Interior Design

Well, were in the lead up to Christmas, only 28 days to go, I have said it before, and I will say it again, where has this year gone!  This Christmas will be a sad time for me not having my mum for the first time, I still  want it to be a  festive and enjoyable occasion for my family and friends as I know it's what she would want. I'm planning a really pretty Christmas tablescape using vintage items inherited from my mum, you will get a sneak peek next week. I'm also excited to launch sponsorship on my site with a fabulous introductory offer so whether your a small  store, a larger business or a blogger, please see my  Advertising/ Sponsorship page for more details. This week's inspiration will be the last "non festive" post with the next few weeks inspiration full of  Christmas ideas. This week we start with a couple of yummy recipes from Lemons & Anchovies. Cranberry Bars with Chocolate Shortbread crust from Lemons & Anchovies, this Yu...

Today's post brought to you by Guest Blogger, Sierra... If you want your Christmas to be memorable, implement magical outdoor decorations. Not only will pretty decorations make your home the prettiest on the block, but it will make you smile every time you drive into your driveway! From festive lights to miniature garden settings, guests and family members will be in awe that you took the time to decorate. In fact, instead of focusing on making the inside of your home full of festive delights (which of course is important too); for once focus more on the outside of your house. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that focusing on the exterior of your home is just as worthwhile as focusing on your interior too. Set Up Miniature Props in Your Garden. Develop a magical setting by not only implementing a miniature Santa and elves, but   also make your garden look extra unique by creating a fairy garden .  Your garden will look truly magical thanks to your imagination by implementing Chr...

First before I inspire you with Toile...Happy Thanksgiving to my USA readers. We hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving filled with family, delicious food and wonderful  friends. The  Wikipedia  definition of toile states its origin from the 16th century, a French word meaning "linen cloth" or "canvas".  Toile today is world renown for its decorative use in interior design. Most of us connect it with a classical interior but today this beautiful pattern can be used in most styles of interiors and I'm sharing some  of my inspirational findings. The interiors I discovered illustrate classic to contemporary with some powerful pops of colour which may surprise you....Toile with a twist! All images via   Pinterest 

A few weeks ago, Kim at  Savvy Southern Style  gave her gorgeous blue and red sun room a delightful Fall makeover. You can see Kim's previous look  "here"  and more images of her autumn look below  "here".   Of course its Spring now in New Zealand and I'm doing the exact opposite with my living area, storing my beige and black cushions and replacing them with some gorgeous blue and white ones to compliment my collection of  blue and white  ginger jars, this is what happens when you live in opposite hemispheres. My "Spring" makeover, I've gone a bit OTT with the ever popular blue and white. I'll be sharing the complete room makeover with you in a couple of weeks, meanwhile here is a sneak peek ... And for those of us that are heading towards Summer, this healthy recipe for Balsamic Grilled Summer Vegetables, with Basil Quinoa Salad.  Quinoa (pronounced Kinwa) is healthy, apparently low acid and touted a "superfood". Visit  ...

I've been sorting through the photos I took of Peonies last year with thought of starting to paint again. However, I still haven't touched brush to canvas for over a year and after the sale of my mothers house a few weeks ago not only my spare bedroom and cupboards are full but now my studio is brimming over with mums possessions too. Gradually I am realising that I must start parting with these items so that I can move on and paint again. I promised my mother I would paint and I know that she would be upset that I'm not. Last November I took more than  200 photos of white and burgundy Peonies and was thrilled with the results, the light and compositions were just perfect for painting and I can easily picture in my mind the end results. I had a really low day yesterday and someone said to me that they think it is because I am surrounded by my mums things and that I now need to let go before I can paint again. I listened, and I do believe they are 100% right. Its part of the...