Sales & Shopping

I once read that the best things to buy during a Sale are
*Shoes 
*Designer Labels
*Wool Coats
*Cashmere
*Leather Belts
*Jewellrey

This is what I bought during the recent Summer sales
*Shoes (tick) – wedges, flats and light Nike sneakers in lilac (sneakers and I don’t mix but they are cool – promise)
*Books – always books....just bought ‘Granny Chic’ with a birthday gift voucher, it’s lovely!
*Kitchen goodies – cute new bowls, cups and drinking glasses.
*Undergarments - Bras & Undies ( always in a sale!)
* a soft Leather bag – this one, it came the other other day, Im happy!

What about you?
Have you bought anything awesome lately? (and on a personal note, there’ll be no more purchases for me until our trip overseas! )

* illustration by me - I haven't drawn anything in such a long long time...a fabulous illustrator that I admire told me that the only way to get better at illustrating is to do it daily....think I need to take his advice!

Decor Inspiration ....on a Rainy day
Its been one of those days today, gray, wet and miserable - the day is dragging on with no escape.  We tried to venture out earlier but the rain got even heavier and we hesitated.
I love a chance to be at home with no plans, but this weather is making me feel extremely lethargic.

The TV has been stuck on the 'Lifestyle Home' channel most of the day - usually its very inspiring but today its just making me itch to make changes to my own interior.
Sitting at home on a rainy day gives you a chance to observe your home in a little more detail, close up and in different light (gray & dull)...the 'before' and 'after' room revealings from the entertaining Home Decorating shows always gives some hope that change is possible...


One of the shows I love is
Emily Henderson's
'Secrets of a Stylist' - her style is fabulous mixing vintage and classic, bright, airy, cozy without feeling cluttered.

I spotted her home office/workspace
on pinterest today - its gorgeous!
I adore the traditional blue rug,  teamed, crisp white furniture, gold accents, scattered green plants makes the whole look
very fresh!

*images found on Pinterest via StylebyEmilyHenderson blog - more pics on her blog!!!

We’re going on a holiday! 
***California here we come ***

Our tickets are booked,  Accommodation booked!

Now I’m giddy with excitement and the count down begins...

Six weeks to go!

We’ll be spending time in Los Angeles and taking our boys to Disneyland!!! (Yayyy)

Then it’s off to Palm Springs and then we’ll be hitting the coast for a drive all the way
 to San Francisco baby!

Last stop will be Las Vegas for some fun, food and shopping! 

Don’t you just love these vintage Travel Posters – they ooze happiness, Glamour and the sizzling Californian heat, I love them!

 Vintage posters found on Pinterest



Stamp Inspiration
Last month when we were receiving Christmas cards in the mail, an envelope from a friend in Cyprus caught my eye...the pink floral stamps were so beautiful!

I love stamps and used to collect them as a child and still have my small collection from 30 years ago!!   I knew I had to save these pink beauties for a 'rainy day'
and so a few weeks later I added the the pretty beauties into a collage card.  I love the black ink on the 'pretty in pink' flowers and I love that the date is 12.12.12 - very cool!

The card is in my shop now

A girl called Shiva Rose
Im so happy to feature Shiva Rose on the blog today.
Shiva Rose has been one of my style icons for such a long time and not only does she have an awesome sense of style she is a busy mother, actress, writer and blogger.

I was thrilled to discover Shiva Rose's lifestyle blog ' The Local Rose'  a few months ago -  so many informative posts about holistic, healthy living,  as well as features on natural beauty products, handcrafted goods, and delicious organic recipes - can't wait to try her 'Daal with Tumeric' recipe.  I love the little gatherings Shiva Rose hosts in her home, the Perfume making party and her recent Holiday Craft party  - lots of creative fun!

Welcome Shiva Rose!
Can you tell us what is currently inspiring you?
Currently I am inspired by nature, organic fresh produce, vintage dresses from the 1930's,

great music from folk singers like Jose Gonzalez and First Aid Kit. 

