Fashion Friday: More dots

Forgive me for the terrible photo. It was taken after dark and with a flash. I promise to make it up to you with better photos next week.

I have been looking for an excuse to wear this polkadot dress and so I tucked it into a high-waisted skirt and wore it with a jacket to make the outfit work appropriate and to keep me warm today. It is even colder this evening and I'm now rugged up with a blanket, two pairs of socks and a cup of tea. I can really feel the cold in this old house!

What are your plans this weekend? I have nothing planned at all except a whole lot of relaxing!

Top: It is a dress from ASOS
Skirt: Kate Hurst
Tights: Leona Edmiston
Shoes: Mollini, a few seasons old. Hard to see here but they tie at the front with a bow
Jacket: Purchased from the UK. The brand is atmosphere

Black walls

The walls in my home are painted in white and I remember pouring over all the different whites before finding that perfect shade. My latest attraction has been black walls though. I'm not sure I can make it work in my home but it is nice to look at don't you think?



This photo is by the lovely Victoria of sfgirlbybay. She is working on creating a little breakfast nook, just off from the kitchen and this is a teaser photo she posted showing her progress. She used chalkboard paint for the black wall and I love the way it almost looks as though it is almost glowing from within. The other reason I am attracted to this photo is because of her black painted bentwood chairs. I really should get moving on mine.

I can't wait to see more of her home. To read about her progress see here. Thank you Victoria for allowing me to share.

(Image sfgirlbybay)

New in store

Hello! Did you have a nice weekend? If you are living in Australia did you enjoy the long weekend? They are the best aren't they?


I worked on adding a few pieces into my store over the weekend. I made a couple of hot air balloons again because I had such a positive response on these and they are lovely in both a girl or boys room (I don't want the boys to feel left out!). I also created a couple of new butterfly trees in orange and blue shades. I would love to know what you think?



Also I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Holly for featuring my work in her Etsy Take Five Tuesday roundup last week. It was such a nice surprise!

(Images by me. Artwork available in my Etsy store)

Signature Prints Tour + Sale

It is no secret that I love wallpaper and I have mentioned Signature Prints and their Florence Broadhurst designs in the past but I simply must share with you my latest visit there. This time I was armed with a stack of questions for an assignment I am working on and my camera which I didn't have with me the last time I visited.

Entrance to Signature Prints

The staff were very friendly and generous with their time. I was taken on another, more detailed tour of the factory, given some insight into their printing process and a bit of background on the company. These are some of the photos I took of the factory as well as a few photos provided by Signature Prints (thank you!)

Ikeda design being printed onto fabric



The designs are printed in alternating strips to allow the last print to dry before going over it again.

The wallpaper sheets are fixed to the table with masking tape so that there is no movement during printing. The printing is all done by hand.

Fingers design



I loved these overlapping designs. Some customers have even asked if they can purchase a piece of it!

The environmentally friendly, water-based inks are collected and reused.

Only 70 designs are currently in production with 530 designs in the archives. The design library was created from 1959 - 1977. The designs in production have been restored and framed in aluminium frames for durability.

Thank you to Helen Lennie and the team at Signature Prints for your time. It was fun!




Melbourne readers I have some news to share with you! Signature Prints will be visiting this coming Thursday - Saturday (29 April - 2 May) and holding a floor stock sale with discounts and some new products on sale too.

9am – 6pm Thursday 29th & Friday 30th April,
Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd May 2010
Shop 12, 69 Merchant Street, Victoria Harbour, Docklands
For enquiries phone: 02 8338 8400

Enjoy and I hope you liked this little tour.

(Images me unless otherwise stated)

Fashion Friday: The floral skirt

The weather is still lovely here and so I wore this floral skirt and my happy yellow shoes today. I also popped on a jacket in case the weather turned unexpectedly. The skirt is my new favourite. I love the way it flares out a little and the colours are very sweet.



I was interviewed recently by Kaboodle and asked some fashion related questions. One question asked me what my favourite online fashion stores are and I would have to say that high up on my list at the moment is ModCloth which is where the skirt and shoes are from. Have you shopped there before? A few of my friends had heard of ModCloth a while ago and I feel as though I am one of the last to discover it. It is worth a look if you haven't visited before.


If you would like to read more of the Kaboodle interview and my fashion 'picks', just click on the banner below.

Thank you Kaboodle!

Have a beautiful weekend. Before I say farewell for this week I will be back tomorrow. I have a post that I have been working on and I would love to share with you. Monday is an Australian holiday for Anzac Day and so after tomorrow, I'll see you again on Tuesday.

Skirt: Modcloth
Shoes: Modcloth
Top: A cheapie stop. It is actually a short dress
Jacket: I've had it for years. The brand is Barometer.

Found it!

I found the image that inspired the name of this blog. Can you see what I am referring to?

It's behind the floor lamp

I couldn't resist showing you. I was flipping through my old magazines, came across this page in an old Real Living and now it is up on my inspiration board.

I'm assuming the two people are standing out the front of a fish & chips shop. When I saw this image I remember craving fish and chips afterwards.

What do you think of the wall of magazine pages? I can see this idea working well in a kids room, similar to Natalie's "Young Explorer" room that I mentioned yesterday with the collage of maps on one wall. You could even try hanging a collection of vintage children's book illustrations or your own child's drawings and if your child draws on the wall then it doesn't really matter!


(Magazine image Real Living. Photo taken by me)

Circus style kids room

Click image to enlarge

Have you seen the latest Real Living? I haven't had a chance to get to the newsagents just yet so in the meantime I have been enjoying the layouts posted by Natalie Walton and Belinda Graham of the kids rooms in the latest issue.

