Merry Christmas Everyone....

Ah, who can believe that another year has past and here we are celebrating Christmas again! And what a year it has been... Busy? Indeed! Inspirational? For sure! Hard work? Of course! But, as we reach the end of 2009, I have to say that it's been a lovely year... After all, we are all alive, healthy and well - and our lives are full of colour and beauty. And if life has blessed us with this joy, then, yes! It has been a lovely year.
I hope that 2009 was full of joy for you all - and looking forward, that 2010 will fulfill all of your dreams.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with the latest cover of Country Style. Could there be a more gorgeous way to spend Christmas than at a table like this one? Filled with family and friends
Merry Christmas all....
Keep well and safe. And, happy, of course!
sx

Holiday Style....

With Christmas almost upon us - and the holidays looming like a dangling carrot (!) - my mind has turned to lazy days at the beach and to go with it - gorgeous beachside style. Don't you just love the laid-back flavour and textures of the beach. Driftwood abounds, blues and greens all around - and lovely, comfy style to while away the long, hot holiday days and nights. I hope that the holidays are looming closer for all of you - and that you have a wonderful break planned to celebrate another year done. Hopefully these gorgeous pics will send you into the holiday mood...

pics from homelife.com.au

Come Along To My 'How To Decorate' Workshops....

Hello Everyone!

I'm very excited to announce the launch of my 'HOW TO DECORATE' workshops in 2010.

For the first time ever - I am opening the door to The Little Cottage - my quaint private studio workshop situated in my hometown of Bangalow. Step into my world for a day and be a part of my workshops designed for budding home decorators just like you.

There are four dates to choose from - click here  to be redirected to my website where you'll find all of the workshop and booking details...

You don't need any decorating experience to come along - all that's required is a desire to express your inner decorator and a sense of adventure! So come along to Bangalow and join me for a day of decorating!

Hope to see you in 2010!

Much Love and Happy Holidays,

Shannon

p.s There is accommodation available for up to four friends at The Little Cottage - which is situated a 5-minute walk to the centre of town. Send us an email  if you would like the details. x

Pure Pretty...

What about this gorgeous home - a lovely timber cottage in downtown Bangalow - which is for sale! What a beauty...

A Little Birdy Told Me...

That the divine and most gorgeous store of all - Anthropologie - will be shipping to Australia soon! How exciting! I've loved Anthropologie from the first time I laid eyes on it (as I know many of you do) and have had to make do with filling up my suitcase with their goodies on a trip to New York and lugging them home on the plane with me all the way to Australia. Although Anthropolgie have launched their international site - us Aussies are still unable to buy - however, the word on the street is, that it's only a matter of time before we are on their map! Yay, Anthropologie...

P.S...

I've had such an overwhelming response from so many of you interested in attending my 2010 'How To Decorate' workshops held right here in my home town of Bangalow. My lovely graphic designer Fran is in the throes of putting all of the info onto the site as we speak and I'll be sure to email you all with the heads up once it goes live to air... Which, if all goes well, should be in a week.
Hope you can make it. It's going to be a blast!
sx

All Things Wedding...

A big thanks to Jane and the team at Wedding Style Guide, for asking me to contribute to the gift registry page of their gorgeous magazine - and also for including a titbit on me in their blog. I have to say, it's been a while since I've thought about all things wedding. It's been almost 16 years (!!!!) since hubby and I tied the knot - yes, I was only 10 when I got married (!) - and to be honest, I haven't thought much about weddings since! Until today - when the issue of Wedding Style Guide hit the post box and I've spent the whole afternoon living vicariously through other peoples lives. Wow, don't people have such gorgeous weddings these days? Every little detail has been thought about. Hubby and I had a rather traditional wedding - church and all - but I think if we were to tie the knot again I'd do it a little differently. Barefoot at the farm perhaps? Hillbilly style... What kind of wedding would you have?

Tile Love...

