My art in the press....

Morning all! I thought I'd pop in to let you know that I've been featured in an article written by Paddy Hintz, a journalist at The Courier Mail newspaper here in Brisbane.

You can check out the full article here. Thanks so much Paddy for the feature.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a lovely day, shared with family who joined us here for lots of food, a drink or two and the traditional Singstar challenge which lasted well into the wee hours. I'm sure our neighbours thank their lucky stars we live on acreage, as none of us could remotely be described as singers, but what we lack in talent we more than make up for with enthusiasm! Today the crew have braved the dismal weather and headed off to Noosa, which leaves me with the whole day to myself. I'm looking forward to doing nothing more than mooching around, enjoying a good book and a dvd or two, and after the frantic lead-up to the big day, I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing. 

Hope Santa was kind to you all, and I'm looking forward to catching up with your news over the next few weeks. I have lots of exciting plans for this little blog of mine, and I can't wait to share them with you all. I love the start of a new year - so many exciting possibilities!

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!

As I write this post this morning, I've spent a little time looking back on the past year, and what a year it was. After years of lurking in blogland, religiously devouring all of my favourites each day, I finally took the plunge and started my own little blog. I thought I'd find decorating inspiration and some great ideas, which of course I have, but I've found so much more than that. I've found a wonderful, supportive community of like-minded people, who are so generous with their time, energy and friendship, and it's been an absolute pleasure to meet each and every one of you. Thank you for being so wonderful, for your sweet comments, funny quips, great advice, fabulously inspiring projects......but most of all, thanks for making the last ten months so fantastic.You really are the best.

To end the year, I thought I'd revisit a few of my favourite pics - after all, what better way to wrap up things up than with some serious eye candy?

a little Round Hill magic

just because

my dream art studio courtesy of the uber-talented Steve and Brooke Gianetti

seriously stylish coastal style

I finally painted my kitchen white

the inspiration behind the makeover of my timber ceiling

some Meg Braff magic

the gorgeous home of Maggie Tabberer

...and I'll leave you with some festive season decorating Ralph Lauren-style

So, from my family to you and yours, have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. I'll be taking a little blogging break, but I'm really looking forward to catching up with you all again soon. See you in 2011!

Last chance!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day of the 20% off sale in my Etsy shop. Last orders will be posted tomorrow, and then I'll be taking a break until the 18th January. Thanks so much everyone for your overwhelming support, and I can't wait to share all my plans for the new year. I finished my very last original painting yesterday - a new addition to my blue and white Chinoiserie series:

'Ginger Jar in Cobalt'

original watercolour on paper

Right, I'm off to finish decorating the house, ready for Christmas day. Thankfully, the pool is now finished and ready to go, and although the forecast is for rain, rain and more rain, it's actually a beautiful day here today. So I'm going to make the most of it and get the place looking all pretty and festive,  and play with a few ideas I have for zhushing up the table. In general, I plan to enjoy one of the only summery days we've had in ages! 

Hope you all have a great day, and I'll catch you all soon.

Thinking of Jane

For those of you who also have Jane in their thoughts today as she undergoes surgery, you can pop on over to Martha's blog to send a message to her.

Let's hope this wonderful, generous community can help her support her through this.

just a little watercolour painting especially for Jane

For Jane

One of the most wonderful things about blogging is the sense of community it engenders. I received an email from the lovely Martha over at Just Martha this morning, asking me to join with her in sending some love and support to Jane over at My Pear Tree House. Of course, I'm only too happy to help in any way I can, and I know there will be many others who feel the same. So if you'd like to send some positive thoughts to the gorgeous Jane, I'm sure she'd appreciate it, and you can also pop on over to Martha's blog for more on how we can do our little bit.

a little bit of lovely for the lovely Jane - courtesy Chris Chun

Road trip

I'm planning a little trip away, to one of my favourite parts of the world - Byron Bay and the hinterland town of Bangalow. Although I'm combining business and pleasure in this trip, I can't think of a nicer place to 'work'! My first point of call is my all-time favourite shop - Island Luxe.

images courtesy Shannon Fricke

 maybe a bite to eat

it's such a gorgeous, laid-back town

On to Byron, to visit Strangetrader:

...and everything else Byron has to offer

I can't wait! What have you got planned for the summer?

It's party time

Just popping in quickly this morning, before I head off to my art class's Christmas party. It's been suggested (very unfairly in my opinion) that there's more eating and chatting than painting taking place at my Monday class, but for today at least that's what it's all about. The presents are wrapped, the food all prepared, and we're all set to go. Oh, and to get into the spirit of the day, here's a quick pic of my tree - I've gone for a turquoise and silver theme this year.

 (although it looks like gold and turquoise at night!)

Sorry for being a little awol lately, but this rain has played havoc with my phone lines, and my internet connection has been fickle at best. But on a brighter note, guess what - the pool is being finished as we speak. The last of the interior work will be done this morning, and the water tanker is on standby to start filling her up. Hallelujah! 

Have a great day everyone,

*** Sale on Etsy***

Until midnight tonight, I'm having having a huge sale in my Etsy shop - buy two prints, and receive a third absolutely FREE! Here's a few of the prints on offer:

So pop on over here to check it out - it's my little Christmas present to you all!

Kerri xx

***and now for the fine print...as this discount offers a savings of $25 on your total order, it can't be used with the 20% off discount - sorry!  ***

Byron beauty

I've always had a soft spot for Byron Bay and the surrounding areas. Besides boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia, the area is bordered by rolling green hills and quirky little country towns. This month, Inside Out magazine featured a lovely white beach house, with a touch of the Caribbean thrown in for good measure. It probably comes as no surprise to hear that the story was styled by our very own Shannon Fricke, and photographed by Prue Ruscoe. Are you ready for some Byron magic?

source

We've finally had some decent weather, and at long last, work has resumed on the pool. The pool guy put in a solid six hours yesterday (!!!) so hopefully it will be all done and dusted next week. But you know, when I see the floods in Wagga (thinking of you, Katrina!) I remind myself to stop whining. Having the pool finished is rather insignificant in the whole scheme of things, you know? As is having the letter 'i' pack it in on your keyboard :)  

Have a lovely weekend everyone, 

Aargh!

My computer has gone on str1ke - can you guess what key won't work? So now 1'm off to buy a new keyboard as a temporary measure th1s morn1ng. Don't you just love technology?

source

See you when 1 get back from the shops - now 1 just need to muster the energy to brave the crowds!

Holiday haven

I don't know what it is about the houses on Sydney's Northern Beaches, but I can't get enough of their particular style of beach chic. It might be the combination of lashings of white, timber floorboards, sandstone....oh, and maybe a killer view or two. Absolute perfection. Take this little number for example - 'Norma House'. Could you think of a better place to spend the summer?

So if you're in the market for a swanky spot to while away the summer, you can pop on over here to make a booking. Just make sure you save a room for me!