Pretty silk

I just couldn't stop from blogging about this pretty dressing room I spotted a few days ago at Mornington Antique Centre on Tyabb Road, Mornington, VIC, Australia. It was so pretty and simple.



Here goes another round of searches on eBay for a silk shawl!

Barbie Store, Shanghai

A New Year's Eve treat... and feast for the eye:

For just the "gawk and gasp" treat, I discovered the Barbie store in Shanghai, China ages ago and this has been in my inspiration-need-to-blog files...

Mattel installed a Barbie store in Shanghai, China to mark its 50th anniversary... complete with psychedelic pink escalator..

here

here

This flagship contains a spa, cafe, design studio, fashion stage and thousands and thousands of new and vintage Barbies.

I grew up with Barbie, only having one doll, coveting my younger cousin's 3-4 figures. Mum couldn't afford Barbie clothes or shoes for my doll (hand me down from said cousin) so I learnt to make my own with mum's Singer sewing machine... I still remember the pink work suit ... and the apple green Audrey-style dress I made for her...

But I gave that all up when I turned 13.

Until now.



What's that dotting the stairwell, you say?

Let's look closer...



Closer!



875 Barbie. And since they're glassed in individual boxes... no DUSTING!

More, more!

here

Spa or beauty parlour, or cosmetic shop, Barbie-themed, of course!





Clothes





Gasping and gawking? :) I do like it. White, bright, clean and very funky stairwell! (I hope they pay their cleaning crew damn well.)

Read more here.

But as for me? 20 years later... I have my own Barbie doll... again... but this time, designed by design icon Jonathan Adler!

This is NOT a Hannah product!

Blessed Christmas

To all my readers, I wish you a warm, cheery Christmas and may 2010 be full of joy, laughter and love for you and your loved ones.

Christmas at Martha Stewart

I enjoyed looking at pictures of Martha Stewart's home decorated for Christmas... gorgeous ideas to keep!

Pretty ballerina

Been meaning to share with you this pretty thrifted and fixed brooch... it's just a cheapie '50s piece, but I love its delicacy...

Picked up for just $0.50 at Salvos, and then fitted with a new backing from Spotlight with some Araldite..



Just makes me happy!

Christmas inspiration from Turquoise

Pic from House of Turquoise

I found this pic from House of Turquoise who's put on a fabulous inspiration Christmas post! I love love love it. And the other pics too, of course!

Too funny!

Our local fabric superstore in Australia, Spotlight sells a crafters and DIYers heaven's delight and also, 1000s of fabrics, spilling out their doors!

How funny then, to see my blogland-friend Viv from beautiful blog Ish and Chi use the *same* fabric to recover some vintage chairs that I used for my cousin's dining chairs!!

Viv's version

My cousin's chair

Of course, Viv's photography is much more sensational since it's got great lighting! Cousin's place is a tad dark!

Psst, I'll be suggesting to said cousin another splurge on her cute bachelorette pad soon!

Tram Depot Cafe

Andrew and I have had cafés on our mind lately... I thought I'd share with you a favourite find from my inspiration files... the Deptford Project Café.

Via DeZeen.

Located in Deptford, South East London, this is the brainchild of graphic designer Morag Myerscough. Taking 4 months to prepare, it opened in June 2008.

Via DeZeen.

I love the airyness (despite it being only a train-carriage wide space) and tbe WHITE, WHITE, WHITE-ness of it all. It truly allows the tabletops and the pendant shades to "pop" in this space.

Via DeZeen.

I love it!
Glossy white walls.
Round walls.
No art.
Table colours.
No chairs to fight with the tables.
Sometimes stools, sometimes chairs.
Bright.
No curtains.
Bright.



And the toilet? A shrine to Elvis!

Via DeZeen.

Read more about it here.

My vintage yacht makeover!

I spotted an old old old boat in an antiques store in Balgowlah, NSW. So happened it belonged to a stall owned by my husband's aunt. So I got it as an house-warming gift :)

'Course... this is almost 16 months ago now...

It looked way more romantic in the photo she sent me of the boat.

It screamed out for a redo... since there was no way I'm displaying the tired blue boat with its moldy brown-now-white-then sails.

First coat of undercoat. I put two coats.

The topcoat drying, a bright sunshine yellow.

Husband hanging the yellow boat on its freshly painted pink base and holder above our TV with some wall brackets.

For almost 16 months it's been sitting up there without the third and final sail... I chose bright yellow-andsomethingorother vintage fabric/napkins for my sail... happy happy yacht! (Thanks mum-in-law for making the sails for me!! (I have no sewing machine!))

It's finally completed! TODAY!



(A month before we have to LEAVE this place!!!)

