If you are willing to unclench your fist

Yellow Kitchen Love

How fun is that yellow oven? And how great is that kitchen island? When I spotted this photo (from Canadian House & Home), I fell in love. Yellow kitchen love.


What do you think of colored appliances like this one? Would you ever consider buying one? What color would you choose?

As a girl who grew up in a home with dated brown appliances, I'd be afraid to spend that much on a color that I might grow tired of in a few years. But I'll never say never. Right now this yellow is looking pretty good to me!

I'm linking this post to Hooked on Fridays, a blog party that celebrates the things that make us happy. This kitchen is what I'm hooked on this week. Visit Hooked on Houses to see what everyone else is talking about--or to join the party yourself!

And well beyond

That's All Folks

Well, that's all from me this week. I am taking an early mark and heading away for a few days. I'd just like to thank the Skirted Girls again for having me over at their table this week. I really did have such a wonderful time. Thank you also for all of the beautiful comments you have left me this week too. You are all very, very kind. Looking forward to being back here next Tuesday. Have a great weekend!!

Image via Lolitas blog

Blue & White Lamp Heaven

I am so excited to say that we finally have some beautiful blue and white lamps available at Black & Spiro. As you can see above the girls have just unpacked them this morning and they are about to be put into the shop. We have some white crackle lamps and some really great orange lamps available too. Oh, and we also have some more new blue and white ginger jars which just came in this morning as well...just in case anyone is interested!!

School's out for Summer

Summer is finally here in"Merry Ole' England"! School is officially out for good and it will be a long time till September 1st comes knocking at the door!

Summer holds so much more promise; staying in bed later to read a good book, going on long walks in the evening to see if we can catch the montjacs going to take a drink from the pond, breathing in the calmer atmosphere that generally seems to be around and a house not covered in papers to be graded and reports to be filed. With a glass of wine in hand I raise it to SUMMER and all that it holds!

If you like the picture posted above, please visit: Victoria Leslie, who sells vintage children's book images from her website. The illustration is by the English Artist Molly Brett

Necessitating Proper Expertise

Port Nolloth - West Coast

Talking Around The Skirted Round Table

A huge thank you to Linda, Megan & Joni for inviting me to their Skirted Round Table for a chat. I had a fantastic time talking with you all yesterday. If anyone is interested in hearing our discussion click HERE to be directed over to The Skirted Round Table.

David Hinchen's Houses

I just discovered David Hinchen, an artist who paints architectural illustrations and fine art house portraits. Some of my favorite pieces are the ones he painted of houses by the sea. This one is called "The Dunes:"

In an e-mail to me, David told me a little about his work: "My paintings celebrate the visually absorbing shapes, colors, textures and eccentric details of the urban landscape. I've developed an original technique which is characterized by precise ink images with acrylic tones painted over each other, resembling semi-opaque layers."

This one is called "East End Porch," and I would love to be sitting on it right now:

You can see more of Hinchen's work and read more about him at his website. He also has an Etsy shop.

P.S. I've got photos of the old stone farmhouse from the movie "Marley & Me" posted on my other blog today if you want to see them!

Presented individually

Vintage Chairs

Sorry about the terrible photos however, I just had to snap a few shots of these pretty chairs I recently had recovered for one of my clients. They were her mother's chairs which we have worked into her lounge room scheme. We covered them in a black and white ticking and had box pleated skirts put around the base of them. I wanted to keep the timber frame in it's original condition so as to show the age of the chairs.

Given assistance so they can return

Old Photo's, new tricks.

Folk art leaf papercutting (wip)

50cm x 35cm

I've started cutting the other side of the leaf and have also decided to fill in the four outside corners. This is my progress so far. I'm holding my own verdict on it at the moment - still not completely convinced about the design, but fortune favours the brave. So we'll see.

A Yellow House on the Water in Brisbane

I like looking through the real estate listings in other countries because you get to see houses that are a little bit different than we have here in the States. I found this beautiful yellow house that sits on the river in Brisbane, Australia, and fell hard for the "wraparound verandas."

I've always had a thing for yellow houses with white trim. When my husband and I bought our first house, it was gray. We painted it yellow and it really brought the house to life. We had a front porch, too, but nothing like this!

The verandas stretch all the way around the back of the house:

It sits on 12 riverfront acres and includes stables for horses. Oh, and there's a pool.

