Autumn Is Coming...

Hi there:-) I'm delighted that today is the 1st of February, because it means that my favourite season is only a month away! For those of you avid Summer lovers, you must agree that the weather of the past week here in Melbourne has more than made up for the entire Summer season!Autumn introduces the changing of the leaves, cooler nights, & new textures into our living space in preparation for the cooler seasons ahead. Soft & luxurious fabrics & textures for home & our wardrobe, in shades of coffee, taupe, raspberry, strawberry, aubergine, chocolate, cocoa & latte, all warm & inviting hues that work back with white & neutral colour palettes, & that mix beautifullly with muted tones of iceblue, olive green & ochre. Rich accents of colour in flowers throughout the house, & the way we entertain, slowly translates from outdoors to inside a little more as Autumn begins. New cushions, bedlinen, fragrances, colour trends, layers, arrive instore to offer something new & exciting to mark the end of one season & the beginning of the next. With each season comes new beginnings, fresh, exciting, inspired, welcoming & wonderful!Invariably, a new season brings about our desire to change things around at home, cool colours to warmer shades, perhaps more indoor entertaining so something new for the table, a time for a fresh aesthetic. I love visiting my favourite stores, finding new season's pieces, new textures, materials, fabrics, & looks, to mix & match with what we already enjoy. Allow yourself to be inspired also by what is around you each day, & embrace what makes you feel fabulous! For Bedrooms:

• Cushions. Introducing interest with contrast in design, colour & texture against the bedline
• Europe pillowcases. For additional interest & height, particularly if you don't have a bedhead
• A new throw/quilt for the end of the bed, check or stripe, self embossed, prints

Bathrooms:

• New towlels - new palette, new texture, new detail, fresh look
• Liquid Soap (& lotion) on tap - Amazing fragrances available, look divine, & so tidy!
• Beautifully wrapped soaps - as stunning for the packaging as for the fragrance

Kitchen & Entertaining:

• Stating the obvious I'm sure, but the opportunity to introduce seasonal colour is perfect with a display of seasonal fruits. In our household, fresh produce never lasts long, but it always creates a wonderful focal point for the kitchen table & or bench
• Table Linen: New tablecloth, placemats, napkins, even coffee cups. Whether you buy them ready made, or make them yourself, introduce raspberry red, aubergine, rose, shades of pinks & reds to create a warm table when it's cooler outside.

Living Space:

• Scatter cushions, mix them up between the sofa & or chairs
• A new throw for those cosy nights in
• Artwork - photos, drawings, postcards, special pieces to frame. Introduce some colour in the frames with your favourite paint colour or fabric. Use interesting fabrics & prints as the artwork itself! Caroline Quartermaine the UK textile designer, does this so well (see feature article in the UK House & Garden Feb 2009 issue).
• Wooden Letters, mix the sizes, big, small, one only, whole names & words, for any space or any room.I have white letters that before now have also been natural, taupe & red! Repaint them, make them bold & mix the letters, mix the words, to reflect your decorating tastes for the season. Remember, have fun, there are no rules, if it makes you feel good & works for you, that's what it's about.

Enjoy the rest of Summer, look forward to the arrival of Autumn, & have fun mixing & matching all the things you love around you that make your home your haven...

mantle and black chair

No Comment, just wanted to show you how pretty it is going to be (when I get it done:)

Black Toile & Hot Pink Valentines

So I found this chair at The Goodwill. Oh it was so beautiful!! I could just picture working on it. But they wanted $175!!!! I couldn't believe it. It was beautiful, but it wasn't that beautiful! So I passed on it.

The next weekend I went back and it had been marked down to $75!!! Wow! I still counldn't get it.

Well a dear friend of mine came in my shop one day and told me that everything had been marked down. So we jumped in her son's old Ford Pickup and raced over there. The entire way I was literally praying, "Dear God, you know how much I loved that chair and those other chairs. Please let them still be there. Please Lord, you know I could make them so beautiful." So, Normie and I get there and we rushed in straight to the furniture area and lo and behold, the chairs were still there! And the best part of it all is that the black chair was only $20 now and the beautiful little dining room chairs were only $2.50 each!! I couldn't believe it! Me and Normie drug them all up front to the register as fast as we could. I was so excited to get started on it, I was at The Cherry Pit Fabric Store the next day buying my materials for it. I am replacing the beige woven fabric and green trim with black and cream toile, black lace and hot pink pillows. I think it will be the center attraction at the store (until someone purchases it). I will post it's after pictures soon.