Natalie styled three kids rooms each with a different theme - "Young Explorer" (love the wall map collage), "Pastel Princess" (check out the fabric height chart Belinda made) and "Circus Kids" which I've included here. Isn't the Bholu wallpaper fun? I was wondering how it might look in a kids room. The little monkeys are cute and the design is simple enough that you can incorporate other colours in the room by way of accessories, bedding and of course toys, and it all works nicely together.

I always find it interesting to see the work that goes on behind-the-scenes on these shoots so if you are curious like me, pop over to Natalie's blog Daily Imprint for a rundown of the work involved and Belinda's blog The Happy Home which also includes some behind-the-scenes photos.

(Image Real Living and photographer Chris Warnes)

A Kitchen Tea

Bye bye weekend. See you soon.

This weekend was a beautiful one. We celebrated a friend's upcoming nuptials with a kitchen tea hosted by my sister at my parents place. These are some photos from the event.

Flower centrepieces

Simple white tables and chairs and Martha Stewart made another appearance in the form of pom poms.

Champagne on arrival

Sneaky product placement. Just kidding! I framed a large version (A2 size) of my chandelier print in an IKEA frame for my mum and it was put out on display for the party. I like the way it looked here amongst the gifts and decorations.

The food was amazing. These photos make me hungry again.

And the desserts were to die for as well.

This is what I wore. I was channeling a stepford wife look. Dress by Alice McCall Kate Hurst. I added a petticoat underneath and Leona Edmiston grey tights.

Closeup of the dress so that you can see the polkadots.

Some fun games were played to lighten up the party. One game was a race to put on a pair of pantyhose. You are looking at the winner here ladies and gents! I just hope the photos don't surface on the internet of me wearing a pair of pantyhose over my dress.

How was your weekend?

Fashion Friday: Visiting a friend

Do you know what I love? Getting in touch again with friends that I haven't seen in years. This photo was taken yesterday just before I popped out to see a friend from my university days. I think it has been 5+ years since we last saw each other and it felt so good to connect again.

I was going to chop my head off in this photo but it didn't look right so here I am in all my makeup-less, hair styled-less, goofy grin glory. Eek.

The dress is from ASOS and I have a feeling I'll be living in this winter. I think it will look good paired with tights of all colours and worn with boots, heels or ballet flats. Love a good versatile dress.

Okay, well it is time for me to sign off for another week. Have a gorgeous weekend!

Dress: ASOS
Leggings: Sportsgirl
Shoes: Cotton On
Bag: From Hawaii.. very tattered after having worn it about a million times
Necklace: Tiffany bean necklace

Three great reads

Today I wanted to share with you three great reads that I have come across. Not all are design related but they are well worth a look.

Great read #1


The first is Megan Morton's book HOMElove that was recently released. Megan is a popular stylist who also writes a column for 'Good Weekend'. If you have ever read her column you will be familiar with her warm, conversational style of writing and her tips for creating a beautiful home. They are all in this book and I am going to take my time reading through it all because I'm not ready to put the book down just yet. She also offers tips on how to entertain, throw a garden party and even how to live with a dog!

If you would like a signed or unsigned copy, you can purchase one here.

Great read #2


I have enjoyed Jaime Curtin's blog 500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for My Baby Daughter for quite a while now and although I can't quite remember how I stumbled across it I am glad I did. Some of the advice she has written is funny too for example "Your skirt or dress should be longer than your arms hanging straight at your sides" and "If you want to leave a party and you don't have a good excuse, spill something on yourself".

Jaime has been busy compiling her wisdom into a book and I was excited to find out from her last week that the book is finished and available for pre-order here. Well done Jaime!

Great read #3

Another great read is a blog to add to your radar if you live in Sydney - it is called 52 suburbs. Louise is on a mission to explore and photograph one new Sydney suburb each week. She has visited 30 suburbs so far including Potts Point, Lakemba, Marrickville, Pyrmont, Randwick and more. The photography and commentary on each suburb has really opened my eyes to seeing the beauty in each of these suburbs. Pop over and have a look even if you don't live in Sydney.

Enjoy!

Another paint project to try

I like the idea of using paint in hidden places - inside a drawer or cupboard or, as seen recently at Apartment Therapy, even the edge of a door. I am tempted to paint the edges of the doors in my home in pink or blue just for fun.

What do you think? Would it only work if the doors are painted in a colour too and not just white like most of mine are?

(Image Living Etc via Apartment Therapy)

Painting vases

I have been meaning to paint a few clear glass vases and jars after I saw this post over at Table Tonic and I finally got around to it this weekend. It is simple to do. Just swirl the paint around the inside of the glass until it is fully covered, tip out the extra paint and you are done.

Please ignore the wallpaper that has lifted slightly in the centre. I must get around to sticking it down properly.

I have noticed the paint hasn't stuck well to some of the jars. Maybe I missed a step but they don't look too bad arranged together in the kitchen display cabinet.

The marble side table

Before I was born, my mum purchased an ornate french style table which sat at the entrance to our small suburban home. It had a gold curved base and a thick marble top and it weighed about a million kilos (at least to me it did as a small child). Above it hung this mirror which my mum gave to me to place in my studio and I think the two were bought as a set together.



I remember feeling very grand and 'posh' walking into our home. Like a princess. These memories came back to me yesterday when I saw this marble top table even though the styles are very different. It is funny what things remind us of isn't it? I wonder where that old table is now.

(This side table is from here)