Lonny Magazine

I'm really enjoying Lonny Magazine. Have you seen it? Are you a fan??

The second edition is just out!



The Hotel Keppler makeover by Mr & Mrs Smith a great read. I do love the white cursif over the freshly painted black double doors.



The new look... now all swished in blacks and whites is so modern, sharp and fresh!

One of my favourite details is the black and chrome taps on the sink.



I enjoyed the J.Crew Women's Collection store on the Upper East Side of NY. My favourite feature? The unfinished floorboards. I'm not a fan of highly polished floorboards...



But I think my favourite feature was the one on Vanessa de Vargas of Turquoise (follow her great blog). I LOVE her so bright, so airy and so white home! And those chairs. mmmmm!



Goodness, look at that green dresser! I want THAT, Ms de Vargas!!!



And that dreamy bedroom... with the great pierced lamps!




Follow them on Twitter!

Moving...

I don't often share about my own personal life (although I do share with you most parts of my home and design process!) but I've been waiting for the "right" time to write and share about some changes in my personal life... but I guess now's a good time as any!

(Please enjoy with me some of my favourite rooms while I divulge this news.)



For a while now, my husband and I have been discussing about re-evaluating how we're going in terms of our personal goals, fulfilling dreams... Andrew's been given an awesome opportunity to begin the work to fulfilling one of his dreams... and support for when we start trying for Hannah's sibling! So we're making the very big move to fulfill them!



So late January 2010, we're leaving this gorgeous home (renting out) to move 5000 kms away. We're returning (we were there 2002-2004) to the Blue Mountains, NSW to live with my in laws for a while, at least for the next year or so.



We're excited, but also very nervous about it, since neither of us like uncertainty. For me personally, I need to be in my own home, always have... and finally we bought in 2008... which is a mere year ago! And now we're leaving!



We're giving up heaps of space, freedom, to now live uncertainly for the next few years... I have grown to love deeply my first home... and leaving is bittersweet.



So I won't have my own home to paint or knock nails into my home, but hopefully you'll keep on reading this blog, as my husband and I (and little Hannah) embark on a journey to fulfill some of our dreams, and work towards owning another plot of My Own, maybe in the Blue Mountains...

Etsy table runner received!

I've been looking for a simple table runner for my dining table whilst waiting for a friend to embark on the one I really want! *click here for an idea* and I finally got it from where? Etsy of course!



Because my table's large... a piddly one would be completely wrong... so this 61 inch crocheted one looks great with my blue Italian glass bowl.

I'm managing to keep my table clear of crap!

Like it? :)

Christmas at my place

Last year I had a my first real (and artificial) Christmas tree. I was thrilled.

I'd still like to get one every year... nothing beats a REAL green Christmas tree! I think if you gonna have green, get a real tree - after all, it only costs $60 here from Oxfam! Artificial trees should LOOK artificial...

I have spent nights looking for what I really want: a pink Christmas tree. Inspired by this candy-pink one I saw on Martha Stewart last year.



But of course, it's like Australia went on pink-tree-strike! BigW did come out with a dark purple one... and a black one... and as designer-y as that sounds... I really don't think a black tree.

I could have gotten a white Christmas tree, but all my ornaments are WHITE!

Plus we're moving interstate 3 weeks after Christmas so I didn't want to have to buy one and dispose of a real Christmas tree... so I looked to Flickr, Martha Stewart, blogs and of course, my inspiration files for ideas.

I did find the oh-so-gorgeous tree of Flickr user, two_little_pumpkins:

Via two_little_pumpkins's Flickr.

two_little_pumpkins informed me that this tree was from Target last year, and intended to be an outdoor Christmas tree. I'm going to have to check out Target Australia to see if they have anything similar, though I HIGHLY doubt it.

The only other one that did grab me enough to consider doing it was a DIY project from Martha Stewart (who else?):

Via Martha Stewart

So I did my own version... couldn't find the pale pink that Martha Stewart staff used... and I really wanted a Christmas tree rather than fireworks...

And I didn't want to buy more fairy lights, had to use our cool-white *yuck* lights we already had... But for $19, I can't really complain.

Yay, now I have (and know what the heck is) an AWL! hehe

And from the foyer/entryway...



It's not perfect... I had to almost hand draw this whimsical Christmas spiral tree and then using an awl, punch out holes slightly smaller than my LED lightbulbs.

This year presents for my family have my custom-made Christmas tags this year, quite different from my custom-tags last year!

Paint chips with rounded corners and a small hole punched for a ribbon.

By the way, did you see the perfect PINK TREE that Nicole from making it lovely got from Treetopia???

Via Nic's Flickr