So here they are before:

Halloween

My love for Halloween has been well  spoken about on the pages of this blog. Second only to Christmas, I embrace the fun and childhood appeal of the Halloween, and do not over-analyze the "meaning" of the holiday. For me, it is about kids, candy, costumes and light-hearted decorations. Halloween is a welcome break and a time for fun in the weeks leading up to the inevitable work and festivities that accompany Christmas. Please have a look through my Halloween archives, beginning with the most popular Halloween project to ever come out of this blog, my blue, spray-painted pumpkin. Happy haunting!

Want to make a Blue, glittered pumpkin?

The Witch is In

All Hallow`s Eve...

Seasonally Confused

A Seasonal Porch

Crows, Crows...

Carving out Traditions

Creepy Ladies Mantel

Seasons Change...

Mother Hubbard pulls through...

This is my fridge. Sure, it has the basics - like margarine, ketchup, four eggs, a splash of milk... oops, and some bubbly (it's the weekend, after all)! Everything else is on a list in my purse, waiting to be purchased. Today was supposed to be grocery day. Technically, I had every intention to food shop; honestly, I had zero intention. Instead, I spent much of the day with my handy man, who took the day off to work on a project (while I tidied up after him). He treated me to a lunch date, which was wise considering what is in the cupboards...

Then came that moment in the day when I had to face up to my shortcomings. Too lazy to go to the grocery store, I rooted around in our deep freeze and found some ground beef. A quick rummage in our cupboards yielded some pasta and a jar of pasta sauce. Bonanza!

I could make a meal I like to call Good Enough: Good enough: AKA macaroni, meat sauce, a dash of Tobasco sauce and bottled crushed garlic, all topped with mozarella cheese. Everyone calls it something different, I just call it easy...

Then, just to show off, I made this:

A nice, white packaged mix cake. I used two of the four eggs, and thankfully I had some oil. Presto! I decided I would garner some mothering brownie points by telling my eldest son that it was a cake to celebrate the completion of his first ever exam. In reality, I just wanted something with my tea, but he appreciated my lie!

I know many of you have a fancy pants Kitchen-aid mixer. But honestly, who needs one of those when you can get a pretty red hand mixer for $9.99 at The Superstore? I might even dress it up with some pretty cherry stickers. Then again, I probably won't.

Either way, it was a perfectly acceptable supper...even if Sophie did pretend to gag on my splendid casserole. Apparently Good Enough, in her opinion, just isn't!!

It seems she would prefer to eat snow...

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What do you fix for dinner when the cupboards are near bare??

Finally Friday - on Friday Flea Market!!

Hello all. I don't know how much time I will have to keep up with this. You would think I would have had a blog long ago. I feel I have been on the web forever by now! :)


But the truth of it all is, reading instructions is like reading a different language to me. I just get so confused. I would much rather be working in my "workshop" or moving things around in my store, or even playing house in my own home.


I do love decorating. I do love painting things. And I do love looking at everyone's sites, blogs and ads in magazines.


To start this blog I will try hard to keep a theme going. (yea right, wish me luck on this)


I have my favorite magazines. My most fave is "Romantic Country". I have issue #98 - Dream Rooms" open to page 35 on my coffee table. I can't quit looking at that kitchen!!! I have my Fiance' on the lookout for a table (or old wood so I can make one) for my kitchen. I MUST have that table!!! It is an article on Patti Silverman. She also has been in Country Living and you can visit it online at http://www.countryliving.com/homes/house-tours/rose-vintage-home-0507.


Picture 7 shows the table. But in Romantic Country magazine the table is in full view - OMG! Did I mention that I MUST have that table??!!!


Another item I will be working on is this "Garden Conservatory" I built out of old windows and an odd end table. My fiance' calls it a "Garden Santuary". I thought that was so cute. What are your takes on it, what do you think it should be called?




I so long for Spring. I want to force it into existence.

What I plan to do is put a glass shelf in the center and a tiny pendant chandelier hanging inside also. I have to find just the right one.
I think it will be a darling place to start seedlings, or put my most fragile plants and garden statues.
I will be in touch soon. And I will try to take pics of what it is looking like as I make the changes.

Design Crushes...

(photo source: Coastal Living.com)

We all have them...

Considering I am a married woman, I figure a design crush is the safest, most appropriate kind of crush to have. After all, don't we all put some of our favourite design celebrities on a (beautifully designed) pedestal? And really, I have to somehow justify the ridiculous number of design magazines I have purchased over the years...

Enjoy the (growing) list of my favourites, and perhaps you'll develop your own crush on one or more of these talented individuals.

In essence, I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and the following industry leaders deserve the accolades I have given them:

Matthew Mead ...

