WINE, SUN, FRIENDS & PICTURE BOOK SCENERY

Yesterday my husband and I (and a bus load of others) were lucky enough to share a very special birthday celebaration for a special friend.  The mystery location, which was indicated on the invitation ended up being a bit of a mystery for the bus driver as we traveled up and down a dusty road trying to find where this winery was!  But it was worth it, at the end of the unmade road was little bit of Tuscany in Panton Hill.

We were treated to a tasting by the owners (who built the house) under the watchful eye of their resident dog. The weather of late has been torrential rain and thunderstorms but on this day it was perfect blue skies and a slight hint of breeze kept us all comfortable as we drank, ate and mostly laughed.
I can't think of a better way to toast the end of 2010 into 2011.

Cheers to you all!

NATURES INSPIRATION - STAMENS & STICKS

I have no idea if this artist got their inspiration from Australian Native gumnuts but that is the first thing I thought of when I saw this street sculpture in Melbourne. I wish I could ask him/her but there was no plaque to say who the artist was - if anyone knows who it is please post details.
You cant tell in this pic but the sticks have a beautiful movement to them them the wind blows, adding to its organic inspiration.
Gumnut pic

LOVE LOVE LOVE LONNY MAGAZINE

Check out the December Issue of Online Magazine Lonnymag.
Love the simple layout, products, stories and profiles of designers and designs.
A must on your list!  Just wish I could buy them all her in Australia without ridiculous shipping prices.
Make sure you click on the video of "how the Christmas windows were made - cute and great song.

Dramatic Australian native.

I love a flower that demands your attention and nothing is as dramatic as the King Protea.  The vase needs to be tall and keep everything with it simple.  You could go for more green leaves to make it full but I have gone for white tortured willow for extra height and a little 'winter' Christmas magic in the Australian summer.

At $15 for a bunch of 3 and will last at least 2 weeks, I think this is massive value for money.

SO MUCH TALENT TO READ ABOUT

I really don't need to say much more than.......WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

GOING WEST by Maurice Gee

I LIKE TO COLOUR!

Unlike Samantha's innuendo on Sex and The City 1 - I really DO like to colour.  But I do think these tools might make the task a little difficult - so then it might be time to de-stress and COLOUR like in SATC!

TREE PENCILS by Jonna Pohjalainen

BYO BICEPS!

SEA URCHINS by Jennifer Maestre

I pick them up.....how?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CARVED CRAYONS by Pete Goldlust

How many of the green swirls do you think he made till he got it right?

PENCIL BENCH by Boex 3D Creative

Which one? This little pink one on the right.

TRUE COLOR SERIES GIRL1 by Christian Faur

Ahhhh so THESE are my True Colours

100 YEARS OF CRAYOLA

"I would use every crayon in my box" Samantha Jones SATC

10 THINGS TO DO WITH A SUITCASE.

 You have found that gorgeous vintage suitcase.  You love the texture, the smell of the old leather and now it is stuck in the corner as you have no idea what to do with it.  I love quirky, I love vintage and I love impractical.  Here are some fun ways to get use out of that vintage suitcase you found at the market, garage sale or stole from Grandma's house!

NOVEL WAY TO ARMCHAIR TRAVEL

 

PLANTER BOX

JOIN THE CIRCUS

SPOIL YOUR BEST FRIEND

CREATE A SOFA TABLE

 SIDE TABLE

 SHAKEN OR STIRRED?

 BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, SHAKE THAT ROOM! 

CREATE YOUR HOME OFFICE

OR JUST SEE THE WORLD!

I WANT THIS COFFEE TABLE!

WITH A COFFEE TABLE LIKE THIS, WHAT MORE DOES A BACHELOR PAD NEED?

SHOWER LOVE

Most people's awakening starts with the annoying BOOM coming from the alarm on the bedside table. For me it is walking into the bathroom with sleep in your eyes, turn on the shower and that first warm spray on my face and my day has begun.  Here are some 'creative' showers to get your day going.

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

I love the compact look of this shower, I'm just not sure the ease of putting it in and out of the shower holder.  And for a shorty like me, struggling on my tippy toes first thing in the morning could be a bit dangerous.

