Would you, Could you, in a Barn?

The handy man and I celebrated sixteen years of marriage on Friday, and in true form, we celebrated it surrounded by our family while we camped our last camping trip of the season. We are not fussy or complicated, nor has our marriage been; and that is just fine with us. Because we love to tease each other, the inevitable question always pops up each year: would we do it all over again...and my favourite way to pester him: discussing at length how I would plan our renewal of vows (because we really would do it all over again, except there will be no vow renewal...the handy man thinks that is just plain silly!!).

Now, we had a relatively modest affair - though it was as big as I'd ever want it - and it had its fair share of pomp and ceremony. Still, if I were doing it all over again, I think I would do it this way:

• Outdoor venue: why not a barn? Of course make it one that has never housed animals and the resultant manure, of course!

Simple, homemade wedding favours and table decor:

Whimsical ways of involving the guests, like a simple string of photos of the happy couple. Don't you love this?

And what would I wear?

A simple cotton frock, with cowgirl boots underneath?

Nuh, uh!! No way!

I would pull me a Carrie Bradshaw and wear something like this:

After all, it's my fantasy wedding, isn't it?

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all images: Martha Stewart.com

If you want to read about the best frugal, yet stylish, wedding of all time, check out those crazy kids over at Young House Love. Don't you just love them and their smokin' creativity?!

Nog 'n Piep -In Praise of Friendship & Artistic Passion

Nog 'n Piep is a celebration of friendship & a shared passion for beautiful handmade pieces. Inspired by the talents and creativity of three fabulous women - Camilla Cicoria, Dana Lavercock and Nicole Rickard. Their partnership objective is to create unique quality products they simply love, which is very evident when you ask them about any one of their product range. An item that you can present with pride & that will add something special to an already stylish room.

"Using a selection of irresistible linen & silk, gorgeous fabrics & original hand stamped prints, our pieces are sophisticated enough to create your own coordinated look anywhere in the home. Our collection includes feather cushions, cards, wall art, framed artwork & other décor accessories."

Make sure you keep popping online to their site so you know where to next view their beautiful wares, perhaps at the next Red Hill Market or the fabulous Magnolia Square market...

http://www.nognpiep.com

Non-Traditional Portraits...

I love taking photos, especially of my kids. Who doesn't? But, the photos I enjoy best are those taken of spontaneous moments, in casual settings, and I am less likely to stage the kids for a posed photo, unless it is a special holiday or event.

Remember my obsession with the perfect Christmas card photo??

My sister sent me some photos of our children from several years past, taken at one of my previous homes, and it was a nice walk down memory lane. Here are a few, and yes, my house was yellow (as every one has been!) and was a Colonial style, for those interested in such details:

My niece, Ella, and my little Sophie (camping as toddlers). Aren't they adorable?

But this?

This "portrait" has become a new summer family tradition because it best represents the dry wit of my boys, actually of all of us. It was taken on our summer camping trip to Maine in July, and shows Sophie, mouth slack with sleep, and her brothers mocking her, just like last year. This photo was unplanned, but you can be sure I will be primed and ready to take a similar photo next year. I figure, as long as she still falls asleep in the car, this tradition will remain!!

Last year's version:

A Give-away, a la "cart" !!

Would you like to win this?

If so, head here.

Take a Bow Tuesday...

After a brief break, Take a Bow Tuesday is back, and on time for a change!!

I had oodles of great bloggers and posts to choose from for this week's feature, so be prepared to be wowed by your peers:

• After a long but worthy wait (and a whole lot of work on her and her hubby's part), Jennifer at The Old Painted Cottage finally unveiled her new home, Cottage 8, renovated from dated and dirty (her words, not mine!) to shabby chic elegance par extraordinaire! I am not kidding. Go see for yourself...!!

• A reader sent me this link quite a while ago, and I stumbled upon it recently and decided to share it. For those of you who are Twilight fans, you will enjoy the fun party this blogger created to celebrate her love of the books. No detail was too small, and the party is a great example of how the little things in life should be celebrated and enjoyed. And really, what's better than a great book?

• It's that time again: Back to School! If your little ones aren't all that excited, introduce some fun to the planning with these adorable (and free!) printables from Amy @ Living Locurto. While you're there, have a good look around. Amy's site is full of fun stuff like that!!

• Now, this is an oldie, but a goodie: this resourceful blogger gave new life to a tired sun lounger using a couple of vinyl tablecloths! Check out the transformation. It involves a little sewing, so I probably won't do it, but you might be able to handle it!!