(well, you knew he'd be at the top of the list, didn't you?)

Matthew Mead is a stylist, editor, and writer whose work I admire very much. I have had the good fortune to interview and do collaborative posts with him, and I can attest that he is as nice a person as he is talented. If you want great inspiration and style tips, read the following posts and be sure to check out his website: Matthew Mead Style.com . But first, check him out here:

Monday Morning Tea...with Matthew Mead

Inspiration from Matthew Mead...and me!

Styling...with Matthew Mead

In the Kitchen...with Matthew Mead

The Gift of Flowers...from Matthew Mead

Some Painterly Advice...from Matthew Mead

Redefining Matthew Mead Style...

The Perfect Easter...with Matthew Mead

Matthew Mead Inspires...

Man of My Dreams...

Peter Fallico...Canada's favourite male HGTV designer. Sure, he may not go around flexing his biceps like Mike Holmes, but he doesn't have to do demo; he does design...cool, smart design. Plus he can make you just about anything you want made; or even better, he'll teach you how to do it!!

Sarah Richardson...if Peter is Canada's favourite male designer, then Sarah is Canada's interior design sweetheart. Though once more girl next door (when Room Service was her media outlet), Sarah Richardson is decidedly more sophisticated city girl now, at the helm of the slick, stylish Design Inc. Either persona, Sarah can do it all - from country cottages and get-aways (like this yurt), to industrial spaces, posh homes and her own decked out (though charming, coastal style) cottage...on its own island!

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Keep checking back as I add more of my favourites to this list!

For a Perfect Weekend in the Country.

I have had the pleasure of staying at "Muscovy Cottage" in Daylesford, Victoria, in both Winter & Summer & it is the ideal retreat at any time of the year. For a weekend of rest, relaxation, country air & pampering, filling your day is easy. Whether by the lake, enjoying brunch, dinner or simply coffee at any of the fabulous cafes (Cliffy's make a fabulous latte), or a dose of pampering at one of the several indulgent day spas, returning to Muscovy Cottage is the perfect compliment . The interior is understated & divine in shades of coffee & taupe, the outdoor paving area perfect for entertaining or enjoying the morning papers & breakfast, & there is every convenience to make you want to stay longer than your booking allows. With fairy lights & wine, plus a basket of the latest home & entertaining magazines to welcome you upon your arrival, Muscovy is the perfect getaway to enjoy with your friends or for precious time with your family. I can highly recommend it, & perhaps just book that extra night...!

http://www.muscovycottage.com.au/

Passion For Flowers.

Flowers are beautiful at anytime of the year, and I have always loved having them around me. Whether at home, or in your office environment, don't wait to enjoy them only on 'special occasions'. Whether a small bunch of gardenias, daphne, roses, country or coastal plantings, or something unusual that you have found, who doesn't enjoy fragrance, colour, form and or beauty? Enjoy a single stem or a bunch, put them in anything that holds them the way they sit best, whether traditional glass vases, hurricane lamps (minus of course the candles!), urns, jugs, empty candle votives (they can still look fabulous even when the candle has long finished) or a jar of which the shape and design is of aesthetic appeal, create your own floral touch.

Whether you put your flowers 'on display' as a focal point in your bedroom, kitchen, on a hallway sideboard (always nice to see when you walk in the door), on a collection of your favourite books, with shells, a candle or in the bathroom, they are always a pleasure to look at and enjoy on any given day.

Something I love to do, particularly as the weekend is approaching, is to visit Pash Flowers (in Bayside Brighton, Melbourne). What a stunning array of blooms they always have.The staff are wonderful, and can always make the simplest of flowers a stunning creation with their amazing wrapping. If you are having a special event, they will create the perfect look, traditional, contemporary, bold or bright, but always understated and just right.

Pash Flowers and Homewares 385 Bay Street, Brighton

Phone: 95966255

http://www.pashflowers.com.au/

Pretty Houses by the Bay...

Last weekend, we travelled to a pretty little town called Mahone Bay. It is a small, colourful town that never fails to draw gasps, sighs and envy from me as I gaze open-mouthed at the colourful homes bursting with fanciful architectural details. Some are simple, modestly adorned Capes, and others wear their moulding and trims like fancy dress coats, beckoning the visitors to this pretty community to click away with their cameras, as I was inclined to do on a cold, winter's day.

Enjoy the tour...

and from the back:

Statelier homes:

Gorgeous details abound:

Every colour under the sun:

Stalking houses is a good way to pass time between basketball games... ...and my girlie even seemed to enjoy it!

Two coffees and a decaf Cafe Mocha simply added to our bliss...