It's listed as "price on application," which translates as, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." Want to see more? The listing is here.

P.S. It's Movie Monday at Hooked on Houses--my favorite blog day of the week! I'm featuring the Grogan family's charming starter home from "Marley & Me."

George Trip!

Fuck the Buck is a annual Skateboarding Competition held in George. The majority of skaters come down from Cape Town to contest at the Skate Lab Park.

This year our crew consisted of 7 guys driving up in one bakkie and camping out at the George campsite for the weekend. We met up with a bunch of other skaters in the campsite and partied till the early morning hours. The contest was small but lots of fun. Alan Marola won with Jacques Jaakness taking best trick on the handrail.

At the end of last year we went on a trip called Via The Backroads. This weekend felt just like one of those trips and made all of us excited for the next one.

I'll add a link covering the comp as soon as I find a write up with photos posted on the internet.

I Spy With My Little Eye....

While taking a morning stroll this week through the woods, camera in one hand, cup of coffee in the other we ended up playing more of an “I spy” game than having a relaxing stroll. Taking pictures of what I could, I attempted to record our findings.

Just like the day we watched the little toads bubbling out through the woods(see post: Taking Time to Breath, 6/30/2009), there are so many things happening around you, if you just stop and look. We met a little brown mouse, walking along an old fallen tree. He kept going underneath and coming out to sit on top of a limb, but he wouldn’t sit still long enough for us to get a photograph.

Moving along we went to see if the baby coots were up yet and while sitting on a bench, watching the former evening’s raindrops glisten on the lily pads in the bright sun, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. Ever so slowly, I moved my head to see a muntjac walking along the water grass in a side pool of the pond and getting something to drink.

He didn’t seem to mind our presence. He looked our way once and seemed to simply nod at us and then carried on drinking. After quenching his thirst he turned and slowly sauntered up the little hill and through the woods. To see that was a morning gift from God.

Cutting through a different path, my husband noticed something in the woods. What fabulous hawk eyes he has! We found an old “Pilot” clothes wringer, just lying there. The handle was very rusty and the rubber wringers were filled with little rotting creases, but the writing was very clear. Where had it come from? Why was it there? For how long had it been there? So many questions, but alas it is not able to speak and tell us.

Coming back to the main path we were greeted by a not to happy giant neon green emperor dragonfly that literally chased us down the path. We decided it was time to go to the other side of the woods and walk through the ferns. It is like something from Jurassic park with all the ferns around you, some taller than us. A lot of little birds seem to live amongst the ferns, flitting in and out, along with the butterflies.

We weren’t there for very long when we heard the pitter-patter of rain overhead. Protected by the canopy of trees we made our way to a main path and then out to the open common. By that time the rain had passed and I was able to photograph the “Pilgrim’s House” that sits on the edge of the common. The chimneys are such outstanding pieces of craftsmanship. I love there embossed tile work. I snapped quickly, since the clouds were beginning to pool overhead again. Scurrying home we made it in the door just before the heavens opened.

Friday Flowers

Here are some beautiful tulips which I just arranged in a vintage jug for the shop. I love this little corner in the shop at the moment and these fresh tulips fit right in. I hope you have a great weekend. See you next time!

xx

Anna

Indian Key Chest

I spotted this Indian Key Chest on the Cottage & Bungalow website and wish I had an extra $2,645 sitting around to buy it. So pretty--especially in the beach house setting.

I even like the description of the colors: "Shown in Butter Pecan with Blueberry Crisp accent." Yum. Sounds good enough to eat.

Today is Hooked on Fridays, a blog party I host on my other blog at the end of the week to celebrate the things that make us happy. Come join us!

Folk Art papercutting (front and reverse) work in progress.

This piece is going to be in the shape of a leaf. Showing the reverse side gives you an idea of how I go about drawing out a picture, but also, what the final piece will hopefully look like! The paper is matt black scherenschnitte paper - a German product which I can't find anywhere anymore and am rapidly running out of - boo hoo! So I'll soon be switching to fadeless art roll paper which isn't quite as velvety black. On the positive side, it comes in lots of colours, is slightly thicker and comes in a roll so I can go bigger if I want to, so we'll see how it goes. I never use scissors or tweezer scissors, just an Xcelite craft knife suits me best. This picture measures 50cm x 35cm.