• Do you have a tired, dated chandelier that could use a make-over? Well, check out this great project, designed to add a drum shade to a chandelier for a look that normally pushes the budget. A little patience and skill, and a beautiful light can be yours!!

• Now, I love miniatures. There is something so incredibly appealing about them, but so far my penchant for smalls has only translated into some fairy doors and my soon-to-be miniature garden. Not so for this creative lady and her blogging pals! Saucy belongs to a club of fellow miniature collectors and particiapted in a swap early this year where she received some AMAZING surprises. I really can't explain it...you'll just have to go see for yourself!! Amy, from Inspire Co. , is the brainchild behind this fun club!

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That's all for now. I cleaned out some of my archives, and will return next week with more great inspiration. I still marvel at the bucket-loads of talent that abounds in this community of talented bloggers!!

Heading to Minnesota, Don'tcha know...

Head on over to here to see what I am up to next. Oh, and thanks for pretending not to notice that I skipped Take a Bow Tuesday, two weeks in a row. You are good people, all of you...

To make it up to you, I have a great line-up of talented folks ready to take their bow this Tuesday. You might be one of them!

Now, come on over here!

Simplicity & Style for Spring Entertaining

I love the simplicity of how this table is dressed - beautiful colour in bloom with candles to welcome, offset by the clean, white lines of the kitchen - dark timber against white surfaces, one of my favourite interior combinations.

La Lighting...

So often when I go to a client's house, they are looking for help with choosing paint colour, furniture placement, and accessories. As I always do when I enter a client's home, my eyes always travel upwards towards the ceiling, to see what style of lighting they have. I believe you can often tell what a client's style is by their choice in lighting. This is not a fool-proof guide however; because some home-owners give very little thought whatsoever to their lighting choices.

As someone who believes the right lighting can make or break a look, I make it my personal mission to "enlighten" my clients on the value and merits of having great lighting in their home. I always bring it up, especially if I feel they could benefit from a change, but also realize that if I recommend something they weren't planning, it is only kind to have some affordable sources at my ready to pass on.

While browsing the lighting section of the Sears (Canada) website for a client the other day, I was amazed at the selection and great prices they were offering up. I could not believe the variety of styles and prices they offered and thought I would share some of the fixtures with you:

Five-Light chandelier with drum shade:

price: $127.50

Five-light Crystal Pendant ($172.50):

Same, with shade ($449):

Love how modern this one is ($285): Great for a foyer ($187.50):

Simple Drum shade ($140):

Ivory waffle weave drums( $50):

Love this one! ($195):

School House charm ($160):

Wood Veneer pendant ($35):

More modern fun...with balls ($525):

Aren't these great?!!

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As you can see, I'm obviously hooked on lighting! If you want to see what others are hooked on this week, check out Julia's "Hooked On" party, where she so kindly wrote about our new Flea Market Style magazine blog. Be sure to check it out and Ki, Matthew and I and the rest of the team wish to thank everyone who has taken our blog button, befriended us on Facebook and Twitter, became a "follower"/friend and/or wrote a post about the new blog. We are so grateful and inspired to create the best magazine and blog for those who share our love for vintage style!

Ready, Set, Launch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After much back and forth collaboration, many emails exchanged between our blog designer (Danielle, the Design Girl), and a whole lot of writing of posts, the new Flea Market Style Magazine blog is up and running!!!! I am so excited and relieved, I could do a cannonball into my pool !!

When you arrive at the blog, you will soon see it is not a place you pop by and leave quickly. No ladies and gentlemen, there are many, many great posts to read (Ki and Matthew will be contributing regularly) which will truly give you a great glimpse into the making of the magazine. For those of you who are wondering, "Huh, what magazine?" -well, check this out. But don't stop there! Head on over to the blog and take your time browsing buttons and archives and please, oh please, leave us a message. We would love to hear what you think.

While you are over there, check out how to join our blogroll, and have a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page, where we did our best to answer your questions about the magazine. Don't forget to take a button while you're at it. And if you're so inclined, anything you can do to help spread the word about the magazine (and blog!) will do wonders to helping ensure Flea Market Style will be more than a one time special feature. We look forward to sharing this journey with you and we know you will be thrilled with the end result.

Now, come on over!!

Enchanted Garden...

You know I live me some Ohdeedoh! Honestly, it's getting to be a real problem that my kids are growing up so quickly! I mean, I can't try out all the great kid's products and baby gear, nor can I entertain the notion of designing a retro modern nursery anymore for my offspring.

But this?