Don't be fooled by his smile...he was just happy the shopping wasn't great!

Decorate on a Budget – Buy Used, Budget, Buy Unfinished

The previous post on this blog talked about decorating on a budget by recovering furniture, replacing lampshades, and repainting.

Make sure you are taking advantage of used furniture stores, thrift stores, dollar stores, and used shopping websites such as craigslist and ebay. These are places where you can find wonderful deals on home decorating items, new furniture or accent items. You might have a hard time finding something very specific, but if you look through these places with an open mind you can usually find some killer deals that you can make work with your décor in a great creative way.

If you are planning a large redesign that you think will cost quite a bit and be something you will have to really plan for, make sure you make a budget for the project. List everything you will need to consider, and take time to consider how much you can spend in each category. This way you can rest assured that you will not end up in debt over your redesign.

Unfinished wooden products are usually much cheaper than the finished versions.

Buying unfinished furniture is actually pretty great, because you get to choose any color of the rainbow to paint the furniture instead of being limited to what the normal colors generally are. It is more work of course, but in the end you’re getting a customized product for less money.

Check back soon for the next blog post about decorating on a budget.

This blog is brought to you by dialysis jobs.

Ending on a small note...

Well, so much for signing on to do a series of posts. Remember way back when I began my series on small space decorating and didn't finish it? I guess I'm too flighty to commit to a series of anything, at least on a daily basis...

I guess it also makes me a serial failure, or something like that...

Luckily for me, some of you came to my rescue. When I asked for reader input, I actually got a couple of contributions, which did well to prod me into finishing what I started.

Vee of A Haven for Vee sent me these photos of little tricks she pulled out of her sleeve to tackle storage issues in her lovely home. I don't know if I'd consider Vee's home small, but it is most definitely cozy!

As Vee explains, "I have a small home even though it has a basement and a second story...a story and a half house "the carpenter" tells me. Anyway, those knee walls can be interesting. One side of the roof was raised with a dormer that runs nearly the length of the house creating some unique spaces with unusual angles.

One of those spaces is behind my bed. I disguise and use it this way. A screen purchased from HomeGoods several years back sits right behind the bed. Behind that screen is the awkward space, which proves just enough room for Christmas storage."

Continues Vee, "Also included is the picture of an old handbag...broken zipper...that I use instead of a nightstand...it's just enough for the remote, a few tissues, my lip balm, even a book. This saves me a lot of room!"

While visiting my sister's blog the other day, I was reminded of this ingenious use of the space under the eaves, so common in Cape-Cod style homes. This little nook is a walk-in closet for those under four feet tall. It is like a secret little hide-away for little girls who love clothes!

Ohdeedoh is one of my favourite sites to glean inspiration when decorating a kid's space. This home-owner made perfect use of the floor space in her child's room by elevating the bed and using the space underneath for cool storage. Can you say, Ikea storage unit? Brilliant!

Many of you have seen this example of red and white perfection in the pages of Country Home:

It is my all-time favourite home office eked out of a living room, no less! I love it all: the skirted desk area (hiding the ugly elements of an office, no doubt), and the red storage boxes. Even bills would look pretty in those!

Another of my readers was very generous with her small space living ideas. Jen of A Thousand Words is a South African girl living in England. She writes: "Organising is one of my passions. Since we live in England I've had to come up with creative storage solutions to maximise the limited space that the houses over here afford. I've been inspired by projects online as well as come up with my own ideas."

And great ideas they are!

Check out the little pantry she carved out of her basement stairwell:

I love these little buckets she hung in her foyer to stash keys, cell phones, etc.:

She also did this:

Says Jen, "I cut down empty 2-pint plastic milk bottles and used them (and a cut-down cardboard box) to organise our stationery baskets"

**Follow this link to see how she organizes plastic containers and lids.

This next idea is genius, yet simple.

(before)

(after) According to Jen, "It took me fifteen minutes to quickly put up a bar between the cupboard and the wall and add a hanging shoe organiser from IKEA. "

Next Jen tackled the dreaded toy storage issue...even more dreaded when residing in a smaller home. The toys sit happily in this unit...just waiting to be played with.This idea speaks to the importance of incorporating built-ins when living within a smaller blue-print.

Jen has more great organization and storage tricks up her sleeve. In fact, next time, I think I'll just hand the baton over to her and get her to write any further small space living posts. She is clearly the expert here!! In fact, read this post for more great organization tips!

So, that's it for now. I will return with more solutions for living large in a small home...I just won't commit to a time-table! Thanks to those who offered up their own inspiration, and for those who still think living well in a small home can't be done:

I mean that in the nicest way, of course!!