They're up ..

now

during

before

What a day we had. Over the years we have done many things to many houses. Pulled down walls .. put up walls. Added windows .. removed doors. Painted, plastered, reno'd to the max .. but never have we had a fireplace - and never have we added a fake stone wall. This was (kinda) fun. Working out the right stone to go where and what colour matched the next - it was like a big jigsaw puzzle. Lucky we chose Hoobler stone as they weren't that heavy. My body is aching as it is - if we had gone with one of the other products we looked at (which were all a LOT heavier) I would be in bed with a packet of panadol to soothe my aches & pains.

The wall is not quite finished (hence the mess still everywhere) and the concrete/glue between each stone is not dry so it is a little darker here than what it will be when completely dry - but you can see what an amazing transformation it is. The window frames on either side will be painted white eventually - and when all is done I will post some final glorious after shots (maybe I'll even style it pretty too). Hope you all like as much as me (-:

Getting stoned ..

Not me .. our fireplace. Right now. By us. Too excited. Really really REALLY excited. Will post pics tomorrow. Woohooooo!!!

Milk toof ..

look, the little toof's even have an inspiration board ..

You gotta go see this. Flick through every.single.post and you will come away with a smile on your dial, a chuckle in your belly and a whole new appreciation for teeth (or toof's) in general. This lady, Inhae Renee Lee of MY MILK TOOF, is super talented - and her toof creations (and the stories that go with them) are the funniest thing I have seen in a long long LONG time. I can't wait till the kids get home to show them too.

Found this link waaayyyy down the bottom of Charlotta's SPACE FOR INSPIRATION blog (thanks Charlotta - for everything!!!)

I love this art ..

I truly love this art. I actually think I might order it tomorrow. As they are painted to order, I can ask for whatever size I like/need (within reason I'm sure). I like the graphic-ness of them and even though you all know I love black & white - I think I could even go with a splash of red. Found via everyones favourite etsy here

Second of new designs ..

It is freezing here this morning. The sun is shining and there is some blue sky, but the wind .. brrrr. Hoping the weather is a little brighter where you are. If not, then looky here. This is the 2nd of my new OEKE designs (sorry for the delay Virginia (-: !!!). This one I have called RESORT as it gives me that sort of feel .. like I'm lounging by the pool in my bikini in a fancy smancy resort (heh, if I'm gunna dream about fancy smancy resorts I can also dream about wearing a bikini).

I have also included a picture of some of my OEKE's at the new TAIT Sydney showroom. They opened a few months ago and had their whizzbang launch party last week. I'm loving the yellow next to the green next to the black. I'm also loving the 'Good One' table & chair combo in red & black (see right of pic).

Annoying cushions .. not these ones

Cushions annoy me. Usually anyway. I just see them as 'things' that my boys throw around. Mine never seem to stay on my couch .. they are used on the floor to sit on when building lego, they are used as temporary weights when making teepees out of sheets and they are used to cover the cat when he is asleep until only his tail is poking out. So, you see, when I see all these fancy cushions around the www-world I just think 'not another bloody cushion'.

But these ones. These ones are for me. The floral is so not what I normally pick but they seem to make me drool. The ikat ones are also not what I would usually pick - but I like them too. I even like the picture from Willa Skye Home's etsy page - mainly the couch I admit (I very much DISlike the curtains) with all the different sort of cushions.

So, I think I might have changed my mind on cushions. They don't annoy me. Not if they stay where they are intended on the couch. So maybe I'll give the boys the old ones and keep the fancy new ones just for me.

First of new designs ..

My new shipment of OEKE's came in a few weeks back and last week I did photography of them for PR and my new brochure (which I really must start today ??). This is one of my new designs. It's called MOROCCO and it is a cream fabric with white printing. I always love strong, bright and graphic colours - but I kinda think this one is my new favourite. I would really love your opinion/comments - could you see this in your outdoor space?


Keep a look out for my other new OEKE's ..