I am a dedicated lover of decorative tile work - and am particularly drawn to the Spanish and Moorish kind. Those tiles that form repetitive patterning and tell a story of culture and history. Decorative tiles are a lovely way to add decoration into the architecture of a home - it's like having artwork woven into the fabric of the house itself. It's rare in Australia to find this kind of decoration in a home - that's why when I head to places like Spain, I revel in the beauty of it all. These pics are from my file and were taken in my hotel in beautiful Sevillia - one of the most gorgeous places on earth...

In Vivid Colour

Infusing bright and vivid colour into a home is a very brave thing, don't you find? Choosing colour can be a little like choosing a husband - you want to be sure that you are compatible otherwise you're stuck living together for a very long time! If you do get the choices right however, then life can be full of excitement and bliss!
No Chintz seem to have the art of using and combining pattern and colour down pat - and I'm always so excited when they bring out a new range of fabrics and combinations as they never fail to leave me inspired and smiling. Like those found in these pics. Hope they inspire you to infuse some colour into your life...

Brooke and Her Brickmaker...

A big thanks to Brooke over at Velvet and Linen for including me as a judge in her Brickmaker Table Giveaway. Brooke was offered three divine Brickmaker tables to giveaway on her blog - and so she asked her readers to send in a photograph of a favourite room that they had designed that they felt could do with a Brickmaker! She received 170 entries in all - and us judges had to choose our favourite 5! What a mammoth task. Here's a couple of examples of the entrants. You can check out all of the finalists over at Velvet and Linen and vote for your favourites....

Dreaming of Wicker And France...

What about this divine chair from the new collection at Villa Maison! Just one peek transported me straight back to France - imagining long summer days lunching in the garden of a dilapidated chateau! Glass of wine in one hand - smelly French cheese and baguette in the other. Lavender lining the table. The smell of the Provencal breeze all around me....
Ah France.. I love you so...

Paper Wings...

Whilst I'm on the subject of all things gorgeous for children - I just had to share some pics from the summer Paper Wings range. Don't you just love these Paper Wings clothes - so theatrical and fun. It's little wonder that their creators (Michelle Fallon and Jason Gibaud) are ex-NIDA grads and spent the bulk of their career in the film industry creating the costumes for some big name films such as Star Wars! I'm waiting, with baited breath, for a women's wear range - as I've tried squeezing into my daughters Paper Wings pieces and it just doesn't seem to work at all!!!

Handmade Heaven...

I love things that have been made by hand. Where a person's two hands - their life and their energy - are behind their creation. Being a rather highly energetic person - I have to admit - that I find it quite a difficult thing to sit still long enough to see this kind of creativity through to fruition however when I do manage it, I find that a wave of relaxation and calm comes over me. After all, creating by hand is a meditation of sorts, don't you find...
Some such creatures of beauty are these Littlebillies. Former food stylist extraordinaire, Suzie Smith creates these gorgeous dolls completely by hand from her farmhouse in the Byron Bay Hinterland. She even knits their outfits to suit their personalities - and what funky outfits they are. Aren't they darling? You can check out her website www.littlebillies.com.au to see the range...



2010 Decorating Workshops...

COMING IN 2010...

Do you dream of decorating your own home but don't know where to start?

Then be a part of my Decorating Workshops in 2010 and build the confidence you need to create a beautifully decorated home for yourself.

Come along to the Little Cottage in Bangalow - my quaint studio workshop - and spend the day with me learning about colour and fabric, how to create mood boards and interior schemes and more. Each workshop is guaranteed to be a fun day, full of insider decorating info and loads of laughs.

If you are from out of town then you can stay at the Little Cottage - accomodation will be available for up to four friends in a self contained loft at the studio workshop or we can recommend one of the beautiful B&B's in the quaint and stylish town of Bangalow...


Email me with your info and we'll send you all of the details. Or go to the 'workshops' tab on my website in the next few weeks where you'll be able to make a booking.

So spend a day or two in beautiful Bangalow and have some decorating (and shopping and eating!) fun with me...

It's Sooo Hot....

It's just sooo hot up here at the farm that I'm literally melting away! Beads of sweat are rolling down my forehead and I'm dreaming of a swim at the beach. Which will have to wait - because, well, there's work to be done...
However, such heat has brought up the issue (again...) of a pool! How is it possible, I say (to my hubby, family and friends - or whomever will listen!!!) to live up here on a farm, surrounded by cattle and dirt and not a pool in which to cool off! Of course, hubby's reply is to raise one eyebrow and say - 'the beach is just down the road, why on earth would you want a pool?' However, I will not give up! Hubby are you listening? Pool, pool, pool -say it with me gals!
And so, I've employed the art of visualization to bring me one step closer to the goal at hand - and as such, today's post is of cool, blue swimming pools... Wish me luck....
Ommmm....

pics from CoteMaison

Remember This...

The day this issue of US Vogue hit the stand (with the beautiful Christy T on the cover) was the day that I first fell in love with grey. Now, grey and I are great mates! Love you grey...

Tales of a Sea Gypsy...

I know all of you savvy design types are up with all things Sibella Court - (and if you are not then be beguiled by her site www.thesocietyinc.com.au). Here's a little taste of Sibella's new theme for The Society Inc - Tales of a Sea Gypsy. There are no words for such beauty. Simply emotion. Prepare to be inspired...

Berry Days...

pic from cotemaison

I'm Thinking About Balustrades...

An issue has cropped up in my life of renovating and redecorating - that has to do with balustrades. And so, I'm on the hunt for pics of lovely and quaint styles of balustrades that will fit in with my old farmhouse. I've come across this pic - simple I know, but very achievable - kinda Caribbean but not overly literal. What do you think?


pic from cotemaison

Remembering Paris...

The day always began with a coffee and a croissant at Cafe Flore on Blvd St Germain. There we watched the commuters making their way to work - and we lived vicariously and were kept bouyant by the energy they generated as their dainty shoes tapped on the sidewalk. We spent hours sitting there watching the world go by. After all, could there be a more beautiful world to watch than the one laid out before you in Paris. Ah Paris, until we meet again...

The Joy of Summer Colour

I'm stunned - I'm besotted - I'm completely in love with these divine pictures from the Malabar catalogue. Bring on the colours of summer...

Inside Out Christmas Issue...

Have you all checked out the new Inside Out Christmas issue? It's full of loads of beautiful and inspiring Christmas ideas for everything from present wrapping through to turkey stuffing. But best of all (not that I'm bias!) is the kids Christmas story that I styled and Prue photographed up here at the farm. Oh what fun did we have putting this shoot together... What with all the kids Christmas goodies, toys and clothes that piled into the farmhouse - it felt like Christmas had arrived in September! I'm sure you've all heard the saying 'never work with children and animals!' - well we had both!!! But they were a gorgeous bunch and such good sports. And Isobel the Spoodle (ever the model!) loved every minute of it...

pic from brocantehome

Lucy Vanstone...

One the most satisfying aspects of my job is being a part of the process of seeing very talented and creative people receiving the public recognition that they deserve. And one of those people is ceramicist Lucy Vanstone who is profiled in the latest issue of Country Style magazine which was styled by yours truly and photographed by Prue Ruscoe. Lucy is the kind of artisan that the Byron Bay area is renowned for - one who is driven by an honest and pure love of self expression, and one who puts creativity high on her list of priorities for her life. I've loved Lucy's work from the first time I laid my eyes on it at the markets in Bangalow - and since at her studio Wheel of Life in Brunswick Heads.
Check out this issue of Country Style to be inspired by Lucy's story...

Lazy Sunday Inspiration...

My goodness.... there's just so much beauty in the world - everywhere I look there is inspiration to be found. Enjoy!

p.s I'm sure that you'll all be happy to know that I did in fact make it to the beach for a swim this morning (even though it was a little overcast the water was warm!) and I've just finished an hour of yoga! Ah the joy! To celebrate, I headed to the Top Shop (a Byron Bay local) for a quick coffee... Could there be a more perfect way to spend a Sunday morning, I say?

pics from Toast and Anthropologie