Surf's up

We're a family of beach lovers, and the crew are partial to a spot of surfing. The Mr has just bought himself yet another board to add to his growing collection, and my youngest daughter has apparently found her next birthday present:

She can't choose between the black..... 

or the aqua...... 

...and who can blame her - I'm tempted to buy one just for decoration! Find yours at Coco Republic.

Flora and fauna

Flowers are a constant source of inspiration for me. The colours, shapes and perfumes are so many and varied I think it would take a lifetime to paint every one I loved. But I'm working on it. One of my girls works part-time in a florist, and she brings home something gorgeous every week. Bliss. Here's a little look at a few pieces I have on the go:

How about some pretty lisianthus? They go so well with Louis Vuitton, don't you think?

Prints will soon be available in my Etsy store.

Or maybe hot pink orchids are more your style? No problem at all.

And these oriental lilies will soon be the star of a new, larger work on paper:

As for the fauna? Well, you'll just have to pop in tomorrow for those :)

Who knew?

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a seminar by celebrity designer, Martyn Lawrence Bullard. Anyone familiar with the programme 'Million Dollar Decorators' will recognise Martyn, so I jumped at the chance to hear him chat about his work and his high-profile clients. He was delightful - warm, witty and funny, and his stories were very entertaining! Think tales of design consultations in Cher's ornate bed (once owned by Natasha Rambova, the lesbian wife of Rudolph Valentino), holidays with Elton John, and dinner with Sharon and Ozzie Osbourne. I was too enthralled to take a single photo, but here are a few I borrowed:

Here's the man of the hour

And look - Decoration and Design have shared a backstage video of Martyn after his seminar. 

I was familiar with many of Martyn's celebrity clients, but the big surprise was the home of Kid Rock. Who knew a hard-core rocker would choose a pretty plantation-style home like this?

photos courtesy Tim Street Porter via Martyn Lawrence Bullard

...and here's a pretty corner of Ellen Pompeo's home:

courtesy elle decor

If you'd like to see more of Martyn's work, his new book "Live, Love, Decorate' is chock-full of his trademark style. 

Martyn also revealed that the second series of Million Dollar Decorators is currently in production. I know - very exciting! Nothing like living vicariously, is there?

Whitewash

I'm sitting here, writing this post in what should be a hot, steamy Queensland summer, and instead it's been cold and raining for days. And to make matters worse, there have been next to no fabulous white beach houses to ogle - totally depressing. So I was very excited to find this gem. It would make the perfect beach getaway, and although it's a little sparsely furnished for my taste, the bones are very nice indeed.

 Sandstone...my favourite

Love the exposed beams and vj boards

Simply elegant

I'd love to get my hands on this and really zhush it up - I think some accessories and artwork (no surprises there) would take this from good to great. What do you think - maybe you like it clean and completely clutter free, or do you think it could benefit from a few well-placed pretties?



images courtesy realestate.com.au

One house, three ways, two magazines and a painting

Confused by the blog title? Of course you are....let me explain.

Ever since I started writing this blog, I've loved to post about beautiful homes. There is a gorgeous old Queenslander here in Brisbane that was listed for sale after a complete overhaul. A short time later, it was on the market again, with a completely different look (you can check out the full post here). Well, as luck would have it, it's now the home of our very own Melinda Boundy, of Lily G. Of course, it's looking better than ever now - so much so that it's just been featured in not one, but two magazines.

 The above images are from the new Queensland Homes Gold Annual 2012, and were snapped by photographer John Downs (a really nice guy who was kind enough to send me these pics - thanks so much John).

I'm thrilled to say that the lovely Melinda (who has been one of my biggest supporters, and was the very first to stock my original artwork) commissioned an original Butterfly painting to hang in her living room. It's similar to 'The Monarchist', with some aqua accents to compliment her scheme. Here's a close-up...

How lovely is this frame Melinda chose? And by floating the paper on the mount, those lovely deckled edges were highlighted perfectly. 