Cupboard Makeover

I have an old cupboard at home just like this one however, at the moment mine certainly isn't looking as chic as this one.

At the shop I have lots of bits of left over wallpaper from displays we have done. I'm thinking I might use some of these bits to paper the back of my cupboard door.

My little cupboard is in a hallway near our kitchen and currently it is bursting at the seams with sheets and towels. I think I should move the sheets and towels into my larger laundry cupboard and fill this little one with some of my special pieces of china.

This pretty image has inspired me.

Image - Vogue Living

Going to the grassroots

From the Files

This image {above} is one I've kept on file since mid last year. It's from an article Inside Out magazine did {May/June 2008 issue} on former Vogue Entertaining & Travel & Vogue Living Editor, Sharyn Storrier Lyneham's home.

After spotting this image in my files earlier this week I remembered that Vogue Living had done a story on Sharyn's home too {January/February 2008 issue}. I found a copy of the story and thought I would post the image Vogue Living published of this very same room.

I just adore the look of this sunroom - it's so fresh and pretty, inviting and mismatched and how divine are the fresh Hydrangeas?! Apparently those to die for cushions on the cane chairs are vintage.

These days Sharyn is in partnership with Australian Fashion Queen Belinda Seper in their unique concept store, Edit.

Image 1 - Inside Out Magazine, Image 2 - Vogue Living via Edit

Looking Forward To This...

Michelle Adams is at it again with her business partner, photographer Patrick Cline. Here's what they are about to launch into;

{Excerpt taken from M.A. Belle}

In a time when shelter publications are turning their last pages...

OUR MISSION is to reopen the doors of accessible design. By embracing an online platform we provide inspiration at the click of a finger, directly connecting our readers to their favorite products and resources. Our freedom from page limits means that we can share more content in each issue, delivering an intimate look into the way people really live. At Lonny, we value independent thinking and believe not in following trends but rather in making choices that lead to happiness. We believe that good design and affordable design can coexist and that true inspiration can be found in the teeniest of homes or in the grandest of spaces.

Coming Fall 2009 ;)

I will definitely be checking back for updates on their new venture!

A Fresh New Life

In my work I try as much as possible to encourage my clients to reuse, repurpose, and reinvent their old pieces or pieces which may have been passed down to them from family members. I often get little old stools or chairs or lamps dropped into me from clients wanting me to choose a fabric which would work with the rest of their things. They usually just leave it up to me and then I deliver the piece back to them with a fresh new look.

I was recently asked by one of my lovely clients to make some cushions out of some old embroideries she had. I thought I would post them here today as I have become a little obsessed with them myself. I wish I could take them home and add them to my cushion collection. I think they look great mixed with the black and white geometric cushion. They even have the old pencil markings on the fabric which we kept.

Images - Anna Spiro

Little Bits of Loveliness

Just because I think they are pretty.

Image 1 - Domino Magazine, Image 2 - Tiny Happy

The Hart

The Hart Lodge in Tauranga Bay of Plenty New Zealand looks like it would be a beautiful place to visit and if you were feeling a little extravagant you could fly in on your own helicopter and land at the property's helipad. If only I could flit off over there for a few days. That would be nice!!

Interviewed by Holly Becker

I feel like this week is becoming thank you week here at ABT. Today I would like to thank Holly Becker for the very kind post and interview she has done on me over at Decor 8. I very much admire the way Holly always supports up-and-coming young designers, artists, crafters and shop owners on her blog. Thank you again Holly!

Stepping Outside

I've been collecting a few pictures of some outside areas I like. I thought I would share a few of them here with you. Creating a space outside which feels like it could well be inside is something I love especially living here in sunny Brisbane where we practically live outside....in Summer that is!!

Image 1 - via the libertines, Images 2, 3, 4 - via sweethome style

Mentioned by Phoebe Howard

I have admired US designer, Phoebe Howard's work here at ABT before. Her style is gracious, calm, serene yet interesting and diverse. She expertly mixes furniture styles and objects to create a unique and timeless look for her clients. I adore her tablescapes and her attention to detail is very impressive. To be listed as a site Phoebe Howard likes to visit in her recent interview with Terri Sapienza in the Washington Post is a true honor and to be listed among the company of such other distinguished bloggers is very exciting indeed. Thank you Phoebe Howard. I will continue to be inspired by your beautiful work and your amazing attention to detail.

All images - Phoeobe Howard