labels: inspiration, jewels, my home, organisation
I'm very excited... I've opened an Etsy store selling my custom designed silhouettes of your loved ones! See the button on the top right menu for the
link!
Labels: art, christmas list, wall
A great thanks goes out to Justina Selim of blog
on my perch as she has posted about
my silhouettes :) and posted a special one that I created with Hannah and her father. :)
She also wrote about
Match Blox, wooden blocks that are created by Etsy artist Suzanna Anna
A cheaper version of Sid Dickens work posted previously! Fun, colour and WAY cheaper :) $28 each.
Labels: art, christmas list, wall, walls
First Row: The Flower Rosette, The Swallow, The Butterfly, Musique, Sacred Heart Red, Unicorn, Rosette
Second Row: Club, Crown, Lemon, Morning Birds, Versailles Tulip, Wild Rose, Dahlia
Third Row: Embleme, Alabaster Roses, Guardian, Damask, Taj Flowers, Leaf Swirl, Spade.I love to start/have a collection of
Sid Dicken Tiles.
Born Sidney Michael Dickens (1963), Dickens now lives in Vancouver where he first began his masterpieces,
The Memory Blocks, a series of 6 by 8-inch decorative wall plaques.
Memory Blocks are hand crafted plaster, 6" x 8" x 1 1/4", finished to a porcelain-like quality, cracked to create an aged look and feel.
Every few years, a collection of his tiles are retired. The retired pieces, a few shown above, would of course, fetch more and can only be bought at auctions and specialist dealers. But you can still get his current collection from his website, starting from US$90.
First Row: Concord, Epistle, Pentimento, Applique (Silver), Tree of Life (Silver), Perfume
Second Row: Naturlich, Coat of Arms, Tapestry, Storybook, The Clasp, Melody, P&A, Wing.
On his website, it is suggested that the best way to display these pieces of art is in a collection, a grouping.
I'd agree... I'd like to start with
The Clasp.
Labels: art, christmas list, wall, walls
While selling futon and dresser a month or two ago, I broke our hallway mirror FRAME (whew! Not the mirror!). It was one I disliked anyway and got for $10 at a garage sale five years ago.
From my inspiration photo above, I wanted to consolidate my affinity with bamboo/cane furniture (I grew up in Malaysia: bamboo and cane furniture was EVERYWHERE) with the luscious Kelly Wearstler fun Regency style. Have you read her
Modern Glamour?
With a small budget and big dreams, one has to settle for something less than the upwards of $500 tag at 1stbids,
Anthropologie or
Horchow. Or this one at
Woodson and Rummerfields.
I'm so happy to have scored at eBay for only $29!
(Pardon the awful mess in that photo. I'd just unwrapped the 1km long bubble wrap and washed my hands. I turn around and
I see Hannah STANDING ON THE MIRROR. So after my heart stopped beating hard and I'd calmed down, the photo was taken just propped up.)
After a coat of primer, and a couple of coats of bright yellow gloss...
Can't wait to hang it someplace in our new place!
Labels: DIY, my home, wall, walls
Daylesford, Victoria is famous for two things: mineral springs (Hepburn Springs) and spas.
Having no money but needing a break, spas was out of the question.
But we had a great day out. Walking, vintage shopping (all the shops there seem to be 1950s) and running after Hannah :)
Hope you all had a great weekend too!
In our new home, the study now boasts our first ever fireplace!
Photo taken with current vendor's furnishings and colours on Real Estate Australia.
Although we can't afford it right now, we're going to paint this room white and the middle bit where the electric fireplace is will be either wallpapered yellow (and white) or painted a deep yellow... or something along those lines.
But it got me thinking about what to put above the fireplace and I found heaps of ideas from my inspiration files.
Loads of images so please be patient until it all loads.Wooden feature.
My brothers in law love this idea being very "woody" men. Apparently getting a piece of rotted trunk with branches etc (holes) with that pattern is as rare as hen's teeth and very valuble!
A collection of small pieces of glass, china and art.I love the idea of displaying a few of your favourite pieces on mantelpieces... like a vignette of your self.
A staghead.
Not one of my favourites but gotta admit it adds drama and glamour (when thoughtfully planned, i.e. not in a room of other heads).
