Thanks Jo.....

A big thank to the beautiful Jo over at Desire to Inspire for adding my books to her reading list. It's an honour to be included with such esteemed company.

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Style Extraordinaire....

Speaking of beautiful styling - I had the great pleasure to meet a colleague of mine a few weeks ago at the Furnitex Decoration and Design Exhibition in Melbourne. Jason Grant, stylist for Inside Out, amongst others (and soon to be style director at Real Living) is absolutely gorgeous and his work divine. Although we have worked on the same mag, we live many miles apart and so it was a great pleasure to spend lunch with him at this wonderful event. And so, I thought that I'd share some of his work with you. These pics are from Notebook mag - another fave - which I hope you love. sx

Country Style....

Speaking of Megan Morton - the new Country Style magazine is out on the stand with the cover styled by Megan. Don't you just love the patchwork chair....

Style Guru...

I love the work of stylist Megan Morton - not just because I call her a friend (we started out working in magazines together) but because her work is second to none. Megan has to be the hardest working person in the business (alongside photographer Prue Ruscoe!) - she runs at a relentless pace - producing world class creative work along the way. She also runs The Propery - out of her B2 photographic studio - a gorgeous props business filled with special finds that she's collected throughout her travels. You're probably aware of the editorial work that Megan produces for magazines such as Inside Out, Vogue Living and Country Style - and so I thought that I'd show some advertising work from her website. It's gorgeous... hope you like it too....

The Colour Of Life....

pic source: photographer Jason Lowe

Another Table Or Two....

picsource: Country Living

Food and Friendship...

I love to have friends over for dinner - it's such a lovely opportunity to bring those that you love together to share the gift of food and to give the gift of time to one another. For me, decorating the table adds to the experience of it all and so I love to spend time thinking about lovely and unique ways on which to serve my offerings. It doesn't need to be tricky, a simple white dinner plate and linen napkin accented with a glass filled with a single flower is a beautiful gesture in itself. However, if you have the time and the energy there are many creative ways to inject a sense of yourself into your dinner table. I dug up these pics of a table that I decorated for a TV segment for HouseGuests - a food and decorating show that I worked on for The Lifestyle Channel a little while ago. This was for our winter special and so the colour palette is warm and rustic - perfect for serving roasts and stews upon. Some vine from the garden, intertwined around our candles makes for a beautiful centre piece. And the twig resting on the napkin, a wintery gesture, adds another layer to the table. How lovely!

A Floral Flourish

Another pic from Petersham Nurseries - could there be anything more perfect than roses bunched together into a simple glass vase and placed on the table? They are particularly beautiful as they begin to open and their scent starts to waft throughout the room.... Ah, now this is love....

Garden Of Love....

I love flowers - particularly the scented kind. The softness of jasmine, the delicate line of a rose, the simplicity of a frangipani or the gentle contours of the gardenia all bring a smile to face every time I lay my eyes (or nose) upon them. Take me to a nursery and I'm like a kid in a candy store. I haven't been to Petersham Nurseries in London - but from the pics - this is exactly the kind of place that I could while away countless hours. I just love these pics from their website - they're exactly as I'd like my heaven to be...

Just A Little Something...

I felt so chuffed yesterday being able to give this gift to a friend - the lovely fresh eggs came direct from my 'girls' and the parsley from the garden. I just had to take a pic to share with you!

Look What I Found.....

Well, I just had to show you my Lepore purchase (see below) that I managed to dig out of my overstuffed wardrobe. I just love this cardigan - what with it's bright colour and peacock print - in fact, it's been the springboard to an interior or two along the way - does the colour scheme look familiar at all? 

Nanette Lepore....

I've been completely in love with the designs of fashionista Nanette Lepore since a trip to New York a few years back where I made my first Lepore purchase. And so, was very excited to get a glimpse into the designers quirky pad in US Elle Decor. Lepore is a colour maverick - and her sense of fun and fashion style is evident both in her work and at home. Hope her home inspires you too....

French and Fabulous....

Now I know that some of you out there are just completely in love with all things French (as am I!) and so these pics are for you. Taken by Sam McAdam (see below) and styled by the gorgeous Glen Proebstel (Inside Out, Country Style, Notebook fame) for Notebook: magazine. Hope they remind you of glorious days in France....

Sam McAdam Photographer.....

I love these pics taken from photographer Sam McAdam's website. They are colourful but moody with a sense of tangibility in a way that makes you feel as though you could reach out and grab what's being photographed. Hope you like her work too....

Love Your Life...

Sunflower Heaven!

Pic from Country Living Magazine

Tea Party Perfect...

I love a tea party - it's such a wonderful opportunity to fill up on delicacies and sweeties of all persuasions. Decorating the tea party table is as much fun as the party itself I find - as it's the one time that can bring out all of my pretty pink girly china and napery with creative abandonment. This photograph from Country Living magazine shows exactly how I  like my tea party table to look - pretty, girly and fun....

The Virtues of a Messy Desk....

I'm a big believer in the idea that a tidy desk is akin to an uncreative mind! That's the reason I'm giving for the state my desk is in right now! How is it possible for one to create unless surrounded by mounds of inspiration! From pretty pictures drawn by my little 'angels' to fabric swatches, magazines and books. These are the things that make dreams come true....

Having said that however, I do like to clean up at the end of everyday, so that I have a fresh palette to mess upon tomorrow! 

A Shabby Chic Day.....

I've always maintained that a little Shabby Chic in one's life is good for the soul and that even the die-hard modernists among us could benefit from a floral flourish every now and then. And so today I offer you a little Shabby Chic to fill your soul with joy...

Anna Maria Heaven....

A little Anna Maria Horner goes a long way on a gloomy day....

Dinosaur Magic....

Oh, I know - you're a design savvy bunch and you already know about the wonderful crew at Dinosaur Designs - their amazing creations and their extraordinary longevity in a business where fashions come and go as quick as a flash. However, even though we've all seen the designs from the Dinosaur team over and over, I still love them. They are colourful, organic and pure - but most of all, they are fun. And in my books, fun is always fashionable! Hope you like these wonderful Dinosaur Designs as much as I do...