WATER SAVER & AWARD WINNER - HALO SHOWER 

This shower was the winner in the BIA competition by REECE, Australia.  Not only was the winner awarded a substantial cash prize it is now in production  and available in all REECE stores.

I'LL HAVE ONE OF THESE PLEASE!

Zucchetti hanging rain shower head -  All it needs is glass walls and a private outdoor garden and it would be like showering under a waterfall everyday.

'AQUARIAN' by VITRA

I wonder if it plays 'Tubular Bells' as you shower?

MEDUSA IN YOUR HAIR

This unique shower head by VADO will give you a shower with lots of little massage impulses I expect.  But I wouldn't want to still have a hangover with paranoid tendencies.

Spring Love

Everytime I see a new bloom in Spring it sends a warm shiver up & down my spine.  A surprising one today was the bunch of flowers on my spindly crab apple tree.  There is no fragrance, and it only lasts a couple of days, but the smile it puts on my face seems so much longer.

BERRY, A WEDDING & A MARKET

A couple of weeks ago I drove to Berry to see the wedding of my co-presenter, Charlie Albone.  What a celebration!! He married the gorgeous Juliet Love who he met on The Party Garden on The LifeStyle Channel.  It was a stunning wedding and Berry is a mixture of Daylesford in Victoria and the countryside of England.  There was lots of laughter, celebrating ( a few drinks might have been in the mix), dancing and little market time! Definitely a place I recommend to visit on a lazy weekend.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

We have had a wet wet winter in Melbourne and only now we are seeing the sunshine and glimpses of blossom to coax us out of our caves.  I only wish I saw this picture earlier in Winter to remind me how wonderful it is to revel in the joy of rain pelting on your skin.  Too often we curl our bodies and minds internally in winter.  I am now looking for a red dress to run in the rain.

DANCING IN THE STORM

ITEM OF THE WEEK

Sometimes there is a piece of furniture that leaves you breathless for all the wrong reasons.  This lounge chair by Jack Hopkins has been been described by  Todd Merrill Antiques as 'unrestrained artistic expression'.  I just find it creepy and would give me nightmares

WORD OF THE DAY - MNEMONICS

I discovered a little word today - Mnemonics!!! I had never heard of it before but after reading '10 things you didnt know' on the gorgeous
Jacki Weaver, I thought, if it works for her it might work for me.
I write most of my pieces to camera for Selling Houses Australia and my YouTube channel videos but trying to remember everything while building is going on around you and a filming team hoping you get it in take, does produce a little  'mind blank' in the pressure cooker. 
Mnemonics is a memory tool to help you remember things like peoples names, formulas and in general - your lines!   I haven't given it a go yet but look forward to putting it into practice as we have begun film series four!

JACKI'S latest movie is, Animal Kingdom.  She plays the female matriarch of a Melbourne crime family. Intense viewing!!! 
Picture: Sony Classics

PLEAT & TUCK

Just as we came to terms with being a  'folder' or a 'scruncher' we have a new style in the mix.  Pleat and Tuck!! Get practicing for your guests.  Origami has left the dinner table and straight to the toilet - literally.

NOT SO SERIOUS PLEASE

We are bombarded with food blogs and we are blown away by their amazing talent but I came across this blog that not only have to die for 'sweeties' recipes but happy to interject just a little bit of fun in a couple of their pictures.  Not only was it clever but it made me go through the whole blog to see if I could find anymore pictures like it. Sadly I didn't but it made me think, was it a clever marketing tool or just a bit of fun they had on one day?
Have you found any clever blog/websites like this?  Post them here so we can all share them.

BEST LADY GA-GA COVER EVER

I know it isn't design related but sometimes you just need a little extra humour in your day for a kick-start!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

FAUCET WITH A DIFFERENCE

This wont be everyone's taste but I love how this simple water spout from GAFF becomes a work of art in a bathroom.  I would put a mirror in there though.

Tulle Defying Gravity

Art for interiors and fashion are all about pushing the envelope and pushing the boundaries of what you can get your materials to do.  This fashion shoot by Josh Olins of Magdalena Frackowiak for Dazed & Confused’s February 2010 edition shows that these dresses aren't created for their practical use but to stimulate excitement and buzz.  Which it certainly does!

                                                (pics via www.touchpuppet.com )