I'm feeling a tad pale ..

I wish my boys school would have such lovely envelopes

sweet heh

I'm loving these trays

OK .. not 'technically' pale but still super-lovely

these oversized pegs are for nametags, photos or notes ..

I'm feeling more and more pale these days. Blogs and sites around the globe are more and more using white and pale colours to promote their wares. The delights from this store, LOVES LOANS & LINEN in Palm Beach, NSW also are pale with linen, cloths and paper products all making me feel pale is the IN colour.

I am lucky in that my new umbrella design (one of 3 - which I will show you all next week) is pale - a lovely white pattern on cream fabric - so I'm not feeling too left out. But now I'm thinking I need to overhaul my whole look - from blog, to website - to clothing. The whole darn lot.

I'm about to design my new brochure for my OEKE umbrella's - so maybe, if my normal day job is not too busy - I will update my blog too. Perhaps I'll pretend I'm Scandanavian - they seem to get it right !!!

Splashy splashback ..

is that not the best splashback ever .. as my boys would say 'way cool'

The splashy splashback in this special stylish home sits seductively inside a stunning setting. Now just for a laugh, repeat that 3 times ...

OK, it's a tongue twister .. but you gotta love what they have done with it. It gives such a graphic impact to the kitchen/living area but more importantly, provides a stylish reference to the location of the renovated terrace. I loved living in Fitzory (we lived in Condell Street and then had 2 offices in Gertrude Street - one at 209 and the other at 114). Everything about Fitzroy is creative and fun and graphic - just like this house.

Found here ...

Architect Barbie ..

I didn't have Barbies when I was growing up. Perhaps if there was an Architect Barbie I might begged Mum to buy it for me .. or Graphic Design Barbie .. or Hairdresser Barbie. Which Barbie would you have wanted?

Found this via HoldIt Contemporary Home .. which I found via Dwell on Design .. which I found via Alice in Designland .. which was where I was before this roundabout started @ The Boo and the Boy (hope you followed me on that journey)

More Tassie love ..

You'd think that with all this cold weather I would be searching for homes in warmer climates. But no, I seem to be heading across Bass Strait more than the ferry at the moment. This house was found via a search for Peppermint Bay - after I read that a chef in the Epicure was leaving the Peppermint Bay restaurant to come back to Melbourne (maybe he was over the cold to).

This house obviously ticks all the boxes re: position and view - but I also like the size and lines of the house. That driveway gets me all gooey too (and 'almost' twists my arm on not having Lilydale Topping for our drive). The polished concrete looks nice - but the kitchen is a bit glossy for me. I would have to tone that down a little.

So do you think you could love a home enough to move to southern Tasmania?

Nothing but a laugh ..

I have nothing more than a giggle & a laugh to offer you today. I have a gazillion 'I gotta blog about this' links/images - but this is ALL I can manage today. The email has been down which causes me great stress, my 7yo has a friend over for a play and my 5yo is sitting next to me on the floor with my Iphone playing realllllly loudly and hubby is under his 60yo tractor trying to get the oil out .. and that my dears is about as exciting as my day can get. Oh, I did do my exercise at lunchtime and am on day 3 of my 100 day diet challenge. I also booked out Queensland holiday to see my SIL and nieces (hence my 100 day diet challenge). Wish me luck for the remaining 97 .. should be easy (-:

super talented & completely mesmerizing ..

This is my first attempt at embedding a video .. hope it works as this is a doozy.




Hoping you all have a lovely weekend (-:
Thanks for all the comments on my previous post. Truly, I am amazed (-: (-: (that's a double happy face from me)

THE PRETTIEST BLOG ..

OK .. big statement - and I am truly not trying to peeve you (us) other bloggers out there - but really, this is the prettiest, image intensive, stylish blog I have ever seen. Anna-Malin (link) just walks around her house taking pics. Sounds simple doesn't it. But she has a magical talent.

Go grab a cuppa and have a browse. You can thank me later (-: