Polyvore Living Room

Dreamy French Vanilla by Marley&Lockyer on Polyvore.com

I have been playing around on Polyvore tonight to put this Sofa in a setting...I just adore it and it is SO me! So are all the other pieces that make up the space. The colour in the background is what I am off to get tomorrow to paint our Living/ Kitchen /dining space...Murobond 'Stone'. It is the perfect linen shade (I took a piece with me to have it matched). I still have to add a rug to this setting and some curtains...I am thinking Aubusson rug and linen drapes with black wrought iron rod.

Anyway, check out the link and leave me a comment on what you think.

Ness xx

Thank you!

Katherine Field

I had a lovely Birthday yesterday and I thank you all for your wishes.

Present wise I was given from Mic and the boys, Paul Bangay's Complete Garden Handbook (as you know we are trying to create a garden) and some new Sable Artist brushes. I made it quite hard for him this year, as I didn't really want or need anything, so I was very happy with these.

From Mic's Family, beauty products, Pilate's DVD, Somethings Gotta Give Soundtrack (which I have listened to all day). I also got some English box hedges and Pittosporum screening hedges en mass for our garden. A few things will be arriving this weekend as well when my Mum flies in to stay for 2 weeks...yay! Oh and I bought myself some things too, so I done really well considering I made it hard for everyone!!

The cheesecake went down well..but then I felt a little ill...maybe guilty, not sure.

Ness xx

Yay! Its My Birthday...

Atlanta Bartlett

Well today is my 33rd Birthday!! - I know some of you thought it was last week. We had a rather extended celebration this year. I am just doing a quick post tonight as our Family is about to arrive for presents, cake etc. I will tell you all tomorrow what I was given. I am so excited to be having some luscious cheesecake for a cake.

I haven't had anything naughty for about 6 weeks now as I have been trying to shed some weight...(6 1/2" from my waist so far). I just hope it tastes good!
I will let you all know what I received tomorrow.

Ness xx

Newbie and my Lamp...

I actually had a really lovely and productive weekend as we were rained in....torrential rain! We had a birthday dinner with the family on Saturday night (cooked by Mic..sort of), watched movies and I got lots of new items made for The Shop.Like this new cover. I really like this one as the sign is from a little Village in Britain and it is something different from the Bus sign covers. You can buy these new covers HERE!

I also realised I forgot to post about my lamp makeover from my office re-do, so...
This is it before. A bit bland, but has potential...(this photo was taken during the office change, so excuse the mess)

A tube of acrylic in Neutral Grey, paintbrush, piece of linen and were away. I just used the brush to work the paint into all of the grooves, then rubbed most of it off with the linen.
...it really showed the features up well. At this stage you can work some more paint into it if you want it a little darker, or maybe add a high light colour like silver or black....
I love how it looks like an old Architectural column...

This is it after and on my new desk. It throws off a lovely warm light and looks great with my white Geraniums. you can do this finish with terracotta pots, picture frames and anything that has a raised pattern to it. Whatever you try it on will look like a new piece.

Have fun!

Ness xx

A lack of...

Looking around our place today (we are rained in) I have really noticed our lack of storage. There are no built in cupboards, and while we do have storage it is all in the way of old wardrobes, small cupboards etc. So I went through my files and found these very useful...and very beautiful examples.... {unknown}

My favourite. The pale blue at the back of the shelves is so refreshing against those creamy white plates and picks up the blue Chandelier drops. I think the old dining setting make this room for me as well. It is gorgeous.

Chykah Keebaugh
I have long loved this grey beauty, especially with the ladder. I have long wanted one of these Library style units with ladder. There is a store in the Southern Highlands, not far from Mum and Dads that has quite a few I fancy. That wing back chair is lovely.


{Celia Domenech}
A little too modern for our current home, but I still love it all the same. I would love to have something like this built around a window with a little seat you could snuggle into on a day like today and cocoon in your books with a woolly blanket and a hot coffee.
{Country Living magazine}
This movable set of shelves would be great in a rental (which never seem to have enough storage). This looks wonderful with the white ironstone and glassware displayed on it. Units like this can be found cheaply, painted or waxed and used anywhere like the Bathroom (think loads of fluffy white towels, cut glass dishes and French soaps), Office (think matching Aqua filing boxes and Magazine holders), Kids' room (for extra blankets, books, toys etc) and lets not forget the Garage, which is probably what it is intended for in the first place.
...I really need some more storage...

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, see you Monday!
Ness xx

Provence in New Zealand

Our friends across the ocean in NZ really do live a beautiful life. After seeing Anna Spiro's photos of her recent trip there, and the constant eye candy that is in one of my favourite magazines NZ House & Gardens, I am wanting to go there for a holiday more and more. This month I was taken in by this beautiful home from 1916, that has been lovingly restored by Aussie couple Hans and Helen van der Muelen and there Interior Designer Daughter, Anna.
Each photo of the house is gorgeous. Like this little white cabana with its aqua pool.
They even give you a peek inside the cabana. That colour on the walls is basically the linen shade I want for our living room (if anyone knows what it is, please email me).
Couldn't you just imagine lounging around here in the Summer months, making Lunch dwindle into Dinner?

The couples' Daughter, Anna, moved to NZ from Sydney for 9 months to Project Manage the makeover. What a lovely job she has done.
Lots of milky whites, linen, Travertine floors and neutral shades make for one little piece of Heaven....off to read the rest.

Ness xx

What do I want...?

Lily G

Don't know!!

Mic asked me tonight what I want for my Birthday which is on Tuesday. Now, normally I can come up with a bevy of ideas, but right now......stumped! A holiday would be nice, but not do-able at the moment. Maybe a lovely old Louis chair would be nice, but too hard to find. So you see my dilemma? What am I going to suggest? I do have the usual suspects on the page...perfume, music, book etc.

Mic always says he just has to read my blog to get ideas, so maybe you should do that Mic, or check my Favourites on my Etsy Shoppe, cause I cant think...at all!

Ness xx

For your next photo shoot

This majestic home is a photo shoot rent space! I know...WHY!! People should be filling these wonderful plaster walls with warmth and promise. Oh well! you can rent it for the day, week or however long for your next catalogue shoot or feature film. I would be happy with a peek in side and that sofa thanks ;) The whole home is filled with period features and gorgeous windows that fill it with loads of natural light.It is situated in London somewhere, and has a mix of French and English pieces, or you can bring your own. I could imagine a million photo shoots in this house.

I wonder if the owners would miss some of the pieces after I left? I love the tall skirting boards, old mantels lime washed floor boards...and that big frame.

The kitchen is sweet. I could imagine a Winter shoot here. Loads of creamy cable knit and food props like baguettes, knobs of butter in little china dishes, big white ironstone casseroles ready for the oven, and a couple of children near the heater with their brown paper covered crayons drawing on butchers paper and Mum hanging them on a twine line with wooden dolly pegs. Little white washed pots filled with Lavender lined up along the window and loads of fresh produce sticking out of the wicker baskets....

...or a small stack of fluffy white towels on this divine chair, some waffle weave slippers and a glass of Champagne and some bubbles beside it that have spilled over. Little glass crystal glasses that are being make shift hurricane lamps and a big chunk of L'Occitane soap resting on some white pebbles.
Can't you just see that in here?
This unexpected sink I am not sure if it is in the bathroom, kitchen or laundry. I would like to think it is in the laundry with a little line of natural coloured knitted socks hanging from it and some shelves near by with big glass canisters on them filled with washing powder, chunks of soap, wooden pegs and the like...and big zinc scoops inside.

Well, back to reality. It is an amazing home and I love it.

Ness xx

shootfactory

Office Before & Currently....

Like I mentioned on Friday, I spent some of the weekend re-organising my office/sewing room. It was a huge mess and I thought I better not start with a before pic, cause it will hurt your eyes!!! So above is a little glimpse of my new table (more on that) and some of my wrapping paraphernalia. Here we go...to the sort out!
BEFORE
I told you...horrid! We had no where else to store all the stuff while the doors were being put in...except in here! This was the corner where I had my little table, which has become way too small. All of my paperwork, orders and sewing was done from this little table! It has been turned onto the other wall, and is now my wrapping station...I needed one.

A better view of what a mess it was. This is while I was starting to sort...and boy did I cull!

On Sunday, Mic, the boys and I went to Evandale Market and I found this lovely old Coogan's table. Coogan's is an old Tasmanian furniture manufacturer. It even has the old makers mark underneath. I got it for $35.00. The dealer turned out to be our towns second hand dealer, so he brought the table home the 60kms for me for free! It arrived this morning and I gave it a light sand to reveal the lovely wood on top, which will be waxed and the bottom will be painted white.

It now looks so nice with my made over lamp on it. I will show you during the week, the before and after of the lamp.

This is what you can see now as you look in the door, instead of a builders site! I was still in the process of vacuuming and organising at this stage, hence the cords on the floor. I still have to hang some artwork on the walls and tweak here and there

I love the table in here (even though it is not done). I recycled a rail off Masons' old cot for hanging my fabric from and for things in progress, which is leaning against the wall.

I am still planning a paint makeover for in here. I want the walls to be a moody, smokey brown and I am liking Murobond's 'Smoke' and 'Stone', Resene's 'Eight Mondo' and Dulux's 'Self-destruct'. Whatever I go with here will be offset by crisp white trim for the picture rails, chair rail, skirting boards, fireplace and the tongue and groove panelling. I am looking forward to doing something like this in here, as it is the office, I can be a little more daring than my palette usually allows. I think it will play up the warmth of the wood table as well. I will let you know what I decide here.