This I can do:

This is not your ordinary garden... no, no! This appeals to the side of me that installs fairy doors outside (and inside) my home. This is a miniature garden; and after surveying my garden yesterday - eyeing all the weeding, watering, mowing and dead-heading that needs to be done - and a miniature garden sounds pretty sweet to me!! Looks easy, too! A little trip to the Dollar Store, a quick rifling through old toy containers, and a little pinching from Sophie's Barbie house, and I might have myself the makings of an adorable, maintenance- free garden.

What's that? You know just the spot for it?

Me, too!

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**top two images, Ohdeedoh.com. Read more about these miniature gardens there!

bottom photo, Sophie's playhouse

A Hero Lies Within...

Like most of you, I have been following this young woman's incredible story of love, loss, pain, healing, triumph and bravery. I think she is heroic. Read about the herculean accomplishment she made on Saturday, here.

She makes me want to never complain again...

designersecrets workshop Series 2 Is Coming!

designersecrets Workshops Series 2, beginning Tuesday August 25th!! We can hardly wait! Tell your friends and colleagues about it, we're running it at Inform in Camberwell, Melbourne, and once again, we have fabulous industry experts joining us to make this another fabulous event!!!Click on the image to learn more!!!

No Chintz for Chrissie Jeffery

"Sand Between My Toes"

Founder and proprietor of No Chintz, Chrissie Jeffrey, creates the most divine, versatile & interesting collections of textile & soft furnishings, proudly showcased in her two beautiful Sydney stores, Woollahra & Willoughby.

When she was about four years old, Chrissie took a pair of scissors to one of her grandmother’s patchwork cushions & cut out a small square. `My grandmother used to turn all her old fabrics into cushions & spreads - viyellas & old silks & wonderful old crepes,’ she says, `& I just had to have that piece!"

"Walking Through The Vineyard" detail

"Nana's Chair"

Chrissie studied at East Sydney Technical College (now the National Art School), completing a rigorous three year `hands-on’ course in which students did everything from millinery & hand stitching, to cutting & making “from the block”, that is tailoring a pattern on a dressmaker’s mannequin in calico, a technique also used by students of haute couture. After a couple of years with Pamela Taylor in Surry Hills, Chrissie began her own soft furnishing business, Stitches, working with a range of interior designers, including Ann Gyngell & Michael Love, both of whom set high standards of workmanship & enjoyed prestigious client lists.

"Evening Breeze" Chair

"Evening Breeze" Story

Over the next few years Chrissie’s reputation for reliability & beautiful workmanship spread but she felt increasingly frustrated that she could not get the fabrics she wanted. After a trip in the late 1980s looking at London textile businesses, Chrissie opened her first retail shop in Surry Hills, Sydney. `It was a tiny little shop but there was a demand for a wider choice of fabric & we filled the niche.’

Also in that year she worked with curators from the Powerhouse Museum on the exhibition A Material World about the history of textiles around the world. It encouraged her to push the boundaries & expand her business.

"Nina's Caravan"

"Alone In Paddy Field"

No Chintz Lamp Collection

Chrissie's two Sydney stores - No Chintz Woollahra & No Chintz Willoughby are testament to her passion, focus & commitment for her work. Both stores enjoy dedicated following from customers who want a special product. She is equally committed to her staff in the workshop. "It’s vitally important to keep those skills alive, to hold onto that knowledge.'

Chrissie & her team in the workroom also deal directly with architects, designers & textile houses, as well as such public clients as the Historic Houses Trust for the refurbishments at Duntroon College & Government House. `I really like collaborating with clients to get the best results possible. It’s very interesting to work with different sensibilities.’

"We are about finding the exact fabric you want, whether on-trend or classic, in a relaxed environment with a team of passionate experts who are happy for any opportunity to talk textiles"

As ever, Chrissie is moving in new directions. Some of her fabrics now are woven in India to her specifications & her online catalogue has become a major part of the business.`I just love textiles,’ she says. Who ever would have guessed?

http://www.nochintz.com.au/

On the Catwalk...

I am sure some of you will think I've lost it with this post, and I just might have. I have been doing more writing than I've done in a long while (for the new Flea Market Style blog) and my eyes are crossed and my brain is mush right now. Soooooo, this is all that I have to give, and it's mighty cute, if I do say so myself:

Who knew dolls clothes would come in so handy?

That little girl of mine likes to mother little things. Here she is with her kitty and her little cousin, visiting from Toronto. I figure I'll be able to farm her out as a babysitter and charge her rent any day now!

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Watch for the new blog early next week, and my return to regular posting on this ol' blog then, too!!