What 3 things couldnt you live without right now?
I couldn't live without my daughters,
my roobois tea with vanilla almond milk, all the natural 

oils that i slather on my skin (on my site you can see the ones I have tried and like). As far as 

electric devices I suppose my Apple mac book and music system in my house.

Can you define to us, your personal style?
My personal style fluctuates with my mood. I love mixing vintage pieces with new shoes and bags.

Sometimes I feel like dressing like a poet from Big Sur and other times like a Parisian night club singer

from the 1920's and 1930's.
I suppose my style is Bohemian with a touch of lady!

Do you have a favourite colour or colour combinations?
I like creams, black with touches of vibrant colors. I like prints as well especially if it's an old rayon

dress from 1940's. 

What about a favourite smell?  Do you have one?
I really love musk and vanilla together with a splash of rose.
Kiehls makes a great musk and I like an oil fragrance called 'Faith'. I also love the smell of bread baking and fresh roses from our garden. 

What do you love about your city/town?
I love that we have the mountains, ocean and desert so close to us. I also love that we have so many 

holistic and organic options here and of course the farmer's markets. I also feel we have a wonderful community of artists here and that can be helpful of you're trying to start a business venture. 

Do you have a favourite quote you'd like to share with us?
 I always loved the quote by John Lennon: 'Don't regret things you've done. Regret things you haven't done.'

I also like
 'live in love, not fear.'

Thanks so much Shiva Rose for the inspiration!!

To see more of Shiva Rose
head on over to her beautiful blog, The Local Rose
and Facebook page.
Shiva Rose is also on
Twitter
Pinterest and
Instagram so be sure to follow on!

Vignettes - Flowers and plants
 What I set up for this challenge.
 Fresh yellow snap dragons that I had at home, add a little punch to the Purple Gray tones...my sister's oil painting 'Silver roses' she gave this to me for my birthday a few years ago -  I still love it!!

Vignettes challenge: Colour
For this challenge I gathered a mix of soft colours.
A mix of prints, patterns and 'girly' things that I  love.

Ive really enjoyed playing stylist this week...its been great and I hope to create more Vignettes in my home!

* To see all my Vignettes take a look here

7 Vignettes in 7 days challenge
'The Interiors addict' blogger Jen,  along with stylist Kara have a little instagram challenge going on
 - 7 Vignettes in 7 days.
I've been totally inspired playing around with my 'things', things I already have at home creating little displays.

We all have lovely things at home, in closed draws, packed away in boxes, or even in the garden.
We even have things that we keep for years and years just because they mean SO much we won't ever throw away...but do we display them with love?
The interior experts always tell us to only buy and decorate with things we love....

I've had the same things decorated around my house for such a long time but this challenge was a great way to shake it all up...play around and create a lovely story with what I already own,
have and love!

7 challenges in 7 days - Nature, Colour, Fun,
Flowers & Plants,  Mementos & Souvenirs,
Coffee/Side table, Kitchen.

Here is my Vignette for 'Nature' - hope you like it!
I'll share my others soon...

Emerald City

I love, love that Pantone has chosen 'Emerald' Green as its 'colour of the year 2013'.
Pantone describes the shade as a lively, radiant, lush green
and I'll just add
elegant, sophisticated and
timeless to that too...

Growing up, green (along with brown) was never a favorite colour..
but now I find I'm mostly drawn to deep moody shades - Purples, Navy, Grays...ha! what does that say about me?
What about you?
Do you like Green?
It can be a little intimidating but look how beautiful those green chairs are in the top interior image?  they sure have presence - a stand out as is the elegant girl below....

Images
Johann Alexander Stuetz
A Fine Fashon Frenzy

Hello 2013

Here we are again a brand New Year…it sure comes around fast doesn’t it?
It’s also a birthday celebration for me – being born on the 1st day of a New Year always feels special, the whole world is celebrating with me!

Let’s all welcome 2013 and make it a good one shall we?
No set goals or resolutions for me this year, not yet anyway – I need some time to think haha
but in the meantime
I will do my best to live 'in the moment', to take the time to daydream, be inspired, be creative and brave and above all to be true to myself!