BEFORE
Eeew! Things that didn't go are just shoved anywhere. I haven't spent a lot of time in here recently...you see why! I didn't like seeing all of my lovely bits and pieces plonked just anywhere.
That little two door cupboard was one of my bargain finds. I got it for $5.00! The bird houses are my Dads creations waiting to be painted.
CURRENTLY
After a little clean up, it looks better. My new Keep Calm poster arrived on Friday, and until I get it framed for the wall, I hung it over my old mirror. It worked well as the frame has a tiny fleck of gold paint around the wood grain from a previous colour.

So, as I crack on with this I will show you as it develops.
Now I can't wait to work in my finally sorted space.

Ness xx

Sleep in...please!

Lexington

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I plan, I say that under my breath, to have a full clean out and re organise of my poor office. It is a mess from all the doors going in as it all got dumped in here! I am going to change it all around and I am quite excited...I know, I need to get out more!!! I would like to paint, but I think that is being a little over ambitious so a clean out will suffice....oh and I would like a sleep in. Do you hear me small people??

What do you have planned?

Ness xx

Summer Office Inspiration...

This little summer house is providing me with huge inspiration for re doing our outdoor shed thing that I want as an office. I would love to line it with fence pailings , painted white, white floors, some salvaged French doors for the front and very girly as I am surrounded by males.
Inside is beautiful. White floors bounce light about and the simple fit out of this hut is accented by the vintage inspired furniture and soft muted pastel fabrics.

Love the sofa, rocking chair and big trunk. I have all these, except the sofa...I can find one though..lol!

As our outdoor space, referred to as the 'woodshed' from its previous duties, has no electricity it will have to have a simple homemade looking chandelier. I would make this out of cut glass tumblers. We will have some sort of power for my sewing machine obviously.
Park benches turned into seating and paired with floral fabrics scream heaven. The addition of a Hydrangea stem just finishes this photo for me.
I could see a big white tressle table, stacks of linens waiting to be sewn, glass jars on shelves filled with mother of pearl buttons in white, wheat and greys, and loads of hurricanes lanterns all grouped together for the warm glow that only candlelight can give and wire vintage baskets filled with all of my orders waiting to be sent.
Once our little flowering Crab apple and Magnolia grow bigger, I hope our backyard to look as serene. Now to find some doors and get on to it!!!

BTW - I just found out that my clay tags were used in the April issue of Aust Home Beautiful as well....YAY!!! Thanks for all of your lovely words about my small, but rewarding feat.

Ness xx

My Tag in Home Beautiful!!!

We had a terrible Electrical this morning and while I was curled up on the lounge with two frightened little boys, I took the opportunity to read my new copy of Aust Home Beautiful Magazine. They have a feature on how to use whites and choose the right one for your home. I love these features as they always have amazing styling and I always, ALWAYS take extra notice of what and how they have styled the settings...anyway, I was looking at this page above and thought 'That looks like one of my tags hanging off the bottle'. I turned the page side on.....and it is!!!!!

I am sooooo wrapped that my little clay tag has made it as one of the props for the part of the magazine I love the most!

I looked at the stylist and it is Imogene Abady who ordered from me a little while ago one of my Bondi cushions and a set of 2 white LOVE tags...what you see here.

I am wrapped. There is no link to me though which is a bit sad...but I am stoked it is there.

Sorry! I am just happy. Thanks Imogen for using them for the shoot.

Ness xx

Number 8...

This awesome UK vintage shop, No. 8 is a constantly evolving store as they update their supplies from Markets, vintage finds and designers. They aim to please with a range from French, Scandinavian, modern to the coastal style. I found some lovely things. Here are a few.
This beautiful dressmakers form isn't on of the items for sale sadly, but the lovely long handled market bag is. I can imagine Ciabatta and Sourdough loaves and fresh veggies and farmers honey in here on a Sunday morning....and that form in my home - oh well. This bakers stand is so me. Mic and I had a stand, not as beautiful as this, in our first home which followed us to a few more before our move to this house. Now I kick myself for getting rid of it as this house is the best suited for it. I will have to keep my eye out...Mum can you look too?

I really love this little cupboard. I know it doesn't fit with my usually decorating suspects, but I would have this in my office. It would be great while I sew to jot down measurements etc.

What a beautiful piece. The wallpapered back is a nice touch and I love the aged yellow.

My favourite is this console table in wrought iron. It would look so good in our hallway with it's marble top and Fleur De Lys at the bottom.

There are so many more beautiful things for you to look at HERE.

I'm off to look some more,

Ness xx