A large mirror.
A television.
Means that you have extra floor space for that oh-so-needed chaise or pet bed :)
One large artwork piece.
Ya know, this is popular, but you need to have wow-worthy art.. or something that speaks. Like maybe a blow up of my daughter's first colour pencil portrayal of the family. But that's going to be a while more a wait. At the moment, she can colour in a circle in wide jagged lines hehehe so cute.
Multiple artwork pieces.
Wooden or plaster moulding/image.
I have long been a fan of
Sid Dicken's plaques. I would love to line this area with 4 x 4 of his creations. Will have to start a collection of these anyway... soon. Slowly.
Nothing (but a purposefully nothing, not the neglected nothing).
China plates.
Off centred artwork!
Would drive my husband and his whole family berserk but in this example of Frank Roop's, symmetry is wonderfully acheived elsewhere (i.e. chaise longues).
My favourite, the
Sunburst-type mirror.
I would really love any found in these photos below.
I am veering towards a mirror. One option is my
yellow and white cane mirror. But I am also considering (and saving up SLOWLY) for Freedom's white and black sunburst mirror.
(I've attempted to state source of photos for most, if you know where the others are from, please let me know, thanks! I have to really get the source in my photo files too.... another project for another week...)
Labels: art, fireplaces, inspiration, living room, my home
*hearing a jingle in my head*
So the house is about 95% finalised. I am very excited (and nervous at the same time!!!!!). So I've been shopping around for pendant shades/lighting since I dislike the ones already in the
vaulted ceiling living room.
I wrote about
pink shades recently and I would love to be able to splash $3500 on lighting in the form of my favourites, the Star from Antonangeli.
But since the rich phase has not hit me
yet, and I desperately wanted to replace the wrought iron things with something else, Ikea's white
Knappa will do fine at a FRACTION of $3500. Got 2 for $40 each! Yay for Ikea!
Made a little moodboard for the living room (yes, already!). This is the
before/current.
This is what I see in my head: (Chocolate brown for room paint!)
Might go darker a chocolate paint.
Labels: lighting, my home
To most people, this is just another photo of a girl in a playground area. It's not bad a shot, with all the colours, huh??
But to me, this is one of my favourite shots of Hannah in such a pretty, feminine frock in Summer. And once I saw it on my Powerbook, I knew it was special. Something had to be done.
And I did something :) I am so happy with the way it's turned out.
I added a few of my favourite birds, the little hummingbird in it. Against a sunshine yellow background, a current favourite colour.
This is entitled
My favourite things, 2008It's going up on my office wall, of course!
Labels: art, children's rooms, DIY, home office, my home
... I am getting more and more organised. I LOVE being organised, can't think straight in a messy space. (Which is why our master bedroom is not the space for me to think since it's dreadfully small and badly planned.) Anyhoo.
The latest issue of
Notebook Magazine (an Australian home and living magazine with gorgeous cover shots) May 2008 has been sitting on my bedside table for almost 2 weeks now untouched because I've been so busy to even get to reading it. Last night while waiting for my mental sheep counting to take effect, I discovered a nifty (and super duh easy) idea which I've rushed out to complete today:
Click!
Quick weekend work (in between window shopping) and now no longer an unruly stash in one of the kitchen cabinets!
Mine's the cheapo version, with a simple $6 accordian folder from Officeworks and some sticky label tabs. But check out these gorgeous ones!
M.O. Expanding Desktop File from See Jane Work. $19.95
Pink/white/black expanding file from
Smiggle. $9.95
Daisy Expandable Notebook by Kikki-K which is great! Has notebook to jot down important information (passwords etc!) and expanding file on the other for your paperwork. $24.95
Officeworks has some nice ones too... of course.
Labels: home office, organisation, stationery
I love giving unique gifts to loved ones. Since I'm silhouette nutty, I thought I'd create this personal yet artsy print for my youngest sister! Hannah was actually pointing to the high vaulted ceiling of a cathedral-turned-cafe in a country town between Melbourne and Warrnambool, VIC. The swirly thing at bottom left is wood.
Contact me for personalised silhouettes!
Labels: art, DIY, family, my home