Want to see more (and let's face it, who wouldn't?). Well, grab yourself a copy of this month's Australian Women's Weekly:

photography by Simon Kenny, words by Catherine Shields

Looks great, doesn't it? No wonder the glossies are knocking her door down for a chance to feature it. And how great it is to see the same home, decorated so differently? I know which is my favourite, of course :)

Hope you all had a great day yesterday - the sunshine was short-lived and we're back to rainy and miserable today. Oh, and for those who've asked - I've finished the book and it's a cracker. I'll be back next week with a little review, so pop back in for the full rundown.

Have a great weekend, 

Happy days

The sun is shining (finally!), the prawns are chilling, the barbie is ready to go, and I'm taking five minutes to just sit. And relax. Nice. I've got a latte in my favourite Pantone mug, a slice of carrot cake, and a lovely new book to read:

Doesn't get much better than this. And the book? 'Conversations with Creative Women' by Tess McCabe;

I'll let you know all about it once I've finished, but so far it's fabulous. It's an insight into the world of the creative blogger/designer/crafter/artist - and the interviewees are all Australian. You can find out more by visiting the website here.

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie friends - I'm off to make the most of the sunshine while it lasts!

Kate + Flo

Great design really does stand the test of time, and Australia's very own Florence Broadhurst is a perfect example. Flo is recognised for her use of bold, vibrant colour and graphic prints, and local company Signature Prints has been instrumental in bringing her work to the forefront. Now, thanks to a collaboration with Kate Spade, the rest of the world will soon know what a talent she was:

 I particularly love the jewellery - my lovely sister bought me some Kate Spade goodies on a recent trip to New York, and I'd love to add these babies to my new collection :)

 Brad Goreski is on the Kate Spade team too - love him

One of my dearest friends has just ordered a Florence Broadhurst rug from Cardry's. She chose 'Japanese Floral' (as seen below) in a custom colour combination of red and tangerine - a striking combination and definite statement piece.

I love the 'Cranes' design, and how beautiful is it in pink? Drop-dead gorgeous.

And don't think it's all bright and bold - pale and pretty is equally gorgeous:

Two of my all-time favourite designers, working together. What's not to love about that?

Rested, refreshed, and ready to go

Hi everyone, how are we all? Hope you had a wonderful holiday season - I've had a lovely break and now it's back into work mode and time to tackle all the projects I've been planning. Throughout the holidays, it's been busy as usual around here - a whirlwind of exam results, graduations, university applications, job interviews, birthdays....and that's just the kids. Exhausting! I'm looking forward to getting back to work - I really need the break.

My first job is to completely redesign my studio space. As I've mentioned before, I'm very messy when I'm creating. Try as I might, I just can't seem to keep everything tidy and organized. So I'm kicking off the year with a plan - storage, storage, and more storage! Of course, that involves research, and I've been collecting ideas, images, and inspiration wherever I can.

Look at that light! And I must find one of those trolleys - perfect.

all images via Pinterest

You can find these pics and more on my 'Studio Spaces' Pinterest board. And if you find some fabulous examples of stylish (and organised) offices and studios, please send them my way! I'll be back soon with an update of my own studio, as soon as it's a little more photo-worthy.

See you then,

Christmas wrap-up

I'm on the home stretch now....as of tomorrow, I'm officially on holidays. And I can't wait! It's been a huge year, albeit an exciting and enjoyable one, but now that it's drawing to a close I realise just how much I'm looking forward to kicking back and relaxing with my family. The pool is sparkling, the house is about to be cleaned top to bottom, and I'm sending the very last of my orders for the year. Just one last little bit of housekeeping: my Etsy store will remain open over the holidays, and orders are more than welcome, but any orders placed after today will not be sent until January 4th.

Right, now that's out of the way, I wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas, and I hope 2012 brings all you hope for. Thank you to everyone for making this year so memorable, and I'll be back in the new year with lots of new and exciting things to share. Until then, stay safe, enjoy your holidays, and I'll see you on the other side!